Chapter 375

Chapter 375: First Encounter

The twenty soldiers were among the first to be awakened.

The more than seven hundred years of sleep had not only caused some muscle atrophy but also resulted in the loss of certain memory fragments.

Fortunately, their loyalty had remained unwavering from the very beginning.

Before the Dandelion Project commenced, they had undergone highly specialized training, and after a brief recovery period, they quickly became the most dependable force aboard the spaceship.

On the third day after landing, Wencheng led a ten-man team to initiate the first search.

This planet was peculiar; it seemed to possess some form of undetectable interference with communications. Despite this, the main body of the spaceship had managed to capture a signal from the ring section fragment.

With the coordinates secured, Wencheng led the fully armed soldiers on their first exploratory mission.

The planet’s characteristics bore a striking resemblance to humanity’s home planet, including gravity and atmospheric composition, allowing these extraterrestrial visitors to adapt swiftly.

Though it seemed improbable, when humanity expanded its search across a vast star field, even the most unlikely events could occur.

As they navigated through the hazardous terrain formed by the spaceship fragments, the group arrived at an unfamiliar expanse of land.

The ground here was rough yet flat, displaying a common brown-yellow hue. In the distance, a shimmering Sea stretched out; the landing site of the spaceship had been well chosen, providing quick access to water sources.

Neither the ten soldiers nor Wencheng were experts in ecology; they had no time to admire the scenery and remained vigilant as they pressed forward.

Gradually, the tilted spaceship, resembling a spire, disappeared behind them. In the far distance, they spotted a massive spaceship fragment.

The gray-black broken piece was menacing, with countless metal debris scattered around the target site.

Wencheng found it hard to believe what he was seeing, for according to logic, the unprotected ring section should have shattered into irretrievable pieces.

Yet, it appeared otherwise; he was confident that if there was a way to transport this nearly thousand-meter-high giant ring section back near the spaceship’s main body, it might actually be repairable.

After chastising himself for entertaining such thoughts, Wencheng entered an intensely focused work mode.

The group advanced for about half a day, prepared to return to the spaceship before nightfall.

As they approached the enormous ring fragment, Wencheng ordered pairs of soldiers to prioritize restoring communication between the ring section and the main body.

Soldiers with the necessary expertise immediately began repairs while the others maintained a vigilant watch.

Wencheng meticulously examined the various fragments on the ground, determining the original location of this piece through the markings and indicators on the inside of the ring fragment.

Soon, he merged two images in his memory.

This area was likely not for housing the sleepers but rather for storing machinery.

While remaining alert, a thin black thread slithered through the gaps in the ruins.

This object resembled a viscous, living substance; as it moved, its surface gradually turned pale, akin to an unstable chemical reverting color when exposed to light.

Gradually, more and more threads began to converge, moving slowly and silently, inching closer toward the heat source that might awaken them.

In the darkened field of vision, the moving figures of humans resembled scattered sparks of warmth and light, continually drawing their attention.

It was an instinctive attraction, as if these strange black-and-white creatures were born to merge with other beings.

However, the heat sources possessed abilities they did not have—sight.

Under the sunlight, the black mass continued to gather, quickly catching the attention of the first human soldier.

Though some discoloration had occurred, Wencheng immediately recognized the black mass as the unknown material leaked from the shuttle-shaped object after being struck by the energy cannon.

And now, these materials were slowly converging and writhing.

It was alive!

In the training that Wencheng, as well as every soldier who had reached this point, received, there was a lesson on how to deal with unknown life forms.

Although such lessons seemed absurd and fantastical—like teaching someone in the technological age how to hunt a dragon—this flowing entity still fell within their realm of study.

Wencheng decisively issued a retreat order and authorized the soldiers to use high-temperature weapons and small energy weapons to engage.

He did not permit the use of explosives; facing such a creature, even a tiny splash on any human would result in the immediate loss of freedom for that individual.

Even if it turned out that the substance was completely harmless, it might take years, even a decade, to find out.

After enduring the sudden high-temperature burn, the black-and-white creature exhibited clear retreat behavior, and Wencheng led his team back to the spaceship successfully.

Wencheng stood inside the sealed chamber, wearing an exploration suit that was being sanitized repeatedly.

This was a necessary precaution; if the exploration suit was damaged or if Wencheng exhibited any behavior inconsistent with his identity, he would be immediately isolated.

Fortunately, both the exploration suit’s integrity and Wencheng’s responses were flawless; he just needed to undergo twelve hours of observation in isolation before he could walk freely within the main body of the spaceship again.

All the crew members were watching the video footage recorded by the soldiers; that creature, resembling a conglomeration of slugs, continually writhed in the holographic projection, leaving everyone in silent amazement.

They were somewhat mentally prepared for this; after all, this planet had already been labeled as having "primitive life forms" in human observations.

But… you call this primitive?

This creature was undoubtedly not indigenous to this planet, yet it could adapt to this environment just like humans…

It seemed that no exploration was ever simple; now, they had to hasten their plans because according to the records from the spaceship, those black materials could cover most of the surface of the ring section, indicating their staggering quantity…

On the sixth day after landing, Wencheng and his team completed their observation period, and new tasks were assigned.

Two hours later, Wencheng walked on the surface of the planet, slowly removing the helmet of his exploration suit, proving through personal experience that the air outside was harmless to humans.

On the seventh day after landing on this planet, the remaining crew members began their awakening program.