Abyss Solo
Chapter 316 - 154 Secret Insect Swarm_2

Chapter 316: 154 Secret Insect Swarm_2

Feinan wandered in the constant star system, and Yang Ming piloted a small vessel across countless miles.

There were no traces of insects.

Not only the planet itself, but even its satellites were thoroughly searched by Yang Ming.

The drones sent into the gas planets returned comprehensive data, yet they too found no signs of the Insect Race.

Lyu believed the coordinates might be incorrect, or the intelligence itself was misleading.

A weary Hera didn’t care to maintain her ladylike composure, half-reclining in her chair with a blanket sent by 026 draped over her, dark circles clearly visible under her eyes.

She said slowly,

"There is another possibility, that all our current detection methods are ineffective.

"The Insect Race is a marvelous collective life form, with a civilization level actually superior to that of the Galactic human technology civilization. They themselves are the most precise instruments.

"According to past data, when insect swarms were relatively fragile early on, they evolved various means to preserve themselves.

"It has been proven there is a connection between insect swarms. In the last two years, dozens of low-rank insect swarms have been eradicated. The remaining insect swarms likely have evolved accordingly."

"Yes," Yang Ming laughed, "these bugs are very smart; they might have already turned their shells to stone by now."

whispered, "Should we still investigate Zubin Star?"

Yang Ming folded his arms and pondered for a while.

"Let’s go check it out," Yang Ming said, "since we’re already here."

Lyu laughed and said, "I knew the boss would make such a decision; I’ve already plotted a course. We can first hack part of their defense satellites, then send a small stealth ship into the planet’s atmosphere. Since we can’t unabashedly circle the planet, we must rely on the small stealth ship to approach the surface and switch to another detection method."

Yang Ming shrugged, "I’ll continue to do the hard labor; if discovered, just activate the Particle Transmission Machine to pull me back."

"You can’t go," Hera suddenly said.

Yang Ming blinked his eyes.

Hera wouldn’t let personal feelings affect work; she must have her reasons for saying that.

Hera sat up, staring at Yang Ming, "Did you not say that when you come into close contact with the Insect Race, it will trigger their agitation?"

"Indeed, they are likely to fear me."

"There are tens of millions of people on this administrative star."

Hera said,

"If there is a swarm and the number 014 represents the insect swarm sown in the early phases of the plan, which has possibly evolved into a high-rank queen after these two years of stimulation.

"If they riot, it would be catastrophic. The Insect Race will massacre life forms that are not their own—it is their nature.

"There is no powerful Imperial Fleet nearby, and they can’t stem the loss in time if disaster strikes."

Lyu added, "I suggest we abandon this operation. Under these circumstances, even if we discover the Insect Race exists under Zubin Star, the boss can’t land to slaughter the insects directly, and our purpose for coming here would be unachievable."

Hera frowned, looking at Lyu, "Why give up? If there are really insects here, we can still notify the Empire and save tens of millions of human lives."

Lyu said, "Personally, I lean towards saving lives first, but this isn’t related to the boss’s core interests. We’d also have to bear great risks. We can figure out a way for the Empire to unearth the surface of this planet bit by bit to search and verify."

tried to interject, "Um..."

Hera spoke softly, "We have the most precise instruments for detection; if we don’t at least try, then the time costs of the past half a month will be entirely sunk."

Yet Lyu said, "Risk assessment is part of my job. Zubin Star, after all, is an administrative star of the Sherman Empire; the unforeseeable risks within are truly too great."

"Perhaps we could try from the periphery," Hera said, "we can’t just return empty-handed."

Lyu: "What is the point of testing from the periphery? To detect the hidden Insect Race, we must conduct near-surface probing, and it’s not feasible for the boss to rashly close in on the atmosphere."

"Both of you," Yang Ming smiled, "could you please notice our third crew member beside us who’s been raising her hand for a while?"

Both Lyu and Hera turned their heads to look at 026.

The Mechanical Thought Body and biologist both had sharp expressions, seemingly asking 026 which side she chose to support.

"I could go to the surface and take the measurements instead of the boss," 026 said weakly, "I’ve been on the ship for two years now, meeting the conditions for binding with the Particle Transmission Machine, which means I can be transferred directly back, and I won’t trigger a reaction from the Insect Race. I’m also quite familiar with the spaceship’s operation."

Lyu and Hera both nodded, agreeing it was a good idea.

But Yang Ming looked a bit hesitantly at 026...

Could this young girl truly be reliable?

...

To Yang Ming’s relief, the 026 he had trained for over two years could now handle things independently.

On the backside of Zubin Star, above an uninhabited city, Feinan hovered invisibly. The small stealth ship piloted by 026 had exploited the cover of the uninhabited city, sticking to the surface for a slow scan.

Two detectors aboard the stealth ship were running at full power, continuously relaying data from underground.

On the projection screen, one could still see 026’s somewhat nervous round face.

She wore a blue loose-fitting maintenance suit and a pair of white gloves, looking much like a young master operator on a construction site.

Hera was focused on analyzing the various data coming from the stealth ship.

Lyu diligently monitored the planet’s defensive forces and gravity variations in the outer space.

They were prepared to abandon the small stealth ship and pull 026 back in a bid for escape at any moment.