The subject of Unit One's dissection at that moment was the stomach of the Slathar tribe beast. This organ boasted a truly astonishing volume, large enough to comfortably hold two or three people. Unit One sliced it open and searched with meticulous care, as he had initially hoped to find possible gastric calculi—stones within the stomach—which, if discovered, would be quite valuable.

It is essential to mention the mindset of future humanity here. Following the great cultural and racial fusion during the age of interstellar colonization, both Western culture and Eastern medical practices spread widely, leading to a trend where acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine began to formally integrate with Western medical science.

Within the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the use of animal concretions for treating ailments was extremely popular. For example, the famous "Three Treasures of Chinese Medicine" included Niuhuang (ox gallstones), Goubao (dog bezoar, which are kidney stones), and Mabao (horse bezoar, which are intestinal stones).

In Fang Senyan’s real world, the demand for Niuhuang in China reached an astonishing four hundred and fifty tons annually, yet the domestic yield of natural Niuhuang was barely one ton. Consequently, its price even surpassed that of gold, reaching twice its value. After Mad Cow Disease became rampant in Europe, China decided to ban the importation of bovine-derived materials for preparing proprietary Chinese medicines to prevent the disease from entering through medicinal channels, causing the price of natural Niuhuang to soar several more times!

In this current era of interstellar colonization, the discovery of various new flora and fauna has vastly expanded the scope of Chinese pharmacopeia. There now even exists a volume titled the Galactic Compendium of Materia Medica. Concretions from high-tier beasts like this giant monster are collectively referred to as Beihé (Beast Cores), and they can cure numerous diseases, fetching prices that are astronomically high.

Therefore, Unit One was exceptionally diligent while dissecting the stomach, fearful of missing even a single particle. A single pea-sized Beihé could be worth more than five androids.

It was precisely because of this fastidiousness that he distinctly noticed a metal shard embedded in the stomach lining. This piece of metal was about the size of a lighter, and a substantial portion was deeply sunk into the gastric wall. Had it not been for the remnants of a broken chain, it would have been incredibly difficult to spot.

Discovering a manufactured metal object on such a savage planet was inherently mysterious, though it couldn't be ruled out as something left behind by the Ironblood Aliens.

However, upon retrieving the metal piece and wiping it clean for closer inspection, Unit One immediately recognized he had stumbled upon something significant. This was beyond his purview to decide independently, so he called out for Fang Senyan and the others to come and see.

It turned out the metal fragment was a dog tag used by a soldier!

The lettering on a dog tag followed a specific standardized format.

The first line was the owner's surname. The second line, given name and initial (or only the initial). The third line: Service Number. Social Security Number. Blood Type—A, B, AB, or O, and Rh factor. The fourth line: Military occupational specialty abbreviation and gas mask size—XS, S, M, L. The fifth line: Religious affiliation listed fully, using the first letter, e.g., C for Catholic, H for Hebrew, P for Protestant. The sixth line: Status, such as RA for Regular Army (volunteer enlistee), US (conscript), NG (National Guard), ER (Enlisted Reserve), O (Officer).

Although dog tags were small, they contained a vast amount of information. Furthermore, having been soaked in stomach acid, the tag was heavily corroded, causing the inscriptions to be quite blurred. After gathering together and studying it for a long time, the group finally deciphered that the original owner was a Private named Douglas.

The definitive information from the tag was then recorded, and through a query against the androids' offline database, they discovered that the unit he served in was highly specialized, likely belonging to some top-secret contingent.

Clearly, Mr. Douglas was deceased. The Slathar tribe's diet would hardly include metal; it wouldn't swallow a metal shard for sport. Of course, it was possible that some other creature had eaten Mr. Douglas, treating him like a sandwich, and then the Slathar beast had opportunistically preyed upon that creature.

More crucially, judging by the degree of corrosion, the tag had been immersed in the stomach fluids for no more than two hours—a fact strongly supported by the human limbs discovered deeper within the stomach sac. The sequence of events, therefore, became starkly clear.

"There are still living humans on this planet???" Hedikuli exclaimed in disbelief.

Dardagnan countered, "That possibility can't be ruled out. Didn't they mention earlier that before us, the Star Alliance had already dispatched quite a few people to explore this area? While official data states no one made it through the meteor belt, official data is often unreliable; exceptions always exist."

Fang Senyan’s eyes flickered as a critically important thought crossed his mind. Currently, he was adhering to a strategy of keeping a low profile, never drawing attention when possible, yet remaining utterly uncompromising when necessary. Thus, he refrained from speaking for the moment.

After some noisy discussion, the group generally leaned toward prioritizing their primary mission and avoiding unnecessary entanglement.

But then, Vasily suddenly spoke up:

"You all seem to have forgotten something. If this human is a survivor previously deployed here, then they have survived in this world for at least several months, perhaps years, longer than us! They would also bear the responsibility of reconnaissance and possess the requisite instruments... Therefore, if there are survivors, there is a high probability they possess distribution maps for multiple Xian mineral veins! The intelligence they hold could be extremely valuable, perhaps even priceless, to us!"

Vasily's statement struck like a thunderclap, stirring a thousand ripples.

Hedikuli and Aziza exchanged a glance and nodded heavily. All attention was now focused on Vasily’s words, so they failed to notice the subtle glimmer appearing in the eyes of every single android. Even if someone had noticed this phenomenon, they wouldn't have been suspicious; it was merely the visual effect triggered when the androids engaged in complex thought, much like how a hard drive light flashes during a game loading sequence.

Meanwhile, at the Little Eagle Base, two million seven hundred thousand kilometers away,

In the central control room, lights blazed.

That stern-faced Admiral "descended" once again via holographic projection.

Major General Mongo and Major General Fei Ji stood rigidly, much like grade-schoolers, their bodies ramrod straight, yet their eyes betrayed unmistakable panic and dread.

"You two have done remarkably well—using military exercises and the Research Institute to effectively delay the Ironblood Aliens' vessel, and simultaneously signing a joint decree to force the Little Eagle to operate under extreme overload. To take it upon yourselves to commit acts detrimental to the Empire’s interests!"

Although the Admiral was an old man confined to a wheelchair, his voice boomed like thunder, deafening and carrying an auditory illusion that could shatter one's very spirit.

However, Major General Mongo and Major General Fei Ji, while keeping their heads bowed, secretly exchanged a look. The terror in their eyes suddenly brightened, as both recognized that the old man’s emphasis was not on "detrimental to the Empire's interests," but rather on the four words: "take it upon yourselves!"

Major General Mongo immediately snapped to attention and bowed his head: "General, we truly had no alternative at the time. We were focused solely on completing the mission... Furthermore, the temporal turbulence was intense, and data transmission was exceedingly slow. In the race against time, we failed to request authorization..."

"A commander in the field is not always bound by orders! Your ability to react swiftly demonstrates personal capability, which is not entirely indefensible. But why, after you acted, did you fail to report back to me? Did you truly believe you could handle these matters entirely on your own?"

"Deciding to unleash the Imperial Experimental Station's ionization storm was not something one individual should decide! If I hadn't already spoken with the Department of Energy, do you think that proposal would have passed? If I hadn't suppressed Captain Russ's confidential report to his direct superior regarding the Little Eagle, do you imagine you could have covered everything up?"

Cold sweat immediately beaded on Major General Mongo's and Major General Fei Ji's brows; they hadn't anticipated the layers of complexity behind the scenes. The Admiral said coldly, "Decisiveness is not wrong, but if you make a decision that requires others to clean up the mess afterward, it’s better to be discreet."

"Yes, yes," the two Major Generals immediately bowed even lower.

Seeing their humility, the Admiral snorted and nodded with satisfaction. "Very well. What gains have come from your desperate measures?"

"There are, there are!" Major General Fei Ji spoke first. This man was clearly more astute; preemptively offering good news was a calculated move. Undeniably, people are predisposed to welcome good tidings. In ancient times, those who rushed to announce the success of passing local or provincial exams were rewarded; when were those who brought bad news ever given a reward?

By speaking first, Major General Fei Ji secured a favorable impression with the Admiral. While this detail might seem insignificant, accumulated over time, many such details could become the decisive factor!

"Regarding the progress with the Xian Ore, we have achieved a major breakthrough. Directly beneath the landing site we designated, Mushroom Rock, there is a medium-purity Xian mineral vein! We have video evidence to prove it!"

Saying this, Major General Fei Ji played a recording of the team using their equipment to conduct the survey.

"In addition to that, they obtained several pieces of high-purity Xian Ore and successfully processed it using the equipment we provided, yielding Xian element with a purity exceeding 99%."