Fang Senyan glanced closely at the escape pod again, then walked over and shared his deduction with everyone. A frown settled on everyone's faces as they turned to look around nervously, as if cold and venomous eyes were constantly watching them from the shadows!

Fang Senyan closed his eyes, thought for a moment, then stated decisively: "We will gather together and move out first! Let's dig up every single Wasp aircraft we buried earlier! I have a significant use for them. If I haven't guessed wrong, that fellow shouldn't be here right now."

Bokanchi asked: "Then where did he go?"

Fang Senyan replied coolly: "The combined strength of our group is not to be trifled with. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the logical course of action is to target the weaker opponent first!"

Dardanyong cried out in alarm: "First the weak... If we combine our strength, could it be... could it be that he went after Paul?"

Fang Senyan sneered: "It must be so. The most powerful thing in the world isn't brute force, but intelligence. If the fellow airdropped in here is truly strong, he would absolutely seize such a golden opportunity to eliminate a lone target first, thereby weakening the overall strength of the group, and conveniently gathering firsthand intelligence on these enemies! Android Number One!"

Android Number One stepped forward when called, projecting a holographic image from its eyes, displaying the area around the Mushroom Rock: "Based on the firsthand data I acquired previously, most of the Wasp aircraft buried across the entire Mushroom Rock Plain during the landing were not scattered randomly but were concentrated in five specific areas around the rock. With the current application of our scent-masking medication, interference from native creatures can be essentially ruled out. Thus, surveying these five areas should take approximately one hour and ten minutes. Factoring in the time required for excavation and retrieval will extend that to about an hour and a half."

"Since members of the team have perished, there will be surplus Wasp aircraft available. Although these aircraft require fingerprint and iris locks to be activated, I have now been authorized to access the highest level of clearance. Bypassing these restrictions will not be overly difficult. We can anticipate acquiring at least ten aircraft. The remaining four surplus aircraft can be utilized as decoys."

Upon hearing the words of Android Number One, who sounded like a meticulous butler, a spark ignited in everyone's eyes. The term 'decoys' particularly pleased them. Android Number One continued: "Of these four aircraft, three can be piloted by Androids. Even if the final one remains unmanned, I can activate its automated navigation system to send it aloft. While this will likely result in a straight-line flight path, it should still serve to mislead the enemy for the first few minutes after takeoff."

Dardanyong's eyes instantly lit up: "Brilliant! As long as these lures draw the Mothership away, then we can fly out safely afterward."

Fang Senyan shook his head slightly: "Safety is not guaranteed. But, it will significantly increase each person's chance of survival."

Seeing that Fang Senyan's arrangements were well-reasoned, orderly, and meticulously planned—far superior to Paul's secretive 'plan'—everyone was convinced.

Of course, while many were unsure what "authorized to access the highest level of clearance" meant in the context of Android Number One's statement, everyone had their own secrets and no one pressed for details.

Fang Senyan had earned a reputation for being reliable; they presumed he wouldn't lie about such a minor detail. Ronnie, who had aligned himself with Fei Ji earlier, knew some inside information and felt even greater admiration for Fang Senyan.

Aldaris, however, frowned: "I do have one concern."

Fang Senyan smiled: "I know. You're worried that the Iron Blood race's advanced Mothership technology allows them to track our movements with perfect clarity, right? Satellites on Earth can achieve precision within half a meter; their technology certainly shouldn't be incapable of that. However, don't forget that Earth and Epross are not the same."

"The Iron Blood race has deployed powerful interference across this planet, effectively shielding human detection. Their communications are similarly severely impacted. Otherwise, when the Greyback Belon's attack faltered, if they could truly monitor every move on the battlefield, they would have surely ordered a full withdrawal. How could they have given us the opportunity to pick them off one by one? This suggests that communication among the Iron Blood race is likely restricted to transmissions between the sub-vessels and the Mothership. And while the Mothership might be able to scan the ground, it probably isn't highly precise."

Aldaris nodded silently, apparently convinced by Fang Senyan's logic. Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes, turned toward the vast grasslands, and said slowly: "This means the only remaining obstacle on our path home is that single Iron Blood operative who airdropped down. Once we defeat him, the road ahead leading home will be wide open!"

Hearing Fang Senyan utter the word "home," a warmth spread through everyone’s hearts. For Contractors fighting desperately in space, the meaning of 'home' was profoundly significant. Physical wounds could be rapidly healed with advanced technology, but emotional trauma could only be soothed by the warmth of family. Fang Senyan was also a detail-oriented person; those two words instantly boosted the morale and resolve of the entire group...

Conversely, Fang Senyan felt a heavy weight in his chest, because he knew deeply that the Iron Blood race respected valor and slaughter, but they were certainly not fools. The fact that they directly airdropped an individual via an escape pod indicated they were confident enough to eliminate this potential threat!

Fang Senyan was acutely aware that if the Greyback Belon facing him, along with the other five elite Iron Blood warriors, had not fallen for the ruse and instead engaged his group in a unified battle, their chances of losing would probably exceed fifty percent!

And in the minds of the Iron Bloods on the Mothership, the operative airdropped down was clearly much stronger than the Greyback Belon plus the other five elite Iron Blood warriors!!

While calculating these odds, Fang Senyan followed the predetermined route led by Android Number One, simultaneously excavating the Wasp aircraft buried beneath the ground along the way.

These aircraft were custom-built for this mission; both the quality of their chassis and their energy reserves were excellent. Consequently, not a single one was damaged. Once dug up, they only needed to activate the hover mode to be easily transported away; the remaining four Androids could handle this task.

The journey proceeded smoothly, yet Fang Senyan's unease persisted. He felt like a leaf tumbling in the wind, accompanied by the gloom of scorched ash—fragile and intensely oppressive.

Suddenly, Ronnie, who was leading the way, issued a warning signal, and everyone halted immediately. Fang Senyan rushed to the front and saw that Ronnie's face was pale, and he noticed that Ramtas beside him was frozen stiff, seemingly engulfed instantly by primal fear! Waves of cellular trembling resonated through him repeatedly.

Fang Senyan walked toward Ronnie's position, paused momentarily, and then instantly regained his composure.

Before Fang Senyan's eyes, a colossal footprint was clearly visible!

This footprint resembled a human one, yet it could absolutely not be human, because no human foot grows only three toes.

The footprint pressed into the ground, causing the soft earth to sink a full foot deep. The print was so massive it seemed large enough to serve as a bathtub capable of holding several hundred pounds, and the texture of the toes was visible in exquisite detail.

Seeing this footprint evoked a sense of wild bloodlust. Even in Fang Senyan’s young, cold, and hardened heart, a chill instantly spread from head to toe!

For some unknown reason, Fang Senyan couldn't help but recall the events immediately following their arrival on this planet—Ronnie being chased by a savage Wolf Badger, which then bizarrely died and vanished! Undeniably, that Wolf Badger had been instantly killed by an overwhelmingly powerful creature.

A creature so powerful it could contend with the entire Unicorne Ant swarm and divide spheres of influence! Fang Senyan had an intuition that the being who left this footprint was intimately connected to the mysterious creature Ronnie had encountered earlier.

Even more astonishing, the group searched the vicinity but found only this single footprint! It was as if the creature possessed wings, landing here briefly before soaring away into the sky.

Given their pressing need for time, the group couldn't linger to uncover the origin of the footprint. After locating a total of seven Wasp aircraft, they felt the prospect of returning home drawing near and quickened their pace.

But just then, a violent explosion erupted from the nearby woods, sounding like a mushroom cloud rising from the flat ground, immediately followed by a terrible scream.

That scream was unmistakably Paul's.

Everyone rushed toward the sound, but they could not find Paul. They only heard the heavy roar of an engine nearby.

Following the sound, they saw an immense heavy-duty truck strangely positioned within the woods. Its chimney-like exhaust pipe spewed thick black smoke, and the treads of its sturdy rubber tires furiously ground the earth, sending gravel flying.

The heavy truck spun violently in place for several seconds before slamming forward, snapping numerous trees with loud cracking sounds. (To be continued) RQ