He dispatched an excavator to dig down at a distance of one hundred thousand kilometers. At a depth of about five thousand meters, it struck that very "rock." Then, another hundred thousand kilometers further out, he dug again and found it...
After about ten such attempts, the covered area spanned over a million kilometers. A chill crept up Yun’s scalp. A million kilometers? Just how immense was this thing!
"I refuse to believe it," he muttered.
Gritting his teeth, he distributed all his excavators evenly across the planet's entire surface and ordered them to dig simultaneously.
In his estimation, no matter how vast this rock formation was, it couldn't possibly blanket the entire planet, could it?
The result left him thunderstruck: every single excavation point encountered the "rock."
It was distributed throughout the entire planet's interior.
It completely encased the planet's core.
What in the blazes was this stuff? Yun could scarcely imagine it. Was it some product of a solidified planetary core? Impossible. If it were mere stone, it could never possess this degree of hardness.
This "rock" was truly mysterious. None of the analytical instruments aboard the Mercury could determine its composition; no sensor could distinguish it from ordinary stone. Yet, it was demonstrably harder than the ship's own hull.
This planet was utterly bizarre. How could such a lithic layer have formed? What was it, really?
Yun became intensely fascinated by the substance. He spent considerable time studying it, exhausting every known method to analyze its electrical conductivity, its melting point, its properties under intense heat, and its behavior in frigid temperatures.
Two months slipped by quickly. Xiao Ling showed no sign of activating. Yun was forced to keep waiting. Without Xiao Ling, the Mars couldn't even launch, leaving him stranded.
During this hiatus, Yun’s physical techniques hit a wall. He was stuck at the nineteenth level, unable to advance a single step. He wondered if the lack of "World Tree Sap" was the reason.
However, his prowess in combat and mecha operation improved significantly.
The six-man team, growing restless confined within the Mercury, occasionally ventured outside for fresh air. Yun would sometimes join them for a friendly spar.
Forged in the brutal crucible of the war between Davo and the Hongxian Federation, the six had progressed at a startling pace. The rookie mech pilots of yesteryear had now become masters capable of holding their own.
Their current strength greatly surprised Yun. Thanks to the "Combat Simulation" suite, he trained realistically almost daily against diverse opponents, so his rapid progress was understandable. But the six showed no inferiority to him. In a one-on-one contest, they could only manage a stalemate.
In truth, the six were even more astonished. Their battlefield experiences were far from the casual demeanor they projected. In wars involving tens, hundreds, or even millions of mechs and fighters, nearly every second was a struggle against death; survival required more than just luck—it demanded extraordinary skill.
In reality, they had adapted to warfare with astonishing speed on the battlefield.
Beyond pure technical skill, the most crucial gain for the six was achieving a high level of combat intuition; they felt confident facing opponents whose technique or raw power surpassed their own.
This was experience accumulated in seas of blood across hundreds of engagements. Simply standing in their mechs now exuded a suffocating pressure. Ordinary pilots wouldn't dare engage them, perhaps not even dare to stand in their presence.
Their formal ranks might not be high, but their actual combat strength placed them among the elite mech operators in all of Davo. This was why Ming Yunyu had chosen them as her bodyguards.
For someone of Ming Yunyu’s standing, being appointed her protector was, in itself, a testament to their capability.
The fact that Yun’s real combat ability was in no way inferior to theirs left them baffled. Could he, as the fleet commander, have also been fighting on the front lines?
There was another possibility: Yun had spirited away a princess of the Ge'an Empire. The Ge'an Empire would certainly not let this go and would dispatch hunters after him. One could only imagine the kind of relentless pursuit Yun had endured over these past years.
And yet, he was thriving. This demonstrated his immense power, making his current strength less surprising.
The moment they considered the weight of having offended the Ge'an Empire, yet seeing Yun alive and well before them, the six were filled with boundless admiration. Truly, he achieved what others could not.
These sparring sessions benefited all seven, especially Yun, who gained immense insight from exchanging blows with six individuals possessing comparable strength but wildly different fighting styles.
In hand-to-hand combat, however, the six were completely outmatched. Even when Yun deliberately suppressed his power to meet them at their level, Chu Tiange, once his equal, was put down in a few swift moves. Even all six together could barely hold out for a few more minutes.
After a few rounds, the six resolutely refused to spar with him again; it was simply masochism.
With six playful companions and one dazzling songstress in tow, time passed quickly, and they had now been anchored at this planet for several months. Xiao Ling remained inert.
Yun could only continue to wait here. Though anxiety gnawed at him, the two-year deadline was fast approaching. If Yunqi came looking for him, the trouble would be immense.
He hoped his parents could dissuade her.
Perhaps because they were her future in-laws, Yunqi listened to Yun Yun’s parents with near-absolute obedience. She might defy Yun, but she dared not show the slightest disrespect to Zhong Pingjiang and Yun Rong.
Initially, Yun worried her temperament wouldn't mesh with his parents', but he was surprised by how traditional she was; her devotion to her in-laws was exemplary.
Privately, Zhong Pingjiang and Yun Rong raved about their prospective daughter-in-law, cherishing her deeply. They might impose upon Yun, but they would never wrong Yunqi. If Yun argued with Liu Yunqi, Yun would certainly be the one to suffer.
They had even warned their son that if he dared to disappoint Yunqi, he should stop considering them his parents—a prospect that made Yun simultaneously frustrated, amused, and occasionally, quite jealous.
With his parents by Yunqi’s side, they should be able to restrain her.
Thinking this eased Yun’s tension slightly, but he still needed to return urgently. If he delayed much longer, his parents might grow worried and come searching for him as well.
As time wore on, Yun grew increasingly agitated. Every day he checked on Xiao Ling’s awakening status, only to return disappointed. At these moments, Ming Yunyu would appear before him and sing a song.
Her voice held a magical quality capable of granting his spirit temporary peace. It was then he understood why so many people adored her singing; she was truly extraordinary, her voice capable of conquering anyone.
The sound was pure, ethereal, untainted, allowing the listener to forget the mundane world and find tranquility.
It might be a form of hypnosis, but it was more marvelous than any known technique, for it could silently unlock the human heart.
On this particular day, Yun was patrolling the vicinity in the Mercury as usual when a piercing alarm blared from the ship: "Unidentified Flying Object detected. Diameter approximately 500 kilometers. Approaching from 700,000 kilometers away at a velocity of ten million kilometers per hour."
Yun was startled. An UFO, in this context, usually meant a spaceship. It possessed characteristics that distinguished it easily from an asteroid via sensor readings.
A starship here?
This was the legendary Dead Zone. Encountering a vessel felt too bizarre. Unless they, like him, had accidentally strayed into this forbidden region.
The probability of that was hardly higher than finding a natural star. Starship manufacturers generally adhered to fixed routes. Only a few types of individuals deviated:
First, the military, who knew secret lanes utilized only during wartime. Second, pirates. Ships that have committed crimes are usually flagged and easily identified, so pirates maintain their own routes. Third, explorers—those venturing into unknown sectors seeking treasure. They map the stars, search for natural worlds, and forge new passages. They were, effectively, humanity's vanguard.
None of these groups were easy to deal with, especially the latter two, who were ruthless and lethal upon contact.
The chance of encountering a normal person was exceptionally low. Therefore, Yun decided against immediately showing himself. Xiao Ling was not yet fully activated, meaning their effective strength was halved. If the newcomers turned hostile, the danger would be extreme.
Yun cloaked the Mercury, activating stealth mode, and waited quietly for the approach, dispatching "Bug-Bee Number Three" as a scout.
The newcomers might possess a way out of the Dead Zone; in any case, he couldn't risk contact or simply let them pass without ascertaining their intentions.
The object flew directly toward them, occasionally decelerating. Yun monitored their every move nervously. Four months—finally, other humans. To claim he wasn't excited would be a lie.
Initially, he worried his passive scans would be detected, but the other vessel showed no reaction, suggesting they were likely unaware.
In fact, Yun was unaware that the Mercury's sensors were top-tier, far superior to the approaching vessel itself, thus preventing easy detection.
A flicker of disappointment crossed his mind. If they hadn't detected him, it suggested their ship wasn't superior to the Mercury, significantly lowering the probability that they knew the way out.
The approaching speed gradually slowed, finally settling around one hundred thousand kilometers per hour, maintaining this pace while heading precisely in Yun’s direction.
They were now less than three hundred thousand kilometers away. Yun waited patiently.
P, only one chapter today, apologies. .