The starship remained millions of kilometers from the planet, a necessary distance due to the extremely tight security; venturing closer risked immediate detection.

With insufficient intelligence, Zhong Yun could not make an accurate assessment. He dared not risk contact; the adversary was stronger, putting him at a distinct disadvantage. If their intentions proved hostile, the consequences would be dire.

Chu Tiange and the others had already infiltrated once, meaning the enemy's vigilance would certainly be heightened now. A second attempt at infiltration carried too great a risk, so an alternative approach was necessary.

Zhong Yun already had a contingency in mind. "It seems the only way is through a network intrusion," he thought, feeling a slight regret that if Xiao Ling were present, success would have been virtually guaranteed. However, he lacked the time to wait any longer.

"To hack the network, the optical computer needs to be powerful enough," George stated hesitantly from his seat. In his estimation, the main computer of a starship would invariably be inferior to that of an entire planet; they weren't even in the same league. Hacking such a system would be incredibly difficult.

Of course, his assessment wasn't wrong in general circumstances.

However, the Mercury was an exception. Its previous owner, much like Zhong Yun, had been a lone wolf. To operate the vessel single-handedly, he had equipped the Mercury with an exceptionally advanced optical computer. While far inferior to Xiao Ling's, it was certainly no ordinary piece of hardware.

Typically, a starship of the Mercury's scale would require several hundred operators in the main control room alone, not to mention maintenance and logistics staff, and security personnel. A crew of tens of thousands was normal; if the operation was grander, hundreds of thousands wouldn't be surprising.

When George first saw the Mercury, he had estimated the crew size to be at least thirty thousand, which led him to mention the figure of tens of thousands of people aboard.

Zhong Yun offered a slight smile. "Don't worry. While the optical computer isn't overwhelmingly powerful, breaching a network shouldn't be an issue."

Since he said so, George fell silent. He had merely offered a suggestion; on this ship, the ultimate authority rested with Captain Zhong Yun. He maintained the decorum expected of a passenger.

The 'Six-Man Group' had little concept of these hierarchies. Coupled with their trust in Zhong Yun, they raised no doubts.

Ming Yunyu smiled faintly, saying nothing, though a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. She had harbored a suspicion for some time. Since boarding, apart from Zhong Yun, she hadn't seen a single crew member belonging to the ship. This was highly irregular.

Had the suspicion not seemed so preposterous, she would have fully believed it.

Zhong Yun returned to the main control room and began scanning the surrounding signals, isolating the network transmissions for analysis. Almost every nation's network signal adhered to its own unique standard. This was intentionally implemented to maintain the distinctiveness of their respective civilizations—a condition dictated by the current state of peculiar cosmic societies.

The Mercury's main computer was not Xiao Ling, and the efficiency difference was astronomical. Xiao Ling had analyzed the network signals of Ketong Star in under two minutes, whereas the Mercury's onboard computer took a full three days to accomplish the same task.

After analyzing the signals, the process moved to simulation, access, and then decryption to acquire the information.

When they finally succeeded in obtaining the data within the network, another month had passed. On this day, Zhong Yun summoned the 'Six-Man Group' once more.

"Does anyone know what script this is?" Zhong Yun asked, pointing to the holographic image suspended in the air.

After obtaining the data, they encountered another obstacle: the automatic translator could not recognize this writing system. The inability to identify the script meant the inability to communicate, a major problem.

The 'Six-Man Group' shook their heads first; their experience paled in comparison to Zhong Yun's.

Zhong Yun looked toward George, hoping that as an experienced captain, he might recognize it.

George frowned, scrutinizing the characters, his brow deepening in concentration. Finally, he too shook his head.

Ultimately, all eyes turned toward Ming Yunyu. She stared intently at the script, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Everyone held their breath, afraid to make the slightest sound that might interrupt her concentration.

After about five minutes, Ming Yunyu's eyebrows twitched slightly. Resting her chin on her hand, she finally spoke, "This script... I think I've seen it somewhere before..." Her tone was uncertain.

"Think carefully, where did you see it?" Zhong Yun's voice was soft, careful not to break her train of thought.

Ming Yunyu gently shook her head, murmuring, "It looks similar, but not quite the same."

Zhong Yun’s frown deepened. "Similar to what?"

Ignoring him, Ming Yunyu turned to George. "Do you think this script resembles the writing of the Mexi Empire at all?"

"The Mexi Empire?" Captain George was startled, then shifted his gaze back to the text on the screen. "It does bear some resemblance, but there are differences."

The Yanbin Empire and the Mexi Empire maintained a close relationship, even involving marital ties between their royal families. As the captain of the Pearl, George had visited the Mexi Empire numerous times and was quite familiar with their script.

Zhong Yun leaned back against the soft cushions of the sofa, closed his eyes, and softly intoned, "The Mexi Empire, ah..."

The Mexi Empire was one of the three high-level civilizations in the Omi Star System, ranking among the elite even across the entirety of known galactic civilization.

"Miss Yu, can you identify these characters?" Zhong Yun opened his eyes again.

Ming Yunyu looked apologetic. "Although these characters bear some resemblance to the writing of the Mexi Empire, they are too dissimilar. I cannot recognize them."

Silence fell over the group, the atmosphere growing heavy.

It was Zhong Yun who finally broke it. "Then we'll have to let the optical computer analyze it. Even if it takes longer." Knowing the language had some affinity with that of the Mexi Empire made the computer analysis significantly easier.

"I have an idea," Twenty-One suddenly spoke up. Seeing all eyes turn toward him, he leaned forward slightly. "It would be faster to capture a few people and just ask them directly."

"Even if we capture someone, we won't be able to communicate," George countered.

Zhong Yun looked at Twenty-One, who in turn glanced toward Wang Xiao’er sitting on the periphery. It wasn't just him; the other four members of the 'Six-Man Group' were also looking at Wang Xiao’er.

Wang Xiao’er shrugged. "That can be left to me."

Seeing George's continued confusion, Ming Yunyu explained, "Captain George, Wang Xiao’er possesses an 'Empathic Communication' psychic ability. He can converse with anyone without the need for spoken language."

"I see," George realized.

Zhong Yun clapped his hands. "Then it's settled. Tiange, Xiao San, Ruomeng, Yu Wan, you are responsible for capturing them. The rest of you remain aboard to stand guard. Any objections?"

No one objected. The inhabitants of this planet seemed desperately short of resources. Every day, the collection vessels they had encountered flew in and out ceaselessly; capturing someone would be easy.

Chu Tiange and the others located a smaller collection vessel and began their operation. The ship carried numerous crew members, and Chu Tiange's team quietly abducted over a dozen.

To prevent complications, Zhong Yun provided them with stun guns. At close range, being hit by these weapons would cause immediate unconsciousness, even through protective suits. These guns were standard issue for mechs, found in the Mercury's storage bays, and proved perfectly suited for the task.

The four moved silently, securing over a dozen individuals without alerting anyone.

Upon returning to the Mercury with their captives, Zhong Yun placed the thirteen abducted individuals in separate confinement areas. First, he collected samples such as hair and blood for genetic analysis.

As an exploratory vessel, the Mercury was equipped with such testing apparatus. This was also one of the explorers' methods of earning revenue: every new species discovered earned them monetary rewards from the Omi Star System's official biological agencies.

Zhong Yun analyzed their genes primarily to ascertain if they were human. He was uncertain if they had truly exited the Dead Zone. If they were still within it, analyzing the local population for any abnormalities was crucial; who knew what peculiar traits they might harbor.

The analysis showed no significant difference from humans. Even stranger, the genes of ten of the thirteen individuals indicated they originated from several different intermediate civilization nations within the Omi Star System. No data could be found for the genes of the remaining three.

Although all were human, the genes of people from each nation possessed subtle variances; analyzing an individual's genes was sufficient to determine their national origin.

"Could it be that they, like us, are lost within the Dead Zone?" Zeng Xiao San murmured.

"Highly possible," Chang Ran Ruomeng agreed.

"Regardless, let's question them first," Zhong Yun rubbed his temples. "We'll start with the person from the Mings Kingdom. Hopefully, we'll get good news from him."

By chance, one of the thirteen captives was indeed from the Mings Kingdom. Zhong Yun decided to start his interrogation there.

Shang Ming awoke from his stupor, his mind still sluggish. Before him was a black wall, not the artificial wooden ceiling he usually saw upon waking—the one he’d spent two years’ savings to purchase.

A jolt of alarm shot through him as memories flooded back. He had arrived at work on time today, just as usual, riding a massive aerial vehicle with his colleagues to the port, boarding his company's mining vessel, and setting off.

He had performed this job for ten years, venturing out with the mining ships hundreds of times. Everything had proceeded smoothly. Upon reaching the designated mining area, they disembarked and began work. He was a squad leader in a mining crew, having worked hard for a decade to achieve this rank. This was the prime of his life; he aimed to advance further to provide a better life for his wife and children, which drove him to work diligently.

Leading his twelve mining technicians, he piloted the machinery to his assigned mineral vein and commenced operations. As an experienced senior miner, his adjustments to the mining equipment and selection of the optimal access point were flawless.

Then, the unexpected struck. In the midst of intense work, his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was here.

Am I a prisoner of an enemy nation?

The thought of the inhumane treatment rumored to befall prisoners made Shang Ming’s vision darken; the man who had just woken up nearly fainted again.

Xiao Yue, An’er, farewell.

P: There will be another chapter tonight. .