Having cleared the star system of Falus, the Behemoth jumped into hyperspace, beginning its cautious course toward the location of the Space Cuttlefish. Yang Ying made quick work of the data recovered from the data disk; frankly, there wasn't much there.

Since Captain Ral encountered the Space Cuttlefish, the entries were mostly descriptive. Their reliability was questionable, lacking any precise coordinates for reference. Upon reaching the general vicinity of the Cuttlefish, the search would have to rely on massive area sweeps to locate the planet.

“Based on the information from the data disk, even though Captain Ral couldn't recall the exact heading, he remembered the total distance traveled: three hundred light-years of jumping. If we consider the Cuttlefish’s position as the center of a sphere, with a three-hundred-light-year radius, the planet must lie somewhere within that sphere.”

On the bridge, Yang Ying was discussing the next steps with Howard once they arrived at the target location.

“The Xinbu people must have done the same thing. A spherical search area six hundred light-years in diameter—the internal environment is complex, fraught with difficult obstacles like asteroid fields, gas clouds, cosmic magnetic storms, and radiation bursts. The data disk mentioned the Space Cuttlefish was located in an area mixed with gas clouds and asteroids. Just the gas cloud alone is problematic. Gas clouds usually have low density but immense volume, easily spanning tens or even hundreds of billions of kilometers. The gas can attenuate all light signals, and electromagnetic waves can't travel far, plunging anyone inside into complete darkness. Navigating without colliding with asteroids also presents a major challenge for the ship’s controls. It’s no wonder the Xinbu retreated in failure.”

Howard flipped through the disk’s data pages, offering his observations.

Yang Ying nodded. “There are quite a few similar environments in that sector. Fortunately, there are no insurmountable forces like black holes. I believe we can handle these difficulties.”

“Naturally,” Howard chuckled, exuding an aura of unshakable confidence.

The jump took a full seven days, covering approximately two thousand light-years, finally delivering them to the target sector.

A staff officer announced loudly, “We are approaching the Space Cuttlefish’s location. Preparing to disengage from hyperspace—”

The luminous curtain shrouding the observation windows flashed and vanished instantly, replaced by a hazy, misty scene.

Suddenly, a strong premonition struck Yang Ying, and he immediately roared, “Watch out ahead!”

Immediately following, a staff officer reported, “Asteroid dead ahead! Impact imminent!”

“Charge the Yamato Cannon immediately, fire!” Howard’s expression remained impassive as he issued the command, his tone steady as a mountain.

At that moment, a massive shadow appeared outside the observation window. A two-kilometer-diameter asteroid was hurtling directly toward the Behemoth’s bow. At such close range, the distance vanished almost instantly.

However, just before impact, the Behemoth’s prow completed its energy buildup, launching a searing red energy mass. It struck the asteroid, resulting in a violent, sudden flare of light, like a miniature sun appearing directly ahead. Under the intense glare, the asteroid disintegrated, shattering into small fragments that scattered in all directions.

“Brace for impact!” Howard shouted the warning.

As his voice faded, the Behemoth shuddered violently. Debris hammered the external armor with a dense, rapid pat-pat-pat, like heavy raindrops.

After a moment, the violent shaking gradually subsided and then stopped.

Yang Ying nodded, highly satisfied with Howard’s performance during the sudden crisis. He remained composed and steady, displaying a natural calm rooted in his profound understanding of the vessel—ready to face any difficulty without fear.

“Report damage!” Howard commanded.

“External armor sustained minor damage. Zones Two, Four, and Eleven experienced shockwave effects. There are casualties on board,” a staff officer reported.

“This minor tremor won’t cause any serious harm. Send them to the medbay and provide me with a detailed statistical report later,” Howard ordered.

“Power, weaponry, communications, life support—all primary systems are functioning normally. Although some circuits are damaged, they have been switched over to backup lines,” another staff officer stated.

“Have the repair drones deploy; restore full functionality as quickly as possible,” Howard issued another directive.

“Yes, sir!” the officer replied.

After a period of intense activity resolving the after-effects of the emergency, Howard turned back to Yang Ying. “Sir, encountering such an incident immediately upon exiting hyperspace suggests our luck isn’t very good.”

“It’s alright,” Yang Ying smiled. “Viewed from another angle, perhaps we’ve already expended all the bad luck for this journey. What remains might just be good fortune.”

Just then, a staff officer reported, “Sir, Captain, no life signs detected in the vicinity. The Space Cuttlefish cannot be located.”

Howard responded, “That’s completely expected. If a Xinbu fleet came through to sweep the area, how could they overlook a mere dozen or so Space Cuttlefish?”

He turned to Yang Ying. “Sir, we are at the designated center point; it’s time to proceed with the next phase.”

“Indeed.” Yang Ying raised his right hand. With a flash of golden light, he unleashed over a thousand Observers. They arranged themselves densely around the Behemoth.

“Go! Scan the surrounding area, record every minute trace, and transmit the data back to the Behemoth!”

As Yang Ying commanded the Observers, they scattered outwards, plunging deep into the hazardous region to gather intelligence.

“The Xinbu have already been here once. I hope they didn’t destroy too much of the scene. This is an uncharted route; if we can analyze the direction Captain Ral fled, it will significantly aid our next steps and save a lot of time.”

Yang Ying voiced this to Howard, though internally he held little hope. Five thousand warships passing through this area would inevitably leave traces. They needed to venture further out to find truly valuable data. This information, processed by the Behemoth’s main computer, could allow them to reconstruct the events of the incident with reasonable accuracy. The more data collected, the more precise the inference would be. Yang Ying’s plan was simple: even if they couldn't pinpoint the most likely path, they could at least rule out the most improbable ones.

Events unfolded as Yang Ying anticipated. It wasn't that there were no traces; there were far too many. Small and large vessels had passed through the area. Debris, wreckage, and signs of conflict were everywhere. Trying to discern Captain Ral’s exploration vessel’s specific path amidst it all was as slim a hope as finding a needle in a cosmic haystack.

On the second day, as the Observers traveled farther out, the incoming data gradually became more meaningful. Cross-referenced with the accounts of Captain Ral and his surviving crew, several paths that seemed nearly impossible were eliminated. Each Observer represented a possible vector.

By the third day, the number of eliminated possibilities exceeded fifty.

On the fourth day, over a hundred possibilities were ruled out. Yang Ying felt considerable satisfaction; this indicated things were progressing favorably.

“Sir, after four days, the Observers have already detected twenty-three exploration vessels from various races within the gas cloud. There are likely more farther out. It seems they are pursuing the same objective as us,” Howard reported while summarizing the intelligence gathered over the four days.

“It doesn’t matter. They have, at most, one ship. How many probes can one vessel carry, compared to our Observers? We can ignore them.”

Although they were all vessels belonging to high-level civilizations, Yang Ying did not believe they could gain an advantage over him. The God Race Observers had been upgraded to the fourth generation; in open space, their speed could approach sub-light speeds, and they possessed wider scanning ranges and greater maneuverability. Crucially, there were simply more of them! Yang Ying had tens of thousands more Observers on standby on the Floating Continent. In terms of reconnaissance, Yang Ying was confident no single exploration vessel could match his capabilities.

Yang Ying made no attempt to contact or approach these other vessels. However, on the evening of the fourth day, one exploration ship transmitted a hailing request to the Behemoth. Yang Ying instructed a staff officer to connect the call and summoned a specialized translator unit.

The message came from a Burke, a species whose bodies resembled large water tanks. They happened to be the dominant power in that sector of space, ranking ninth among the high civilizations in the Orion Arm.

(The detailed translation process is omitted.) The Burke introduced himself as Bibobaarne, captain of an exploration fleet comprising five ships. He claimed to have persuaded nearly half the exploration vessels within the gas cloud to temporarily join his fleet to collectively search for the habitable planet, and he requested Yang Ying’s Behemoth join them.

Yang Ying asked Bibobaarne, “Why approach our ship specifically?”

Bibobaarne replied, “Because your ship’s armament clearly marks it as a warship. While warships possess immense firepower and survivability, their energy consumption far exceeds that of ordinary exploration vessels, making them economically impractical for explorers. Explorers using warships are rare, though not unheard of. However, since we are currently in a dangerous gas cloud, having a warship join us would greatly benefit our collective survival, which is why I hope you will join.”

Yang Ying followed up, “If we find the habitable planet, how will it be divided?”

Upon hearing the translation from the interpreter unit, Bibobaarne’s eyes sharpened. He seemed irritated by Yang Ying’s probing questions. As a powerful race ranked ninth in the Orion Arm, he knew the top eight, and none resembled the Earthling before him. A sense of superiority welled up in him. Since he had already taken the initiative to extend an olive branch, yet Yang Ying acted unappreciative—did a race ranked so low that even he couldn't recall them truly expect to claim the habitable planet for themselves?

“If the habitable planet is discovered, it will naturally belong to the collective. However, we Burkes reserve the right to purchase your ownership share at a reasonable price,” Bibobaarne stated coldly. “This is already quite generous; it's better than you making a wasted trip. Do you truly believe a single warship can survey the entire six-hundred-light-year radius alone?”

Yang Ying offered a faint smile. “It seems we are not aligned in our thinking, so there is no need to press the issue. You pursue your goals, and I will pursue mine. Neither should impede the other. Let's conclude here.” With that, Yang Ying cut the communication.

Smash!

Bibobaarne slammed his armrest, unleashing a burst of third-level psychic energy in fury. “Arrogant! You wait—you will regret this!”