Chapter 457 Staying Behind and Returning

Soon, everyone had roughly "tourized" the planet.

"Everyone, return to the landing point and assemble." Zhou Jue's voice rang out in the communication channel.

Thor was about to rush towards the grove of spirit fruits when he heard the command and froze.

"Why? The treasure is right in front of us!"

Marcus also stopped in his tracks. He frowned and asked over the communicator, "General Zhou, I think we should take control of that spirit fruit orchard immediately. It's a top-priority strategic resource."

"And ore!"

"Repeat it again, everyone, return to the landing point." Zhou Jue didn't explain; her voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it calmed down all the team members who had just been caught up in their passion.

Twenty minutes later.

Beside the landing ship, all members of the exploration team had arrived.

Excitement and elation still lingered on everyone's faces, but even more so, there was bewilderment.

After counting the number of people, Cheng Gan walked up to Zhou Jue.

"Everyone is here."

Zhou Jue nodded, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on the most restless "divine descendants" and the ancestor.

"You have all seen the value of the G-581."

“That’s right! This place is simply paradise!” Thor was the first to shout. “I’ve made up my mind, my temple will be built on that Thunderstone mine!”

“The humid air here is perfect for the growth of our divine bloodline,” Marcus retorted.

"Hmph, the spiritual energy is passable, barely enough to serve as my separate residence." The Supreme Elder of the Qingyun Sect stroked his beard.

"So, here's the problem." Cheng Gan interrupted their rosy dreams of the future, her expression turning serious.

"The aliens know the coordinates of this planet."

"We can repel a wave of scouts today, but tomorrow, an entire fleet might come."

"Such a vast treasure trove cannot be moved entirely in a short period of time."

"what to do?"

Cheng Gan's question instantly silenced the previously noisy crowd.

Yes, what should we do?

It's like a penniless man suddenly finding a mountain of gold, but everyone else knows about it.

"What are you afraid of!" Thor slammed his hammer on the ground, causing the fungal carpet to tremble three times.

"No matter how many more come, I'll kill them all!"

"Use your brain, you barbarian," Marcus sneered. "Do you think you can handle it? They come with a fleet right away. Are you going to run into it headfirst?"

“This is indeed a problem,” Lu Changfeng said thoughtfully. “The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; we can’t stay here indefinitely.”

“I have a suggestion,” a student from the Cloud Mist Array Department raised his hand and said, “We can set up a huge concealment array to hide the entire planet, just like when we came here.”

This proposal received a lot of support.

“No way.” Lu Changfeng immediately shook his head in rejection.

"Why not?" the student asked, puzzled.

“Because the coordinates of this planet are already registered with the Silverwing Federation,” Cheng Gan explained for Lu Changfeng. “They could send someone to check it out at any time, or they might even have a fixed patrol route. What do you think they would think if a registered planet suddenly disappeared?”

"Isn't this like having 'I have a problem, come and check me' written on your forehead?"

"Then...what should we do?"

"I'm staying!" Thor puffed out his chest and shouted, "You all go back! I'll stay here alone! Anyone who dares to come, I'll smash their skull!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Marcus let out a sneer.

"Let you stay? Should we be worried about aliens, or about you stealing from us?"

"Wait until you've mined all the mines here before telling us this place was robbed by aliens?"

"What did you say?!" Thor's eyes widened in anger, and electricity crackled on his hammer.

"Did I say something wrong?" Marcus retorted sharply.

"That's enough!" Cheng Gan rubbed his temples, looking exasperated.

"How about we leave a small team to garrison here?" a member of "Sharp Sword" suggested. "We can equip them with a starship, which will allow us to attack or defend as needed, and we can also immediately request assistance from Earth if anything happens."

“That’s feasible.” Lu Changfeng nodded. “But how do we choose the personnel? Who will stay, and who will go back?”

Upon hearing this question, Thor and Marcus, who had just been at loggerheads, exchanged another glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

Let them stay? No way, they'll get all the benefits.

Stay behind yourself? Okay, but what if something changes on Earth?

"Or, let's just retreat first." Someone else suggested, "Let's keep a close watch on the coordinates, and when we're strong enough, we can come back and take it all away."

"Bullshit! By the time we get back, it'll be too late! Who knows when those aliens will show up!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?!"

The scene descended into chaotic arguing once again.

Everyone has their own agenda, and everyone wants to maximize their own interests.

Just then, a loud and arrogant voice rang out from the crowd, carrying a lazy quality of someone who had just woken up.

"You little rascals are so noisy."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall man dressed in an ancient Greek-style linen robe. He yawned and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He was an ancient god who had recently awakened from some ruins in the Aegean Sea, calling himself "Iapetus," a Titan.

"Isn't it just that you're afraid the treasure will be stolen and you won't be able to take it with you?" He stretched and said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why argue about something so simple?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Cheng Gan frowned as he looked at him.

Iapetus glanced at her as if she were a child asking a foolish question.

"If you can't take the treasure with you, take the mountain that contains the treasure with you."

“We’re talking about a planet, not a mountain,” Marcus couldn’t help but correct him.

Upon hearing this, Iapetus showed an even more confused expression.

"Isn't a planet just a large rocky mountain floating in the darkness?"

He stretched out his thick arm and gestured towards the planet beneath his feet, as if estimating the size of a watermelon.

"Why don't we just push it back?"

"Don't you Chinese have the film 'The Wandering Earth'? If you can take the blue planet away, then taking this planet away shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"..."

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at the Titan with an indescribable expression.

After a brief silence.

"Hahahaha!" Thor was the first to burst into thunderous laughter. He wasn't mocking, but rather genuinely excited.

He rushed up to Iapetus and slapped him hard on the shoulder: "Push it back! I love this idea! This is what gods should do! Count me in!"

“Madman,” Marcus muttered under his breath, but looking at Iapetus’s serious expression, he thought the guy might not be joking.

The Supreme Elder of the Qingyun Sect's eyes twitched violently. He slowly closed his eyes, muttering under his breath, "These brutes are ignorant of destiny and the Great Dao..."

Cheng Gan felt her temples throbbing. She took a deep breath, trying to pull the thoughts of these gods and demons back to reality.

"alright."

Zhou Jue's voice finally rang out again.

The moment she spoke, even Thor, who was preparing to discuss the details of "pushing the ball" with Titan, fell silent.

"The plan will be implemented according to the suggestion of the 'Sharp Sword' team members."

Her gaze swept across the entire room as she began to issue instructions.

"Cheng Gan, Lu Changfeng, you two stay."

"Yes, sir!" Cheng Gan immediately stood at attention.

“The ‘Heavenly Sword’ squad, the fifth and seventh ‘Sharp Sword’ squads, and one squad each from the Kunlun Academy’s Formation Department and Weapon Refining Department will remain as the garrison.”

"Thor, Marcus, and Iapetus, you stay as well."

"Huh?" Thor was taken aback.

Marcus and the Titan also frowned.

“The three of you, along with the Supreme Elder of the Qingyun Sect, are the strongest fighting force left behind.” Zhou Jue looked at them seriously: “You are all powerful. If we really encounter danger, or if interstellar people come, we will still have to rely on you.”

"All exploration and infrastructure work must be carried out in small teams."

"All outputs are recorded uniformly and pre-allocated according to points contribution."

"Leave the 'Kunlun III' starship as your base and emergency evacuation vehicle."

Her arrangements were well-organized and took into account the balance of power and every individual, leaving no one with a single word of dissent.

Thor and Marcus exchanged a glance; though unhappy, they had no choice but to accept it.

"The rest of you, follow me back to 'Great Wall One'."

Zhou Jue gave the final order.

"We must return to Earth immediately and report everything here, along with the three captured starships, to the Alliance Supreme Command."

"The future of G-581 is not something that a dozen or so people can decide."

"That is the future of all human civilization."