Upon hearing this, Mao Zhengzhi's expression immediately became more serious.

There's a saying that's been passed down among the older generation from Earth's time.

Never question Professor Lü's intuition, no matter how outrageous it may sound!

Since the beginning of Earth's history, whether it was one genocide crisis after another or nitrogen-accelerated technological development, at every critical moment, Lü Yongchang's intuition has pointed out the right direction for human civilization!

"The exploration mission has been halted, and they will begin their return journey soon."

Lu Yongchang turned his head to look at the vibrant planet in the holographic projection, a deep sense of apprehension showing in his eyes.

"I hope nothing bad happens..."

...

A shadow loomed over us from behind, blocking the beam of the high-powered searchlights.

Having survived a life-or-death crisis, Zhu Ziwen suddenly turned his head and controlled the exoskeleton armor to assume an escape posture.

"Dude, calm down, it's me."

Su Pengfei's voice rang out in the team's communication channel.

"The underground probes didn't sound an alarm, so there's no need to worry about their attack." Perhaps noticing Zhu Ziwen's unusually vigorous movements, Su Pengfei's laughter carried a hint of teasing. "Hey buddy, you weren't this timid back on the starship, were you?"

"What? Aren't you going to have some hot dinner?"

Zhu Ziwen shook his head with a wry smile: "Never mind, Professor Lü's analysis results haven't come out yet, so I don't have much of an appetite."

Su Pengfei curled his lip: "Is this result really that important?"

"If you ask me, they're just some moving trees! If they really piss us off, we'll just burn them all down!"

"No way!" Zhu Ziwen's expression changed drastically. "These trees are treasures. If you burn them, Professor Lü will probably burn you too!"

Su Pengfei chuckled awkwardly, raised his hand to scratch the "iron head" of his mechanical exoskeleton, and said with an embarrassed look, "Hey... I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously, buddy!"

Zhu Ziwen rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Who knows if you're serious or joking?

He finally figured it out.

Academician Mao's assessment of this group was indeed correct—they were barbarians.

He gazed at the dark forest under the starlight in the distance and sighed softly.

"This planetary exploration... is so different from what I imagined."

"Sigh." Su Pengfei sighed softly, "What's the big deal?"

"They are just some creatures living on the planet. What is truly terrifying is the power of the planet itself."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Ziwen asked curiously. "Isn't this the first planet you landed on in actual combat?"

The position of planetary explorer originated in the time of Gliese.

His existence was short-lived, and since there were no other inhabited planets in the Gliese 555 star system, these explorers did not actually have much experience in landing on planets in real combat.

"train."

Su Pengfei grinned and said, "Back then, in order to train for landing and reconnaissance operations in various environments, we were sent to the Dawn Star X region."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ziwen's face showed a look of surprise.

The X region of Dawn Star is a product of the planetary climate control system, and is filled with high-intensity extreme weather year-round.

"Compared to Zone X, this place is simply paradise."

Zhu Ziwen nodded silently.

That's absolutely true.

Just as he was about to say something, Xia Zhou's voice came through the communication channel.

"Academician Zhu, we should retreat."

Zhu Ziwen was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Retreat?"

Where to?

"Return to base," Xia Zhou explained succinctly. "The order to retreat has been issued, and all reconnaissance missions have been halted."

The sound of exoskeleton armor moving came from the side.

Su Pengfei controlled the massive exoskeleton armor and ran towards the starship.

"Dude, hurry up!"

Seeing this, Zhu Ziwen had no choice but to start walking and follow Su Pengfei's pace.

The communication channel carried the cheerful sounds of teammates discussing something.

Clearly, the cessation of the exploration mission is excellent news for these planetary explorers.

But unlike these explorers, Zhu Ziwen showed no smile at all.

As a scientist, he immediately understood the meaning behind the order.

Could it be...?

The truth hidden on this planet is even more terrifying than he imagined.

Zhu Ziwen frowned, carefully considering every clue he knew. With Zero's assistance, the exoskeleton armor swiftly moved forward.

"Beep!! Beep!!!"

As the piercing alarm sounded, the azure miniature holographic image turned blood red once again!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

Xia Zhou's roar was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering Zhu Ziwen's thoughts.

The scene of the tree roots dancing wildly resurfaced in his mind once again.

His brain involuntarily issued commands to the mechanical exoskeleton armor.

"Thump!"

"Thump!!"

Driven by the abundant energy generated by the miniature fusion reactor, the mechanical exoskeleton's movement speed suddenly increased dramatically, carrying Zhu Ziwen inside as it sped towards the starship.

The distance between the two is not long.

With the help of the mechanical exoskeleton, he stood next to Xia Zhou in less than five seconds.

Looking at the massive starship behind him, Zhu Ziwen felt a faint sense of reassurance.

Su Pengfei's voice could also be heard on the team's communication channel.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!