Xiao Jin turned around. In the darkness, her eyes remained clear and sharp, like cold stars on the snow.
"Song Dynasty, long time no see. It seems you're not having much luck." Her tone was calm and even, as if she had just casually swatted away a fly, rather than snatching food from the jaws of a tiger amidst an attack by an army of androids and automated turrets.
Upon hearing this, Song Chao gave a wry smile.
He raised his hand to wipe away the disguise paint from his face, revealing that familiar face.
"It was my carelessness. I didn't expect the interstellar detection devices to be so advanced. I was very careful, but I was still detected by the defense system."
"This has nothing to do with you. Even I would probably find it difficult to hide for long. We know too little about the technological capabilities of other star systems!" Xiao Jin dusted off the dust on his body.
The Song Dynasty also understood that it was perfectly normal for a completely unknown race to produce even the most eye-catching achievements.
"Didn't you encounter any other players?" This doesn't refer to ordinary players, but rather those the two had worked with together.
Song Chao shook his head, his expression grave: "Teleportation is random. After landing, I tried to head towards the research institute as quickly as possible. I encountered a few players along the way, but..."
He sighed: "They'll either be quickly eliminated by the androids, or they'll scatter on their own out of fear and suspicion. I saw that the research institute was heavily guarded, and I was looking for a weak point, but I was discovered as soon as I got close."
Xiao Jin understood; this was the norm in survival games.
Even in the final instance, trust remains a luxury due to past dangers, and lone wolves are often more likely to survive than bloated groups.
"Have you received all the mission information?" Xiao Jin asked.
"Yes." Song Chao nodded, a cold rage burning in his eyes: "I will make them pay the price."
Unlike Xiao Jin, who was all alone, he had his own parents and relatives, as well as like-minded friends. Some of these people perished early in the game, while others underwent drastic personality changes and became unrecognizable to their own family.
It could be said that this damned interstellar organization destroyed them for its own selfish interests, how could the Song Dynasty not hate them?
“Anger is useless.” Xiao Jin’s voice remained calm: “Finding the key, seizing the Ark, personally going to interstellar space to expose the truth, and making them pay the price are the right things to do.”
Song Chao took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and regained his composure, although the coldness in his eyes was even stronger.
“You’re right. Now that we have two people, our success rate should increase significantly.” He looked at Xiao Jin. “What’s your plan?”
Xiao Jin walked to the pipe opening and carefully observed the outside for a moment.
“We can’t force our way in; we need information. Research institutes definitely have external ventilation systems, sewage systems, or maintenance access routes, and these areas are relatively vulnerable to attack.”
She recalled the imposing walls and dense guards she had just seen: "We need to find an entrance, an entrance that won't be noticed by the regular patrols."
“Agreed.” Song Chao agreed: “We thought about it similarly. It’s also a coincidence that I have a reconnaissance tool that might help us find those hidden weaknesses.”
The two quickly reached an agreement.
After a brief rest, they left their hiding place and began to scout along the huge outer wall of the research institute, in the more distant and hidden ruins.
With the addition of the Song Dynasty, the efficiency of investigations was significantly improved.
The reconnaissance tools in his hands were indeed amazing, often able to detect hidden energy traps or the approaching direction of patrol teams in advance, allowing the two to avoid many crises without serious harm.
Even without Xiao Jin asking, she could tell that it was undoubtedly a golden item.
However, Xiao Jin did not rely entirely on the Song Dynasty. With her strong combat instincts and A Mo's assistance, she was responsible for eliminating occasional unexpected situations, such as lone android reconnaissance units.
The method was clean and efficient, leaving no trace.
After about an hour of careful, thorough searching, just as the eternal darkness of the sky seemed to deepen, the glass ball in Song Chao's hand suddenly emitted a soft, continuous low hum.
“There’s something unusual here.” Song Chao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly whispered, “The air movement is very weak, but it’s very stable.”
Furthermore, my equipment detected that there seemed to be a space ahead leading into the interior of the walls, without any obvious defensive energy reaction.
Xiao Jin's eyes narrowed, and he gestured for A Mo to go and investigate.
Amo shrank into a thin line, gradually blending into the shadows. A moment later, it returned and relayed the message: behind the pile of ruins, there was indeed a circular pipe opening about 1.5 meters in diameter.
The pipe is made of a special material and has a weak energy circulation inside. It seems to be a backup pipe inlet for some kind of cooling or ventilation system. There is only a simple physical lock at the inlet and no energy barrier.
"This is it!" Xiao Jin decided immediately.
The two men quickly and carefully cleared away the obstructions on the surface. The circular pipe opening was revealed, and sure enough, the heavy metal hatch only had an old-fashioned rotary lock.
During the Song Dynasty, people tried to pry open the lock by inserting a "black stick" into the gap and applying precise force.
"Click." A soft sound, but the lock did not open.
“No, the internal structure is very complex. Forcibly destroying it may trigger an alarm,” Song Chao frowned.
Xiao Jin pushed him away: "Let me do it."
She extended her finger, not with force, but by condensing an extremely subtle spatial fluctuation, her supernatural power slowly seeping into the keyhole.
A few seconds later, she was slightly startled.
"Click".
The internal, sophisticated lock cylinder instantly became brittle and cracked, rendering it completely ineffective.
Xiao Jin gripped the wheel and slowly applied force. The heavy metal hatch made a dull scraping sound as it was silently opened a crack.
In an instant, a slightly stuffy air, carrying the smell of engine oil and some kind of chemical agent, poured out from inside.
The inside of the pipe was pitch black and bottomless.
The two exchanged a glance...
This is the only possible way they've found to infiltrate the research institute. Despite the unknown and dangerous road ahead, they still have to go in.
"I'll go first," Xiao Jin said without room for argument, and slid into the narrow pipe opening first, his long sword already in his hand.
Song Chao opened his mouth slightly, but followed closely behind, the glow stick in his hand emitting a faint light that barely illuminated a few meters ahead.
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