Chapter 526: Behind Enemy Lines
Chapter 526: Behind Enemy Lines
The government military base barely a kilometer away had already been ravaged by hordes of mechanical monsters. The destruction wasn't limited to surface facilities—basement levels had also sustained critical damage. Cratered terrain, rampant mechanical monstrosities, thick smoke billowing into the sky, and the smoldering wreckage of battle littered the ground alongside countless corpses. The scene was a blood-soaked canvas of death and destruction—there was no need to even consider the possibility of survivors.
"It seems landing won't be necessary after all..." Pili Dancer Warrior murmured thoughtfully.
"Wait, let me ask a few questions", Feng Bu Jue interjected. "How many people are there on this planet? What percentage of its surface is residential? And how many government institutions here have interstellar communication capabilities? Where are they located?"
"I've already been checking while we were en route", Pili Dancer Warrior answered while pulling up data on the control panel. "According to the Basis Alliance database, Zhazhazha Planet has a population of roughly 250 million, with only 14% of its surface developed for habitation. Naturally, only the Planetary Government possesses equipment for interstellar travel and communications." He paused. "However, the signal we're receiving from this base doesn't originate from any facility officially registered with the Galactic Federation."
"Hmm, that's not surprising", Feng Bu Jue said.
"Not surprising?" Pili Dancer Warrior raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. This base is obviously a secret military facility", Feng Bu Jue explained. "Otherwise, why would they build it in such a barren wasteland? The Planetary Government wouldn't report such facilities to the Galactic Federation or the Cosmic Superhero Alliance. Even if outsiders discovered this place, they could simply claim it's classified military information and refuse to disclose it." He spread his hands. "In fact, that secrecy has already proven effective. Without this base, the planet might not have been able to send any distress signal at all."
Tap Monster Guest chimed in, "But how does this connect to the current situation?"
"It's obvious", Feng Bu Jue replied, his tone betraying a hint of arrogance that often surfaced during his reasoning. "Doctor Sui's first step in this operation was certainly to seize control of the Planetary Government.
The first step of any plan is always critical—the more flawless its execution, the smoother the subsequent steps become. Take our current situation as an example: if Doctor Sui's plan was thorough and his operation swift, he could have taken control before the Planetary Government had any chance to call for help.
And clearly, that's exactly what he did.
Earlier, when Doctor Sui hijacked the Curry Ship's communication channel, that alone proved the Planetary Government had already fallen. He must have tapped into their resources, which allowed him to immediately detect our direction and complete the hijack."
"Oh! I get it now!" Tap Monster Guest exclaimed. "Even though Doctor Sui conquered the Planetary Government, he probably didn't know about this base beforehand. By the time he discovered it through the government's data archives and deployed forces to attack, the alarm had already been sent."
"Precisely", Feng Bu Jue nodded. "Unfortunately, the base commander's reaction was a bit slow. I'd wager when they first lost contact with the Planetary Government, he assumed it was just a communications equipment malfunction or something similar." He stretched his neck to glance down at the mechanical monster armies below. "Only when the enemy forces arrived did he realize the severity of the situation. By then, he had no choice but to send out an urgent transmission from this secret base to the homeworld and the Cosmic Superhero Alliance."
Pili Dancer Warrior interjected, "Hold on—if Doctor Sui captured the Planetary Government an hour ago (Pili Dancer Warrior had spent time on Earth, so he consciously used Earth's hour system when talking to Feng Bu Jue), why hasn't he used the planet's interstellar defense systems against us?"
Feng Bu Jue habitually stroked his nose bridge, his gaze distant as he methodically explained, "That leaves two possibilities. First, he might be unable to use them. Systems of this level likely require high-level administrative or military officials' security keys—biometric data like fingerprints, passcodes, or something similar. You should know this better than me. From what I understand, Earth operates the same way. The second possibility is that these weapons have already been destroyed by his mechanical monster armies."
"Oh, that makes sense..." Pili Dancer Warrior nodded.
"In any case, now that we've entered the atmosphere, Doctor Sui has lost his chance to strike us decisively in space", Tap Monster Guest said. "In close-quarters combat, he's no match for us."
"Exactly. Our priority now is to locate Doctor Sui", Pili Dancer Warrior said.
"If nothing unexpected happened, he should still be at the Planetary Government headquarters", Feng Bu Jue reminded them.
"Right, you're correct", Pili Dancer Warrior agreed, immediately adjusting the spaceship's flight mode and target destination. "I'll head straight to the capital of Zhazhazha Planet."
"Uh... We're only three people", Feng Bu Jue squinted. "Heaven knows how many mechanical monster units might be there. There could even be more advanced combat units. Shouldn't we formulate a plan to approach stealthily?"
"No need", Tap Monster Guest interrupted. "Don't worry, Poker Knight. Just stick with us, and you'll be fine."
"Hey... Where does this confidence come from?" Feng Bu Jue muttered internally. "Just how strong are you two? Don't tell me extraterrestrial heroes really can cheat in games..."
"Fine, fine..." Feng Bu Jue mumbled, feigning agreement.
...
After flying for some time, the spaceship approached the Planetary Government's location. During this period, Feng Bu Jue left his seat to visit the restroom—not for the usual purpose, but to find a secluded spot without surveillance to unleash a 【Wild Ball Fist】.
Shortly after he returned to the cockpit, the Curry Ship arrived above a city.
One minute later, Pili Dancer Warrior manipulated the control panel, switching the spaceship into hovering mode. He stood up and said, "Let's go."
"What? Just jump down directly?" Feng Bu Jue blinked in surprise.
"Exactly", Pili Dancer Warrior replied. "You can't fly, right? No problem—we can carry you."
"No, no... That's not necessary", Feng Bu Jue hurried to say. "I'm not worried about falling to death. I meant... is it safe to leave the spaceship hovering here? What if it gets shot down?"
"Calm down—I've set the automatic return system", Pili Dancer Warrior answered. "After we jump, the spaceship will automatically return to the Alliance. Also, I've already sent a standard report to headquarters. Rescue and reconstruction teams are en route. Once we finish here, they should arrive, and we can hitch a ride back."
"Oh... Hehehe..." Feng Bu Jue's laughter carried endless bitterness. "Then that's... great..." Outwardly agreeable, he inwardly wailed, "Why did I even ask if they needed help?! This is pure self-sabotage! Now I can't even say 'I want to return with the spaceship!' And after using the restroom just now, I can't even use the excuse of 'sudden stomachache'!"
Despite his frustration, Feng Bu Jue had little choice. Now, he could only abandon the ship alongside these two and leap headfirst into enemy lines for a desperate battle.
The three quickly passed through the spaceship's central corridor to the exit hatch.
"Are you sure you don't need help? High-altitude falls can be dangerous", Tap Monster Guest asked, turning back as the hatch opened.
"Don't worry—that's my specialty", Feng Bu Jue replied calmly. Truthfully, as long as he landed on his feet, he could survive falls from any height.
"Then that's good", Tap Monster Guest smiled.
At this moment, Pili Dancer Warrior opened the hatch. Although the spaceship had descended to just over a thousand meters in altitude, the wind pressure was still intense, howling into their ears and heightening the tension.
Pili Dancer Warrior turned back and shouted, "I'll jump first, Poker Knight. Follow right behind me." He had clearly decided to let Tap Monster Guest cover the rear—after all, this "Poker Knight" hadn't demonstrated any abilities yet. If he recklessly jumped and died, that would be an unnecessary complication.
"Got it", Feng Bu Jue replied. Internally, he cursed, "Damn it! My plan to pretend to twist my ankle while bringing up the rear and returning with the spaceship has gone bankrupt!"
In truth, Feng Bu Jue's plan was doomed from the start. The automatic return system relied on the spaceship's "weight" to activate. Unless he could quickly find an object matching his weight to throw out, the ship wouldn't depart. Even if he used his 【Moon Step】 to jump out and rebound back in two seconds, the spaceship would still halt if internal weight measurements varied too much.
This is the perfect time to mention—though the Curry Ship's name and appearance seemed peculiar, it was actually a standard-issue spacecraft from the Cosmic Superhero Alliance, equipped with the Toad Hero's patented safety systems. This automatic return setting, for instance, was designed to prevent enemies from sneaking aboard in most situations. Beyond this, the spacecraft had many other advanced features, such as optical camouflage and deep-sea flight capabilities... though Feng Bu Jue hadn't discovered them yet.
Now you understand why Pili Dancer Warrior and Tap Monster Guest dismissed Doctor Sui's monster armies with contempt, yet were surprised he managed to hijack the spaceship's communication system.
Back to the action. As Pili Dancer Warrior leaped from the hatch, Feng Bu Jue and Tap Monster Guest followed consecutively. Two seconds after they exited, the spaceship's hatch automatically sealed shut.
This planet's gravity was indeed weaker—Feng Bu Jue noticed this immediately during his descent.
Additionally, he sensed something else: directly below them, within a three-kilometer radius, a massive cluster of mechanical monsters had already gathered, fully prepared for combat...
(End of Chapter)
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