He was in control of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market; all he needed to do was focus on steady development. Adventuring wasn't something on his radar at all.
But with a shift in his thoughts, he realized that while the energy fluctuations were far greater than Zero Rank, they still fell short of reaching the Second Rank level. Furthermore, this exploration was officially designated as a welfare mission, meaning there likely wouldn't be any significant threats nearby to the Cang Qiong.
*As he contemplated these details, his eyes swept to the seven Fire Peony Soldier Figurines standing tall beside him. Ensuring that he had the means for a safe retreat no matter the circumstances reassured him.* With that, Song Chi made his decision.
He adjusted the direction of his shuttle and set course straight towards the area where the anomaly had just occurred.
...
An hour later, behind a large fragment, the Cang Qiong had already shut down its engine, silently resting against the edge of the fragment.
The fragment spanned over twenty meters in both length and width, perfectly concealing the body of the Cang Qiong shuttle.
On the other side of the fragment lay a vacuum zone nestled within the Fragment Belt. This vacuum zone was unlike the Starry Sea Hollow Zone; its diameter was exceptionally small—no more than ten kilometers. At its very center was a smooth fragment nearly a kilometer in diameter.
Song Chi speculated that the anomaly detected earlier by the Sky Patrol Radar most likely originated from this fragment. Enormous bursts of energy had erupted from its surface, pushing all other fragments thousands of meters away.
*This speculation, however, was no longer the issue at hand. What mattered now was Song Chi's certainty that something extraordinary lay on that oversized Floating Land fragment.* Over his brief observation of the area—mere ten or so minutes—he had already spotted at least three groups of peculiar-winged Alien Races swarming onto the fragment.
The key issue was that, immediately upon landing, these Aliens began slaughtering each other. Thus, Song Chi deduced that whatever resource—or item—they sought was rare enough to drive these creatures into a frenzy. *It was inconceivable that members of the same Alien Species would turn on one another under less extraordinary circumstances.*
As for whether Song Chi himself was curious? Of course, he couldn't deny it. But he refrained from any impulsive actions.
At this moment, the oversized fragment—more than a kilometer in diameter—teemed with hundreds of winged Alien Species. Among them, there were over ten individuals with First Rank status.
He waited. He awaited the analytical results from the semi-automated shipboard Intelligent Brain aboard the Cang Qiong. Any Torch Ship Captain venturing into the Alien Star Domain was required to download the Torch Human Civilization's publicly available foundational data on known Starry Sea Civilizations.
However, the sheer volume of information contained within these materials was immense. Even at the processing speed of onboard intelligence, it took considerable time for verification.
Of course, this likely had to do with all Torch Warships being equipped with only the most rudimentary semi-automated Intelligent Brains. Not that this could be helped. Torch Civilization officials had clearly stipulated that all Torch Warships could only be equipped with semi-automated intelligence systems.
One could hardly blame Torch Civilization for enforcing such regulations. There were simply too many examples of Starry Sea Civilizations being overtaken by their subordinate Intelligent Brains, transforming irreversibly into mechanical civilizations. Precautions were necessary.
A few minutes later, the shipboard Intelligent Brain finally delivered its comparison results.
Species Name: White Winged Tribe
Description: A common void-dwelling species in the Shattered Starry Sea. They can freely roam the stellar void without relying on Floating Land for habitation.
Species Advantages: Agile, extremely fast.
Species Weaknesses: Extremely weak attack power. Under the same rank, they are unlikely to penetrate the Energy Shield of a Torch Warship.
"White Winged Tribe, huh..."
Staring at the virtual screen projected by the onboard Intelligent Brain, Song Chi carefully confirmed the identity of the void species: the White Winged Tribe. *A bold idea began to take shape in his mind—assuming the official Torch Civilization data was accurate.*
Within the Ancestral Torch, there were currently 110 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin and nearly 200 Zero Rank Life Cores. Upgrading the Spectral Shield from lv7 to lv8 required 15 strands of Floating Land Origin and 12 Life Cores; from lv8 to lv9 required 17 strands and 13 Life Cores; reaching lv10 necessitated 50 strands and 40 Life Cores.
By these calculations, upgrading the Spectral Shield to First Rank required a total of 82 strands of Floating Land Origin and 65 Life Cores—resources fully available as emergency supplies. As for Spectral Energy Points, they could be replenished within minutes, rendering them inconsequential.
Once enhanced to First Rank, the Spectral Shield's Shield Value would soar to 1,000 points, rendering it virtually impenetrable—even under the combined assault of hundreds of White Winged Tribe members in a short time. *With the Spectral Shield at First Rank and the coordinated coverage of First Rank Fire Peony Soldier Figurines, Song Chi was certain his plan could work.*
After deliberating briefly, Song Chi resolved not to hesitate. Emergency supplies were meant for situations like this; if not now, then when?
After a series of commands, the Spectral Shield component steadily ascended from lv7 to lv10, at the cost of severely depleting the Cang Qiong's resource reserves. Only 28 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin remained, along with just over 100 Life Cores. Luckily, the attributes of the lv10 Spectral Shield were quite impressive.
Spectral Shield lv10
Quality: Colorless
Consumption: 20/s (Spectral Energy Points)
Defense: 99
Shield Value: 990/990
Charge: 20s; Buffer after Overload: 40 minutes
Upgrade Requirement: 100 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin, 1,600 Spectral Energy Points, 50 Zero Rank Life Cores
As a Colorless Quality standardized component, the Spectral Shield required only Zero Rank Floating Land Origin and Zero Rank Life Cores for subsequent upgrades—even after enhancement to First Rank. This was far more convenient compared to Strange Object components of White or higher quality. However, with resources on the Cang Qiong now nearly exhausted, further upgrades were impossible.
After upgrading the Spectral Shield, Song Chi still refrained from taking action. Merely boosting the shield wasn't enough to put his mind at ease. He first shut down the Spectral Shield and waited for the Spectral Energy Pool to replenish its points. Once fully charged, he maneuvered the Cang Qiong to retrace its path.
Song Chi wasn't foolish enough to act recklessly now. Judging by the situation on the oversized fragment, the infighting among the White Winged Tribe was unlikely to end anytime soon.
Given this, it only made sense to first retrieve the Furious Tiger Mining Cart and collect some of the previously logged resource deposits worth exploiting. When the 24-hour exploration window was nearing its end, he'd return to seize an opportunity. *If worse came to worse, he could retreat conveniently if the circumstances turned unfavorable.*
Of course, if upon his return, the battle had long concluded and the fragment's treasures were gone, then that would simply mean he wasn't destined for the unknown object. Song Chi wouldn't force the issue.
...
Over ten hours later, Song Chi circled back to the location of the small vacuum zone, with just 30 minutes left on the initial 24-hour time limit for exploration in the Alien Star Domain.
Observing the situation on the oversized fragment, over 200 members of the White Wing Tribe remained on the battlefield—likely replenished by new arrivals during his absence.
The only aggravating factor was that, after over a dozen hours, the number of First Rank White Winged Tribe individuals hadn't decreased. Instead, it had increased, with nearly 20 such individuals now present on the fragment.