The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 106 Encountering Wild Beasts, Escaping in an Aircraft

"Do you think this mission was a success?" Luo Yan asked.

"Of course it counts. We successfully located the spacecraft and confirmed it was intact. Next, we just need to wait for Country A to activate the robot for follow-up work," Shen Cheng said.

The two returned to their Martian pickup truck, preparing to head back to base. However, just then, they suddenly heard a strange noise.

"Listen, what's that sound?" Luo Yan asked nervously.

Shen Cheng also heard the sound. After listening carefully, he said, "It sounds like... the roar of a wild beast?"

The two exchanged a glance, both filled with unease. They knew perfectly well that there couldn't be any wild beasts on Mars, but the voice sounded so real, as if something was approaching them.

"We need to be careful," Shen Cheng said, taking out his weapon and preparing to deal with any unexpected situations.

Luo Yan also drew his weapon, and the two cautiously surveyed their surroundings. However, the voice grew closer and closer, and they could even feel a strong sense of oppression.

Just then, a huge beast suddenly rushed out from behind the sand dunes next to the Martian pickup truck. It opened its blood-red maw and pounced on the two of them.

The two men cried out in alarm and immediately raised their weapons to fight back. However, the beast's strength exceeded their expectations, and they were almost unable to withstand its attacks.

Just then, the base's aircraft flew in at low altitude and launched its cannons at the beast.

The beast let out a scream and was struck by the flying cannon, falling to the ground. Seeing this, the two quickly seized the opportunity to climb onto the aircraft.

"What's going on? How could there be wild beasts on Mars?" Luo Yan asked in horror.

“I don’t know, but we must go back and report this situation immediately,” Shen Cheng said.

The spacecraft quickly took off and flew towards the base. Meanwhile, the Mars pickup truck on the ground, under the control of intelligent AI, automatically cruised back to the base.

The two sat in the spacecraft, filled with doubt and unease. They knew perfectly well that life couldn't exist on Mars, but the appearance of that beast made them begin to question their own knowledge.

Upon returning to base, the two immediately reported the situation to their superiors. After listening to their description, their superiors told them to return to stand by and that the security team would take over the matter, and that was the end of that.

Back in their dormitory, Luo Yan and Shen Cheng were still deeply troubled. They began to wonder if the mission was truly just a simple equipment test, or if a much larger secret was lurking behind it all.

"What do you think is going on with that beast?" Luo Yan couldn't help but ask.

Shen Cheng shook his head and said, "I don't know either, but I feel that this matter is not so simple. It's a fact that we all know that there can't be wild beasts on Mars. But the appearance of that wild beast makes us start to doubt our own knowledge."

After a moment of silence, Luo Yan said, "If the other world is full of such terrifying creatures, wouldn't Shen Lixi and Luo Yifei be in great danger?"

"Where does this tunnel lead to? Could it not be the Floating Life Continent at all?" Shen Cheng asked.

“No one ever told us that the other side connects to the Floating Life Continent,” Luo Yan said.

For them, nothing was more important than their son's safety.

Over the next few days, the two kept a close eye on the investigation into the beast incident. However, the base seemed to be maintaining strict secrecy, and they received no information about the investigation's findings.

This made the two men even more uneasy, but all they could do was try their best to perform their daily tasks, conducting routine inspections of the equipment at the base's Phase III facility. Their inspection areas included most of the dormitories and meeting rooms.

During a routine inspection, they stumbled upon a sealed-off conference room. Located deep within the base, it was rarely used. Curious, they went inside and found it filled with all sorts of strange equipment and instruments.

"What are these?" Luo Yan asked in surprise.

Shen Cheng carefully examined the equipment and said, "It looks like equipment used to study some kind of organism."

The two were startled. Could it be that the base had been secretly researching Martian life? They began to look around, hoping to find more clues.

Just then, they suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the equipment. The sound was deep and eerie, like the cry of some kind of creature.

The two men exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with fear. They realized that this base might be hiding secrets far deeper than they had imagined.

They decided to report their findings to their superiors, hoping to uncover the truth behind this secret. However, when they approached their superiors, they were told that the equipment was a classified project and they should not inquire about it.

The two felt utterly helpless, knowing they could no longer investigate the matter further. However, they wouldn't give up their determination to find the truth. They decided to secretly observe the base's movements, hoping to find more clues.

In the days that followed, the two carefully observed the base. They discovered that the strange devices were often activated at night, always accompanied by strange noises.

They decided to sneak into the conference room again at night, hoping to find more evidence. However, when they quietly arrived at the conference room door, they found it was locked.

The two were startled. Had their actions been discovered? They quickly retreated and hid in a corner nearby.

Just then, they saw a figure emerge from the meeting room. The person was dressed in black, wearing a hat and a mask, obscuring their face. He glanced around and then quickly left.

Filled with doubt, the two decided to follow the person to see who he was. They cautiously followed behind him, avoiding other base personnel along the way.

Finally, they followed the man to a secluded corner. The man stopped and turned to look at them.

When the person took off his mask and hat, the two were surprised to find that he was their superior!

“Do you two know that disobeying orders here will result in you being immediately sent back to Earth?” Du Qi said.

Shen Cheng and Luo Yan looked at each other, surprised to find their superior here.

“We just want to find out the truth,” Shen Cheng said.

Du Qi sighed and said, "I know you care about your child, but there are some things that are not your business."

"Why? What are these devices used for?" Luo Yan pressed.

Du Qi was silent for a moment, then said, "To tell you the truth, these devices are used to study the life forms that came from the Martian tunnel. However, this project is classified, and we cannot reveal too much information."

"Where is on the other side of the tunnel? Are Luo Yifei and the others in danger?" Luo Yan asked.

"Don't worry, the other side isn't the Floating Life Continent. We're still in contact with Wan Li. He'll report back as soon as he finds any clues about the two people on the Floating Life Continent," Du Qi said.

After hearing Du Qi's words, the two men's doubts were not completely resolved, but they also understood that this classified project was not something they could interfere with.

"Then what should we do?" Shen Cheng asked.

Du Qi thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to do anything. You already trust your work every day. The parents of the other children who disappeared four years ago in the youth team can't even get here."