40: Radar activated, the secret of the drifting bottle revealed.

Bridge.

A massive holographic projection table occupied the central position.

The air was filled with a faint scent of ozone, a unique aroma when high-precision electronic equipment operated at full power.

Gu Nian stood before the control panel, her fingers dancing rapidly across the virtual keyboard, leaving streaks of afterimages.

"Phase Radar array self-check complete."

"Energy connection normal."

"Data link synchronization rate 100%."

She pushed up the glasses on her nose and turned to look at Gu Pingsheng, who was seated in the captain's chair.

"Captain, it's ready to activate."

Gu Pingsheng nodded slightly.

"Activate."

As his command fell, Gu Nian pressed the red activation button.

"Buzz—"

A low hum instantly spread throughout the entire spaceship.

It wasn't a sound, but a high-frequency energy fluctuation that directly acted upon the spaceship's keel and armor, causing the floor beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

Immediately after.

The star map on the holographic projection table underwent a drastic change.

The dark starry sky, which previously only had a few sparse light points, was as if an invisible giant hand had wiped away the dust covering it.

Countless tiny light points lit up.

Those were tiny meteorites floating in the void.

Those were radiation belts hidden behind nebulae.

Those were faint pulses from distant galaxies.

The originally pitch-black, silent universe instantly became vibrant, three-dimensional, and full of details.

Even a piece of space debris the size of a fist, thousands of kilometers away, was clearly marked with its trajectory and composition.

[Phase Radar (purple·perfect)]

[Status: Full power operation]

[Scan radius: 5000 kilometers]

"This is... Phase Radar?"

Tang Xiaoxiao leaned against the railing, her eyes wide, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

"It's too clear! I can even see the craters on that rock!"

Lin Qinghan stood behind Gu Pingsheng, and though she said nothing, the shock in her eyes was unconcealable.

As a combatant, she knew too well what this full map vision meant.

It meant initiative.

It meant survival.

Gu Pingsheng looked at the magnificent star map before him, a satisfied curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

These were the eyes a silver-rank destroyer should have.

"Huh?"

Just then, a childish voice broke the exclamations on the bridge.

Lele, clutching a bag of potato chips, ran barefoot to the holographic table.

She stood on her tiptoes, extending a small hand covered in chip crumbs, pointing to an inconspicuous small light point at the edge of the star map.

"What's that sparkly thing?"

"Sparkly thing?"

Gu Pingsheng followed her finger.

At the extreme edge of the radar's scanning range, there was a chaotic asteroid belt.

And amidst those scattered rocks, there was indeed an extremely faint light point flickering.

If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to mistake it for the reflection of some kind of ore.

But Lele was different.

She was the owner of the S-Rank Talent [Lucky Koi].

Her intuition was sometimes more accurate than radar.

"Alice, zoom in on that area."

Gu Pingsheng ordered.

"Yes, Master."

The holographic image quickly zoomed in.

The faint light point gradually became clear.

It wasn't ore.

Nor was it spaceship wreckage.

It was a... bottle.

A glass bottle emitting a faint, ethereal blue glow, quietly floating on the back of a massive meteorite.

The mouth of the bottle was sealed with a cork, and a yellowed piece of paper seemed to be rolled up inside.

"Message in a bottle?"

Gu Nian was stunned.

"Throwing a message in a bottle in space? What kind of retro performance art is this?"

"Perhaps it's a distress signal."

Lin Qinghan analyzed calmly.

"Perhaps it's a trap."

An An's voice came from Gu Pingsheng's shadow, carrying a hint of vigilance.

Gu Pingsheng looked at the bottle.

His intuition told him that this item was not simple.

Especially since it was discovered by Lele.

"No matter what it is, we'll know once we retrieve it."

Gu Pingsheng waved his hand.

"Send out the drone."

...

A few minutes later.

A small collection drone returned to the spaceship with the bottle.

The airlock opened.

The drone placed the bottle on the sterilization tray.

Gu Pingsheng walked over and picked up the bottle.

It was cold to the touch.

The glass material was very special, feeling as warm and smooth as jade, and it was engraved with some unintelligible patterns.

[Mysterious Message in a Bottle (Special Item)]

[Description: A bottle that has drifted through space for an unknown number of years. A secret seems to be hidden inside.]

Gu Pingsheng pulled out the cork.

With a soft "pop," a faint scent of sea breeze actually wafted out of the bottle.

He inverted the bottle.

A rolled-up piece of parchment and an ancient-looking bronze key fell out.

Gu Pingsheng unrolled the parchment.

A complex star map was drawn on it.

But in the center of the star map, there was a blank space, with only a vague coordinate point.

[Ordinary Treasure Map (White)]

[Description: A map pointing to an abandoned mining area. It might have some value, or it might just be a prank.]

White?

Gu Pingsheng raised an eyebrow.

After all that effort to retrieve it, this is it?

He didn't believe it.

Or rather, he didn't believe Lele's luck would be that bad.

"System."

He murmured in his heart.

"Hand of God, activate."

"Ding! Detectable item for enhancement: Ordinary Treasure Map."

"Enhancing... Enhancement successful!"

"Critical hit in progress... Critical hit successful!"

"Congratulations on obtaining: [Coordinates of the Lost Interstellar Ruin (Orange·Mythic)]!"

Golden light.

Dazzling golden light.

The originally worn-out parchment instantly burned, transforming into countless golden light points, which then re-condensed into a metal plate radiating a sacred aura.

The star map on it became incredibly clear, even slowly flowing, as if it were a miniature, real starry sky.

And in the deepest part of the star map, that once blurry coordinate point had now become a brilliant golden star.

[Coordinates of the Lost Interstellar Ruin (Orange·Mythic)]

[Description: Points to a treasure vault left by an ancient civilization. Legend has it that technology and power capable of changing the cosmic pattern are buried there.]

[Danger Level: Extremely High (Fleet scale recommended)]

Orange!

mythic grade!

Gu Pingsheng's breathing instantly became heavier.

This was two grades higher than purple!

If purple represented rarity, then orange represented... a miracle.

"Oh my goodness..."

Gu Nian covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on the metal plate, forgetting even to breathe.

As the Chief Financial Officer, she was most sensitive to value.

If this map was real, its value would be immeasurable!

"Captain... this is..."

Lin Qinghan's hand pressed on her sword hilt, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She felt the terrifying aura emanating from the map.

It was both an opportunity and a danger.

Gu Pingsheng took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He picked up the bronze key.

And also activated Hand of God.

"Ding! Enhancement successful! Critical hit successful!"

"Congratulations on obtaining: [Ruin Core Key (Orange·Mythic)]!"

The originally rusty bronze key instantly transformed into a radiant crystal scepter.

Two mythic grade items!

This wave, he hit the jackpot!

Gu Pingsheng turned to look at Lele, who was still eating potato chips.

This little girl was practically a living god of wealth!

He walked over, scooped up Lele, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Lele, you truly are my lucky star!"

"Hehe, your beard tickles~"

Lele giggled, wiping her chip-crumb-covered hands on Gu Pingsheng's clothes.

Gu Pingsheng didn't mind at all.

He put Lele down and turned to walk back to the captain's chair.

He inserted the metal star map into the control panel's slot.

"Buzz—"

The holographic star map changed again.

A golden navigation line extended from the spaceship's current position, passing through countless star systems, pointing directly towards that unknown deep space.

"Gu Nian, calculate the journey."

"Yes!"

Gu Nian quickly began operating.

"The target is... thirty thousand light-years away from us."

"If we use conventional engines, it would take two hundred years to fly there."

"However..."

She pointed to a node in the middle of the navigation line.

"There's a natural wormhole here. If we can pass through it, it'll only take three days."

Three days.

Gu Pingsheng narrowed his eyes.

Three days to explore a mythic grade ruin.

This was definitely a huge gamble.

But in this apocalypse, not gambling was just waiting for death.

"All personnel, listen up."

Gu Pingsheng stood up, his voice steady and powerful, echoing throughout the entire spaceship.

"Level one combat readiness."

"Target: Lost Ruin."

"This time, we're going to dig up something big."

"Yes!"

A unified reply rang out on the bridge.

Whether it was Lin Qinghan, Gu Nian, Tang Xiaoxiao, or An An, flames burned in everyone's eyes.

That was a desire for power.

And absolute trust in Gu Pingsheng.

...

The spaceship's engines roared.

The massive silver-rank destroyer slowly turned its bow.

The thrusters at the stern ejected dazzling blue exhaust flames.

Like a sharp sword, it pierced through the dark void.

Heading at full speed towards that golden coordinate.

And in that distant, unknown direction.

Deep within a silent nebula.

In the darkness.

A pair of enormous eyes, burning like stars, slowly opened.

Their gaze penetrated billions of light-years, coldly watching the tiny spaceship approaching.

As if looking at a moth flying into a trap.