47: SOS signal, the hunter's instinct

The 17th day of the spaceship's journey.

The bridge.

A massive holographic star map hovered in mid-air, its eerie blue light reflecting off everyone's faces.

The air was filled with the faint aroma of coffee, freshly brewed by Alice.

Gu Pingsheng sat in the captain's chair, holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand, his gaze sweeping lazily over the scrolling data on the screen.

"Captain, we have a situation."

Gu Nian's voice broke the morning silence.

She pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, her fingers tapping rapidly on the console.

Following her actions, a segment of audio waves was projected onto the main screen.

It was the distress signal received earlier.

After Alice's noise reduction processing, the woman's voice became much clearer amidst the originally noisy electrical static.

"...This is the Starlight Women's Academy training ship, the 'Aurora'... Our engines are damaged... supplies are exhausted... requesting... any passing spaceship... to provide assistance..."

The voice trembled, carrying a distinct sobbing tone and despair.

Faint sounds of explosions and screams could be heard in the background.

It sounded truly miserable.

"Has the signal source been located?"

Gu Pingsheng took a sip of coffee, his tone calm.

"Located."

Gu Nian pulled up a local star map and pointed to a blinking red dot on it.

"It's about 2000 kilometers away from us. At our current speed, we can arrive in two hours."

She paused, then added another sentence.

"According to the signal characteristic analysis, the other ship should be a medium-sized transport ship. This model of spaceship usually doesn't have heavy weapons, and its defensive capabilities are quite average."

"A spaceship full of girls?"

Chen Chuxia stood to the side, still holding a first-aid kit.

She had rushed over the moment she heard the alarm.

Hearing the words "Women's Academy," a trace of compassion appeared in her eyes.

"Captain... should we help them?"

She asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of pleading.

"In this godforsaken place, a group of girls... it must be hard to survive, right?"

As the Healer of the team, her heart was always the softest.

Even after experiencing so much, she still retained that rare kindness.

"Heh."

A cold sneer suddenly rang out.

Liu Ruyan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking at Chen Chuxia with a disdainful expression.

She was wearing a tight leather outfit today, which accentuated her figure perfectly. Although her status on the spaceship was not high, she never gave up any opportunity to show herself off.

"Doctor Chen, is your 'saintly heart' overflowing again?"

She mocked.

"What time do you think it is? The apocalypse! In this dog-eat-dog world, the more pitiful a signal seems, the more likely it is to be a trap."

She walked to the star map and pointed at the red dot.

"How do you know they are really students? Maybe it's pirates in disguise? Or perhaps... they have already been controlled by pirates, specifically using this kind of signal to fish for victims."

Liu Ruyan turned her head to look at Gu Pingsheng, her eyes carrying a hint of fawning.

"Captain, I don't think we should go. It's too dangerous. It's not worth risking our lives for a few unrelated people."

Her words, while harsh, made a lot of sense.

In this dark, forest-like sea of stars, kindness is often cheap and fatal.

Gu Pingsheng did not speak.

He just watched the star map quietly, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

Tap, tap, tap.

The rhythmic tapping sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet bridge.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for his decision.

Even Lin Qinghan and An An, who had been silent, turned their gazes toward him.

After a long while.

Gu Pingsheng suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but carried a hint of inscrutable playfulness.

"Women's Academy..."

He repeated these four words in a low voice.

"It sounds really tempting."

He turned his head to look at Gu Nian.

"Are Alice's scan results out?"

"They are out."

Gu Nian nodded, her expression somewhat solemn.

"The radar shows that around those coordinates... there are faint energy fluctuations."

She zoomed in on the star map, pointing to the barely visible ripples around the red dot.

"This fluctuation frequency... it doesn't seem to be caused by engine failure. It's more like..."

"Like some kind of stealth shield."

Gu Pingsheng took over her words.

His eyes instantly became sharp, like an unsheathed blade.

"A refugee ship with damaged engines and exhausted supplies, yet it can still maintain a stealth shield?"

"This is interesting."

Hearing this, Chen Chuxia was stunned.

Although she was naive, she was not stupid.

Something like a stealth shield is high-end gear. Maintaining it requires consuming a large amount of energy.

If the other party was really "exhausted of supplies" as the distress signal claimed, how could they have the energy to keep the shield up?

"So... it really is a trap?"

Her face turned slightly pale.

"Whether it's a trap or not, we'll know once we go see."

Gu Pingsheng stood up and straightened his collar.

"Since they want to act, we'll play along."

"It just so happens that I also want to see what kind of monsters and demons are hiding in this 'Starlight Women's Academy'."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

That aura belonging to a superior immediately permeated the air.

"Pass on my order."

"All personnel to Level 1 combat readiness."

"Lin Qinghan, Ye Hongyu, An An, come with me to board the ship."

"Tang Xiaoxiao is responsible for piloting the spaceship, ready to provide support at any time."

"Gu Nian, Chen Chuxia, Wen Wan remain on the bridge, activate all defensive systems. Once something seems wrong, fire directly, no need to request permission."

"Yes!"

The women replied in unison.

Even Liu Ruyan was intimidated by Gu Pingsheng's aura; she didn't dare to say anything else and obediently retreated to the side.

...

Combat preparation room.

Gu Pingsheng was checking his equipment.

He opened his spatial ring and poured out a pile of white spheres.

Those were the [Flashbang (White · Common)] purchased at the trading market earlier.

This kind of thing is very cheap, and the effect is average, only able to create intense light to interfere with vision.

But in Gu Pingsheng's hands, they were about to be reborn.

"System."

He muttered in his heart.

"Hand of God, activate."

Hum—

An invisible wave spread from his palm.

Golden light instantly enveloped the pile of flashbangs.

The originally plain white spheres began to deform and reorganize within the golden light.

The plastic outer shell turned into some kind of high-strength alloy, engraved with complex patterns.

A few seconds later.

The light dissipated.

A pile of purple metal spheres appeared on the table.

[High-Intensity Blinding Stun Grenade (purple · Rare)]

[Description: A special tactical piece of equipment generated by a Hand of God critical strike. Upon detonation, it can instantly release a flash of light equivalent to a stellar flare, accompanied by a high-frequency sonic shockwave.]

[Effect: Biological entities within the explosion radius will be forced into "Blind" and "Deaf" states for 10 seconds. At the same time, the high-frequency sonic wave will impact the target's nervous system, with a 50% chance of causing them to fall into a "Stunned" state.]

[Note: Blinds your dog eyes, shatters your eardrums. Specially cures all kinds of defiance.]

Gu Pingsheng picked up a stun grenade and weighed it in his hand.

It had good weight.

This thing is simply an artifact for indoor close-quarters combat.

Especially in the narrow space of a spaceship, one of these is basically enough to make the opponent lose their combat effectiveness.

"Heh."

He chuckled and put all the stun grenades into the tactical pouch on his waist.

Then he picked up the infinite desert eagle and inserted it into the holster on his outer thigh.

"Let's go."

He said to the three women behind him.

Lin Qinghan was wearing a black Nano-Combat Suit, carrying a sniper rifle on her back, her expression stern.

Ye Hongyu held the long whip covered in barbs, her eyes flashing with excitement.

An An was still wearing a black hoodie, her entire being almost blending into the shadows.

This lineup.

Let alone a refugee ship.

Even a den of tigers and dragons, they would dare to storm.

...

Two hours later.

The spaceship arrived at the target coordinates.

Through the massive porthole, everyone finally saw the spaceship that had sent out the distress signal.

It was a gray, medium-sized transport ship.

Its appearance did indeed look miserable.

The hull was covered in traces of meteorite impacts, and the engine on the left was still emitting black smoke.

Even one armor plate had fallen off, exposing the wiring inside.

It floated quietly in the void, like a dying corpse.

"It looks... like it's really quite miserable."

Tang Xiaoxiao sat in the pilot's seat, looking at the image on the screen, and couldn't help but mutter.

"Is that so?"

Gu Pingsheng stood behind her, hands bracing the back of the chair, his gaze deep.

"Zoom in on the image."

"Zoom in on the location of the fallen-off armor plate."

Tang Xiaoxiao operated accordingly.

As the lens zoomed in.

The seemingly damaged gap was clearly presented before everyone's eyes.

Deep within the messy wiring and charred marks.

One could vaguely see a hint of metallic luster that shouldn't be there.

That was not a damaged part.

That was a...

Dark, pitch-black gun barrel.

Although it was hidden very deeply, under the capture of the high-definition lens, it still had nowhere to hide.

"That is..."

Lin Qinghan's pupils constricted slightly.

"A phase cannon?"

"How could a weapon of this level appear on a civilian transport ship?"

"And..."

Gu Pingsheng pointed at the smoking engine.

"Look at that smoke."

"Normal engine failure should emit black smoke, or blue ion streams."

"But this smoke..."

"It's gray."

"This is interference smoke specifically released to mask thermal reactions."

He straightened up, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"It seems we are in luck."

"This is hardly some distressed little lamb."

"This is clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"Prepare for boarding."

Gu Pingsheng ordered.

"Since they want to play so badly, we'll go in and play along with them properly."