Chapter 21 We're out of time

Academician Wang's words, "Our coordinates were exposed thirty years ago," landed in everyone's hearts in the conference room like a boulder weighing tens of thousands of tons.

The atmosphere, which had been buzzing with excitement over the drone upgrade just moments ago, instantly froze.

Dead silence.

A silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the investigation report on the "meteorite" on the screen, feeling a chill crawl up their spines, their scalps tingling.

"A-Academician Wang, what... what do you mean by that?"

It was the Minister of Security who spoke, the resolute soldier who had previously advocated for caution.

At this moment, his voice carried a tremor he himself hadn't realized.

"I mean exactly what I said." Academician Wang's expression was incredibly grave. He pointed to the decrypted signal format on the screen, "We found the corresponding template for this signal in the 'Oracle Civilization' database.

This is a very ancient, universal distress protocol used by almost every civilization that has stepped into interstellar space; its format is public, much like Morse code at sea."

"Its content is simple: the first half is the civilization's own identification code and distress situation, and the second half... is the star sector coordinates of the distress location.

These coordinates where our Earth is located were broadcast out thirty years ago."

A collective gasp echoed through the conference room.

"T-then... who is the civilization that sent the signal? How far are they from us?" the Minister of Intelligence Analysis asked eagerly.

Academician Wang shook his head, a hint of bitterness appearing on his face, "I don't know.

The probe was severely damaged upon crashing, so the information we could extract is very limited.

The only thing we can be certain of is that their technological level is far above ours.

While perhaps not as exaggerated as the 'Oracle Civilization', it is definitely not something we can contend with right now."

"Thirty years... thirty years of time..." a young physicist muttered absent-mindedly, "If their travel speed can reach sub-light speed, even if it's one-tenth the speed of light, thirty years... would be enough to cross a distance of three light-years..."

This number made everyone's heart sink further.

Three light-years might be negligible on the scale of the universe.

But for Earth civilization, which hasn't even fully stepped out of the Solar System yet, this is an unimaginably vast distance and represents an unattainable technological chasm.

"The most critical question is," Chen Weiguo's steady, mountain-like voice broke the suffocating silence, "we don't know if they are benevolent or malevolent.

What does the last sentence of the distress signal, 'Come quickly to rescue, or... clean up,' mean?"

Academician Wang took over, "In the sociological models of interstellar civilizations, this is a very common practice.

When a civilization's exploration team encounters danger within the territory of a lower civilization, they issue two instructions simultaneously.

'Rescue' is for the mother planet's fleet.

And 'clean up'... is sent to the nearest civilization, or one that is an ally or has a contractual relationship."

"Clean up what?" Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"Clean up the lower civilization that discovered their crash.

Academician Wang looked at Lin Yuan and said word for word, "To prevent their technology from leaking, to prevent that lower civilization from using their technology to rise and become a future threat.

The simplest and most thorough method is to directly... physically erase it while the civilization on that planet is in its budding stage."

"F*ck..." Lin Yuan couldn't hold back a curse and blurted it out.

This is too f*cking dark! It's practically the universe version of the Dark Forest theory!

He worked so hard running a scrapyard, got shocked by accident, and thought it was a pie falling from the sky, but it turned out there was a giant pit behind the pie that could wipe out the entire Earth?

He felt his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.

Before, he had felt that being locked in this underground base and losing his freedom was a bit of a raw deal.

Now it seems, this isn't a gilded cage; this is the safest ark on Earth! The world outside could turn into a sea of fire at any moment!

"So, the situation we are facing now is," Chen Weiguo scanned the room, his voice carrying an unquestionable decisiveness, "a sword is hanging over our heads that could fall at any time.

We can no longer develop step-by-step. We must gamble!"

His gaze swept over the face of the Minister of Security, who advocated for caution, and then looked at the other experts who were still hesitating.

"I agree with Academician Wang's opinion. We must immediately enter Area 002, the 'Ghost Route'! We need more advanced technology, we need more powerful weapons! We need to possess the power to say 'no' in the shortest possible time!"

"But, Director!" The Minister of Security still couldn't help but stand up, "Doing this is too risky! Comrade Lin Yuan's safety is the top priority! If he has an accident in the 'Ghost Route', we will lose our last trump card! I still believe we should first stay in the newbie area, use the newly upgraded scanning function, and fish out everything we can.

Once our 'South Heaven Gate Project' begins to take shape, then we can consider entering new areas!"

"Wait? Can we afford to wait?" Academician Wang retorted excitedly, "Even if the 'South Heaven Gate Project' is as fast as possible, it will take five years! Five years is enough for that alien fleet to fly back and forth several times! We are racing against death right now! If we are slow in one step, we will be slow in every step! Once we are blocked in the cradle, we will never have a chance to turn things around!"

"This is too risky! We can't put all our eggs in one basket!"

"If we don't take risks, we can only sit and wait for death, praying the other side is a pacifist! How likely do you think that is?"

In the conference room, it turned into a chaotic mess again.

This time, the focus of the debate was no longer the technical route, but the survival strategy of the entire civilization.

Is it to choose to play it safe and proceed steadily, but potentially miss the last window of time? Or to choose to take a risky path, go all in, and gamble for a slim but hopeful future?

This was an incredibly difficult choice.

Everyone's gaze finally converged on Chen Weiguo and Lin Yuan.

One was the highest decision-maker of this project.

The other was the sole executor of this project.

Chen Weiguo didn't speak; he just quietly looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan felt everyone's gaze; in those gazes, there was expectation, worry, and doubt, pressing heavily on his shoulders.

His mind was in a complete tangle.

To go, or not to go?

Go to the 'Ghost Route', 'medium' danger level, spatial rifts, energy storms—it didn't sound like anything to mess with.

Not to mention that the 'Void Devourer' appears even more frequently there.

Last time in the newbie area, he almost finished himself off; going to a more dangerous place this time, wasn't that sticking his head into a noose?

But, not go?

Thinking that thirty years ago, an alien spaceship crashed at his doorstep and sent out the coordinates, Lin Yuan felt restless.

It's like living in a residential complex and one day suddenly discovering that a murderer had scouted your doorstep thirty years ago, even drew a map, and might sneak up on you at any time.

Could you still stay at home peacefully?

There's nowhere to run; the entire Earth is home.

The only way is to arm yourself to the teeth before that murderer comes knocking! Forget kitchen knives; you have to find a way to get machine guns, get rocket launchers!

Thinking about it this way, his train of thought suddenly became clear.

Although the 'Ghost Route' is dangerous, it's also like an arsenal! Civilian technology, living modules, cargo modules! These things don't sound as awesome as warships, but as Academician Wang said, these technologies are easier for Earth to absorb and transform.

Maybe if he fishes back a 'Food Synthesizer', the country won't have to worry about food issues anymore, and more resources can be invested in the military.

If he fishes back a 'Medical Kit', scientists could live for decades longer and contribute to the country for decades more.

These are all tangible combat capabilities!

"I..." Lin Yuan took a deep breath, met everyone's gaze, and slowly stood up.

"I'll do it!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

"Academician Wang is right; we have no time.

Sitting at home waiting for death is not my style.

I'm just a scavenger, and what I've believed in all my life is 'take a gamble, and a bicycle turns into a motorcycle'.

Now, if we don't gamble, we might not even have the bicycle left."

He looked at Chen Weiguo; the hesitation in his eyes was gone, replaced by a ruthlessness born from being backed into a corner.

"Chief, give the order. When do we set off? I'm ready anytime!"

Looking at the light in Lin Yuan's eyes, Chen Weiguo nodded with satisfaction.

He hadn't misjudged the person.

This young man who came out of a scrapyard had an unyielding tenacity and a daring, fighting spirit in his bones.

This is exactly what they need most right now.

"Good!" Chen Weiguo slapped the table hard, stood up, and scanned the room.

"Order!"

In the conference room, everyone subconsciously stood up straight.

"The 'scavenger' project, from now on, enters wartime status! All departments, all personnel, cancel all leave, 24-hour standby!"

"Intelligence Analysis Department, immediately formulate at least three salvage plans within 24 hours based on the known information of the 'Ghost Route'! Quantitatively evaluate all possible risks for me!"

"Technical Support Department, upgrade the 'Deep-Dive Neural Interaction System' again! I want to ensure Comrade Lin Yuan's absolute safety during the connection process!"

"Logistics Support Department, from now on, monitor Comrade Lin Yuan's physical and mental state on an hourly basis! Ensure he enters the next salvage operation in the best state!"

"All departments, revolve around the next salvage operation and operate at full capacity for me! This time, we are not going on an adventure; we are going to war! We are fighting a war we cannot afford to lose for the survival of our entire civilization!"

Chen Weiguo's voice echoed in the conference room, powerful and resonant.

"Target—Area 002, 'Ghost Route'!"