Chapter 38 A Triumphant Return!

"Received!"

Lin Yuan was also shaking with excitement.

He controlled "scavenger no. 2," extended its mechanical arm, and grabbed the handle of that white metal suitcase.

Upon contact, a heavy sensation was transmitted.

【Payload: 98.7 kg / 100kg】

On the system interface, the payload bar was instantly filled to nearly ninety-nine percent.

"I caught it! Academician Wang! I caught it!" Lin Yuan shouted excitedly.

He tried to lift it, and the drone's engine emitted a slight hum, successfully pulling the medical kit—which was several times larger than the drone itself—off the base.

"Good! That's great!"

In the Command Center, a burst of suppressed cheers erupted.

This mission could already be called a complete success!

An alien's complete consciousness!

A super medical kit capable of regenerating severed limbs!

Either one would be enough to cause a qualitative leap in Earth's technology!

"Comrade Lin Yuan, do not linger in battle!" Chen Weiguo's voice timely cooled down the excited crowd, "Return immediately! Bring our spoils and come home!"

"Yes!"

Lin Yuan also understood the principle of knowing when to quit while ahead.

He controlled the drone, clutching the heavy medical kit, and turned around to fly toward the circular hatch he had come through.

However, when he returned to that narrow maintenance passage, a new problem arose before him.

This medical kit was too big.

The passage was too narrow.

He had no way to return along the original route while carrying this case.

"Damn, miscalculated." Lin Yuan was a bit dumbfounded.

"Don't panic!" In the Command Center, the Intelligence Analysis Department immediately offered a new plan, "According to the hull structure diagram, there is another, more spacious 'Main Cargo Passage' from the engine room that leads directly to the damaged section in the middle of the hull! That's the place where you first came in!"

"Received!"

Lin Yuan immediately flew toward that breach according to the new route.

The Main Cargo Passage was indeed much more spacious.

He traveled unobstructed, and soon, he saw the deep starlight coming from ahead.

The exit was right before his eyes!

However, when he flew to the exit and prepared to leave the ship, he stopped abruptly.

Because the scene outside made his heart sink.

He saw that outside the invisible barrier of the "Safe Zone," those ten "Void Devourer"s that had been lured out had... not left at all!

They were like ten sharks that had smelled blood, patiently and motionlessly hovering outside the force field, surrounding the entire "Safe Zone" completely.

They were waiting.

Waiting for Lin Yuan to come out.

"Fuck... these campers are quite patient." Lin Yuan couldn't help but curse.

The Command Center was also filled with gravity.

"We're in trouble now." The Minister of Security said, frowning, "Lin Yuan's return procedure requires three seconds of positioning time. During these three seconds, he must leave the 'Safe Zone.' Once he goes out, he will be immediately besieged by these ten 'Void Devourer's! Forget three seconds, I'm afraid he won't even last 0.3 seconds!"

This problem was trickier than any encountered before.

They were like being spawn-camped, unable to leave the base.

"Can we... use an energy burst again to lure them away?" Li Na suggested in a low voice.

"It's useless." Academician Wang shook his head, his face full of gravity, "We only have one last spare 'ark reactor' left in our hands. Even if we detonate it again, we can only lure them away for a few tenths of a second at most. By the time they realize they've been tricked and come back, Lin Yuan still won't be able to escape."

"Moreover, I suspect that using the same trick a second time will have greatly diminished effectiveness. These things seem to... have some kind of learning ability."

Everyone fell silent.

Fight, they couldn't win.

Run, they couldn't escape.

Were they going to be trapped to death here while carrying all these treasures?

"Wait a minute..."

Just when everyone was at their wit's end, a plan suddenly popped into Lin Yuan's mind—one that was bolder and crazier than any before.

"Academician Wang, you said these things are attracted by energy fluctuations, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Then..." Lin Yuan's eyes were fixed tightly on the ten black death vortexes outside, his voice trembling with a hint of crazy excitement, "What if... what if I give them a super huge energy fluctuation that they absolutely cannot refuse? One big enough to make them temporarily forget about me, this 'little snack'?"

"What do you mean?" Academician Wang was stunned.

Lin Yuan did not answer directly.

He took a deep breath and issued a command to the system in his mind.

"System! I ask you! Repairing this broken drone of mine requires 1500 energy points, right?"

【Yes, host.】

"Then if I... don't repair it, but choose to... 'recycle' it? What can I get?"

The system was silent.

It seemed it also needed to calculate this unprecedented question.

A few seconds later, a line of cold text appeared in Lin Yuan's mind.

【"scavenger no. 2" drone, core has been severely damaged. If 'recycle' is chosen, the system will perform an irreversible 'entropic decomposition' on it, breaking it down into the most basic energy and matter.】

【Estimated recovery: 1200 energy points, basic structural materials *3.】

【Warning: The 'recycle' operation will trigger a violent, high-intensity energy release at the drone's current location. Its intensity is approximately equal to... the simultaneous detonation of ten 'ark reactor's.】

Ten "ark reactor"s!

Seeing this number, Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat!

He knew his plan would work!

"Chief! Academician Wang! I have a way!" Lin Yuan shouted excitedly at the Command Center, "A way that can let us go home 100% safely!"

He quickly explained his crazy plan to the Command Center.

When everyone finished listening to his plan, the entire Command Center was silent as the grave.

Everyone looked at the small drone on the screen with the eyes of someone looking at a madman.

Sacrifice the drone?!

Use it as a super bomb to buy time for his own escape?!

This idea...

Was fucking... genius!

"Good! Good! Good!" Academician Wang said the word "good" three times, his face flushed with excitement, "Fighting poison with poison! Finding a way to survive from a desperate situation! Lin Yuan! You kid, you were born for this!"

"Orders!" Chen Weiguo also recovered from the immense shock, he made a decisive decision and slammed the table, "Execute according to Comrade Lin Yuan's plan! All units pay attention! Prepare for the final, and most critical, coordinated operation!"

"Intelligence Analysis Department! Calculate the best detonation point and escape route!"

"Technical Support Department! Compress the startup time of the return procedure to the limit!"

"Lin Yuan! Listen to my command!"

"Yes!"

Lin Yuan's heart was in his throat.

Success or failure depended on this one move!

He controlled the drone, clutching that precious medical kit, and slowly flew to the edge of the "Safe Zone."

"Intelligence Analysis Department report! The best detonation point is 500 kilometers directly in front of your current position! That is the center of the encirclement of the ten 'Void Devourer's!"

"Received!"

"Technical Support Department report! Return procedure has been optimized! Positioning time compressed to 2.5 seconds!"

"Beautiful!"

"Lin Yuan!" Chen Weiguo's voice was steady as a mountain, "Now! Throw your 'bomb' out!"

"Yes!"

Lin Yuan issued the final command to the system in his mind.

"System! Recycle drone! Target location, 500 kilometers directly ahead!"

【Command confirmed.】

【"scavenger no. 2" recycle procedure initiated...】

The next second, Lin Yuan felt his consciousness suddenly lighten!

His connection with the drone was forcibly severed by the system!

He "saw" that "scavenger no. 2," which had accompanied him through several life-and-death adventures and was covered in scars, like a thrown javelin, dragging that white medical kit, rush out of the "Safe Zone" without hesitation, speeding toward the center of the encirclement of those ten "Void Devourer"s!

And his consciousness was pulled back by the system into the three-second countdown for the return journey!

【Return procedure initiated... 3 ...】

Almost at the same time, those ten "Void Devourer"s also discovered this "prey" that had rushed out of the "Safe Zone"!

They were like sharks that had smelled blood, frantically pouncing from ten different directions!

【2 ...】

"scavenger no. 2" arrived at the predetermined detonation point!

The white medical kit in its arms was suddenly thrown toward the safe direction where Lin Yuan's consciousness was by an invisible force!

Then...

"Goodbye, old pal."

Lin Yuan said silently in his heart.

【1 ...】

【Recycle initiated!】

No sound.

No light.

Against the deep space background of the universe, that small drone was completely "erased" from a physical level in an instant.

Replacing it was a... a supernova explosion of energy capable of illuminating the entire "Ghost Route"!

"Boom——!!!"

A silent, yet space-shaking frenzy of energy swept out crazily, centered on the detonation point!

Those ten "Void Devourer"s that had just pounced to the front didn't even have time to react before being solidly hit head-on by this violent energy that far exceeded their imagination!

Their bodies, made of "void," appeared unstable, violently twisted, and... disintegrated for the first time under the impact of this energy!

They were stunned by the blast!

And right in this once-in-a-thousand-years, brief moment of chaos!

A white light flashed and disappeared in the Safe Zone far from the center of the explosion.

【Return successful!】

...

"Clatter——"

On the materialization platform of the connection room, a heavy medical kit made entirely of white metal slammed heavily onto it.

In the seat, Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, his whole body as if he had been fished out of water, gasping for breath.

He was back.

Returning loaded with spoils!

The entire Command Center, after experiencing ten seconds of deathly silence.

Erupted into a burst of... frantic roars, enough to overturn the entire underground base, like a mountain-shaking tsunami!