Chapter 53 Throw a firecracker and pick up the poop.

"Academician Wang! That thing... that glob of blue stuff, can we salvage it?" Lin Yuan's voice carried an irrepressible excitement.

He felt his occupational hazard as a scrap yard owner acting up again.

Seeing something so shiny with such a strong energy reaction was like seeing a mountain of gold; his eyes glowed, and he couldn't look away.

"Salvage it?!" Academician Wang was startled by Lin Yuan's bold idea. "Are you crazy? That monster is right next to it! Going there now is basically delivering yourself as takeout!"

"But... that thing looks so valuable!" Lin Yuan was a bit unwilling. "It’s such a waste to just watch it float away!"

His words plunged all the scientists in the Command Center into silence.

Indeed, it was a waste.

Based on the preliminary energy spectrum analysis sent back to the screen, the purity of the energy contained within that blue crystal "excreted" by the monster was even higher than the "ark reactor" they had previously built!

Furthermore, it was a... purer, more primitive form of "biological energy."

If they could bring it back for research, it would hold immeasurable value for the ongoing "Shennong Project" and for understanding the energy composition of the "giant beast skeleton."

It was practically a piece of fat meat delivered right to their mouths.

The problem was, the one guarding this fat meat was a prehistoric behemoth that could swallow them in one bite.

"No! I firmly object!" the Minister of Security's unquestionable voice rang out again. "Comrade Lin Yuan's safety is the top priority! Any action that might expose him is absolutely forbidden!"

"No matter how good the treasure is, you have to be alive to take it! Risking exposure for an uncertain 'sample' is not worth the gain!"

The Minister of Security's words were met with agreement from most people.

Reason told them that the best thing to do now was to wait quietly for that terrifying worm to eat its fill and leave on its own.

"But..." a young energy expert couldn't help but mutter softly, "that thing... it doesn't seem to have a fixed orbit. It's drifting toward the spatial turbulence in the distance. If we wait any longer, we might really never find it again."

His words made everyone's hearts tighten again.

Everyone's gaze focused once more on that crystal, which was as brilliant as a sapphire.

It was like a beautiful, deadly temptation, constantly tugging at everyone's nerves.

"Lin Yuan," Academician Wang's voice was somewhat dry, "how... how much certainty do you have that you can get that thing without alerting the worm?"

In the end, he couldn't resist a scientist's thirst for unknown truths.

He handed the choice over to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan looked at the giant worm on the screen still buried in its "meal," then at the blue crystal slowly drifting away, and his mind began to calculate rapidly.

Linear distance, about thirty kilometers.

The worm's attention was currently entirely focused on feeding, and its perception of its surroundings was at its lowest.

The "ghost" possessed perfect stealth capabilities and unparalleled maneuverability.

As long as it was operated properly, it was theoretically possible to complete a "lightning retrieval" without anyone being the wiser.

There was risk... definitely.

But the reward was equally massive.

To do it or not?

In Lin Yuan's bones, the gambling streak he had developed while collecting scrap began to stir again.

He remembered back then, in order to salvage a decent old lathe from a collapsing factory building, he had gambled like this too.

Gambling that the building wouldn't collapse while he was inside.

As it turned out, he won. That lathe earned him a full fifty thousand yuan.

And now, what he was gambling on was a glob of... alien celestial sh*t that might be worth over fifty billion.

"Chief, Academician Wang," Lin Yuan took a deep breath and made his decision, "I want to... give it a try."

"Nonsense!" the Minister of Security immediately objected.

"Let him speak!" Chen Weiguo interrupted him, his voice unreadable. "Lin Yuan, tell us your plan."

"My plan is simple." Lin Yuan's train of thought became exceptionally clear. "Just four words—distract and strike."

"That worm, although it's eating, still has its perception. If I go directly to get it, even if the 'ghost' can stay invisible, there's no guarantee that some slight energy or spatial fluctuation won't alert it as I approach."

"So before I act, I need to give it something else to do. Divert its attention completely away from our side."

"How will you do that?" Academician Wang pressed.

A mischievous smirk curled at the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth.

He controlled the "ghost"'s brand-new nanocluster plasticity tool arm, which silently extended from the fuselage.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the countless tiny nanobots at the tip of the mechanical arm began to rapidly reorganize and transform.

A few seconds later, an object that everyone was incredibly familiar with appeared at the end of the mechanical arm.

A... miniature version of the "ark reactor."

"This is..." Everyone in the Command Center was stunned.

"The 'ghost's tool arm can simulate and reconstruct any item it has analyzed as needed," Lin Yuan explained. "Of course, it's just a dummy; it doesn't have a real energy core inside. But..."

His tone shifted.

"I can inject a tiny bit of the 'ghost's own energy into it. Then, I'll throw it behind that worm."

"Without a core, once energy is injected, it will become extremely unstable. In ten-odd seconds at most, it will... 'bang,' explode."

"While the power might not even match a firecracker, the energy fluctuation produced by its explosion should be... stimulating enough for that worm, which is only sensitive to energy."

Lin Yuan's plan was simple, crude, yet full of imagination.

Using a fake "ark reactor" as a "big firecracker" to attract the monster's attention.

This line of thinking was... truly brilliant!

"Good! Good lad!" After hearing it, Academician Wang couldn't help but slap the table in praise. "This plan is feasible! I've evaluated it; the risk is within controllable limits!"

"It's like Fishing!" a young engineer added excitedly. "We throw the bait to the furthest point from us. Once the fish is lured away, we quietly scoop up the treasure by the hook!"

A smile of approval also appeared on Chen Weiguo's face.

This kid's mind was truly flexible.

"Do as you said!" He made a prompt decision. "Order! All units pay attention! Prepare to execute the 'Fishing' plan!"

"Yes!"

Lin Yuan's spirits lifted.

He controlled the "ghost"'s mechanical arm, which was holding the "counterfeit ark reactor," and slowly aimed it at a patch of space about a hundred kilometers behind the giant worm.

"Calculate the trajectory!"

"Adjust energy injection! Target: fifteen-second explosion delay!"

"Every action must be seamless!"

Lin Yuan's mind was crystal clear.

He felt that he had never been as focused as he was now.

"Now is the time!"

"Throw!"

With a command in his mind, the "ghost"'s mechanical arm swung violently!

That "ark reactor," shimmering with a ghostly blue light and looking exactly like the real thing, turned into a streak of light and flew silently toward the dark deep space in the distance.

At the same time, the "ghost" itself, like a bolt of black lightning, didn't pause for a second and sped toward the other direction—the blue crystal slowly drifting away!

The entire movement was smooth and as fast as lightning!

In the Command Center, everyone held their breath and stared intently at the screen.

They saw that the "firecracker," after flying for over ten seconds, indeed exploded just as Lin Yuan expected with a "boom," erupting into a halo of energy that wasn't too large but was exceptionally bright.

The giant worm, which had been buried in its meal, suddenly raised its nauseating head!

It "felt" it!

Its massive body instantly tensed up!

Without hesitation, it abandoned the delicacy at its mouth, turned its head, and like a crazed wild bull, charged frantically toward the direction of the explosion!

The chance!

Now was the time!

Lin Yuan's heart was in his throat.

He controlled the "ghost," crossing the thirty-kilometer distance in just a few seconds, and arrived before the truck-sized blue crystal.

Up close, he realized this thing was far more beautiful than he had imagined.

It was crystal clear throughout, with what seemed like countless specks of starlight flowing slowly inside.

A stream of pure, cold life energy radiated from within.

"Holy sh*t, I'm rich!"

Lin Yuan had no time to admire it.

He extended the mechanical arm and, with one grab, firmly held this massive "crystal sh*t" in his embrace!

[Load: 488.9kg/500kg]

[Unknown high-purity biological energy crystal detected. Perform scan?]

"Scan my ass! Run!"

Lin Yuan roared in his mind, and controlling the "ghost" while clutching the heavy treasure, he dove headfirst back toward the "crater" entrance he came from without looking back!

He needed to find a place to hide, fast!