96: Silent Starfield and the Guardian's Remnant Ship

The thrilling journey through the "Void Corridor" had cost the Expeditionary Fleet a great deal of energy, but they had also gained valuable experience and a deeper understanding of the "void whisper" tactics. The battle on the consciousness level between Sun Zheng, Shadow, and the others had raised the team's spiritual cohesion to a new height.

The fleet took a brief respite near the exit of the corridor, repairing the wear and tear on the shield systems and re-evaluating the upcoming route. Based on scattered fragments of information purified from the corridor's afterimages, combined with the Guardian star map, they confirmed that the next key node lay not far ahead in a void zone known as the "Silent Starfield."

“The Silent Starfield, according to the star map annotations, was once the location of an important peripheral Observation Post for the Guardian Civilization, and is also the last known navigation point leading to the nebula where the ‘Seed Vault’ is located,” the navigator reported. “But the star map also marks the area as ‘lost contact,’ cause unknown.”

“Raise the alert level and approach slowly,” Sun Zheng ordered. Having experienced the traps of the corridor, he maintained an extremely high level of wariness toward any area marked as "abnormal."

The fleet exited hyperspace and entered the "Silent Starfield." The scene here was completely different from the eeriness of the corridor, yet it was even more unsettling. In the void, a vast amount of shattered planetary remains and asteroids were scattered, floating silently like tombstones, their surfaces covered in impact craters and signs of erosion, as if they had endured an ancient cataclysm. In the distance, a white dwarf that had long since extinguished, leaving only a pitch-black core, emitted a faint gravity, maintaining the fragile balance of this dead zone.

There was no starlight, no sign of life, only eternal cold and deathly silence.

“Scanning large-scale metallic wreckage signals... style confirmed: Guardian Civilization!” The Sensor Officer's voice broke the silence on the bridge. “The amount of wreckage... it's enormous! This place seems to be an ancient battlefield!”

On the main screen, scan images showed that in the core area of the planetary wreckage belt, thousands of pieces of debris of various sizes were floating—everything from warship fragments to the broken structures of suspected space stations. The scale of this war far exceeded the single ship wreckage discovered at the previous navigation point.

“Look for any relatively intact structures or energy signals.” Sun Zheng's heart sank. Another Guardian outpost had been destroyed. It seemed the path to the “Seed Vault” had long been blocked layer by layer by the power of the “void whisper.”

“Found a large signal source! In the center of the wreckage field, there is a relatively intact... hull structure! Energy readings... extremely weak, but there seem to be... rhythmic fluctuations!” The detection team soon made a startling discovery.

The fleet carefully avoided the dense wreckage and approached the signal source. As the distance closed, the outline of that ship gradually became clear.

It was an incredibly massive warship, even several times larger than the “expeditionary vessel” cruiser! Its design followed the Guardians' consistent sleek geometric style, but the hull was covered in shocking, massive wounds and explosion marks; the armor was torn in many places, revealing the complex internal structures. It hung silently in the center of the wreckage, like a giant who had died on the battlefield but still refused to fall.

Most shocking of all was that on the surface of this giant ship's hull, one could vaguely see faint blue light paths still slowly flowing, proving that there was still extremely faint energy inside maintaining the most basic system operations!

“It's still... alive?” Shadow whispered in disbelief.

“Scan the internal structure of the hull and attempt to establish a communication link,” Sun Zheng commanded, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. An ancient warship that might contain Guardian crew members or an AI was of incalculable value!

However, all communication attempts were like stones dropped into the ocean. Internal scans were also severely interfered with, only capable of vaguely detecting a powerful energy source in the hull's core area maintaining minimum operations, but no signs of life were found.

“Commander, we've detected a relatively intact docking hatch on the exterior of the hull. Perhaps... we could send a team to board and investigate?” the pathfinder, responsible for external reconnaissance, suggested.

Boarding an unknown ancient ship that might be full of danger? The risk was immense. But the potential key information hidden within regarding the “Seed Vault,” this starfield, and even the ultimate enemy was equally tempting.

Sun Zheng pondered for a moment and made his decision.

“Organize an elite investigation team; I will lead it personally. Shadow, you pick five of the best marines to accompany us. The ‘expeditionary vessel’ and escort ships will remain on the perimeter on high alert, ready to provide support at any time.”

“Commander, this is too dangerous!” Falcon tried to dissuade him again.

“Risk and opportunity coexist. This might be our last chance to obtain key information before reaching the ‘Seed Vault.’” Sun Zheng's attitude was firm. The keystone inside him also produced a faint resonance with the ancient ship, making him believe this adventure was necessary.

An hour later, a small shuttle took off from the “expeditionary vessel,” carrying Sun Zheng, Shadow, and five fully armed elite marines, slowly approaching the massive Guardian relic ship. Like ants approaching a sleeping behemoth, they were filled with awe and uncertainty.

The shuttle successfully docked with the ancient ship's docking hatch. The airtight door opened, and a blast of cold air mixed with the scent of ancient metal, dust, and a faint smell of ozone rushed toward them.

The investigation team stepped inside the giant ship. The corridor was dim, with only the few remaining blue light paths on the walls providing faint illumination. Beneath their feet was a thick layer of dust, and the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the empty corridor.

They moved carefully along the main corridor toward the bridge. Along the way, they could see marks left by intense combat: scorched walls, shattered equipment, and some carbonized remains that could vaguely be identified as having Guardian features... all of this silently spoke of the brutality of that ancient war.

Finally, they reached the bridge doors. The doors were tightly shut, but the control panel next to them seemed to still have a faint energy reaction.

Shadow stepped forward and attempted to crack the door lock with engineering equipment. A few minutes later, accompanied by a heavy grinding sound, the massive bridge doors slowly slid open to both sides.

The scene behind the doors made all the members of the investigation team catch their breath.