82: Future "allies"

The spacecraft was a deep, matte black, capable of absorbing all light.

Its size was unimaginably vast.

Its length was estimated to be at least two kilometers.

It was like an ancient leviathan beached in a stratospheric cloud sea, casting a shadow that even dimmed the light around the Natural Selection.

Compared to it, the Natural Selection, which was five hundred meters long, seemed like a destroyer escorting an aircraft carrier.

It was tiny and disproportionate.

Its design was filled with a rugged and savage industrial aesthetic, completely different from that of the Natural Selection.

There were no sleek lines.

Instead, there were countless menacing, exoskeleton-like armor modules, and dense, honeycomb-like gunports covering the hull.

It just hung there silently.

Without any hostility.

Yet, it exuded a suffocating sense of pure power and oppression.

“Target speed is rapidly decreasing; relative speed has dropped to zero,” Captain Lin Mo’s voice echoed in the internal communication channel.

He stood inside the titan mech’s cockpit, his eyes fixed on the constantly refreshing data stream on the holographic screen.

“No weapon charging reactions detected.”

“The opponent’s shield is off.”

“What… exactly is this thing?” Gu Zhixia’s voice held an uncontrollable shock.

As a Weapon Master, she understood the implications of the black behemoth before her better than anyone.

This was no longer a warship.

This was a mobile, heavily armed fortress of war.

“Sister, it… it doesn’t seem to intend to attack us.”

On the deck, Gu Nianqiu’s small face was a little pale, but she still said, feigning composure.

She gripped the cold leg armor of the mech beside her tightly, as if it could bring her a sense of security.

Just then.

A gentle, emotionless electronic synthesized voice, broadcast through the public channel, resonated directly on the Natural Selection’s Bridge and deck.

“Hello, Captain of the Natural Selection.”

“I mean no harm.”

“May I initiate a brief communication?”

Captain Lin Mo and Gu Zhixia exchanged glances.

The other party had accurately called out the name of their ship.

Captain Lin Mo remained silent for a moment, then, from within the cockpit, issued a command to the system via his captain’s authority.

“Connect.”

The next second, a clear holographic image was projected onto the open space in front of the two titan mechs.

In the image was a woman.

She sat on a strangely shaped, massive chair that seemed to be made from some kind of biological skeleton.

The background was a command center filled with dark-toned metal and flickering data streams, a stark contrast to the Natural Selection’s Bridge.

The woman looked very young, perhaps no more than twenty-five or twenty-six.

She had an extremely rare head of long blue hair, as serene as the deep sea, casually draped over her shoulders.

Her features were too exquisite to be real, her skin so fair it was almost transparent, and her pair of narrow, equally deep blue eyes held a sense of indifference and calm, as if she had seen through everything in the world.

She wore a form-fitting, equally deep black combat suit, outlining graceful curves, yet exuding an aura of coldness that warned others to keep their distance.

She was the owner of this war behemoth.

The woman’s gaze seemed to penetrate the mech’s heavy armor, precisely landing on Captain Lin Mo’s cockpit.

“Nice to meet you, Captain Lin Mo.”

“You can call me Lan Yue.”

Her voice was pleasant, but her tone, like her person, was flat and distant.

“What do you want from me?” Captain Lin Mo’s voice, projected through the mech’s loudspeaker, was steady and emotionless.

Facing this mysterious and powerful woman, he maintained the highest level of vigilance.

A slight curve seemed to appear at Lan Yue’s lips, but the arc was so small it was almost negligible.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“If I wanted to make a move, you would already be a cloud of cosmic dust.”

What she said was true.

Gu Zhixia’s hand, gripping the control stick, tightened even more.

The opponent’s power was overwhelming.

“I’m here to give you a warning.”

Lan Yue leaned forward slightly, and a ripple finally appeared in her deep blue eyes.

“You’ve been targeted.”

Captain Lin Mo’s heart sank suddenly.

“By whom?”

“A group of predators,” Lan Yue seemed to be choosing her words carefully, “or rather, a group of madmen.”

“They specialize in hunting ‘lucky ones’ like you.”

“Lucky ones?”

“Precisely.”

Lan Yue’s gaze fell upon the Natural Selection beneath Captain Lin Mo’s feet, her eyes becoming somewhat complex, seemingly with a hint of envy, and also a touch of regret.

“Your ship is very special.”

“So special that it’s enough to drive countless people mad.”

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Captain Lin Mo.

“Be careful after you leave this initial sea area.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Captain Lin Mo asked the most crucial question.

He and this woman were strangers; there was no reason for her to specifically come and warn him.

“I need an ally.”

Lan Yue’s answer was direct.

“Those madmen are also my enemies. And you have the potential to be my ally.”

“I don’t want to see a potential partner die inexplicably in theNovice Village (newbie village).”

Her gaze turned to Captain Lin Mo again.

“After you leave this sea area, if you can survive, go to the Dune Land.”

“I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Then, I’ll tell you everything.”

As Lan Yue spoke, she raised her hand.

“I don’t have much time; the system’s monitoring mechanism will soon detect my abnormal intrusion.”

The side of the massive black warship, a hatch silently slid open.

A thick, clawed mechanical arm shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing a huge alloy box, and then gently placing it on the Natural Selection’s deck.

“Thud!”

A dull, heavy thud.

“This is aMeeting gift (meeting gift),” Lan Yue’s eyes returned to their initial indifference. “I imagine you need it very much right now.”

“That’s all I have to say.”

“I hope we have a chance to meet again, Captain Lin Mo.”

After she finished speaking, she gave Captain Lin Mo no opportunity to ask further questions, directly cutting off the communication unilaterally.

The holographic image, like dissipating smoke, vanished into the air.

The next second.

The space around the massive black warship, which had been stretched across the sky like a mountain range, began to distort violently, like ripples in water.

There was no roar of engines starting.

No light of energy jets.

It was like a phantom that had never existed, completely disappearing out of thin air in the distorted light.

As if it had been directly erased by this space.

The sky returned to its previous calm.

Blue sky, white clouds, warm sunlight.

If it weren’t for the heavy, cold metal alloy box on the deck, and their three still pounding hearts, everything that had just happened would have seemed like nothing more than a bizarre illusion.

“She… left?” Gu Nianqiu asked softly, staring blankly at the empty sky.

“She left.”

Gu Zhixia disconnected from her mech and jumped out of the cockpit.

Her back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Those few minutes of confrontation were more exhausting than fighting a dragon all day.

Captain Lin Mo also stepped out of the cockpit.

He didn’t speak, but simply walked to the massive alloy box, extended his hand, and gently touched the cold metal surface of the box.

“She said… we’ve been targeted.”

Gu Zhixia walked to his side, her face, which usually carried a hint of arrogance, was now filled with gravity.

“Because of this ship.”

Captain Lin Mo nodded, his gaze deep.

“It seems our ‘luck’ isn’t so easy to come by.”

He withdrew his hand and looked at Gu Zhixia and Gu Nianqiu, who had run over, his usually calm face showing no trace of fear.

“However, before that.”

His gaze fell once again on the mysterious box.

“Let’s first see what kind of meeting gift this ‘future ally’ has sent us.”