45: Crimson Sea Chaos Cruiser

The echoes of Operation Anvil still hummed within the structure of the steel platform. The surging energy output from the upgraded "Blaze" Reactor, like the pulse of a strong heart, pumped vitality into every corner. The "Wide-Area Intelligent Shield Array" operated silently, hiding the base deeper within the folds of the starlight background. Within the Hive Center, the indicator lights for the gamma batch flickered steadily, the process of nurturing life advancing smoothly. Led by Alpha Squad, the twenty recruits of Beta Squad had basically completed their adaptability training and begun mixed patrols with Sentinel Robots, adding a solid layer of manpower to the base's daily defenses.

Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction. Under the voracious consumption of the Taotie protocol, the resource pool slowly but firmly broke through the 80,000-point mark, providing a solid material foundation for Han Zhe's ambitious next step.

However, the vague understanding of the surrounding environment, obtained through the Diting Network and the blood and tears of Alpha Squad, always lingered in Han Zhe's heart like a persistent dark cloud. The unknown itself was the greatest threat. Especially that conjectured "Anomalous Gravity Well/Rift" area and the "wound" on the Megastructure Debris Mountain twelve kilometers away, which was still leaking eerie flows of energy slurry.

Passive defense and buried development could not eliminate the hidden dangers in the distance. He needed to actively "see," "listen," and understand the rules and dangers hidden beneath this starry sky.

"keystone, give me the latest data analysis report from the Diting Network, highlighting all readings that cannot be categorized or show regular anomalies." Han Zhe stood before the star map in the command center, his fingertips sliding across the points of light with unknown meanings marked by the Ditings. On the star map, centered on the base, a spherical area with a radius of about one light-minute had been laid out with relatively dense monitoring nodes by the Ditings. Although it was still far from covering the fifty-light-year target, there was at least a more detailed and continuous perception of the situation at their doorstep than what the naked eye or SCV scans could provide.

"Data analysis complete. The main anomalous readings are categorized as follows:

1. Periodic Spacetime Perturbation: In the southeast direction of the debris belt, about 0.5 light-minutes away, weak spacetime curvature fluctuations with a period of approximately thirty-seven standard hours were detected. The source of the fluctuations is suspected to be the remains of an unobserved, high-speed rotating compact celestial body (such as a neutron star or a small black hole), but its gravitational influence range deviates from conventional models and may be accompanied by un-dissipated exotic matter or Warp residues.

2. Discrete High-Energy Pulses: Within the past fifteen standard days, four brief high-energy gamma-ray bursts from different sources and random directions were received. The intensity is not enough to pose a direct threat, but the burst pattern does not conform to known natural phenomena (such as magnetar bursts), and is suspected to be the aftermath of some interstellar weapon testing or stray fire from ultra-long-distance energy weapon engagements.

3. Intermittent Enhancement of background psionic noise: At specific stellar cycle phases (approximately once every eighty standard hours), the Warp background noise in this area experiences an abnormal enhancement lasting several hours, during which the signal-to-noise ratio of the Diting's Warp monitoring units decreases. The source of the enhancement is unknown and may be related to distant psionic race activities or a stable Warp rift somewhere.

4. Continuous Monitoring of the Megastructure Debris Mountain Energy Leak Point: The leak intensity remains stable at a low level, but the 'reality-warping' component detected in the leaked energy shows an extremely slow upward trend (+0.03%/day). Its energy radiation has produced a continuous, slow alienation effect (metal embrittlement, amorphization) on the surrounding debris material.

5. Unidentified Low-Speed Moving Target: Seventy-two hours ago, Diting-03 captured a low-speed, irregularly moving small target reflection signal at the edge of its monitoring sector, which disappeared after lasting about ten minutes. The signal characteristics are blurred, making it impossible to determine if it is a man-made object, special debris, or some kind of cosmic organism. The area has been marked as 'Caution'."

The points of light on the star map lit up in sequence with keystone's report, outlining a picture of the starry sky that was far more complex and even surging with undercurrents than the calm surface suggested. Neutron star/black hole remains? Energy weapon stray fire? Psionic background noise? And unidentified low-speed moving objects... Every "anomaly" could be an opportunity, a warning, or a fatal trap.

"Mark all anomalous areas and increase their monitoring priority. Especially that periodic spacetime perturbation point and the area where the unidentified low-speed moving target appeared." Han Zhe's finger tapped emphatically on the corresponding positions on the star map. "We need closer, more active reconnaissance. How is the training integration of Alpha Squad and Beta Squad currently? Can they execute small-scale, highly stealthy deep-space reconnaissance missions?"

"Alpha Squad (three members) and Beta Squad have completed basic coordinated training and can execute squad-level tactical missions. CMC-1B/C armor possesses limited space maneuverability and stealth modes (reducing energy signals). However, deep-space reconnaissance places higher demands on intelligence analysis, environmental adaptation, and crisis management capabilities, and the recruits lack experience," keystone assessed objectively.

"Experience needs to be gained in actual combat. If you always keep them tucked away in the training grounds, they will never become true warriors." Han Zhe made up his mind. "Form two reconnaissance teams. Alpha-01, Alpha-02, and Alpha-03 will each lead five Beta members to form two six-man reconnaissance squads. Alpha-01's squad will be responsible for scouting the 'Periodic Spacetime Perturbation Point,' codenamed 'Probe-Alpha.' Alpha-02's squad will be responsible for scouting the area where the 'Unidentified Low-Speed Moving Target' appeared, codenamed 'Probe-Beta.' Mission objectives: approach and observe, collect as detailed sensor data as possible (optical, electromagnetic, radiation, gravity, etc.), assess environmental risks and potential value (resources, technology, threats). Strictly forbidden to make contact with any unidentified targets or expose yourselves. If you encounter danger that cannot be handled, retreat immediately. The Diting Network will provide you with remote navigation and environmental warnings."

"Yes, Commander! Mission understood!" The firm and slightly excited responses of Alpha-01 and Alpha-02 came through the communication channel. For soldiers eager to prove themselves and craving actual combat, this kind of reconnaissance mission into the unknown was far more challenging than daily patrols and training.

The two teams quickly prepared for departure. They selected members, checked their cmc armor and weapons (focused on reconnaissance and self-defense, no heavy equipment), loaded environmental data packets for specific areas, and familiarized themselves with emergency evacuation plans. Han Zhe personally gave a short pre-battle mobilization for the two teams, emphasizing that the stealth and safety of the reconnaissance were above all else.

Forty-eight hours later, everything was ready.

In the launch area at the edge of the platform, twelve cmc armors were divided into two groups, their back thrusters glowing with a faint blue light. Unlike previous missions, all energy operation indicators on the armor surfaces were turned to the lowest setting, and the armor shells were temporarily sprayed with dark gray camouflage to match the deep-space background.

"Probe-Alpha, Probe-Beta, depart. Maintain radio silence and act according to the pre-set plan. Good luck to you all." Han Zhe issued the final command through the encrypted channel.

"Understood!" After two concise responses, the twelve armors split into two directions, silently sliding into the dark void and quickly disappearing into the complex background of the debris belt.

The command center became quiet again, with only the monitoring data from the Diting Network and the base itself flowing quietly on the light screen. Han Zhe's mind was also divided into two parts: one part focused on the compressed and delayed intermittent data streams sent back by the two reconnaissance teams (to maintain stealth, they only performed very short data packet bursts at safety nodes), while the other part continued to push forward other core projects of the base.

"Progress on the mobilization pre-research for the ark?" he asked keystone.

"Conceptual design for the sub-light speed thrusters is 70% complete. Main bottleneck: acquisition and storage solutions for high-efficiency propellant (reaction mass). Traditional fusion propulsion requires a massive amount of propellant, which is not suitable for long-term voyages. We are researching the possibility of propellant-less propulsion based on the direct conversion of Cold Fusion crystal energy into thrust, but the technical difficulty is extremely high."

"Pre-research for medium-sized ship structural design has started, focusing on borrowing data from ancient large ship structural fragments found in the Megastructure Debris Mountain, combined with optimization of Pseudo-Tao Steel-II Alloy performance."

"Analysis of short-range safe Warp jump technology... progressing slowly. The components obtained are only auxiliary stabilization units, lacking the core Geller Field generator and navigator principles. Forcing a breach carries the risk of triggering Warp contamination or jump failure. It is recommended to find more relevant technological samples."

"Propellant-less propulsion, ship structures, Warp jumping... each is a cornerstone technology sufficient to support a civilization in interstellar flight. The road is long, but at least there is a clear direction and continuously invested resources."

Time passed simultaneously in waiting and construction.

The "Probe-Beta" Squad was the first to transmit a periodic report. They had arrived at the target area—a relatively empty space with sparse debris. After thirty hours of covert observation and high-precision scanning, they confirmed the true identity of the "unidentified low-speed moving target": an irregularly shaped asteroid-metal hybrid about fifteen meters in diameter, covered in a thick layer of cosmic dust and ice. Its irregular trajectory stemmed from a small, unstable radioactive element decay core inside that had not yet fully extinguished, generating a weak but asymmetrical thrust. While it held no special value itself, this reconnaissance successfully validated the squad's long-range mobility, covert observation, and environmental analysis capabilities.

The mission of the "Probe-Alpha" Squad appeared much longer and fraught with uncertainty. They needed to approach a dangerous area where a dense celestial body might exist. As the distance closed, faint fluctuations in spacetime curvature began to be captured by the cmc armor's sensors, requiring the navigation system to make constant corrections.

Ninety-six hours after departure, the "Probe-Alpha" Squad finally arrived at the designated observation point—approximately 100,000 kilometers away from the presumed dense celestial remnant (a relatively safe distance). Through high-magnification telescopes and gravity scanners, they confirmed the target's existence.

It was not a complete neutron star or black hole. It was... a fragment.

It was an indescribable metal-energy hybrid, roughly the size of a small city, irregular in shape, with eerie dark red energy veins flowing across its surface, pulling at the surrounding space as it spun to create ripples visible to the naked eye. It did not look like a natural celestial body; it looked more like the remnant core of some gargantuan man-made structure that still contained terrifying energy after being shattered by an unimaginable force. Its gravitational field was exceptionally distorted, surrounded by small debris caught in its pull that was slowly spiraling inward, only to be instantly "evaporated" or "absorbed" by the dark red energy veins on its surface upon reaching a certain critical distance.

"Target discovered... confirmed as a giant man-made remnant. Energy activity is extremely high; nature unknown. Observing strong gravitational distortion and spatial disturbance. No conventional electromagnetic signals or life signs detected. Suggest... maintaining maximum observation distance. This area is extremely dangerous," Alpha-01 reported, his voice suppressed with shock, accompanied by the transmitted eerie footage of the dark red fragment warping space.

A massive, highly energy-active fragment, clearly man-made, floated silently at the edge of the debris belt like the slumbering, ominous remains of an ancient demon-god.

Han Zhe took a sharp breath as he looked at the transmitted images and data. The danger level of this thing likely far exceeded that of the energy leak point. It was like an unstable, over-spec energy bomb itself, let alone the technical secrets (or curses) it might contain.

"'keystone', analyze the data of this fragment. Assess its potential threat level and whether it has any reference value for our 'ark' project."

"Data analysis in progress... The fragment's energy signature has no direct match in the database. Its gravitational distortion pattern indicates the possible existence of extremely compressed spacetime structures or an unextinguished exotic matter reactor inside. Threat level: Extremely High (Do not approach). Its structure may contain matter and energy manipulation technologies beyond our current understanding, but the risks of direct study are immeasurable. Suggestion: Long-term remote monitoring; classify as a top-tier danger source."

Another "treasure" that could only be looked at but not touched. Han Zhe rubbed his temples. Just how many such "surprises" were buried in this debris belt?

"order the 'Probe-Alpha' Squad to collect as much peripheral data as possible (radiation spectra, gravitational wave details, spatial disturbance patterns) under the premise of absolute safety, then immediately withdraw and return to base. This area is classified as a permanent forbidden zone; notify all units to stay away."

"Instructions transmitted."

The two reconnaissance squads began their return journeys one after another. Their missions were essentially complete, having brought back precious first-hand environmental data and encountered an unexpected, massive discovery (or rather, a massive danger).

However, just as the "Probe-Alpha" Squad was about to clear that dangerous area and embark on their Homeward Journey, a sudden change occurred!

The "Diting-03" (which happened to be in orbit near that area), which had been operating steadily, suddenly transmitted an extremely urgent and severely distorted alarm!

[Warning! High-intensity Warp ripples detected! Source: Direction of the dense man-made fragment! Nature: Non-natural, with strong intent for order and destruction! Intensity rising rapidly! Warning! reality space anchoring phenomenon detected! Entities are attempting to exit the Warp and enter the area near the fragment!]

Almost at the same time the alarm sounded, in the sensor footage shared by the "Probe-Alpha" Squad, the space to the side of that dark red fragment suddenly warped and tore like silk being violently kneaded by an invisible hand! A rift shimmering with a piercing gold edge and filled with indescribable light and shadow was forcibly "torn open" in the physical universe!

Immediately afterward, the silhouette of a behemoth slowly "squeezed" out of that rift!

It was a ship. But it was absolutely unlike any vessel in Han Zhe's knowledge.

Its entire hull was covered in thick, pale armor embossed with countless holy runes and eagle crests, the armor scarred by ancient battles and covered in marks of re-welding. The prow was a massive, ferocious ram, with macro-cannon arrays extending from the sides like cathedral spires. The overall style was brutal, heavy, and filled with a religious sense of oppression, similar to the mainstream warship style of the Imperial Navy, yet it possessed an even more ancient and... obsessive aura.

More importantly, painted on its hull was a heart-stopping emblem—a bloody Imperial Aquila that had been torn in half! And beneath it was a line of Gothic script, filled with profanity, that could barely be identified through high-magnification lenses even from a great distance:

"scarlet regret"

Chaos! Traitors! A cruiser-class warship belonging to the forces of Chaos, likely from the Word Bearers or World Eaters Legion (inferred from the style and the desecrated markings)!

It had actually jumped directly to the vicinity of that dangerous fragment via Warp travel! What did it want? To harvest the fragment's energy? To study its technology? Or... was the fragment itself one of their objectives?!

"All ships, silent running! Shut down all non-essential power output! 'Probe-Alpha' Squad, hide yourselves at all costs and evacuate at full speed! Do not let them discover you!" Han Zhe's roar exploded in the command center, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

A chaos cruiser! This was absolutely not a force the current base could contend with! Even a single trace picked up by its sensors could mean total annihilation!

"Increase the Wide-Area Intelligent Shield Array power to maximum! Activate active stealth modules and simulate the debris background! All units enter the highest state of combat readiness, but any active scanning or signal transmission is strictly forbidden!"

The entire base instantly fell into a deathly silence and tension. The output of the "Blaze Reactor" was forcibly suppressed, the lights dimmed, and all mechanical sounds were reduced to a minimum. The SCVs and soldiers active on the platforms seemed to have a pause button pressed, quickly finding cover or entering standby mode. The halo of the shielding field became deeper, compressing the base's presence to near-nothingness.

In the distant deep space, the thruster lights of the six suits in the "Probe-Alpha" Squad were instantly extinguished. They glided on inertia while activating their suits' low-power local optical camouflage and environmental simulation, disguising themselves as floating, cold debris as they desperately "drifted" away from the fragment and that Chaos warship.

Meanwhile, the chaos cruiser named "scarlet regret" seemed not to notice those few insignificant grains of "dust" hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. Its ferocious hull stabilized near the fragment, and several bays opened on its flanks, releasing small, moth-like landing craft or engineering ships that flew toward the dangerous dark red fragment. Simultaneously, some of the turrets and sensor arrays on the ship's surface began to rotate, seemingly scanning and assessing the fragment carefully.

They were truly attempting to contact or even recover that dangerous fragment!

Han Zhe stared fixedly at this scene through the extremely unstable footage transmitted back by "Diting-03." Alongside the fear, a cold anger and a strong thirst for knowledge rose in his heart.

Why did Chaos traitors appear here? What exactly was that fragment? What did they want to do with it?

More importantly... was this "scarlet regret" just passing by, or... did this star sector already have some unknown connection with the forces of Chaos?

Were the "intermittent increases in background psionic noise" and "discrete high-energy pulses" captured by the "Diting" network earlier related to the activities of these Chaos forces?

A shadow far larger and darker than the debris belt itself seemed to be slowly looming over them with the arrival of this uninvited guest.

The base's stealth upgrade had just been completed, only to face such a severe test.

The cradle of steel was now sturdy, but the storm from the outside world was coming more violently and... eerily than expected.

Han Zhe clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

The reconnaissance had brought back valuable intelligence, but it had also attracted unimaginable prying eyes.

The peaceful days were over.

Next would be a dark time of truly walking on a knife's edge and surviving under the shadow of giants.