214: Encounter

Under the powerful impetus of Lei Wen, the integration and reform within the Human Federation achieved a soft landing at an unprecedented speed.

The plutocrat systems of the old era disintegrated, and the new distribution system and social structure became like a precision engine that had just finished its break-in period, beginning to erupt with astonishingly surging power.

With the maturation and popularization of Antimatter Engine technology and the initial establishment of the Warp Drive network, humanity's desire for exploration erupted like a volcano.

Every day, hundreds of exploration fleets set out from the Babel Tower Starport, the Moon Base, and the forward bases of the New Sun System, radiating in all directions toward the Milky Way.

Sirius, the brightest star in Earth's night sky, is approximately 8.6 light-years away and naturally became one of humanity's primary targets for exploration... In the orbit of the fourth planet of the Sirius system, the armed scientific research vessel magellan of the Human Federation's Third Exploration Fleet was floating quietly.

Commander Zhao Gang stood on the wide bridge, looking through the panoramic viewport at the white planet below, which was covered in endless ice and snow.

The dazzling blue-white light of Sirius A shone on the ice, reflecting a piercing brilliance, while the companion star Sirius B was like a ghostly white dot, hiding behind the brilliance of the primary star.

"How desolate, yet how magnificent," Commander Zhao Gang sighed. "This is the world illuminated by the brightest star."

"Commander, stop sighing and come look at this."

The scientific officer's voice interrupted Commander Zhao Gang's thoughts, his tone carrying an irrepressible astonishment.

"We have detected a set of highly unusual signals in a glacial canyon in the planet's northern hemisphere."

"Signals?" Commander Zhao Gang turned around and walked quickly to the screen. "Is it a natural phenomenon? Some kind of special magnetic field eruption?"

"No, Commander." The scientific officer's fingers slid quickly across the console, pulling up a set of filtered spectrograms. "The signal is very regular and contains a complex logical structure. Most importantly, it's the energy characteristic."

The scientific officer swallowed and pointed at the golden wave line on the screen.

"This energy reading doesn't belong to any known physical radiation. It's more like some kind of brainwave? Or some high-level energy residue? It's playing in a continuous loop, like a distress beacon."

"A distress beacon?" Commander Zhao Gang suddenly became excited. "You mean, it's man-made?"

"Ten to one."

Commander Zhao Gang was silent for a moment, then immediately issued an order.

"Adjust orbit, descend to low altitude, and release the reconnaissance drones. I want to see what that thing is."

...When the magellan passed through the thin atmosphere and arrived above the glacial canyon, everyone was so shocked by the scene before them that they lost their words.

Deep within that pure white ice field lay a giant creation emanating a sacred aura.

It was not filled with industrial angles and metallic hardness like human warships.

This was a ship about eight hundred meters long, its entire body a warm milky white, as if carved from a single piece of the purest white jade.

On both sides of the hull stretched three pairs of giant golden wing-like structures. Although these 'wings' were retracted at the moment, one could still imagine its elegant posture as it soared through the sea of stars.

"My God..." Vice Captain Lyles made the sign of the cross on his chest. "Is this a spaceship?"

The aesthetic style of this ship perfectly struck the chord of religion and mythology in human culture. That sacred, noble, and untainted temperament made the human crew members, who were used to steel behemoths, feel a deep sense of self-deprecation.

"Scans show life signs still inside the hull!" the scientific officer shouted. "There's life inside! And it's still alive!"

"Prepare for landing!" Commander Zhao Gang made a prompt decision. "Fully armed, but also bring medical kits and translators! This could be the most important Close Encounter of the Third Kind in human history!"

...Half an hour later, two shuttles landed beside the wreckage of the mysterious ship.

Commander Zhao Gang led an exploration team composed of elite marines and scientists, stepping cautiously onto the ice field.

The closer they got to the ship, the stronger that sacred pressure became. They could even feel a strange energy permeating the air, making one's spirit involuntarily become peaceful and tranquil.

Just as the human exploration team approached the ship's airtight airlock door, the seamless white door suddenly melted silently, like snow dissolving, turning into white points of light and dissipating to reveal a passage leading inside.

"Stay alert." Commander Zhao Gang gripped the Pulse Rifle in his hand, his palms drenched in sweat.

They walked slowly into the passage.

There were no light fixtures inside the passage, yet it was filled with soft golden light. The walls were carved with complex and exquisite murals depicting winged creatures flying among the stars.

When they reached the central hall of the ship, their footsteps came to a sudden halt.

At the end of the hall, five people stood before a crystal console that was still emitting a faint light.

Or rather, five 'gods.'

They were nearly three meters tall, with slender and perfect builds and skin as white as snow. They wore magnificent silk robes embroidered with golden runes.

They possessed flowing golden hair, and on their backs were retracted a pair of pure white, giant wings.

They turned around, gazing at the group of intruding humans with pupils that looked like molten gold.

"Angels..."

In the team, a Christian soldier's hand trembled, and his gun dropped to the ground.

Not just him, but all the humans present, regardless of their beliefs, had the same term inevitably surface in their minds the moment they saw these creatures—Messengers of God.

Noble, holy, and perfect.

They were exactly like the descriptions of Angels in human mythology, perhaps even more shocking.

Commander Zhao Gang resisted the urge to kneel, biting the tip of his tongue to let the pain keep him conscious.

He was a soldier, a materialist warrior; he did not believe in gods.

"Who... are you?" Commander Zhao Gang turned on the megaphone.

Before he could even start the translator, a voice rang out directly in his mind.

No, it wasn't a voice.

It was a form of intent, a stream of information acting directly on the consciousness.

Warm, grand, and filled with compassion and majesty.

[Lost lambs, do not be afraid.]

The 'Angel' standing in the very center, with the widest wings on his back, took a step forward.

He did not open his mouth, but Commander Zhao Gang and all the team members clearly 'heard' his words.

[We are the Shepherds of the Stars, the attendants of the Divine Throne.]

[While patrolling this desolate star sector, we encountered an attack by demons, broke our Wings of Light, and were forced to rest here.]

[Your arrival is an arrangement of destiny and the guidance of the True God.]

If these words were spoken in human language, they might have carried a hint of charlatanry. But projected directly into the brain through Psionic Energy, the built-in reverb of the mental suggestion caused the human brain to instinctively produce the illusion that 'this is the truth.'

"God... attendants of the Divine Throne?" Commander Zhao Gang felt his worldview collapsing.

On the opposite side, the five 'Angels' maintained a solemn and sacred posture on the surface, but within their internal psionic link network, a completely different conversation was taking place.

"Hey, Captain, looks like these shorties are intimidated by us."

A female Angel people standing on the left said quietly in the psionic network, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness and contempt.

"They have no decent psionic shields, their brainwave frequencies are a mess, and their soul light is as dim as a firefly. This is a group of primitive creatures that hasn't fully evolved."

The male Angel people addressed as Captain—the one who had just 'spoken'—gave a cold snort in the mental link.

"Shut up, Salla. Don't forget our current situation."

His name was Gabriel; this was merely the trade code name he gave himself. He was the captain of this Angel merchant ship named the golden feather.

Indeed, they were not messengers of any god, nor were they even legitimate Angel merchants; they were just a group of smugglers doing buy-and-sell business on the borders of the Perseus Arm and Orion.

This golden feather was no temple either; it was just an armed merchant ship that had been over-decorated to inflate commodity prices by playing god in front of low-level civilizations.

While evading an Angel patrol fleet, they unfortunately suffered an engine failure, deviated from their course, plunged into this godforsaken Sirius system, and had been stranded here for three whole years.

The engine's Psionic Converter had burned out, and the communication array was broken. They had originally been in despair, thinking they would freeze or starve to death on this ice planet.

As it turned out, a group of 'primitive people' flying strange ships had come knocking on their door.

"Captain, these guys don't seem to have a very high tech level, but their equipment is interesting," another crew member analyzed. "Are those kinetic weapons? And that kind of exoskeleton... though there's no psionic reaction, it looks quite sturdy."

"The key is that they have ships! They can take us away from this hellhole! Or at least provide the materials we need to fix the engine!"

Gabriel quickly made a judgment in the mental network.

He looked at the group of humans before him, who were trembling with shock, and the cunning peculiar to a merchant rose in his heart.

For Angel people, playing god in front of low-level civilizations was practically a standard operation. By exploiting the other party's superstition and awe, they could exchange the smallest cost for the greatest profit.

"Maintain your posture. Everyone, turn your Psionic Pressure to the maximum, but don't be aggressive. Act... benevolent. Yes, benevolent," Gabriel directed in the link.

He took another step forward, the golden light on his body intensifying, the wings on his back slowly unfolding, and he even ostentatiously used Psionic Energy to create a faint halo floating above his head.

This scene caused several human team members with fragile psychological defenses to burst into tears, muttering verses from the Bible.

[Mortals, tell me, what place is this? And who are you?]

Gabriel continued to ask in that ethereal, charlatan tone.

Commander Zhao Gang took a deep breath, trying hard to maintain the dignity of a Federation soldier, but his tone had already involuntarily taken on a respectful air.

"Res... Respectable messenger, this is the Sirius system. We are the exploration fleet of the Human Federation, from... Earth."

"Earth?"

Gabriel pretended to think for a moment, though in reality, he had no idea where that was.

[Earth... a young name.]

[We feel the goodwill and curiosity in your souls. Though your technology is crude and your bodies weak, you possess a heart that yearns for the light.]

[The True God teaches us to have pity on all living beings.]

[Though our divine ship is damaged, this may be an opportunity for you—an opportunity to serve the light.]

Gabriel's golden pupils lowered slightly, looking at Commander Zhao Gang.

[We require some pure energy crystals, as well as some special metals, to repair the wings of the divine ship.]

[In return, we shall grant you blessings from the Kingdom of God, and a little revelation regarding the truths of the universe.]

"Energy crystals? Special metals?" Commander Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment, then reacted. "Do you mean fuel and maintenance materials?"

[The language of mortals is always so deficient.] Gabriel sighed with feigned profundity. [But you may understand it that way.]

[This is a trial, as well as a gift.]

Commander Zhao Gang turned his head to look at the scientific officer and the accompanying engineers behind him.

"They need help... what should we do?"

"Commander, these are Angels!" The scientific officer's face turned red with excitement. "Regardless of whether they are truly gods, this is absolutely a super-high-level civilization! If we can obtain even a little bit of technology by helping them, or even just establish a friendship, it would be priceless for the Federation!"

"Moreover, they don't seem to have any hostility."

Commander Zhao Gang nodded.

Although logic told him to be alert, the scene before him was simply too deceptive, and the other party's ability to speak directly in his mind indeed exceeded the scope of human technology.

"Understood."

Commander Zhao Gang turned around and bowed deeply to the 'Angel.'

"Noble messenger, the Human Federation is willing to provide whatever help is within our capacity."

"Our ship has high-purity antimatter batteries, as well as refined Titanium Alloy and Carbon Nanotubes. If you don't mind..."

[Excellent.]

Gabriel showed a compassionate smile, but he was secretly overjoyed: These rubes are so easy to trick! Although antimatter batteries aren't quite compatible, they can barely be converted into Psionic Energy via a converter to charge the engine! Titanium Alloy is good too, just right for patching the hull.

[Your devotion has been watched by the True God.]

[Go, child, bring the offerings. Do not let the Radiance wait too long.]

...A few hours later.

The crew members of the magellan acted like porters, laboriously moving crates of precious supplies into the golden feather.

Meanwhile, the five Angel people floated high in the air, enjoying the food provided by the humans (they expressed contempt for the compressed biscuits but were full of praise for the tea and coffee) while using Psionic Energy to 'direct' the humans' moving work.

"Set that box down gently! It contains unstable energy fluctuations... oh, you call it radiation?"

"That energy block's purity is too low. Forget it, it'll have to do."

The human crew members not only lacked any complaints but instead felt honored to be able to serve the 'Angels.'

However, all of these images were captured by white flower through the magellan's communication system and, after being tagged as an 'Important Event,' were transmitted to the office terminal of Lei Wen, the Director of the Interstellar Affairs General Bureau.