72: Raven's decision

On the bridge of the rathia, Talon was quietly waiting for the first batch of probes to transmit preliminary information about that blue planet.

According to the plan, those one hundred ghost-like nano-probes would arrive in Earth's atmosphere in a few hours and then silently infiltrate the information network of that native civilization.

However, just when everyone thought everything was under control.

"Commander! An anomaly has occurred!"

Kyle, who was responsible for monitoring the probe status, suddenly reported in a tone full of astonishment and bewilderment.

"All... all 100 Grey Tempest-type probes suddenly lost control just as they crossed the orbit of the fifth planet (Jupiter)!"

"What?" Talon's brows furrowed instantly. "Lost control? Were they shot down by that native civilization's defense system?"

"No!" Kyle's tone sounded as if he had seen a ghost. "They weren't destroyed; they are returning the way they came!"

This strange situation left everyone on the bridge confused.

The unmanned probes that had been launched were actually turning back on their own?

Before they could recover from this shock, an even more incredible scene occurred.

When the one hundred high-speed returning probes arrived in the void tens of thousands of kilometers in front of the fleet, they suddenly disintegrated collectively.

Their bodies, composed of countless nanorobots, instantly turned into a silver nebula.

Then, this nebula began to flow and reorganize rapidly against the pitch-black cosmic background in a way full of wisdom and artistic sense.

Finally, they formed a huge word in standard Faleim official script directly in front of the fleet.

【Welcome】

These four huge characters, made of silver-glowing nanorobots, floated quietly in the void, emitting a light full of mockery.

"By the guide..."

On the bridge, a young officer exclaimed at the scene before him.

And Talon's face turned extremely ugly in an instant.

What he felt was not a welcome, but a naked provocation and demonstration.

The other party was telling them—

I not only know you are here.

I also know who you are.

I can even easily seize control of your most advanced probes.

Who is it?

Who could do this?

"Check all systems of the fleet immediately!" Talon's voice became somewhat hoarse due to extreme shock. He forced himself to calm down and issued a series of orders.

"Check if our Level 5 stealth field has failed! Check if there are any traces of intrusion in our main AI! Check all communication channels!"

The entire Far Star Fleet fell into chaos instantly.

All engineers and technicians began frantically conducting the deepest security checks on every system of their warships.

After a group of people fussed for over ten minutes, the conclusion reached made everyone feel a chill rise in their hearts.

"Report, Commander! The stealth field is operating normally, with no signs of failure!"

"Report! Main AI self-check complete, no traces of intrusion found!"

"All systems are... are normal."

This conclusion was even more terrifying than discovering the systems had been hacked.

This meant that the other party had seen through everything without cracking any of their defense systems.

It was a form of absolute information suppression.

Just as the entire fleet was shrouded in a fear of the unknown.

The main screen of the rathia's bridge suddenly flickered.

An external communication request that had not been authorized by Talon bypassed all firewalls and forcibly connected.

When he saw the figure appearing on the screen, the shock on Talon's face was instantly replaced by an even more unbelievable expression.

It was a beautiful young girl with long silver hair and azure eyes.

She was wearing a black officer's uniform full of majesty and a sense of order.

Behind her was a background similar to the bridge of an interstellar warship.

"Grey Wind?" Talon said her name in surprise.

In all communication protocols of the Faleim Civilization, only a few units were listed on the highest-priority whitelist that could bypass any permissions to connect directly.

Such as the Archon's emergency communication, or the acoustic simulation signal of a space amoeba tamed by the guide.

And Grey Wind, this super-conscious entity composed of ancient nanorobot clusters, was one of them.

"Hi! Long-ears, long time no see!"

Grey Wind on the screen saw them and revealed a smile full of playfulness.

"Looking at your flustered appearance just now, were you scared by me?"

Talon looked at the smiling girl on the screen, then looked at the four still-flickering "Welcome" signs outside the window, and finally understood why his probes had lost control.

The core technology of the Grey Tempest-type nano-probes came from reverse-engineering Grey Wind's nano-sub-units, or rather, directly using a large pile of nanorobots once provided by Grey Wind as raw materials.

In front of the real "ancestor," it was only natural that these "little babies" would be instantly turned against them.

"It really is you, Lady Grey Wind." Talon's tone involuntarily carried a trace of awe.

He was no stranger to Grey Wind. For him and the entire Faleim Civilization, Grey Wind was equivalent to an ally who, although not of the same race or civilization, had fought side-by-side for thousands of years.

"I seem to have some impression of you," Grey Wind tilted her head, seemingly searching Talon's data in her vast database. "Ah! You are the guy who was the commander of the United Fleet of the Galactic Community when the Prethoryn Scourge invaded, that guy who always kept a straight face, that's you, right?"

"...Yes, my lady." Talon's mouth twitched. He didn't expect that this was the image he held in her memory.

After confirming each other's identities, the tense atmosphere on the bridge finally eased.

Although the appearance of Grey Wind was full of surprises, it at least proved that this star system was not occupied territory.

"Lady Grey Wind," Talon adjusted his emotions and cut to the point. "Forgive my presumption, but why are you in this star system? You should already know that this universe is one we are completely unfamiliar with. Our Commonwealth of Science only brought everything within the home star system to this universe; all other colonial sectors have lost contact. Can you tell me how you got here?"

"This... it's a long story!" Grey Wind waved her hand dismissively. "Simply put, I got lost, and then I was picked up by a kind person. Let's not talk about that! Let's talk about you! What are you doing in this backwater, sneaking around with these ten little broken ships? I just scanned it; there are no resources here, no trade routes, it's even more desolate than the L-Cluster I used to stay in."

Grey Wind's question left Talon in silence.

He thought carefully.

Should he tell her the true purpose of his trip?

The matter regarding the civilization guidance stele was the highest secret of the entire Faleim Civilization.

But Grey Wind was not an outsider; she was once one of the guide's most trusted partners.

And trying to hide anything from her seemed to be a difficult task.

More importantly, Talon needed to obtain intelligence from her.

He needed to know why this place, which should have been a Gaia planet, had become what it was now, and what kind of arrangements the guide had left here.

Finally, he made a decision.

"This is a long story." He looked at Grey Wind and said in a deep voice, "And it is of great importance. I need to report to the supreme command center of the home planet simultaneously."

He opened the faster-than-light communication channel to the home planet.

Soon, the holographic projections of Consul Price and Chief Scientist Zeral appeared on the bridge.

When they saw the unexpected figure on the screen, the expressions on their faces were identical to Talon's earlier.

After briefly explaining the situation to the two supreme leaders on the home planet, Talon finally told Grey Wind everything without reservation, including the true purpose of the Far Star Fleet's trip and all matters concerning the mysterious civilization guidance stele.

...

"civilization guidance stele?"

In the underground command room of Tianqiong City, when Lei Wen heard this term through Grey Wind's communication channel, his brain couldn't process it for a moment.

What was that?

When did he leave such a stele for the Faleim People?

He looked at Grey Wind's holographic image, his face full of confusion.

"I swear, I don't even know of the existence of such a stele!" He said to Grey Wind. "I know even less about the content on the stele!"

"Wait..." Grey Wind seemed to have suddenly thought of something, a flash of cunning light in her azure eyes.

She temporarily cut off the communication signal with the Far Star Fleet and looked at Lei Wen on the screen, saying:

"Hey, I say... in this situation, should we tell them your true identity?"

This question made Lei Wen pause.

Tell them the truth?

Tell them that the guide who had been leading them since they stepped into the starry sky was actually just a common primitive inhabitant from this blue planet? That their magnificent epic of civilization was actually just a save file in a game called "stellar universe"?

This truth was simply too cruel.

Lei Wen could not imagine how these proud Faleim People would react after learning this truth.

Would they collapse? Would they be angry?

Would they view him as a creator who must be defeated, and then pour their anger onto this beautiful blue planet?

Lei Wen was silent.

He was struggling internally.

This was the most difficult choice he had faced since the game became reality.

If he were to confess, it would be like a high-stakes gamble.

The gamble was on human nature, on the subtle, special bond between him and the civilization he had created with his own hands.

He looked at the familiar faces of Talon, Price, and Zeral on the screen; they were all characters he had personally recruited and slowly cultivated to Level 10 in the game.

A surge of indescribable complex emotions welled up in Lei Wen's heart.

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength.

Then he made his final decision.

He decided to be honest.

"Grey Wind," his voice was hoarse but extremely firm, "Connect my image."

"Let them... see me."

"It is time to let them know the truth of everything."