126: Ruins No. 17

Outside the territory of the Free Star Alliance lies a completely unexplored forbidden zone.

It is filled with perils capable of easily killing any Transcendent above S-Class.

Ruin No. 17 is located right here.

At this moment, surrounded by a group of heavily armed soldiers, a man with an extraordinary aura stepped off a starship without even wearing a combat suit, crossing the void with his physical body to approach the ruin's entrance.

Suddenly, he threw a punch with his right hand. The immense force shattered all meteors and obstacles in his path, striking directly at the entrance of the ruin.

There was no expected roar or explosion; the space in front of the entire ruin seemed to twist slightly, and the strike, which could have killed an SS-Class Transcendent in seconds, simply vanished.

"So this is Ruin No. 17. It certainly didn't disappoint me..."

Seeing this, the man was not worried but delighted, a glimmer of burning intensity in his eyes.

"Star Alliance Head, the perimeter of Ruin No. 17 is composed of an artificial space distortion belt. With current world technology, unless we use specialized weapons for sustained saturation attacks for over ten years to completely destroy this area, there is no way to enter directly."

As the calm voice sounded, the blurry space suddenly flickered, opening a tiny gap.

"It is built upon a certain spatial particle, achieving the feat of a 'world within a grain of sand' in a special way. It looks like a tiny entrance, but in reality, it could fit an entire planet inside. It is truly unimaginable technology..."

"I don't need to know that. Just tell me, has the cracking of the ruin been completed or not?"

The man interrupted impatiently.

A boring life, devoid of awe or pursuit of truth... No matter. To allow the Free Star Alliance to welcome a truly suitable master, I will spare his life for now.

Statue of Liberty was silent for a moment, her voice becoming increasingly indifferent:

"All defense and attack systems have been cracked. However, the equipment level in these ruins far exceeds our technological limits, and the energy level used is extremely high. Once exhausted, it can only slowly recover on its own; we cannot replenish it."

"If faced with maximum intensity attacks, how long can it hold? How long does it take to recover after being exhausted?"

The man frowned slightly and asked immediately.

"91 days and 2 hours. Full recovery requires at least 12 days."

"So long?"

"Yes, Star Alliance Head. The technological tier in Ruin No. 17 is far higher than our level; it cannot be interfered with by other means."

There was a hint of amazement in the voice of the Statue of Liberty.

In fact, if it weren't for the ability upgraded through the 'Miracle' algorithm, even if this ruin had long been ownerless, it would have been almost impossible to crack.

"Add another 200 Starry Sky Fortresses, and raise enough energy reserves to last at least 200 years. I don't care how you do it, it must be completed within 3 months."

The man pondered for a moment and ordered directly.

"Star Alliance Head, that might require you to personally step forward and have the largest families in the Star Alliance cooperate to achieve it."

"No need. I grant you full authority to act as you see fit. If they have objections, you are permitted to dispatch the 'Wings of God' legion to suppress them directly."

"Understood, Star Alliance Head."

Hearing this, the Statue of Liberty accepted the order gladly.

This was a win-win situation; there was no reason to refuse.

On one hand, she could use the most powerful 'Wings of God' legion to openly clear away several powerful obstacles within the Star Alliance for Lord Zhang Huaiyuan.

On the other hand, with her current abilities, she could even crack Ruin No. 17; naturally, the supreme control of the Starry Sky Fortresses could also be cracked and transferred at any time, so storing them here for now was fine.

"Hmm... You go in first and take a look."

The man nodded slightly, pointed to the entrance, and said to a guard behind him.

"Yes, Boss."

The named guard did not hesitate in the slightest, raised his hand to put on his special combat suit, and flew straight in.

A moment later.

"Boss, I didn't encounter any danger."

The returning guard reported respectfully.

"Very good, follow me in to take a look."

The man revealed a smile and then flew toward the entrance.

After a slight dizzy sensation, a scene with a strange style came into view.

White crystal towers were suspended everywhere, emitting a faint glow.

Within the range of their radiance, cone-shaped buildings were erected. On the outermost edge, there were also disc-shaped objects scattered about.

"What are these?"

The man couldn't help but ask.

"Those cone-shaped buildings are a type of integrated unit that combines production, accommodation, attack, and defense functions. However, the production blueprints and data inside cannot be cracked at the moment, so production functions are not possible for now."

"These crystal towers are special power supply devices for this ruin, capable of providing a continuous stream of energy to entities within their coverage range."

"As for these discs, they are a type of attack building similar to photon turrets. Their power is equivalent to the main guns of our elite fleets, but they come with tracking and rapid-fire capabilities. Furthermore, they seem to belong to a higher-rule weapon and can deal full damage to an SSS-Rank Star River Beast."

"Then how strong is the defensive power of those cone-shaped buildings?"

The man keenly grasped the key point of the question.

"Provided there is sufficient energy, they can easily withstand the full-force attack of a Class 3S Expert with the Gods Chosen talent."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in the man's eyes, and he swung both fists at the same time.

Two waves of fist force converged, rushing toward the cone-shaped building with earth-shattering momentum.

Boom!

The light at the top of the building flickered slightly, and a light blue shield extended from the top to cover the entire body.

The terrifying fist force slapped against the shield, causing layers of ripples, but it did not cause any substantial damage.

"Very good!"

Seeing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on the man's face.

He pondered for a moment and looked up, saying: "Statue of Liberty, transfer the control permissions here to me. Also, I intend to stay in this ruin from today on."

"You first send over the 999 Starry Sky Fortresses that have already been built. After the remaining 200 are completed, bring them along with the 'Wings of God' legion to rendezvous here."

"In the meantime, leave the affairs of the Star Alliance to you. Do not expose the fact that I have left, hmm..."

The Star Alliance Head pondered for a moment, turned his gaze to someone behind him, and said: "Valock, I will announce to the outside world that I am in seclusion. During this period, you will temporarily impersonate my identity."

He did not want the Star Alliance to fall into turmoil so quickly, at least not until the crisis truly arrived.

"Don't worry, Boss."

Valock nodded.

"Statue of Liberty, all affairs of the Star Alliance are left to you. Do not let Valock's identity be exposed too early."

"As you wish, Star Alliance Head."

The core of the Statue of Liberty flickered slightly, and she responded indifferently.

She could choose not to proactively expose it.

But if... Valock himself had a sudden change of heart and couldn't help but confess that "the Star Alliance Head abandoned the Star Alliance and ran away," that would be none of her business.