66: Chapter 66 Ling Shuang Explores an Uninhabited Planet! Discovers Ancient Civilization Remains!

The aftermath of the 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha's breakthrough had not yet dissipated, and the entire Dead Zone remained immersed in a frenzy of skyrocketing combat power.

Above the orbit of Qingming Planet, five thousand 2nd Generation Dawn Mechas were arrayed like a forest. Their silver-white, gold-inlaid hulls shimmered with the cold light of annihilation metal, while their full-field folding shields emitted a faint purple halo. The sharpness of their super-alloy anti-ship blades as they were unsheathed was enough to tear through the starry sky. The Main Fleet's Dawn-class Destroyers had completed a new round of resource replenishment, the Shadow Fleet lurked in the blind spots of the dark domain in readiness, the Ground Legion stood guard over the territory, the Grey Race's logistics warehouses were full, and Commander Su Qingyue's Research Center continued to optimize the technical blueprint... The Dawn Legion had transformed into an impeccable war machine.

Yet, at this moment, the uninhabited, desolate star belt on the west side of the Dead Zone presented a different, deathly scene.

This was a forbidden zone for interstellar wanderers, a graveyard for probes, and a dark corner that civilization had never touched. Violent spatial turbulence tore through the starry sky, chaotic energy radiation obscured detection, and meteorites floated in disorder. There was no starlight, no breath of life, only eternal darkness and silence.

An entirely invisible mecha squad was quietly weaving through the turbulence.

The leading 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha had a more stern paint job, and a subtle "Ling" character dark pattern was engraved on its shoulder armor—it was none other than Commander Ling Shuang.

She was acting on Emperor Chen Fan's orders, leading a special operations squad of one hundred of the most elite 2nd Generation Dawn Mechas to penetrate deep into this Death Sector and execute a secret exploration mission. The 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha's powerful dual high-energy star-core engines easily resisted the tearing of the spatial turbulence; the full-field folding shields automatically filtered out radiation interference; and the neural-linked AI planned the safest routes in real-time, turning this forbidden land, which even the Federal Fleet dared not enter, into a private exploration ground for the Dawn Legion.

Inside the command hall of the dawn sovereign, everyone's eyes were focused on the real-time images transmitted by the central holographic screen. Emperor Chen Fan sat on the mother ship's core throne, his golden eyes calmly watching the dark depths of the desolate star belt. The five major commanders—Commander Lei Meng, Commander Ling Ye, Old Hu, Commander Su Qingyue, and Ayla—stood solemnly on both sides, the atmosphere grave and expectant.

Commander Su Qingyue tapped the console lightly with her slender fingers, and data streams poured down like a waterfall. Her cold, clear voice carried absolute technical control: "The Research Center is providing full-course battlefield scanning, energy interference, and mother ship support, ensuring absolute control over battlefield information! I have activated the ancient energy detection mode for Commander Ling Shuang's squad, shielding all spatial turbulence interference. Any abnormal civilization fluctuations will be captured immediately."

Commander Ling Ye, whose figure was like a blade in the dark night, stepped forward half a step, his cold voice steady and powerful: "The Shadow Fleet has moved out to the outer airspace of the desolate star belt, infiltrating invisibly to eliminate all interstellar wandering forces and decapitate all potential threats beforehand, opening doors and breaking points to ensure the absolute safety of Commander Ling Shuang's squad exploration route."

Commander Lei Meng clenched his fist with a clang, his voice like a bell: "The Main Fleet is mobilizing in full, frontally blockading all flight paths, space stations, and strongholds in the Dead Zone to cut off the enemy's retreat and implement comprehensive suppression! If the Federal border patrol fleet dares to approach the desolate star belt, my unit will immediately move out to annihilate them. We will not allow any interference with the exploration mission!"

Old Hu roared at the sky, his momentum shaking the heavens: "The Ground Legion is responsible for planetary landings, ground clearing, mineral planet recovery, and permanent occupation. Every inch of land, every inch of Dawn! Once Commander Ling Shuang lands, my unit can provide airborne support at any time, and the ground defense line will form instantly!"

Ayla bowed slightly, the unique golden energy patterns of the Grey Race flowing at her fingertips: "The Grey Race is responsible for resource inventory, mineral vein sealing, and logistics support, ensuring that when we fight, we can win, and when we win, we can hold! The exploration squad's energy replenishment, mecha maintenance, and emergency supplies have all been pre-positioned; there is no concern about endurance."

The five major commanders performed their respective duties, laying down the tightest protective net for this exploration of the uninhabited planet.

Emperor Chen Fan looked calm and spoke lightly: "Tell Commander Ling Shuang to advance cautiously, focus on detecting areas with energy anomalies, and report immediately if any traces of civilization are found."

"Yes!"

In the communication channel, Commander Ling Shuang's cold and firm voice came through: "Commander Ling Shuang has received the order and guarantees the completion of the mission!"

In the image, Commander Ling Shuang controlled the flagship 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha, taking the lead and rushing into the deepest part of the desolate star belt.

On the AI detection screen, lines of data refreshed rapidly: [Spatial turbulence intensity: A-level] [Energy radiation index: 700% over the limit] [No life signals] [No mechanical signals] [No traces of interstellar shipping lanes]. Everything was consistent with the intelligence—this was a truly uninhabited, silent zone.

The squad continued to penetrate deeper, crossing three dense meteorite belts and breaking through four layers of spatial turbulence walls, finally arriving at the target area designated by Emperor Chen Fan: Planet Number Three.

This was a gray-yellow, silent planet with no atmosphere, no water, a surface covered with meteorite craters, exposed rock layers, and at a glance, devoid of life.

"Attention everyone, lower altitude, enter stealth hovering state, and conduct a carpet scan of the surface for abnormal energy points." Commander Ling Shuang gave the order calmly.

One hundred 2nd Generation Dawn Mechas spread out simultaneously, activating full-frequency underground detectors. Silver-blue detection beams swept across the entire desolate land.

One second, two seconds, ten seconds... The detection screen remained silent.

Just when the team members thought the planet was empty —

[Beep — — !!!] [Super strong energy fluctuation detected!] [17,000 meters underground!] [Non-natural energy! Non-mineral energy!] [Confirmed: Artificial civilization signal!]

The piercing warning sound exploded suddenly!

Commander Ling Shuang's silver eyes narrowed sharply, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on her cold face: "Target found! All mechas, follow me, vertically cut into the underground!"

The 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha's annihilation particle cannons instantly switched to rock-cutting mode. High-energy beams blasted through the surface, and the hard ancient rock layers were torn apart like tofu. Commander Ling Shuang took the lead, the engines on her mecha's legs fully activated, and she led the squad in a rapid charge 17,000 meters deep underground.

The deeper they went, the stronger the energy fluctuations became.

Golden light seeped out from the cracks in the rock layers, ancient, heavy, and vast, carrying a pressure that surpassed existing interstellar civilizations.

Ten minutes later, the mecha squad completely penetrated the rock layer and entered an immensely vast underground cavern.

When the scene before them was fully revealed, all the mecha pilots, including Commander Ling Shuang, were plunged into extreme shock.

— Ancient civilization ruins, revealed to the world!

The underground cavern was ten thousand meters high and spanned dozens of kilometers. A giant architectural complex cast entirely of mysterious dark gold metal lay quietly on the ground. The surface of the buildings was engraved with dense, ancient runes that had never appeared in interstellar history. Golden light flowed between the runes, pulsing slowly like blood vessels.

In the center stood a thousand-foot-tall giant obelisk. The body of the stele was carved with spiral patterns, and a slowly rotating golden sphere of light floated at the top, emitting terrifying energy that made space itself slightly distort.

Scattered around were giant architectural debris, broken statues, shattered energy bases, and ancient mechanical parts half-buried in the ground... Every item carried a majesty that time could not erase.

This was not a crude, primitive civilization ruin. This was a highly developed, ancient interstellar civilization that surpassed existing technology and possessed space-level power!

"This... what kind of civilization is this?"

"Runes I've never seen! Metal I've never seen! An energy system I've never seen!"

"Even more terrifying than the Federation's highest technology... This is simply a myth-level ruin!"

In the squad channel, irrepressible exclamations came through.

Commander Ling Shuang forcibly suppressed the shock in her heart, controlled her mecha to land slowly in the central plaza of the ruins, and the tips of the mecha's feet touched the cold and hard ancient metal ground. A vast stream of information instantly flooded into the mecha's AI system.

"Scan in all directions immediately, analyze the traces of civilization, record energy characteristics, and it is strictly forbidden to touch any unknown devices!" Commander Ling Shuang ordered sternly.

The mecha squad quickly dispersed, with high-definition cameras, energy analyzers, and material detectors fully activated, transmitting the images and data of the entire ancient ruin back to the dawn sovereign in real-time.

When that ancient ruin that shocked the starry sky appeared on the holographic screen, the command hall fell into instant silence!

Commander Lei Meng, Commander Ling Ye, and Old Hu, the three iron-blooded generals, had their pupils shrink violently, and their bodies stiffened; Commander Su Qingyue stared fixedly at the ancient runes and energy structures, her cold face full of disbelief; Ayla covered her mouth, her eyes flashing with awe and excitement; even Emperor Chen Fan, who was always as steady as a mountain, had a trace of imperceptible shock flash in his golden eyes.

Commander Su Qingyue's voice trembled, but she still maintained the calmness of a researcher: "Legion Commander... this is not any known civilization! The rune system, energy structure, and metal material all exceed the level of existing interstellar technology! This is... a prehistoric interstellar super-civilization!"

"Judging from the energy fluctuations, this ruin possesses three top-tier technological characteristics: space, annihilation, and energy transition!"

"Once we can analyze the technology within... our fleet, mechas, and mother ship will achieve another cross-generational leap!"

One sentence made everyone's hearts jump wildly!

The 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha had already doubled the Legion's combat power, and this ancient ruin would likely allow the Dawn Legion to directly possess the ultimate technology to crush the Federation!

Commander Ling Shuang's voice came from inside the ruins, carrying extreme gravity: "Legion Commander, the interior of the ruins is safe, with no defensive traps, no life signals, and no energy attacks. I have confirmed that this is an abandoned core base of an ancient civilization."

"The golden light at the top of the obelisk has the strongest energy and is suspected to be the core device; there are a large number of broken energy bases and mechanical fragments scattered around; there is an obvious sign-in/activation rune array in the central plaza!"

"Should we go deep into the core area?"

Emperor Chen Fan stared at the ancient ruins on the holographic screen, a flash of realization crossing his golden eyes.

He could clearly feel that the Interstellar Overlord System dormant within him was trembling slightly because of this ruin, as if it were responding to some homologous power.

This was not a coincidence. This was an opportunity guided by the system.

Emperor Chen Fan spoke slowly, his voice majestic and firm:

"Commander Ling Shuang, listen to the order."

"Lead the squad into the core plaza of the ruins."

"In the name of the Dawn Legion, activate the ruin sign-in array."

Commander Ling Shuang's heart shook, and she immediately bowed to accept the order: "Understood!"

The mecha group moved slowly, and under the leadership of Commander Ling Shuang, they stepped onto the ancient rune array covered in golden patterns in the center.

Commander Ling Shuang stood in the very center of the array, controlled the flagship 2nd Generation Dawn Mecha, and gently placed her hand on the core rune.

In an instant —

Hum — — !!!

The entire ancient ruin erupted with brilliant, extreme golden light!

Hundreds of millions of runes lit up simultaneously, and the underground cavern was illuminated as if it were daylight!

The golden sphere of light at the top of the obelisk rotated crazily, and a vast and boundless stream of information shot into the sky!

The ruins were activated!

And at the very top of the obelisk, in the center of that rotating golden sphere of light, a diamond-shaped fragment, the size of a palm, flowing with spatial ripples and engraved with spiral patterns, slowly emerged.

Around the fragment, space slightly twisted, folded, and jumped, emitting terrifying data that caused all mecha detectors to instantly go off the charts.

Commander Su Qingyue stared at the image of the fragment, her voice rising suddenly, carrying extreme excitement:

"Legion Commander! That is... the Space Engine Core Fragment!"

"Interstellar transition! Spatial folding! Faster-than-light travel! This is the ultimate technical core that all civilizations dream of!"

In the command hall, everyone held their breath.

Space Engine! This was the ultimate technology capable of changing the pattern of the entire star sector!

And at this moment, Commander Ling Shuang, at the core of the ruins, looked at the Space Engine fragment slowly floating towards her, and on her cold face, there was finally irrepressible ecstasy.

She took a deep breath, and toward the communicator, word by word, she declared this earth-shattering discovery to Emperor Chen Fan and the entire Dawn Legion:

"Legion Commander!"

"Ancient ruins sign-in successful!"

"Our side has successfully obtained — the Space Engine Core Fragment!"

Golden light soared into the sky, the ruins roared, the fragments floated, and space trembled.

An ultimate opportunity that would allow the Dawn Legion to leap from "Star Sector Power" to "Interstellar Overlord" had officially arrived!