332: Waiting time

The forest was filled with grotesque and unheard-of monsters.

These monsters were not only terrifying in appearance but also exceptionally powerful.

Even clad in fully-charged imperial battlesuits, they dared not be careless when facing these monsters, and were not even entirely confident of victory.

Once, a massive monster suddenly burst out from the dense jungle; its thick limbs were like colossal stone pillars, each step making the ground tremble.

Its body was covered in hard scales that shimmered with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight. At that time, several Soldiers tried to contend with it, but the monster's attacks were swift and powerful. In just one encounter, it slashed a deep crack into a Soldier's battle armor. If everyone had not retreated in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But even so, many comrades were sacrificed during this period.

"Alright, Captain."

A Soldier, seeing the Captain's self-reproaching look, couldn't help but offer comfort.

"You can't take all the blame for this. Who could have imagined such a bizarre situation? The most pressing matter is to quickly figure out how to contact the fleet."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, but their faces were filled with helplessness and confusion. In this place, completely isolated from the outside world, contacting the fleet would be incredibly difficult.

"Oh, I have an idea..."

Suddenly, an officer seemed to have thought of something, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes, and he quickly said,

"When we officers carry out this mission, we don't come in with our true bodies. Why don't we just commit suicide and then report the information here back through a special consciousness transmission channel? That way, the fleet will know our predicament."

"Unsuitable..."

The Captain frowned tightly upon hearing this and said gravely,

"Who knows if that mysterious power will obstruct our consciousness transmission. If these memories don't successfully return to our true bodies, then we would have sacrificed ourselves for nothing. This would undoubtedly be a waste of valuable living forces."

After all, among their current team of over 100 people, there were still several Imperial Soldiers, and they were not clones.

It was also strange; it was unclear whether that mysterious power did it intentionally or if it was simply good luck, but not a single officer had died; all of them had survived safely.

But even so, their current situation was still very difficult. Every decision concerned the life and death of everyone, allowing no room for error.

"Alas..."

The Captain sighed helplessly, his eyes full of worry.

"First, let's look for supplies that can replenish the battle armor's energy. The battle armor's energy is already depleted, and the small amount of energy recovered through passive absorption can, at most, barely sustain our vital signs."

With that, he perked up, waved his hand, and led everyone to continue cautiously exploring deeper into the forest... Time flew by; three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In these few days, several multi-functional starships of the fleet played a huge role, and with their help, the stronghold was rapidly established.

One after another, multi-functional starships were busily working in an orderly fashion. Some were responsible for leveling the ground; huge energy beams shone on the ground, and in an instant, the uneven ground became flat and open.

Others were responsible for producing various building materials through energy conversion, precisely placing them in predetermined positions. Coupled with the construction equipment built into the starships, various defensive facilities and functional buildings were quickly erected.

With everyone's concerted efforts, a stronghold, initially taking shape, gradually formed.

However, in stark contrast, research into that mysterious rule power had stalled, making no progress whatsoever.

Li Yang and Lin Bi tried various methods, probing and analyzing the rule power from different angles, but that invisible barrier remained mysterious and elusive, with no clues.

Everyone could only pin their hopes on the professionals dispatched by the research department, wishing they could bring new ideas and methods to break this frustrating deadlock.

"Reporting, Captain Li Yang..."

Pal hurried into the Command Room, his expression urgent, with a hint of excitement in his tone.

"The support forces have successfully passed through the spatial rift and are currently rushing towards our location."

Pal's voice echoed in the Command Room, bringing a glimmer of new hope to the somewhat somber atmosphere.

"That's great!"

Li Yang's face immediately broke into a relieved smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

The arrival of the support forces would inject powerful strength into this mission.

Immediately after, he asked with a slightly worried expression,

"Is the spatial tunnel in the vortex stable? After all, the smooth passage of the support forces is crucial."

"With energy replenishment, the stabilization work of the spatial tunnel within the vortex has been completed perfectly; there will absolutely be no problems."

Pal quickly straightened up, answering with a firm and confident tone.

As for the sources of energy replenishment, they naturally came from those few planets. In front of the fleet's advanced energy conversion devices, most matter and energy could be successfully converted into the energy used by the fleet, providing ample power support for various operations.

"With the support forces here, we'll have a much easier time."

Comrade Lin Bi, who was beside him, let out a long sigh, shaking his head gently as he slowly said,

"These past few days of researching that rule power have been truly agonizing; it's given me a headache. I've tried all sorts of methods, but I still can't grasp it, making no progress at all."

"Speaking of which, Comrade Lin Bi..."

Li Yang frowned slightly, turning his gaze to Lin Bi, and couldn't help but ask,

"Didn't you encounter this kind of rule power before? Since you have relevant experience, don't you have some unique insights or ideas?"

"Heh, I did encounter it..."

Comrade Lin Bi gave a helpless wry smile, spreading his hands as he said,

"But the situation then was not quite the same as now. At that time, as soon as I discovered that kind of rule power, I immediately reported it to the Empire, and then left according to instructions. I'm not entirely clear on how it was handled afterwards. So, facing this rule power this time, I really don't have any particularly effective methods; I'm as troubled as everyone else."

"Alright then."

Li Yang nodded after hearing this.

"It seems we shouldn't rack our brains unnecessarily; let's just honestly wait for the professionals to arrive. They definitely have more experience than us, and perhaps they can find a breakthrough and solve this thorny problem as soon as they get here."

After speaking, both of them turned their gazes towards the vast universe outside the Command Room.