526: To be continued tomorrow

The Research Team Leader frowned, repeatedly reviewing the neural signal recording from just a moment ago.

"That's not right, it's not self-destruction... Look at the energy fluctuations here; it's as if an unknown bio-electric current is resisting the guidance signal, eventually causing the nerve bundle to overload."

He pointed to an abrupt spike on the screen.

"The nervous System of this insect race is more complex than we anticipated."

The laboratory fell into silence, with only the humming of instruments echoing within.

On the platform, the body of the insect race had completely stiffened, while the Research Personnel in the observation room were deep in thought, facing the failed data.

Just as the research reached a deadlock, in the sky above the planet where the research base was located, space suddenly tore like paper ripped by a great force. A purple-black rift, tens of kilometers long, abruptly opened, its edges churning with wild energy ripples that nearly obscured half the sky.

Immediately after, a gigantic insect ship covered in thick armor slowly emerged. It was ten thousand meters long, its body riddled with honeycomb-like holes from which countless barbed tentacles extended. As the mouthparts at the bow opened and closed, it sprayed acid mist capable of corroding metal. Behind it followed hundreds of ordinary insect ships of various shapes, swarming like a beehive around the flagship, pressing down and blotting out the sky.

"Warning! Warning! High-intensity spatial fluctuations detected! A large number of unknown biological signals are flooding into the atmosphere!"

The System of the research base was triggered instantly. The piercing buzzing sound penetrated the soundproof barriers of every laboratory, and red warning lights flashed frantically in the corridors.

On the light screen, the image of that ten-thousand-meter giant ship occupied most of the display.

"It's the insect race! How did they find this place?"

A researcher stood up abruptly from their chair, staring at the screen with a pale face.

"To isolate interference, the base was specifically built on a lonely star in this desolate Galaxy, with no usable resources within fifty light-years. According to their habits, they shouldn't be coming to a place like this at all!"

The entire Command Center fell into chaos. The emergency communication channels were filled with reports from various departments, and the energy shields of the defense System were being urgently charged. However, facing that giant ship, which was comparable in size to a small space station, everyone felt unprecedented pressure.

The Research Team Leader stared fixedly at the outline of the giant ship on the screen, suddenly remembering something, and his expression changed drastically.

"This is bad... I'm afraid it's because of our research on their kin."

"It is very likely that these insect races possess some form of cross-spatial information transmission. Our dissections and neural experiments may have been perceived by them through some kind of biological signal. This is not a random attack; it is retaliation, or rather... they have come to take back their kin."

Only this explanation could account for why the insect race would appear on this resource-less planet.

"Quick! Immediately send a distress signal to the Guard Division and the border defense troops! Gather everyone capable of fighting; whether they are researchers or logistics personnel, pick up weapons and hold key positions. We must hold out until reinforcements arrive!"

The Research Team Leader issued urgent orders into the communicator, the veins on his forehead throbbing with tension.

This research base was known for its remoteness, and its security forces were pitifully weak, consisting of only a scattering of a dozen or so starships, with the highest configuration being merely super-star class. Its firepower and defense were only sufficient to deal with small-scale harassment.

In the sky, the swarm of insect ships was like dark clouds pressing down. The leading giant insect ship blotted out the sky, and the small insect ships surrounding it were so dense they almost covered the entire pitch-black sky.

"Hum—"

Countless ghostly green energy beams shot out from the insect ship swarm, smashing into the research base like a torrential rain.

Instantly, explosions rang out one after another. Flames spread along the gaps in the buildings, thick smoke billowed upward, and the entire base seemed to have been cast into a sea of fire.

"Activate the defense System! Quick!"

The Research Team Leader roared as he slammed his hand onto the console, his fingertips turning white from the force.

The energy core deep within the base suddenly roared to life, emitting a dull rumble. A translucent, pale blue energy shield rose abruptly from the ground, like a giant inverted bowl, firmly enclosing the entire research base.

The ghostly green beams slammed into the shield, exploding into patches of blinding halos. The shield trembled violently, ripples spreading across its surface.

The attacks from the insect ships were like dense raindrops, smashing against the energy shield one after another. Every impact stirred up large ripples, and the light on the surface of the shield flickered, as if it would shatter the next second.

"Warning! Warning! Severe energy overload, output power dropped by 30%!"

The alarm on the console was sharp and piercing, and the energy bar on the screen was dropping at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The light of the shield had dimmed significantly, and the originally thick blue halo had thinned, like a layer of ice about to melt.

"Have the backup energy statistics been completed?"

The Research Team Leader stared intently at the screen, his voice tight.

"Re-report! All backup energy has been connected to the shield System; it can hold for at most fifty minutes!"

The technician's voice carried a hint of panic.

"Fifty minutes... That's enough. The distress signal has been sent; rescue troops can arrive in less than half an hour at most."

Just as he finished speaking, the base was suddenly plunged into pitch-black darkness.

The emergency lights should have turned on, but they remained unresponsive. The energy System was completely paralyzed, unable to even maintain basic lighting.

"What's going on?"

Someone exclaimed, and the sound of objects falling to the ground echoed in the darkness.

"It's the energy System! The initial wave of attacks from the insect ships damaged the energy System. Now all backup energy is being diverted to the shield, and the lighting System is completely cut off!"

The technician's voice echoed in the darkness.

After all, this Galaxy only had their single planet, so naturally, there was no star similar to a sun to provide it with light.

The entire base relied on internal energy to operate.

The Research Team Leader's heart sank abruptly, and something even more terrifying than the darkness welled up in his mind.

"Oh no! Those insect races..."

He cried out, his voice exceptionally clear in the darkness.

"The restraint devices! They rely on energy to maintain; now that there is no energy supply, those insect races we locked in the isolation chambers..."

Before he could finish, a loud "clang" came from the distance, as if a heavy alloy door had been forcibly smashed open.

Immediately after, the unique hissing of the insect race—sharp and manic—came from the direction of various isolation zones, getting closer and closer.

In the darkness, it felt as if countless feet were crawling rapidly, and the "rustling" sound of carapaces rubbing against the ground closed in from all directions.

Not far away, someone accidentally bumped into something and let out a short scream, which was immediately drowned out by the denser hissing sounds.