Astral Ants

The source point is an infinitely small point that releases the Force endlessly, radiating and diffusing in three-dimensional space. As the distance increases, its concentration decreases exponentially.

The radius of the Force radiation from the source point ranges from only a few hundred million kilometers to tens of billions of kilometers.

This range is just a tiny, imperceptible point in the universe where distance is measured in light years.

There are three ways for a professional team to find the source:

The first type is a large starship carrying thousands of small zero-level or first-level starships. After arriving at the designated star field, it is driven by Zerg warriors, travels at sub-light speed, disperses in an orderly manner, and conducts inspections and searches.

The disadvantage of this method is the high cost of insect power.

The advantage is that Zerg warriors all have keen perception of the Force, can perceive Force fluctuations from a long distance, and have a wide detection range.

The second method is to make full use of technological creations. Starships are equipped with a large number of detectors. After arriving at a specific star field, they are released to conduct sub-light speed flight detection.

The advantage of this method is that it saves the expense of Zerg fighters and allows for formation and coordinated actions.

The disadvantage is that the detection equipment needs to enter the source force area to produce a reaction, so a large number is required to produce an effect, and the cost is not low.

The third way to search is to use all kinds of weird and unconventional methods.

...

Level 7 and 8 large chambers of commerce organizations, all adventure teams engaged in source search cooperate with each other. At the end of each exploration, the explored star regions will be reported and numbered.

Information is exchanged and compiled into star charts, thus avoiding duplication and improving efficiency.

Star maps are easy to get and can be bought anywhere in the commercial district of any source star system. The knowledge compass carries information and is sold for 5000 original crystals.

...

Silverback star system.

A zero-level source star system with a Force concentration of only 0.5.

It has a special geographical location, is the first stop for star network navigation from the White Crystal Galaxy into the Quaremu Constellation, and is a transportation fortress.

Yellow-backed vine star, South 1001 area.

The Rainbow Star Spider was parked in the woods outside the square.

Star Spider Dimension,

It was pitch black.

The holographic projection function is turned on, and the stars are shining brightly, densely packed with various characters and numbers.

——Complete star map of the Quaremu star region.

The lavender lines connect and represent the distribution of the star network.

The dark red fog was densely distributed, indicating that an adventure team had already explored this area.

The five insects, Mo Lan, Red Maple, Purple, Green Heart, and Colorful Gang, looked up and watched silently, activating their intelligent brain abilities to browse, analyze, and screen.

"What do you think of this star field?"

The red maple reacted the fastest. It gently waved its antennae and a wisp of white mist came out, condensing without dispersing, marking an area on the three-dimensional star map.

"not good!"

"no!"

"The Fringe?"

"It looks like there's no show."

"The surrounding matter is too sparse. Even if we find it, it would be very expensive to build a star system."

The four insects immediately objected.

Zi immediately shot out a ball of white mist, "Here! Trust me! There will definitely be something to gain!"

"not good!"

"This is even worse."

"It's too far from the StarNet."

“All the time is wasted on the journey.”

“The abundance of matter is too high.”

"There are extreme celestial bodies nearby, and space may be unstable."

Mo Lan, Red Maple, Green Heart, and Cai Gang are directly denied.

There are too many uncertainties in this matter and there is no exact answer. It doesn't matter which one you choose.

The five insects denied each other and no one would give in. They spent most of the day whispering and discussing before they finally chose the area.

Star Spider sets out.

And in the nearest source star system, you can exchange and purchase the raw crystals and food necessary for the adventure.

Officially embark on the road of adventure and exploration.

...

The star spider drilled out of the star web and hovered in space.

The star spots on Molan's forehead sparkled and were stored in Shanglu's space.

Tens of millions of crystal beads of all sizes flew out like a tide, rotating and transforming into the 'Glorious Throne'.

The insects flashed and landed on the throne, then set off through space jump.

Molan and his crew do not have a starship, but the capabilities granted by the technological star core can replace the functions of a starship.

The speed of a single cell is slightly slower, only 8 times the speed of light.

Molan took everyone on the voyage.

After a jump,

Molan put away the Glorious Throne.

Red Maple then released his own 'Ying Beast', which transformed into a six-legged unicorn wolf with a hollow belly, carrying everyone in the leap and voyage.

Then change to green heart.

Three consecutive jumps.

Black orchid, red maple and green heart store energy together.

As a result, due to the load, the consumption of space energy increases and the energy storage time increases. All in all, the single ship's speed is slowed down to about 7 times the speed of light. When multiplied by three times, the total speed reaches 21 times the speed of light.

174 light-years of travel,

It took only more than 8 years to reach the designated target area.

Molan took out the Rainbow Ying, and everyone entered the dimensional world space carried by the Star Spider to eat, rest, and restore their strength.

“We still have to put safety first.”

"Next, Purple and Caigang will be in my group. Green Heart and Red Maple will be in the same group. The two groups will be side by side, sailing at sublight speed. There is light on the Glorious Throne. Red Maple, Green Heart, you can observe at any time to determine my position and just stay parallel to me."

"If there is an emergency, activate the 'Gravity' ability and transmit the information. Every 30 days, the 'Gravity' ability will send a signal to confirm that you are safe."

"understand!"

"Understand!"

The red maple and green heart agreed.

After a brief agreement, they packed up and took back the Star Spider.

The Glorious Throne and the Six-Legged Unicorn move forward hand in hand.

The original energy is manipulated and continuously accelerated.

Until the speed reaches 0.1 times the speed of light, the ability to converge is achieved and the aircraft sails at a constant speed due to inertia.

The two sides slowly moved sideways to increase the distance between them, until they were 3000 billion kilometers apart, then stopped and moved forward in parallel.

...

The star field is extremely scarce in matter and the space environment is infinitely close to a vacuum.

The Glorious Throne moves slowly like a firefly in the night sky.

The darkness and emptiness that make the insects depressed.

Mo Lan, Zi and Cai Gang exchanged a few simple words, observed for a while and then went dormant, retaining only a little consciousness and being alert at all times.

Without a StarNet connection, it is impossible to check the time through a StarNet account. Time is measured using a technological creation called the 'Cosmic Clock'.

Regularly,
Red Maple reported safety through the "gravity ability".

Molan wakes up once, confirms the position and distance of both parties, and uses the original crystal to replenish the force.

...

In hibernation,
Molan suddenly woke up and raised her tentacles to concentrate on sensing.

"..."

"!!!"

"Cymbidium?"

"Anything discovered?"

Zi and Cai were also awakened in shock.

"There is a Force fluctuation!"

"But that's not right, not the source?"

Molan was confused and alert. She activated her gravity ability, sending a short danger warning message, while controlling the Throne of Light to slow down.

3000 billion kilometers away,
Inside the belly of the 'six-legged unicorn' transformed by the beast, Red Maple and Green Heart, who were dormant in meditation, woke up at the same time.

"The Second King is sounding the alarm?"

“Danger signal!”

"Where is the danger in a place like this?"

"Could it be that we ran into other adventuring teams?"

"It's impossible for such a coincidence to happen in such a large space, right?"

"Don't be careless! Meet up with the Second King first!"

Red Maple and Green Heart became nervous, working together to control the deceleration, lock the position of the Glorious Throne, accumulate energy, and warp closer.

Hongfeng took back the beast and quickly ascended onto the glorious throne.

"Second King?"

"Did you run into other Zerg fighters?"

Red Maple and Green Heart asked at the same time.

"It looks like... but it doesn't look like..." Molan raised her tentacles, sensing and activating her intelligent brain to analyze.

"Strange metallic energy fluctuations!"

"..."

"It's not a starship, is it?"

"Absolutely not!"

Molan said unhappily, "Can't I tell the difference between a starship?"

As he spoke, he lowered his vertical tentacles and ordered, "The distance should not exceed 5000 billion kilometers. I will jump closer through space. You all should be prepared for battle. If anything unexpected happens, I will face the enemy head-on alone. Purple and Cai Gang will be one group, and Red Maple and Green Heart will be another. The two groups will support each other."

"Ok."

"clear."

The four insects agreed and activated their abilities to strengthen their defense.

Molan manipulated the Glorious Throne and carefully leaped forward 1000 billion kilometers.

After stopping the sensing, the energy fluctuations became much clearer.

Molan suddenly came to her senses.

"I know!"

"The remains of a master-level warrior with a metal element as the main element! A torrent of will! A metal-type energy body!"

But after thinking about it again, I rejected my guess.

"No! No! Still wrong!"

"If it is a torrent of will, the energy bodies should move at close to the speed of light! But they are standing still."

"But it is certainly not the 'source of disaster' from which the energy body is derived. If it is the source, it should have both the 'remains of the master realm' and the 'source point'. I did not sense the force fluctuations at the source point."

"..."

Hong Feng asked, "Second King, could it be that the metal energy body is moving slowly, or in other words, it has drifted from an unknown distance and has become exhausted after moving here and can no longer float?"

"will not!"

Zi immediately denied it and explained, "As far as I know, once the torrent of will breaks out, the energy body will continue to move at a speed infinitely close to the speed of light until all the energy is exhausted and it collapses and disappears."

Green Heart: "There are always special circumstances."

Cai Gang: "There's no need to guess, just take a closer look."

"What Cai Gang said makes the most sense!"

Molan controls the Glorious Throne and leaps forward another 1000 billion kilometers.

This time the feeling was clearer.

It was definitely the familiar Force fluctuations of an energy body.

The number is huge and the movement is still, confirming that it is not a torrent of will.

There is a fluctuation of the Force without a source point, so it is definitely not the source.

"It shouldn't be dangerous."

“But everyone should still be careful.”

“I went straight in.”

Molan suggested controlling the Glorious Throne's jump, spanning nearly 3000 billion kilometers at a time.

The distance was directly shortened to within 10 billion kilometers.

Red Maple, Purple, Cai Gang, and Green Heart also clearly sensed the strange and alien metallic energy fluctuations.

"A star-level energy body! It is full of energy, and it didn't come from somewhere else..."

Molan sensed it carefully and became even more confused.

The super-sensitive intuition did not sense any danger or threat.

Without much hesitation, he controlled the Glorious Throne and teleported continuously, shortening the distance to 10,000 kilometers.

The soul-fixing ability sensed a highly dense, round phantom of a broken soul.

At a close distance, one can vaguely feel that there are wisps of weak Force overflowing from the clusters of metal energy bodies.

"Could it be a weak source point with a Force concentration below 0.1? There are too many energy bodies, blocking the overflow of the Force?"

"But how can such a weak Force give rise to a star system's energy body?"

"And such a huge number."

“It’s beyond my comprehension.”

"Weird thing!"

"We travel the universe, what strange things have we not seen? Even if we haven't seen them, at least we have heard about them, right?"

"The weirder the better. When I get back, I can chat with other bugs and have new topics to talk about."

"The price of the metal master's wreckage is not low, right?"

"What's the price? Don't you have a talent for metal?"

"Make it into a soul-resting box and keep it for your own use!"

The insects chattered as they activated their intelligent brains, working at high speed to analyze, measure, and estimate.

The spherical cluster formed by the gathering of metallic energy bodies has a diameter of about 100 kilometers and its number is 40 to 50 billion.

The shapes are highly uniform, with an elliptical hemispherical body, four legs, and a turtle-like shell covered with slender tentacles.

"Forget it. No need to guess. I'll take a closer look!"

"Everyone, be careful!"

Mo Lan's expression was more serious than ever before, and he suggested: "The master of the ultimate metal evolution path! He is probably an extreme warrior who practices wholeheartedly and possesses a willpower that is difficult for normal life forms to achieve."

"Faintly, there is also soul-related power..."

The more powerful a master's fighting power was during his lifetime, the more ferocious the energy body derived from his remains after his death would be.

Red maple, purple, colorful maple, and green heart are on high alert.

Mo Lan thought about it, put away the Glorious Throne, and ordered: "I'll get closer and take a look. Hong Feng, prepare your soul-related mental attack abilities!"

The four insects focused and moved their tentacles.

The mantis star spot on Molan's forehead burst into nine-colored light, and the original energy flowed, activating the true body ability. His body turned into a stream of light, quickly turned into a point of light, and disappeared into the darkness.

next moment,
In the silent space, deep in the darkness, a red light suddenly lit up, and the vast and majestic power of thunder and lightning erupted, with lightning flashing continuously.

Red maple, purple, colorful maple and green heart looked at each other.

"It's just an energy body. Molan will definitely be able to handle it. Let's not act rashly!"

Red Maple raised his paw to signal.

Zi, who was about to make a move, thought about it carefully and calmed down.

In the distance, red lightning was approaching rapidly, and Mo Lan in the form of lightning and fire turned into electric current and returned.

Phantom shadows and densely packed energy bodies followed closely and surrounded them from all sides.

"Metal and soul dual energy body! Mental attacks don't work!"

"Everyone use your thunder and fire abilities!"

"Move together! Kill! Kill them all!"

Molan shook her mental power and shouted.

"quick!"

"help!"

"kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Red Maple, Green Heart, Purple, and Color Gang, in groups of two, flashed forward and formed a triangle formation with Mo Lan, each unleashing their own abilities to attack wildly.

After many attempts, it was found that the broken souls of these energy bodies were extremely special and could almost ignore mental attacks.

It can be speculated that it is the remains of a master who is proficient in the laws of metal and possesses some powerful soul abilities.

However, the lightning and fire abilities are just restrained, especially the lightning ability, which collapses at the first touch.

Molan attracted countless billions of energy bodies in one breath. These "dead things" without self-awareness could not release any abilities. They were instinctively attracted by the life energy and alien force and attacked madly.

The fierce battle lasted until the five insects' energy was about to be exhausted.

Molan released the Glorious Throne, waved his claws, and carried the insects away through space.

Release the Rainbow Ying and enter the dimensional world to recover.

"Molan, do you see what's going on?"

"No! There are too many energy bodies and they are too dense. They block the spiritual power. I don't know the specific situation in the central area."

"Then let's..."

"These metal-based energy entities are not difficult to deal with."

"After clearing it out several times, the situation inside is completely clear."

"Recover quickly!"

...

After recovery, he packed up simply and arrived at a location 10,000 kilometers away from the original energy body again.

It was still Molan who stepped forward to attract people.

The insects lined up in formation and were killed by thunder and fire.

There are five Zerg warriors in a row. Red Maple and Purple are both top fighters who can reach the seventh floor of the Black Thorn Tower. Cai Gang and Green Heart can also reach the sixth floor. They are the elite among the Zerg warriors.

The primordial energy body is nothing more than a collection of unconscious energy and residual will, and it is not difficult to deal with it.

After repeating this ten times, only a small group remained, tightly clustered into a ball.

The five insects attacked together.

After a fierce bombardment of thunder and fire, the area was cleared and the insects finally saw the situation clearly.

A gray-black "metal plate" that is just over 10 meters long, about 6 meters wide, and about half a meter thick.

The smooth side should be the back side.

On the other side, the front of the metal plate is covered with intricate energy patterns, and a snowflake-shaped pattern protrudes in the upper middle part, which should be the logo of a certain civilization or ethnic group.

Waves of Force flowed out from the energy veins on the surface of the metal plate. (End of this chapter)