Industry: Cthulhu

Chapter 59 Meeting
In the conference room, the lights were dim and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Fang Yan and Hart sat on one side of the conference table, opposite two special envoys, Alvis from the Naga Republic and Catherine from the Pontiac United States.

Alves is tall, with a stern gaze and meticulous manners. Every movement he makes is as precise as if it were programmed, which makes people feel oppressive unconsciously.

Catherine is completely different. She loves to laugh, and her smile is mysterious. Her eyes are both sharp and insightful, yet also tinged with an elusive mystery.

Catherine's voice was soft yet sharp. "Actually, you are not the only ones who have come into contact with that mysterious black starship."

"Perhaps you've heard of the disappearances of spaceships in the inner galaxy and on the edge of the core region. According to the last images sent back by those spacecraft, their experiences were very similar to yours: they were also suddenly attacked by a mysterious starship."

"The only difference is that all those spaceships disappeared, and only the Rose survived."

"Because you have a stronger shield system, namely the Guardian Wings invented by Fang Yan, and those missing ships were unable to block the enemy's attacks."

At this time, Alves turned on the holographic screen and projected a blurry video in front of everyone.

The black starship is cold and mysterious, flashing a strange light in the starry sky.

Fang Yan and Hart looked at each other and nodded at the same time. There was no doubt that the starship that appeared in the video was not similar to the one that attacked the Rose in the x178 galaxy two days ago, but was exactly the same.

"According to the information we currently have, this starship is very likely not a product of the Milky Way." Alvis' voice was firm and cold. "Its technological level is far beyond our comprehension. Whether it's the shields, engines, hull alloys, or weapon systems, they don't belong to any force in the Milky Way."

Catherine nodded in agreement and added, "The appearance of this starship doesn't seem accidental, but rather purposeful. Its attack method reveals a highly precise strategic intent: lurking, raiding, and ultimately destroying."

Fang Yan and Hart were both shocked. A spaceship that did not belong to the Milky Way used ambush tactics to deliberately and accurately destroy the Milky Way spaceship?

These seemingly fantastic descriptions, however, come from the mouths of the two envoys, making it impossible not to believe them.

Fang Yan frowned. "May I ask what your investigation concluded? If I remember correctly, apart from our recent encounter, almost all previous cases of mysterious ship disappearances occurred between the inner ring and the core of the galaxy, which is exactly your territory."

"Years ago, the Inner Ring's three strongest factions sent a scientific expedition team into the core area and subsequently sealed off that area. Could these current attacks be related to the core area's secrets?"

Alvis and Catherine looked at each other and communicated silently with their eyes.

Catherine continued to smile, but her eyes grew darker. "I'm sorry, but this question is beyond our authority. Without top-level approval, we cannot disclose any relevant information."

Fang Yan shrugged. "Then please ask your leader. As someone directly involved in the attack, I hope to exchange intelligence openly and honestly, rather than reporting unilaterally like a subordinate."

"Although Earth is small, it is also a member of the Galactic Alliance and an independent country. If equality and fairness cannot be achieved, then I'm sorry, we will not disclose any relevant information."

Perhaps not expecting Fang Yan to be so tough, Catherine hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "We are indeed investigating, but neither the Naga Republic nor the Pontiac United States can easily reach a conclusion."

"All we can tell you now is that the battleship definitely doesn't belong to any known civilization in the Milky Way. It comes from somewhere even more distant."

"Somewhere farther away?" Hart was stunned, his tone full of doubt.

Alvis nodded, "Yes, outside the Milky Way."

Hart wanted to say something more, but Fang Yan's gaze stopped him. Hart understood that Fang Yan had made up his mind not to tell them anything until the two envoys came up with more effective information.

He and Isabella almost lost their lives. Although Fang Yan seemed calm at the moment, he was actually extremely angry and was on the verge of exploding.

Alves and Catherine also understood Fang Yan's meaning. Catherine nodded slightly to Alves, then said with a smile, "In that case, please wait a moment. We need to report the situation to headquarters."

After that, they both stood up and left the meeting room.

"Do you know what this means?" Fang Yan asked in a low voice after they walked away.

Hart nodded. "I'm afraid this is the beginning of an interstellar storm."

……

About half an hour later, Alves and Catherine returned to the conference room.

Alves' face was heavy as he handed Fang Yan an encrypted electronic document. "Take a look at this."

Fang Yan took the document and turned on the holographic display. The screen showed information about the attacked ships and a list of key casualties.

Hart's pupils shrank slightly, and he muttered, "This is... a targeted assassination!"

Fang Yan didn't say anything, his eyes quickly scanned the information.

There's no doubt that the raids encountered across the galaxy over the years weren't random targets, but carefully chosen.

Each attack resulted in the death of at least one person of vital importance to the galaxy.

Merlin Caesar: A legendary five-star general of the Pontiac United States, he is a man of tough tactics and has great strategic talent.

Victor Taller: A wise man and chief scientist of the Naga Republic, he led the strategic decision-making of countless scientific research projects. On his way to the inner ring of the galaxy, he was intercepted by a mysterious battleship and all the people on board disappeared without a trace.

Adele Frost: The youngest three-star engineer at the Galactic Engineering Academy. On her way to an expedition to a remote galaxy, she was attacked by a black starship, leaving not even a trace of wreckage.

Lydia Coleman: Director of the Photonics Institute, considered the strongest contender for the next president of the Academy of Sciences. On her way to participate in a scientific exchange, the ship suddenly lost contact.

Each of these names is of vital importance to the galaxy, and their death or disappearance has had a huge impact on the galaxy.

When the list scrolled to the end, Fang Yan's name appeared on the screen. The only difference was that Fang Yan was not marked as dead or missing, at least not yet.

Catherine's voice was soft and calm. "Fang Yan, we have reason to believe that the other party's next target will be you."

"Compass, Heart of the Ocean, Guardian Wings, plus the encryption technology and tractor beam technology that you haven't officially announced yet, there's no doubt that you're now qualified to be on this list."

(End of this chapter)