Zerg: Cold and aloof Major General, stop pretending to be innocent, I have a headache!

"..." Bernd's expression froze instantly.

Zoe, who was standing next to them, couldn't help but laugh out loud at the conversation between the two insects.

Jiang Xu even had a rare smile on his face.

Under the scorching sun, the Huangsha Rift Valley in the western suburbs reflects even more intense heat.

Jiang Xu felt as if the soles of his shoes were about to melt as he walked on the sand.

"Why is it so hot?" Jiang Xu suddenly realized this was unusual. The previous times it had been relatively mild, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.

"It's already winter, why is it still so hot?" Bernd's face was flushed from the heat.

Upon noticing the anomaly, everyone present unconsciously tensed up.

It seems something bad is about to happen.

"Shall we go down?" Zoe glanced seriously at the bottom of the cliff. He had heard from Bernd that Jiang Xu was at the bottom of the cliff at that time.

"Go." Jiang Xu's expression was equally serious. The temperature was unusually high, and he was afraid it would be even hotter next time he came. Just to be on the safe side, he had to go down today.

After confirming the next steps, they quickly descended to the bottom of the cliff.

"Huh, why does this place seem different from where I last came?" Bernd was somewhat surprised by the scene at the bottom of the cliff after coming down.

"I remember there were a lot of big pebbles when I came down last time, but this time they're much smaller."

Jiang Xu also noticed something different; he discovered that the pebbles were turning into sand.

He walked up to the nearest pile of pebbles, reached out and touched the surface of the stone. With a gentle touch, the surface of the stone crumbled into yellow sand, which slipped through his fingers and onto the ground.

The last time he came, the sandstorm was very heavy when he left in the evening. At the time, he thought it was because the wind was too strong at night, causing sand and stones to fly everywhere.

The desertification started back then, but it wasn't as severe as it is now.

Jiang Xu glanced at the sun, which was not yet directly overhead. He had arrived at the perfect time; there was hardly any wind.

"What's wrong? Something's not right?" Zoe walked to Jiang Xu's side, looking at him with a serious expression.

"The rocks here are turning into sand." Jiang Xu looked up and surveyed the entire bottom of the cliff, then asked somewhat seriously, "Is there a volcano down there?"

"A volcano?" Jiang Xu's question stumped Zoe, who frowned slightly. "I've never heard of any volcanoes around the capital."

"Nothing?" No, why is it so hot? Not only is my face hot, but even the rocks are starting to turn into sand because of the heat.

Jiang Xu rubbed the yellow sand under the stone with his shoe. Indeed, the yellow sand on the ground was much thicker, and in some places, small bamboo shoots had already formed.

"Yes, I've heard from my elders that when the location of the eastern capital was chosen, all potential safety issues had already been ruled out."

Therefore, there couldn't possibly be a volcano here. However, Zoe was also a little doubtful when she said this, as the current high temperature was obviously suspicious.

"What are you two chattering about?" Bernd wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's so hot in here. Haven't any of the royalty up there noticed anything unusual?"

This place is so far from the capital, yet there isn't a single insect in sight.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu glanced at Bernd and then exchanged a look with Zoe.

Both insects were aware of the problem.

"Alright," Jiang Xu looked at Zoe, "Did you bring what I asked you to bring me?"

"Miao'er, come here." Zoe called to the female insect behind her. The female insect clasped her arms over her chest and quickly took out a detector from her military bag.

Zoe glanced at the equipment being assembled and explained, "This is currently the most advanced military detection device." Then, she gave Jiang Xu a mysterious look and added, "The military doesn't have a single one yet. Isn't that generous?"

"Where did this come from?" Jiang Xu knew that the Alvis family donated some things to the military region every year, so he naturally knew that they had their own channels.

This was just a casual question he asked, after all, every family has its own secrets.

However, Zoe told him without reservation, "Faraway Star."

Jiang Xu was unfamiliar with this name; this was the first time he had heard it.

"Holy crap!" Bernd stared at Zoe in horror. The last vestiges of his aristocratic manners vanished, and as soon as he uttered the words, he realized what he had done and covered his mouth.

After a moment, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked Zoe, "Do I know about that ship, Faraway Star?"

Zoe glanced at him sideways, a hint of disdain in her eyes: "Who else?"

"Your family is really crazy." Bernd was unusually silent for a moment, then sighed.

The two insects didn't reveal much from their conversation, but Jiang Xu made one thing clear: Jianyuan Star was not to be trifled with.

Not only are they not to be trifled with, but it seems that these military equipment were all made by them.

While the three insects were talking, the insect named Miao'er had already assembled the instrument.

Jiang Xu watched as he chose a relatively flat sandy area, placed the detector on the ground, and activated the one-button start function.

Miao Er stepped back a few paces, and the detector began to work autonomously.

He watched as the originally square instrument seemed to grow legs, with one mechanical leg extending from each of the four sides, automatically adjusting itself two steps on the ground.

Seemingly having found a suitable spot, it quickly extended a high-speed rotating branch tube from its lower body, and a sharp sound instantly rang out at the bottom of the cliff.

Jiang Xu felt a slight pain in his eardrums from the vibration. He glanced at Zoe and Bernd beside him and noticed that they had covered their ears in unison.

A few seconds later, the sound stopped abruptly, just as it had come.

If it weren't for the tinnitus, Jiang Xu would have doubted whether he had misheard.

"Gentlemen, the detector has been installed. Please use it." Miao'er bowed to them three times and then left the range of the instrument.

Jiang Xu followed Zoe to the instrument.

No one is more familiar with operating this instrument than Zoe, after all, he was the one who went to discuss this with the Zerg from the Far Star.

Jiang Xu watched as he continuously clicked and typed commands on the screen. Soon, when he reached the command input field, he stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

"What do you need to probe?" Zoe asked.

"Fire, look around for any entrances leading deeper underground."

He wanted to confirm whether this place, like the western battlefield, had a hidden underground space.

Zoe gave him a strange look, not understanding the purpose of his investigation.

However, his hands also started moving quickly.

After confirming the order, he withdrew his hand.

An underground exploration map began to appear on the screen, spreading outwards like ink spreading across water.

Before long, an underground map of the cliff appeared before Jiang Xu's eyes.

As if confirming his guess, Zoe and Bernd, who were standing next to him, were stunned.