Reboot the Galaxy

The faint sound of the plasma gun firing, like an electric current piercing the air, was drowned out by the roars of the aliens. Several orbs of light, trailing trails, flew one after another toward the flesh wall, illuminating it red before they made contact.

Upon contact with the high temperature, pieces of tissue structure instantly vaporized and exploded. Just as the thick flesh wall was pierced, the gas inside the tunnel leaked out rapidly, and everyone felt an unprecedented suction force.

Despite the weight of the mechs, the force was enough to propel them at an almost stalled speed toward the cave entrance.

However, compared to mechs, the aliens are much lighter, and with their strong limbs and large abdominal sacs, the gale simply carries them forward.

Di Yan suddenly felt a tremendous force slam the mecha forward, until it fell uncontrollably to the ground.

Wasabi Isayama was already exhausted, and a strong gust of wind knocked her down.

Tomura Naohiko immediately crouched down to help her up, but one alien species after another flew overhead, forcing him to lower himself and lie close to the ground next to his wife.

Soon all the teammates around him were lying on the ground, some knocked down by the impact, and others lying down voluntarily.

The alien creature's shrieks trembled in the fierce wind.

They were sucked out of the gap and flown outside to face an atmospheric pressure environment that was only one billionth the size of Earth's atmosphere.

The alien creature swung its scythe wildly through the air, slashing deep gashes into the surrounding stone walls. Many red "vines" were severed, and a thick, orange-red sap, resembling blood, oozed from the cuts.

A terrified scream came through the team's voice chat, from one of Mpuent's teammates.

The alien's scythe doesn't discriminate. This African was unlucky; he was slashed in the back, leaving a deep gash in his mech.

"Oh my god, my cockpit is leaking air!" came his desperate cry for help through the headset.

"Hold on, Sangomey! I'm coming! Let's get back to the starship together!"

Mpuent crawled over and tried to put his hand in the breach, but the mech's thick fingers couldn't do it.

"It's too late, especially outside, the oxygen will all be gone!" He Xu shouted.

Di Yan turned around and looked behind him. There were still alien species flying towards the exit. Some of them were very clever. They embedded their limbs deep into the ground to prevent themselves from being sucked out.

He drew his machete from his waist, crawled toward the African man named Sangome, and slowly brought the blade closer to his back.

"Di Yan, what are you doing?" Mpuent looked at the sharp blade that appeared beside him in horror.

"Take your hand away, I'll plug the wound for him, it's the only way!"

Di Yan's tone was firm, and Mpuent chose to believe him.

Di Yan aimed the blade at the opening and carefully slid it into it.

"Tell me if you feel something protruding from behind. The somatosensory layer shouldn't be so easy to sever," Di Yan said, and Sangomei obediently agreed.

As the blade penetrated deeper, the blade surface began to fill the gap in the puncture. Finally, Di Yan finished filling the gap and had Mpuente gently hold the knife.

A sharp blade can take a life, but it can also become a lifeline to save a life.

The alien species were closing in from behind, using the strong winds to resist their attacks by pinning themselves to the ground, thus inching their way closer.

Their calls are getting softer, indicating that the air pressure in the vicinity is rapidly decreasing, and the sound conductivity is also decreasing accordingly.

Di Yan felt that the bodies of these alien species were constantly growing larger, and they were becoming more and more disgusting as a result.

Especially the abdominal sac at the back, which was now swollen like a ball, even thicker than the torso.

"Should we climb forward?" Ahn Jae-in asked.

"No need, we'll wait a little longer."

Di Yan kept staring at the alien creature behind him, noticing that its movements were getting slower and more ferocious, and it seemed to be in more and more pain.

Finally, at a certain moment, the alien was about to drive its scythe into the ground, but it suddenly lost its strength, and the scythe just lay limply on the ground.

Suddenly, the alien's abdominal sac exploded, spewing out its contents. Yellow and red fragments and ribbons, carrying liquid, flew through the air like a waterfall and quickly fell into the exit.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Wasabi Isayama suddenly gagged and almost vomited inside the mecha.

The number of alien species flying towards the exit gradually decreased, and after the last one flew out, all that remained was a long, raging wind.

"Alright, let's go!" Enmura Naohiko shouted immediately, helping his wife to her feet.

Mpuente helped Sangomee hold down the machete embedded in his back, and the two followed the group out.

At this moment, the opening was wide open, and the once thick and solid deep red flesh wall was now reduced to broken tissue hanging on the edge, and the scene outside was simply breathtaking.

This opening can be considered the alien species' "sewage outlet." Not only is the tunnel full of filth, but layers of black substances have also accumulated on the long slope outside the tunnel. These substances have been dried into solids by the high temperature here, making them distinctly different from the surrounding blackish-gray soil.

There are more than a dozen such black, hardened mud mounds on the volcanic slope.

Standing at the cave entrance, Di Yan could see the entire interior of the massive volcano.

In the distance, the horizon where the towering crater meets the orange-gray sky resembles a rough oil painting casually brushed on by two brushes.

The entire interior of the volcano is shaped like a huge bowl, with a width of nearly ten kilometers, resembling a giant meteorite impact crater.

However, no exposed magma was seen at the bottom of the central bowl; it was still sealed within rock layers several kilometers deep. Instead, there were hot springs that continuously spewed out high-temperature sulfurous steam and rock fragments.

On the large, layered structure covered with solidified black filth, large numbers of alien species died.

They were sucked out of the cave, their bodies swelled up under extremely low air pressure, and eventually they exploded and died.

"Exit the cave, turn left, climb the slope, and enter the starship."

Xavier's command at this moment was arguably the most pleasant he had ever given, as the journey they had undertaken underground could not be described as a nightmare.

Sure enough, just a few dozen meters from the cave entrance, the starship stopped on a relatively gentle slope. Although the ship was still slightly tilted, it was not about to slide down.

As the nine people approached, the familiar seams on the starship cracked open, revealing the interior mech cabins.

The familiar starship, the familiar cabins, the familiar gravity control, everything familiar...

After successfully entering the mech cabin, Sangome also managed to extend his life with the help of Di Yan's machete.

They were the first team to return, and the mech cabin was completely empty.

Di Yan disconnected from the mecha, the chest cover slid down, and he stepped onto the ground inside the J-45 again, breathing in the fresh, long-lost air.

After more than ten hours of circulation, the air in the cockpit had long since taken on a foul odor, and inhaling too much of it made him want to vomit.

It seems that piloting a mech for long-term combat is not a good option.

As the surrounding environment suddenly relaxes, the body gradually returns from a state of excitement to calm, and drowsiness follows.

Di Yan stretched his limbs, which hadn't been used to normal exercise for a long time, and took a few deep breaths to try and clear his head.

"Thank you." As Sangome passed by Di Yan, he stopped and bowed deeply in gratitude.

"You're welcome. Go back and rest."

Di Yan smiled and nodded to Mpuente next to Sangomey. The latter looked delighted and led his three teammates on their way home.

"Di Yan-kun, you did a great job," Tomura Naohiko gave Di Yan a thumbs up. "You saved his life."

"I think that in the future, besides Xavier's orders, we can also choose to listen to your opinions more often."

A faint smile bloomed on Isayama Wasabi's face as her gaze lingered between her husband and Di Yan.

Di Yan waved his hand sheepishly, "It's all what I should do. Everyone's safety is the result of everyone's hard work."

After a warm exchange, the Japanese couple left hand in hand.

"Ah, so sweet..." He Xu crossed his arms and appeared behind Di Yan's left at some point.

"Without realizing it, you've become the key figure among us." Ahn Jae-in suddenly appeared from the right rear.

Di Yan put his hands on his hips and chuckled bitterly, "Actually, I didn't do anything..."

The key figure.

The word lingered in his mind, transforming into sunlight that illuminated the dark corner of his heart.

Is this really him?

A series of memories flashed through his mind, and he finally chose to close a window, blocking the sunlight out.

This shouldn't be him.

Di Yan's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he took a step forward: "Let's go."

The three of them turned a corner down the corridor, and the elevator was not far ahead. There were two people standing at the elevator entrance, namely Li Guangyu and Han Qinghe.

Seeing Di Yan slowly approaching, the two men smiled, clearly indicating that the person they were waiting for had returned.

"You guys go ahead, I'll talk to Lieutenant Li for a bit."

Di Yan spoke to He Xu and An Zaiyin, and then stood before his two superiors.

Seeing Di Yan's solemn posture, Han Qinghe smiled and said, "Don't be so serious. When we meet in private, it's better to act like friends."

Di Yan's body remained taut, but his expression had relaxed somewhat.

"We all saw your actions; you did an outstanding job."

Li Guangyu looked at Di Yan with a smile, her eyes full of admiration.

"It's all as it should be," Di Yan replied matter-of-factly.

"This mission was of great importance, and you have made outstanding contributions. Therefore, your superiors are preparing to promote you to sergeant."

Li Guangyu's words gave Di Yan a jolt. Years of military service had instilled in him a habitual reliance on hierarchical systems.

For soldiers, establishing merits and being promoted in rank are undoubtedly the highest honors and the best recognition of their personal abilities.

"Thank you for the promotion, sir."

At this moment, Di Yan seemed to have become a well-trained soldier in the China region once again, his penetrating arrogance becoming more mature and profound after years of accumulation and refinement.

Han Qinghe smiled and patted Di Yan's arm, which was pressed tightly against his side: "I told you, you don't need to be so serious. Cheer up."

At first, Di Yan did want to laugh, but he quickly suppressed the urge.

In the end, his so-called "military achievements" were mostly based on his personal killing of three brothers from the Kachin organization.

This blood-stained achievement came too suddenly; he wasn't ready to accept it.

"Are you thinking that being suddenly promoted might arouse suspicion from others?" Li Guangyu asked softly.

Di Yan looked at her with slight surprise. He did have concerns about this matter, but before he could even think of it, she had already thought of it.

"I suppose so," he said, without denying it.

Li Guangyu patiently said, "You don't need to worry about this. Many people have been promoted during this mission. There are four people who have been promoted to sergeant, and each has their own reasons."

She looked Di Yan up and down, knowing that the man in front of her was very tired, and said, "We have already thought of a reason for you, which is 'You have made meritorious contributions in blocking the oviparous creatures and rescued your teammates in a critical moment, demonstrating outstanding performance'."

Di Yan bit his tongue and finally nodded slightly.

"Go back, you're tired enough." Li Guangyu gently touched Di Yan's arm, looking at him with pity.

Di Yan said a brief goodbye to the two of them and turned to enter the elevator.

Lieutenant Li Guangyu's gaze darkened, and his expression turned serious again: "How long until the next team arrives?"

Han Qinghe manipulated the eye membrane to make a few virtual taps in the air: "They're already in the final section, they'll reach the cave entrance in about fifteen minutes."

Lieutenant Li nodded in understanding. Just then, the elevator doors opened again, and a group of people walked out.

Leading the group was Dr. Maxim Yevgenyev, accompanied by an assistant. Both of them carried a portable refrigerated container, and three skilled workers followed behind them.

"Miss Li, you're here too."

Maxim walked up with a polite smile and extended his hand to shake hands with Li Guangyu.

"Don't call me that anymore. I don't want more people to know that I'm Zhou Chong's niece." Li Guangyu said with a gloomy face.

The doctor gave a slight bow, a hint of apology in his voice, and said, "I'm so sorry." With that, he released his grip.

"Doctor, what are you doing here?" Han Qinghe asked.

"I heard that the first team has returned, having rushed here as quickly as possible to collect the samples."

Maxim paused, then immediately added, "I have already obtained Commander Zhou's permission, so you can rest assured."

"Go ahead," Li Guangyu replied curtly.

Maxim then led the team to collect the various samples brought back from the mechs.

Arriving at the nearest mech, Maxim instructed three workers to disassemble a specific location on the mech, where the sampling box was located. Previously, each mech had collected a certain amount of gas samples underground.

As the workers were taking out the sample boxes, Maxim circled the mech and saw that it was covered with a large number of fragments of alien tissue.

These things were priceless to him.

Currently, many research teams are struggling with how to conduct new research, and new samples are undoubtedly a welcome relief. Even tissues from inanimate objects, as long as they have a different origin and a new structure, can certainly lead to some new discoveries.

"Come on, help me take these things down."

Maxim said to his assistant, and the two of them put down the cold storage box, borrowed some tools from the three workers, and began to carefully remove the colorful fragments from the mech.

Most of them are black, but some are orange, yellow, or red. Although white tissue is extremely rare, Maxim doesn't intend to let any of it go to waste.

Under his repeated instructions, the two extracted all the visible samples from one of the mechs and put them into the cold storage tank.

The three workers successfully retrieved the sample box.

It was a cylindrical container with a cross-sectional diameter of a dozen centimeters and a length of nearly thirty centimeters. The inside was coated with an inert material to prevent the sample from reacting with the container wall as much as possible.

As his assistant solemnly placed the sample box into the cold storage box and closed it tightly, Maxim looked around.

"We should also take a look at the other mechs; perhaps there are something different worth discovering."

He is now like an explorer entering an ancient tomb, and he will not give up until he finds out the truth.

Just then, the side wall of the mech bay opened again, and a new squad of mechs appeared on the hillside outside, walking wearily toward J-45.