Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 88: Dark Side Of The Grayroid

"Since you're so smart, why don't you optimize it for us? Or are you all talk?" said Dondon.

"I'll need to think about it. This control interface is too unintuitive. The power system also needs to be retuned a bit. Move aside," said Master Crystal.

Dondon then moved out of the pilot's seat, grabbed a random can of food, and started eating.

"Canyue, come over here," Zhang Xingxing whispered to me.

"I followed her to the inner room and asked, "What is it, Team Leader?"

"I noticed earlier that Lifu and his team have a big blue liquid bomb in the big chest they carry. I don't know what the bomb is for, but be careful when you're on the grayroid with them," said Zhang Xingxing.

Warmth wrapped my heart at her words. After I had left my parents, the team leader was the only one who had given me such a warm feeling.

"Understood. I'll pay close attention to them at all times. Don't worry," I said.

"Even now, I still think our mission has a less than 10 percent chance of success. Earlier, I tried calculating our odds several times using the system, but I did not get a single favorable result," she said anxiously.

"Don't worry. Even 10 percent can be considered high. Haven't we survived even situations with less than a one-in-a-million chance of survival?" I consoled.

"Luck will not be by your side forever. Only by being attentive and thinking everything through would the odds of success increase," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Roger. We'll remember your words, Team Leader," I replied.

Once again, sounds of notification rang out from the system. The probes we sent had returned. Zhang Xingxing and I rushed back to the cockpit. When we entered, we saw that everyone looked excited.

"Team Leader, Canyue, all three probes have returned safely," said Dodo.

"Excellent. Show us the recordings," said Zhang Xingxing.

Dodo immediately played the recordings taken by the probes. A massive black world appeared on the screen. Nothing could be seen as the three probes slowly approached with their lights turned to the maximum. It was as though the light rays were swallowed by something; the closer they got to the atmosphere, the shorter the distance light could travel. And when the probes also reached the darkness, the darkness swallowed them. At that point, the only thing we saw on the screen was complete darkness.

"What is this? Is something broken?" Zhang Bao'er asked.

"Be patient. Keep waiting," Zhang Xingxing said.

The darkness persisted for about 10 minutes. Everyone breathed slowly and waited silently, not daring to make a sound. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. After about 10 minutes, the darkness lifted suddenly. The probes seemed to have gone through the dark zone to reach a new zone. A massive crack became visible, and everyone cheered.

"We finally have something on camera! What a miracle!" Dodo exclaimed.

The probe slowly descended toward the massive crack. The three probes gradually split up to scout from different directions. We could see that the crack was flanked by deep black rocks. Although the rocks were black, they looked nothing like what we knew about black holes.

"This is probably the intersection between the round sky and square ground that Old Du mentioned. Looks like Old Du is right," said Dodo.

"Genius!" said Zhang Bao'er as he gave Old Du's chest a punch.

The probes continued advancing. We discovered that the rocks to the right, the part that was probably the inner layer of the planet, were exceptionally sleek yet filled with holes. To the left of the crack was uneven terrain.

The probes continued advancing for about 10 more minutes. Gradually, we got a good look at the left side of the crack. From the edge, the ground rose at a conical angle, forming a piece of land akin to a massive volcanic crater. The top of the crater was too far away to be visible. Based on the system's analysis, the peak was probably high enough to reach the round sky part of the planet. At that point, the probes reached the allocated time limit and started returning.

"This piece of land is like a super volcanic crater. It is extremely tall, but the land slopes upward gradually, so it isn't actually steep," said Dodo.

"This greatly resembles the Olympus Mons on Mars, the mountain with the tallest peak in the Solar System," said Zhang Xingxing.

"The shape is similar, but the height is different. Olympus Mons is 21.9 kilometers high. Based on the planet's diameter, if the peak borders the outer layer of the spherical part of the planet, this volcano is higher than 40 kilometers. It is also many, many times wider than Olympus Mons," said Dodo.

"A height of 40 kilometers," muttered Zhang Bao'er.

"To make it simpler, it is basically the Qinhai-Tibetan plateau times five," I told Zhang Bao'er.

"The taller a place is, the colder it should be. That creature generally lives in the extremely cold part of the planet," said Lifu.

"The probes had not caught any signs of white light. It means the intersection between the round and flat part of the planet is the safest landing site," said Old Du calmly.

"Old Du makes sense. From what we know, the original landing site is a place where light can't be transmitted. As for the secret of the core and the proper landing site, both can be found in the planet's inner layer," said Dodo.

"Then it is decided. We will go through the crack at the intersection between the round and flat parts and land inside the planet," said Zhang Xingxing.

Lifu nodded in agreement.

"Finally, I'm done. This technology is too out of date," Master Crystal's voice came from the control panel.

"All done?" Dondon asked.

"You should stick to being a foodie. While you were eating, I finished upgrading the operating system and the power system," said Master Crystal while putting his tools back into his backpack.

"Thank you very much, Master. That was a great help. I don't know how to thank you," said Zhang Xingxing with gratitude.

"You're welcome. I'll be happy with a suitable amount of compensation," said Master Crystal.

"You're too polite, Master," said Zhang Xingxing, who was still overwhelmed with gratitude.

"He had merely installed a piece of software that could be bought for one silver coin on Lidu," muttered Domo to the side.

"System, plan, and destination. Everything is ready. Everyone, prepare your equipment. We'll take off in 10 minutes," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Fearless will carry the landing team near the intersection before flying. The ship will stop 250,000 kilometers away from the planet. Since sound wave transmission works, keep the communication channel open at all times," said Dodo.

"Finally, it's time to get the show going!" said Zhang Bao'er.

"All that is impossible can be conquered as long as we, the ZDL squad, are the ones on it," I said.

"What ZDL squad?" asked Old Du blankly.

"Old Du, you spent too much time studying instead of immersing yourself in the local culture. You're stuck behaving like a typical member of the upper class. Give it a thought and you'll understand," said Zhang Bao'er with a laugh.

"ZDL," Old Du sank into thought.

We started inspecting our equipment. Dodo had long recharged all our gears, so everything was ready to go. Fearless started approaching the planet. Taking the same route the probes had taken, Fearless slowly neared the square ground part of the planet. We were still seeing nothing but darkness. The distance our light could reach became shorter and shorter.

"We're right in front of Planet Abyss. Prepare to pass through the dark zone," said Dodo.

"Go," commanded Zhang Xingxing.

Fearless immediately accelerated and dove into the dark side of the planet. The cockpit sank into darkness, giving us a feeling as though we had reached a world where life in the universe had ended. Silently, Fearless trawled through the darkness, destroying the calm of the place.

"Old Du, what do you think the darkness around us is made of?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"Probably solid dark matter," said Old Du. "This substance can fuse with outer space, so it is very hard to discover. Thus, there must be something on this planet that is similar to outer space yet even more powerful than dark matter."

After over 10 minutes of travel, the ship finally flew through the dark zone and arrived at the place the probes had discovered the massive crack.

"Turn on your laser probes and scan the composition of our surroundings. Start calculating the landing duration as well," commanded Zhang Xingxing.

The inner part of the planet was pitch-black as well, but here, light and time were able to operate normally. Our laser probes started working at full throttle.

"It is negative 120 degrees outside. As for the air composition, it is 20 percent helium, 30 percent hydrogen, and 50 percent oxygen. It is not recommended for you to breathe in the air here," said Dodo.

"Negative 120 degrees? Will the highest peak surpass the limits of our suit?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"Theoretically, that shouldn't be possible. However, everything is also possible," I replied.

"It's like you haven't said anything at all," grumbled Zhang Bao'er.

"We have no reference in our database for the substance that makes up this planet. It is a completely new element. If possible, collect a small sample for studies. After all, the discovery of new elements will also make one eligible for a medal from the league," said Dodo.

"Medal from the league? We should be happy about not getting a bullet from the league instead," said Zhang Bao'er.

While everyone was speaking, the ship's alarm suddenly blazed.

"Dodo, what's going on?" Zhang Xingxing asked.

"Reporting to Team Leader, the ship seems to have encountered massive resistance originating from the ground. We are unable to approach the ground," said Dodo.

"Analyze the source of the resistance," Zhang Xingxing commanded.

"It seems to be some sort of magnetic force akin to the repulsive force between magnets of the same pole," replied Dodo after one minute.

"I have upgraded the ship's propelling force. Grandson, try using the leap-system I installed. See if it can break through the resistance," said Master Crystal to Dondon.

Dondon did as told and activated the leap-mode. The ship trembled as it accumulated power. A massive force appeared, propelling it forward. The scene outside the cockpit window vanished, giving me the sensation that we were traveling at the speed of light. With a loud clang, the ship broke through the resistance and then landed on the inner part of the planet.

"Success! Grandpa, you're quite incredible after all," exclaimed Dondon in excitement before realizing what he just said. Instantly, a displeased look covered his face.

"Everyone, get ready. Go to the airlock and prepare to exit the ship," said Dodo.

Lifu brought his people and their chests to the airlock before the rest of us. We entered one by one, and Dodo gave Titan an Eternal spacesuit before he entered. After everyone entered, I stood up and prepared to enter as well.

"Canyue, make sure everyone returns safely," Zhang Xingxing's voice came from behind me.

Warmth wrapped my heart, but I controlled my emotions and did not turn around. Rather, I merely raised my hand and made an "ok" gesture at her before walking away.