Chapter 33

【9——】

【……】

【1——】

【Jump initiated!】

As the final sound faded away.

The space outside the composite window seemed to twist and distort.

The starship Cui Can jumped toward the target destination at an incomparable speed.

It took only about thirty minutes or so.

The distorted space around them instantly returned to normal.

When he looked clearly at the scene outside the window again...

The familiar Solar System had long since vanished, leaving only the distant, twinkling river of stars and the boundless, deathly silence of the deep void.

The universe.

It is filled with passion.

But it is also filled with loneliness.

The universe is simply too vast.

So vast that countless billions of races and innumerable lives live within it simultaneously.

Yet they still occupy only an infinitesimal, tiny fraction of its range.

Most of the region is a deathly silent deep space.

Looking back.

At a terrifying distance of 1.2 light-years, the massive Solar System had become a tiny speck of light.

Only at this very moment did Xu Zi'an truly feel the extreme insignificance of humanity.

He examined his surroundings with interest, waiting for the cooler to chill the pulse propulsion engine.

There were no planets nearby, nor any danger.

The closest planet was one nearly half the size of the Moon—

Because it was rotating on its own and not orbiting any star, even though it was smaller than the Moon, it was still a planet.

Overall, it looked like an ordinary, barren planet with nothing special about it.

But as a person with intense curiosity, Xu Zi'an still activated the detection radar, preparing to scan it.

A beam of azure halo flashed out at the speed of light, soon enveloping the planet.

Quickly, the information was transmitted back, and the light-brain displayed the planet's data—

【Unknown Planet】

【Rich in common ores such as copper, iron, and gold】

【Contains trace amounts of rare material: Star-Glow Crystal】

Seeing the transmitted information, Xu Zi'an smiled.

This was all within expectations.

In some news reports, one often hears of someone accidentally discovering a super-precious mineral vein or a super-precious heavenly treasure on some planet, becoming rich overnight...

Xu Zi'an did not believe he possessed such luck.

As for the Star-Glow Crystal...

It was indeed a very rare material, similar to a diamond in transparency and hardness, but it would emit a faint, self-generated fluorescence.

But in such trace amounts... he would probably have to excavate the entire planet just to get a few kilograms?

The cost of mining would be enough to buy a ton.

At this moment, the cooling was complete, and he restarted!

Subsequent pulse jumps followed.

Xu Zi'an gradually lost the excitement and curiosity he had at the beginning.

The surrounding darkness and loneliness were unchanging; he really couldn't muster much curiosity anymore.

Jump after jump.

Just as he reached the sixth jump, when he was only two light-years away from the target star system...

An accident occurred.

In the universe, accidents are everywhere, especially in the Interstellar Great Age of Discovery.

Accidents are even more countless.

Not long after the sixth jump was completed, while he was quietly waiting for the pulse engine to cool, a 'crackle-crackle' sound suddenly rang out from the communicator!

Xu Zi'an's expression shifted, and he immediately became vigilant.

First, he checked the detection radar...

There was no reaction.

He looked around at his surroundings again; apart from a few lonely planets and patches of asteroid belts, there seemed to be nothing unusual.

But the next second!

'Crackle...'

"Help..."

'Crackle...'

After a few bursts of static, the voice became increasingly clear.

"Cui Can, save me!"

A young woman's voice rang out urgently from the communicator, filled with panic.

"You..."

'Crackle...'

"What kind of broken communicator is that... uh, sorry, sorry, Cui Can, please save me!"

The woman spoke in annoyance, but then realized the communication had become normal again, hurriedly apologized, and asked Xu Zi'an for help once more.

Xu Zi'an's old face flushed red.

What kind of communicator?

It was a communicator I dug out of a trash heap on a garbage planet back in the day!

So what!

It's not like it doesn't work!

He gave a light cough and immediately asked: "What's the situation on your end? Describe it in detail!"

Xu Zi'an remained full of vigilance internally.

In the universe, danger and traps are everywhere.

A society ruled by law only exists within the range of planetary regions where large human civilizations reside.

In places like deep space where no one is around...

Do you really expect it to be safe?

News has reported more than once that many people have been deceived by fake distress calls.

Only to find out after arriving that the other party was a group of interstellar pirates, and it was all a ruse.

Xu Zi'an, of course, had to be cautious and careful.

The other party clearly understood Xu Zi's concerns.

She immediately said urgently: "I am from Tiangong City on the Moon, Earth Federation.

I was attacked by interstellar pirates; the enemy has two Tier 1 biological scout ships and four Tier 1 mechanical scout ships!

We can simultaneously initiate an SOS emergency audit to the Federation; the Federation will definitely approve it for me!"

Hearing the other party say this.

Xu Zi'an's vigilance dissipated quite a bit.

At the same time.

The blood in his body.

Began to boil!