Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy Chapter 2 - 2 A Egg from the Starry Sky

Mu Fan extracted the dagger from the neck of the mutant beast, cleaned its body of blood, and beamed with a wide smile. He paid no mind to the five bleeding claw marks marring his back.

Fortune favored him; it was merely a solitary mutant beast on the jungle's fringe. While perilous, it wasn't lethal. To Mu Fan, the blood and wounds were far less significant than the several hundred kilograms of meat now lying on the ground!

He realized he had never truly experienced a full stomach. His eyes narrowed with a touch of nostalgia as Mu Fan resolved to set aside such thoughts, prioritizing the immediate need to fill his belly. This quantity of food, if managed carefully, could sustain him for days. He lowered his head, preparing to claim his prize.

Wait, something is amiss. A sound! A monstrous roar, akin to a sonic boom, ripped through the atmosphere. Suddenly, his prey's shadow appeared on the ground.

Mu Fan's gaze shot upward, witnessing a fiery rainbow streak across the sky, reminiscent of a divine blade plunging directly into the land of Loga Star!

He stood transfixed, observing the breathtaking fireball descend into the dense jungle.

Hold on, the depths of the jungle?

Mu Fan's eyes widened as the realization dawned that his current location was no longer safe. As the fireball impacted the earth, a shockwave originating three kilometers away surged forward with irresistible force, felling trees in its relentless path.

Before his mouth had even closed from sheer astonishment, a resounding bang sent him flying off his feet.

Smoke plumed upwards, and the fiery glow within the jungle was extinguished. Forty kilometers away in the city, residents merely registered the colossal crash, dismissing it as another typical meteorite fall, and resumed their revelries.

...

Snap.

My tooth, will I be able to eat meat still? A sharp sound of teeth striking dirt echoed from beneath the debris. Mu Fan shook his head vigorously. When the two tree silhouettes before him finally merged into one, he regained his senses.

Resting his head against the ground, he gazed at the sky, now restored to its quiet, dark state, and let out a heart-wrenching cry—my meat!!

With a spring-like action, Mu Fan leaped to his feet, overflowing with renewed energy. He disregarded his fresh wounds and the debris clinging to him. A quick scan revealed, thankfully, that his meat hadn't been flung far. He promptly sat down again.

"What could that possibly be? A meteorite from the void of space, or perhaps some derelict space debris?" Mu Fan's bright eyes gleamed with curiosity. "I should investigate first. I can always retrieve the meat later."

Treating the night as if the impact had never occurred, the recent explosive event had effectively chased away all the local fierce beasts. As he advanced, he noticed that the fallen trees became more numerous and substantial the closer he got. Mu Fan expertly navigated his way towards the crash site.

The aroma of scorched wood greeted him as he vaulted over a colossal tree, its girth as wide as an embrace. He then beheld a colossal, spiderweb-like crater, a radial scar upon the land. At its epicenter lay an object, silently resting and occasionally emitting sparks—a "Black Egg"? Yes, it was indeed a Black Egg. Mu Fan found his conclusion satisfactory, as his limited knowledge offered no more suitable description.

Carefully descending into the crater's edge, Mu Fan cautiously approached the Black Egg, which lay undisturbed at the bottom. The intermittent electrical sparks obscured its true hue, presenting it as a dark mass, approximately a meter in length.

"There are electrical sparks; it's likely metallic," Mu Fan surmised. He picked up a broken tree branch nearby and tapped the object, producing a dull "thud." It seemed hollow inside. He felt the leaves on the branch he held—they were warm. "Hmm, the surface temperature seems to be decreasing."

Mu Fan placed his gloved hands upon the Black Egg's surface, feeling a gentle warmth radiating from it. He gave it a light push, causing it to shift slightly within the crater.

"It must weigh around 200 kilograms," Mu Fan stated, standing to survey his surroundings. He then used the surrounding dirt to conceal any sparking portions of the Black Egg. With a determined grunt, he hoisted the Black Egg onto his right shoulder. In a few swift strides, he leaped out of the crater and headed directly for his captured prey. In the periphery of Loga Star's District 22, concealed by the cloak of night, no one observed the solitary figure, shouldering a large black egg and dragging a deceased mutant beast, as he moved rapidly along the path into the untamed wilderness.

With a broad grin and eyes alight with anticipation, Mu Fan envisioned returning home, feasting on meat, and then unraveling the mystery of the treasure he had stumbled upon—could it be a celestial gift?

The dense nocturnal clouds shrouded the planet with ample space debris, and the wilderness far removed from the urban sprawl, situated on the remote fringes of the jungle—all served as the perfect veil for the small drama that had recently unfolded on this distant world.

...

A mere 0.7 light-years away from Loga Star, at the desolate fringe of the local star system, an immense cluster of space debris drifted in an unnerving silence. From the depths of this asteroid belt, a colossal black rift violently tore open the void, and three formidable battleships, entirely clad in gleaming silver-white, materialized. Though their streamlined hulls bore no distinguishing marks, the colossal dragon-like particle cannons flanking their sides, complete with a multitude of uniquely shaped barrels protruding from their structures, undeniably signaled the terrifying offensive capabilities of these warships.

"Family Head, the fleet has successfully transitioned into the Outer Domain. We have lost their trail! This unit is at fault, Family Head. I humbly request your punishment!" A captain, adorned in a navy blue military uniform, knelt halfway on the flagship's bridge. Standing before him was a statuesque, middle-aged man, also in a similar blue uniform. The eyes behind his spectacles radiated a chilling authority. The elder contemplated the kneeling captain with an expressionless gaze for a few moments before speaking. "For a century, our Huangchuan family has remained in dormancy under the Empire's watchful eye. Amidst the constant, underlying conflict between the Empire and the Federation, the majority of the old nobility has simply vanished. Playing it safe, hmph. Those aristocrats on Emperor Star have utterly rotted away. Now, opportunity has fallen into our laps; if we fail to seize this moment, it shall never present itself again. Chuan Shisan, which star system does our fleet currently occupy?"

"Family Head, we have now entered the Galaxy Federation's territory, currently situated within a minor asteroid belt, completely undetected by any Federation forces. We await your command." An officer positioned to the right of the middle-aged man swiftly manipulated a holographic display, projecting a small, three-dimensional star system map for all to observe.

"Chuan Yi, you may rise. It is unlikely to be the Empire's lackeys from Eagle Eye; had it been them, they would not have dared to venture into the Federation's star domain. For the time being, we can find some reassurance. To prevent any potential exposure of the fleet, return swiftly and accelerate the preparation process." After a moment of deep thought, the man addressed as Family Head declared, "Return to base."

"As you command, Family Head!" The captain rose, resuming his position at the command podium to issue his directives. "Engage the jump drive at 175% power, activate the Huangchuan Iron Curtain protocol, load spatial node coordinates designated as 'One,' and execute vector coordinate calibration. All hands—prepare for return to base!"

The black fissure, which had vanished moments before, reappeared as if by magic, stretching open like a colossal, vertical pupil. The sleek white battleships took on an eerie black hue before gradually receding back into the gaping maw of the rift. The vertical pupil sealed shut, leaving the asteroid belt as profoundly silent as it had been before.

Were any scientists from a Federation laboratory present at that moment, they would undoubtedly have been astonished. The technology for small-scale, static space transmission was a field the Federation had only just begun to explore, yet here it was, already in practical application by unknown entities. However, all of this transpired without notice from anyone.

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PS: My gratitude goes to the reader who dared to teach all saints to bow their heads for their generous reward, and special thanks to readers Bai Yiduo and Can★Xue Wuhen for their contributions!

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