Chapter 626 - 2: Multi-Stage Transformation

The "Alien Monsters" Yu Saint mentioned was, in essence, just a general term. It referred to anything that could potentially threaten the astronauts and put their lives in danger.

This included potentially living Aliens, as well as autonomous defense robots, automated sentry systems, and a whole range of similar entities. Of course, actual Alien Monsters were also on the list. Earth had even considered possibilities like spaceships that transformed into giant robots, or biological ships that morphed into giant amoebas or biomechanical Monsters, and had developed countermeasures for each.

"After all, they are a civilization from the same era as the Immortal Gods. They were soaring through the Starry Sky thousands of years ago. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if their defensive measures, or even their individual lifespans, surpassed several thousand or even ten thousand years. Speaking frankly and humbly, our Earth Civilization is really just a junior to those civilizations."

Yu Saint’s voice was tinged with emotion. "Of course, it’s also possible they died out long ago and any automated defenses were deactivated by the Immortal Gods. But we must approach this with the utmost humility and prepare for the worst-case scenario. That is how we will endure."

"Caution, prudence, and anticipating the enemy’s every move—that is the path to Eternal Existence."

"Yeah, laying low is key."

Su Zhou couldn’t agree more. Everyone knew his style: he was always cautious. He’d act timidly before an unknown, powerful foe, but strike with overwhelming force against an enemy he knew he could beat. ’Better safe than sorry,’ as they say—that had always been his guiding principle.

In fact, this was also the guiding principle of the Zhengguo Aerospace Administration: a soft-handed approach. The people of Earth were actually quite hopeful of finding living Aliens. By communicating with Aliens, they could quickly learn about the state of the Cosmos and, using that as a breakthrough, rapidly decipher alien technology.

So, Su Zhou was frequently reminded that if he discovered intelligent Aliens, he had to guarantee their basic rights—so long as his own safety was assured. As long as the other party refrained from using weapons of mass destruction, the human side was to do the same. It would be best if Su Zhou didn’t engage at all, to avoid accidentally injuring any innocent Alien friends.

"Just don’t go eating them if you have one little disagreement!"

That had been the Daoist Saint’s grave warning during a meeting, while the Water Qilin Ann Duo and Jin Qiong, who were standing nearby, looked on with teary eyes.

"Now, why would you say that? I’m a creature of habit. I never eat strangers." This was Su Zhou’s reassuring answer—which only made their eyes well up even more.

The test was over. They had collected baseline data on Su Zhou’s physical state and his combat performance in a lunar environment.

While it wasn’t the real Moon, the test area could simulate over ninety-five percent of lunar conditions. And since the lunar landing mission was still several months away, who knew how much stronger Su Zhou would be by then? For that reason, this test didn’t need to be overly precise; a general assessment would suffice.

"Alright, I’m heading out."

After passing through a three-stage decontamination process, Su Zhou changed back into his street clothes in the locker room. While using his Spiritual Power to make the clothes dress him, he spoke to a nearby camera. "Artifice Sage—or should I say, a copy of the Artifice Sage—do I have any other assignments?"

In response to Su Zhou’s casual question, a voice immediately came through the locker room’s intercom: "Not at the moment, Professor Su. Your time is your own. Your vehicle is already at the entrance to the test site. You’re free to leave whenever you wish. Have a safe journey."

"Got it."

Su Zhou was long accustomed to the omnipresent Artifice Sage. He knew, of course, that the Sage had long since used Su Zhou’s Soul data to create numerous "information sub-entities" linked to his own consciousness. These were used to maintain constant contact with the other Sages and key personnel like him.

He had to admit, it wasn’t exactly inconvenient having such an important figure available on call. At the very least, if any questions came up, he could just ping the Artifice Sage for an answer. Of course, if a problem required Su Zhou’s attention, the other Sages could just as easily ping *him* for a mission. It was convenient for everyone.

As for privacy... Pfft. As the master of the Thunder Technique, Su Zhou decided what they could and couldn’t see. With his current power, he could easily interfere with all electromagnetic signals in a several-kilometer radius. If his intent was destructive, he could probably paralyze half a city. The idea of monitoring him was a complete joke. Besides, Zhengguo wasn’t so clueless as to waste resources trying to spy on him.

Leaving the lunar simulation facility, Su Zhou stood at the main gate and looked back at the enormous, semi-spherical structure completely encased in special materials. This site had originally been Zhengguo’s proving grounds for new armaments—a place to test various combat vehicles, artillery, and high-performance weapons. However, since the discovery of the Otherworlds, most weapons testing had been moved to the Beast God Realm and the Celestial Pool Realm. Consequently, domestic sites like this one were being repurposed for other functions.

The facility was located in a stretch of the Gobi Desert in northwest Zhengguo, right next to a military base. Out in the vast, endless sands, he could faintly make out a few of the military’s all-terrain combat vehicles on the move. They were spider-like, biomimetic war machines that could use either treads or legs for locomotion, allowing them to traverse a wide variety of complex terrains. They were currently in the testing phase, with hopes of one day replacing light tanks for use in urban conflicts and for bolstering strike forces in mountainous areas.