Chapter 1

In the dark and boundless cosmos, a strange procession of exiles was silently sailing. The fleet comprised over a dozen spacecraft of immense size, seemingly having traversed the void for countless years. Their appearance was striking: short, stout hulls covered in thick, grey-black armor. Upon the armor were neat, scale-like structures that curved upward like blunt, triangular barbs. Each craft was incredibly vast, spanning hundreds of kilometers. Cloaked in such heavy, somber armor, they resembled a cluster of colossal asteroids drifting through space.

These spacecraft had been journeying through the universe for an unknown number of years. All appeared ancient and dilapidated. Though objects in space are not weathered by wind, these massive ships had clearly endured countless impacts, extreme temperatures, corrosion, and plasma storms. Scars and missing pieces marred their uneven armor. On one severely damaged vessel, the trauma had torn away a section of the armor plating, exposing a sponge-like support structure beneath. Hao Ren believed this was likely the result of a powerful meteor strike, or perhaps something even worse. Yet, despite their dire condition, the ships' structures remained largely intact. Sparse lights flickered along their pitted surfaces, sending out various signals into the void. These lights did not make the fleet seem more alive; they only added to its bizarre and tragic air.

But the lights also indicated one thing: these ancient spacecraft were still functioning.

The fleet was moving at a slow pace. Based on previously discovered traces, it had emerged from hyperspace decades ago, subsequently decelerating several times before continuing at this low speed. The reason for leaving hyperspace was unclear, as there was nothing of interest in this star sector: no celestial bodies for resupply, no docking ports, and no signs of civilization. Only ubiquitous, pale-purple stardust. Perhaps a mechanical failure had forced the ships to disengage from faster-than-light travel?

The *Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace* slowly caught up with the fleet from behind the contrail cloud, approaching one of the larger spacecraft. Though the ships were technologically primitive, their size was truly immense. The *Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace* hovered like a hummingbird above the miles-long expanse of black armor, sending back images dominated by vast, rugged, ancient structures. Some banded lights flickered faintly across the armor's surface. The approach of the *Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace* did not alter the lights' rhythm: the spacecraft showed no reaction to the unknown vessel's presence.

"Radar is scanning the ship," Nolan's holographic projection enlarged to life-size beside Hao Ren. She had changed her image to a military uniform, reporting like a starship officer. "Seven radar sources detected, originating from three different ships. But no hostile reactions detected, nor any signs of weapon systems being activated."

Hao Ren watched the feed from the external monitor. The *Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace* was slowly passing over one of the large spacecraft, only a few hundred meters from its hull. He saw the rough metal casing, like a steel continent, slowly receding in the monitor's view. "Any contact signals?"

"No, I've sent inquiries—across all frequencies—but received no response," Nolan shook her head. "However, I intercepted signals between these spacecraft. They are maintaining communication with each other, but..."

Hao Ren raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

Nolan displayed the intercepted signals on the holographic projector. Hao Ren saw a mass of regular symbols and numbers. After watching them scroll rapidly, he realized that the content was mechanically repetitive.

"Each spacecraft is mechanically sending these signals, primarily confirming their respective positions and system integrity. Nothing else. I suspect it's an automated signal."

Nangong Wuyue, swaying her long tail, slithered up to the control panel, sounding intrigued. "So... ghost ships?"

Hao Ren glanced at her. "Why are you so excited when you say 'ghost ships'?"

"Fifty percent of ghost ship legends in human history involve sirens, and the other fifty percent are drunk sailors," Nangong Wuyue flicked the tip of her tail. "Turning into ghost ships to scare people is our racial culture, you know?"

"A siren who's never even been to sea shouldn't be talking about this," Hao Ren waved Nangong Wuyue aside, then nodded at Nolan. "Can you find the ships' entrances?"

"Deep scans indicate a groove along the ship's waistline, likely an entrance hatch, but it's not big enough for the ship: only a dozen meters wide."

Hao Ren clicked his tongue. "Tsk... For a hundred-kilometer-long vessel, that's a pretty stingy little door. Alright, we'll go down. Nolan, track our signals. After we enter, prepare the teleporter outside for our evacuation."

"Are we all going down?" Vivian looked at the people on the bridge. All the demons and monsters who freeloaded meals at Hao Ren's house were here today.

"Uh... Just a few of us. You and Lily, and then..."

Before Hao Ren could finish, Nangong Sanba suddenly stepped forward. "My sister and I will go too. You'll need a hunter and a siren in a place like this."

Hao Ren thought for a moment, feeling that Nangong Sanba made sense: This was clearly neither a Guardian nor a Rebel ship, but rather a wandering fleet of ordinary races who had fled some apocalyptic disaster. Given the fleet's condition, the chances of it being a ghost ship were high. This environment required not high combat power, but people skilled in reconnaissance and adaptable to various environments. Nangong Sanba was a demon hunter, and Nangong Wuyue could transform into countless water forms. Exploring ghost ships should be perfect for them.

Hao Ren handed Dou Dou to "Gun" to hold, then turned towards the teleportation room. "The rest of you stand by on the ship. A few of us will take a trip down."

The *Giant Tortoise Rock Terrace* arrived at the suspected entrance hatch, hovering a hundred meters above the "steel continent," and Hao Ren's group appeared on the mysterious spacecraft's surface in a beam of light.

There was almost no gravity on the ship's surface. With the aid of their auxiliary propulsion devices, the group advanced. Hao Ren looked up at the distance, seeing a slightly curved expanse of black-grey steel stretching across his vision. The faint starlight and the pale-grey interstellar dust cloud hung like smudges on a distant curtain at the end of the steel horizon. Scattered lights dotted the distant, raised structures, flickering faintly like will-o'-the-wisps.

"Dead, so dead..." Vivian muttered into the communicator. "I can't sense any life signs."

Hao Ren massaged his temples. "Terminal, share vision."

The data terminal's radar view immediately overlaid his human vision. He saw the "steel continent" transform into a complex, layered structure. Orderly lines etched details beneath the outer shell. He located the position marked as the hatch. Leading the team closer, he discovered a wide, downward-sloping ramp. The ramp didn't extend very far, revealing a particularly thick metal barrier below.

The group reached the metal barrier. Lily ran around the perimeter, claws scraping against the wall, but found no signs of a control device.

"Partner, should we blow it open?" the data terminal asked casually.

"No, let's find a normal way," Hao Ren waved his hand. "What if there are survivors?"

"I don't like studying this stuff," Lily grumbled. "Headache."

Hao Ren remained silent, using the shared vision to search for nearby clues. He could see the mechanical structures beneath the surrounding metal plates. Beneath the heavy steel, there were shallower grooves containing pipes and wires, some likely connected to the hatch's controls. The data terminal analyzed much faster. Soon, the PDA found a suspected activation switch based on the hatch's wiring layout, marking it in Hao Ren's vision with a striking red outline.

Hao Ren pointed to a metal plate on the adjacent wall. "Dig this open—careful not to damage what's inside."

Lily immediately floated forward, brandishing her ice-fire claws in a flurry of golden light. She quickly removed the metal plate, exposing complex, ancient wiring and circuit board structures.

The system used electricity.

With the data terminal's assistance, Hao Ren located the critical control wires. He carefully severed two cables from the circuit board, then beckoned Vivian over. "Send a little electricity—28 volts DC."

Vivian: "..."

(By the way, this year's Forbes annual list voting has started. Although I still don't understand how the list mechanism works, I hope everyone can vote to support it. The Forbes Annual Ceremony on the Qidian homepage is it, um, it should be.)