Kane looked up suddenly!
The sleek, majestic figure of the Nightingale scout ship, breaking through the thin ionosphere, appeared above the dim sky like a guardian angel! The particle beam muzzle beneath the hull still shone with the afterglow of its launch!
"Commander! Hold on!" Rex's familiar, metallic roar echoed through Kane's channel via the close-range laser communication!
At the same time, a small drone, like a falcon, launched from the Nightingale, swooping down at breakneck speed, hovering precisely above Kane and dropping a rescue cable with a magnetic lock!
Kane grabbed the cable without hesitation! The magnetic lock clicked tightly onto his armor!
The drone immediately pulled with all its might, yanking Kane from the edge of the chasm!
The moment his feet left the ground, the crystalline wave below completely engulfed the area, including his lone landing craft. The landing craft, like metal drenched in acid, was quickly engulfed, deformed, and finally merged into the expanding gray-white hell.
Kane was hoisted swiftly into the air by a drone aboard the Nightingale. Looking down, he saw a gray-white crystallized area, centered at the ventilation duct opening, spreading across the surface like a plague, at an astonishing rate! At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the entire planet's surface was completely transformed!
The hangar doors at the Nightingale's belly were already open, awaiting their commander's return.
Minutes later, Kane was safely pulled into the Nightingale's hangar. The airlock quickly closed, and the gravity system returned to normal.
Rex's massive form stood in the center of the hangar, his armor stained with battle scars, but his scanning eyes gleamed with relief. Nearby, Leah sat on a maintenance droid. She appeared to be in better condition. Although her synthetic skin was damaged in places, exposing components, the data flow in her eyes had returned to a stable state, and several engineering robots were performing emergency maintenance.
"Sir! I knew you wouldn't die so easily!" Rex stepped forward, his voice booming.
"Commander, welcome back." Leah's voice remained calm, yet with a subtle ripple.
Kane steadied himself and untied the rescue cable. He didn't bother exchanging pleasantries, but directly asked, "What's the ship's status? Why was communication lost earlier?"
Lia replied immediately, "We encountered intense energy interference on our return, originating from within the planet, which blocked nearly all conventional communication bands. We had no choice but to lower our altitude and use laser communication and visual search. The ship is generally stable, but some external sensors were damaged by the close-range energy radiation."
Kane nodded and quickly walked towards the bridge. "Ascend to a safe orbit immediately! Highest combat readiness!"
The three quickly returned to the bridge. On the main screen, the image of planet G-173c zoomed in, clearly showing the grayish-white area rapidly expanding like ink dropped into clear water. It was a shocking sight.
"It...it's going to devour the entire planet..." Leah whispered, staring at the screen.
"It's more than just the planet," Kane's voice was icy. "If we let it continue, it will convert all usable matter and energy, and ultimately... it could threaten the entire galaxy."
He turned, his gaze sweeping between Rex and Leah.
"We have no choice."
"Initiate decontamination protocols."
The bridge was silent. Only the hum of revving engines and the silent image of destruction on the planet's surface, beamed across the screens.
The final judgment was about to arrive.