"It's the government forces..."
Yun Yi carefully maneuvered his mecha to the farthest point where he could still observe, his eyes filled with hatred as he stared at the prominent emblem on the spaceship.
When the ship landed, he had gone into hiding, closely watching the people and mechas emerging from it. The mechas were the Patriot IV, commonly used by the government forces and suitable for warriors above the fifth level. Yun Yi had once studied the Patriot series in detail. Although it couldn't match the Red Mane III in firepower and offensive capabilities, its defense utilized a unique technology from the Tober Corporation, the manufacturer.
The Tober Corporation, a major conglomerate in the Lichma Federation, was renowned for its advanced research in alloys, placing it at the forefront of the field in the universe. The Patriot IV's defense was at least ten percentage points higher than that of the Red Mane III.
However, Yun Yi wasn't concerned about this.
Once the spaceship deployed all its mechas, it would be Yun Yi's turn to act. These mecha warriors would serve as the perfect test for his year of arduous training.
His slender hands glided over the slightly cold control panel, and a cold smile appeared on Yun Yi's lips.
"Report, mecha number 13 has discovered an astonishing deposit of Trandium to the east, 266 kilometers from the base. Preliminary estimates suggest it exceeds 20 million tons."
Sanchiras abruptly stood up, his face filled with excitement. He had never expected to receive such a significant gift so soon after deploying the mechas. Trandium! The entire Fengzhou star region's reserves likely didn't even come close to the deposit just discovered. This extremely rare material was widely used in the engines of warships and mechas, but its scarcity in the universe kept its price consistently high.
Now, with such a massive rich deposit found, its value alone surpassed that of an ordinary habitable planet.
"Search! Keep searching! See what other minerals are out there!" Sanchiras's face was flushed with excitement. Even as the most outstanding figure in his family, someone who had remained composed while killing thousands, he was now visibly agitated, a testament to the immense value of this Trandium deposit.
After a brief mental calculation, he arrived at a conclusion.
Even if they sold all their family's assets, they wouldn't be able to purchase even a tenth of this deposit.
It seemed Sanchiras's good fortune hadn't run out with the discovery of the Trandium deposit. Less than three minutes later, another communication came in.
"Report, mecha number 05 has discovered a large quantity of Zenhui stones southwest, 2,754 kilometers from the base. The reserves are unestimable."
Zenhui stones, one of the most coveted gemstones in the universe, were a source of pride for every noblewoman and princess. These mysterious stones, emitting a dazzling blue-violet hue and shimmering like flowing light, were exorbitantly expensive. A single stone the size of a soybean could be worth as much as a state-of-the-art warship.
"We've struck gold... we've struck gold..." Sanchiras was at a loss for words. His mind began to envision the heights his family could reach. Perhaps, in the near future, he would command an innumerable fleet of warships, overthrow the government forces, and become the founding emperor of a great empire.
"Brother, look at this!"
Sanchiras turned at the sound of his brother's voice and saw Santan running in, holding a stone. He was about to reprimand Santan when his gaze fell on the stone in his hands, larger than a human head.
The dark stone was adorned with flickering multicolored lights, like stars twinkling in the night sky. Its unique appearance suggested it was anything but ordinary.
"Could it be..." A term flashed in Sanchiras's mind, and his breathing became rapid. He snatched the stone from Santan's hands and examined it closely.
Santan's voice drew the attention of the nearby workers, and everyone stared at the stone in Sanchiras's hands, their breaths growing heavier.
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"Eclipse Radium!"
Moments later, someone finally called out its name.
Indeed, it was Eclipse Radium, an extremely rare material used in the construction of ultra-large-caliber Gauss cannons. Its scarcity meant that, aside from the flagship vessels of the royal fleets of a few superpowers, no warship's main cannon exceeded 500 mm in caliber.
The existence of Eclipse Radium, aside from its use in critical interstellar fortresses, was mostly hoarded by various nations, rarely revealed to the public. The piece Sanchiras held in his hands was even larger than the one the Tang Empire had declared a national treasure!
Before the crowd could recover from the brilliance of the Eclipse Radium, the communicator delivered more news of rare mineral discoveries.
This wasn't just a planet—it was a treasure trove!
Sanchiras's eyes were filled with fervor. At that moment, he wanted to shout to the heavens to vent his excitement.
As for the others present, aside from the occasional fear when they glanced at Sanchiras, their eyes were filled with greed. After all, delivering such a massive piece of Eclipse Radium to the Tang Empire would at least earn them a count's title and the reward of at least ten prosperous planets.
However, under the threat of Sanchiras's formidable eighth-level martial arts, no one dared to openly seize this priceless ore. Moreover, their families were under the "protection" of the Sanchiras family. What they might do behind the scenes, however, was anyone's guess.
Just as everyone was immersed in the discovery of the massive ore and countless rare minerals, an unsettling message came through.
"Report, mecha number 16 has lost contact northeast, 6,021 kilometers from the base!"
"What? Lost contact?" Sanchiras was momentarily stunned, perhaps overwhelmed by the earlier excitement. It took him a few seconds to react. "Are you saying one of our mechas has lost contact? Did it send out a distress signal?"
The communications officer immediately replied, "Mecha number 16 suddenly lost contact. There was no distress signal or abnormal situation reported. We suspect the mecha malfunctioned. Should we send someone to investigate?"
Sanchiras snorted coldly. "That piece of junk, breaking down now of all times. This is going to delay the mineral survey. Forget it, the survey is urgent. We don't have time to deal with this. Once we complete this mission and return, I'll get everyone the latest Diamond X mechas from the Tang Empire!"
Buoyed by the discovery of so many rare minerals, Sanchiras spoke with confidence.
"Yes, sir!"
No one paid much attention to this news. Their focus was now on how much bonus they would receive upon their return or whether they could secure shares in some of the mineral deposits.
Five minutes later, another message came in.
"What? Mecha number 17 has also lost contact?" Sanchiras looked at his communications officer in disbelief.
"Perhaps... perhaps this mecha also malfunctioned..." The communications officer wiped the sweat from his forehead. If two mechas had indeed broken down, the ship's mecha repair technician would likely be executed on the spot.
Without hesitation, Sanchiras opened the computer beside him and pulled up a map of the entire planet.
"With the base as the center, mecha number 16 was exploring along the line 20 degrees north of east, and mecha number 17 was 40 degrees north of east. The two weren't too far apart... If that's the case..."
Sanchiras immediately ordered, "Notify all mechas to proceed with caution. We might have some trouble. Especially mechas 14, 15, 18, and 19—the enemy's next target might be them."
Although the communications officer was puzzled about what kind of enemy could exist on such a remote planet, he faithfully relayed Sanchiras's order.
"Hmm, have the nearest mecha, number 6, check the wreckage of the Restoration Army's ship to see if there's anything of note." Looking at the map, Sanchiras seemed to recall something. Though the possibility was infinitesimally small, his inherently suspicious nature prompted him to send someone to investigate.
Sanchiras had ordered all mecha warriors to proceed with caution, but this didn't improve their situation.
"Report, mecha number 15 has lost contact..."
"Report, mecha number 14 has lost contact..."
"Report, mecha number 13..."
"Report, mecha number 12..."
In less than half an hour, four more mechas had lost contact. Instantly, a sense of panic began to spread throughout the base.
Despite the mecha warriors' utmost caution, with all detectors activated and their full attention on their surroundings, some clever warriors had already begun moving closer to their nearby comrades.
"Have the mechas sent to search for numbers 16 and 17 arrived yet?" Sanchiras didn't appear flustered but merely rubbed his temples. He knew there were only two possibilities: either there was some strange creature or phenomenon on the planet capable of destroying mechas before their pilots could react, or there were one or more high-level warriors from the Restoration Army's flagship that had crashed here over a year ago.
Either scenario would give him a headache.
Upon hearing Sanchiras's question, the communications officer operated the communicator for a moment, then suddenly looked up, as if in disbelief, and muttered, "Mechas 18, 19, and 20 have all lost contact simultaneously..."
"Three mechas?" Sanchiras found it hard to believe. Even he, an eighth-level martial artist, couldn't take out three mechas without their pilots noticing, even if those pilots were only at the fifth level.
If it really was a Restoration Army mecha warrior, achieving such a feat would require someone at the high eighth level or even the ninth level. However, there was another possibility: a combat technique!
A powerful mecha combat technique could instantly multiply a mecha's attack power several times over. Of course, the warrior would need to be taught the technique and spend considerable time practicing it.
Clearly, this was impossible. It had to be that a significant number of Restoration Army mecha warriors were still alive on this planet. Sanchiras frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before ordering, "Command all mechas to gather around mecha number 7. Once assembled, return immediately."