Chapter 25: The Arsenal

Base 45 has completely lost contact with Li Qingsong.

Losing a single base like Base 45 was still within the realm of acceptable losses. Li Qingsong would not even have minded losing more bases in the short term. The critical issue, however, was that the primary mineral veins could not be compromised. This included ten vital veins, such as Iron Vein No. 1, Copper Vein No. 1, Oxygen Vein No. 1, and Tholin Vein No. 1. These deposits were Li Qingsong’s lifeline; their output was the foundation supporting the development of the main base.

"The key now is to determine exactly how many of these strange birds there are and where they are located."

Thoughts raced through Li Qingsong’s mind. He attempted to manipulate the telescope on the *Deep Space* vessel to aim at Luoshen Star, conducting a search across hundreds of kilometers. However, compared to the scale of an entire planet, the creatures were too small. The *Deep Space* survey revealed no signs of them—not even at Base 45, where their presence had already been confirmed.

With no other options, Li Qingsong decided to take a risk. He launched his only landing craft to conduct a cautious, low-altitude search of the planet. He had traveled barely a hundred kilometers when he witnessed a staggering sight.

Across the dark red landscape of Luoshen Star, countless strange birds were scattered in dense clusters. They varied in size, with the largest standing over three meters tall and the smallest over a meter. A rough estimate suggested there were at least two thousand of them in this area alone. They were currently using their sharp mouthparts and wings to heat and slice through the terrain, gathering organic matter like tholin, formaldehyde, and methane before swallowing it in great gulps.

With about a thousand at Base 45 and two thousand here... "When did these monsters arrive?" Li Qingsong wondered grimly.

He had no space-based observation or early warning capabilities; otherwise, he could have detected them before they descended from the void, sparing himself this current position of vulnerability.

Li Qingsong steered the landing craft forward. Before long, he encountered another cluster of the birds, and this time, they seemed to notice him. A few creatures expelled violent bursts of gas from their tails, propelling their bodies into high-speed flight as they lunged toward the landing craft. Li Qingsong immediately performed an evasive maneuver.

However, the birds did not fly high—only a few dozen meters—before the gas jets at their tails cut out, and their bodies slowly drifted back to the ground. At the same time, Li Qingsong watched as more birds plummeted from the pitch-black abyss of space at incredible speeds. Just before hitting the surface, they would expel gas from their tails to decelerate, eventually landing on the surface at a slower, albeit heavy, speed. Some still moved too fast and crashed violently, leaving them either motionless or struggling to stand.

A realization dawned on Li Qingsong: these birds were indeed migrating from the stars. Perhaps their energy reserves were nearly depleted from their long interstellar voyage, leaving them temporarily unable to fly. This was a stroke of luck, but Luoshen Star offered an abundance of resources. How long would it take them to convert these materials into flight energy? Li Qingsong did not know, but based on data from his previous dissection of one of the creatures, he estimated it would take no more than a month and a half—likely between 30 and 40 days.

As far as his eyes could see, the land was blanketed by these creatures. There were tens of thousands in his field of vision alone. Including those he had yet to discover and those still descending from space, the total number was unfathomable.

Deeply troubled, Li Qingsong made his decision.

"I will store 50 clones on the *Deep Space* vessel, pack the necessary supplies, and evacuate Luoshen Star to hide in orbit. The remaining clones, industrial facilities, and supplies I cannot take will stay behind to fight these things to the bitter end. If I can hold them off, I will stay and continue to develop; if not, I will flee to another planet. Fortunately, the *Deep Space* vessel has been inactive and had few clones on board, so the creatures—lacking energy—haven't taken an interest in it. If I had lost that ship, I would have lost my final escape route."

Li Qingsong decisively piloted the landing craft back to the main base, immediately began transporting his clones and supplies, and ignited the thrusters of the *Deep Space* vessel to retreat into deep space. Over the years, he had meticulously maintained the ship, and with his current technological level, he had just enough capability to manufacture chemical fuel to restart it.

While evacuating, Li Qingsong made a second decision.

"War with these creatures is inevitable. If so, I must consolidate my lines. I will abandon all secondary bases and concentrate all clones at the ten primary mineral sites. We will defend the main base, the ten mines, and the railway network at all costs to buy time for development. And then... we go all out on weapons technology."

Suddenly, nearly ten thousand clones from over ninety of the hundred-plus scattered bases rushed out. Mining trucks, bulldozers, cargo trucks, and exploration vehicles roared to life, charging across the deathly silent landscape of Luoshen Star as if their lives depended on it. On the railways, every available train was mobilized to evacuate clones from the smaller bases and transport them to the main base or the core mineral sites.

At the core sites, the clones began scavenging every component that could serve as a weapon, arming themselves as best they could. At the main base, thousands of clones donned their space suits and rushed to the perimeter. Searchlights were erected, and exploration vehicles fanned out as the clones ventured into the darkness, risking their lives.

It was too dangerous to deploy the only landing craft again; now, they had to rely on the clones for reconnaissance. They would patrol the perimeter, ready to relay information the moment a bird attacked.

Beyond these preparations, Li Qingsong began the most critical task of all. All dozens of factories capable of metal processing ceased their current production. They were repurposed for the most vital task of the moment: the production of cold weapons.