Chapter 71: The Truth of History

Xiao Sa wore a gem necklace around his neck, along with Haino's Central Mind core.

In order to enter the underground palace beneath the imperial palace to explore the secret history of his clan, he temporarily removed Haino's core from the mech unit to ensure he wouldn't get lost in the palace.

Before entering the underground palace, he made an agreement with Landis to finish the mission quickly, promising that no matter what happened, he would come out within half an hour.

However, not long after entering the core layer of the underground palace, the extremely strong magnetic interference in the area blocked all signals and communication, causing him to lose contact with Landis completely.

"Haino, do you know what's deeper below the main control room?"

Xiao Sa piloted the silver mech down the blasted tunnel, surrounded by thick, gloomy fog, with visibility practically zero.

Powerful attacking pheromones, like silent guards, surrounded him, constantly emitting an icy killing intent. Hardly any alien species dared to approach him within a ten-meter radius due to the absolute suppression.

"That's an imperial secret and not stored in my database, but there is indeed much deeper space below," Haino replied after a moment of searching his database. "The imperial palace was built on the ruins of a human underground city hundreds of years ago. There should be a massive underground city below."

The silver mech continued to descend, and after what seemed like an eternity, the black fog gradually thinned. Under the mech's bright searchlights, the surrounding space grew larger and more spacious.

This underground city was built along a dug-out underground crack. Every ten meters on the walls hung a low-temperature wall lamp, lit by some unknown energy source, emitting a faint green glow.

The passages of the underground city were interconnected in all directions. Massive, reinforced barriers separated the city from the underground palace above. Not a single ray of light penetrated from above, nor was there any signal, completely isolating it into two different worlds.

Were it not for the third prince's arrangements, causing an internal explosion, entering this underground city would have been impossible.

There were ventilation pipes in the city, but the air was still filled with a thick, foul stench. The underground city had long been devoid of anything, leaving only pervasive pollution sources and writhing alien flesh.

It had become a natural breeding ground for nurturing alien larval nests.

On the walls, every other wall lamp had an oval pit carved into it, each containing a glass chamber filled with cultivation fluid, inside which vaguely appeared the outline of a human corpse.

Some corpses were still fresh, their human features clearly visible, their skin covered with gray-green scales, their limbs mutated to varying degrees, bone spurs protruding through the skin. These were undoubtedly the remains of recently mutated soldiers.

Other corpses had long rotted and deformed, their flesh swollen into hybrid, half-human, half-beast forms.

Xiao Sa furrowed his brow deeply, his eyes scanning these glass chambers. These were probably the "nutrients" the third prince had mentioned.

Each glass chamber was connected to clusters of alien larval nests hanging from the ceiling via thick transmission pipes. These clusters resembled giant "grape bunches," with gray-green threads wrapping the cocoon-like nests, inside which weak alien larvae could be seen writhing.

Along the way, there were many fresh corpses, some only half a body, the flesh not yet cold. Some were mere remnants, and from the tattered clothing, it was clear they were secret researchers specifically tasked with cultivating alien larval nests and manufacturing mech beasts.

Despite their complicity, they still couldn't escape the fate of being buried with the third prince.

As Xiao Sa proceeded, he saw countless such glass chambers and clusters of larval nests embedded in the walls. At this stage, the alien larval nests were still in the cultivation phase, essentially defenseless and very fragile.

Xiao Sa bombarded these nests with the mech's particle beam cannon, blasting them into pieces, and smashed all the glass chambers devouring the mutated soldiers' remains.

The white cloud-like mental entity reappeared above him, continuously spraying cleansing purifying mist as he advanced rapidly.

The surrounding pollution sources and aliens were forced back by his overwhelmingly strong pheromones, carving out a clean path.

Xiao Sa piloted the mech down the main road of the underground city, his mental domain compressed to a narrow range, his pheromones refined to the extreme, barely extending a thin layer to isolate the surrounding aliens.

At the end of the passage, he encountered a dead end littered with the remains of dead larval nests and desiccated flesh.

"The data in my database about the underground city is incomplete, but it shouldn't be just this large. There might be more to it inside," Haino's voice reminded Xiao Sa, who nodded and released his mental energy field to the maximum.

"There is indeed something strange behind."

Xiao Sa raised the mech's two mechanical arms, and the particle cannons bombarded the remnants of the nest ahead, reducing them to dust that scattered with the gusts of wind.

Stones and dust fell all over the ground, finally revealing an ancient gate with a metallic luster. It was covered with rust and the marks of time.

Xiao Sa didn't know how thick the gate was; no matter how much he bombarded it, it remained unmoved. Only the cracked rust and falling dust indicated his futility.

"Xiao Sa, stop bombing. This is an absolute defense wall built by ancient humans to withstand nuclear attacks and radiation. It can only be opened with a special 'key'," Haino said.

"Key?" Xiao Sa leaned in for a closer look, examining the gate meticulously. As the rust flaked off, the original color and some special marks were gradually exposed.

Xiao Sa scraped off the excess dust and corrosion, revealing a few characters that were vaguely familiar. He used the mech's infrared scanner to carefully scan them and suddenly widened his eyes—

The characters were eerily familiar, almost identical to the ancient script from his home planet.

Xiao Sa's heart raced. This was it—the ancestral planet his clan had sought for centuries across the stars.

He had finally found the place.

Xiao Sa carefully identified the characters above. Much of the text had eroded and faded over time:

"...Energy...Core..."

There was a small recess at the center. Xiao Sa's brow twitched as he touched the star authority gem hanging around his neck; it matched the shape of the recess perfectly.

Xiao Sa opened the mech's cockpit and came before the gate, removing his star authority gem to embed it into the recess. It fit perfectly.

The next second, a faint purple light emanated from the edge of the recess and spread along countless connected lines, quickly covering the entire gate. The sound of massive mechanical operations and vibrations echoed far away.

An intermittent synthetic voice came from somewhere: "Mental energy...verification..."

This was simple for Xiao Sa, who had already reached double-S rank mental energy after his second differentiation.

A red light brightened at the bottom of the gate, rapidly rising with his mental energy output, but it significantly slowed at the two-thirds mark.

Xiao Sa gritted his teeth, pushing his mental energy to its limit, and finally, the red light reached the top.

"Whoever designed this must have been expecting only the strongest minds. Without double-S level mental energy, entry would be impossible," Xiao Sa wiped his sweat. If the creator behind this gate was truly his clan's ancestor, it meant not only was the star authority gem the 'key', but only those who had undergone second differentiation were allowed to enter.

No wonder this underground city had remained intact after being buried under the palace for so many years.

With a grating sound, the ancient gate slowly slid open, revealing a passage that led deeper into the complex.

Xiao Sa retrieved his star authority gem and returned to the cockpit. The silver mech entered the dark passage, and moments later, his vision suddenly expanded.

Below him, the vast chamber stretched out like the interior of a long-dormant volcano. The walls had been meticulously carved, a testament to the immense effort and resources invested.

A corridor extended to the central giant hollow, and at the end was an ancient AI terminal standing in the hollow's center, like a towering pillar supporting this massive underground city.

Haino let out an awestruck exclamation. "That terminal is enormous—far larger than anything I've ever seen!"

Xiao Sa stood before the enormous terminal, carefully examining the control panel. It was probably a relic from hundreds of years ago. Compared to the more advanced devices of the present, the terminal looked very primitive and much larger.

There was an embedded energy core slot as well. Following the same procedure, Xiao Sa opened the core compartment and inserted the star authority gem again.

A faint light briefly flowed across the surface of the terminal like water, then extinguished just as quickly. Just as Xiao Sa thought the terminal was completely broken, the intermittent synthetic voice sounded again:

"Unable to initialize, missing Central Mind core."

Xiao Sa was startled and quickly added Haino's core into the core compartment.

A faint electrical hum crackled, and the light on the terminal grew more intense.

"Initiating identity verification... confirmed..."

"Database... corrupted... irreparable..."

"Emergency response program initiated..."

Although most of the systems eventually shut down, the very center stubbornly lit up with a green light.

"Confirmed, first sequence authority enabled."

"Core region activated... importing..."

A chaotic stream of data rapidly flashed across Haino's core. The hidden database of the original terminal was fully opened to Haino.

The cylindrical terminal suddenly glowed with a hazy light, projecting onto the dark stone walls around it, and the light flowed along the sunken engravings on the walls.

Xiao Sa lifted his head, his eyes widening in awe. By the faint glow, he could see that the walls were actually covered with massive carvings.

Each carving was nearly ten meters tall, with deep engraved lines, coated with an unknown preservative, the colors still faintly discernible.

After countless years, many of the marks had weathered, and the colors had lost their luster, but most of the engravings remained intact.

Energy could fade, technology could fail, machines could rust, and records could be lost, but the massive stone walls of the underground city endured. The ancestors had etched their history into the stone, using the most ancient methods to preserve their legacy.

As the light grew stronger, the carvings became clearer, and there were also characters from Xiao Sa's home planet. Though they had evolved over time, their general meaning was still understandable:

A thousand years ago, solar rays underwent an unimaginable change, causing a massive catastrophe. The star sea region gradually became filled with radiation and pollution. Humans and other creatures living on the ancestral planet were gradually eroded by radiation and pollution amidst war, riots, disaster, and famine.

Most of them degenerated their glands and lost their gender, barely surviving in the polluted and irradiated environment. Another group, the Alphas who resisted the environment most fiercely, were polluted into the first "humanoid mutants."

Human civilization nearly collapsed and had to hide underground to escape the disaster.

After more than three hundred years of darkness and chaos, the gathered humans discovered a rare energy source, the purple core crystal, hidden underground. This crystal not only contained immense energy and was immune to radiation but could also naturally communicate with mental energy.

Relying on this rare crystal, humans rebuilt a new civilization in the underground city and fully developed the first primitive Central Mind core, Haino.

Unfortunately, the reserves of the purple core crystal were extremely scarce, while the number of alien species mother nests outside increased, eventually forming a massive super mother nest that continuously produced new pollution and mutants.

In long research, the researchers finally discovered that mutants could be controlled by ultra-strong Alpha pheromones through natural suppression between Alphas.

By creating a "king Alpha mutant" who retained rationality and self-awareness, they could replace the mother nest and control all other mutants, preventing new pollution sources and gradually eradicating them.

A supreme commander among humans stepped forward and became the first experimental subject. With strong willpower, he was polluted to the point of mutation but managed to retain his rationality and consciousness, becoming the "King of Mutants." He gathered all the mother nests and perished together with them.

This great leader sacrificed everything for the survival of humanity, successfully destroying the super mother nest, but at the cost of his own life. His loyal followers also suffered heavy losses, with many of the wounded succumbing to infection and mutation.

However, soon after the supreme commander's departure, the remaining factions in the underground city began to vie for power, gradually filling the void he had left.

The victorious faction, determined to maintain their rule, imprisoned the surviving infected soldiers in secret labs, branding them as "alien species" to the outside world. They erased the true history, claiming the commander's achievements as their own, and took credit for the victory.

The remaining followers and descendants of that commander were forced to leave their ancestral planet and embark on a long journey to find a new home......

The history depicted on the murals ends abruptly here, marking the last trace of the commander's descendants.

Xiao Sa could deduce the events of the next few hundred years, even without the murals, from the "history" recorded by Haino.

The legions left behind in the underground city endured multiple regime changes due to internal conflicts. The eventual victors emerged as heroes, leading the people to destroy the hive and defeat the humanoid mutants, founding the Dawn Empire on the ruins and becoming its first royal family.

The commander's descendants and subordinates ventured to a new galaxy, carving out a new home. Two branches of humans, originating from the same source, evolved along different paths over hundreds of years to adapt to their environments.

Xiao Sa finally understood why the imperial family had always secretly researched mech beasts—anti-human biological weapons.

Driven by fear.

The stolen fruits and the enormous lie would one day be exposed, stripping them of their ruling foundation. They feared the return of their kin.

The royal family's research on mutants and the hive never ceased, and they continually attempted to create a new "king" to control everything, thus ensuring the mutant horde continued endlessly, leading to the birth of mech beasts.

Twenty minutes had already passed since the agreed time with Landis.

As soon as Haino completed the core data import, Xiao Sa immediately retrieved the star authority gem and Haino's core, heading back the way he came.

Just as he prepared to pilot the mech out of the underground city, a violent earthquake erupted beneath him!

"What's going on!"

"Xiao Sa, get out of there, massive energy fluctuations detected below!"

After fully activating the hidden area's access rights and obtaining the core data from the primary terminal, Haino completed the data import of the underground palace.

"Too late..." Xiao Sa could already hear consecutive roars from below.

Xiao Sa's worst fears were confirmed—there were indeed three king-level mutants lurking beneath the surface.

Fortunately, these three king-level mutants were far smaller than the previous one, as if they had just completed their evolution after devouring many of their companions.

They chased after Xiao Sa, swinging their thick tails wildly, their massive bodies crushing the available space for the mech to dodge. The underground city shook violently as the king-level mutants' brute force and Xiao Sa's laser particle cannon blasts caused massive cracks and collapses, nearly blocking the escape route.

※※※

At that moment, within the command ship of the Third Legion above the underground palace.

Time was running out, with only ten minutes left before the deadline. General Landis, amidst commanding the battle, anxiously watched the entrance of the underground palace, glancing at his watch from time to time, but Xiao Sa's mech had still not emerged.

The signals sent received no response, like stones sinking into the sea.

The staff officers bustling around watched Landis's dark and cold expression, not daring to breathe heavily.

Only Caro braved the situation and approached him, saying in a low voice, "Sir, the evacuation of non-combat personnel in the vicinity has been completed. Micro clean nuclear bombs have been installed around the underground palace, and the Sky Eye defense system has been reactivated. The main cannon has been fully calibrated, with sufficient energy to launch an attack in coordination with the nuclear bombs at any time."

He quickly reported the most important matters in one breath and then glanced at Landis's expression, hesitating before adding, "Sir, Xiao Sa hasn't emerged from the underground palace yet. Should we wait a few more minutes?"

In the sky above the imperial palace, mechs were battling mutants everywhere, with laser beams and artillery fire lighting up the sky. The dense mutants were like an endless cloud covering the sun, and more mutants continued to emerge from the breached entrance of the underground palace, wrapped in black fog.

Major General Charlie of the First Legion strongly opposed, "We can't wait any longer! The mutant numbers are reaching a point we can't control. Who knows how many more are still down there?"

He looked at Landis earnestly, his eyes bloodshot. "General Landis, the situation has reached its most critical point. This is the limit; we cannot afford to wait any longer!"

"We must immediately activate the nuclear bomb and completely level the underground palace. If we don't, more mutants, possibly even lords or king-level, will emerge and break through our control. If they escape to the area outside the palace, it will be a catastrophe for all the nearby cities and people!"

The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone present watched Landis nervously, waiting for his final decision.

Landis's jaw tightened, his expression remaining calm and devoid of excess emotion. Only his hand, hanging by his side, was clenched into a fist, the knuckles white from the force.

At this moment, only five minutes remained until the scheduled detonation time.

Finally, he put his military cap back on and spoke in a low, firm voice, "Proceed with the original plan and activate the nuclear bomb, completely leveling the underground palace. Whether or not there are king-level mutants, execute them at the first opportunity!"

With his final command, the nuclear bomb detonation immediately entered the countdown…

※※※

Meanwhile, inside the underground palace.

Xiao Sa, tightly entangled by three king-level mutants, wielded the silver Scythe of Death. The sharp blade pierced deep into the neck of one of them, and thick, black-red blood mist burst out.

The silver-white mech's alloy shell was already covered in countless mutant remains. The surrounding thick black fog churned, but a small patch of clear ground was pushed away by the cloud of gas.

Haino urgently spoke in his ear, "Xiao Sa, we're running out of time! The external nuclear bomb detonation device has officially started the countdown. If you don't get out now, you'll be reduced to ashes!"

"I know, but the passage is blocked..."

There were too many mutants in the underground palace, and the corrupting magnetic field was too strong.

His mental energy was being consumed rapidly like flowing water. Xiao Sa fought while retreating, beads of sweat gradually appearing on his forehead. After maintaining the purification of the cloud of gas for an extended period, he was starting to feel fatigued.

He was still trying to control the severely wounded king-level mutant to attack the other two, but the king-level mutants' repulsion was too strong, making it impossible to succeed in a short time.

As he fended off the three king-level mutants and used his beam cannon to blast open a new path, a sudden explosive boom erupted from the blocked passage above.

Blazing, scorching flames erupted, and black fire, like a burning spear, pierced through the blocked passage, creating an opening.

A familiar voice approached from afar, "Xiao Sa!"

A black and gold mech descended through the mutants and thick black fog, diving straight down towards him.

Xiao Sa's heart raced, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Landis..."

Landis shouted, "There's no time, follow me now!"

The countdown had less than a minute remaining.

The angry roars of the three king-level mutants reverberated through the underground palace, summoning the surrounding mutants to close in on the two mechs, densely piling up in front of the passage.

Time was running out…

With three king-level mutants behind and countless mutants ahead, the corrupting magnetic field surged around them.

No time to hesitate, no time to react—Landis instinctively grabbed Xiao Sa's mechanical arm, and the black and gold mech firmly embraced him.

The majestic black lion emerged beneath them, but Landis didn’t spare a glance.

"Boom!"

The black fire erupted completely, the high-temperature flames almost melting the black fog. This terrifying destructive force tore the three king-level mutants apart, causing them to fall from the underground palace, and all the mutants blocking the path were instantly vaporized.

With the massive impact force of the explosion, the two mechs instantly shot out of the tunnel and rapidly ascended.

Inside the cockpit, Landis’s veins bulged at his temples, and he forced himself to swallow the metallic taste rising in his throat. His vision blurred, and for a moment, everything went dark.

It wasn’t until the two mechs burst out of the underground palace and soared into the sky that the countdown timer ticked through its final second—

"BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—" All the nuclear bombs around them detonated precisely on time. The ground shook as the explosions tore through the sky, reducing everything in the underground palace to ashes. The centuries-old, opulent Baroque palace crumbled, announcing to the world that the royal family was no more.

The two mechs returned to the warship, and Xiao Sa wasted no time, rushing to open Landis’s mech cockpit and diving inside.

"Landis!"

The narrow cockpit, now crowded with two people, felt suffocatingly tight. Xiao Sa took a deep breath, his cheekbones tensing as his face darkened. "What were you thinking? Are you out of your mind, Landis?"

Landis pulled him closer, gently stroking his hair, his voice soft and reassuring. "It was too dark down there, and I couldn’t bear to leave you behind..."

Xiao Sa’s lips trembled, but he remained silent, holding Landis even tighter, as if afraid to let go.