Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Inside the cabin, Wang Chen leaned back on the gravity chair, browsing through the data displayed in his field of view.

The Holy Light Empire is the undisputed ruler of the Ancient Star system, once reaching half of the star system and continuously expanding outward.

But this mighty empire now faces both internal conflict and external threats.

The internal conflict stems from the contradictions among the major star clusters, nobles, scholar families, and commoners, accumulating over hundreds of years, like a dormant volcano that no one knows when it will suddenly erupt.

And the external threat is the alliance and the aliens!

Putting aside the alliance of the same origin and kind, the aliens are undoubtedly the greatest enemy of all humanity. The empire's war with them has lasted for many years. While it has defended its territory, it has lost the ability to expand.

The aliens, also called the Nether Tribe, are not carbon-based life forms. Their bodies resemble mutated octopuses with four eyes at the front and back and eight tentacles. Not only do they have strong defenses, but they can also enter a phase-shifted state, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

What is terrifying is that these bizarre creatures have their own civilization, capable of manufacturing large space battleships, the strongest of which can even oppose the empire's Titan Ship.

As of now, the Nether Tribe controls twenty-seven Star Gates and five star clusters in the Ancient Star System.

Although the territory they occupy is no match for the empire, the continuous Nether Legion not only ties up most of the empire's military force but also places immense pressure on the security of the empire's borders.

In the past few years, countless imperial warriors have sacrificed their lives in battles to fend off the Nether Tribe invasion.

And this situation will persist; no one knows when this war will end!

Empire scientists tried to determine the Nether Tribe's origin, but all efforts ended in failure, although it is certain that they came from a previously undiscovered Star Gate.

Almost like...

Invaders from another world!

Wang Chen's previous understanding of the aliens was quite limited, but this time he got hold of classified empire documents, gaining more information related to the Nether Tribe.

He is heading toward Tampas Star, which once fell into the hands of the Nether Tribe. Although it has been recaptured, this living planet has become a radiation zone where modern civilization cannot exist.

The empire suspects that the Nether Tribe has massively transformed Tampas Star to make it suitable for their survival and habitation.

But this is merely speculation, with no scientific basis.

In fact, the Nether Tribe itself defies many scientific conventions, forcing the empire to recognize the complexity and diversity of the universe!

There is also intelligence indicating that there might still be some surviving humans on Tampas Star at present.

When the Tampas Star cluster was about to fall, the empire initiated an emergency evacuation from this living planet. Although most citizens were evacuated, some people were effectively abandoned.

Some people simply did not want to leave their homeland, choosing to stay and resist on their native soil.

How many of those who stayed alive remains unknown, as communication between the empire and Tampas Star has long been severed. It's estimated that survivors are barely getting by in underground bases.

In general, currently, Tampas Star is like a chicken rib to the empire; abandoning it means sacrificing so many warriors in vain, but it is also impossible to re-immigrate and rebuild, so it can only be left there.

At least until the Nether Tribe is completely expelled, the empire cannot devote massive human and material resources to revitalize this planet.

"Major, we will soon arrive in the outer space of Tampas Star."

An officer approached Wang Chen, saying solemnly: "The landing craft will be launched in thirty minutes; please prepare."

Wang Chen nodded: "Understood."

Wang Chen is currently aboard an Imperial New Sea Class Frigate, and the mission of this battleship is to transport him to Tampas Star for a landing search and rescue mission.

Of course, this mission has received approval from the empire's high command, highlighting the Xu Family's influence.

It's important to know that Wang Chen is no longer a minor figure; as the empire's known strongest superpower, he has gained the emperor's attention and is by no means disposable cannon fodder!

Such a dangerous mission, even if Wang Chen agreed, Xu Shaocheng paid a great price to persuade the empire's top tier.

Twenty minutes later, Wang Chen, now donning brand-new combat gear, boarded the landing craft.

Due to the special situation on Tampas Star, he didn't bring any electronic equipment. His battle suit, weapons, and survival pack were all custom-made.

After another ten minutes, the New Sea Class Frigate, in synchronous orbit with Tampas Star, deployed a high-speed landing craft towards the planet.

The landing craft, carrying Wang Chen, plunged toward the ground like a meteor, with its hull and the thick atmosphere creating intense friction, ultimately skimming down on a series of rolling highlands.

The long-shuttle-shaped bow plowed deep into the ground, skidding thousands of meters before stopping.

Thanks to the special design, it did not disintegrate from the severe impact, perfectly protecting the passengers inside.

With the sound of the airlock opening, Wang Chen leapt out.

The gravity on Tampas Star is not much different from that on Holy Light Star, so there is no problem with adaptation. The natural environment of this planet is actually quite good, with 70% of the land covered by forests and grasslands, and the oxygen content slightly higher than Holy Light Star.

Thus, Wang Chen can breathe and move freely even without a filtration device.

He looked around, observing the surroundings.

On the surface, today's Tampas Star seems not much different from other life planets. Although it was occupied by the Nether Tribe for a long time, the natural landscape remains.

However, Wang Chen noticed that the flora here not only grew particularly lush but also showed signs of mutation.

Most importantly, after landing, Wang Chen did not perceive the presence of the world's source, but an invisible energy wave was silently affecting this living planet.

He felt suppressed being within it!

Wang Chen tried to unleash spiritual energy, only to find that it was also being suppressed, significantly reducing its range.

This essentially weakened his power.

Fortunately, the Starry Seas Ring could still be opened normally, allowing him to freely use the supplies inside.

Wang Chen tidied up his carried equipment, then trekked toward the distance.

He had barely walked a few kilometers when he discovered a landing ship completely covered by vine-like plants.

The landing ship's surface showed severe corrosion, but the bow's number was still faintly discernible — it was the same one Xu Chengzhi had used for landing three months ago!

But it looked like it had endured hundreds of years of weathering and erosion.

This is going to be tough.

Wang Chen thought to himself.

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Here's the first update.