Jiang Ye’s eyelids twitched violently, and he instinctively took a step back.
He had seen warnings several times before, all related to weather or beast tides.
Now, for the first time, there was a war warning!
Calming himself, he continued reading the highlighted message.
[Orange War Warning!]
[Sentient and socially behaving indigenous species have been discovered on this planet. This species has a body similar to humans, with dark purple skin, no facial features, a mouth located on the chin, and the ability to pilot whale-like creatures to move through the sea. They possess well-developed muscle tissue.]
[Specific species information is still under investigation. This species has been temporarily named Water Ghost. If it is determined that this species is widespread on this planet, the Galactic Empire will dispatch troops for suppression and extermination. Colony officials are advised to prioritize personal safety and await cooperation with the army.]
After reading, Jiang Ye immediately switched to the private chat interface.
As expected, messages from the foul-mouthed female officer were waiting.
Li Nannan: The preliminary dissection results of the Water Ghost you captured last time are out. It's a very special silicon-based lifeform with several spherical brains inside its body, with a complex internal structure. Air Force detectors have been launched and have just entered the M78 nebula. They should reach your planet in a couple of days. Let's wait for the further results from the detectors.
Jiang Ye: Detectors? To detect Water Ghosts?
Li Nannan: Of course! Are they detecting you instead of Water Ghosts? Water Ghosts can pilot whale-like creatures, right? Scientists suspect it's a deep-sea creature, so they're sending out several detectors to the seabed to see if they can find Water Ghost gathering areas, analyze their numbers and behavior, and see if they pose a threat to humans.
Jiang Ye: Understood. What do I need to do? Lie low and sleep at home?
Li Nannan: Sleep, sleep, sleep! Are you a pig?
Li Nannan: The worst-case scenario is that after the detectors enter your planet's seabed, they discover large-scale Water Ghost settlements, Water Ghost tribes, Water Ghost cities, or even Water Ghost nations.
Li Nannan: If such a situation arises, the army will inevitably launch a war to exterminate the Water Ghosts. At that time, your planet's colony officials will need to establish some troops, build military bases, construct arms factories, and generally militarize rapidly.
Li Nannan: Think about it with your pitiful little brain. If the entire planet is militarized, what do you want to do? Be a peace-loving civilian, be recruited into the army to earn a living, or perhaps, you could be the first to respond to the army's call, build a military base, raise troops, and become a high-ranking officer on the entire planet?
Jiang Ye: Of course, a high-ranking officer! It's a joke, I'm the richest man!
Li Nannan: Then keep saving money. I see your base level is still quite low. If you want to be a high-ranking officer and have others obey you, you need to level up more.
Jiang Ye: When will the war start?
Li Nannan: It’s uncertain. How the hell would I know! Maybe the detectors will find a Water Ghost nation the day after tomorrow, and it will be wartime then. Or maybe the detectors will only find a Water Ghost nation two years later, and the war will start then.
Jiang Ye: Got it, got it. Thanks, Commander! I'll mail you some local specialties later.
Li Nannan: Local specialties? Alright, I don't want anything ordinary. If you're giving, give something unusual.
Closing the private chat window, Jiang Ye fell into thought.
The situation on this planet was becoming increasingly complex:
The seasons were changing drastically, and various unknown indigenous creatures appeared and died.
Ten thousand spy robots, manufactured by the alien race known as the Miri, had been on this planet for a long time, and their level of infiltration was unknown.
Now, a war with the Water Ghosts could break out at any moment.
Jiang Ye decided to speed up his upgrade.
The greater the danger, the stronger he had to become to protect himself and to have a chance to gain a share in the chaos.
At this moment, a brutal base upgrade condition lay before him:
A 100-kilometer super marathon!
Jiang Ye opened the Galactic Mall and bought himself a physical enhancement serum, injecting it intravenously.
He stood up and began his warm-up exercises.
Chest expansion, arm swings, side leg presses, ankle and knee joints…
After completing his warm-up, Jiang Ye clicked on the panel and opened the base upgrade.
[Super Marathon Challenge Begins!]
[You have run 0 kilometers. There are 11 hours and 59 minutes remaining until the end of this challenge.]
Then, he pushed the door open, took a deep breath, and ran towards the distance!
He wasn't planning to complete the super marathon today; it was unrealistic.
He was just running to test his stamina and see how his physical condition was.
Clicking on the base upgrade was purely to measure his running distance.
One kilometer, three kilometers, five kilometers…
He wasn't running fast, and his stamina was temporarily sufficient.
Jiang Ye felt a bit overconfident. Since arriving on this planet, he had been doing heavy physical labor every day, and his muscle levels had been constantly increasing. Perhaps the super marathon would be easy for him?
Ten kilometers, fifteen kilometers, twenty kilometers…
His stamina plummeted, and he suddenly felt fatigued.
His skin began to itch, his legs stiffened, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.
His clothes were already soaked with sweat!
Jiang Ye decided to turn back. He couldn't run any further. Running too far was dangerous, and he might not have the stamina to return.
He turned around and ran back.
As soon as he turned, he chuckled.
A large pack of white wolves was following him from a distance.
Undoubtedly, they were the guard dogs near the base.
Having run so far in one go, even the wolf pack looked tired, their tongues lolling out as they panted.
Jiang Ye ran back with all his might.
His stamina rapidly depleted, his muscles stiffened, and his legs required sheer willpower to lift.
He was sweating profusely, and his throat was burning with thirst.
He suddenly remembered that he should have brought some water to replenish his fluids, otherwise, the physical exertion would be too great.
Well, he truly lacked marathon experience.
His pace slowed, his stamina exhausted, and finally, he could only walk.
The distance to the base was still considerable, only a small dot visible in the distance.
The pack of wild wolves following Jiang Ye were also listlessly exhausted.
Dusk descended.
Night fell.
Jiang Ye practically crawled back to the base.
Outside the base, the accompanying wild wolves had collapsed.
The base panel on the first floor was lit, displaying the text:
[You have run 43.2 kilometers. There are 5 hours and 48 minutes remaining until the end of this challenge.]
He went straight to the second floor and turned on the faucet, drinking directly.
The water from the faucet was purified and safe to drink.
Jiang Ye drank water desperately until his stomach was full, finally relieving his thirst.
Too exhausted to bear it, he collapsed onto the bed. He didn't care that his clothes were soaked with sweat; he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
He slept for less than an hour before being woken by the urge to urinate.
He got up to relieve himself, and after that, he was ravenously hungry, his stomach aching from hunger.
Jiang Ye cried out in pain and bought canned meat, devouring it.
This time, he truly understood what it meant to be physically exhausted; his body had been completely drained!
This upgrade mission was more challenging than any previous one.