Full-Time Public Enemy

Chen Gu also kept the matter of the bizarre and unpredictable divine statue to himself, not sharing it with them. However, Chen Gu did catch a flaw in Benjamin's words. Benjamin had previously stated that their trip to the temple ruins wasn't for confronting the insect swarm, rendering his "Star Battle Instructor" abilities inapplicable. Yet, he also mentioned the possibility of the queen being inside the ruins. Chen Gu knew that any queen would undoubtedly be protected by a large contingent of insects. This contradiction suggested Benjamin was withholding some secret from him.

The decision was made to set out immediately. Along the way, they safely avoided two insect swarms and activated "Complete Stealth" to evade a patrolling aerial swarm, quietly approaching the temple ruins, now over two hundred kilometers distant.

Although it was possible that a civilization once existed on this planet, no real signs of its presence had ever been found. This temple ruin was the only one discovered so far.

Even this site seemed a bit "far-fetched." Chen Gu understood as soon as he observed it from a distance: giant stones stood like stone monuments upon the earth, yet they also resembled a natural stone forest, showing no trace of man-made construction. The scale was incredibly vast, stretching for hundreds of kilometers with no end in sight.

If an ancient civilization possessed the capability to construct something of this magnitude, it would be beyond extraordinary; "miracle" would be the only fitting description. Yet, if it were a natural formation, the arrangement of these sky-piercing monoliths exhibited a mysterious pattern, leading one to believe they couldn't possibly have formed naturally. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Andrei, frowning beside him, said, "This arrangement... it seems to be a code, transmitting some kind of message to the Star Sea."

Chen Gu couldn't help but glance at him again. So he's not an idiot after all, to have spotted the key point so quickly.

Andrei felt extremely uncomfortable under Chen Gu's gaze. What does that look mean? Does he really think I'm an idiot?

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly and said nothing more, but in his heart, he secretly vowed, Just wait until we get inside, then I'll show you what I'm capable of!

This vast, boundless stone forest was not flat; it rose higher towards the center until, at its very core, it transformed into a gigantic stone platform. It stood nine hundred meters tall, with a base approximately nine hundred to one thousand meters wide. This was clearly an altar. However, any ritual objects that might have once adorned it were gone. In their place was a gigantic circular hole.

Benjamin said, "The underground space of this temple is even larger than the stone forest above, and the only access point is through the circular hole on this altar." He continued, "It's said to be exceedingly strange and perilous down below. Several groups ventured down before; they either never returned or came back insane. When questioned about the conditions below, their accounts were filled with hair-raising tales."

This was intelligence the Confederation had contributed to the three Star Nations.

"Let's go," Andon said, "but first, we need to leave some people outside to stand guard, in case of any unforeseen incidents." His gaze swept over Chen Gu and the others, and he smirked. "I suggest we each leave one person outside."

Chen Gu gave him a cool look. There's no doubt that anyone left outside would ultimately be killed by at least two factions colluding!

Therefore, Chen Gu said, "If that's the case, I'll stay outside."

Andon was stunned for a moment. Chen Gu is also a Sixth Energy Level. If he stays outside, the Star State and the Empire would each have to leave a Sixth Energy Level operative behind to ensure they could eliminate him smoothly and prevent him from sending out any messages.

What about the Freedom Alliance?

Benjamin and Andrei already had little trust left for Charles.

But Andon and Benjamin were very confident that if a fight broke out, Charles would definitely remain "neutral"—he wouldn't help them, but he wouldn't help Chen Gu escape either. Ostensibly, the search teams from the three Star Nations each had only their captain at the Sixth Energy Level, but in reality, each had secretly brought one or two additional Sixth Energy Level individuals. However, if they were to leave two of their own Sixth Energy Level operatives outside to counter Chen Gu, their own strength underground would be diminished. The Confederation had three Sixth Energy Level members in total. With Zhou Buwu and Bai Zhichu going down, Andon and Benjamin weren't entirely confident they could silently eliminate those two.

Andon forced a laugh. "On second thought, that arrangement isn't suitable. Lack of tacit coordination could easily lead to problems. Perhaps the Freedom Alliance should leave two people behind instead."

Charles was startled. That won't do! If I leave two people behind, my own forces will be too depleted. If Andon and Benjamin decide to turn on me after dealing with the Confederation members, my Freedom Alliance team will surely be picked off one by one. After all, splitting the spoils two ways is much better than splitting them three ways, isn't it?

"Let's all go down together; we shouldn't weaken our forces by separating," Charles said, his voice lacking real conviction.

Chen Gu remained calm. "Enough arguing. Time is pressing. Let's do this: I alone will go down with you. The other four from the Confederation will stay up here. This way, both those above and those below will have sufficient strength to handle any unforeseen circumstances."

Charles looked at Chen Gu in surprise. He began to doubt his earlier favorable assessment of this fellow. Had he made a mistake in deliberately showing goodwill and aiming for "neutrality"? Isn't this just asking for death?!

Zhou Buwu and Bai Zhichu's expressions changed dramatically. They tried to persuade him, "Little Chen, it's better if we all go down together."

Chen Gu waved his hand and secretly gave them a reassuring look. "This arrangement will satisfy everyone."

His words carried a much deeper meaning.

Before Zhou Buwu and the others could continue their persuasion, Andon quickly interjected, "Alright, time is pressing. It's settled then."