Although he knew it was impossible, Brian Carter still tried to turn on the personal light-brain on his wrist and attempted to contact Sophie.

　　"Network error, unable to connect..." the light-brain sprite reminded him. Just as in his memory, the quantum communication light network had been cut off.

　　Brian Carter changed into a black multifunctional suit and fastened a thick black belt he usually used for training. Carrying the Sifeng Sword, Brian Carter quickly left the room. He was well aware that this would be a huge adventure. But knowing everything that was about to happen was his great advantage.

　　Blackstone Star was the thirty-seventh planet on the outskirts of the Sirius system, officially named Sirius 37. Because the surface was covered in massive black stones, it was also called Blackstone Star.

　　The environment on Blackstone Star was harsh and unsuitable for human survival. However, underground, there were abundant mineral resources. Zhongxing Mining Group had contracted Blackstone Star and established a semi-permanent underground base here. There were more than thirty thousand employees and family members in total.

　　Zhongxing Mining's continuous deep mining, however, led to severe conflicts with the life forms of the underground world. Although there was little life on the surface of Blackstone Star, deep underground, there was a rich and complex biosphere.

　　Among them were advanced intelligent life forms, such as lizardmen and green gnomes, who not only had their own language but even their own writing.

　　According to the rules of the Galactic Alliance, any system of writing would qualify as a level-two civilization. Normally, for a mining group to extract resources, they would have to reach an agreement with these level-two civilizations.

　　But to save costs, Zhongxing Mining Group completely ignored these lower species and used force to mine. To them, these lower species were no different from beasts.

　　The mining group's ruthless methods and forced mining not only killed many underground species, but the violent extraction also completely destroyed the underground biosphere. The underground species, unable to endure any longer, launched this desperate counterattack.

　　Brian Carter knew very well that it was precisely because the upper management of the mining group was arrogant and ignorant, failing to take these underground species seriously, that the situation grew worse and eventually spiraled out of control.

　　Today, he had to find a way to correct these mistakes.

Chapter Two: Invasion

　　Brian Carter was in the residential area, which was also the second level of the base. For now, the lizardmen and other underground species hadn't made it here yet.

　　Of course, it wasn't absolutely safe. In Brian Carter's memory, some green gnomes would crawl down through the ventilation ducts. These green gnomes looked tiny, but they were extremely dangerous to ordinary people.

　　Brian Carter left with his sword. There were already quite a few people in the corridor, most of them men and women in pajamas, discussing what had happened.

　　At this point, no one truly realized the danger. Although some were curious, their expressions were all relaxed.

　　Seeing Brian Carter running out with a sword, a pot-bellied, bald middle-aged man even joked, "Hey, Little Brian, are you off to save the world? Haha..."

　　This somewhat silly joke actually had a good effect. The men and women in the corridor all laughed along.

　　There was no malice in this laughter; they genuinely found it funny. In their eyes, seventeen-year-old Brian Carter was still just a kid.

　　A kid, not knowing what was happening, running out so seriously with a sword—it was quite amusing to them.

　　Brian Carter didn't have time to argue, he just shouted, "The green gnomes are here, everyone get ready!"

　　Hearing the words "green gnomes," the bald middle-aged man who had been joking with Brian Carter froze, then scolded, "What do you know, kid? Don't joke about things like that."

　　As normal people, when they hear bad news they don't like, their first reaction is disbelief—especially when it comes from a child. The middle-aged man's scolding was almost instinctive, trying to use denial to reject the bad news Brian Carter brought.

　　Brian Carter had neither authority nor evidence. Of course, it was impossible for others to believe him in such a short time. He had no intention of getting entangled with this group; he had more important things to do.

　　Brian Carter just glanced at the bald man and ran past him.

　　The bald middle-aged man, however, felt insulted. As Brian Carter passed by, he grabbed Brian Carter's clothes, "Kid, it's rude to just run off like that..."

　　Brian Carter hadn't expected the bald man to grab him. His face immediately darkened, and he turned to glare coldly at the man. His eyes were dark, sharp, and carried a blade-like chill. The bald man felt a sudden chill in his heart and let go involuntarily.

　　The grab and release happened quickly, but it made Brian Carter pause for a moment.

　　The bald middle-aged man, startled by Brian Carter's icy gaze and feeling embarrassed in front of everyone, was about to grab Brian Carter again to argue, when he saw Brian Carter suddenly leap up and draw his sword. The blade, bright as autumn water, flashed coldly as it slashed down.

　　Although Brian Carter's sword strike wasn't particularly exquisite, it was true military swordsmanship—swift, concise, fierce, and effective.

　　"Ah..." The bald middle-aged man hadn't expected Brian Carter to be so crazy. He was scared out of his wits and screamed.

　　"Splurt..."

　　The sharp blade sliced through the air, cutting a green figure that had just jumped down from the vent into two. The splattering green blood sprayed all over the bald middle-aged man's face and body.