“The timing of the prehistoric beast tide below is abnormal. Record it. Under such a beast tide, it should be very difficult for anyone to survive, unless they have a chance to hide deep within the base…”

“Why are there still issues with the travel agency? This is a mess. Transfer their data collection back to them…”

……

The experts from the command center took the latest battleship and arrived from Earth in less than three days, but the news from the following days of investigation was not promising.

This civilization is extremely ancient, and it seems it did not originate on Mars. This unique rune formation is connected to the mountains and veins of Mars. If we attack head-on, even if we eventually break through the defenses, endless natural disasters will erupt on Mars.

After this was discovered, Bruce Ord secretly felt relieved, while Emily Thompson was commended by the command center for her earlier insistence.

However, the deciphering work still needed to continue. Earth began to send large numbers of talents from various fields, and it was not until two months later, when Huaxia sent the relic expert from back then, that progress finally began to be made.

Earth

A group of young people who had just finished their post-exam trip and started their cultivation journey were all excited, exchanging experiences with each other, or imagining the life they longed for after entering the six major martial academies.

“I heard that last year, a genius emerged from South China Martial Academy, swept through all the new students of the six academies undefeated, and even helped South China Martial Academy win first place…”

“Tch, where did you hear that? The Military Martial Academy doesn’t even participate in the competitions. Ordinary people don’t know that…”

“I heard East China Martial Academy is really strong. Did any of you apply to East China Martial Academy…”

“That was a few years ago. In recent years, South China and Central China are the strongest…”

……

“That’s strange, why hasn’t Mr. Walker replied…”

At this moment, in a corner, David Bolton was fiddling with his communicator, looking at the messages he had sent to Kevin Walker, but Kevin Walker hadn’t replied to any of them.

Jennifer Walker glared angrily at David Bolton: “It’s all your big mouth’s fault, always saying whatever comes to mind. Mr. Walker probably doesn’t want to be friends with you anymore. Serves you right…”

Sitting next to David Bolton was his girlfriend Jennifer Walker. She was of mixed heritage—her father’s surname was Jin, her mother’s name was Nova—and she possessed the unique beauty of a mixed-race girl. Thinking of this, Jennifer Walker stomped hard on David Bolton’s foot.

This damned big mouth! She had only casually mentioned her conversation with Grace Walker to him, and it had caused so much trouble.

David Bolton grimaced in pain: “Ouch… Mr. Walker isn’t that kind of person…”

“Wow, something big happened… No way… There are prehistoric star beasts on Mars, look, something happened to the tour group…”

At this moment, many people suddenly cried out in surprise, but the exclamations gradually died down. Besides some people from Kevin Walker’s class, most were others from the academy who had also been admitted to the six major academies.

But whether they were from Kevin Walker’s class or other classes, everyone knew about what had happened between Kevin Walker and Grace Carter, and it was a frequent topic during breaks.

David Bolton was a blabbermouth. When he saw the birthmark on Kevin Walker while showering, he mentioned that his girlfriend Jennifer Walker had seen a similar birthmark on Grace Carter. The two of them really were a match.

This story spread, and as it was passed along, it turned into rumors that Kevin Walker had seen the birthmark on Grace Carter, that the two had deliberately gotten matching birthmark tattoos, and so on. It became an inside joke in the class.

David Bolton’s mind was buzzing: “No… it can’t be…”

At this moment, David Bolton also looked at the virtual platform at the very front, where the latest news from Mars was being broadcast. Except for some confidential information that was blocked from the public, everything else was made public.

Especially one travel agency confirmed that all the wristbands of the members of the Starry Sky Tour Group showed loss of vital signs, and they were actively working on compensation…

Usually the most talkative, David Bolton could only mutter these few words over and over again…

“Ah!” The usually bold and outspoken Jennifer Walker now covered her mouth in disbelief. Oh my god, how could this happen? The tour group—could it be that the class monitor joined that tour group?

When Jennifer Walker, with tears in her eyes, wanted to comfort David Bolton, she suddenly thought of Grace Carter, but couldn’t find any trace of her. Just then, a commotion erupted outside, as if someone had broken through the normal landing safety checks and rushed out.

The disturbance was huge, causing the spaceship port to go on lockdown, delaying many departures and arrivals. It took several hours before things gradually returned to normal.

……

More than three months passed in the blink of an eye. The starry sky passage opened by the prehistoric star beast on Mars had long since completely disappeared, and the beast tide that had surged out in the first few days had already blended into the vast forests of Mars.

After two days of continuous heavy rain, some low-lying areas of the forest formed small puddles again, and a mud pit that had seemed to dry up was now full of water.

At this moment, a few small beasts that would normally have to run far to the creek for water cautiously approached the puddle. At first, one went up to test it, and then the others followed.

They drank very cautiously. These little guys, who could climb trees, still clung tightly to the willow-branch-like vines they had woven. If danger appeared, they could swing away at any moment. When they were about seventy or eighty percent full, two of the little beasts relaxed and enjoyed themselves.