"If thereâs really something wrong with this battleship, where are we headed?"
"Senior Sister Xue, since you brought it up, you must have an idea."
Xue Huiyi, of course, knew where the three spies were taking them, but she had no evidence to back it up and couldnât just bluff.
"There are only a few options: Huangyang Star, the Broken Star Belt, or theyâre simply using us as a threat...
Someone interrupted, "Huangyang Star? Isnât that easy to deduce? We are not on a normal route, and we havenât seen other battleships. This is not the line to the Broken Star Belt. Iâm familiar with the star maps, and from the celestial bodies seen from outside the ship, itâs likely heading towards Huangyang Star."
Then someone else asked: "So what? Didnât we receive a notification about going to Huangyang Star?"
"There must be soldiers there. If we donât leave the battleship, we should be safe, right?"
"Youâre underestimating the Insect Men. With so many humans here, do you think theyâd wait for soldiers to rescue us before attacking? Besides, our battleship is in a signal-blocked state. They could whisk us to the âexecution groundâ without a trace."
Without a signal, itâs hard for them to call for help, and by the time they reach Huangyang Star, it would be too late.
"I canât believe it, with so many people here, no one updated the instructors."
Unexpectedly, this caused everyone to feel down; they didnât, really didnât.
Not long ago, they saw Ji Heng and others gaining points every day. How could they hold back their excitement? They dreamt of going to Huangyang Star, and naturally boarded the battleship without much thought.
"I didnât ask the instructor."
"Neither did I. We just go where the mission tells us to."
At the time, so many went together, it was herd mentality, hard to notice any irregularities.
At first, they were all sitting in their seats, but gradually felt something was off.
No instructors accompanied them, nor were they allowed to move about freely, which was odd.
Normally, going to Huangyang Star, they would at least let them handle mechas, and have the logistics personnel on high alert.
None of these preparatory steps were taken, not even a single doctor from the school was present.
More bizarrely, they sneaked out for a look, and besides them, there was no one else around.
The focus on Xue Huiyi gradually shifted away, and Xue Huiyi said, "Right now, our priority is how to rescue ourselves."
"Yes, first confirm if we are where we think. Even if weâre headed to Huangyang Star, knowing roughly what coordinates weâre at would aid in any rescue efforts."
"Hmm." Xue Huiyi raised her communicator, intending to say she had kept the navigation record on since leaving the base, and could trace back the route.
But a student quickly answered, "I know, let me say it. When I was having a midnight snack, I heard Su Xiaocai mention that when assigned a task without clarity, always remember to activate the communicatorâs map navigation record, so you can ascertain your location."
The navigation record function was a boon for those who were directionally challenged, and the records equipped on the battleship would be even more comprehensive.
By backtracking the route, they could return to the starting point.
The communicatorâs tech couldnât be used long-term, as it was too power-draining. Charged only every six months, activating it would drain the battery in three days at most.
So, very few people remembered this feature.
Xue Huiyiâs expression slightly changed. Everywhere she went, Su Xiaocaiâs presence lingered, like a haunting ghost.
He died on Huangyang Star, so why bring up the deceased?
In the past, due to delayed rescue, very few students survived.
This battleship would eventually stop at the route to Huangyang Star, invaded by Insect Men.
Among the students, only Ji Heng, Hu Ping, and a few unnamed ones survived.
Wu Qingqing and Wu Feiyang died.
The Insect Man Warriors of Huangyang Star overwhelmed a city of humans and a deputy general, growing terrifyingly stronger, even affecting the 022 Mechanical Planet.
Xue Huiyi chose this battleship far from the normal route to kill two birds with one stone, gaining merit while avoiding a major battle with the Insect Man forces.
"Senior Sister Xue, do you have any suggestions?" The others called out three or four times, snapping Xue Huiyi out of her thoughts. She showed a sheepish smile: "I was just lost in thought."
"Itâs okay. Does Senior Sister have any plans?" After such a long deliberation, she must have an idea of how to get out of this.
"The biggest problem now is that even if the instructors notice weâre missing, they donât know where we are." She previously heard on the news that the military couldnât respond in time, which is why the students were sacrificed.
Xue Huiyi now understood, the military wasnât negligent; they simply didnât know where they were.
But the news wouldnât say "students were deceived on 022 Mechanical Planet", it would be too disgraceful, so they hid the information, only saying the rescue was late.