Not long after.
Inside the ruins base, in the waiting area in front of the seventh space gate.
"…"
Xiaoqiang was observing the scene on the other side of the gate through his helmet's screen, which was displaying the hellhounds' perspective.
He and thirteen other soldiers were standing on the metal floor of the waiting area. Alongside them were several Hex robots tasked with carrying equipment crates, and four lightly armored Tyrants, each about three meters tall, wielding large-caliber BFG plasma guns.
The company had amassed a reserve of nearly 2,000 Tyrants, a significant improvement from two years ago, so the recon team had been assigned four light Tyrant models specifically for scouting, along with their pilots and support technicians.
As the first armed unit to cross the gate and conduct reconnaissance, the recon team was equipped with the finest gear and weaponry. Each soldier carried a Gauss rifle, metallic hydrogen grenades, and maglev scanners.
Their hazardous environment work suits (HEVs) had been fully upgraded, powered by stored condensed energy, and resembling power armor in appearance. Though they still wore traditional one-piece combat suits, not the Titan nanofiber suits that could "crush" people, they had all been injected with nanobots carrying the 24th chromosome.
In other words, Xiaoqiang and his comrades were highly enhanced, the elite among the company's human forces.
The footage from the hellhounds showed a peaceful, sunny forest on the other side of the gate. At first glance, it looked as if the gate had opened into a forest on another version of Earth.
However, the hellhounds' data indicated otherwise:
"Temperature: 27°C
Gravity: approximately 1.3G
Atmospheric Pressure: approximately 1.1 times Earth's atmosphere
Atmospheric Composition:
Oxygen: 23%
Nitrogen: 76%
Carbon Dioxide: 0.04%
Other trace gases: 0.96%"
The conditions were similar to Earth's, but this was clearly a different Earth-like planet, suitable for human habitation.
"Soap, Ghost, Xiaoqiang," came the voice of Captain Price over the comms, giving orders as he always did, "You three go through the gate and confirm safety with the hellhounds."
"Roger."
"Understood."
"…"
The three soldiers left the group and walked directly through the space gate, which shimmered like liquid mercury.
—
A flash of white light.
Xiaoqiang stepped into the world on the other side of the gate, firmly gripping his Gauss rifle as he scanned his surroundings, looking for any potential threats.
After a pulse scan, there were no obvious changes on the minimap. It only displayed the yellow dots representing the hellhounds nearby.
With the hellhounds patrolling and the real-time data provided by the HEV, Xiaoqiang was fairly certain there were no immediate threats in the area.
Walking ahead of him, Soap took in the peaceful environment, noting the clear streams and colorful flowers that attracted insects. He quipped, "This place looks perfect for retirement."
"Unless you're afraid of rheumatism," Ghost, walking to Xiaoqiang's left, replied in his usual dry manner.
Soap laughed over the comms, retorting, "I can never tell if you've got a sense of humor or if you're just being a jerk."
At that moment, the entire recon team, along with the Hex robots and light Tyrants, crossed through the space gate, joining them in the serene forest.
Immediately, two recon team members deployed four drones, while the remaining soldiers worked with the Tyrants to expand the security perimeter or helped the Hex robots set up a wired base station.
Price continued issuing orders over the comms: "The drones show an open area two kilometers to the north. Soap, Ghost, Xiaoqiang, scout it out on foot. Stay within the gate's shielded range."
"Leave it to us," Soap responded on behalf of his teammates.
The three soldiers maintained their usual spacing, covering each other as they moved quickly north, weaving through the not-too-dense forest.
Within moments, the space gate disappeared behind them, no longer in sight.
After running for about thirty seconds, they slowed their pace, approaching the edge of the forest cautiously.
As they walked, they noticed that the trees, flowers, and plants around them seemed oddly familiar, though they couldn't quite name any specific species. The vegetation was very similar to Earth's, with only minor differences.
Even the insects were like those on Earth. Instead of being large, alien, and blue, like on Pandora, the insects resembled their terrestrial counterparts.
Through his helmet's dynamic capture system and zoom function, Xiaoqiang could clearly see ants crawling on the damp soil, pill bugs hiding in the shadows, bees buzzing among the flowers, and mosquitoes trying to pierce their armor to suck their blood.
Suddenly, the dynamic capture system locked onto movement in a nearby patch of grass on their right.
!
All three immediately aimed their weapons at the grass about twenty meters away. The minimap displayed a gray dot marked with a question mark, indicating an unknown large creature, potentially a threat.
Without needing to speak, Soap stayed back to provide cover, while Xiaoqiang and Ghost slowly approached the grass.
"…"
Inside his helmet, Xiaoqiang kept his breathing steady, and his heart rate remained calm. He and his teammates were used to encountering strange phenomena, and they feared no threat or enemy.
If whatever was hiding in the grass showed any aggression, Xiaoqiang and Ghost would have no hesitation in opening fire, disabling it, and then attempting a capture.
After all, the biology division needed live specimens to study the local ecosystem.
The dynamic capture signal grew stronger, and Xiaoqiang moved his finger onto the trigger.
"Awwooo!"
The creature, sensing its impending doom, let out a howl and jumped out of the grass, revealing itself to Xiaoqiang and Ghost.
It was… a wolf?
Judging by its size, the wolf in front of them was only medium-sized, roughly two meters long including its tail. However, the most peculiar aspect was its green fur, which in some places even appeared to have a leaf-like texture.
"What kind of wolf is this?" Soap exclaimed over the comms.
"Let's capture it first. Xiaoqiang, cover me; don't let it escape," Ghost said, moving closer to the nervous green-leaf wolf.
The wolf's complex display of fear suggested it had a certain level of intelligence, far beyond that of ordinary animals on Pandora. This led Ghost to decide on a forceful capture, ensuring the company's activities in this area remained undiscovered for now.
The capture process went smoothly.
The green-leaf wolf seemed to understand the futility of resistance and allowed Ghost to bind its limbs with a high-strength restraint.
Afterward, Xiaoqiang and his team marked the location on the minimap and waited briefly. Soon, four hellhounds and a Hex robot arrived to collect the wolf.
With the wolf handed over for transport and the hellhounds escorting it back to the space gate, the trio resumed their fast-paced journey toward the open area the drone had identified to the north.
Within a few minutes, they crossed a muddy stream and reached the edge of the forest.
Using the trees for cover and their helmet screens for observation, Xiaoqiang realized that their position was elevated.
The lower ground to the north revealed a vast green plain, a crystal-clear lake, and… a town with "people" living in it.
___________________
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