From a high vantage point, Bluebirds 28, 17, and 22 quickly dispersed, forming a fan-shaped formation as they approached the outer perimeter of the meteor impact zone. Meanwhile, another group of three Bluebirds was also closing in on the smoke-filled crater.
Ryan continued to pilot his Bluebird, ascending to a higher altitude. His task was to monitor the entire dynamics of the meteor crater. Although the chip couldn't penetrate the depths of the crater, the chip implanted in his body could independently analyze the images fed back through his retina.
Ryan saw himself as a tool, providing Astra with the necessary analytical data. Astra quickly constructed a 3D model of the meteor impact based on the transmitted images and began a smooth analysis. However, as the analysis progressed, Ryan began to feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The scene before him—the craters formed by the fall of over three hundred meteors and the twisted deformations of the severely damaged geology—seemed to trigger some deep-seated memories.
Ryan furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
At this moment, the six Bluebirds landed steadily. Maughan and five other fully armed team members exited the cabins, maintaining standard tactical movement as they advanced towards the nearest marked meteor.
Ryan couldn't afford any distractions. He piloted the Bluebird along the edge of the magnetic storm interference zone, uploading the situation on the ground to the monitoring center.
…
"Communications are restored."
"Data from the target location is being uploaded in real-time."
"Maughan and his team have begun their mission in the meteor crater."
"Excellent." Kazemi reported to Carlos and Torres while praising, "This guy seems to know everything."
In fact, not only Kazemi, but Carlos and Torres also realized that Ryan was performing a crucial data upload, effectively bridging the gap caused by the magnetic storm interference with the monitoring center.
Carlos's face regained a confident expression, as if everything was under control.
On the main screen, as Maughan and his team approached the outermost meteors, they began analyzing them. Small meteors were quickly identified and safely marked.
The meteors varied in size upon landing, with the largest being about ten meters and the smallest the size of a basketball. The meteors marked as safe were displayed in green on the screen, and the mission was progressing smoothly.
However, after completing a full aerial survey, Ryan made a startling discovery. He finally remembered that this scene had indeed appeared in his memory.
In his previous life, Ryan had no opportunity to be involved in or learn about the meteor incident because he was a miner at the time. However, after joining the security team, Ryan received special training with other newcomers before handling another meteor fall event. During that training, they studied past meteor fall cases, and one of the illustrations was exactly the same as the scene before him now.
The meteor fall incident back then had been a disaster, claiming the lives of at least two security personnel.
In the following six months, dozens of miners mysteriously disappeared.
This tragedy was eventually taken as a painful lesson by TerraNova Corporation, and all security personnel were required to learn from it and take it as a warning.
As his memory became clearer, Ryan felt a chill rise from his back.
Two security personnel sacrificed… If he hadn't been involved this time, other security personnel might have taken his place.
Ryan suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of urgency.
The six people now approaching the meteor crater were all Carlos's trusted subordinates. Any loss would be a heavy blow to Carlos.
In his previous life, Ryan had a good relationship with Carlos, and now, thanks to Carlos's sponsorship, he had obtained the H3 citizen chip in advance.
Whether emotionally or morally, he couldn't just watch his companions fall into danger.
He had to take action!
Ryan began to recall the content he had seen during the special training, trying to dig out the knowledge he had learned bit by bit.
The culprits behind the deaths of the two security personnel were Zerbeasts. The same Zerbeasts were responsible for the disappearance of dozens of miners. The reason was becoming clear—a meteor with a diameter of over ten meters had penetrated the deep pit and disappeared beyond the monitoring range, not being detected in time.
And just after all the meteors were marked as safe, the Zerbeasts suddenly appeared and launched an attack.
The security personnel, caught off guard, were fatally attacked, dragged away, and never seen again.
After that, TerraNova Corporation launched a comprehensive investigation to ensure that similar tragedies would not happen again.
"The problem is, we missed a crucial meteor."
"The largest meteor, it's missing."
Ryan quickly grasped the key issue.
He knew that if that meteor really existed and didn't appear in the expected location, it could pose a significant threat.
"Astra!" Ryan decisively called his AI assistant.
"Compare all the previously predicted meteor impact locations with the current meteors on-site and identify any discrepancies!" he ordered.
Following Ryan's command, Astra quickly responded, starting a complex computational analysis. Data streams scrolled rapidly on the screen as Astra searched for clues about the missing meteor among the vast amount of data.
This action was crucial because that meteor might be hiding unknown dangers, and Ryan had to find it as soon as possible to prevent a potential disaster.