Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 151 Little White Takes Action: Shock and Revelry on Blue Star
While the bald eagle lander of the "Return to Glory" project was still descending, the atmosphere at the East Xia [Compassionate Voyage] project command center suddenly froze.

"Damn it, a bald eagle!" A technician stared at the screen, pounding his fist on the table repeatedly. "The landing point is too close!"

In all honesty, this was not Dongxia's deliberate attempt to harm its opponents; it was a complete accident.

In the previous cycle, Dongxia precisely delivered the secondary seat of the teleportation altar to a pre-explored lunar cave area by increasing the number of lunar landers launched.

Lunar caves, also known as lunar mare lava tubes, are unique lunar structures that resemble underground cave systems on Earth.

Experts have deduced that these "lava tubes" were formed by underground flowing magma from ancient lunar volcanoes.

When the moon was still geologically active, the magma underground would cool rapidly on the surface when it came into contact with the outside world, while the liquid magma inside would continue to flow. Eventually, this would form hollow, pipe-like cave structures.

Through various radar detection methods, the scientific community on Earth has been able to estimate the approximate size of these caves.

These caves extend below the lunar surface, some stretching for hundreds of kilometers, several kilometers wide, and hundreds of meters high. Some of the larger caves can even contain a miniature city.

Those skylights that were opened up due to the collapse are the openings of the lunar cavern tubes.

In theory, going down into this hole and building an underground base would not only allow the cave walls to provide insulation and protection from the extreme temperatures of the moon (above 100 degrees Celsius and below 200 degrees Celsius), but also protect against cosmic radiation and the direct impact of solar wind.

Furthermore, by finding and storing water sources underground, and combining them with nutrient solutions, it may even be possible to achieve underground ecological farming.

Once the underground construction is completed, all that's needed is to build a protective shield at the entrance and add an elevator, and you'll have your own little world on the moon.

This is why in many lunar base design proposals, the shape we see is always a hemispherical dome, while the real core area is underground.

However, this project will definitely be quite large.

Having already conducted extensive preliminary exploration, Dongxia selected a nearby cave near the main mining area currently being explored on the lunar surface, placed the secondary seat of the teleportation altar, and initiated the first teleportation.

The first unit teleported there was Chen Mo's first summoned creature, the meritorious skeleton soldier, Xia Kingdom's Zero Undead, Xiaobai.

The lack of an atmosphere, extreme temperature differences, intense radiation, and excessive radiation on the moon's surface pose a life-or-death challenge to ordinary life, but are no big deal to undead creatures!

In this respect, skeletons even have an advantage over zombies, since the temperature difference has no effect on the skeletal structure.

Of course, the loose dust and cratered terrain on certain areas of the moon's surface greatly affected the skeleton soldiers' mobility.

In view of this, Dongxia decisively carried out "lunar specialization modification" on Xiaobai.

The material is still mainly composed of bone, which is the body composition that Xiaobai is most suited to.

Previous experiments have shown that if other materials such as metal or plastic are used as part of the body, Xiaobai will have a significant "rejection reaction". Not only will it be very uncomfortable, but the Soulfire will also have no control over this part of the limb.

In other words, metal can only serve as an extension of a limb. For example, if there is a piece of metal at the end of a bone, Xiaobai can move that piece of metal through the bone, but Soulfire cannot control the swing of a pure metal arm.

This also caused the "Terminator" Xiaobai's plan to be cut short halfway.

The skeleton seems to have a special affinity for the soulfire of a skeleton; as long as the soulfire core remains unchanged, the skeleton can be changed and replaced at any time.

In the Land of the Dead, many high-ranking elite combat skeletons lose limbs in battle. The tinkers of the Deathstroke Guild use "bone repair" to find a bone and set it back together, allowing the skeleton warriors to once again wield bone spears for the Underworld King.

Based on this research, the Dongxia Laboratory used hydroxyapatite as the main component to rebuild a skeleton for Xiaobai.

Xiaobai's new body was designed to mimic the body structure of arthropods, lowering the center of gravity and enhancing balance.

The joints are tightly interlocked, avoiding the problem of internal joint exposure. The multiple legs can adapt to the movement needs of various terrains, and at the same time, they can also play a significant supporting and auxiliary role in construction.

Xiao Bai's task was clear: to direct several small construction robots to carry out preliminary work inside the cave, laying the foundation and leveling the ground to prepare for the subsequent transportation of equipment and the long-term stay of personnel.

The plan is good, but there's a small problem.

Even if Dongxia did have necromancers, let alone the fact that there are tens of thousands of kilometers between Earth and the Moon, no necromancer would be able to remotely command Xiaobai's actions.

Therefore, the instructions given to Xiaobai should only be given in advance after thorough communication before letting Xiaobai go.

Until the altar is activated again and new commands can be issued, Xiaobai is a "free undead".

Well, Xiaobai's intelligence isn't that high, so his understanding of instructions might not be entirely accurate.

This is similar to telling your dog to come here and sit; with a little training, you can easily do it.

But if you ask the dog to fetch my black wallet from the drawer of the old man next door, and to be careful to avoid being seen by others on the way, that's a bit of a challenge. Who knows what it might bring back for you?

The instructions given to Xiaobai by Dongxia were extremely simplified: to carry out "simple earthwork operations" near the landing point.

When the bald eagle launched a surprise attack, determined to land near the last landing point in Dongxia, the Dongxia expert team was instantly thrown into chaos!
However, the altar's next activation time has not yet arrived, and it would be too late to launch a replacement rocket.

As the lander slowly descended from the sky, Xiaobai's defensive instincts were activated.

Without a second's hesitation, Xiaobai immediately pounced towards the landing vehicle's flight path, using the rugged lunar rock terrain to stealthily approach, eventually lying in wait behind a giant rock, patiently waiting for its prey to get closer.

The moment the White Eagle login device landed, Little White sprang up, rushed across the last hundred meters or so, and stabbed with its claw.

After destroying the probe, Xiaobai relentlessly chopped down the lander's support frame.

With a cloud of dust rising, they regained their glory, only to be completely annihilated.

Xiaobai used its two bone claws to hook the lander and lunar rover, and began to drag them along.

The gravity on the moon is only one-sixth that of Earth, so what appears to be a massive metal object is not actually that difficult to move. However, the viewers watching the live stream couldn't quite grasp this point.

In their view, it was like a person pulling a heavy truck that had overturned.

The metal surface rubbed against the lunar soil, producing a dull, grinding sound, and plowed two deep, shocking furrows into the gray-white ground!

Intertwined and sliding bone claws, tumbling and colliding metal artifacts, flying and spreading moon dust... This savage scene, beyond all human imagination, suddenly and brutally crashed into the consciousness of all viewers in the most primitive and violent way, making their bodies tense, mouths agape, and brains twitch.

Aside from gasping in surprise, they didn't even know what to think.

The Dongxia [Cihang] Project Command, which was somewhat prepared, was the first to react.

"Cut off the signal! Cut off the signal right now!"

"Don't let Xiaobai drag this guy back to base, it'll be a huge problem if the cameras catch it!"

"Cutting off the signal is too deliberate. Yes, release the interference, release the signal interference!"

Near the moon, only three lunar relay satellites recently networked by Dongxia have the capability to transmit information. The lunar satellites of other countries are still in the gestation stage, and it is unknown whether they are in the womb or outside the womb.

Therefore, in this lunar exploration, through the exchange of benefits with the bald eagles, Dongxia also accepted the application to lease a signal channel to the "Return to Glory" project team.

Now, in order to protect itself, while keeping the original signal channel unchanged, Dongxia will activate the interference program of the lunar relay satellite, interfering with itself, and ending this absurd live broadcast as soon as possible.

After all, although several cameras had broken down along the way, some were still stubbornly working.

Even as the bald eagle was trying to start the lander's engine, it was slashed several more times by the enraged bald eagle.

If there are still one or two cameras left that captured the red, white, and blue striped cloth inside the base, then Dongxia will be in a completely difficult situation to explain.

As soon as the interference started, the live broadcast began to shake. Dongxia immediately issued a report, stating that a mysterious disturbance of unknown mechanism had been detected. Although the signal power had been increased, the transmission was becoming unstable!

A dozen seconds later, the live stream screen completely turned into irregular ripples and snow.

The members of the Dongxia expert team breathed a sigh of relief; cold sweat had soaked their backs, making their clothes stick tightly to their skin, leaving them feeling icy cold.

At the same time, this terrifying and explosive scene swept across the entire blue planet like a tsunami.

In the White Eagle Empire, at the Space Agency's command center, time seemed to freeze a second before the signal was lost. On the massive main screen composed of dozens of shots, glaring static replaced the desolate lunar landscape.

Just moments ago, the jubilation was filled with the words "historic moment" and "imperial glory," but now it has turned into immense panic, with faces frozen in extreme fear and bewilderment.

The Bald Eagles live in a nation that believes in gods; however, religion has often become a cover for their evil deeds. But at this moment, many people remembered the sacred texts they had placed their hands on when taking their oaths.

A senior engineer with graying hair slumped in his chair, his glasses slipping down to the tip of his nose, muttering to himself, "Oh Mother of God!"

Well, translating it according to Xia Wen's word order, it would be: Oh, fucking God!

Finally, an operator, pale as a ghost, snapped out of his daze and pressed the alarm!
The piercing alarm ripped through the silence, and the red emergency lights spun wildly, illuminating the terrified, bewildered, and incredulous faces like ghostly apparitions. Secure communication lines were instantly overwhelmed, with lights flashing incessantly on the communications lines leading to the President, the Pentagon, and the General Intelligence Service.

The aerospace industry in Dongxia was also in the midst of a turbulent storm.

After all, among all the experts and engineers involved in the "Inviting the Moon" project, only a very small number of them knew about "Stargazing."

Faced with their clueless colleagues, these experts had no choice but to widen their eyes and open their mouths, trying their best to put on a shocked expression, while inside they were panicking.

After all, we're not actors...

The other aerospace workers were truly caught in a state of both utter shock and ecstatic joy.

The existence of strange, skeletal creatures capable of autonomous movement on the lunar surface completely overturned all previous human understanding of the moon.

The joy stems from the fact that Dongxia, already a leader in the space age, had long ago launched its deep-space vision to explore extraterrestrial life. Now, with traces of life discovered so close at hand, how could it not be overjoyed?

Well, you would feel even more exhilarated if you actually faced that guy directly.

If you wear the national emblem and flag with you, it might even salute you with its right foreleg...

-

Because the live broadcast had such a huge impact, after a brief pause due to extreme shock, came a volcanic eruption of madness.

Global public opinion erupted at the same time, and the instantaneous data flow even caused the basic networks of dozens of countries to crash for a short period of time.

At this point, the media no longer needs to create sensational headlines. A few screenshots with a question mark or an exclamation mark can generate tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of views.

Countless netizens simultaneously turned on their TVs and computers, and scrolled through their phones with both hands, their eyes wide open, searching for any possible new information. Even though all they could see were those few screenshots that had been analyzed repeatedly until they were worn out, they remained tireless and enthusiastic.

In the live broadcast rooms of various TV stations and online platforms, all that could be heard were the hysterical shouts of various hosts.

"Breaking news! The White Eagle lunar rover has been attacked by a mysterious creature!!!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this will be one of the most exciting moments in human history. For the first time, we have clearly captured an active entity outside of Earth!"

"Let's analyze these images frame by frame, zoom in, zoom in... I think we've discovered the amazing secrets of this creature!"

"Our station has connected with a renowned astrophysicist, a well-known popular science YouTuber specializing in the universe, and several other experts who have long been engaged in the study of extraterrestrial civilizations. Let's hear what they have to say!"

Subsequently, the self-media outlets also completed their online news editing and went all out, launching a massive, overwhelming campaign to dominate the headlines.

"Live broadcast in horror! Giant skeletal spider tears apart white eagle lunar rover!"

"Terrifying creatures spotted on the far side of the moon! Are humans not the only ones in the universe?"

"'Return to Glory' Turns into 'Hellish Nightmare'? White Eagle's Lunar Exploration Encounters Unknown Attack!"

"Extraterrestrial life confirmed? Earth plunges into collective panic!"

"..."

Without exception, the accompanying images are all freeze-frame shots of the horrifying bone spider.

Of course, some reputable media outlets also produced relatively formal reports.

"Dear viewers and friends, we now have a breaking news report. At 9:37 PM Chang'an time (9:37 AM Washington time), the Bald Eagle 'Eagle Falcon 6' lunar probe, originally scheduled to land on the moon and conduct exploration, encountered some unexpected issues while carrying out the Bald Eagle's 'Return to Glory' mission. Please see the live footage below..."

Amid this global wave, certain illegal religions advocating "apocalypticism" have experienced a new wave of celebration.

They chanted slogans such as "The apocalyptic creatures have descended, judgment is coming, only our God can save us," shouting loudly at the crowds gathered in squares, bars, and streets, triggering a new wave of real-world panic.

Dark-skinned men with headscarves covering their faces began smashing up shops, exchanging manual labor for goods. A raging fire broke out in the street, with black smoke rising high, as if "alien invasion" smoke signals had been lit in the white-clad neighborhood.

The incited crowd pushed and shoved each other, screaming. Men violently smashed cars, children slumped on the ground, covering their faces and crying. Amidst the piercing sirens, more people looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with unprecedented fear and confusion.

Only the devout believers still flock to churches, temples, and shrines, kneeling and praying for divine protection.

No one could have imagined that all of this stemmed from a small skeleton from the lowest level of the underworld being summoned to the side of its master from Dongxia.

Unlike the public's frenzy and fear, true experts in various fields began to conduct research against the clock.

The world's top laboratories and research institutes immediately launched the project.

"This is a 'creature' that completely defies conventional physical structure. Exposed skeleton? No muscle tissue? How does it perform such complex movements?"

"We suspect that what looks like a skeleton is actually a calcified biomass shell. In reality, it is a slender living creature; otherwise, its mobility cannot be explained!"

"It even ambushes!"

"Low gravity, no air, extreme temperature differences... how could there be life forms of this kind? What is their energy source? What is their composition? Silicon-based? Calcium-based? Or a new, never-before-thought-of form?"

"Where did it come from? Inside the sphere? Beneath the lunar surface? Why didn't all those previous scans, radar tests, and probes detect any trace of it?"

-

At the eye of the storm, the bald eagle, with its signature dazzling hair, waves its arms in front of the camera, spitting as it speaks, its voice aimed directly at the other side of the ocean.

"Listen, guys, I knew it! I've always known! They're hiding a huge secret on the moon! A really huge secret!"

"Look at that thing! That horrible skeleton! This is no accident! Nobody knows them better than me!"

"That's why I insist on 'returning to glory'! We must go up! We must expose their tricks!"

“Those guys messed everything up, they got way ahead, way too much! It’s not fair!”

"They must be hiding all the crucial information! Maybe that thing is in cahoots with them! Who knows!"

"But I want to tell you, the great white eagle will never be intimidated! We will find out the truth as soon as possible! Double the effort! Ten times the investment! Send our probes up and bring back the truth!"

"Believe me, no one knows more about the moon and aliens than me! We will be great again! Great on the moon too!"

Faced with the unfounded accusations, the Eastern "Invitation to the Moon" project team ignored them, simply expressing their regret. However, a clear video of Dongxia's previous lunar landings circulated on some social media platforms.

A fascinating detail was highlighted: the outer wall of each landing module was inscribed with striking slogans in multiple languages, including ancient oracle bone script.

"We are here to explore deep space and work together for development."

"We look forward to coexisting peacefully with all forms of life in the universe and jointly developing the vast cosmos."

"We firmly believe that humanity is not the only species in the universe, and we are willing to exchange sincerity for understanding."

Finally, there was a set of clear, bold text: "Thank you!"

Below this text, a subtitle written by an unknown person is clearly visible:
"We believe that it is Dongxia Space's consistent rigorous attitude and peaceful and friendly exploration philosophy that has won us a relatively smooth environment for lunar exploration."

"As for why the bald eagle receives such 'special treatment', we believe there is a key factor that cannot be ignored."

"They didn't say 'thank you' when they landed on the moon!"

"You know, this can easily make people angry!"

(End of this chapter)