Several hours later, the fighter jet squadron led by the corvettes arrived at the target space station first, with three squadrons of fighter jets and mecha forming their respective formations.
Two squadrons of fighter jets and mecha entered the planet for exploration, while one squadron of fighter jets maneuvered around the space station to provide cover for the mecha landing on it.
The planet was merely an Earth-like one. Although it had an atmosphere, its composition was primarily nitrogen and helium, with oxygen content at only 3.5%.
Due to its proximity to the star, the overall environment was extremely hot, with almost no water vapor in the air.
Two mecha squadrons descended from the planet's poles, exploring in pairs toward all directions, while the fighter jet squadron patrolled the skies. Life detectors were set to maximum sensitivity, focusing on scanning the planetary surface's architectural ruins.
Half an hour later, before the Clone Soldiers had even reached the space station, preliminary detection results for both the space station and the planetary surface ruins were already available.
"Alien biological ruins. The structures are under thirty meters tall, with each floor being three meters high. Analysis of the remaining items and damaged equipment suggests that the civilization's artifacts were most likely created by humanoid lifeforms, a type of Carbonyl Organism."
The researcher responsible for biological science and alien cultural analysis lectured the assembled leaders in a meticulous manner.
"Based on the analysis of remnants of transportation tools and daily necessities, the height of this civilization's beings ranged from 1.9 to 2.2 meters, with a weight of around 70 kilograms. Their aesthetic preferences align with most humanoid civilizations."
"However, we've detected some uncertain elements in certain remnants. Observations of architectural ruins suggest the target civilization leaned toward mechanical and material technology, yet some traces indicate they were transitioning toward biological research."
At this point, the researcher's gaze grew distant, his thoughts wandering elsewhere. Igor knocked on his desk to remind him that this was an analysis briefing.
"Ahem, sorry, boss. Occupational habits acting up. My apologies. Let's continue," the researcher said, his face flushing red after Igor's reminder.
"Look at this—these are electronic device remnants found by the mecha team after landing on the space station. According to interstellar standards, the manufacturing technology of these electronic devices has reached mid-to-late Third-level Civilization levels. But then look here—this object suspected to be a weapon has technical standards inferior to many Second-level Civilizations that have just left their home planets."
Liu Hai and the others observed the projections displayed by the researcher with intense curiosity. Although they were simultaneously monitoring the Clone Soldiers' reconnaissance, their grasp of details was far less professional than that of the researchers, allowing them only a general understanding.
Now was the time to cram knowledge. As Pioneers, they were perpetually in a state of scarcity when it came to interstellar knowledge—life was finite, but knowledge was infinite.
Many people spent their entire lives barely reaching proficiency in their own specialized fields, let alone these even more specialized professions.
Liu Hai examined a defensive turret from the space station in the projection. It somewhat resembled a pipe protruding from a semi-circular cover. Its power supply still relied on electricity, with electromagnetic coils inside, suggesting it was likely an Electromagnetic Cannon.
However, compared to the Third-level Civilization's capabilities, this weapon's technology was far too rudimentary.
Without needing the researchers' analysis, Liu Hai could manually assemble one himself based on the star war games he played—and it would be even better than theirs.
"This electromagnetic cannon doesn't involve conventional superconductors. Either the target civilization didn't think it was worth it, or they haven't achieved mass production of conventional superconductors."
"But this is contradictory. As a Third-level Civilization, possessing superconducting technology is a must. Without the capability to mass-produce superconductors, how did they manufacture spacecraft capable of interstellar travel?"
The researcher's old habit kicked in again—his head tilted, and his gaze drifted off into space. Fortunately, Liu Hai and the others ignored him, huddling together to quietly discuss the puzzling contradictions of this humanoid civilization.
After debating for a while, each of them held their own opinion without reaching a reasonable conclusion. It wasn't until the Clone Soldiers' Landing Craft arrived at the space station that Liu Hai ended the pointless discussion and shifted his attention to their reconnaissance mission.
Due to the Mecha's massive size, many areas inside the space station were inaccessible unless they resorted to brute-force demolition—but that didn't align with Liu Hai's objectives. Besides, he had always intended to give the Clone Soldiers some field experience. So, he only deployed the Mecha squadron for perimeter support while the Clone Soldiers landed at different points of the space station for a full sweep.
The former squad leader, now promoted to commander of the Clone Mobile Forces, had finally been given a name by Liu Hai—Stallone.
The original members of Squad One had all become squad leaders themselves, though for now, they only had codenames. They would only be allowed to choose their own names or receive one from Liu Hai after earning merits.
Even before disembarking from the Landing Craft, Stallone—fully armed—had Squad One and Squad Two ready for combat at a moment's notice. The attached squad's precision detection equipment was running at full power, capable of marking even a single-celled organism within a 300-meter radius.
The Armed robots strode out of the Landing Craft first with an unmistakably confident gait. Four robots per squad took positions at each corner, their back-mounted Electromagnetic Rapid-fire Cannons primed and ready to fire.
Only after confirming the area was secure did the Clone Soldiers quickly exit the Landing Craft, advancing in combat formation through a breach in the space station into the habitation zone.
With the space station non-operational, the artificial gravity in the living quarters had long since failed, leaving the Clone Soldiers to rely on their Exoskeleton Armor's magnetic adhesion for normal movement.
"Deploy drones to map the interior layout of the space station. Keep life detectors at full power and stay alert," Stallone ordered while monitoring the progress of other squads.
Several drones lifted off from the Clone Soldiers' backs, circled once, then flew into the space station's inner corridors.
Equipped with basic radar, the drones quickly scanned the station's internal structure, projecting a real-time holographic layout before Liu Hai and the others.
Stallone's squad followed the Armed robots into the station's dark passageways. With its power systems long dead, the corridors were pitch-black, illuminated only by the Clone Soldiers' searchlights.
Liu Hai and the others followed the Clone Soldier squad as they surveyed the interior of the space station. The passageway, nearly four meters tall and five meters wide, was littered with floating household waste and metal debris, yet there were no signs of battle or biological remains from the target civilization.
The Clone Soldier squad pressed forward cautiously, their radar detectors operating at full power. After half an hour of walking and opening one bulkhead after another, the only sound that remained was the breathing of the Clone Soldiers—no other movement could be detected.