After passing through the second forest, a huge lake appeared in front of them. The lake was formed by a waterfall that was hundreds of meters tall.
The lake was vast, and there was a small island in the middle of the lake. Sixteen towering holy trees formed a circle on the island, and each of the trees had a dazzling Mana Eye rolling on top of them. The energy waves were so strong that the Academician could barely stand still.
The ground in the circle seemed to be a stone formation, and it was covered in strange runes. If it were not for the holy trees, Ding Meng would have thought that he was back in the Devourer's Realm.
This was indeed a strange place. The Mana Eye was the power of the Demons, the holy trees were the energy of the holy light, and the formation was similar to the Devourer's Realm. However, he did not know what the formation was. With such a mixture hidden here, it would be strange if there was nothing wrong with it.
"This is the first time I've been here!" The Professor gazed into the distance silently. The sixteen Holy Trees gave off a majestic aura, it was truly a spectacular sight.
Ding Meng thought to himself. This must be the Academician's first time here, but it might not be the first time the leader of the Hidden Front had been here. This place might be related to the secrets of the Land of Entropy. Was this the so-called key?
Ding Meng scanned the area with his telekinesis vision again. The Academician also turned on her wrist device to scan the image. After a long time, he finally made a decision. "Let's not go any further. Let's go back the way we came!"
The Academician nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."
Although the Academician was not as experienced as Ding Meng, she knew that they could not go any further. The energy waves in front of them were strong enough to indicate the mysterious unknown. She was already satisfied that they had reached this place.
The two returned to the spaceport. The sky was already dark, but the cold drizzle did not stop. The Academician brought Ding Meng back to the third floor of the terminal. This was her office.
The room was very simple. Other than the large desk with the photon computer, there was nothing else in the room. There was not even a chair.
"Do you usually work standing up?" Ding Meng was curious.
The Academician was transferring the information collected from her wrist device to the photon computer. A few screens rose in the room, and they were full of strange pictures and information. They looked like strange creatures and materials.
"There's nothing wrong with standing. It's better for me to focus!" the professor replied nonchalantly.
"What are these?"
Ding Meng leaned over. He saw the professor comparing the picture of the island with another picture of the same island. The system showed that the similarity between the two was eighty-two percent.
The professor said, "This is an alien ruin. I went there with my classmates many years ago."
"You have classmates?" Ding Meng was even more curious now.
The Professor replied, "Of course I do. This classmate of mine specializes in researching extraterrestrial civilizations. Back then, he was also a top student of the Emperor Star University."
Ding Meng asked, "Who is your classmate?"
The doctor's hand that was operating the screen suddenly stopped, and his expression became absent-minded again: "His name is Shinchi, and he has been missing for many years."
Ding Meng said, "It seems that this classmate of yours is very important to you."
The doctor nodded. "Yes, we were all taught by the same mentor. We all have the same goal, which is to explore the ruins of the extraterrestrial civilization located in the main star system."
Ding Meng looked at the picture on the screen and asked, "Did you guys find it?"
The professor revealed a rare look of sadness. "We found it. This is a completely new ruin of the Protoss civilization. However, Shinchi gave him a lot of basic information and let me leave on a lifeboat alone."
Ding Meng was even more curious now. "Why?"
The professor stared at the table in a daze. "He must have known that some kind of disaster was coming and left the chance of survival to me. Later, I found out that on their way back, the starship had an accident and crashed in space. Both he and my mentor went missing."
Ding Meng asked, "So you've been researching this all this time?"
The professor said, "Yes, I returned to the Empire, but the people in the space center did not believe me at all. They thought that I was traumatized, so they chased me out and almost beat me to death."
Ding Meng thought to himself. So the professor was a member of the Empire's space department, and it was very likely that he was an expert.
However, this did not feel right. Even if they did not believe you, they would not go so far as to kill you. The professor must have known something that he should not have known.
The professor said, "Fortunately, the boss saved me and sent me here. This Planet No.5 is very similar to the ruin from before. This way, I can continue my research."
You are still too naive and too obsessed with academic research, Ding Meng thought to himself. The boss of the Hidden Front would not be so kind as to save you. He must have his own motives.
Ding Meng asked, "Who is your mentor?"
The professor said, "You might not know even if I told you. His name is Harsinte Sinji Bena Yi Martinez. He is also a professor …"
Ding Meng was shocked beyond words. At this moment, he remembered many things.
Dr. Ha Xinte had been maimed to death by the Chu Family members on the Kunpeng Starship. His student, Xiao Zhi, had taken a bullet for him and died from a headshot. That Xiao Zhi was obviously Dr. Ha Xinte's classmate. It turned out that they were both Dr. Ha Xinte's students, and the ruins Ha Xinte had found were the remnants of the little rascal's spirit body.
Many clues were connected in an instant. Shinzhi must have known about the Mou Xing Civilization's Shenguang Technology. This secret was too important. He must have not wanted to involve the professor, so he sent the professor to the lifeboat in advance and left alone.
Ding Meng suddenly said something shocking. "You are researching the Mou Xing Civilization?"
The professor turned around with a look of disbelief. "You … how did you know?"
This was her biggest secret. She had not even mentioned it to the boss of the Hidden Front.
Ding Meng did not answer. He slowly raised his index finger and summoned the rotating Shenguang singularity. "Is this what you are looking for?"
The professor's eyes widened. She was an authority in this field and clearly understood the type of energy wave. "You … you … you …"
She was already so shocked that she could not speak.
Ding Meng was expressionless. "I am a warrior from the Mou Xing Civilization!"
The professor was dumbfounded. "You are the person cultivated by the Protoss Civilization?"
Ding Meng sighed and retracted the singularity. "Professor Harxinte is indeed dead. He was killed in order to protect the Mou Xing Civilization's secret. This happened many years ago when they were on their way back."
The professor's eyes immediately turned red.
Ding Meng said again, "The other warrior from the Mou Xing Civilization has already avenged you on the spot."
"What about Shinzhi?" the professor immediately asked.
Ding Meng sighed. "Shinzhi sacrificed himself in order to protect Professor Harxinte."
The professor's body went limp. She felt as if she had aged several decades in an instant.
Ding Meng could also see that the professor and Shinzhi had a very close relationship.
Ding Meng said seriously, "Professor, listen to me. This matter is very complicated. Don't get involved anymore, if you trust me."
The professor was silent and looked very hesitant.
Ding Meng said, "Your research direction is correct. The Protoss Civilization's power has been contaminated by magic energy. You can't stay in this place any longer. If you stay any longer, you will be in big trouble."
Although the professor was simple, it did not mean that he was stupid. "You came here for the key?"
Ding Meng immediately asked, "Where is the key?"
The professor sighed. "The key is not with the boss."
Ding Meng was stunned again.
The professor sighed even harder. "The boss told me that the key is in the hands of another person. That person is an extremely powerful enemy of his. That person would never give the key to him."
Even the boss of the Hidden Front described him as extremely powerful. It seemed that this enemy was also a super expert. It was impossible to snatch the key by force.
Ding Meng pondered and said, "It seems that he sent you here not to find the key, because you won't be able to find it either. However, if there is a key, there must be a lock. I understand now. He wants you to find the lock."
The professor also understood. "The island in the middle of the lake is very similar to the Mou Ruins that the professor found years ago. It is very likely that the lock is located there."
Ding Meng said, "He is trying to use another method to open the lock. He believes that my arrival is a possibility."
Actually, Ding Meng was also secretly shocked. Based on the Hidden Front's information sources, it was impossible that the boss did not know that he had the Divine Light energy.
"Let's go back!" Ding Meng immediately made a decision.
The professor was surprised. "Go back where?"
Ding Meng said, "Back to the space station. Go back to the Empire and leave this place."
He still had some protective feelings for the professor. After all, Little Rascal was saved by Ha Xinte, and the professor was Ha Xinte's student. He could not let the professor repeat the tragedy of Ha Xinte.
"Then, when are we going back?" The professor obviously believed him.
Ding Meng said, "There's no time to lose. Now is the time!"
There were five backup transport spaceships on the helipad. Not long after the spaceship took off, the main control console's communication link was automatically generated. It was a mirror image of the station master.
The station master's expression was very serious. "Mr. Ting, Sir Professor, where are you now?"
Ding Meng said, "We are on the way back."
The station master said, "Very good. I need you and the professor to return."
Ding Meng and the professor looked at each other. Could something have happened on the space station?
It took three hours for the spaceship to exit the atmosphere and return to the space station. After receiving the notification, the two of them went straight to the command and control center of the space station's core bridge. This was the standard starship command center.
At this moment, the main control console was surrounded by the station master, the butler, the instructor, the butcher, and a thin old man. It looked like they were also core members. The leader of the Hidden Front was sitting on the sofa in the lounge. Number 2 was always standing behind him. The group did not look too good. It seemed like they had encountered a problem.
Others might not know what was going on, but Ding Meng knew what was going on the moment he came in.
The hundreds of screens in the hall, including the five central screens of the main control console, all dimmed. They lost the data and images that were supposed to be running.
Now, they were all replaced by the same image. This image was a large black handprint on a white background. It looked very strange. After looking at it for a long time, it would make one's hair stand on end.
Obviously, the black handprint faction had also found this place and had even hacked into the space station's artificial intelligence management system. This was also the usual method of the Fifth Lord. There was no place in this world that they could not hack.
However, when he saw the professor, the station master's frown eased. A smile also appeared on the butler's face.
"Professor, you came at the right time. We need your help here."