Chen Ming leaped through the air and smoothly entered the space station due to inertia.
The sudden appearance of gravity inside the space station nearly made Chen Ming stumble, but he managed to land steadily.
Not daring to waste time, Chen Ming quickly oriented himself.
He immediately left the dock and ran towards the small warehouse closest to it.
This time, Chen Ming's actions had to be swift; heaven knows how long it will be before the attracted insects scatter again throughout the space station.
Chen Ming sprinted with his head down and soon arrived at the small warehouse.
The metal door of the warehouse had long been destroyed, and the inside was dark.
Chen Ming turned on the flashlight function of his terminal to illuminate the path beneath his feet, cautiously walking in.
He couldn't guarantee there weren't insects lurking in the warehouse; safety was paramount.
The warehouse was divided into two areas.
One part stored the equipment and components needed for maintaining ships, which was Chen Ming's target.
The other part contained some express delivery packages.
Even in the interstellar age, there is still express delivery service.
Because the mining space station is located far away in the edge star realm, distant from the densely populated lush star realm, it's not easy to make a return trip.
Also, many people working here often send minerals as local specialty gifts to relatives and friends, making this a common occurrence.
Hence, many parcels that should have been stored in the main warehouse according to regulations end up here, close to the dock, convenient for delivery ships.
Moreover, supplies sent periodically from outside are temporarily stored here until counted and transferred to the official warehouse next to the mining area.
As a result, this small warehouse was eventually divided into two areas.
However, as Chen Ming walked a certain distance in, he found that this place, which should have been orderly and kept parcels and goods separate,
had become a total mess after the final chaos in the space station thirty years ago, with various jumbled parcels and goods piled together.
Chen Ming could only rely on his memory, recalling where the laser components for ship mining were stored, and trying to find them.
After searching the warehouse for about an hour, Chen Ming finally found a box in relatively good condition among a pile of miscellaneous items.
There's a label carved with a laser in the corner of the box, clearly marked with the words "High-Strength Laser Lens".
Thanks to the protective cushioning foam inside, even after thirty years, the high-strength laser lenses of three different sizes inside remained intact.
Having obtained the item, but since he was already here, Chen Ming searched near the box with the lenses.
Soon, a low-frequency wave generator was also stuffed into a small backpack Chen Ming found in the living quarters.
This item, as the name suggests, is used to transform mining lasers with [Wave Oscillation].
As for the final [Energy Gathering Ring] transformation requiring a laser restraint device that Chen Ming knows of now, it doesn't need specialized industrial products as material.
Basic metals can be used for transformation, so Chen Ming had no reason to stay longer.
More than an hour had passed already; lingering could be dangerous.
Chen Ming glanced at the items in his backpack, strapped it on again, and prepared to leave.
As Chen Ming reached the warehouse exit, he suddenly noticed a half-human-tall wooden box in a concealed corner near the exit.
Amidst the chaos in the warehouse, this box was singularly intact here. Still, Chen Ming couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Thus, he stopped and approached.
The outside of the box was undamaged and had clearly been specifically placed here, but its label was missing, so he had no idea what it contained.
After some thought, Chen Ming took out the tools he carried and started working on the box.
After all, thirty years had passed; no one was likely coming for the parcels or items.
Chen Ming quickly pried open the top of the box and casually tossed the lid aside.
He shone the flashlight inside.
In the next moment, Chen Ming's eyes widened involuntarily.
"This!"
Chen Ming couldn't help but exclaim.
Inside the box was an insect egg, wrapped in various cushioning and insulating materials.
Yes, it was the insect egg Chen Ming had seen in the central hall of the space station earlier.
The insects couldn't have laid an egg inside the box, packed it up, and placed it in this corner afterward.
Someone in the space station must have discovered the insects while mining, acquired an egg sample, and stored it here, ultimately failing to send it out.
This realization made Chen Ming feel the possible reasons and truths behind the space station's disaster were even more fascinating.
Did this person already know about the insects, so they acquired the egg intending to send it somewhere?
Or was it merely a chance discovery of the insects, noting they could survive in a vacuum.
Therefore, they thought of it as a rare creature, their greed leading them to conceal it, planning to take it back to the human world for sale?
If it's the latter, that's fine, but if it's the former, it suggests a much more terrifying conspiracy is behind the destruction of the space station.
Not dwelling on the matter, Chen Ming decided to remove himself from anything related to the company or space station, focusing on surviving well.
Once Chen Ming made up his mind, the egg in front of him began to stir under the light and vibrations.
Without hesitation, Chen Ming raised his gun and shattered it.
Suddenly, Chen Ming felt a chill from head to toe, as if some danger was approaching.
No longer wasting time, Chen Ming quickly left the warehouse with his backpack.
A few seconds after Chen Ming stepped out of the warehouse, he suddenly felt the floor of the space station tremble violently.
Looking toward the direction of the vibrations, a large number of crazed insects were rapidly approaching Chen Ming through the broken walls of the building.
Chen Ming instinctively gripped the gun in his hand but quickly realized this wasn't a problem a handgun could solve, promptly dismissing irrelevant thoughts and sprinting away.
These insects suddenly appeared to pursue him—could it be that they possess swarm mentality? A colony sharing a single consciousness?
By killing the egg, did Chen Ming become the target of these insects?
Chen Ming didn't know; he only increased his pace again as he felt the vibrations intensifying.
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
The thought flashed through Chen Ming's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Because he had already returned to the dock.
The place was empty except for a few broken ships that were there previously, and Iron Ore No. was nowhere to be seen.
However, Chen Ming had no hesitation; he continued running toward a gap at the edge of the dock.
As he approached the edge of the dock, with nothing but empty space ahead, Chen Ming's pace did not slow.
At the moment he reached the end of the path, he leaped into the boundless void of space.
The crazed insects behind him disregarded any external conditions and followed him, jumping out of the space station's gravitational field.
At this moment, Iron Ore No., hidden at a distance to avoid detection by the Insect Race, suddenly flew out from the other corner of the space station.
It stopped in front of Chen Ming, catching him.
Its engine then emitted a fiery red tail flame, disappearing around the space station.
Those insects that jumped out with Chen Ming could only drift aimlessly in space until they died.