Chapter 23: Escape from the Abandoned Star Mound

"This coming Thursday, May 12, next week, a widespread starburst will erupt in the Garbage Star Belt, and its main impact targets will be Garbage Stars #7, #10, and #16. Fortunately, since there are no established shipping routes in this area, there will be no impact on the daily travel of the general public. However, the Environmental Protection Department will temporarily stop garbage dumping in these three garbage stars to prevent possible unnecessary damage. At the same time, the government also urges the public to minimize the amount of garbage dumped to cooperate with this temporary measure by the Environmental Protection Bureau.

Starburst? This news was like a bolt from the blue for Matthew, and he could barely stand still!

He smiled miserably, thinking that he had worked so hard for so many years in this remote and desolate place, but in the end, he couldn't escape his fate.

The Starburst had a devastating impact on living things. It was like a comb that combed repeatedly within its reach, eliminating all living things from life.

Disoriented, Matthew jumped out of the Dawnbreaker's cockpit.

As soon as he was outside, he heard Broken's alarmed cry, "Oh shit, the pulse signal's been cut off!"

Matthew just shrugged, unconcerned.

His and Broken's connection to the outside world was completely cut off. He leaned back lazily in his chair, and for some reason, his mood quickly settled. After so many years of struggling to survive on this garbage planet, there was no fear in his heart now that this day had finally come. After wandering between life and death countless times for so many years, he had already looked down on death.

He felt helpless; he had tried so hard to survive and always thought he could control his destiny, but when fate threw him a curveball, he realized that he was so small and insignificant. This caused a few moments of sadness to well up in his heart.

The Dawnbreaker didn't say anything either, but the flickering light in his eyes showed that his light brain was working frantically.

The two sat in silence, neither speaking. Only Dawnbreaker's electronic eyes kept flickering in the darkness, looking a bit eerie.

Early the next morning, Dawnbreaker woke Matthew.

Matthew had just woken up and was about to begin his daily physical training. However, he suddenly realized that his life would end in a few days, and no matter how well he trained his body, he wouldn't be able to withstand the power of the Starburst. So, he suddenly lost interest in training.

Dawnbreaker called him over, "Matthew, I've got something to tell you!"

　---------- ---------- ---------- --------　

"What is it?" Seeing Dawnbreaker's serious face, Matthew couldn't help but feel amused. However, at least Dawnbreaker didn't have to die with him, and the fact that the Star Flare did not affect inanimate objects made him feel a little better.

However, he still had to suffer the loneliness that had once tormented him here alone. Suddenly, he was a little curious, wondering what Dawnbreaker would be like when he was lonely.

The Dawnbreaker spoke, unusually serious: "Matthew, I've done some calculations, and we still have a chance of survival!"

Matthew couldn't believe his ears, "Chance? What chance? Do you have any ideas?"

Dawnbreaker replied, "Leave the planet!"

Matthew almost touched Dawnbreaker's forehead to see if he had a fever, "Dawnbreaker, you're not short-circuiting because you're so excited, are you? Escape from the planet? How can we escape? We don't have a spaceship; if we could escape, I would have left this hellhole long ago."

Dawnbreaker kept his cool, "I've done some calculations, and even though I've never had any experience in cosmic navigation, theoretically, we still have some options!"

Matthew asked suspiciously, "Theoretically? What does that mean?"

Dawnbreaker explained, "I just found out through simulation calculations that there is a probability of a successful escape!"

Matthew stared at Dawnbreaker, "What is the probability?"

Dawnbreaker replied calmly, "It varies between 18% and 45%."

Matthew rubbed his chin, thinking, "Well, the probability is a bit low!"

Dawnbreaker asked, "What have you decided?"

Matthew swung his arm violently and said without hesitation, "Fight! Of course, we have to fight; it's better than waiting to die!"

Dawnbreaker said indifferently, "Fine!"

Matthew looked at Dawnbreaker, "Actually, you don't have to take the risk; Starburst won't hurt you! You can leave me completely alone!"

Dawnbreaker said quietly, "According to my value judgment, this is the optimal choice."

Matthew smiled and shrugged, "Whatever you say, what do we do now?"

Dawnbreaker replied, "Repair the cockpit.

Dawnbreaker replied, "Repair the cockpit and replenish power. I need tons of power!"

The two moved quickly to gather all the energy pectin and connect it to the light energy collection panels. They knew that time was running out, and they needed to make preparations as soon as possible to have a chance of escaping from this planet. Even though the chances of success were very low, they decided to try it because it was much better than waiting to die.

Matthew sat in the cockpit, his eyes fixed on a palm-sized, ragged hole in the left bulkhead. The edges of the hole showed the scorch marks left by the laser weapon hitting the metal, causing him to feel frustrated, "It's not going to be easy to repair this place, especially since we don't have the right materials and tools!"

Dawnbreaker calmly analyzed, "If we don't fix this hole soon, the chances of you surviving sitting inside will be zero.

His words stunned Matthew, who then frowned bitterly and racked his brain for a solution. He kept chanting under his breath, "Materials, materials ...". However, the metal fragments in the garbage mountain were far from being able to meet the requirements for interstellar travel, which put him in a quandary.

The material he needed had to have high strength, good toughness, impact resistance, and preferably in flake form since he didn't have the processing tools.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning came through Matthew's mind, and he devised an excellent substitute!

The Dawnbreaker sliced through pile after pile of rubble at an astonishing speed while Matthew sat in the cockpit feeling the excitement of high-speed flight. However, the whistling wind from the hole immediately cut short his pleasure.

Dawnbreaker asked skeptically, "Does that stuff you said work?"

Matthew replied with a slight hesitation, "It should work. I remember the hardness of that thing; I couldn't even pierce Wendy's bone knife.

He was talking about the scales on the body of the Iron Python Lizard. As the top predator of the food chain on this garbage planet, the Iron Python Lizard was fierce, brutal, and powerful. Still, its entire body was covered in indestructible scales, making it nearly invincible.

Matthew had once stumbled upon the nest of this Iron Python Lizard, but he had never dared to approach it. After all, Wendy couldn't withstand a blow from its thick, bucket-like tail. He had witnessed the Iron Python Lizard destroy a group of Red Salamanders in just three minutes, and its unstoppable dominance and invincible strength were deeply engraved in his mind. The Red Salamander's sharp claws were strong enough to tear through metal, but they didn't even leave a trace on the Iron Python Lizard's body, and that scene was still unforgettable to him. So when he remembered that he needed high-strength materials, he immediately thought of the scales on the Iron Python Lizard's body.

As the Iron Python Lizard lair approached, Matthew signaled the Dawnbreaker to slow down. He held a twenty-foot titanium staff, the tip of which had been polished to an exceptionally sharp edge and flashed a cold light.

The iron python lizard was relaxing in its nest, enjoying a delicious red salamander. The red salamander's flesh was delicious and was one of the Iron Python Lizard's favorite foods. Although Matthew was aware of the deliciousness of the Red Salamander, its whereabouts were elusive, and it was so powerful and difficult to deal with that only a top predator like the Iron Python Lizard could treat it as a meal on a plate.

The Dawnbreaker remained calm and composed as it flew toward the Iron Python Lizard, while Matthew couldn't contain his inner excitement. This would be a climactic showdown between the two most powerful creatures on Trash Planet 7, so how could he not be excited?