As Lin Ke’s fingertip barely brushed the cryogenic metal wall of the冥河号’s storage compartment, his eyes were momentarily drawn to a chalk-white short blade embedded in a recessed groove in the bulkhead⚡. As an on-site technician with the Federation Starship Maintenance Corps, he had seen plenty of standard-issue weapons, but this particular blade was made of an utterly peculiar material—neither titanium alloy nor ceramic, but rather something that resembled condensed stardust. When he pressed the ridged pattern on the hilt, a faint bioluminescent glow emanated from it🔦; just as he leaned his palm against it, his comm device suddenly popped up a prompt for authorization: “Stardust Special Operations Unit exclusive equipment—authorization level Ω.”

The case of the Stardust Special Operations Unit’s complete disappearance three years ago has always been a Federation secret, yet Lin Ke never imagined he’d actually find their weapons aboard this derelict experimental starship. He drew the short blade, and as the edge sliced through the air, fine particles of stardust scattered off; at that moment, the compartment’s holographic display activated, revealing the unit’s commander gripping an identical blade and roaring into the camera: “Don’t let the Federation get hold of the ‘Bone-Eroding’ experimental data… this blade can pierce dimensional barriers…” The image abruptly cut off, and the hatch behind him slammed shut with a loud lock🔒. Clutching the blade tightly, Lin Ke heard a rasping, non-human growl echoing through the ventilation ducts.