The metallic surface of Eros glinted with a cold sheen under the light of a distant star. This space mining outpost, controlled by gangsters, was quietly brewing a conspiracy shake the entire Solar System. Naomi Nagata stood in the control room of the mining arm in the mining area, her fingertips gliding across the greasy control panel, and the unease in her heart grew stronger by the minute. Over the past few days, she had noticed an abnormal increase in the security level at the outpost—unauthorized personnel were strictly restricted from moving around. What was even more bizarre was that intermittent abnormal vibrations emanated from several sealed cabins, and personnel in protective suits frequently entered and exited secretly. None of these signs were consistent with normal mining operations. As a former member of the OPA (Outer Planets Alliance), she had an extremely sharp sense for power transactions and dark conspiracies. Her intuition told her that the secret hidden on Eros was far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
To escape this troubled place, Naomi turned her attention to the air circulation system that had existed since the space station was built. The air circulation system, which had no obstacles and extended in all directions, allowed her to easily bypass barriers and head straight for the docking point of the Rocinante.
Meanwhile, Holden and Miller were trapped in an desperate situation. Earlier, in their pursuit of the truth behind the Donnager explosion, the two had strayed into a radiation zone on Eros. The high-intensity nuclear radiation had penetrated their protective gear, leaving burns on their skin and causing a sharp decline in their internal organ functions. Every breath was accompanied by severe pain. But the crisis of survival was far from over—gangsters, like sharks scenting blood, launched a carpet-style manhunt for them. Holden leaned against the wall of an abandoned storage cabin, coughing up a mouthful of blood foam, and said weakly to Miller, "We can't just wait to die. We have to find Naomi and get out of here." Miller gripped the blaster in his hand, his eyes still sharp. Relying on his familiarity with the tunnel structure of Eros, he led Holden through the intricate network of pipelines and cabins, narrowly escaping death from gangsters' gunfire time and time again. In the narrow passageways, the beeping of radiation dosimeters intertwined with the gangsters' footsteps, and the shadow of death loomed over them at all times.
On the other side of the Solar System, the atmosphere in the conference room of the United Nations Headquarters was solemn. An encrypted document was projected onto the large screen. The data revealed that Johnson, a former senior leader of the OPA, had long abused his position to collude with radical factions of the OPA. He had amassed enormous wealth through illegal mining and arms smuggling, and had even secretly built an advanced space fleet. The scale of the fleet far exceeded the UN's expectations, and the weapons equipped on its warships were powerful enough to pose a threat to the combined fleet of Earth and Mars. The UN Secretary-General tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "Johnson's ambition has threatened the peace and stability of the Solar System. We must take immediate action to stop his plan." A secret manhunt plan targeting Johnson quietly took shape amid intense discussions.
As the ship moved beyond Eros' observation range, they looked back to see eerie purple fumes rising from the surface of the once mining planet. The ship's detectors showed that the biochemical virus on Eros had mutated, and its transmission speed and lethality far exceeded the initial stage. Miller stared at the data on the screen with a solemn expression. "This crisis," he said, "has only just begun." Meanwhile, forces across the Solar System had already received the abnormal signals from Eros, and a greater storm revolving around the virus, power, and survival was quietly brewing.