boyutpedia Page 224
Page 224
"I don't know...it's just a feeling." Lin Ye couldn't explain it clearly either, only that the guidance from the foundation was becoming clearer and clearer.
Trunks stared out the window at the apocalyptic scene, his face as white as a sheet: "Can...can we really get out of here?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Keep an eye on the energy reading! Call me immediately if it drops below 30%!" Vegeta glared at him, his tone sharp, but he wasn't truly ignoring it.
Just then, from the point where the storm was at its fiercest, the silhouettes of several warships suddenly appeared. These warships were enormous, appearing and disappearing within the energy storm, slowly adjusting their formation... clearly they had just warped in and were preparing to search for people within the nebula.
"It's an Observer cruiser! They're blocking the exit!" Trunks shouted, pointing at the screen, his voice trembling.
"Charge! Fight them!" Vegeta's eyes blazed with fury, his fists clenched tightly.
"No! If we crash head-on, we'll be gone instantly!" Xi immediately objected, her fingers flying across the control panel. "Take a detour! Go through the area where the storm is stronger from the side!"
She jerked the control lever, and the "Star Shuttle" emitted a teeth-grinding creak, hurtling almost vertically to the side... The energy turbulence there was denser, and the spatial rifts more pronounced; it looked like a dead end.
The cruisers behind had clearly spotted the small, fleeing spaceship as well. Several detection beams immediately swept over it, and the muzzles of their main guns began to slowly rotate, seemingly about to fire.
However, the violent energy storm proved to be a great help, disrupting the probe beams and making it impossible for the main gun to maintain a stable lock.
"Now!" Xi shouted, turning the engine to overload mode, and all the warning lights on the dashboard lit up.
The "Star Shuttle" transformed into a streak of light, plunging into the energy zone where even light was distorted.
Rumble...!
The spaceship shook even more violently; Lin Ye felt as if his internal organs were about to be shaken out, and he nearly crushed the armrest in his hand. The shield energy reading plummeted, instantly dropping below 30%, and the screen was filled with red warning boxes.
Outside the window, a blinding white light filled the air; nothing could be seen except for the deafening roar of energy.
A few seconds later, the bumpy ride suddenly stopped, and the pressure on my body instantly eased.
The "Star Shuttle" burst forth from the energy storm, leaving the chaotic, colorful nebula far behind. Outside the window, the familiar void returned, dark and still, with only distant stars twinkling.
"It...it worked?" Trunks slumped in his chair, panting heavily, staring at the slowly stabilizing shield readings on the screen, still somewhat incredulous.
Xi slumped in the driver's seat, wiping the sweat from her face, her voice filled with exhaustion: "For now... we've shaken them off. They don't dare to easily pursue us into a storm of that intensity. But our coordinates have definitely been exposed, and it won't be long before pursuers arrive."
Silence fell over the spaceship, broken only by the hum of the engines and the heavy breathing of the crew.
They did escape, but they also completely exposed themselves to the observers. The journey to the Seventh Generation will certainly not be peaceful.
Lin Ye looked at the destination marked on the navigation map, took a deep breath, and said firmly, "Set the flight path, target: the Seventh Generation."
Just then, Xi suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and pointed at the navigation panel, her expression instantly changing: "Something's wrong! The coordinates of the Seventh Generation... why are they changing on their own? It seems like something has tampered with them!"
Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to lean closer to take a look, the foundation stone in his hand suddenly became intensely hot, and the blue-gold light of the variable engine flickered wildly. A blurry yet cold voice suddenly echoed in his mind...
"Don't go to the Seventh Generation...it's a trap..."
Chapter 482: Shadows on the Shipping Channel
The "Star Shuttle" sailed smoothly through the void, but the atmosphere inside the cabin was oppressive. The recent desperate escape weighed heavily on everyone's hearts; no one could truly relax.
Xi stared at the data on the control panel, her brows furrowed. "The shield is only at 22%, many components need cooling after the engine overload, and the hull is deformed in several places. We need to repair the ship, but the Observers certainly won't give us time."
"Can't we find a quiet place to fix it?" Trunks asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
“Difficult!” Xi shook her head. “This is the only way to the Seventh Generation, and the Observers have already set up monitoring points. Our energy signature was too conspicuous when we broke through the storm; the pursuers will be here soon.”
Vegeta scoffed, "Kill as many as they come! Those hounds before were just a bunch of trash!"
Number 18 gave him a cold glance: "What if a fleet, or even more hounds, comes? Our resources are limited; we can't afford to waste time."
Lin Ye remained silent, walking to the observation window and gazing into the pitch-black void. The variable engine whirred gently within him, the resonance of the foundation fluctuating. He always felt as if a pair of eyes were watching from the shadows, but the feeling was too faint to grasp.
"Xi, are there any strange things or legends along this road?" Lin Ye suddenly asked.
Xi paused, thought for a moment, and said, "A day's journey ago, there was a 'silent zone.' I heard there's absolutely no energy fluctuation there; the space is like it's frozen solid. Detectors malfunction as soon as they go in. Many ships avoid it, and those that go in basically never come out. Some say it's the graveyard of an ancient battlefield, others say it hides monsters."
"Silent Zone?" Lin Ye repeated, the foundation stone in his hand trembling slightly.
"You want to go in?" Xi asked anxiously. "That's too dangerous. What if you get trapped inside...?"
“The most dangerous place is actually the safest.” Lin Ye’s eyes were firm. “The Observer’s detectors are useless there. Let’s hide on the edge; maybe we can buy some time to repair the ship.”
“But that place sounds terrifying!” Trunks shrank back.
Vegeta, however, perked up: "The Silent Zone? Better than being a target here."
Number 18 nodded: "The risk and reward are about 50/50. If the rumors are true, it's possible to evade tracking. But we must be careful and not go too deep."
Xi glanced at Lin Ye, then at the navigation map, and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'll risk it! I'll adjust the flight path and stay only on the edge!"
The "Star Shuttle" changed direction and flew towards the "Silent Zone".
The voyage was both stifling and tense, with everyone taking turns resting and remaining on guard. Lin Ye stayed in the rest cabin, trying to communicate more with the Foundation Stone; the variable engine's light flickered, and he wanted to recover his strength as quickly as possible. Vegeta pulled Trunks into the sparring room to practice their moves, trying to find more effective fighting styles under limited energy. Android 18 helped Xi monitor the ship's data, checking the newly replenished equipment.
A few hours later, the navigation map showed that we were almost at the edge of the "quiet zone."
Suddenly, the detector beeped urgently.
"Something's wrong!" Xi shouted. "There's an unusual spatial fluctuation ahead! It's a man-made energy shielding field!"
Everyone rushed to the cockpit instantly.
Ripples spread across the void as three small warships, painted with camouflage, deactivated their optical camouflage and formed a triangular formation, blocking the path to the "Silent Zone." These warships were smaller than the "Arbiter," their hulls gleaming with eerie blue patterns, suggesting a propensity for surprise attacks.
"It's an 'Assassin'-class interceptor!" Xi's face paled. "The Observer's special forces! They actually predicted our route!"
"The assassin is very strong?" Lin Ye frowned.
“A single ship isn’t as heavily armed as the ‘Arbiter,’ but it’s fast, agile, and can use electronic jamming—it specializes in decapitation strikes!” Xi spoke rapidly. “This is troublesome; they’ve deployed a jamming field, so we can’t jump over it!”
The console indeed showed that the space jump engine was locked.
One of the "Assassins" sent a communication request.
"Should I answer?" Xi asked Lin Ye.
"Go ahead and listen to what they have to say."
The screen lit up, revealing a man in an observer uniform. His epaulets suggested a high rank, and his eyes were cold and piercing, like a hawk's.
"Unknown spaceship, this is the Observer Seventh Covert Squadron." The man's voice was devoid of emotion. "Shut down the engines and shields, hand over the Primal Stone and anything related to Camilla, and that's your only chance of survival."
Vegeta gave the middle finger to the screen: "Dream on!"
The man's gaze remained unchanged: "A foolish choice. Refuse to surrender, and you will be destroyed."
Communication is down.
The next second, the three "Assassins" suddenly accelerated, appearing like three shadows as they surrounded the other ships from different directions, their bow-mounted energy cannons flashing.
"Evade!" Xi jerked the control stick.
The Star Shuttle narrowly evaded the first wave of attacks; energy beams grazed the shields, causing the ship to rock violently.
"The shield has dropped to 18%!" Trunks' voice trembled.
These "assassins" were too fast, like they were glued to her. Their attack angles were tricky, and their coordination was impeccable, always managing to block the "Star Shuttle's" escape route. Xi pushed her piloting skills to the limit, the ship somersaulting, stopping abruptly, changing direction, but she just couldn't shake them off. The shield's energy was depleting faster and faster.
"This can't go on!" Number 18 said calmly. "Our mobility isn't as good as theirs, and our shields won't hold for long."
"Open the firing ports, I'm going out to fire!" Vegeta roared, charging forward.
"No! The outside environment is complicated; you'll be targeted and attacked if you go out!" Lin Ye stopped him. "Their firepower may not be as strong as the big ship, but if they concentrate their fire on you, you won't be able to withstand it."
"What do we do then? Just wait to be worn down?" Vegeta slammed his fist against the bulkhead with a dull thud.
Lin Ye stared at the enemy ship on the screen, his mind racing. His variable engine was running at full speed, analyzing the enemy's attack patterns. Suddenly, he noticed that the "assassins'" attacks always avoided the "silent zone," as if afraid of hitting it.
"Xi! Charge into the 'Silent Zone'!" Lin Ye shouted.
“But over there…” Xi hesitated.
"They dare not approach! This is our chance!" Lin Ye exclaimed urgently. "Pretend to charge in at the last minute, forcing them to change formation!"
Xi instantly understood and slammed the control stick. The Star Shuttle's engine roared, ignoring the surrounding gunfire, and charged straight towards the "silent zone."
This caught the "assassins" off guard; their attack paused, and their formation became somewhat disrupted. Clearly, their orders were to capture the target, not leave the "silent zone."
The lead assassin immediately issued orders, and the three ships changed formation, attempting to block the "Star Shuttle" and the "Silent Zone."
Just as their tactical change revealed a weakness...
"Now! Fire on the port side! Shoot the engine of the middle ship!" Lin Ye roared.
Ship 18 was ready, maneuvering all the port turrets to unleash its remaining energy on the middle ship, the "Assassin," which was lagging behind due to its change of course. Vegeta also condensed a compressed ki blast and hurled it through the firing port. Trunks gritted his teeth, struggling to stabilize his rapidly weakening shields and block the attacks from the other two ships.
Rumble!
The engine of the middle "Assassin" exploded, its speed plummeted, and the ship spun and drifted into the void, completely incapacitated.
The three ships' formation immediately broke apart!
"Well done!" Xi shouted excitedly, seizing the opportunity to pull the control stick, and the "Star Shuttle" slipped through the gap between the other two hastily surrounding it!
"Don't run!" The commanders of the remaining two "Assassins" were frantic, their eyes bloodshot as they gave chase, unleashing full firepower.
But just as they were about to catch up and lock onto the "Star Shuttle"...
A sudden change has occurred!
Two jet-black energy beams suddenly shot from the edge of the "silent zone," moving with incredible speed and striking precisely the two "assassin" ships that were pursuing them most fiercely.
There was no explosion, no fire.
The hit warships melted instantly, like ice meeting fire, leaving not a trace. In a second or two, the two advanced interceptor ships were gone, as if they had never existed.
Everyone inside the "Star Shuttle" was stunned, staring wide-eyed and speechless.
"W-what happened?" Trunks stammered, his face pale.
Xi quickly aimed the detector at the "quiet zone," but the screen remained blank; nothing was detected.
"Is...is it something from the Silent Zone?" Xi's voice trembled.
Lin Ye stared at the "silent zone," feeling a faint yet unsettling tremor emanating from both the variable engine and the foundation. That feeling of being watched was back, much clearer than before. He couldn't help but wonder: what exactly is hidden there?
The remaining damaged "Assassin" was clearly terrified; it dragged its wrecked body and ran, not even daring to pick up the remains of its companion.
The crisis had temporarily passed, but the atmosphere inside the "Star Shuttle" was even more oppressive. Having just escaped death, they were now being watched by an even more terrifying shadow.
"Move now! Full speed ahead!" Lin Ye suppressed his unease and decisively gave the order.
The "Star Shuttle" sped away from the airspace, its engines at maximum power. Only after the "silent zone" disappeared from the probe did the suffocating feeling slowly subside.