Chapter Forty-One Fierce Confrontation

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The roar of the rift in space-time was like a curse from an ancient abyss, tearing through the universe’s age-old silence and stirring an endless metallic hum among the space station’s structures, until the vibration made everyone’s eardrums ache.

Lin Yu and Su Yao’s disruption team was trapped deep within the core of the ritual station. The acrid stench of scorched energy mingled with the smell of blood and clawed into their nostrils, churning their stomachs.

The mysterious organization’s black robes billowed wildly in the chaotic energy field, like demons dancing in a frenzy. Fanatical obsession burned in their eyes, while the purple vortex of space-time was reflected in their pupils. They were like bewitched believers, willing to become moths flying into the flames for the sake of opening the space-time passage, even if an abyss of eternal damnation lay ahead.

“Cover me while I break through!” Su Yao’s roar pierced the gunfire, dense as a torrential downpour. Under the impact of energy beams, her nano-stealth suit rippled in layers as she darted like a ghost through the gaps between the bullets.

Each time an energy beam grazed her, it left a searing afterimage behind. Her vibration dagger emitted a high-pitched shriek as it cut through the air, while ghostly blue arcs of electricity danced along its edge and sliced precisely through the enemy’s defensive line.

When a black-robed fighter thrust an energy sword at her, she twisted aside and rolled, her knee slamming hard against the metal floor and sending a stabbing pain through her. She gritted her teeth and endured it, then slashed at the attacker’s elbow joint with the dagger, quick as a striking viper.

Warm blood splashed across her visor, only to vaporize instantly in the energy field with a hiss of white steam, accompanied by the nauseating stench of charred flesh.

Yet more black-robed figures surged in through the shattered bulkhead. The particle emitters in their hands sprayed crimson beams that melted hideous trenches into the floor. Blackened molten metal gurgled across the deck, gathering into steaming pools.

Lin Yu’s pulse rifle continued to spit blue light. Each time he pulled the trigger, the recoil sent a tearing pain through his shoulder, as though his bones were about to shatter.

His tactical visor was covered in dense bullet marks, yet the gaze behind its lenses grew ever sharper, like an eagle’s.

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“Concentrate fire on the energy amplifier!” The order came through his vibrating throat mic, carrying a faint rasp that was almost imperceptible.

The team immediately split into two groups. The squad assigned to draw fire hurled an antimatter decoy toward the passage on the left. The ensuing explosion unleashed a tremendous shockwave, which sent metal fragments spraying in every direction.

Seizing the opportunity, the other squad sprinted toward the elevated platform a hundred meters away. Their footfalls echoed through the empty passage, interweaving with the explosions and gunfire.

The stairs leading to the platform had become a corridor of death. The mechanical eyes of the automated gun turrets glimmered with a ghostly green light, like venomous spiders lurking in the darkness, forever waiting for their prey to appear.

When Chen attempted to vault over the barricade, a dense storm of plasma rounds swallowed him in an instant. For that brief moment, terror flashed across his face before the searing energy consumed him.

His charred remains fell onto the smoking floor, leaving behind only a sizzling smear of molten metal. The air reeked of burned flesh.

Lin Yu forcibly suppressed the turmoil surging through his heart. His Adam’s apple bobbed once as he led the remaining team members forward in a weaving advance.

At times they used energy shields to withstand the attacks, the shields emitting an overloaded hum beneath the barrage. At others they sprang upward with the aid of zero-gravity devices and struck back. In weightlessness, their movements became somewhat distorted, yet their fire remained precise as they aimed at the enemy.

Every step forward left a bloody handprint on the metal floor, each mark seeming to bear witness to their struggle against death.

When they reached the platform, the energy amplifier was shrouded in a translucent force field, refracting a twisted purple halo. Within that radiance, mysterious runes drifted faintly in motion.

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The leader of the black-robed figures threw back his hood, revealing half a mechanical face. The metal joints emitted a faint rasp, and his lips twisted into a cold curve.

“Pathetic insects trying to shake a tree. Do you really think these little tricks will—”

Before he could finish, the antimatter bomb Su Yao had thrown pierced the protective field.

Amid a deafening roar, the space station shuddered violently, as though the force would tear it apart. Cracks spread across the metal dome like a spiderweb. The ceiling lights began to flicker erratically, and sparks burst forth at intervals.

Lin Yu seized the brief opening and led the team in pouring their magazines into the amplifier’s core. The sound of bullets striking the device came like a rapid drumbeat. Amid the shower of sparks, the machine finally erupted in a blinding white light before breaking apart into fragments that rained from above.

Yet the alarm suddenly intensified, its shrill tone seeming sharp enough to pierce the eardrums. The mysterious organization’s members frantically hammered at the backup control console, their fingers flying across the keyboard as veins bulged at their temples.

Dark-red energy patterns spread wildly across the bulkheads, like the veins of a demon. The purple vortex of the space-time passage swelled once more, and a powerful suction began dragging at everything nearby. Some of the lighter metal fragments were pulled toward the vortex.

Lin Yu wiped away the blood pouring from his forehead. The smear blurred his vision, and he blinked rapidly. The warning light from his tactical visor cast a red glow across his resolute eyes.

“They have only one last line of defense!”

He exchanged a glance with Su Yao. In each other’s eyes, they saw the resolve to die if necessary. At the same moment, they drew the vibration blades from their belts.

The space station had become a hellscape run amok. Currents raced through the compartments like silver serpents, and every arc of electricity left a trail of blackened scorch marks as it flashed past. The wiring in the walls spat out plumes of smoke.

But the disruption team did not hesitate for even an instant. Gripping their weapons, they charged toward the final battlefield. Every step was firm and heavy. Behind them they left a trail of bloody footprints and burning resolve—a will like an inextinguishable flame, shining amid the darkness of the space station.

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