Chapter 44: Tactical Adjustment

The dim, azure glow of quantum communications flickered amidst the battlefield intertwined with gunsmoke and the stench of scorching, resembling phantom fireflies drifting in the deep sea or sparks of hope struggling to flash in the dark.

Lin Yu's monumental discovery was like a bolt of lightning piercing an eternal night, instantly dispelling the gloom hanging over each strike team and kindling a new dawn for this game of life and death.

When the emergency directive—"Reorganize the crystal array to restart spacetime equilibrium"—burst through the encrypted channel, the fighters scattered across various sectors of the space station froze almost simultaneously. Following a brief moment of astonishment, a fierce fire of hope rekindled within the pupils beneath their tactical visors.

Some operatives gripped their weapons tighter, as though they were the sole anchors for grasping hope; others took a deep breath, attempting to calm their surging emotions and tension.

At this very moment, the Armor-Breaker Team, trapped deep within the transport corridor battlefield, was dancing with death. The air here was laden with the pungent odor of scorched metal and a thick stench of blood, with shattered mechanical parts and enemy wreckage strewn across the floor.

Captain Ken wiped away the grime mixed with blood and machine oil from his face. The ferocious scorch marks on his tactical visor silently spoke of the harrowing and fierce firefight with the enemy mechs just moments ago.

The blistering heat seemed to still linger on his skin, reminding him that every single second was fraught with danger.

"Change combat objectives immediately!" His roar, tinged with a metallic coldness, made the communicator buzz incessantly. "Gather the scattered crystals with all your might and reorganize them according to the star map sequence transmitted by Lin Yu!" The team members reacted with lightning speed, completing their formation switch in less than a second.

Cradling still-scalding weapons—every touch of the gun body transmitting that burning heat—they crouched and searched amidst the mountainous piles of wreckage, their vigilant gazes sweeping over every shadowy corner.

Those crystals emitting a faint fluorescence were like lost fireflies in the dim corridor, yet they guided them step by step toward unknown danger.

The team members' heartbeats accelerated with every step of the search, their nerves strained like bowstrings on the verge of snapping.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing metallic friction echoed from the ventilation ducts overhead, a sound resembling the claws of death scraping against the corridor walls.

"Enemy activity!" Little C's warning pierced the dead silence. Several spider-like reconnaissance units protruded their gleaming mechanical limbs, their red scanning lights resembling demonic eyes in the dark.

"Covering fire!" The veins on Little C's arm holding the electromagnetic pulse gun bulged. Amidst a blinding explosion of blue light, the reconnaissance units plummeted like black butterflies with broken wings.

Yet, a shrill alarm immediately tore through the air, signaling that even more ferocious enemies were about to swarm in. The alarm blared so loudly it made everyone's eardrums ache, as if their hearts were pounding violently inside their chests in rhythm with the sound.

The team members swiftly sought cover, pressing their bodies tight against the cold walls as sweat soaked through their backs.

Meanwhile, the core zone of the space station had turned into a living purgatory. The cloaked figure's energy beams acted like crimson tongues of fire, licking at the bulkhead, twisting and deforming the metal with sizzling sounds, while the air grew thick with a suffocating wave of heat.

Lin Yu's pulse rifle continuously spat tongues of flame, the recoil numbing the flesh beneath his shoulder armor. Every shot felt as though someone were violently hammering against his shoulder.

"Hold the line! Buy every second for the Armor-Breaker Team!" His roar was drowned out by the deafening din of gunfire and artillery, his voice turning hoarse from excessive exertion.

Su Yao's oscillating dagger carved continuous arcs of blue light. Every swipe precisely sliced through the enemy's defenses, sending droplets of blood splashing into the air to congeal into an eerie, sickeningly sweet blood mist.

Yet enemy reinforcements poured in like a tidal wave, forcing them to retreat step by step until they reached the edge of the altar with nowhere left to run.

With every step back, they could feel the mystical energy radiating from the altar behind them—an energy that seemed both to urge them forward and to await the verdict of fate.

Inside the transport corridor, the Armor-Breaker Team's race against time had reached a fever pitch. Within the narrow passageway, the operatives darted swiftly, their footsteps echoing and intertwining with the sound of their heartbeats.

When they gently placed the gathered crystals into the specialized storage cases, their movements were as cautious as holding fragile treasures, as if the slightest carelessness would reduce all their efforts to naught.

"The third one! Only two left!" Before Da Liu's cheer could fade, a dense barrage of gunfire suddenly erupted from the shadows ahead—guards clad in powered armor manned Gatling guns, the flames spitting from their muzzles instantly enveloping the corridor in a barrage of death.

Bullets struck the walls, sending sparks flying in all directions. Some operatives were burned by the sparks, yet they had no time to mind the pain.

"Find cover!" Amidst Ken's furious roar, Little D precisely tossed a gravitational grenade. In the ensuing blast, a powerful gravitational field acted like an invisible giant hand, fiercely pinning down a portion of the guards.

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, the team members broke through at the risk of their lives. Their bodies threaded through the hail of bullets, every movement filled with danger and daring.

At last, in a corner of the damaged transport pod, they discovered the final two crystals glowing with mystical light. A surge of wild elation welled up in their hearts, instantly eclipsed by the impending battle.

Meanwhile, the Interferer Team's situation had grown perilous to the extreme. Lin Yu's energy magazine issued a low-battery warning, every shot accompanied by a prompt indicating a decrease in power, sounding like the bell of a countdown.

Blood continued to seep from the tear in Su Yao's tactical suit, blooming into dark red stains on the ground. Waves of sharp pain radiated from her wound, but she bit her teeth hard, enduring the agony to press on with the fight.

Yet the two of them remained like steel statues, guarding the entrance to the altar with their lives.

"Thirty seconds! Hold on!" Ken's roar exploded from the communicator. Lin Yu and Su Yao exchanged a glance filled with tacit resolve, simultaneously pressing the emergency energy devices at their waists.

A blinding, intense light burst forth like an artificial sun, temporarily driving back the frenzied enemies. The radiance illuminated the entire battlefield, casting its glow upon their exhausted yet resolute faces.

When the panting Armor-Breaker Team rushed over with the crystals, Lin Yu forced his trembling body to stand firm, using blood-stained fingers to painstakingly and resolutely guide them in slotting the crystals into the prism grooves.

At this life-or-death juncture amidst the storm of bullets, a crucial tactical adjustment capable of rewriting the destiny of spacetime was unfolding against the ticking clock.

Every action, every gaze, bore their yearning for victory and their unyielding conviction to safeguard spacetime.