thefictionvixens Page 127
Page 127
Lin Ye stood rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction the mysterious figure had vanished, his brow furrowed. The Seed of Annihilation? The Shadow Palace? And that mysterious dark star cluster—this was clearly just the beginning. He looked down at his right hand; the spot where he had touched the black particles still throbbed with a faint pain.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. Lin Ye looked up and saw several people in black uniforms running towards them. The leader had a silver badge pinned to his chest, engraved with an intricate galaxy pattern.
The Seventh Universe Inspector? Lin Ye narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist.
These people arrived too quickly, almost abnormally quickly.
Chapter 295: Key Clue
Lin Ye's military boots crunched on the gravel, each step feeling like a blow to the mysterious man's taut nerves. The smoke from the explosion hadn't dissipated yet, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur and blood. The mysterious man clutched his bleeding ribs, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground. His pale face was covered in dirt and soot, and the scar on his left cheek was twisted and deformed with fear.
"No...don't come any closer..." His voice sounded like it had been sanded, and his right hand quietly reached for the metal button at his waist, the last line of defense for the Shadow Palace members.
Lin Ye stopped, his azure pupils reflecting the other's trembling figure: "I'm giving you one last chance. What's the Dark Star Cluster's next target? How many strongholds does the Shadow Palace have in the Seventh Universe?" He deliberately slowed his speech, his inner energy flickering in his palm. "If you confess honestly, I might give you a quick death."
The mysterious man's Adam's apple bobbed as his gaze shifted between Lin Ye's taut fists and the distant ruins. He noticed the undried blood on Lin Ye's neck, a wound left by the blast wave, which suddenly gave him a sliver of hope: You...you were injured too.
This injury won't stop me from crushing your head. Lin Ye took half a step forward, his energy creating a gust of wind that made the mysterious man's robes flutter. "Three seconds, tell me what I want to know."
one...
The mysterious man suddenly grinned maliciously, pressing his left hand firmly on the button at his waist: "You'll never know the secrets of the Shadow Palace!"
The moment Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply, a familiar dark energy began to surge within the other person's body. He remembered this fluctuation; it was exactly the same as that of the long-haired man who had just self-destructed!
court death!
Lin Ye lunged forward to grab the other man's wrist, his fingertips just about to touch the metal button, when a blinding black light suddenly emanated from the mysterious man's chest. In the nick of time, Lin Ye rolled to the side, barely dodging the shockwave of the explosion.
Boom!
The shockwave sent debris raining down like a storm, sending Lin Ye flying and slamming his back against a broken steel bar. He coughed up blood and looked up to find only a charred crater five meters in diameter where he had stood, not even a trace of bone remaining.
Damn it! Lin Ye slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the concrete. Just a moment ago, he clearly sensed that the other party was wavering, and he almost managed to find out the exact location of the Shadow Palace.
In the distance, sirens wailed as Earth Defense Force aircraft hovered low in the air. Lin Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; his blue hair gradually lost its luster, returning to its original short black color. He gazed at the remaining black ash in the crater and suddenly noticed a faint metallic glint within it.
Walking over and parting the rubble, Lin Ye discovered half a data chip that had been melted and deformed by the high temperature, with fibers from the mysterious person's clothing still remaining on its edges. Lin Ye carefully picked up the chip and could feel a faint energy fluctuation still lingering inside.
All that work wasn't for nothing. He tucked the chip into the lining of his tactical boot, turned, and waved towards the aircraft.
In the conference room of the Earth Defense Force base, a holographic projection was playing footage of the explosion site on a loop. Klin pointed to the energy waveform on the screen, his brow furrowed: This self-destruction method was completely different from those last time's grunts; the energy purity was at least three levels higher.
In other words, this mysterious person is much higher level than the previous ones? Drinking tea with a cigarette in his mouth, he had to try to light the lighter three times before he could, even his self-destruction was so meticulous. Just how many trump cards does the Dark Star Cluster have?
Lin Ye slammed the half-chip onto the conference table. The moment the chip touched the surface, its edge lit up with a red light: Forget about the level, look at this.
Bulma, wearing her reading glasses, leaned closer, her fingertips tracing around the chip, activating a stream of fluctuating data: "It's the Shadow Palace's encryption chip. Luckily, it wasn't completely destroyed... Let me try to crack it..." She suddenly snapped her fingers, and the scrambled text on the holographic projection began to reassemble. "Found it! This is a positioning beacon; the nearest signal interaction point is..."
Suddenly, a rotating galaxy model popped up on the screen, with a star emitting red light marked with a striking red dot.
Outside Pluto's orbit? No, these coordinates... Tien Shinhan suddenly stood up, pointing his finger at the asteroid belt next to the planet. This was the gap between Universe 7 and the abandoned universe, and it wasn't marked on any interstellar map.
That's where their cleverness lies. Lin Ye leaned back in his chair, rubbing his throbbing temples, plotting his scheme from a place no one could find him.
But why would they attack Earth? Klin scratched his head. Logically speaking, an organization of this caliber should be tackling the toughest challenges first.
Because Earth is an easy target. A loud voice came from the doorway, and Vegeta walked in with her arms crossed, her black combat suit still covered in dust. She had just checked those cracks, and the residual energy reactions inside were very similar to those from twenty years ago.
Lin Ye suddenly looked up: You mean... that time with Buu?
Not exactly the same, but their energy properties are highly similar. Vegeta walked to the screen and tapped the red planet with his fingertip. The Dark Cluster was using Earth for some kind of experiment; those monsters were just a decoy. The real goal was to activate the energy source underground.
Bulma suddenly exclaimed, and the data stream on the holographic projection began to jump rapidly: Something new has been cracked! This planet is called Shadow Star, and it has a huge energy field that is completely synchronized with the frequency of Earth's core!
Synchronization? Tien Shinhan frowned. What were they planning to do?
It's very simple. Lin Ye stood up, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, like shattering a glass with a resonator. They wanted to use the energy field of the Shadow Star to forcibly detonate the Earth's core.
The conference room fell silent instantly, save for the buzzing of the holographic projection. Klin swallowed hard, his voice trembling: "Detonate the Earth's core? Wouldn't that mean the end for Earth?"
Not just Earth. Bulma pulled up a star map of the seventh universe, where countless points of light representing energy nodes flickered on the screen. Earth was a key node in the energy network of the seventh universe; if it exploded, the chain reaction would destroy all the planets within a thirty-light-year radius.
These lunatics... They stubbed out their cigarettes in the ashtray while drinking tea. What are they trying to do?
"To rule the multiverse." Lin Ye's voice was icy. The mysterious man had said before he died that the Dark Cluster's goal was to bring all universes under their control, and all those who resisted would be annihilated.
Vegeta suddenly chuckled, walked to the weapons rack, and picked up his combat suit: "Whatever they want to do, just go to Shadow Star and wipe out their lair."
It's not that simple. Lin Ye shook his head and pulled up the gravity data for Youying Star. The gravity of this planet is eighty times that of Earth, and its atmosphere is full of corrosive gases, making it impossible for conventional spacecraft to enter.
Eighty times gravity? Krillin stuck out his tongue. "Wouldn't we turn into meat patties if we went up there?"
That's true for ordinary people, but for us... Tien Shinhan stretched his shoulders, his bones cracking and popping, just in time to loosen up his muscles.
Bulma suddenly clapped her hands, and a design blueprint of a streamlined spaceship popped up on the screen: "The Meteor, which I just modified, has an anti-gravity system that can withstand 100 times the force of gravity, and its outer shell is made of an alloy from Planet Vegeta, so corrosion resistance is absolutely no problem."
Looking at the design drawings, Lin Ye suddenly noticed the thrusters at the tail of the spaceship: Wasn't this the antimatter engine that was seized from Frieza's army last time?
You got it right! Bulma proudly raised her chin. It only takes seven hours to fly from Earth to Shadow Planet.
Then let's not waste any more time. Vegeta has already changed into his battle suit and is carrying an energy detector. I'll go get Gohan; we'll set off in half an hour.
"Wait a minute." Lin Ye called out to him, pointing to the magnetic field distribution map of the Shadow Star on the screen. "The magnetic field of this planet is very strange; the energy detectors will malfunction."
That's perfect. Vegeta's lips curled into a cold smile, saving them from discovering us beforehand.
Klin suddenly raised his hand, a hint of hesitation on his face: "Um... can I not go? I promised Maren I'd go with her to the parent-child activity..."
"No." Lin Ye and Vegeta said in unison.
Drinking Tea patted Krillin on the shoulder and laughed: Don't worry, once we take down the Dark Cluster's lair, we'll have Bulma build you a time machine, so you can spend time with your kids without any problems.
The atmosphere in the meeting room finally relaxed a bit. Bulma was typing rapidly on the keyboard, inputting the coordinates of Shadow Star into the Meteor's navigation system: "By the way, when I was analyzing those monster remains earlier, I found something interesting."
She pulled up a 3D model of a gene chain, in which a segment of gene fragment flashing red light was magnified: this gene marker was recorded in the database of space pirates and belonged to the characteristics of shadow slaves.
Shadow Slave? Lin Ye frowned. He seemed to have seen this term in an ancient book.
These are warriors modified by the Dark Cluster. Bulma pulled up a blurry holographic image showing warriors covered in black scales slaughtering civilians. They erase the memories of those modified, leaving only their fighting instincts, making them much more difficult to deal with than the Flerken.
Tien Shinhan suddenly stood up, walked to the weapon rack, and picked up his cane: "Whether they are shadow slaves or monsters, if they dare to mess with Earth, they will have to pay the price."
Lin Ye glanced at the time, stood up, and straightened his combat suit: "Twenty-five minutes left. Everyone, go prepare your equipment. Remember, there might be traps on Shadow Star, so stay alert."
Everyone got up and left, leaving only Lin Ye and Bulma in the conference room. Bulma turned off the holographic projection and suddenly sighed: "Do you really think we can win? The Dark Cluster sounds even more terrifying than Buu."
Lin Ye walked to the window and looked at the city being repaired outside the base: Twenty years ago, none of us thought we could defeat Buu, right? He turned around and smiled, "Believe me, as long as we're together, there's no enemy we can't defeat."
Bulma looked at his determined eyes and suddenly smiled: "That's true, after all, you are Lin Ye." She stuffed a new energy battery into Lin Ye's tactical belt. "I've made special modifications to the Meteor's energy core. In an emergency, it can release a shockwave equivalent to 30% of your power. Remember to use it sparingly."
Just as Lin Ye was about to express his gratitude, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded on the communicator on his wrist. Upon connecting, a staff member at the base's alarm center cried out in a tearful voice: "Captain Lin Ye! Something terrible has happened! The rifts around the world are suddenly widening, and those winged monsters... they're starting to evolve!"
Lin Ye suddenly looked out the window. The once clear sky was now covered with dark clouds, and in the distance, countless huge shadows could be vaguely seen moving through the clouds.
It seems we don't have time to prepare. He grabbed the chip from the conference table and ran towards the tarmac. "Bulma, take off the Meteor immediately!"
Wait for me! Bulma grabbed her tablet and chased after them. "I'll go with you. Only I can fully control the spaceship's systems!"
On the tarmac, Vegeta and Gohan were already standing in front of the Meteor's hatch. Gohan's Saiyan bloodline had awakened; his black hair stood on end, and golden energy swirled around him. Seeing Lin Ye running towards him, Gohan clenched his fist: "Dad said those monsters have become stronger."
The stronger the better. Lin Ye leaped onto the spaceship, the hatch slowly closing behind him, just in time to let them witness the power of Earth's guardians.
The Meteor's engines roared, breaking through the base's energy barrier and accelerating towards Shadow Star. Lin Ye gazed at the Earth growing smaller and smaller outside the porthole, suddenly recalling the mysterious man's words before his self-destruction.
You'll never know the secrets of the Shadow Palace...
He pulled out the half-chip; its red light flickered in the darkness, as if foreshadowing an impending storm. What exactly was hidden on Shadow Star? Was the Dark Cluster's true purpose merely to detonate the Earth's core?
Lin Ye clenched his fist, his knuckles tapping crisply against the metal wall of the spaceship. No matter how many traps and enemies lay ahead, he had to get through them.
Because behind him lies the safety of the entire planet.
Outside the porthole, the shadowy star emitting a red glow was getting closer and closer.
Chapter 296: Journey to the Mysterious Planet
Inside the Earth Defense Force's hangar, the sounds of clashing metal and the hum of energy charging created a tense rhythm. Lin Ye jumped off the maintenance platform of his mecha, his combat boots slamming against the ground with a dull thud. He ripped off his protective goggles, revealing bloodshot eyes. He hadn't slept for seventy-two hours straight for this mission.
"Captain, all equipment has been checked." Tien Shinhan's voice came from behind. The three-eyed youth was clipping the energy detector to his waist, and the third eye on his forehead was flashing a pale blue light. "The charging efficiency of the X-7 Destruction Cannon has been increased by 15%, but it will still overheat if fired continuously."
Lin Ye nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged equipment racks: energy blades gleaming with blue light, sharply angled alloy shields, and heavy sniper rifles propped in the corner, the words "Penetrater" engraved on their barrels. Most eye-catching was the spaceship on the central platform, its silver-gray hull bearing the insignia of the Earth Defense Force, its tail thrusters emitting a warm red glow.
"Have some tea. Any results from the interrogation of the prisoners?" Lin Ye picked up a pair of tactical gloves, running his fingertips along the anti-slip texture.
“Those bastards are incredibly stubborn.” Yin Cha tossed his long silver hair, twirling the energy blade between his fingers, the blue light of the blade reflecting the scar on his lip. “They only said the Dark Cluster was working on a ‘big project’ on that planet, but they absolutely refused to reveal what it was. However, I intercepted a recording on their communicator that mentioned ‘living energy sources.’”
"A living energy source?" Lin Ye's fingers clenched tightly, the knuckles of his gloves turning white. "Prepare to depart. Have the medical team accompany us; there may be prisoners who need treatment this time."
The hangar's hatch slowly opened, revealing the pitch-black universe outside. The crew members filed into the spaceship, each with a serious expression. No one had forgotten the scene of the Dark Cluster's attack on Earth three days ago—the sky-covering fleet and the world-destroying beams of light remained a nightmare.
The moment the spaceship left Earth's orbit, Lin Ye stood before the observation window on the bridge, watching the blue planet gradually shrink. A system panel popped up before him; the coordinates of the mysterious planet where the Dark Star Cluster base was located were flashing red, approximately three thousand light-years from Earth.
"Captain, what do you think their goal is this time?" A young team member couldn't help but ask. His name was Xiao Wu, and he was the youngest member of the team. When he was nervous, he would subconsciously rub the energy gun at his waist.
Lin Ye turned around, his knuckles lightly tapping the control panel: "I don't know, but it's definitely related to the 'living energy source'. You know the Dark Cluster's style of doing things; they either don't do it at all, or they do it on an extermination level."
Tien Shinhan suddenly pulled up a holographic star map and pointed to several asteroids around the mysterious planet: "The orbits of these planets are very strange, as if they have been artificially altered to form a natural defensive barrier." His third eye suddenly narrowed, "Moreover, a large amount of dark matter energy reaction was detected on them, which is consistent with the energy characteristics of the fleet that attacked Earth."
"Interesting." Lin Ye's lips curled into a cold smile. "The tighter the defenses, the more it means there's something inside that they can't let us know. Yin Cha, switch the spaceship to stealth mode and slip through the gap in the asteroid belt."
The spaceship nimbly navigated the asteroid belt, its hull occasionally scraping against drifting debris with a screeching sound. Xiao Wu stared intently at the radar screen, his palms sweating: "Report! Three patrol ships spotted on the right, heading this way!"
"Don't panic." Lin Ye's fingers flew across the control panel. "Switch to the Ghost route and block all energy signals."
The spaceship, like a silver fish, glided silently through the patrol ship's detection range. When the last patrol ship disappeared from the radar, Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief, eliciting chuckles from the team members around him.
"First time on a mission like this?" Yin Cha patted his shoulder, the energy blade vibrating gently in its sheath. "Don't let your hands shake when you encounter the real thing later."
After seven days of flight, the mysterious planet finally came into view. The planet was an eerie dark purple, its surface shrouded in a thick black mist, from which occasionally flashes of dark red light, like blood flowing through veins. As it approached, the spaceship's sensors emitted piercing alarms, and the data on the screens became a jumbled mess.
"The interference is too strong." Tien Shinhan tapped the control panel. "We can only detect the surface terrain; the underground structure is completely invisible."
Lin Ye's gaze was fixed on the screen: "Land the spaceship in a canyon area where the fog is relatively thin, and be careful to maintain low altitude flight."
As the spaceship passed through the black mist, the cabin trembled violently, as if it were traversing viscous mud. The sound of fingernails scraping against metal could be heard outside, and occasionally, distorted black shadows clung to the portholes, revealing pupil-less eyes. Xiao Wu, terrified, abruptly closed his eyes, eliciting a low chuckle from the veteran team member beside him.
“This place is really weird.” A bearded team member spat and gripped his shotgun tightly. “My grandfather used to tell me interstellar legends, saying that planets shrouded in black mist are death’s playground.”
"Stop scaring the newbies." Lin Ye's voice was calm but powerful. "Prepare for landing. Everyone, get into combat mode."
The spaceship slowly descended to the bottom of the canyon. The moment the hatch opened, a stench of rust and decay rushed in. The ground was black soil, soft and yielding underfoot, like stepping on the skin of some creature, with a faint throbbing sensation occasionally felt beneath one's feet.
"The air here contains a high concentration of dark matter particles." Tien Shinhan, wearing a detector, frowned. "Long-term exposure can lead to genetic chain breakage. Everyone, please wear your protective masks."