bookbashuk Page 239
Page 239
Vegeta gritted his teeth, shoved aside a piece of debris blocking the breach, and shouted to the people behind him, "Get in! Quickly!"
Trunks helped Lin Ye rush into the breach first, Vegeta followed closely behind, and Android 18 carried Night Owl and rushed in last.
Just as their figures completely disappeared into the breach, a deafening roar came from behind them—the Ark's core control room completely disintegrated, and flames and shockwaves instantly engulfed the entire space!
The breach was pitch black, with only the fragment of the Key of Creation in Lin Ye's palm emitting a faint glow, illuminating a small area around them. They could feel themselves falling rapidly, as if passing through a long tunnel. The surrounding space was stable, with no signs of danger.
"Are we... safe for now?" Trunks, supporting Lin Ye, breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the stable space around them.
Lin Ye nodded, leaning against Trunks, slowly opening his eyes. Looking at the shards in his palm, his voice was still weak: "It should... be safe now. But I still don't know where this place is..."
Vegeta steadied himself and looked around. Although it was pitch black, he still vigilantly sensed the energy reactions around him: "Don't relax yet, let's figure out where we are first. How's Night Owl, Android 18?"
Number 18 placed Night Owl on the ground, checked his condition, and then said, "He's still breathing, but he's injured and won't wake up for the time being. We'll treat his wounds once we find a safe place."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then a new problem arose... It was pitch black all around, and apart from the light from the fragment in Lin Ye's palm, they couldn't see anything. They didn't know where the tunnel led, nor what the situation was like outside.
Lin Ye looked at the fragment in his palm. The fragment's light flickered, as if it were hesitating or searching for direction. He took a deep breath, concentrated, and tried to establish a stronger connection with the fragment.
Suddenly, the fragment's light blazed brightly, pointing towards the tunnel ahead, and a clear guidance came... There was an exit ahead, and outside the exit, there seemed to be a familiar energy reaction.
“There’s an exit ahead…” Lin Ye opened his eyes, looking at the tunnel ahead, his voice filled with anticipation. “And I have a feeling… there are people we know outside the exit.”
Vegeta's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Let's go take a look!"
Trunks helped Lin Ye up, and Number 18 carried Night Owl. The four of them headed towards the direction indicated by the debris ahead of the tunnel. Although they didn't know what awaited them, and although the crisis might not be completely over, at least for now, they had survived and had new hope.
The emergency red lights had long since faded, leaving only the faint glow of fragments of the Key of Creation flickering in the darkness, illuminating their path and the unwavering resolve in their eyes. Mirror Lin Ye had been banished, the Ark had exploded, but their battle was far from over.
Chapter 508 Wreckage and Harvest
"Hurry! If you're even a step slower, you'll be buried here!"
Vegeta's low growl echoed through the narrow passage, each word laced with anxiety. The five rushed down through the breach, only to find themselves in a chaotic, unpredictable passage, a metal rubble created by the rift in the Ark's structure. Broken pipes lay scattered like withered branches, exposed cables dangling and occasionally emitting blue-white sparks of electricity that stung and numbed their skin.
The entire space was still shaking violently. The metal floor beneath our feet arched upwards and sank downwards, each tremor accompanied by a creaking sound of structural distortion, as if the entire ark would shatter into dust at any moment.
"Turn left! The fragment is pointing this way!" Lin Ye closed his eyes tightly, one hand gripping the fragment of the Key of Creation tightly, the other hand grabbing Trunks' arm. His voice was weak but without the slightest hesitation. The fragment was slightly warm in his palm, as if pulling him towards a safe place. That faint guidance was particularly clear in the chaotic energy turbulence.
Vegeta didn't ask any questions and immediately pulled Lin Ye to the left, slamming his shoulder through the metal debris blocking their path... With a "clang," the debris was sent flying, hitting the nearby wreckage before bouncing back and grazing Trunks' ear.
"Be careful!" Trunks frowned, supporting Lin Ye while using his sword to brush away small pieces of debris falling from above. Number 18, carrying the unconscious Night Owl, followed at the back, his mechanical eyes gleaming as he rapidly scanned the surroundings, occasionally warning, "There's a risk of collapse on the right, move to the left!"
"How much longer until the explosion?!" Vegeta roared again, and a metal plate half the height of a person crashed down from the ceiling. He dodged it sharply to the side, and the metal plate hit the ground with a "bang," shaking the entire passageway and almost knocking Lin Ye over.
Number 18's voice was mechanically precise, yet tinged with tension: "Sixty seconds at most! The Ark's core has already begun to disintegrate!"
These words struck everyone like a stone, quickening their pace. Just then, the ruins ahead suddenly opened up... a circular cabin appeared before them. The cabin wasn't large, but in the devastated ark, it was a rare "complete space."
In the very center of the cabin, a shuttle-shaped device, about the size of a car, floated. It was entirely silver-gray, with a faint milky-white halo covering its surface. That halo was completely different from the Ark's eerie blue energy; it was quiet and still, and even when the surrounding area shook violently, the device did not sway in the slightest, exuding an eerie stability.
"That's it!" Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes, pointed at the shuttle-shaped device, and raised his voice, "The spatial fluctuations sensed by the fragments originated from this thing!"
Trunks' eyes lit up: "Could it be an escape pod?"
“It doesn’t look like it.” Number 18 stepped forward quickly, his mechanical eye scanning the outer shell of the device. His brows furrowed even more. “The structure is much more complex than a regular escape pod, and the energy signature is also very old. It’s completely different from the technology used by Mirror Lin Ye. There’s no matching record in my database.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire ark suddenly emitted a deafening roar, like the last howl of a dying beast. The ground beneath their feet arched upwards and then cracked open with a loud "crack!" The passage behind them was instantly swallowed up by the surging torrent of metal, followed by debris, flames, and shockwaves, which looked like they were about to overturn the entire cabin!
"No time to study! Go in!" Vegeta made a decisive move, his fist slamming into the shuttle-shaped device with his last bit of strength... With a "thud," the outer shell of the device cracked open, just big enough for one person to enter. Inside, it was pitch black, but a simple chair and control panel could be seen.
"Quick!" Trunks pushed Lin Ye in first, Vegeta followed closely behind, and Android 18, carrying Night Owl, was the last to rush in. Just as her foot stepped into the device, the outer shell automatically closed with a "whoosh," sealing it perfectly.
Almost simultaneously, the external shockwave slammed into the device... "BOOM!!!"
A deafening roar came through the bulkhead, and the entire shuttle-shaped device spun and lurched wildly as if it had been thrown into a washing machine. The alarms inside the cabin wailed, the red warning lights flashed painfully in the eyes, the buttons on the control panel clattered and clicked erratically, and the data jumped around like crazy.
"Hold on! Don't get thrown out!" Vegeta roared, gripping the fixed handle on the bulkhead with one hand and reaching out with the other to pull Lin Ye back from being thrown against the bulkhead. Trunks also quickly grabbed the seat next to him, and Android 18 shielded Night Owl with his body, his back against the bulkhead, and withstood several violent impacts.
The frantic jolts lasted for nearly a minute before gradually subsiding. The external roar faded into the distance, until only the humming of the shuttle-shaped device itself remained, like some kind of stabilizing system in operation.
The cabin suddenly fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of the five people remaining.
"Huff...huff...we...survived?" Trunks let go first, wiping the cold sweat from his face, his voice still trembling slightly. He looked out through the only observation window on the bulkhead...outside wasn't the darkness of space, but a bizarre, colorful stream of light rushing past, as if traveling through a tunnel made of energy.
Number 18 stood up, supporting himself against the bulkhead, and walked to the control panel. He tentatively pressed a few unfamiliar buttons, his brow still furrowed: "It's a space jump portal. This device is on autopilot, but the destination is unknown. I can't understand the coordinates on it."
Vegeta released his grip, stretched his aching arm, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: "Who cares where he goes, it's better than dying in that crappy ark." He turned to look at Lin Ye, who was slumped in his chair, his tone still sharp, but with a hint of concern: "Hey, you're not dead yet, are you? Didn't that damn rock give you any new information?"
Lin Ye forced a smile and shook his head. He opened his palm; the fragment of the Key of Creation had returned to calm, though its temperature hadn't dropped yet. He could feel a faint resonance between the fragment and the shuttle-shaped device, like two old friends greeting each other.
“This device… might come from the same place as the fragment,” Lin Ye said breathlessly, his fingers gently tracing the fragment. “Or rather, it’s from the same era. How could such an ancient device be in Mirror Lin Ye’s Ark?”
His words stunned everyone... The technology used by Lin Ye in the mirror image was related to void energy, which was completely out of place with the style of this shuttle-shaped device. It looked more like it had been dug out of some ruins.
Trunks's gaze swept across the cabin, and he suddenly noticed several metal crates fixed to one side of the bulkhead. The crates were covered in a thick layer of dust, looking like they had been there for a long time, and there were no markings on them, only a few blurry ancient patterns.
"There are more boxes here?" Trunks walked over and tried pushing one of the boxes... It wasn't locked, and it opened easily. Inside weren't weapons or energy coins, but some fist-sized objects. Some looked like plant seeds, with a faint green sheen on their shells; others resembled mineral crystals, shimmering with tiny specks of light in the dim light.
"What is this?" Trunks picked up a "seed." It was soft to the touch, and he could feel a faint fluctuation of life energy. "It's unlike any plant seed I've ever seen."
Number 18 also came over and scanned the contents of the box: "The energy reaction is peculiar. It's neither technological energy nor magical energy. There's no matching record in the database."
Vegeta also came over for a look, then curled his lip and said, "It's just a pile of junk. Can we eat it or use it? More than this, I'm concerned about when we'll get there. If we don't treat our injuries soon, they'll get infected."
Trunks opened another box... Inside were several broken, slab-like objects, made of neither gold nor jade, and cold to the touch, covered with densely packed symbols and star maps. The symbols were crooked and illegible, and the star maps were unlike any they were familiar with; the constellations marked on them were unlike anything they had ever seen before.
“These plate-like objects… seem to be some kind of recording medium?” Trunks picked up one and examined it against the light. The edges of the plate-like object showed signs of wear, as if it had been deliberately damaged. “The writing and star charts on them are very ancient.”
Lin Ye also leaned over and gently touched the plate-like object with his finger... The instant his finger touched the plate-like object, the fragment of the Key of Creation in his palm suddenly lit up, and the symbols on the plate-like object also flashed. Although it was only for a moment, everyone saw it.
"The fragments react to this too?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow, unusually showing interest in these "junk." "Could these things be part of a set with the fragments?"
Lin Ye nodded, his expression turning serious: "Very likely. There must be a reason why Mirror Lin Ye hid these things in the Ark. These seed-like things, and these plate-like objects, might hold some secrets."
“We’ll keep the secret until we’re safe.” Number 18 interrupted their speculation, pointing to the control panel. “The device’s energy reserves are running low; it can only support another half hour of space jumps at most. If we don’t reach our destination within half an hour, we might be trapped in the space tunnel.”
Vegeta's face also darkened. "We're short on energy, have a bunch of wounded, and are carrying a comatose guy. We simply don't have the strength to deal with any emergencies. Kid," he looked at Lin Ye again, "try again, see if you can get that damn rock to give us some definite information? Where are we going?"
Lin Ye closed his eyes and focused his mind to communicate with the fragments. But this time, the feedback from the fragments was vague, only a warm feeling, like "coming home," without specific coordinates or a specific location.
“I don’t know…” Lin Ye opened his eyes and shook his head, “but the fragments feel very stable, with no signs of danger, so they should be going to a safe place.”
Safe? Vegeta scoffed: "In this universe full of enemies, where is there any absolutely safe place? Maybe what awaits us ahead is someone even more troublesome than Mirror Lin Ye."
Although his words were harsh, no one refuted them... They had just dealt with Mirror Lin Ye and destroyed his ark, but who knew if the Void Forces had any other tricks up their sleeves? Moreover, besides the Void Forces, there were other forces from other universes eyeing the fragments of the Key of Creation. Now, with the fragments and these mysterious items, they were practically moving targets.
Trunks watched the colorful streaks of light rushing past the window and said softly, "No matter what, we can only trust this device and the fragments now. At least we've survived, and we still have a chance to figure out the secrets of these things."
Lin Ye nodded and gripped the fragment tightly again. He could feel the fragment's resonance growing stronger, as if telling them that their destination was not far off.
The shuttle-shaped device sailed smoothly through the space tunnel, each of the five people inside preoccupied with their own thoughts... Vegeta was silently recovering his strength, occasionally glancing warily through the observation window; Trunks was studying the plate-like objects, trying to find some clues; Android 18 was checking on Night Owl's injuries and adjusting the control panel, hoping to decipher more data; Lin Ye leaned back in his seat, recovering his strength while sensing the guidance of the fragments.
They escaped from the wreckage of the ark, bringing with them these mysterious items. It seemed like a haul, but no one knew whether these gains would bring them new dangers.
Suddenly, the alarm on the control panel went off again, but this time it wasn't a red warning light, but a green one... A line of unfamiliar text popped up on the device's screen. Although I couldn't understand it, the icon next to it was clear: Destination is approaching.
"We're almost there!" Trunks immediately leaned over, his eyes fixed on the observation window. "The streaks of light outside are slowing down!"
Everyone looked towards the observation window... The colorful streaks of light outside slowed down, eventually fading away to reveal a familiar scene... It was a nebula, its color remarkably similar to a planet they had visited before.
"That is..." Lin Ye's eyes suddenly lit up. He could feel the resonance from the fragment becoming incredibly strong. "It's the ancient planet we visited before! The fragment is guiding us back there!"
Vegeta also leaned closer to the observation window, looking at the nebula outside, and frowned: "That damn planet? Isn't it just a bunch of ruins? What's the point of going back?"
“I don’t know, but the fragments are definitely there.” Lin Ye sat up straight, his eyes resolute. “There must be something we need there, maybe it can unlock the secrets of these plate-like objects and seeds.”
The shuttle-shaped device slowed down, gradually heading towards the remnant planet. The people inside held their breath, watching the planet draw closer, their hearts filled with both anticipation and tension... They didn't know whether true safety awaited them, or new challenges.
Unbeknownst to them, shortly after their departure, a black warship appeared in the airspace where the Ark wreckage lay. The warship's appearance was completely different from the style of the Void forces. On the bridge, a person wearing a black cloak looked at the spatial jump traces on the screen and sneered: "Finally found you... The fragments of the Key of Creation, and those ancient legacies, are all mine."
The warship's engines slowly started, and it sped off in the direction the shuttle-shaped device had disappeared. A new chase had quietly begun.
Chapter 509 Transfer Station
The turbulence in the space gradually subsided like the receding tide, and the reassuring milky-white aura flowing on the outer wall of the shuttle-shaped device completely stabilized and stopped flickering. Inside the device, the piercing alarm that sounded like a death knell finally ceased completely, replaced by a low, steady sound of the life support system operating, making the heavy, uneven breathing of the people inside the cabin all the more clear.
"We...we've escaped the jump state?" Trunks was the first to break the silence, cautiously approaching the only observation window and peering out. The distorted, dizzying streams of colorful light outside were gone, replaced by a deep, vast, dark universe, dotted only by a few sparse, dim stars in the far distance, emitting a cold light. And directly in front of them, an inconspicuous small asteroid was slowly rotating, like a gray pebble carelessly discarded in a cosmic junkyard.
This planet looks lifeless, its surface a monotonous and oppressive gray-brown, devoid of any trace of life in the blue or green hues, and lacking an atmosphere. Instead, it is covered by densely packed, pockmarked craters and bottomless rift valleys, creating an extremely desolate landscape.
"This is the godforsaken place?" Vegeta frowned, his tone filled with undisguised suspicion and disgust. He stretched his still incredibly sore shoulders, revealing gruesome scabbed wounds beneath the ripped parts of his battle suit. "It looks a hundred times more desolate than those worst mining planets Frieza roamed back then! Did your damn rock lead you astray?" He turned to look at Lin Ye, his eyes sharp.
Lin Ye didn't answer immediately. Leaning against the cold cabin wall, he focused almost all his attention on the fragment of the Key of Creation in his palm. At this moment, the fragment was radiating a continuous, gentle warmth, no longer the scorching heat he had felt when fighting the energy center, but a sense of peace and certainty, like a long-lost traveler finally seeing the lights of his hometown. This feeling clearly reached his heart, dispelling much of his physical weakness and fatigue.
“It’s here…that’s right.” Lin Ye finally raised his head and nodded firmly. His voice was still a little hoarse, but it carried an undeniable certainty. “The feeling of the fragments…is very strong. This place…is safe.” He emphasized the word “safe,” which held an indescribable attraction for them, who had just experienced a life-or-death battle.
“Safety usually means barrenness and nothingness.” Number 18 calmly poured cold water on this, as she tried to connect her scanning system to the rudimentary external sensors of the shuttle-shaped device. “No energy response of any kind was detected on the planet’s surface, no signs of life, no signals of any large-scale artificial construction. The surface temperature is extremely low, close to absolute zero, and the cosmic radiation level… is within the normal range. Based on this, it is a standard, worthless, and desolate planet.”
As if to confirm Lin Ye's words, or perhaps following some pre-set program, the shuttle-shaped device began to automatically adjust its attitude and slowly descended towards a specific coordinate point on the surface of the gray planet.
“We’re already here, are we just going to wait to die in this iron coffin?” Vegeta snorted. Despite his many wounds, the Saiyan prince’s pride prevented him from showing too much weakness. “It’s better than drifting aimlessly in space. At least this place looks remote enough to let this kid and that hindrance (he glanced at the still unconscious Night Owl) catch their breath and recover.”
Trunks agreed, his young face showing weariness but even more so curiosity about the unknown: "We need to rest, Uncle Vegeta is right. And we also need to figure out what this device that brought us here, and those boxes we brought out of the Ark, are." He pointed to the dusty metal boxes fixed to the bulkhead.
The device silently traversed the void of space, landing precisely inside a massive crater on the planet's surface like a feather. As the hatch hissed open, a chilling, absolute stillness instantly enveloped everyone. Lacking an atmosphere, sound couldn't travel, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. The gravity here was only about a third of Earth's, making each step feel light and unsteady.
The bottom of the crater where they were located was unusually flat and smooth, as if it had been meticulously polished by some enormous force. Surrounding them were steep, crater walls tens of thousands of meters high, which acted as a natural barrier, completely isolating this small area from the desolate world outside and creating an excellent hiding place.
"See? I told you so." Vegeta looked around, but apart from the endless gray-brown dust and rock fragments of varying sizes, there was nothing there. He spat in disappointment, "Just as I thought, there's nothing. Nothing but rocks!"
However, the moment he finished speaking, something unexpected happened!
The fragment of the Key of Creation in Lin Ye's hand suddenly lit up on its own, emitting a softer yet clearer light than before. It trembled gently, detached from Lin Ye's palm, and slowly floated into the air, as if it had gained its own life. Then, it projected a condensed, milky-white beam of light, like a spotlight on a stage, precisely illuminating the center of the excessively flat ground beneath everyone's feet.
"Om-"
A deep, resonant tremor, seemingly emanating from the depths of the earth, caused the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly. To their astonishment, the area illuminated by the milky-white beam of light—the hard rock and thick dust—seemed to come alive, flowing silently and slowly parting and receding to both sides! A staircase entrance, extending downwards and shimmering with the same warm, milky-white light, appeared before them without warning!
“Underground facilities?!” Scanner No. 18 immediately aimed at the entrance, its red electronic eye flashing rapidly. “Structure…unable to detect effectively! There is an extremely strong energy shield at the entrance; my scan wave is completely blocked!” This discovery added a hint of barely perceptible shock to her otherwise cold tone.
Lin Ye gazed at the familiar milky-white light, feeling the intense resonance between the fragments and it. He immediately understood: "It's... a technology from the same origin." Without hesitation, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, descending the alluringly glowing stairs. Although his body was still weak, his intuition told him there was no danger here.
Vegeta and Trunks exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and determination in each other's eyes. "Let's go!" Vegeta uttered a curt word and followed. Trunks followed closely behind, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword, remaining vigilant.
Number 18 deftly hoisted the unconscious Night Owl back onto her shoulder. Her mechanical body was clearly more advantageous in this environment, and she walked at the back of the group, responsible for covering the rear.
The staircase wasn't long, spiraling downwards with only a few dozen steps. At the end, the space opened up, revealing a spacious circular hall. The walls themselves served as light sources, emitting a soft, even glow that was neither glaring nor deafening, illuminating the entire space as bright as day. The air was fresh, carrying a strange, subtly sweet scent, like a forest after rain, and the temperature was just right, making it comfortable. Most remarkably, gravity seemed to return to normal here, as if one had returned to Earth.
The hall was almost empty and minimalist. The most striking feature was a central crystal pillar, taller than a person, resembling a cluster of crystals, with a soft halo of light slowly flowing within it. Besides this, several neatly arranged closed doors lined one side of the wall. These doors appeared perfectly smooth, without handles or keyholes, only bearing different, ancient, and incomprehensible symbols, seemingly telling the story of some lost civilization.
The moment Lin Ye stepped onto the hall floor...
"Buzz!"