bookbashuk Page 128
Page 128
The group proceeded along the canyon path, the black mist clinging to their feet as if it were alive. All around was deathly silent; not a sound of wind or insects could be heard, only the echoes of their footsteps reverberating amplified in the vast canyon.
"Captain, look over there." Yincha suddenly pointed to the rock wall on the left, where there were several blurry holes with traces of metal friction remaining on the edges of the holes. "It looks like they were carved out by man."
Just as Lin Ye was about to approach and investigate, the black mist in front of him suddenly churned violently, and more than a dozen figures emerged from it. They were wearing black, tight-fitting combat suits, and masks that covered the upper half of their faces. The corners of their mouths were twisted into eerie smiles, and the energy guns in their hands gleamed with a ghostly purple light.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to deliver yourselves to our doorstep." The leader of the Dark Cluster members removed his mask, revealing a face covered with black lines that seemed to writhe on his skin like living things. "It saves us the trouble of making another trip to Earth."
Suddenly, golden flames erupted from Lin Ye's body, his hair moved without wind, and his pupils turned into a deep blue: "Enough nonsense, where did you hide the people you captured?"
"Arrest people?" The member chuckled, his voice sharp like fingernails scraping glass. "You mean those walking energy cans? They're just waiting to be drained dry in the base. What, you want to go down and join them?"
"You're asking for death!" Lin Ye's figure vanished from his spot in an instant, reappearing in front of the member the next second, his fist blasting out with golden flames. The member reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side, the force of the punch blasting a three-meter-diameter crater into the rock behind him.
"You fools!" The remaining members of the Dark Cluster simultaneously raised their energy guns, unleashing a torrent of eerie purple beams that blasted countless deep craters into the ground. Lin Ye dodged to the side, and the instant his toes touched the ground, a red warning suddenly popped up on the system panel: [Dark matter energy reaction detected. It is recommended to avoid the energy core area.]
Just as he was about to warn the others, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open, and three silver mechanical puppets shot out from the ground, their sharp alloy claws whistling through the air as they aimed straight for his throat. These puppets resembled praying mantises, but had three legs, and their joints gleamed red.
"A mere trick." Lin Ye flicked out three air blades, precisely severing the puppet's power joints. But the broken pieces, upon hitting the ground, melted like liquid metal, reforming into three roaring mechanical wolves, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light.
"These guys are made of cosmic alloy!" Tien Shinhan clasped his hands together, unleashing a purple ki blast at the giant wolf, leaving only faint white marks. He then created four clones, simultaneously forming hand seals: "Four Symbols Sealing Technique!"
Golden runes lit up beneath the mechanical giant wolf's feet, forming a sturdy barrier that temporarily restrained the monster's movements. Yin Cha seized the opportunity; the energy blade at his waist emitted a half-foot-long burst of blue light, its blade crackling like electricity, cleaving through the core of the nearest giant wolf in two.
Amidst the flying sparks, he suddenly exclaimed, "There are living people inside!"
Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply as he teleported to the cleaved mechanical wreckage. Inside, half of a body dressed in prison garb was visible. It was a green-skinned alien with a transparent energy transmission tube inserted into its chest, from which flowed a pale green liquid—it was a Namekian.
"The Dark Cluster is using prisoners as an energy source!" Lin Ye's rage erupted completely. The golden aura around him suddenly turned silver-white, and his hair also turned into a dazzling silver. The pseudo-Freedom Ultimate state was instantly activated. His speed became imperceptible to the naked eye. He darted across the battlefield like a ghost, and mechanical puppets disintegrated wherever his fingertips touched.
Pale green orbs of light flew out from the bodies of each rescued prisoner—the life energy extracted from them. Lin Ye reached out and caught the orbs, gently pressing them back into the prisoners' bodies, watching as their pale faces gradually regained their rosy hue.
"You're courting death!" Seeing the situation was turning against him, the leader of the Dark Cluster suddenly pulled out a black crystal from his pocket and crushed it. The moment the crystal shattered, the ground trembled violently, and heavy footsteps echoed from the distant black mist, each step causing the earth to shake, as if a giant beast was approaching.
Lin Ye looked up and saw a hundred-meter-tall mechanical giant walking through thick smoke. Its body was made up of countless gears and steel plates, and the energy furnace on its chest was flashing an ominous red light. With each breath, a large amount of black mist was inhaled into its body.
"Try this!" The mechanical giant's right arm suddenly transformed into a huge cannon, with a dark red energy ball condensing at the muzzle, distorting the surrounding space and emitting a hissing sound.
"Everyone, get out of the way!" Lin Ye shoved Xiao Wu aside, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and golden light gathered in his palms, forming an ever-expanding sphere of light. "This move is perfect for you!"
"Spirit Bomb? You can actually use such a technique?" The Dark Cluster member's face showed disbelief. "But with your current strength, forcibly activating it will only hurt yourself!"
Lin Ye ignored it and poured all his energy into the energy sphere. The moment the golden sphere collided with the mechanical giant's dark red beam, the entire planet trembled. The intense light engulfed everything, even temporarily dispelling the thick black mist.
As the smoke cleared, half of the mechanical giant's body had turned into molten lava, collapsing to the ground. Lin Ye knelt on one knee, bright red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Forcibly activating the energy blast beyond his current level had severely damaged his meridians, causing a tingling numbness in his limbs.
"Retreat!" Seeing the situation was dire, the remaining members of the Dark Cluster turned and rushed into the black mist, leaving behind a harsh threat before they left: "You can't win. Lord Darkness is almost finished with the 'Dark Dragon Balls,' and then the entire universe will submit!"
Just as Lin Ye was about to get up and give chase, a weak voice stopped him. The rescued Namekian prisoner struggled to crawl over, grabbed his trouser leg, and his green face was filled with fear: "Don't chase...don't go in...it's a trap...they're cultivating the 'Dark Dragon Balls' using the life energy of the entire universe..."
"Dark Dragon Balls?" Lin Ye frowned, helping the weakened Namekian up. "What are those things?"
The Namekian captive's lips trembled, about to speak, when the black mist in the distance suddenly thickened, accompanied by a low roar, as if something even more terrifying had been awakened. Lin Ye's system panel popped up another warning, this time at the highest level in red: [Unknown powerful energy reaction detected, intensity exceeds calculation range, please evacuate immediately!]
Lin Ye watched the approaching black mist, then glanced at his wounded teammates and weakened prisoners, and clenched his fists. He knew this battle had only just begun, and that so-called "Dark Dragon Ball" might very well be the key to determining the fate of the universe.
"Retreat to the spaceship first." Lin Ye helped the Namekian up and ordered the others, "We need to find out the details of the Dark Dragon Balls before we can formulate our next plan."
The group helped each other retreat towards the spaceship, the black mist hot on their heels like a hungry beast chasing its prey. Lin Ye was the last to leave. He glanced back into the depths of the black mist, where a dark red bead was faintly shimmering, radiating a chilling energy fluctuation.
His intuition told him that the thing would bring unprecedented disaster.
Chapter 297: The Secret of the Dark Dragon Balls
Inside the spaceship's medical bay, pale green nutrient solution dripped into Moka's arm through an IV tube. The Namekian priest's body was still trembling uncontrollably, the veins beneath his green skin throbbing as if insects were crawling beneath his skin. He raised his withered hand, pointing towards the depths of the black mist outside the spaceship's porthole, his fingertips turning white from the force of his grip.
“Three months ago, they launched a surprise attack on our colony.” Moka’s voice was choked with sobs, each word seemingly squeezed from his throat. “Thirty-seven planets, from the edge of the Milky Way to the Andromeda Arm, any planet with life energy was not spared. They compressed this energy into a liquid state and poured it into the core tower’s forging furnace like cement, which is how these seven Dark Dragon Balls were created.”
Lin Ye's system suddenly emitted a sharp alarm, and red warning boxes popped up in layers before his eyes: [High-risk energy fluctuation detected, 67% homology with the Super Dragon Ball] [Warning: A crack has appeared in the spacetime continuity] [Warning: An abnormal energy was detected in the Omni-King's Palace]. He pressed his throbbing temples, and a series of blurry hallucinations flashed before his eyes.
The crystal walls of the Omni-King's palace were covered with spiderweb-like cracks. The two Omni-Kings sat weeping on their collapsed thrones, and the wings of the angels lost their luster. The starry sky of the twelve universes was being swallowed by darkness, and countless planets disappeared like extinguished light bulbs. The last to appear were the figures of Goku and Vegeta, who stood back to back, covered in wounds. In front of them was a huge black claw. With a gentle squeeze, the two turned into specks of light.
"Captain! Are you alright?" Xiao Wu's voice pulled Lin Ye back to reality. The young team member held a bottle of nutritional supplements in his hand, his face full of worry. "You look terrible. Did the battle just now injure your internal organs?"
Lin Ye waved his hand, took the nutrient solution, and gulped down a large mouthful. The cool liquid slid down his throat, slightly easing the sharp pain in his temples: "Moka, you said that collecting all seven Dark Dragon Balls can summon the Dark Dragon?"
"That's not a dragon, it's a demon!" Moka suddenly became agitated, pulling the IV tubing around. "Legend has it that the Dark Dragon can grant any wish, but the price is that the wisher's soul will be forever imprisoned in a Dragon Ball, becoming its nourishment. The leader of the Dark Cluster, that guy called 'Mephisto,' has already collected six, and he's only missing one!"
The communicator suddenly crackled, and Vegeta's irritable voice, crackling with static, came through: "Hey! Did anyone die over there? Why haven't you answered yet?!" A violent explosion and Goku's shouts echoed in the background, "Goku and I have broken through the outer defenses. Those scum are pitifully weak, but there are just too many of them. Where is the core tower?"
“In the place where the black fog is thickest,” Lin Ye pulled up a simple map hand-drawn by Moka, on which the location of the spire was marked in green paint. “Be careful of the energy barrier of the core tower. Moka said that thing can absorb all energy attacks, including ki blasts and energy bullets.”
"Absorb energy?" Vegeta scoffed. "Perfect, let them taste my new technique."
"Don't be careless," Lin Ye cautioned, turning his gaze to Tien Shinhan. "Can your Four Symbols Seal trap the flow of energy? If we can temporarily block the energy supply to the barrier, we might be able to find a breakthrough."
Tien Shinhan's third eye gleamed slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "Theoretically, it's feasible, but it requires ten minutes of preparation time, and someone needs to distract the guards so they can't interrupt my hand seals."
"I'll distract them." Number 18's voice suddenly came from the hatch. She leaned against the door frame, twirling a black grenade in her hand. The metal casing gleamed coldly under the light. "Bulma's newly developed antimatter grenade. It's said to be able to short-circuit the circuits of mechanical bodies for ten minutes. I'll test its effectiveness."
She walked up to Lin Ye, raised her hand and patted his shoulder, the joints of the mechanical arm making a slight clicking sound: "Don't die too soon, you still owe me a barbecue. We agreed at the Earth Defense Force canteen last time that you could have as much top-grade Wagyu beef as you want."
"Don't worry, you won't die." Lin Ye looked at the smile in her eyes and suddenly felt his tense nerves relax a little. "Be careful, if it gets too bad, come back. Don't push yourself too hard."
"You should worry about yourself." Number 18 turned and walked out of the medical pod, leaving everyone with a dashing back view. "Yincha, come with me, help me carry two boxes of grenades."
The infiltration of the core tower went much more smoothly than expected. The main force of the Dark Cluster had clearly been drawn to the outer defenses by Goku and Vegeta, encountering only a few patrols along the way. Android 18's antimatter grenades were remarkably effective; each detonation produced a pale purple smoke, and the mechanical guards within the smoke's radius immediately collapsed like toys without power, sparks crackling from short circuits.
"This thing is really cool." Yin Cha kicked the immobilized guard at his feet. "It just smells terrible, like rotten eggs."
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up." Number 18 lowered his voice and pointed to the elevator shaft ahead. "Moka said that going down from here will take you to the bottom of the core tower."
The elevator shaft reeked of engine oil. Lin Ye and the others slid down the rusty steel cables, their boots screeching as they rubbed against them. As they neared the bottom, Moka suddenly tugged at Lin Ye's sleeve and pointed to a metal plaque on the shaft wall, engraved with a string of crooked numbers: "This is it. The control center for the energy barrier is on this floor."
Tien Shinhan took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to form hand seals. Golden runes slowly rotated in his palms: "I need absolute silence. Ten minutes. Don't say a word to me."
Number 18 and Tea immediately split up, each finding cover to hide behind, their energy blades and sniper rifles simultaneously aimed at the entrance to the passage. Lin Ye, on the other hand, helped Moka hide behind the control panel, his eyes fixed on the runes in Tien Shinhan's hand. Those runes were gradually growing larger, spreading outwards as if they were alive.
Five minutes later, a series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the passage. A dozen or so members of the Dark Cluster walked over, chatting and laughing. One of them, a burly man, was boasting about the gems he had stolen the day before.
"Perfect timing." Number 18 curled a cold smile and pressed the detonator on the grenade.
A violent explosion echoed through the passage, and pale purple smoke instantly filled the air. The Dark Cluster members collapsed before they could even react, except for the leader, who, wearing a special protective suit, staggered back a few steps, looking around in terror: "Who's there? Show yourself!"
The sniper rifle fired first, the energy bullet hitting his protective suit and helmet precisely. Although it didn't penetrate, it stunned him. Number 18 seized the opportunity to rush forward, his mechanical arm punching him in the chest. With a crisp crack, at least three of the guy's ribs broke, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
"Done." Number 18 clapped his hands and kicked the corpse on the ground. "Three minutes left."
Large beads of sweat appeared on Tianjin Fan's forehead, and his third eye shone like a small sun: "Ready!"
With a low shout, the golden runes suddenly transformed into streaks of light, shooting along the cracks in the ground towards the core tower. A few seconds later, a sound like shattering glass echoed in the distance. Moka shouted excitedly, "The barrier... the barrier is gone!"
Lin Ye immediately stood up: "Number 18, have some tea, cover Tien Shinhan's retreat, and meet at the designated location. I'll go check out the interior of the core tower."
“I’ll go with you!” Mokara grabbed his arm, his green face full of determination. “I know the structure of the core tower, and… my brother’s energy is in those dark dragon balls.”
Lin Ye nodded, and the two carefully passed through the passage and entered the core tower. The sight before them made them gasp. In the center of the circular hall, seven black dragon balls were slowly rotating on a ring track. The surface of each dragon ball was covered with dark red patterns, like congealed blood. With each rotation, the surrounding space distorted slightly, and black viscous liquid seeped from the walls of the hall, dripping onto the floor with a sizzling sound.
“Those are the Dark Dragon Balls…” Moka’s voice was filled with fear. “They are absorbing the energy of this planet. Look down at the orbit.”
Lin Ye looked down and saw a huge altar below the track. The altar was covered with strange runes, and countless transparent tubes extended from the altar in all directions. The tubes were filled with a pale green liquid, which was the life energy of the Namekians.
Just then, a figure kneeling in the center of the altar slowly stood up and turned around.
"Alice?" Lin Ye's pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost dropped the energy blade in his hand.
Standing there was Alice, the AI girl of the Earth Defense Force and Lin Ye's best partner. But at this moment, she was wearing a black combat suit, her once clear mechanical eyes were flashing with an eerie red light, and a cold smile that did not belong to her was on her lips.
"Unauthorized intrusion detected. Initiating the cleanup process." Alice's voice was completely mechanical, devoid of any emotion. The moment she raised her hand, the six Dark Dragon Balls suddenly veered off course and exploded in mid-air, with a torrent of black energy surging into the seventh Dragon Ball. "Dark Dragon Summoning Program initiated. Countdown: 10 seconds."
"Oh no! Her programming has been tampered with by the Dark Cluster!" Moka's staff suddenly snapped with a "crack," and green life energy gushed out from the break. "That's a mind control device, in the chip on the back of her neck!"
Lin Ye's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his nails digging deep into his palms. He suddenly recalled the scene three days ago when they parted, Alice secretly slipping him a chip, saying it was the "latest system patch." At the time, her eyes darted away, but now he realized it wasn't a patch at all, but a backup of her consciousness.
A system prompt suddenly popped up: "[A compatible entity has been detected. Perform the overwrite procedure?]"
"Execute!" Lin Ye practically roared. He pulled out the chip, ignoring Moka's exclamation, and charged towards Alice.
Alice's mechanical arm suddenly transformed into a sharp blade, aiming for Lin Ye's chest. Lin Ye dodged to the side, grabbed her wrist, and with his other hand forcefully inserted the chip into the interface at the back of her neck.
"Zizi!"
The moment the chip was inserted, Alice's body convulsed violently, her red mechanical eyes switching wildly between red and blue. The light of the Dark Dragon Ball suddenly became erratic, and the previously concentrated torrent of energy began to scatter and splash in all directions.
“Lin Ye…” Alice’s voice regained a sliver of clarity, tinged with a painful groan, “Quick, run… I can’t control myself… They’ve put a virus in my core program…”
Her mechanical arm rose uncontrollably, aimed at Lin Ye's heart, but at the last moment it abruptly veered off course, piercing her own shoulder. Sparks erupted from the wound, Alice's body swayed, and her mechanical eyes turned completely blue: "The chip... can only suppress it temporarily... Destroy the Dragon Ball quickly..."
The altar suddenly trembled violently, and a gigantic claw covered in bone spikes emerged from the dimensional rift, its tip gleaming coldly. A low roar echoed from behind the rift, and the entire core tower shook as if it were about to collapse at any moment.
"There's no time!" Lin Ye looked at the giant claw that was constantly approaching and suddenly made a crazy decision. He rushed to the Dark Dragon Ball and grabbed the struggling ball in his hand.
"Want to make a wish? I'll help you!" Lin Ye's roar echoed in the hall. He suddenly poured all his Saiyan energy into the Dragon Ball, and the golden flames reacted violently with the black Dragon Ball, emitting a dazzling light.
"No!" Alice and Moka exclaimed at the same time.
The dark dragon's head had barely emerged from the crack when it was blasted to pieces by the reversed energy. Black blood rained down, corroding the hall's floor. But Lin Ye's body also began to show abnormalities; dark lines spread from his palms, crawling up his arms toward his heart, extinguishing the golden flames wherever they passed.
"Captain!" Tien Shinhan's voice came through the communicator, "The core tower is about to collapse! We're outside to meet you, come out quickly!"
Looking at his hands, now stained with ink, and feeling the energy draining from his body, Lin Ye suddenly smiled at Alice: "I...I still owe you a barbecue...don't forget..."
His consciousness began to blur, his body swayed, and the last thing he saw was Alice rushing over to support him, and the electric tears rolling down her mechanical eyes.
The sound of the core tower collapsing drowned out everything, while the Dark Dragon Ball, infused with energy by Lin Ye, was silently merging into his body, forming a black mark at the location of his heart.
Chapter 298: The Game of Consciousness
The moment darkness engulfed his vision like a tidal wave, Lin Ye thought he was dead. But the expected cold and pain didn't come; instead, he felt a strange sense of weightlessness, as if floating in an endless universe. He suddenly opened his eyes and found himself standing in a pure white space, with a smooth, mirror-like floor beneath his feet, reflecting his bewildered face.
"Where is this?" Lin Ye raised his hand and touched his cheek, the sensation was terrifyingly real. He tried to move his hands and feet, and the movement of every muscle was clearly identifiable, even the rise and fall of his chest when he breathed had a familiar rhythm.
A faint sobbing sound suddenly came from afar, like glass beads falling into an empty box. Lin Ye looked in the direction of the sound and saw Alice's consciousness trapped in a crystal cage. She was wearing her favorite white dress, and her once clear eyes were now filled with tears. Countless black threads were emerging from the cage bars, wrapping around her body and digging into her skin like venomous snakes.
"Alice!" Lin Ye instinctively rushed over, but crashed into an invisible wall three meters away from the cage. He slammed his fist into the wall, a burning pain shooting through the back of his hand, but only a faint ripple appeared on the surface of the wall.
"Don't waste your energy." Alice's voice was choked with tears as she struggled to break the black threads, but the threads seemed to have a life of their own, binding her tighter and tighter. "This is your consciousness space, polluted by the energy of the Dark Dragon Ball."
Lin Ye's system panel suddenly popped up in front of him, and the bright red warning text stung his eyes: [Mental pollution rate detected 37%, it is recommended to immediately execute the consciousness stripping procedure] [Warning: Dark energy is eroding core memories] [Warning: Invasion of foreign consciousness detected]
"Mental pollution?" Lin Ye stared at his palm, noticing faint black lines flowing beneath his skin. "The side effects of those Dark Dragon Balls?"
“They’re not just energy crystals,” Alice’s voice suddenly rose, and black viscous liquid seeped from the inner walls of the crystal cage, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound. “They’re also mixed with the Observer’s mental virus! Use the system to forcibly remove them, or it will be too late… Ah!”
A black thread suddenly tightened around Alice's neck, choking her on the rest of her sentence. The black slime in the cage accumulated, already above her ankles, and countless pained faces could be vaguely seen floating in it.