Chapter 315: Shadows First Stir, Striking All Hearts

The flickering red symbol was like a restless seed, sowing doubt in everyone's hearts.

Xingyun Zhizhe projected the data panel onto the spaceship's central screen, enlarging the mysterious symbol; it resembled some ancient totem, radiating an eerie glow.

"This energy fluctuation is extremely peculiar," Xingyun Zhizhe explained, pointing at the symbol. "It doesn't belong to any known energy system. I suspect that this 'super power bank' is not merely an energy storage device—it may hide a greater secret, perhaps even... a portal to an unknown realm."

"A portal?" Xingji Xiake curled his lip. "Old Zhi, haven't you been reading too many novels? What unknown realm—I think it's just an oversized battery, that's all." Having just come through a fierce battle, he only wanted to rest properly and enjoy the fruits of victory.

"Xiake, this is no joking matter," Xingyun Zhizhe said seriously. "The intensity of this unknown energy far exceeds our imagination. If handled improperly, it could trigger unpredictable consequences. We must figure out its nature as soon as possible."

"But—" Xingji Xiake was about to argue back, but Zhang Cheng cut him off.

"Old Zhi makes sense," Zhang Cheng's gaze was profound. "We can't let our guard down. The appearance of this device is far too suspicious. We must thoroughly investigate the secret behind it."

"But we just came through a major battle," Xingji Xiake rubbed his sore shoulder. "The brothers all need rest. Even if we're going to investigate, at least wait until everyone has recovered."

"Time waits for no one," Xingyun Zhizhe's tone was firm. "This energy fluctuation is highly unstable. No one knows when it might erupt. We must race against the clock."

The two argued without reaching agreement, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Guangming Shizhe, who had been silent all along, stepped forward, but unlike usual, she did not play the peacemaker. She walked up to the screen, her gaze locked tightly onto the red symbol, and spoke slowly: "I think—" Guangming Shizhe took a deep breath, her tone unusually firm. "I think Xingyun Zhizhe is right. We must begin investigating immediately." Her uncharacteristic support left Xingji Xiake stunned; his mouth opened, but in the end, nothing came out.

He scratched his head and muttered, "Fine, fine, you're all right and I'm wrong. But I'm dead tired—let me bite into an energy bar first."

Just as Xingji Xiake tore open the energy bar wrapper, the alarm blared shrilly, red lights flashed frantically, and the entire spaceship shook violently.

"What's going on?!" Zhang Cheng growled, grabbing the handrail beside him to steady himself.

On the screen, dense clusters of light points were approaching the spaceship at astonishing speed.

"Unknown creatures approaching! Huge numbers!" Xingyun Zhizhe's voice turned shrill from tension.

Before anyone could react, a barrage of impacts rang through the entire cabin, as if countless bullets were striking the hull.

"Damn it!" Xingji Xiake cursed, snatched up his energy gun, and charged out.

"Everyone be careful, these things are fast!"

These unknown creatures were small in form, like clusters of black shadows, darting wildly throughout the cabin.

Though Xingji Xiake's energy gun was powerful, it was very difficult to hit them.

They seemed able to predict his attack trajectories, always dodging in advance.

What was even more headache-inducing was that these creatures' attacks were also exceptionally sharp—their sharp claws could easily tear through alloy armor.

"A li! How much longer can the defense system hold?" Zhang Cheng shouted while dodging attacks.

The mechanic A li, drenched in sweat, operated the control panel, his fingers flying across the keyboard: "Almost! Almost! Just give me a little time!"

Just then, one of the black creatures broke through Xingji Xiake's defense line and lunged straight at his face.

In the nick of time, Guangming Shizhe released an energy barrier, blocking the attack.

But the creature only paused briefly before circumventing the barrier and continuing its assault on Xingji Xiake.

Xingji Xiake was driven into a corner. Just as he was about to be struck by the little thing, he gritted his teeth hard, preparing to take the hit head-on.

Suddenly, the cabin lights flickered and became unusually bright.

Those originally ferocious creatures seemed to have been startled; they let out shrill cries one after another and scurried about, as if searching for places to hide.

Xingling xue zhe pushed up his glasses, and a sharp gleam reflected off the lenses.

"So that's it... these creatures are photophobic." His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears amid the noisy battle.

"Photophobic?" Xingji Xiake panted heavily, kicking away a black shadow that tried to ambush him. "That makes things easy!"

Guangming Shizhe heard this and immediately understood.

She took a deep breath, pressed her hands together, and soft white light gathered in her palms, gradually becoming dazzlingly brilliant.

The next moment, a intense beam of light surged from her hands, instantly illuminating the entire cabin.

Those once-arrogant black creatures, under the intense light, let out mournful shrieks; like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun, they melted and vanished one after another.

The air was thick with a charred, nauseating stench.

"Beautiful!" Xingji Xiake excitedly waved his energy gun, unleashing a furious barrage at the few remaining black shadows.

Having lost their companions and terrified by the intense light, these creatures had completely lost their combat ability, reduced to lambs awaiting slaughter.

Everyone's pressure dropped sharply, and they began an organized counterattack.

Zhang Cheng calmly directed the group, using the cabin's terrain to force these creatures back step by step into a corner.

Xingji Xiake fought with incomparable valor, the energy gun in his hands like the scythe of the Death God, reaping one black life after another.

Xingyun Zhizhe continuously analyzed these creatures' weaknesses, providing tactical support for everyone.

As the last black creature dissolved into ash, the cabin finally returned to peace.

Everyone leaned against the walls, panting heavily, savoring the brief tranquility.

Guangming Shizhe's face was pale and her body trembled slightly, but she forced herself to give Zhang Cheng a smile.

"It seems... we've won..." Before she could finish, her body slumped backward weakly...

Zhang Cheng reacted swiftly, catching her in his arms, but felt her body was burning hot.

"Guangming Shizhe?!"

The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the charred stench still lingered in the air.

Guangming Shizhe leaned weakly in Zhang Cheng's arms, her face as pale as paper, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead.

She forced a frail smile, her gentle gaze fixed on Zhang Cheng, her eyes brimming with reliance.

Zhang Cheng lifted her with aching tenderness, feeling her soft breathing, a surge of indescribable warmth welling up in his heart.

He gently stroked her hair and murmured soothingly, "It's all right now. It's all over."

Xingji Xiake plopped down on the floor, panting heavily, the energy gun in his hand drooping powerlessly.

Xingyun Zhizhe walked over to the control console and began checking the spaceship's damage.

The mechanic A li, drenched in sweat, worked frantically to repair the equipment damaged by those black creatures.

"What the hell are these things?" Xingji Xiake rubbed his sore shoulder and said with lingering fear, "If Xingling xue zhe hadn't discovered they were afraid of light, we'd probably have bought it here today."

Xingling xue zhe pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a beam of bright light, "The structure of these creatures is very peculiar; they seem to be composed of some kind of dark energy, capable of absorbing light and converting it into their own energy. That is also why they are so powerful in darkness."

"Dark energy?" Xingyun Zhizhe furrowed his brows, "This form of energy is extremely rare; we know very little about it. It seems this expedition is more dangerous than we imagined."

After a period of rest, everyone gathered again before that mysterious device.

However, the sight before them shocked them greatly.

On the surface of the device, strange runes had appeared at some unknown time, flickering with an eerie light, like some ancient incantation, emanating an unsettling aura.

These runes seemed to be warning them, stopping them from further investigating the device's secrets.

Zhang Cheng reached out to touch those runes, but Xingyun Zhizhe grabbed him.

"Be careful!" Xingyun Zhizhe said with a solemn expression, "These runes contain powerful energy; touching them rashly could trigger danger."

Xingji Xiake stepped forward, closely examining those runes, "These symbols… I feel like I've seen them somewhere…" He furrowed his brows, trying hard to recall.

Suddenly, Xingling xue zhe exclaimed, "Oh no! These runes… are an ancient seal!"

As his words fell, the runes suddenly burst into blinding light, illuminating the entire cabin as if it were daytime.

A powerful energy wave surged from the device, striking everyone's bodies.

Zhang Cheng felt a wave of dizziness, and everything before his eyes became blurry.

He faintly heard Xingyun Zhizhe's anxious voice: "Retreat quickly! This energy… we cannot withstand it!"

However, it was already too late.

The runes on the device grew brighter and brighter, eventually converging into a massive pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds.

"Ah…" a miserable cry echoed within the cabin.

Zhang Cheng struggled to open his eyes, but saw…

"Kelinda!"