Chapter 321: Strange Omen, Astonishing Device

The pale violet light pulsed like a massive diseased heart, beating repeatedly against everyone's nerves.

The space around the device twisted even more violently, and a faint fishy‑sweet smell spread through the air, making people feel nauseous.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath; the oppressive atmosphere gave him a hint of unease.

"This thing... doesn't seem right," Xingji Xiake said in a hoarse, guttural voice, his rough large hand instinctively gripping the energy axe at his back. "How about we just hack it open and see what kind of monster is inside?"

"Are you crazy?!" Xingling xue zhe's sharp voice nearly pierced everyone's eardrums. "The device's structure is extremely complex; a reckless attack could cause irreversible damage! We've barely made it this far—do you intend to squander our effort?"

Xingji Xiake sneered and snorted, "What are you scared of? If it breaks, we can fix it! I don't believe this junk can even reach the heavens!" As he said so, he stepped forward, but Zhang Cheng stopped him.

"Wait," Zhang Cheng's calm voice rang in everyone's ears. "Violent brute force is the worst option; let's try other methods first." He turned his head toward Xingyun Zhizhe. "Zhizhe, what do you think?"

Xingyun Zhizhe furrowed his brows, his gaze scanning back and forth between the device and the group, as if weighing pros and cons.

"The device's changes are too bizarre; we must act cautiously," he said after a moment of contemplation. "I suggest we first scan it with a detector to see if the internal structure has altered."

"A detector? What can that thing detect?" Xingji Xiake muttered discontentedly. "I think we should just..."

"Shut up!" Guangming Shizhe barked. "Xiake, can you say a few words less?"

Xingji Xiake sulkily closed his mouth, but his expression still held a trace of resentment.

The detector was quickly released, but just as it was about to touch the pale violet light on the device's surface, an invisible force suddenly bounced it away, slamming it heavily onto the ground and sparking a burst of flames.

"What's happening?" mechanic A li exclaimed, rushing over to inspect the detector.

Xingling xue zhe's face grew even more solemn: "It seems the device's defense mechanism has also changed... we must be more cautious."

Everyone fell into a momentary silence, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe.

At that moment, the usually silent psionicist Li li suddenly spoke up...

Li li gently stepped before the group; she is usually taciturn, but now she carried a hint of resolve.

"I can use psionic perception to sense the device's internal structure," her soft voice sounded unusually clear in the tense air.

Everyone was startled, turning to look at the usually unremarkable girl.

Xingyun Zhizhe mused for a moment: "Psionic perception? That's a new angle... Li li, are you confident?"

Li li lightly nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly closed her eyes.

An invisible energy fluctuation radiated from her, rippling outward like concentric circles, gradually reaching the throbbing "heart."

Just as Li li's psionic energy was about to seep into the device, the device's surface suddenly erupted with a blinding flash!

The pale violet light instantly turned blood‑red, and streams of energy pulses shot toward everyone like sharp swords!

"Get back!" Xingji Xiake roared, his energy axe forming a light barrier that blocked the incoming energy pulses.

Mark, the interstellar warrior, was no less formidable; he swung his energy sword, shattering each energy pulse that surged toward the group.

However, the intensity of the energy pulses grew larger and their frequency faster, and Xingji Xiake and Mark gradually felt overwhelmed.

Each block left their palms tingling, and energy consumption surged dramatically.

"Damn! Why is this thing's power getting stronger!" Xingji Xiake gritted his teeth, beads of sweat the size of beans forming on his forehead.

Mark also felt the pressure mount and said gravely, "Continuing like this won't work; we must find a way to shut down the device's defense mechanism!"

While the two strained to hold on, mechanic A li suddenly shouted, "Wait! I think I know what to do!" He spun around abruptly and sprinted toward the device's control panel...

A li was drenched in sweat, his fingers flying across the control panel.

Sparks flew and arcs of electricity flashed as he muttered, "San hao interface, line 7, right, this is it!" Suddenly, he slammed an inconspicuous red button, shouting, "Done!" The device's wildly flashing blood‑red light abruptly extinguished, and the energy pulses vanished.

Xingji Xiake and Mark collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously, gasping heavily, the joy of surviving the ordeal spreading across their faces.

"A li, you're amazing!" Guangming Shizhe ran over excitedly, giving A li a big hug.

"Hehe, no big deal," A li scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. "When I was repairing it before, I noticed a tiny flaw in the defense system's design; didn't expect it to come in handy today."

The crisis was temporarily averted, and everyone's tense nerves relaxed a bit.

Alien scientist Karl stepped forward immediately, pulling out a strangely shaped scanning instrument and aimed it at the device for scanning.

The instrument's screen displayed complex images, and Karl's eyes widened increasingly, his expression growing more excited.

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!" Karl's voice trembled. "Inside the device... a new space has formed! Moreover, that space is filled with unknown energy fluctuations!"

His words rang like thunder in everyone's ears.

"A new space?"

"Unknown energy?"

"What does this portend?"

Zhang Cheng's brows knit tightly, his gaze fixed on the device as he fell into contemplation.

"This..." Xingyun Zhizhe began to speak, but Zhang Cheng raised his hand, signaling him to be silent, then slowly walked toward the device...

Zhang Cheng stared at the device, a wise light flashing in his deep eyes.

He slowly extended his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the device's surface, feeling the lingering energy fluctuations.

Guangming Shizhe, seeing Zhang Cheng deep in thought, gently rested her head on his shoulder; her eyes were full of trust and reliance, and this warm gesture gave Zhang Cheng a hint of warmth, further strengthening his resolve to explore the unknown.

"Perhaps..." Zhang Cheng murmured, a bold plan gradually forming in his mind. "Perhaps we can use the device's own energy to open this entrance."

His words lit up everyone's eyes, and Xingyun Zhizhe even clapped, exclaiming, "Brilliant! Using the device's own energy avoids damaging its structure while maximizing its effectiveness—truly worthy of Zhang Cheng!"

Without delay, under Zhang Cheng's command, the group began the tense, orderly preparations.

Xingling xue zhe was in charge of analyzing the device's energy structure, A li handled adjusting the frequency of energy output, and Xingji Xiake and Mark were responsible for safeguarding everyone's safety to prevent accidents.

After a tense round of tuning, the device emitted a dazzling light again, but this time the glow was no longer the terrifying blood‑red; it was a hopeful golden hue.

A golden beam shot out from the device, aiming straight at the energy shield.

However, just as everyone thought success was imminent, an unexpected event occurred.

The energy shield not only failed to be pierced by the beam; it absorbed the beam's energy, becoming thicker and more solid!

"What's happening?" Xingji Xiake stared in disbelief. "Why is this thing getting stronger the more we strike it?"

Just as the group was at a loss, when they tried to further explore the new space, they found the entrance blocked by a powerful energy shield that seemed to exert a strong repulsion, keeping them outside.

"It seems…" a flash of brilliance flickered in Zhang Cheng's eyes, "We still need to forge another path." He turned his head toward Xingyun Zhizhe, "Zhizhe, what do you think?"

Xingyun Zhizhe pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "Perhaps… we could try…" He suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the bottom of the device, where a tiny component caught his attention.

He slowly extended his hand, pointing at that component, and said, "Perhaps the key lies here…"