Chapter 334: Strange Space's Peril, Seeking a Lifeline

The spaceship vanished, replaced by endless chaos.

There was no starlight, no direction, only a suffocating pressure, as if the throat of a colossal beast were about to swallow them whole.

Guangming Shizhe terrifiedly grabbed Zhang Cheng's arm, her fingertips icy.

Zhang Cheng returned the grip, offering silent comfort, yet his own anxiety was no less.

"What the hell is this place?!" Xingji Xiake shouted irritably, his massive frame seeming especially feeble in this bizarre space.

The space seemed alive, constantly contracting, compressing their lungs, making breathing difficult, like a drowning person struggling in vain.

Mechanic A li's face turned pale, clutching his chest and coughing painfully.

Psionic Li li released a psychic probe, but it vanished like a mud ox in the sea, receiving no response.

"The space is compressing!" Xingyun Zhizhe said gravely, "We must find an exit quickly, or else…" He did not finish, but everyone understood the consequence.

Just as the group neared despair, Xingling xue zhe suddenly spoke, "Wait! I've found a pattern!" His eyes glittered with excitement as he pointed at the floating mass of chaotic energy, "The space's energy fluctuations aren't wholly random; they follow a certain regularity!"

The alien scientist Karl immediately stepped forward, analyzing the data together with the Xingling xue zhe.

Karl's meticulous deductions, combined with the Xingling xue zhe's keen perception of the energy, quickly uncovered a breakthrough.

"Here!" Karl pointed to a direction, "The spatial barrier is relatively weak there; if we can concentrate energy on that spot…"

A spark of hope ignited in everyone's hearts.

Interstellar warrior Mark and Xingji Xiake immediately readied their weapons, and psionic Li li gathered her energy, preparing a full-force strike.

Just as they were about to make a desperate gamble, Guangming Shizhe suddenly cried, "Zhang Cheng, look!"

Zhang Cheng followed her gaze, his pupils snapping shut.

Within the chaos, a massive vortex emerged, emitting a heart‑pounding energy fluctuation.

The vortex rotated slowly, like the gaping maw of an abyss, waiting to devour them...

The vortex grew larger, its spin accelerating, as if to draw everything around it inward.

Guangming Shizhe clung tightly in Zhang Cheng's arms, her body trembling slightly.

Zhang Cheng stroked her hair and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Guangming Shizhe lifted her head, eyes full of affection, then offered a passionate kiss.

The surrounding teammates tactfully averted their eyes, giving the pair some space.

This sudden warmth felt like the calm before a storm.

At that moment, strange creatures appeared within the space.

The creatures resembled jellyfish, their transparent bodies coursing with powerful currents, flashing a ghostly blue light as they floated silently; their numbers swelled, gradually encircling everyone.

Xingji Xiake roared, swinging a massive energy axe, slashing fiercely at a "jellyfish".

However, the axe passed straight through its body, causing no damage!

Simultaneously, the electric current on that "jellyfish" erupted, striking Xingji Xiake.

He shivered all over, muscles spasming, and the axe slipped from his grasp.

"Damn!" Interstellar warrior Mark, seeing this, instantly raised an energy cannon and fired at the "jellyfish".

The result was the same as with Xingji Xiake; the energy cannon had no effect, only enraging the creatures.

They surged forward like maddened beasts, their currents intertwining into a massive electric net that enveloped everyone.

Mark let out a muffled hum and collapsed to the ground.

The numbing sensation of the current intensified, and even Zhang Cheng felt a wave of weakness.

He clutched Guangming Shizhe tightly, striving to stay conscious.

Xingyun Zhizhe's face turned ashen, he said with difficulty, "These... these creatures... are immune to physical and energy attacks..."

Karl shouted in terror, "Could it be... could we die here?"

Xingling xue zhe suddenly lifted his head, his gaze burning as he stared at the "jellyfish", murmuring, "No... that's not right... they... they are..." He halted abruptly, eyes wide, pointing behind the "jellyfish", his voice trembling, "What... what is that..."

In a flash, psionic Li li let out a sharp cry, her energy surging, and a pale violet shield instantly enveloped everyone.

The "jellyfish" slammed into the shield, sparks scattering, yet they could not breach it at all.

Only then did everyone exhale, eyes still wide with shock, staring at Li li.

Li li playfully winked, her hands fluttering, deftly manipulating her energy to wrap each "jellyfish" like pinching dumplings.

Then, she inhaled deeply and thrust the energy sphere containing the "jellyfish" toward the region of most violent spatial energy fluctuation.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" a series of explosions rang out, the "jellyfish" being utterly shattered by the fierce energy waves, turning into specks of starlight that faded into the air.

"Wow! Li li, you're amazing!" Guangming Shizhe exclaimed sincerely, and the others cast admiring glances.

Li li scratched her head shyly, "Hehe, just lucky," yet the crisis was not yet resolved.

The group continued to fumble through the chaotic space, searching for an exit.

Mechanic A li carefully inspected the spaceship's condition, his complexion growing increasingly grim.

"Damn! The ship's energy transmission and navigation systems have been severely interfered with by spatial energy; we must repair them quickly, or we won't be able to leave!" A li said urgently.

"What materials are needed?" Zhang Cheng asked immediately.

A li listed a string of complex material names, then sighed helplessly, "But we don't have enough of these in stock..."

For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy again.

Xingji Xiake paced irritably, "Damn! Are we going to be trapped here again?" Alien scientist Karl spun anxiously, "Without those materials, we can't repair the ship!" The group chattered about solutions, yet found no way out.

At that moment, Xingyun Zhizhe slowly spoke, "Perhaps..." He reached into his coat, as if to retrieve something.

Xingyun Zhizhe pulled a palm‑sized metal box from his coat, pressed his fingerprint, and the box "click"ed open, revealing neatly arranged components and materials inside.

"I habitually carry spare materials for emergencies," Xingyun Zhizhe said lightly, a hint of pride in his tone.

A li's eyes lit up at the sight of the materials; he snatched the box and began a careful inspection.

"Great! Though few, they're enough to repair the core components of the energy transmission and navigation systems!" he shouted excitedly, diving straight into the urgent repair work.

Sparks flew, sweat beaded on A li's forehead, yet his movements were unusually precise, each component fitting perfectly into its proper place.

As time passed, the spaceship's indicator lights gradually lit up, and the humming of its operation gradually returned to normal.

"Huh…" A li let out a long sigh, wiped the grease off their face, and showed a satisfied smile.

"Navigation System restored! Energy transmission System also back to normal!" Everyone cheered joyfully, the post‑catastrophe relief spreading throughout the spaceship.

However, the joy did not last long.

With the navigation System back to normal, it showed they were still within this bizarre space, and a powerful force was pulling them in one direction.

"What's happening? We're being drawn by some force!" Ka Er shouted, pointing at the constantly shifting coordinates on the screen.

"Where is that?" Guangming Shizhe clutched Zhang Cheng's hand tightly, eyes full of unease.

Zhang Cheng furrowed his brows, stared at the destination displayed on the screen, and a foreboding feeling rose in his heart.

"I don't know, but we seem to have no choice." He said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of resolve.

The spaceship, under the strong pull, kept accelerating, racing toward the unknown destination.

Space warped, light distorted, the spaceship seemed to enter a spacetime tunnel, and everything around became hazy.

Suddenly, the pull vanished.

The spaceship jolted sharply, catching everyone off guard, and they all fell to the ground.

"What's happening?" Xingji Xiake shook his head and got up from the ground.

"We… we seem to have stopped…" Ka Er's voice trembled slightly.

Everyone hurried to the porthole and looked outward.

The next second, everyone inhaled a cold gasp.

"That… that is…" Xingling xue zhe pointed ahead, voice trembling, unable to finish.

Zhang Cheng seized Guangming Shizhe, shielding her behind him, his gaze fixed rigidly ahead, his face ashen.

He said each word with a pause: "Abyssal Gate…"