Chapter 338: Assassin

Zhang Cheng shoved the Guangming Shizhe aside, and the black dagger brushed his arm as it flew past, embedding deeply into the nearby metal wall.

A thin line of blood seeped from the scratch on Zhang Cheng's arm.

"Damned!" Xingji Xiake roared, raising his energy battle axe high, only to find the surroundings empty of people.

The earlier attack, like a phantom, came without shadow and vanished without a trace.

"So there was indeed an ambush!" Xingyun Zhizhe's face grew solemn, his eyes blazing as he scanned every corner around.

"They intend to pick us off one by one!" Xingling xue zhe added, his fingers flicking rapidly in the air to construct an energy detection network, attempting to locate hidden foes.

"Everyone back to back, form a defensive formation!" Zhang Cheng ordered in a low voice, while pulling a high-efficiency healing spray from his spatial backpack and spraying it onto his arm wound.

The hissing spray sounded as the wound healed at a visibly rapid pace.

The Guangming Shizhe looked at Zhang Cheng's wound with concern, eyes full of care: "Zhang Cheng, are you alright?" Zhang Cheng gave her a faint smile, indicating he was fine.

A li the mechanic began inventorying the remaining supplies, his face growing darker: "Medicine consumption is severe, and energy reserves are low…" Li li the psionic gathered a psionic light sphere in her hand, vigilantly scanning the surroundings: "I sense a faint energy fluctuation, but cannot pinpoint its location." Ma Ke the interstellar warrior held an Energy Shield, standing at the front of the team like a steel wall, protecting those behind.

The alien scientist Ka Er carefully examined the black dagger, his brows knit: "This is a special alloy, extremely rare…"

The team's atmosphere grew heavy, the earlier triumphal joy completely vanished.

Some argued for pressing onward, believing only by finding the artifact quickly could they fully escape the predicament.

Others felt they should first find a safe place to rest, replenish supplies, and treat the wounded.

Both sides held their ground, unable to settle the dispute.

"We can't go on like this…" Zhang Cheng looked at the group, speaking slowly.

"Quarreling solves nothing; it only wastes precious time. Right now the priority is to find out who is pulling the strings behind this." He paused, his gaze sweeping the group, tone firm: "I propose we first focus on investigating the Shadow Clan assassin's origins and his employer. Only after eliminating this hidden threat can we proceed with peace of mind."

Zhang Cheng's authority and calm analysis quickly quelled the group's argument.

Xingji Xiake sheathed his energy battle axe, speaking in a gruff tone: "The boss is right; first we root out those rats hiding in the shadows!" Others nodded in agreement.

Xingyun Zhizhe and the Xingling xue zhe immediately began their work.

They carefully inspected the black dagger and found a peculiar symbol etched on it.

The Xingling xue zhe entered the symbol into his database for comparison; the result showed it was an ancient Shadow Clan script meaning "Revenge Blade."

"Revenge?" Xingyun Zhizhe muttered, "So this assassin came for vengeance? Yet we have no deep grudge against the Shadow Clan…"

The Xingling xue zhe continued analyzing the assassin's combat traces, discovering he employed a very rare shadow step technique, a method only elite assassins of the Shadow Clan can master.

Combining the dagger's symbol, they inferred the assassin's identity was significant, likely a senior member of the Shadow Clan.

"It seems we've gotten ourselves into a big trouble," Xingyun Zhizhe said, his face grim, "but there must be an even larger conspiracy behind this."

They pressed on with the investigation and finally found a clue in a broken communicator left by the assassin.

The communicator contained a fragment of encrypted data; after the Xingling xue zhe deciphered it, they obtained a coordinate.

"This coordinate…" the Xingling xue zhe said, pointing to a spot on the star map, his complexion changing abruptly, "It's the lair of the Black Shark Star Pirate Crew!"

"Black Shark Star Pirate Crew?" Zhang Cheng's brows knit, "Could they have hired the Shadow Clan assassin to attack us?"

At that moment, the Guangming Shizhe walked over, speaking softly: "Everyone's worked hard; I prepared some food and…" Her words cut off as her gaze fell on the coordinate on the star map, her face turning instantly pale.

The Guangming Shizhe handed out steaming food and drinks to everyone; the weary team members gathered around, enjoying a brief moment of peace.

She carefully refilled each person's drink, her gentle smile brushing everyone's hearts like a spring breeze.

Zhang Cheng watched her busy silhouette, feeling a warm surge within, his gaze filled with tenderness and affection.

The Guangming Shizhe seemed to sense his stare, turned back, and gave him a radiant smile; that smile seemed to dispel all the surrounding gloom.

Meanwhile, alien scientist Ka Er was bent over a heap of complex instruments, sweat soaking his clothes.

He was fully focused on operating the ship's decoder, trying to crack the residual information in the communicator fragments retrieved from the Shadow Clan assassin.

Time ticked by second by second, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Finally, Ka Er shouted excitedly: "I've cracked it! I've cracked it!" He pointed eagerly at the string of complex code on the screen, explaining: "This is an encrypted message that mentions a mysterious coordinate; I suspect it's related to the assassin's hidden mastermind!"

The Xingyun Zhizhe and the Xingling xue zhe immediately gathered around, studying the coordinate on the screen carefully.

The Xingling xue zhe entered the coordinate into the star map for positioning, and the result shocked everyone.

The coordinate lay outside any known star system, deep within an uncharted sector, a place called the "Dead Zone."

"Dead Zone?" Xingji Xiake inhaled sharply, "That's a place even interstellar pirates dare not venture lightly!"

"It seems the enemy we face this time is scarier than we imagined…" Xingyun Zhizhe said gravely.

Suddenly, Ma Ke the interstellar warrior pointed at a flashing red dot on the star map, exclaiming: "An unidentified craft is rapidly approaching us!"

"Not good, it's the Black Shark Star Pirate Crew!" Li li the psionic's complexion changed, a psionic light sphere forming in her hand, ready for battle.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense as everyone drew their weapons, standing ready.

At that moment, the Guangming Shizhe suddenly pointed to another spot on the star map, her voice trembling: "That… that coordinate…"

Her finger indicated the very center of the Dead Zone, where a massive energy vortex loomed, slowly rotating…

"What is that?" Zhang Cheng asked in a deep voice.

Ka Er stared at the energy vortex, his face ashen, murmuring: "Impossible… this cannot be…"

Zhang Cheng's gaze was resolute, his voice decisive: "Go, of course we must go! The more dangerous the place, the more likely it hides the truth." Xingji Xiake grinned, cracking his knuckles: "I've been waiting forever; let me deal with those interstellar pirates!" The others quickly agreed, and the ship adjusted its course, racing at full speed toward the mysterious coordinate.

As the ship drew nearer, a colossal object gradually emerged in everyone's view.

It was a massive interstellar fortress, entirely jet‑black, like a steel behemoth lurking in the cosmos, exuding a cold, dangerous aura.

The fortress's surface was riddled with countless gun emplacements and Energy Shields, its defenses unmistakably severe.

"Good heavens, this is literally a space citadel!" Xingji Xiake exclaimed.

"Everyone be careful; the area around this fortress is surely littered with all kinds of traps," Xingyun Zhizhe warned.

The ship slowly approached the fortress, and the crew cautiously observed the surroundings.

Suddenly, a red laser beam shot from a turret on the fortress, skimming the ship's edge and carving a dazzling trail through space.

"Enemy attack!" Ma Ke the interstellar warrior roared, quickly activating the ship's defense system.

The spaceship deftly evaded laser beam attacks in space, while the Xingji Xiake controlled the ship's weapon systems to strike back.

A fierce space battle is about to erupt.

After a harrowing exchange of fire, the spaceship finally found a relatively safe area and prepared to infiltrate.

Zhang Cheng led everyone to don special stealth combat suits, activated the ship's cloaking device, and silently approached the fortress.

Just as they were about to reach the fortress's outer wall, the Xingling xue zhe suddenly cried out, "Wait! I detect a powerful energy field surrounding the fortress; any object attempting to cross it will be instantly destroyed!"

"Then how do we get in?" the Xingji Xiake asked anxiously.

The Xingyun Zhizhe furrowed his brow, scanned the fortress's surface, and suddenly pointed to an inconspicuous corner, saying, "There! The energy field in that spot seems weaker; perhaps we can try to break through there."

Everyone approached the corner cautiously, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, thick with tension.

At that moment, Zhang Cheng suddenly felt a massive energy surge emanating from within the fortress; he whirled around, his complexion changing dramatically…

"It's bad…"