Chapter 230: Blood and Flesh Furnace

Yanxin Runesmith and the Xingyuzhe Elder focused all their attention on analyzing the surrounding space structure.

The data stream on the control panel poured down like a waterfall, and the nebula inside the crystal ball spun, collapsed, and reorganized at an unprecedented speed.

The space in this region, due to the presence of Rift Seven and continuous energy bombardment, had long become fragmented, filled with various unpredictable wrinkles, faults, and temporary dimensional seams.

These structures are extremely unstable; they might calm down in the next second, or suddenly erupt, tearing anything caught within them to shreds.

"Found it!" Yan Xin suddenly exclaimed, his voice trembling, "On the rear side of the fortress, near the position of that giant creature's skull, we detected a periodic space ripple! It is like a... briefly opening and closing 'space bubble', lasting about three to five seconds each time, inside which seems to connect to an extremely unstable dimensional gap! The fluctuation of its outlet... points to the interior of the fortress!"

The Xingyuzhe Elder also snapped his eyes open; the crystal ball froze on an extremely complex multidimensional space structure diagram. He pointed at a constantly flashing node: "Here! The generation of this 'bubble' is related to the pulse of rift energy; each time the legion fires a volley at the rift, the massive energy feedback creates a brief spatial collapse and rebound here, forming a passage!"

Opportunity!

A fleeting, extremely dangerous opportunity!

"Calculate the timing of the next energy pulse!" Li Qingxuan immediately ordered.

"Expected in seventeen minutes and forty-three seconds!" Yan Xin quickly reported the data.

Time is pressing!

"Everyone, prepare for the impact! Abandon the escort ships; all personnel gather at the Fortress of Hope! Activate all defensive measures, especially the Spatial Stable Anchor!" Li Qingxuan's voice was firm and resolute.

The escort ships are too large and lack maneuverability, so they must be sacrificed.

Concentrate all strength and luck, gamble on this once!

The order was swiftly carried out.

The suicide squads from the two escort ships, carrying necessary equipment, transferred via emergency passages to the Fortress of Hope.

The escort ships were set to automatic; when their action began, they would launch a suicidal charge in the opposite direction to draw enemy attention.

The Fortress of Hope adjusted its course, like a lurking leopard, silently approaching the designated space node.

The atmosphere inside the ship grew extremely tense; everyone clung tightly to nearby fixtures, their spiritual power highly focused, preparing to face the unknown and violent spatial transit.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

"... ten, nine, eight..." Yan Xin stared at the countdown, his voice low.

Outside the porthole, one could clearly see the thousands of gun muzzles on the Fortress of Despair flare up with blinding red light again; a new round of salvo was about to begin!

"... three, two, one... now!"

Almost as Yan Xin shouted, the Fortress of Despair's ten thousand guns roared in unison; thick dark-red energy torrents, like whips of destruction, lashed fiercely upon Rift Seven!

The entire void trembled!

At that very moment, not far ahead of the Fortress of Hope, the void surged like a water surface, and a visible, constantly twisting and transforming "space bubble" suddenly appeared!

"Charge in!"

The Fortress of Hope's engines overloaded, bursting with final thrust, like an arrow released from a bow, it lunged toward the soon-to-vanish "bubble"!

"Boom——!!!"

The hull shuddered violently, as if striking an invisible wall!

Everyone instantly lost balance, a sensation of the world spinning overwhelmed them!

The view outside the porthole became bizarre and surreal, colors peeled away, lines twisted, as if plunging into a nightmare daubed by a mad painter!

Dimensional gap!

Here there is no concept of up, down, left, right, nor a steady flow of time and space.

Only violent spatial turbulence, flickering fragments of law, and omnipresent, soul‑rending whispers of ancient gods!

The warship's shields emitted agonized groans under the strain, alarms blaring everywhere!

"Hold steady! Spatial Stable Anchor at maximum power!" Li Qingxuan forced himself to stay upright, linking his spiritual power to the warship's core, the power of the Weird Divine Realm spreading out, attempting to maintain a relatively stable "domain" amidst the chaos!

Huang Rong, Xingren, and others each employed their methods, helping to stabilize the hull and resist external erosion.

This journey was brief yet felt eternal.

No one knew how long had passed—perhaps merely an instant, perhaps several hours——

"Bang!"

Another violent impact and jolt!

The distorted view outside the porthole suddenly vanished, replaced by a vast interior space…… dark‑red, filled with viscous fluid and writhing conduits!

They succeeded!

They had crossed the dimensional gap and entered the interior of the Fortress of Despair!

However, before anyone could celebrate, an indescribable stench—mixing bloodiness, rot, and some kind of industrial grease—hit them!

At the same time, a low, rhythmic sound, like the beating of some colossal organ, came from all directions.

Li Qingxuan looked at the image fed back by the sensors; his pupils contracted sharply.

They seemed to be located within a massive "artery" composed of a mix of biological tissue and metal piping!

Dark‑red liquid, imbued with faint extinction energy, flowed slowly through the conduits.

The conduit walls were not cold metal, but covered with a layer of constantly pulsing, mucus‑secreting dark‑red flesh membrane!

Upon the flesh membrane were embedded countless energy nodes resembling eyes, monitoring everything inside the conduits.

This is hardly a military fortress; it is more like a…… living, gigantic, terrifying construct forged from flesh and machinery!

A…… furnace of blood and flesh, born for war!

"We…… what are we inside the belly of?" a crew member whispered, voice dry with incredulous fear.

Their infiltration had succeeded, yet they seemed to have stumbled into a…… den even more bizarre and perilous than the outside.

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