Chapter 26: Deep Behind Enemy Lines

The shuttlecraft lurked within the mottled shadows of the asteroid belt like a giant shark prowling the dark abyss. Across the pitted, craggy surfaces of the meteoroids, veins of dark-red ore shimmered with a ghostly glow, resembling the arteries of this cosmic graveyard. Lin Yu’s fingertips brushed against the surface of his quantum stealth suit; the nanomaterials clung to his skin, cool as a first touch of frost, or like the kiss of countless microscopic ice crystals. As he pressed the activation button, a silk-smooth, ripple-like shimmer washed over the suit, slowly dissolving his form into the void as if he were morning mist, to the point where even the cosmic dust drifting nearby seemed to pass right through him. Su Yao tucked her micro-pistol into her belt; the metallic click of the components striking one another rang out like a thunderclap in the deathly silent cabin, causing a nearby team member, busy calibrating equipment, to flinch. "The enemy energy shield resets its scanning frequency every 17 minutes," she whispered, her eyes bloodshot as she stared intently at the flickering data on the tactical screen. "That 4.2-second window is our only chance." With that, she shoved a spare energy cell into her tactical belt, the sound of metal against metal piercingly clear in the silence.

When the first purple scanning beam swept across the perimeter of the fleet like a viper flicking its tongue, the space where it passed rippled and warped, as if a tiny tear had been ripped into reality. The twelve team members transformed into twelve phantoms, leaping out of the hatch in silence, their movements as synchronized as a precisely calculated machine. Lin Yu’s tactical visor rapidly analyzed the frequency of the scanning waves, data remnants flashing across his retinas as a faint hum of equipment filled his ears. Just as the beam was about to touch them, he yanked the teammate beside him, and the group rolled into the shadows of a meteoroid crater like marionettes pulled by invisible strings. The cold surface of the meteoroid retained the lingering heat of cosmic radiation; Lin Yu caught the acrid smell of his suit’s material slightly scorching from the heat—a scent like the foul, rotting breath of the Grim Reaper grazing his ear, mingled with the pungent odor of melting metal. He could feel the rapid breathing of his teammates against the back of his neck, and the thumping of his own heart inside his chest felt loud enough to be heard.

Observed at close range, the honeycomb structure of the base’s outer wall radiated an eerie, chilling aura. Along the seams of every metal plate flowed a purple fluorescent liquid, like boiling, toxic blood in the veins of a titan, squirming hideously in the gloom and emitting faint, bubbling sounds. Chen Mo pressed his sonic detector against the wall, his mechanical prosthetic eye flashing with blue light as data streams poured down his lens like a waterfall, accompanied by a high-frequency buzzing. "Found three ventilation shafts," his voice, synthesized and hurried, betrayed the nervous bobbing of his Adam's apple. "Diameter only wide enough for one person, and the inner layer is covered in nano-cutting mesh—touch it and you're dead." Before he even finished, he pulled out a micro-pulse generator. As the blue light swept across the shaft, the nano-mesh melted like wax before a flame, twisting away to reveal a smoking gap; the air filled with the charred scent of burning plastic. He carefully retracted the generator, its metal casing still hot enough to make his fingertips tingle.

Just as Lin Yu prepared to lead the way in, a teeth-grinding sound of metal scraping against metal echoed from afar—like fingernails on a chalkboard, or some behemoth clawing at a steel cage. Three sentries approached, dragging energy spears that left scorched marks on the ground with every step, sparks flying whenever the weapons grazed the floor. Crimson searchlights beneath their helmet visors swept back and forth like the eyes of a beast hunting in the dark; wherever the beams touched, the rock surface glowed with a sinister red light. Su Yao’s hand signals were lightning-fast, and the team instantly flattened themselves against the wall, their very breaths freezing in their chests. Lin Yu could feel the icy cold of the wall, as if it were the touch of death itself. The patrol’s footsteps grew closer; he could even distinguish the worn, serpentine emblem on their armor—a malevolent totem, with dried, dark-red blood still clinging to its edges. Sweat trickled down his spine into his suit, bringing a shiver of dread, and his palms were so slick with perspiration he could barely grip his weapon. When the spear tip of the last soldier came within half a finger's width of his nose, the energy fluctuations of his stealth suit began to tremble violently, like the heartbeat of a dying man; he could hear the faint electrical whine of the suit. He bit his lower lip so hard the taste of blood spread in his mouth, just to swallow back the cry that threatened to escape, leaving deep tooth marks in his flesh.

Inside the ventilation shaft, the pungent scent of rust and thick ozone struck their nostrils like a demon’s fangs, making their eyes water. The inner walls were mottled with rust, appearing dark red in the dim light like dried blood. Lin Yu’s knee accidentally grazed a protruding bolt on the wall, and the harsh scraping sound echoed through the silent shaft as if the Grim Reaper’s scythe were closing in, every sound a countdown for their lives. He tightened his grip on his combat knife, the sweat on his palms making the handle slippery. The moment the blade touched the inner protective mesh, a hidden alarm emitted a shrill, buzzing whine that reverberated in the narrow shaft, causing their eardrums to throb with pain. A red warning light flashed on—the eye of hell—and the shaft began to contract rapidly. Nano-cutting wires popped out from all four walls like viper fangs, hissing as they moved. "Fall back!" Lin Yu roared, shoving Chen Mo away, but his own back was grazed by a cutting wire. His suit instantly tore, and a searing, white-hot pain scorched his skin like a branding iron, filling the air with the smell of burning flesh. He endured the agony, bumping into the wall with a dull thud as he turned.

Emergency-withdrawn to a hidden corner, Su Yao’s fingers danced across a holographic projection, pulling up the base’s 3D map. The blue light flickered across her face, reflecting her frayed nerves. "The ground defenses are as tight as an iron barrel," she said, her finger tracing a blood-red route, her nails nearly piercing the virtual screen. "We have to break through via the underground tunnels." The map zoomed in, revealing a marker glowing with a ghostly blue light—an underground river leading to the core area. The energy field around the river constantly warped the light, forming an eerie halo. "But the entrance is beneath the reactor, requiring us to pass through three energy matrix zones, each filled with lethal traps." Lin Yu looked at the reflection of the blue light dancing in her eyes, his mother's words echoing in his mind: "The most dangerous place often hides the most vital secret." He tightened his grip on his shock-pistol, the anti-slip texture of the metal handle digging deep into his palm as if to crush his fear, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. "Let's go. We're going straight for the heart!" His voice was firm and resolute, yet carried a trace of an imperceptible tremor.

When the squad reached the entrance to the underground passage, dozens of sentry robots were patrolling back and forth. Their mechanical joints emitted the hum of hydraulic systems, like the low growl of a beast, each hum accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground. The energy cannons flashed with dangerous purple light like the eyes of demons; the air around the barrels ionized, crackling with electricity. Lin Yu signaled the team to disperse and hide while he produced the rhomboid crystal brought from the temple. As the patterns on the crystal’s surface spun rapidly, resonating with the enemy energy matrix, the surrounding space rippled, causing the robots to freeze for a 0.3-second lag, as if time itself had been paused. "Now!" Lin Yu shouted, leading the group as they lunged into the tunnel like arrows released from a bow, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Behind them, the alarm sounded like a funeral bell, and red warning lights bathed the entire area in the color of blood. A true, life-or-death infiltration had just pulled back the curtain on its bloody play. The air in the tunnel seemed to have frozen solid, making every breath a struggle, while the eyes of the team members held both intense anxiety and the absolute resolve of those who have burned their bridges.