Chapter 56: Fierce Battle at the Base

The narrow corridor inside the base transformed into a boiling purgatory. Dark purple emergency lights flickered like the pupils of a dying behemoth, casting the distorted silhouettes of the team against the bullet-pitted alloy walls. The impact marks varied in depth, with some still bearing charred traces, as though this space had endured countless baptismal fires of war. The remnants of the mysterious organization, akin to alien entities lurking in the shadows, wove a web of death using the ventilation ducts and elevator systems. Their breathing echoed intermittently through the communicators, laced with a chilling electronic static. The electronic roars from their throats blended with the hum of machinery, forming a teeth-grating resonance within the confined space that ached the eardrums, making it seem as though the entire environment was distorting and warping amidst this piercing noise.

A-Ken’s heavy weapon tore through the silence first, the orange tongues of fire erupting from the muzzle instantly illuminating the corridor, charging forward like an enraged, roaring dragon. The shockwave shattered the assaulting figures in black robes against the wall with immense force, tearing their bodies apart like fragile glass. Within the splashing purple blood mist, microscopic fluorescent particles floated, resembling shattered alien scales that shimmered with an eerie glow under the dim light. Before the gunfire subsided, hundreds of automatic turrets suddenly popped from the ceiling, accompanied by the sound of sliding metal and the mechanical whir of operation. A dense barrage of purple plasma bullets poured down like a torrential storm, carving smoking trenches into the ground. The alloy flooring sizzled loudly under the corrosion, emitting billowing toxic mists with a pungent odor. This mist rolled and spread across the floor with a life of its own, leaving deep, melted craters of corrosion wherever it touched.

"Rhombus defense formation! Engage dynamic phase shift!" Lin Yu’s roar pierced through the overlapping explosions, his voice turning hoarse from overexertion. The red glow of his tactical eyepiece flickered across his face, reflecting his resolute yet tense expression. The armor of the Entropy-Silence Watchers simultaneously erupted with a brilliance akin to a galaxy, holding seemingly cosmic power within the radiance. The intertwined golden energy barrier enveloped the squad, guarding the warriors within like a massive golden eggshell. Whenever a purple plasma bolt struck it, the barrier rippled like water, accompanied by a heart-palumping energy overload alarm that suggested it could shatter at any second. The sound generated by the collision between the energy barrier and the plasma bolts resembled the roar of a giant, making the surrounding air tremble.

Su Yao wove through the crisscrossing ballistic trajectories like a black ghost, her figure flickering in and out of the rain of gunfire, as agile as a leopard. The concussion dagger in her hand turned into the scythe of the Grim Son, every swing carrying a lethal threat. When an abnormal metallic distortion echoed from the ventilation duct, she anticipated the movement half a second early and leaped, her body drawing a graceful arc in the air as the blade tip precisely pierced a robed figure's carotid artery. The gushing silver bodily fluid acted like a living entity, frantically corroding honeycomb-shaped holes across her armor surface. A pungent, charred stench instantly filled the air, inducing nausea. Yet she merely flicked her wrist to cast three electromagnetic darts, which traced three silver streaks through the air before she lunged toward her next target, her movements as fluid as flowing water without the slightest hesitation.

The warriors of the Spacetime Administration jointly lifted the heavy pulse railgun, its cooling system operating at high speeds and emitting a piercing hum. The shrill shriek of the barrel charging echoed throughout the corridor, sounding like a horn from the underworld that chilled the spine. As the trigger was squeezed, a spatial-distorting indigo beam poured forth. Wherever the beam passed, the air seemed ripped apart, and electronic devices along the path suffered collective failure like migratory birds caught in a geomagnetic storm, crackling with static. The energy cores of the black-robed figures' armor exploded in rapid succession, sending sparks flying like festive fireworks. However, enemy reinforcements continued to pour in like an endless tide, with elite troops equipped with new anti-shield weapons continuously emerging from behind damaged walls. Their heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, steadily closing in like the footsteps of death.

"Quantum entanglement fluctuations detected in the southeast corner! The core power node is right there!" Old Zhou’s scream carried static electricity as his fingers flew across the control console. His goggles were fogged with steam from excessive calculations, nearly blinding him. Lin Yu immediately adjusted his tactics, but three heavy alloy gates slammed down with a thunderous boom that echoed like muffled thunder through the corridor, fragmenting the passage into four segments. Simultaneously, corrosive green liquid sprayed from the ceiling; the moment it touched the ground, like a viper's venom, it billowed white smoke hot enough to melt tactical boots, carrying a suffocating stench.

"Watchers, execute Gamma Cutting Protocol! Everyone else, establish suppressive fire!" Following the command, the armor of two Watchers deployed twelve-wing optical blade matrices. When the dazzling energy beams sliced through the alloy gate, the erupting sparks resembled a minor supernova explosion, blindingly bright, while the ear-splitting sound of tearing metal tortured everyone's eardrums as if the entire base were shaking. Su Yao’s assault team took the initiative to launch a desperate charge, shouting as they threw themselves into the enemy ranks. The exchange of concussion daggers and pulse rifles carved a bloody path through the foes, the clashing sounds of bullets and blades mingling with enemy screams, buying a precious seven seconds for the cutting operation. In those seven seconds, every single warrior pushed themselves to the limit, their eyes reflecting only unwavering determination and fearlessness.

When the melted gate finally collapsed to reveal the eerily blue-glowing energy core chamber beyond, the joint team filed in over the remains of their enemies. The ground was strewn with enemy limbs and shattered weapons, while the air hung heavy with the pungent scents of blood and gunpowder. Lin Yu gripped his overheated pulse rifle, the heat transferring through his gloves into his hands. His tactical eyepiece continuously flashed warnings regarding unknown energy readings, yet his gaze was firmer than ever. In this space baptized by the flames of war, although the dawn of victory remained distant, every step forward meant they were one step closer to ending this cross-dimensional crisis. He knew that no matter how many hardships and obstacles lay ahead, they could never retreat, for they bore the heavy responsibility of guarding the universe.