CIATB Chapter 454 Countdown Resets to 0!
Chapter 454 Countdown Resets to 0!
Eight.
The wreckage of the Chaos Mech hovered at an altitude of 20,000 kilometers, its dark gold armor shimmering with a mottled halo under the sunlight.
Zhang Yan could no longer hear in his right ear, and his left eye was covered by a layer of blood, caused by ruptured capillaries.
seven.
The data on the system panel is fluctuating wildly.
After fluctuating for two seconds, the efficiency value of the Six Gates returned to normal. In coordination with the countdown, the six light spots of the delay field node flashed in unison.
six.
The roars from the direction of Proxima Centauri continued, but Zhang Yan noticed that the sound was weakening.
The gate network is rushing toward its destination with unstoppable momentum, peeling away layers of external interference.
five.
The community launched its final struggle.
A faint surge of energy seeped in through the gaps in the network of doors and hurtled straight toward the coordinates where Zhang Yan was located.
This force lacks aggression and is as futile as the arms of a drowning person flailing wildly.
Four.
With all of the Chaos Mech's sensors malfunctioning, Zhang Yan managed to spot the target with his naked eye.
A fist-sized, grayish-white ball of light, trailing a contrail, hurtled toward the edge of the atmosphere below.
It is extremely fast, but poses no threat whatsoever.
Its target is the sub-core at L2 point.
three.
Zhang Yan typed a series of commands on the broken control panel.
The Xuanwu Suppressing Field was remotely activated, and the energy projected from the Earth's surface built an invisible barrier in front of the light cluster.
The grayish-white ball of light crashed into the barrier and disintegrated on the spot.
Silence reigned in space.
two.
The surroundings quieted down.
All sounds are silent.
Zhang Yan stared at the numbers flashing on the [System Panel].
One.
zero.
The system panel lit up with a dazzling golden light.
It was a bright color unlike any seen before, dispelling the original dark blue and silvery white.
Only one line of text remained on the screen.
[The gate network has achieved its 100-year stability period, and its self-sustaining mode has been activated.]
The exterior of the Chaos Mech was calm.
No beams of light rose, and no shockwaves spread out; space, stars, and Earth remained unchanged.
Zhang Yan caught a faint sound.
The sound originated from the deepest part of the door network.
Click.
A crisp sound of the mechanism meshing rang out.
Then another sound followed.
Click.
The third sound followed immediately.
Click.
Six consecutive sounds, along with the seventh sound from the L2 core, converged together.
The sound of seven mechanisms reverberated through the six doors and the alternative anchor points within the same second.
The shielding efficiency of each door was fixed at a constant value on the golden interface, completely ceasing its fluctuations.
The noise, pressure, probing, and roars from the outside world were completely shut out by the absolute shielding layer the moment the last crisp sound ended.
Zhang Yan slumped back in his seat.
Blood dripped down his chin, staining the metal panel of the control panel with a red stain.
His heavy, rapid breathing echoed in the cockpit, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
The communication channel indicator light is on.
"Brother Yan."
Qin Xiao's voice came from the ground command post.
Zhang Yan remained silent.
"Brother Yan, the network signal is all green. All six gates and sub-cores are locked and operating in self-sustaining mode online."
Qin Xiao paused for a moment to calm himself down.
"The cluster's signal has been cleared; the radar is completely clean, leaving nothing behind."
Zhang Yan remained silent.
"Brother Yan."
"Nie Qingcheng".
Zhang Yan's voice was hoarse and rough.
What is your heart rate?
Qin Xiao switched channels to check the data.
"Thirty-nine, she is recovering. Guan Xing said she has broken free of the door and is being maintained on vital signs with a stabilizer."
Zhang Yan closed his eyes.
"Have the stargazers fly the spacecraft to my coordinates and pick me up."
"Your mech."
"It's ruined, it can't fly anymore."
Qin Xiao didn't ask any more questions.
Twenty minutes later, a specially modified Sky Pavilion high-altitude aircraft landed beside the Chaos Mech.
The mech's cockpit door was manually pried open.
Zhang Yan dragged his left leg out of the way, his broken ribs throbbing with pain, and his right arm, from shoulder to wrist, was covered with charred marks left by the overload of the Heart of Heaven.
The members of the Observatory on the aircraft reached out to help.
"Need not."
Zhang Yan gritted his teeth and climbed into the cabin.
"Go to Shennongjia, quick!"
The aircraft experienced severe turbulence as it passed through the atmosphere, and the broken ribs rubbed against the internal organs, causing waves of excruciating pain in the side of the waist.
He gripped the armrest of the seat tightly, swallowing his cries of pain.
The system panel is still lit up, and the gold lettering is clearly visible.
[In self-sustaining mode, countdown 100 years.]
He paid no attention to these things and casually opened Nie Qingcheng's vital data monitoring window.
Heart rate 41, body temperature 34.8, blood pressure slightly low.
All indicators are recovering, but progress is unusually slow.
As dawn broke, the aircraft landed on the outskirts of Shennongjia.
Qin Xiao stood guard at the cave entrance, his face weary and his expression grave.
"Brother Yan."
When Zhang Yan jumped out of the cabin, his left leg went weak and he knelt on one knee.
Qin Xiao rushed forward to help him up, but was pushed away.
"The black scorpion is down there."
"exist."
Zhang Yan dragged his injured leg and crawled into the passage.
Xuanxie stopped 1,200 meters underground. He leaped into the ascending passage, his mechanical arm gripping the pipe wall, and descended rapidly layer by layer using gravity.
The speed of the fall was astonishing.
The mechanical parts screeched against the rock wall, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Each impact tore at his broken ribs, causing excruciating pain, but he ignored it.
Four minutes later.
His feet landed on the metal floor of the spherical space.
The space still retained the residual heat from the activation of the compatibility protocol, and the rune aura returned to its steady alternation of light and dark.
The door floated silently in the center, its black surface covered with large patches of dark red blood clots.
Nie Qingcheng lay flat on the ground five meters away from the door.
Guan Xing squatted to one side, holding a working energy stabilizer in his hand.
Upon seeing Zhang Yan appear, Guan Xing stood up and took two steps back.
Neither of them spoke.
Zhang Yan strode over.
His steps were heavy and slow, each step seeming particularly strenuous.
He squatted down beside her.
Nie Qingcheng's face was deathly pale, her lips were purplish-blue, and her right wrist was wrapped in simple gauze, with bloodstains soaking through the fabric.
The ring on his left ring finger, engraved with the character "衍", was stained with blood, yet it remained firmly on his finger.
Her eyes were tightly closed.
Her eyelashes trembled gently with her faint breathing.
Zhang Yan reached out and grasped her left hand.
The palm feels cool to the touch.
He increased the pressure and wrapped the hand in his palm.
He waited patiently, silently holding her hand in the spherical space 1,200 meters underground.
A long minute and a half passed.
Nie Qingcheng's fingers moved.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Her blurry vision gradually focused, and after she could see the figure in front of her, she tugged at the corners of her mouth and gave a slight smile.
"The trip is non-refundable."
Her voice was weak, and her breath was barely a whisper.
Zhang Yan lowered his head.
He pressed his forehead against the back of her hand.
No refund.