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墨書 Inktalez
"This is bad, the device is about to activate!" Lin Yuan's heart tightened; he knew he had to leave this place quickly.
A piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout the laboratory, and red warning lights flashed wildly, like a final warning before the apocalypse. Lin Yuan, who had just been reveling in the victory over "Shadow," was abruptly pulled back to reality by the unexpected alarm.
"What’s going on?" Lin Yuan glanced around, only to find that Nan Gong Xuan had vanished without a trace, and the "Shadow" he had defeated was also nowhere to be seen. "Damn it, those two ran off faster than rabbits!"
In his earpiece, Su Jiu'er’s urgent voice came through: "Lin Yuan, get out of there! I’ve detected that the Spiritual Energy Concentration in the laboratory is rising sharply, exceeding safe levels by tenfold! The device seems to have entered an automatic startup sequence!"
Lin Yuan looked up at the massive device in the center of the laboratory. The once-black vortex had transformed into a blinding white, resembling an ever-expanding funnel that was devouring everything around it. Cracks began to appear in the ground, and the metal plates on the walls vibrated with a buzzing sound. The air was thick with a sharp smell of ozone, reminiscent of the oppressive atmosphere before a thunderstorm.
"The countdown has begun; the Spiritual Energy Channel will fully open in ten minutes," a cold electronic voice announced in the laboratory. "All personnel please evacuate the danger zone immediately."
"Ten minutes? That’s enough time for a game of Honor of Kings," Lin Yuan muttered, but he knew that the situation was far more serious than it seemed. He quickly contacted his teammates: "Zhou Haoran, Li Ming, Zhang Qiang, where are you?"
"I'm in Area B's corridor, just took care of a few minions," Zhang Qiang's voice was filled with excitement. "These guys couldn't even take one hit from me; what a waste of my punches."
"I'm in the control room, trying to hack into the system," Li Ming's voice sounded tense. "But this system's firewall is tougher than my ex-girlfriend’s face; I need more time."
"I'm at the corridor entrance on your left," Zhou Haoran's voice was calmest of all. "Based on my analysis, this device is attempting to open a channel to a parallel world. If successful, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and quickly assessed the situation. Using his Guan Qi abilities, he carefully observed the flow of Lingqi around the device. Lingqi flowed like countless glowing threads converging from all directions into the center of the device, forming a complex network.
"I found it!" Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. "The core part of the device is in that black metal box at the bottom; that's where the Lingqi flow is densest. We need to destroy it to stop the startup sequence."
"Got it, we’ll move immediately," Su Jiu'er replied. "I’ve entered the laboratory and am heading towards your location."
Lin Yuan turned around and saw Su Jiu'er running in from the corridor entrance, holding an ancient compass whose needle spun wildly while emitting a faint blue light.
"The Spiritual Energy Concentration here is too high; my compass is almost malfunctioning," Su Jiu'er frowned and said. "We need to hurry; otherwise, once the channel fully opens, even a preliminary-level Cultivator would be torn to shreds."
"Then am I going to become a human puzzle?" Lin Yuan said with a wry smile. "Let's go find that Black Box."
The two approached the device cautiously, the tremors in the ground growing more intense, and several pieces of the ceiling began to fall, nearly hitting them.
"Countdown: eight minutes," the Electronic Sound echoed again.
Meanwhile, Li Ming was frantically typing on the keyboard in the control room, the screen flashing with various codes and warning boxes. "Damn it, this system is too complicated!" Sweat beads formed on his forehead. "Every time I crack one layer of the firewall, a new encryption algorithm appears."
Suddenly, the door to the control room was kicked open, and three Guards in black uniforms rushed in, wielding Electric Batons.
"Intruder detected!" shouted the lead Guard. "Subdue him immediately!"
Li Ming quickly pulled a small device from his pocket and pressed a button. A powerful Electromagnetic Pulse was released instantly. The Electric Batons in the hands of the three Guards immediately malfunctioned, but they did not retreat; instead, they lunged at Li Ming.
"Damn it, I forgot you guys have muscle as a primitive weapon!" Li Ming shouted in frustration as he quickly rolled under the table to avoid their attacks.
At that moment, Zhang Qiang burst into the control room like a whirlwind. A beautiful spinning kick sent one Guard flying against the wall.
"Need some help, Computer Otaku?" Zhang Qiang grinned widely, showing his white teeth. "Let me teach these muscle heads what real Close Combat Techniques are."
He moved like lightning, skillfully weaving through the cramped control room, each strike hitting precisely at the Guards' weak points. The sound of fists whooshing through the air and legs flashing by filled the room as the three Guards quickly fell to the ground, howling in pain.
"Keep working on your hacking; I'll hold the door," Zhang Qiang said as he clapped his hands together, as if he had just accomplished something trivial.
Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his hacking work. "I'll try to interfere with the device's energy output to buy Lin Yuan and the others more time."
"Countdown: six minutes," a Cold Electronic Sound reverberated throughout the laboratory.
Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er had approached the core of the device, but as they drew nearer, the pressure from the Lingqi intensified, pushing them back like an invisible hand.
"This pressure is unbearable!" Lin Yuan gritted his teeth. "It feels like swimming upstream in lava."
Su Jiu'er furrowed her brow as she flipped through an ancient text she carried with her, quickly scanning its contents. "According to the Ancient Texts, this type of Lingqi Channel Device should have a 'Guiding Core' that controls the flow and intensity of the Lingqi. If we can destroy it, the device will fail."
"Is that Black Box the Guiding Core?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Most likely," Su Jiu'er nodded. "But we need to be cautious; the Guiding Core usually has self-protection mechanisms. A reckless attack could trigger a greater disaster."
Just then, Zhou Haoran's voice crackled through their earpieces. "I've discovered a problem! The energy output of the device is continuously increasing, and Li Ming's interference is nearly ineffective. I suspect someone is remotely controlling this device."
"It must be that crazy woman, Nan Gong Xuan!" Lin Yuan cursed. "She probably anticipated our arrival and set up a contingency plan."
"Countdown: four minutes," the Electronic Sound reminded them coldly.
Finally, Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er stood before the Black Box, observing it closely. The surface was covered with intricate runes that flickered with an eerie blue light.
"These runes..." Su Jiu'er exclaimed in surprise. "They are part of the Ancient Dragon Vein Technique used to guide the earth's Lingqi. But these runes have been artificially modified to forcibly distort the Lingqi flow, creating an unstable Space Rift."
"So how do we destroy it?" Lin Yuan asked.
Su Jiu'er studied the runes intently. "There’s a critical node here; if we can precisely destroy it, the entire rune array will collapse. But it requires extreme precision—any deviation could cause a Lingqi explosion."
"Precision? That's my specialty," Lin Yuan said confidently as he activated the Time Manipulator, slowing time around him as if everything had been pressed into slow motion.
In this state, Lin Yuan could clearly see every trajectory of the Lingqi flow and every energy fluctuation of the runes. He located the critical node Su Jiu'er mentioned: a tiny Pentagram Rune situated at the lower right corner of the Black Box.
Lin Yuan gathered his Lingqi at his fingertips, preparing to precisely strike the rune. Just as he was about to make his move, the Black Box suddenly erupted with a blinding light, and a tremendous wave of energy violently hurled both Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er away.
"Ah!" they both screamed in unison as they crashed heavily to the ground, grimacing in pain.
"Two minutes remaining," the Electronic Sound seemed to carry a hint of mockery.
"Damn it, it has an automatic defense mechanism!" Lin Yuan struggled to get up, feeling as if his entire body was falling apart with pain.
Su Jiu'er also managed to stand, a wound on her forehead causing blood to trickle down her cheek. "We have to try again, but this time we need stronger power to break through the defenses."
"My Time Manipulator needs time to recharge; for now, I can only use a brief time pause," Lin Yuan gritted his teeth.
"Then let's seize this one chance!" Su Jiu'er said firmly. "I'll use the compass interference device to disrupt the defense system; you focus on destroying the critical nodes."
The two approached the Black Box once more. Su Jiu'er raised the compass and began chanting an ancient incantation. The compass emitted a dazzling blue light that resonated with the runes on the Black Box, seemingly weakening its defenses.
"Now!" Su Jiu'er shouted.
Lin Yuan immediately activated the Time Manipulator, freezing time once again. He concentrated all his Lingqi into his right index finger and precisely aimed at the Pentagram Rune.
"Break for me!"
With a soft sound, the rune shattered, and other runes on the surface of the Black Box began to collapse as well, cracks spreading across its surface.
However, just as Lin Yuan thought he had succeeded, the Black Box suddenly unleashed an even more intense wave of energy, far stronger than before! A massive shockwave sent Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er flying once more, like kites with severed strings, crashing several meters away against the laboratory wall.
"One minute remaining," announced the Electronic Sound. "The Spiritual Energy Channel is about to fully open; all personnel must evacuate immediately."
Lin Yuan felt as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart. He struggled to lift his head and saw that the white vortex at the center of the device had expanded to the size of the room, with the surrounding air distorted into strange ripples.
"Why... why is this happening?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion. "We clearly destroyed the key node."
Su Jiu'er shook her head in pain. "We were deceived... that Pentagram Rune was just a bait; the real core is hidden deeper."
At that moment, the laboratory door was pushed open, and dozens of people in black uniforms streamed in, led by a tall woman—Nan Gong Xuan.
"You've truly surprised me," Nan Gong Xuan sneered. "I didn't expect you to find this place and almost disrupt my plan. But unfortunately, it's all too late."
Behind her stood a tall figure—the Shadow, who had been defeated by Lin Yuan earlier. It seemed he had not sustained serious injuries.
"Thirty seconds remaining," an electronic voice announced.
Nan Gong Xuan smiled triumphantly. "Soon, the Spiritual Energy Channel will be fully opened, and the Lingqi of both worlds will merge. I will become the ruler of this new world!"
Lin Yuan and Su Jiu'er exchanged a glance of despair. Was everything about to end like this?
Just then, an explosion erupted from the wall on the other side of the laboratory, sending debris flying. A familiar figure emerged from the smoke—
"It seems I arrived just in time."
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