Sky-cracking Rider
Chapter 852 - 852: Section 846 - Particle Reactions

"Detected Terra particle reaction!"

The command center's communication officer suddenly relayed without any context.

Chen Fei was puzzled. He looked at Miyoshi Monk and directly asked, "Monk, what the hell are Terra particles?"

He didn't dare to call Miyoshi directly as a bald thief; otherwise, he'd get beaten for sure.

The other's intelligence clearance level wasn't low, with access to many secrets unknown to ordinary members of the Global United Defense Committee.

Chen Fei looked again at the "Wormhole Cloud" stubbornly spewing out "Fighter Bugs" monsters.

Over five hundred Combat Mechs set up interception positions on the island with automated fire platforms, creating a dense web of fire from at least a hundred automated platforms. The 30mm armor-piercing incendiary rounds were extremely accurate, rarely needing a follow-up shot.

Despite the formidable mobility of "Fighter Bugs," their defense was significantly limited. Unlike the previous sturdy monsters, they were easily blown into fireballs, sometimes causing chain explosions.

Large railgun turrets fired a ton-class Thermobaric Bomb every ten minutes to clear the other side of the "Wormhole Cloud," granting at least five minutes of blockage, enough to resupply physical ammo and crystal energy.

Cooperative ship numbers 002 to 006, along with Auxiliary Ship 014 from the First Airship Combat Cluster, surrounded the "Wormhole Cloud," cleaning up any stragglers and resupplying the ground fire platforms, officially taking over the defense of the "Wormhole Cloud." The precise resupply drops were enough to last a while.

The major flaw of the "Wormhole Cloud" became apparent: such connections were bidirectional. If not, the Blue Star's side couldn't easily reach "The Other Side."

"Terra what? What particles?"

The monk was also baffled, having never heard of "Terra Particles."

Both looked at the S-Class Psi Yan Ling, who was munching on a skewer, shrugged her shoulders, and she too was clueless.

"It's one of the special reactions during a Dimensional Gate activation!"

The communication officer, a seasoned tool person, answered. She was adept at hearing information with one ear and relaying it with her mouth, with no residue left behind, carrying the secrets to her grave.

Not everyone could perform such a job.

"Dimensional Gate? Damn!"

Chen Fei was momentarily stunned but quickly prompted, "Adam! Detonate!"

However, the source of the "Terra Particle" reaction wasn't in the "Wormhole Cloud" or on the island...

"Huh?"

The sudden call for detonation caught even Miyoshi Monk off guard.

Even Yan Ling was puzzled—why had the fighting suddenly started?

Blue light burst outside the portholes of the bridge, and the Cooperative Ship 013, carrying the six-legged monster insects, vaporized instantly.

Aside from the airship itself and the Element Annihilation Bomb inside, all the ammunition, combat units, and unnecessary modules were transferred out—given their tight resources, saving as much as possible was crucial.

The biggest loss with the Element Annihilation Bomb detonation was likely the main energy core of Ship 013, the "Super Star Crystal."

The cooperative ship's 50-meter hull, however, was worth only a few hundred energy points and could be replicated anytime from the Physical Evolution Database.

Adam: The explosion radius of the Element Annihilation Bomb has expanded by 50% beyond expectations. Brace for impact!

For some reason, the Element Annihilation Bomb carried by Ship 013 had a greater-than-designed range for the Elemental Storm, meaning the remaining airships within safety distance would face an unexpected shockwave.

"All units increase defense levels, maximum defense shields."

Not just "Adam," but even the command center in Flagship 002 and the Sovereign combat spaceships noted the higher-than-expected power of this Element Annihilation Bomb.

Normally, an Elemental Storm would annihilate everything without causing subsequent explosions.

The shockwave's speed was multiples of sound speed. Only a few seconds after the warning from "Adam" and the command center did the overwhelming blast wave hit—this being the mitigated effect through safety distance and atmospheric buffering.

Had the ships been within the destruction radius, several would have been overturned instantly. The ships might not crash, but anyone on board might not have been as fortunate.

The Cooperative Ships 007 to 012 of the First Airship Combat Cluster shielded the two flagships, with the 100-meter-long Auxiliary Ship 015 as their close bodyguard. When the shockwave, significantly weakened, reached Flagships 001 and 002, its force was reduced to one-tenth, causing only mild undulation, allowing the personnel to continue walking normally.

"Your cooperative ships pack such a punch?"

Miyoshi Xuesen found the power incredible, knowing well the Element Annihilation Bomb's destruction radius. This seemed somewhat over the top.

The issue might lie within Chen Fei's Ship 013.

"Possibly..."

Chen Fei didn't deny Miyoshi's speculation.

He had learned the composition principle of the Element Annihilation Bomb from Mr. Randon, which included the use of Crystalline Blocks.

Ship 013 used the higher-density, larger-capacity "Super Star Crystal." Possibly the Element Annihilation Bomb's explosion triggered a chain reaction with the "Super Star Crystal."

In that case, the increased power might be explained.

Unexpectedly, the sky turned red.

Accurately, a thirty-kilometer range was filled with red filament-like veins, each emitting an ominous red light, even encompassing the adjacent Midway Island and the "Wormhole Cloud" above.

Adam: Unknown energy reaction detected; the center point is Cooperative Ship 013.

"What's with this light?"

Chen Fei puzzledly looked out the porthole. The sudden phenomenon instantly covered all the ships, except the fish administration ships speeding away from the island.

The pervasive red glow gave an unsettling feeling.

Adam: Energy flow from the main energy cores of Flagship 002 and the First Airship Combat Cluster has ceased.

Adam: Warning! Imminent power loss! Warning! Imminent power loss!

Almost simultaneously, everyone felt an inexplicable weightlessness, becoming lighter as if a slight jump would touch the ceiling.

"What's happening?"

Miyoshi Xuesen sensed the anomaly too.

The exterior scene shouldn't look like the aftermath of an Element Annihilation Bomb.

An Elemental Storm's light should be blazing blue, matching the highly reactive energy's thermal characteristics, rather than this blood-red illumination.

"Something big is happening!"

Yan Ling put down her skewer, looking seriously outside the porthole.

The three-dimensional holographic projections in the bridge were still functioning, showing the altitude numbers gradually decreasing, indicating a slow descent towards the sea.

"Gravity modulation! Everyone evacuate!"

Chen Fei finally acted decisively without reliance on external aids.

His psychic power index was on par with Psychic Series ability users, instantly covering all aircraft with his psi skill "Gravity Adjustment Module," including the First and Second Airship Combat Clusters' flagships.

Despite the substantial use of composite materials, the Sovereigns' combat spaceships' primary structure was metal, susceptible to psychic skill influence, though not as much as Chen Fei's personally crafted ships. The cluster now bore a heavy load, descending towards the sea, but far better than free-fall disintegration.

At least they wouldn't crash into the sea, shattering on impact.

With his psi skill, Chen Fei dragged all the ships to escape the bizarre red light or, at worst, safely land on the sea.

Even with "Gravity Adjustment" reducing weight to 1% (never zero), the combined ship weight was still considerable.

Deploying psi skills to manipulate world laws consumed significant spiritual power and wasn't without cost, severely draining Chen Fei, visibly paling within seconds, clearly struggling to maintain.

"What's the situation?"

Miyoshi Xuesen turned to Chen Fei, unable to rely on anybody else.

"Element Annihilation Bombs, four rounds! Thermobaric Bombs, six rounds! Particle Beam Weapons, aim at the explosion center, full power twenty shots!"

With the airship combat clusters not fully disabled, Chen Fei ignored the monk's inquiry, opting for an all-out gamble.

Element Annihilation Bombs, Thermobaric Bombs, and Particle Beams simultaneously focused fire, overwhelming Miyoshi Monk, knowing their output could instantly wipe out a small city of fifty thousand—what monstrous foe were they facing?!

Not only did the main energy core halt, but the previously smooth crystal energy seemed to gel or solidify.

Yet the railgun and particle beam weapons, reliant on converted electric energy, escaped unscathed. The capacitors ensured firing, and secondary power came from Chen Fei's command center Energy Tower.

Intense blue light erupted where Cooperative Ship 013 once was, blue-white particle beams fired alternately from the First Airship Combat Cluster, aiming at the indeterminate "enemy."

The Elemental Storm from the Element Annihilation Bomb ferociously devoured the densest red light, revealing a sinister purple-red hue.

The attack seemed effective; the eerie red filaments dissolved instantly like bubbles.

Applause burst forth.

"Excellent! Decisive reaction!"

"Who?"

Chen Fei turned to the sound, recognizing it as unfamiliar; strangers shouldn't be on the bridge.

He and Miyoshi Xuesen saw Yan Ling standing there, her eyes showing only whites, pupils unseen...