novelraw Chapter 299 299: Danger Approaches
Chapter 299 299: Danger Approaches
Thor frowned, his brows knitting together in concern. "That's not a good sign. There are far too many unknown forces in the universe. Some of them can influence a person's mind. Rowan, you aren't possessed by something, are you?"
"No, it's not like that," Rowan said, shaking his head slowly. "That voice… how should I describe it? It feels familiar, yet strange at the same time. Almost as if it has some connection to me, but we're separated by time and space."
Hong stepped closer to the stone chest and carefully studied the patterns carved into its surface, though he made sure not to touch it. "These symbols… they resemble relics from ancient cosmic civilizations. I've seen records of similar markings in old archives. According to some legends, certain ancient civilizations mastered a form of telepathic technology. They could establish mental contact with specific individuals across time and space."
Thor scanned the cargo bay cautiously. His posture remained tense. "Whatever it is, we've got a more urgent problem right now. Ying clearly has a special interest in this stone chest, and his behavior is completely abnormal. A normal captain wouldn't try to detain a crew member over something like this."
"I noticed that too," Hong said with a nod. "His reaction to this cargo is excessive. Technically, we're only responsible for escorting the shipment. We're not supposed to know the details of what's inside. But Ying seems to know exactly what this stone chest is, and he's unusually nervous about it."
Rowan suddenly looked thoughtful. "Wait a second. Was this chest even mentioned in our mission manifest? I only remember standard trade goods and scientific equipment."
Thor and Hong exchanged a glance before both shaking their heads.
"No," Thor confirmed. "There was no mention of any stone chest. Especially not one sealed like this."
"That's strange," Rowan muttered, frowning deeply. "If it's not part of our mission, why does Ying care about it so much? More importantly… why is it even on our ship?"
Before anyone could answer, the entire spacecraft lurched violently. The three of them nearly lost their footing.
An alarm immediately blared throughout the ship.
"Warning. The spacecraft has entered the outer region of the Chaotic Star System. Intense spatial turbulence detected. All personnel return to your stations immediately and secure protective equipment. Repeat. Intense spatial turbulence detected."
"We have to leave now," Thor said as he steadied a shaking cargo rack. "The spatial turbulence in the Chaotic Star System isn't something to joke about. If the shielding system fails, we're all in danger."
But Rowan remained standing where he was, his gaze still fixed on the mysterious stone chest.
"You two go ahead," he said quietly. "I want to take one more look at this thing."
"Don't be stupid!" Thor grabbed Rowan by the arm and pulled him back. "Do you want to give Ying another excuse to arrest you? And besides, the cargo bay has the lowest protection level on the ship. If something goes wrong, this place will be the first to collapse."
Hong nodded in agreement. "Thor is right, Rowan. Whatever secret that chest holds, it's not worth risking our lives. Let's leave first. Once the ship stabilizes, we can figure out how to investigate it."
Rowan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
The three of them hurried toward the cargo bay exit. Just as they were about to leave, Rowan could not help glancing back one last time.
For a brief instant, he thought he saw the patterns on the chest flicker.
A brighter blue glow pulsed across its surface.
Then the voice echoed once more inside his mind.
"Rowan… we will meet again."
"Rowan! Move it!" Thor shouted from ahead.
Rowan shook his head sharply, trying to shake off the lingering voice, and quickly caught up with his companions. The three of them rushed down the swaying corridor toward the command center.
The ship had already entered emergency mode.
Red warning lights flashed constantly. Most of the bulkhead doors had sealed automatically, leaving only essential passageways open. Crew members hurried anxiously between workstations, checking systems and ensuring that the spacecraft's defenses were functioning.
"We should head to the control room," Hong said, his voice trembling slightly as another violent jolt shook the corridor. "It has the highest protection level, and we can monitor the entire ship from there."
Rowan and Thor nodded and followed him into a side corridor.
But just as they were about to reach the control room, a familiar figure blocked the entrance.
Ying stood there, staring at them coldly.
"I thought you would obediently return to your posts," Ying said, his voice dripping with icy sarcasm. "It seems the three of you are determined to cause trouble."
Thor stepped forward. "Listen, Ying. This isn't the time for internal conflict. The ship is in danger. We need everyone at their stations."
Ying let out a cold laugh. "Precisely because the ship is in danger, I must ensure that no one takes advantage of the chaos to do something they shouldn't. Especially you, Rowan. You've shown an unusual level of interest in that stone chest."
Anger flickered in Rowan's eyes. "I already told you, I don't know how I ended up there! If you actually care about the ship's safety, you should let us help instead of standing here arguing."
At that moment, the ship shook violently again.
The impact was far stronger than before.
All of them lost their balance and fell to the floor. The alarms grew even more shrill as the ship's central computer announced in its mechanical female voice:
"Critical warning. Shield energy has dropped to 53 percent. Abnormal spatial turbulence detected. All personnel prepare for possible emergency evacuation."
Ying pushed himself upright against the wall, his expression darkening.
"The situation has changed," he said grimly. "I need to return to the bridge. But this does not mean I'm letting you off the hook. Especially you, Rowan. Once we safely pass through the Chaotic Star System, I will continue this investigation."
With that, he turned and strode away toward the bridge.
Thor helped Rowan to his feet. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Rowan replied, rolling his sore shoulder. "But I'm worried about the ship. Spatial turbulence in the Chaotic Star System is notoriously unpredictable. If the shield energy keeps dropping, we're going to have serious problems."
Hong was already standing beside an emergency terminal in the corridor, reviewing the ship's status.
"This isn't good," he said. "The turbulence is much stronger than expected, and it's still intensifying. At this rate, the shield may not last long enough for us to clear the outer edge of the Chaotic Star System."
"Is there any way to strengthen the shields?" Rowan asked, stepping closer to examine the data.
Hong shook his head. "All main power has already been redirected to the shields. Unless…"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if an idea had just struck him.
"Unless what?" Thor asked immediately.
"Unless we can find an additional power source," Hong said. "Do you remember the paper published by the Alliance Science Academy last month? The one about harnessing spatial turbulence itself as an energy source to reinforce spacecraft shielding?"
Rowan's eyes lit up. "I remember! The paper proposed a new type of energy converter that could transform chaotic spatial turbulence into stable energy to power a ship's defensive systems."
"The problem," Thor said with a frown, "is that the technology is still theoretical. Our ship probably doesn't have anything like that installed."
Hong smiled mysteriously.
"Actually, before boarding the ship, I secretly checked the equipment manifest. Our ship does have an experimental spatial energy converter installed. It's located in the equipment bay next to the engine room."
Rowan and Thor stared at him in surprise.
"When did you check the equipment manifest?" Thor asked.
Hong shrugged. "Before any mission, I gather as much information about my environment as possible. Basic survival skill."
Rowan nodded. "Alright. Then let's go activate that converter. If it works, we might be able to get through the Chaotic Star System safely."
"The problem," Hong said seriously, "is that the converter is located in the captain's restricted area. It requires the highest level of authorization. And I doubt Ying will allow us anywhere near it."
Thor cracked his knuckles. "Then we force our way in. There's no time to be polite. If the ship breaks apart in the Chaotic Star System, we're all dead anyway."
Rowan thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. Forcing our way in will only escalate things. We need a smarter approach."
Suddenly, an idea flashed across his mind.
"Wait. I've got it. We can access the equipment bay through the maintenance tunnels. Those passages usually don't require high clearance, and Ying probably won't expect anyone to enter from there."
Hong's eyes brightened. "That's right, the maintenance tunnels. I remember seeing them on the equipment layout. Maintenance Tunnel One connects directly to the equipment bay."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Thor urged. "Let's move!"
They quickly formed a simple plan.
Hong would hack the system and unlock the maintenance tunnel's security lock.
Thor would keep watch to prevent Ying or other crew members from discovering them.
Rowan would operate the spatial energy converter, since he had studied similar equipment before.
They moved swiftly to the nearest maintenance entrance. Hong pulled a small hacking device from his pocket and connected it to the security panel beside the hatch.
"Give me two minutes," he said as his fingers flew across the device. "I've handled systems like this plenty of times."
Thor stood guard in the corridor while Rowan mentally reviewed the operational parameters of the converter. According to what he knew, the machine required extremely precise settings to convert chaotic turbulence into usable energy.
Less than two minutes later, Hong grinned.
"Got it."
The maintenance hatch slid open, revealing a narrow passageway.
"Let's move," Hong said. "The system might detect the breach soon."
The three of them slipped inside.
The tunnel was much narrower than a normal corridor, barely wide enough for one person. Pipes and cables lined the walls, and dim emergency lights cast long shadows across the metal surfaces. They had to bend forward as they moved, sometimes even crawling through tighter sections.
"According to my memory," Hong said from the front, "the equipment bay should be about two hundred meters ahead."
The ship continued shaking violently, making progress difficult. A few strong jolts nearly knocked Rowan off balance, but Thor caught him just in time.
"Shield energy has dropped to 43 percent," the ship's broadcast system announced again. "All nonessential personnel proceed to escape pods and prepare for evacuation."
"We need to move faster," Thor urged from behind. "Sounds like things are worse than we thought."
After nearly twenty exhausting minutes of crawling through the maintenance tunnels, the three finally reached the equipment bay entrance.
A small metal door stood before them, covered with warning signs and safety notices.
"This is it," Hong whispered as he pulled out his hacking device again and connected it to the panel beside the door. "The security level here is much higher. It might take a few minutes."
Thor glanced nervously down both sides of the tunnel. "Hurry up. The ship's shaking is getting worse."
Rowan leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling dizzy.
The mysterious voice returned in his mind, clearer than ever.
"Rowan… danger is approaching."
"Did you hear something?" Rowan asked, frowning.
Thor and Hong both shook their heads in confusion.
"Nothing except the engines and the alarms," Thor said. "Are you okay?"
Rowan shook his head lightly. "I'm fine. Probably just stress."
At that moment, Hong let out a triumphant shout.
"Done!"
The equipment bay door slowly opened, revealing a room filled with advanced machinery.
The three quickly entered and sealed the door behind them.
The chamber was larger than they had expected, nearly fifty square meters in size. Control panels and monitoring equipment lined the walls. At the center of the room stood a massive spherical device surrounded by several smaller consoles.
"That's the spatial energy converter," Hong said, pointing to the machine. "According to the theory, it can capture the turbulence in the Chaotic Star System and convert it into stable energy to reinforce the ship's shields."
Rowan stepped forward and examined the console.
"It does appear to be based on the Alliance Science Academy design," he said. "But there are improvements. The interface has been simplified, probably so it can be activated quickly in emergencies."
Thor remained by the door, keeping watch.
"Then hurry up and start it. We don't have much time."
Rowan nodded and began entering commands.
The converter emitted a low hum as its spherical core slowly lit up with blue-white light.
"Initialization complete," Rowan said while watching the data streams on the display. "Now we need to configure the capture parameters. This is the critical part. If the settings are wrong, not only will we fail to harness the turbulence, we might make the impact on the ship even worse."
Hong stepped beside him and studied the readings.
"Based on the current turbulence pattern, I suggest adjusting the frequency to 0.78 hertz. That should resonate with the dominant turbulence wave and maximize energy capture efficiency."
Rowan nodded in agreement and quickly adjusted the settings.
As the parameters locked into place, the converter's core glowed even brighter.
Ripples of energy spread outward from the sphere like waves across the surface of water.