novelraw Chapter 300 300: The Challenge Tournament?
Chapter 300 300: The Challenge Tournament?
"The conversion process has begun," Rowan said, a trace of excitement in his voice. "Now we just need to route the converted energy into the ship's shield system."
He entered the final sequence of commands on the control console, linking the converter directly to the spacecraft's primary defensive network. A few seconds later, the ship's broadcast system delivered welcome news.
"Shield energy increasing. Current levels: 56 percent… 62 percent… 70 percent."
The three of them exchanged looks, relief and triumph spreading across their faces.
"We did it!" Thor pumped his fist in the air, unable to hide his excitement. "It worked!"
"Don't celebrate too early," Hong warned calmly. "We still need to maintain this state until the ship fully passes the outer boundary of the Chaotic Star System."
Rowan kept his eyes on the converter's monitoring display. "Everything looks stable for now. The energy conversion efficiency is holding at around eighty five percent. If nothing unexpected happens, we should make it through the Chaotic Star System safely."
But just as they began to relax, the equipment bay door was suddenly flung open.
Ying stood at the entrance with a frighteningly dark expression. Two heavily armed security officers stood behind him.
"I knew it was you!" Ying roared, raising an energy pistol and aiming it directly at Rowan. "Activating unauthorized equipment without permission. Do you have any idea what consequences that could bring?"
Thor immediately stepped in front of Rowan.
"Ying, have you lost your mind? We just saved the entire ship! Didn't you see that the shield energy has already recovered?"
Ying remained unmoved.
"That was not your decision to make. This converter is still experimental. It has not undergone sufficient testing. If something went wrong, the consequences could have been catastrophic."
"If we hadn't done it," Rowan shot back, "the ship's shields would have collapsed within ten minutes. Every single person on board would have been torn apart by the spatial turbulence. We weren't taking a reckless gamble. We were saving lives."
Ying let out a cold laugh.
"Saving lives? Or trying to get closer to that stone chest? Don't think I haven't noticed your intentions, Rowan. From the moment you appeared in the cargo bay, I knew you had your own agenda."
Hong frowned slightly.
"Captain Ying, you seem overly concerned about that stone chest. As far as our mission goes, we are only responsible for escorting the cargo. We are not supposed to care about what it contains. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Ying asked sharply.
"Unless you already know what is inside that chest," Hong said calmly, meeting his gaze. "And you care about its safety more than the safety of the ship or its crew."
Ying's eyes flickered for the briefest moment before his expression hardened again.
"Ridiculous speculation. My duty is to ensure the mission is completed successfully. That includes protecting the cargo and maintaining the ship's security. Your unauthorized actions constitute a serious violation and deserve punishment."
Just as the tension between them reached its peak, the ship's broadcast system spoke again.
"Attention. Spatial turbulence intensity decreasing. The spacecraft has successfully passed the outer boundary of the Chaotic Star System. Shield energy stabilized at eighty five percent. Thank you for your cooperation. Emergency status has been lifted."
Thor crossed his arms and looked at Ying with satisfaction.
"Did you hear that? We made it. If we hadn't activated that converter, everyone on this ship might already be drifting through space as debris."
Ying hesitated for a moment.
Finally, he lowered the energy pistol.
"No matter what the outcome was, your actions still violated protocol," he said coldly. "I will overlook it this time, but the incident will be recorded in my report."
Then his gaze settled firmly on Rowan.
"And one more thing. Stay away from that cargo bay. If you approach it again, you will face the consequences."
With that warning, Ying turned and left the equipment bay with his security officers.
The moment the door closed behind them, the three finally let out the breath they had been holding.
"What's wrong with that guy?" Thor grumbled. "We literally saved everyone and he can't even say thank you."
Hong folded his arms thoughtfully.
"His behavior is definitely suspicious. His attitude toward that stone chest goes far beyond what this mission requires. I suspect he knows something about what's inside it. Something he doesn't want anyone else discovering."
Rowan nodded slowly.
"And he seems particularly hostile toward me. Almost like I'm some kind of threat to him. The strange thing is… I really do feel a connection to that chest. Even though I can't remember ever seeing anything like it before."
"Whatever the case," Thor said, clapping Rowan on the shoulder, "the crisis is over for now. We should head back and get some rest. That turbulence drained a lot of energy."
Hong agreed.
"Yes. But we should stay cautious. Ying may have let this slide for now, but he won't forget it. We should take turns resting and keep at least one person awake on watch."
After reaching an agreement, the three returned to the living quarters. The spacecraft had resumed smooth travel, and crew members were moving through the corridors performing system checks to ensure everything was functioning properly.
As they passed the command center, they could see Ying through the transparent wall panels speaking with several crew members, his expression still serious.
"Looks like he's still angry about earlier," Thor whispered. "What an ungrateful man."
Back in their resting cabin, they decided to take shifts.
Hong volunteered to stand the first watch while Thor and Rowan went to recover their strength.
Rowan lay down in his sleeping pod, but sleep refused to come.
Everything that had happened replayed endlessly in his mind.
The mysterious stone chest.
Ying's strange reaction.
And that voice echoing inside his thoughts.
It all felt too strange, as if an invisible web were slowly being woven around him. Yet he could not see the full shape of it.
Just as Rowan sank deeper into thought, the spacecraft suddenly shook violently.
A thunderous boom followed, as if something had slammed into the hull.
The alarm system blared again.
"Warning. The spacecraft is under attack. Suspected encounter with interstellar pirates. All combat personnel report to battle stations immediately and prepare for potential boarding."
Rowan sprang out of bed.
He quickly pulled on his combat suit, grabbed his energy weapon, and rushed out of the cabin.
In the corridor he ran straight into Thor, who was also fully armed.
"Pirates?" Rowan asked in surprise. "Why would pirates be operating in this region?"
Thor's expression was grim.
"The area around the Chaotic Star System has always been pirate territory. They like to hide within the turbulence and ambush merchant ships that just passed through. We were so focused on surviving the spatial storms that we probably neglected the surrounding scans."
The two hurried toward the command center and soon encountered Hong along the way.
"What's the situation?" Rowan asked.
Hong's expression was serious.
"Not good. Preliminary scans show three pirate ships approaching us. They are light attack vessels with extremely high mobility, and they appear to be heavily armed."
The three quickly arrived at the command center.
Several crew members and security personnel had already gathered there. Ying stood at the central command console, issuing orders with calm authority.
"Run the shields at full capacity. Prepare the energy weapons," Ying instructed. "Communications team, attempt to contact nearby patrol ships and request reinforcement."
He noticed Rowan and the others entering but only gave them a brief, cold glance before continuing his commands.
The main screen displayed the situation outside the ship.
Three dark attack vessels were closing in from different directions. Their hulls bristled with weapon systems, clearly modified for combat.
"They've sent a message through the communication channel," a crew member reported.
Ying nodded.
"Put it through."
The main display switched to the communication feed.
A burly man with a scarred face appeared on the screen. He had a thick beard, fierce eyes, and wore a hat decorated with a skull emblem.
"Well, well," the pirate leader grinned, revealing several gold teeth. "Look what we've caught. A nice, shiny transport ship. Tell you what. Hand over all your valuable cargo and equipment and I might consider letting you leave with your lives."
Ying's expression remained completely neutral.
"This is a legally registered transport vessel of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. It is protected under imperial law. Attacking us will bring serious consequences."
The pirate leader burst into laughter.
"Law? Out here, I am the law! You have one minute to decide. After that, we begin boarding operations. Trust me, you won't enjoy what comes next."
The transmission cut off.
The command center fell silent for a moment.
Thor stepped forward.
"Ying, let the three of us deal with them. We have the strength to repel these pirates."
Ying shook his head.
"That will not be necessary. The ship has sufficient defense systems and armed personnel. Besides, I am not entirely certain of your loyalty after the earlier incident."
Rowan felt anger rising again.
"You're still suspicious of us? Even now?"
Ying answered coldly.
"Caution is never a mistake. The three of you will remain here and assist with internal defense. I will handle the external threat."
With that, Ying walked to the weapons locker and began equipping himself.
He put on a sleek black combat armor suit far more advanced than the standard protective gear on the ship. It looked like something issued to elite military units.
He retrieved a large energy rifle from the rack along with several compact explosive devices. His movements were precise and practiced, like those of a seasoned soldier.
Thor leaned toward Rowan and whispered.
"Our captain isn't just some ordinary escort guard. That armor alone must be worth millions of universal credits."
Hong nodded quietly.
"And his movements are highly professional. He's definitely received formal military training. This escort mission may be far more complicated than it looks."
Rowan was about to respond when the alarms sounded again.
"Warning. Multiple breach points detected. Pirate boarding operations have begun."
The main screen switched to external camera feeds.
Several small boarding craft were approaching different sections of the ship. Each craft was equipped with heavy cutting tools clearly designed to tear through a spacecraft hull.
"All defense teams take positions," Ying ordered through the communicator. "Prepare for multi point intrusion."
He turned to Rowan and the others.
"You three remain here and defend the command center. Everyone else, with me."
Ying led several armed personnel out of the command center toward the expected breach points.
Rowan, Thor, and Hong exchanged glances, each seeing the same mixture of dissatisfaction and confusion in the others' eyes.
"What is this nonsense?" Thor muttered. "The three of us are professionally trained escorts and he leaves us here like babysitters?"
Hong spoke thoughtfully.
"Ying may not simply distrust us. He may also have his own agenda. I noticed he deliberately avoided assigning defense units to the cargo bay sector. That happens to be where the stone chest is stored."
Rowan considered this.
"You think he cares more about protecting that chest than protecting the ship?"
Hong nodded.
"Very possible. Based on his earlier reaction, whatever is inside that chest must be extremely valuable. Or extremely dangerous."
Thor clenched his teeth.
"So we're just supposed to sit here and watch while that arrogant captain fights the pirates alone?"
"No," Rowan said after a moment of thought. "We'll follow his orders and stay in the command center for now. But we keep watching the situation closely. If things get out of control, we step in. Our priority is protecting everyone on the ship."
The others agreed.
They began monitoring the battle through the command center's surveillance system.
Gunfire soon echoed throughout the ship as pirates successfully boarded in several areas. Intense firefights broke out between the invaders and the defending crew.
The main display split into multiple windows, showing live footage from different parts of the ship.
Rowan noticed something immediately.
Ying had headed alone toward the most dangerous breach point.
The main cargo bay.
Five or six pirates had already forced their way inside and were exchanging fire with the ship's defenders.
"Is he insane?" Thor said in disbelief. "Charging into that many pirates alone?"
But what happened next left all three of them stunned.
The moment Ying entered the cargo bay, he unleashed terrifying combat ability.
His movements were so fast they blurred into dark afterimages.
The first pirate did not even have time to turn before Ying shot him through the head.
The second and third pirates fired simultaneously, but Ying dodged with unbelievable speed while returning fire. Both men collapsed instantly, struck in their vital points.
Rowan stared at the screen in shock.
"That… that's not the combat level of a normal escort guard."
Hong nodded slowly, amazement shining in his eyes.
"His strength is at least at the level of a genius tier fighter. Possibly even approaching cosmic level. That speed and precision would rank among the top competitors in the Virtual Universe Company's Challenge Tournament."
Thor's eyes widened.
"The Challenge Tournament? You mean… he might be one of the participants?"
"Very possible," Hong said thoughtfully. "And judging from his combat style, his training is extremely systematic. Like someone raised and trained by a professional military organization or a special force."
On the screen, Ying had already eliminated five pirates.
Now he stood facing the final opponent.
This pirate was clearly stronger than the others. He wore some form of enhanced combat suit and wielded two energy blades, his movements swift and aggressive.
Yet even against such an opponent, Ying remained perfectly calm.
He lowered his energy rifle, drew a short blade from his waist, and stepped forward.
The two warriors clashed in close combat.
Their movements were lightning fast.
Blade met blade as sparks flashed through the cargo bay, the sharp ring of metal echoing through the chamber.