Chapter 186 The Vanishing Filter

A precise strike! Perfect coordination, but no further communication.

Ning Shuyin's condition was not affected in any way.

"Coordinates C008, X005, the dark sphere's energy is about to expand, requiring the energy network to fill the gap," she continued to report.

The Mirage glided in an arc, releasing an energy isolation shield.

Ning Shuyin calmly assessed the battlefield.

The Allied Fleet dispatched a strike force to escort the Panacea.

The Starship flagship remained hovering in the center of the battlefield, without moving an inch.

Loran watched all this, his eyes growing even colder.

Ning Shuyin took it all in. She felt uneasy, but couldn't spare the energy to dwell on it. Every second now was a race against death.

With the combined efforts of all parties, the expansion of the Dark Sphere indeed came to a halt.

But then, a black beam of annihilation suddenly shot toward the source of the perception—the Panacea.

The attack was too fast; the Panacea, as a research vessel, lacked the maneuverability to evade it.

However, there was no shock as expected.

Just as the beam was about to strike, the Starship swerved to the side, its thick armor blocking the firing trajectory.

The Mirage launched a series of priceless space jamming missiles, creating a deflection field in front of it.

Situ Linchen's voice rang out in the channel: "Panacea, watch your positioning! Retreat behind the assault fleet's cover."

His tone was as if he were reprimanding a careless subordinate.

The Phantom had quickly distanced itself from her.

The Court of Usurpation is still performing spatial displacement in the distant sky and has not appeared.

Ning Shuyin watched this scene with what she had already anticipated. The props had failed, their rationality had returned, their words had become venomous, and their hearts had turned cold.

After the dark sphere released this energy, its expansion temporarily stopped.

Moreover, a hole was faintly visible in the center of the black sphere.

"Loran, hold on." Ning Shuyin left these words behind before disappearing outside the command center.

Suddenly, an inconspicuous silver assault ship broke away from the hull of the Panacea.

Like a bullet going against the current, the assault ship charged straight toward the core void exposed by the dark sphere with solitary courage.

"What is that?" Situ Linchen's shocked voice rang out, "A suicide attack?"

There was no response.

The silver assault ship vanished the moment it made contact with the core of the dark sphere, as if it had entered an unknown dimension.

Immediately afterwards, the enormous dark sphere began to tremble violently. The sky seemed about to collapse. It was as if a war was raging inside it.

Surrounding warships scrambled to make way, dividing the battlefield. Despair filled the air.

Suddenly, the massive black vortex of the Dark Sphere began to collapse.

The black energy seemed to be drawn into the void, eventually turning into a tiny black dot.

After a long while, the small black dot trembled and disappeared.

The sky cleared up again. The terrifying force that had been weighing on everyone's hearts dissipated.

It was already late at night.

Planet A enjoyed a clear night.

The stars were dazzling; the apocalyptic crisis we just witnessed seemed like an illusion.

In the vast airspace, tens of thousands of warships hovered, their cannons retracted into their hulls. Only a few scattered signal lights flickered, like the slow heartbeat of a weary beast, the only movement in this vast silence.

Peace has returned to the skies above the alliance.

News outlets rushed to report the news: "[Alert lifted! The abnormal black energy sphere over the Alliance has disappeared. Planet A has successfully weathered the crisis!]"

But on the combat communications channel came Situ Linchen's fury: "Loran! Who exactly is on that assault ship!"

After the lone ship crashed into the dark sphere, Situ Linchen discovered that the assault ship did not belong to his fleet formation.

He ordered the radar to report the origin of the silver assault ship, but the information he received sent a chill down his spine.

The ship was released from the hull of the HMS Panacea in Loran.

She was on Loran's ship.

Just now, on the Starship's command platform, the life monitoring system issued a cold notification.

No life signs detected in the target area.

Not long ago, he coldly reprimanded her in the channel: "Watch your positioning!"

Situ Linchen didn't know why he spoke so coldly at the time; it was just a strange sense of rationality driving him.

This strange feeling began when he left the Alliance Conference Center.

He learned from the conference center's security department that she had appeared at the conference and approached him, warning of an impending attack.

But when he learned of this, he didn't frantically worry about her or want to see her immediately. Instead, he prioritized calmly dealing with the situation.

Perhaps, it's time for the passion to cool down?

He didn't think much of it.

Later, her voice came through the combat channel, and his heart skipped a beat.

But he easily regained control of himself.

But at this moment, looking at this empty sky, fear and a deep chill seeped into his heart.

"Search!" Situ Linchen's voice was chillingly cold. "Find her even if you have to search every grain of dust in the universe. Live or dead..."

The last word was stuck in my throat, and I dared not say it.

Meanwhile, inside the Mirage.

Zhou Zhiheng sat in a luxurious leather chair, surrounded by a white light—his special ability, "Equivalent Exchange."

The only feedback he received was that the trading partner did not exist, and an exchange channel could not be established.

Caesar's figure flickered continuously in the void.

Unconvinced, he repeatedly teleported to the coordinates where the dark sphere disappeared.

But it was so clean it looked like an empty space.

The docking hatch of the Panacea was forcibly broken open, and the command center was stormed in. Loran simply sat there quietly.

"She was on your ship! Why didn't you stop her? Were you just watching her go to her death?" Zhou Zhiheng said angrily.

The illusory flying shuttles surrounding Situ Linchen grazed Loran's neck, leaving a trail of blood.

Caesar had already teleported over and grabbed him by the collar.

“Self-deception,” Loran uttered only four words.

He was cursing them, and he was cursing himself.

In the basement of the 128th floor of the conference center, he confirmed his truest feelings through that extreme method.

And now, it's their turn.

Even though you already know the answer in your heart, why insist on clinging to so-called rationality? Isn't that self-deception?

Cowardly, indecisive, and a coward.

Time passed by, second by second.

The other three had already disembarked from the Panacia and returned to their own cabins.

Aircraft were densely packed above the conference center. No one spoke, and no one retreated.

Everyone is still waiting in this airspace.

It seems that as long as the battle isn't declared over, she'll still be around.

Finally, a very carefully worded request came through the fleet's communication channel, asking whether to issue a return-to-base order.

Situ Linchen remained silent, his aura so low it was frightening.

No one dared to ask for instructions anymore.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

A faint hum of electricity suddenly rang out from the signal station.

A red dot suddenly appeared on the radar screen.

"puff!"

Suddenly, the clouds above the conference center rippled, revealing a dilapidated silver spaceship.