Chapter 71 Quickly Travel! Fate of Ice Star (Twenty-three)
Everyone present knew what exceeding the upper limit of measurement meant - it meant that the energy in this cave was far beyond their imagination and might even bring unpredictable dangers.
“Could it be an equipment failure?” Researcher Ma tried to remain calm. After all, in this situation, any bit of hope was worth grasping.
"Impossible," Technician Zhou shook his head helplessly. "I've checked it many times, and there's nothing wrong with the equipment... It's just that the energy field here is too strong, interfering with the normal operation of the detector."
"What should we do?" Feng Ziang, who is always optimistic, also felt a little uneasy. "Without a detector, how can we determine the location of the energy source, let alone collect it."
Technician Zhou took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and began to check the damage to the equipment: "The detector needs to replace a key part to work properly, but...but this part is very special, I don't have a spare one on hand, and..."
"And what?" Shu Yang asked.
"Moreover, this kind of parts are extremely scarce on Ice Star. Even if we ask for help from the base, I'm afraid..." Technician Zhou didn't say anything else, but everyone understood what he meant.
Silence spread like a glacier, and everyone's face was filled with anxiety and uneasiness. They had traveled so far and finally found this place, were they going to return empty-handed?
Guide Wu rubbed his hands nervously, looked at the strange light flashing deep in the cave, and muttered to himself: "If only my detector was still there..."
His words reminded Shu Yang. He raised his head suddenly and said firmly, "There must be other ways. We can't just give up like this!"
"We have to return to the base," Officer Sun An frowned and said in a serious tone, "The detector is a key device. Without it, we can't continue the mission. In addition, the energy reaction here is abnormal. We can't take any risks."
Shu Yang bit his lip, struggling in his heart. Officer Sun's concern was not unreasonable, safety always comes first. But when he thought of the importance of this mission and the efforts they made for it, he was unwilling to give up. Time was running out, if he returned to the base to replenish supplies and then reorganized the team to return here, he would probably miss the best time to collect.
"No, we can't go back," Shu Yang raised his head and scanned everyone with a determined look, "Time waits for no one, we must find a way to solve the problem on the spot."
"But..." Officer Sun An wanted to persuade him again, but was interrupted by Shu Yang with a wave of his hand.
"Director Wu," Shu Yang turned to the silent Director Wu, "You mentioned your detector before, can you tell me why it didn't work?"
Wu Xiangdao was stunned for a moment, then he understood Shu Yang's intention. He sighed, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "My detector is an old model. The core sensing crystal was damaged in an accident. That kind of crystal is very rare, and I have never found a replacement material."
"Core sensor crystal..." Researcher Ma repeated in a low voice, and suddenly raised his head as if he had thought of something. "Wait, I seem to have seen in the data that there is a mineral called 'star marrow stone'. Its energy conduction characteristics are very similar to the sensor crystal of the detector. Maybe it can be used as a substitute!"
"Star Marrow Stone!" Director Wu's eyes lit up. "Yes, how could I have forgotten this? I remember the records saying that a Star Marrow Stone mine was once discovered in Icewind Dale, not far from here!"
The flame of hope ignited in everyone's heart, but it was soon extinguished by the cold reality. Icewind Dale is a dangerous place, shrouded by strong energy storms all year round, and the environment is extremely harsh. Even experienced explorers rarely set foot there.
"Icewind Dale..." Officer Sun An took a breath, "That place is too dangerous. We can't take the risk."
"I know," Shu Yang took a deep breath and said firmly, "but now we have no choice but to give it a try." He looked around at everyone with a burning gaze, "I know it's dangerous, but I believe that as long as we unite as one, we will be able to overcome difficulties and complete the mission!"
In the end, Shu Yang's determination and faith convinced everyone. They packed up their equipment, took the remaining supplies, and set off for Icewind Dale.
The biting cold wind blew, sweeping up the snow and ice, as if it was going to swallow them up. Guide Wu and researcher Ma walked at the front of the team. With their familiarity with the terrain and rich experience, they led the group on the rugged mountain road.
"It's right there!" Guide Wu pointed to a snow-covered valley ahead, with a hint of excitement in his tone.
However, before they could be happy, something unexpected happened...
"Bang——"
There was a loud bang, and from the depths of the valley, a dazzling blue light shot up into the sky, accompanied by violent energy fluctuations, as if it was about to tear the entire world apart...
After the dazzling blue light, there was a suffocating silence. Shu Yang's heartbeat seemed to have stopped. He looked anxiously in the direction of the valley, his hands clenched into fists.
"What's going on? What happened?" Officer Sun's voice trembled slightly, breaking the silence.
"It's an energy eruption! The Astral Marrow Stone mine is nearby!" Guide Wu shouted excitedly, but soon his tone became serious, "But this kind of energy eruption is very dangerous, we must get the Astral Marrow Stone and leave here as soon as possible!"
"I'll go!" Feng Ziang stepped forward without hesitation. He knew that time was running out, and he was young and strong, making him the most suitable candidate.
Shu Yang wanted to stop him, but looking at Feng Ziang's determined eyes, he knew he couldn't change his decision. "Be careful!" He could only hold Feng Ziang's hand tightly and hand him a protective amulet, "Be sure to come back safely!"
Feng Ziang nodded and resolutely rushed towards the center of the energy eruption.
Time passed by, and Shu Yang and other team members waited anxiously. Suddenly, they saw Feng Ziang stumbling out of the energy mist, holding tightly in his hand a stone emitting a faint blue light.
"I succeeded!" Feng Ziang showed a victorious smile on his face, but the next second, he was exhausted and fainted on the snow.
"Feng Ziang!" Shu Yang exclaimed, and rushed forward to support him. Fortunately, Feng Ziang was just unconscious due to exhaustion, and was not seriously injured.
Technician Zhou took the Star Marrow Stone and studied it carefully. A happy expression appeared on his face: "Yes, this is the Star Marrow Stone! And the energy purity is very high, enough to repair the detector!"
After a night of intense work, Technician Zhou successfully repaired the detector with the astral stone. When the detector started up again and sent out a clear signal, the whole team cheered.
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