Chapter 74 - Collapse
This warehouse appeared to cover a land area of about tens of thousands of square meters. Army green boxes of varying sizes were neatly stacked all around him, and there were even two small shuttles and a small transport spaceship here.
“A medium particle accelerator!” Xia Fei walked over to one of the boxes and read what was written on it. “These are all weapons and arms! Phantom, we’re rich!”
Phantom swept a glance around with indifference. “What rich? All this stuff around us; it’s still nothing compared to that ring you’ve got in your hand.”
Speaking of the ring, Xia Fei suddenly remembered what the short-haired Monastic had said. He reached his hand into the ring to check, and his expression immediately turned into one of disgust.
“What? What’s inside the ring?” curiously asked Phantom.
Xia Fei sighed and emptied everything out from the ring. “See for yourself.”
Right before Phantom’s eyes, a pile of shiny items appeared, and he could not help but raise his eyebrows and sighed.
Everything in front of his eyes was nothing but human feet! Women’s feet!
The square box was intricately made, and the silver melded metal shone ever so slightly. Every corner of it had been carefully polished, and there was even a coded lock attached to it.
Stepping closer to examine the box, all he saw was a huge black mamba snake spray-painted on the box itself, and there was a row of words: Dark Sky Serpent Corporation, model 130 warp engine!
Xia Fei was ecstatic. This was precisely the Black Mamba 130 engine that Old K had confiscated from Xiao Tian. He had never thought that that man would actually put it here!
This was a top-grade engine, which was highly sought after!
It possessed the most advanced technology among warp engines and was extremely precious!
The warship restoration had already been fifty percent complete, and the engine was the biggest headache Xia Fei presently had. With this engine in hand, all that would be left was its installation. Xia Fei could almost see that new spaceship, the naval-issued, Eagle-class frigate that had been fully assembled to the highest specifications, ready for flight.
The most sturdy defense and the strongest firepower, as well as the fastest speed!
It would definitely be a top-tier frigate in the entire universe!
The size of this box was almost twenty cubic meters, perfectly fitting his new spatial ring.
Xia Fei took it out and wore it on his hand. He then lightly tapped the box with his finger to take it into storage.
“Great! The Black Mamba engine is back in our hands!” excitedly said Xia Fei.
Since this warehouse functioned as a semi-hangar, it must mean that there was an entrance for these transport vessels to enter. The explosions on the surface were becoming stronger, and it was time to consider how he was going to get out of here.
This ammunition could remain here first, returning to transport everything away if the opportunity arose. Considering how many arms were being stored here, Xia Fei was certain that he could earn quite a bit by selling them off.
The wall to the left had a metal box, and Xia Fei strolled over to open it. Inside were buttons with a label each.
Xia Fei pushed the one labeled ‘open tunnel’.
The sounds of gears grinding were heard, and the wall in front of him opened, revealing a straight tunnel right before his eyes.
This tunnel was very wide, enough to accommodate two transport vessels flying side by side.
*Boom!*
Another loud blast was heard from the surface, and the lights in the warehouse went out again, but this time, they did not turn back on, most likely because the electrical circuit had been ruined by the explosion.
Xia Fei suddenly sensed that something was falling from above him, so he hastily turned while turning on the light function on his microcomputer.
*Crash!*
A piece of debris, about the size of a soccer ball, came falling on where Xia Fei was standing mere moments ago, creating a bowl-sized hole on the ground.
Xia Fei looked up and saw the warehouse’s concrete structure beginning to crack! Several distinct fissures appeared on the ceiling, and it was extending and widening by the second!
“Not good… The force from the explosions is too severe. I’m afraid that this warehouse won’t be able to withstand the continuous explosions for much longer!” yelled Xia Fei.
Phantom lowered his head and thought about it for a few seconds. “These explosions might very well be caused by those Stars of Blood Grievance… The Stars of Nocturnal Disaster are of a higher grade than the Blood Grievance, so if that Nocturnal Disaster parent orb were to explode as well, it would be a disaster.”
Xia Fei disregarded the potentially valuable ammunition in this warehouse and began running toward the exit. Escaping with his life was far more important at such a critical juncture.
“Don’t move!” suddenly shouted Phantom. “If the Nocturnal Disaster parent orb explodes, your speed alone won’t be enough to outrun it!”
“Then, what should I do?!” Xia Fei became anxious.
“The shuttle!” Phantom pointed to the two small shuttles. “That transport vessel’s top speed is fifteen times yours, and it has the robust hull made from triple-titanium alloy. Take the shuttle to escape from this place!”
Xia Fei was glum. “What kind of joke are you trying to pull? I have no idea how to fly that thing!”
Phantom laughed. “I can teach you. You’ll get the hang of it in no time. It’s really easy.”
As the warehouse was collapsing while they spoke, there was hardly any time for hesitation. Xia Fei dashed toward the blue shuttle’s cockpit.
Another explosion rang out at this time. The concrete structure was no longer able to withstand such powerful blows and began crumbling, and countless concrete pieces began falling around them like hail.
“Don’t panic. Push the start button first, then pull up the speed control handle to the max!” instructed Phantom.
Xia Fei pushed the button in a hurry, and the engine revved alive with a blue flame shooting out from this transport vessel’s tail-end.
Next, he pulled the speed control upward, causing the engine to roar into life and that blue flame to shoot out well over a dozen meters. The entire fuselage was shaking uncontrollably.
This was already the maximum horsepower the shuttle could achieve, but it remained stationary!
“What’s going on?!” urgently asked Xia Fei.
Phantom stroked his chin to think. “Strange. Why isn’t it moving?”
Xia Fei was not amused. This was evidently not the right time for jokes. Had he been running, he might have had a chance to make it out of the tunnel.
“Oh, that’s right!” Phantom slapped his forehead heavily. “Quickly push that gravity button. Shuttles have gravitational devices to keep them on the ground and disable accidental movement. How could I have forgotten about that?”
Xia Fei did not have the time to grumble at Phantom. He promptly pushed the gravitational control, and like a bullet, the shuttle whizzed away; he was finally shooting right out of that place!
The strong resistance pressed Xia Fei tightly to his seat, making it impossible for him to move!
The engine was already pushed to max speed by him, and now that there was no gravitational pull to tether it in place, the shuttle was like a wild galloping horse, instantly attaining peak speed!
Xia Fei’s hands grabbed onto the steering stick, sweat accumulating in them.
All of a sudden, two explosions erupted one after another. The tunnel was also starting to collapse!
The situation had gotten really complex. There were large chunks of concrete falling in front of the shuttle, needing him to steer to avoid them. Everything behind him kept collapsing, like a humongous snake that was rushing to catch up with the shuttle.
The shuttle would instantly be reduced into a scrap if it got caught in this!
The situation was immensely dire!
Xia Fei kept trying to steer the shuttle away from the obstacles. Fortunately, his reaction was several times faster than the average human, so he was often able to dodge the falling chunks of debris and large slabs.
The path ahead began to turn up. Xia Fei pulled his hand and the spaceship began rushing forward at a forty-five-degree angle!
*Whoosh!*
The shuttle went flying out from an opening in a hill while swaying and shaking wildly. The moment the spaceship left the tunnel, the entrance caved in and completely collapsed, even the entire hill shaking.
Xia Fei let out a long sigh as he felt his body slumping into the chair behind him.
That was when an explosion even louder than any before sounded!
The sound was heaven-shaking and rang out of the place!
The tremendous soundwave that was created almost shattered people’s eardrums!
Then, a raging conflagration ensued that shot to the sky!
This huge sea of flames swept outward like a tidal wave, engulfing the small shuttle completely!