The corridor had seemed merely cluttered when he first arrived, requiring only careful navigation.
But now, in his haste to leave, jagged metal debris kept blocking his path, forcing him to alternate between bursts of speed and frustrating slowdowns.
He couldn't simply charge through these razor-sharp obstacles—rupturing his spacesuit would doom not just Natarle's rescue but himself as well. This pace was unacceptable! Too slow!
A sharp bite to his tongue sent pain jolting through him, momentarily steadying his frantic mind.
Scanning his surroundings, his eyes locked onto a half-palm-thick metal plate leaning against a nearby doorway.
Ducking behind it, he closed his eyes.
Come!
The patterns on his helmet flared white.
Out in the cosmic void, the dormant Vermilion Bird's emerald eyes suddenly ignited, white light bleeding through the seams of its armor.
With a sweep of its wings, Feather Plumes launched forth, their emitter ports coalescing crimson beams into glowing short blades.
In the next instant, they tore through surrounding debris, carving a path toward Zhou Tianming.
The projectiles moved with terrifying precision, slipping through narrow gaps and slicing obstructions cleanly apart.
Within breaths, the Feather Plumes had hollowed out a massive tunnel through the satellite wreckage.
Zhou Tianming kicked off from behind the metal plate as one Feather Plume gracefully slid beneath his feet. The others enveloped him protectively.
Ten Feather Plumes formed a streamlined cocoon, whisking him through the ruins until—in a blink—he rematerialized beside the Vermilion Bird.
Boarding complete. Feather Plumes reattached. The Gundam's wings flared as thrusters ignited, launching them skyward in a crimson streak.
The Vermilion Bird's glow painted the dark wreckage like a meteor in flight, its passage marked by shattered obstacles and beams of destruction.
Something critical was struck—a flash erupted within the collapsing debris, scattering molten metal. The Vermilion Bird shot through the explosion into open space, only to find the Black Tortoise vanished.
Radar at maximum power cycled through 5000 units of range—laughably inadequate against the cosmic vastness.
"White Rabbit! Natarle! Respond!"
Clenching his fists, Zhou Tianming's expression darkened with calculation.
"No time for tests," he growled.
His helmet's patterns blazed white, mirrored by light seeping from the Vermilion Bird's Psycho-responsive Framework.
Seed activated.
His unleashed Mindpower, amplified by the Framework, exploded outward through Sense.
Blood burst from Zhou Tianming's nose and mouth as veins bulged across his forehead. His skull throbbed as if splitting apart.
He gripped the control stick tightly, gritting his teeth against the searing pain.
Information surged into his mind like a deluge from a collapsing dam.
Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes, streaming down his cheeks as Zhou Tianming felt his skull burn as if his brain were boiling.
His Mental Power shot out like an arrow, sweeping across the farthest reaches.
A flood of information overwhelmed him, turning his eyes bloodshot.
[Analyze] swiftly sifted through the incoming data, and finally, within this "ocean," he located the Black Tortoise.
[Overdrive]—activated!
The Vermilion Bird's speed skyrocketed, streaking through the silent Cosmic Space like a crimson meteor.
"Countdown: 1 minute... 58..."
"Too slow!" Natarle stared at the golden sphere looming ahead. "Has the cooling system been shut down?"
"The cooling system is linked to the reactor. It can't be disabled separately."
"Divert energy to the equipment surrounding the cooling system and trigger an explosion to destroy it."
"Understood."
Realizing there was nothing left to do, Natarle relaxed, a shy smile crossing her face as memories of Zhou Tianming flashed through her mind. Sitting in the captain's seat, she gently stroked the armrest. "I'm a good captain, aren't I, Black Tortoise..."
Beep beep beep!
The shrill alarm blared as red lights flashed incessantly. Natarle leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as fear made her curl up, tears streaming uncontrollably. "Tian Ming..."
In Cosmic Space, the whale's body closed in, swallowing the Black Tortoise whole.
"What do you think you're doing to my ship and my woman?!"
A red meteor hurtled forward, [Feather Plumes] bursting forth like blooming petals from its wings.
Crimson beams rained down on the whale's body like a storm.
Yet the beams dissipated harmlessly, leaving no damage.
Crushed into his seat by immense G-forces, Zhou Tianming bared his teeth in a savage grin. "No effect? Then how about this?!"
He slammed the pedal down, the thrusters flaring with red light as the Vermilion Bird elongated into a thin streak, charging straight for the whale's belly.
[Bloodlust], [Overdrive], [Iron Wall]—activated in rapid succession.
The Vermilion Bird pierced through the whale's abdomen like a red blade, plunging deep inside.
The whale let out a shrill cry, its body writhing in agony.
Without slowing, the Vermilion Bird crashed into the Black Tortoise, draining 100 points of Mindpower in an instant.
The [Iron Wall] formed an invisible shield, flattening into a barrier that prevented the Vermilion Bird from impaling the Black Tortoise. Instead, it pushed the ship toward the opposite side of the whale's belly. But when the Black Tortoise collided with the inner wall, its momentum vanished abruptly.
The Black Tortoise stopped—but the Vermilion Bird didn't. The tremendous force crushed the ship, buckling its hull and rupturing its armor.
Deafening screeches of twisting metal and violent tremors rocked the vessel.
Natarle was thrown from her seat. Through the panoramic screen, she immediately spotted the Vermilion Bird. Tears streaked her face, a mix of shock and joy, yet she shouted, "You idiot! I told you to leave!"
Then she yelled, "White Rabbit, abort the nuclear detonation! Connect me to the Vermilion Bird!"
Inside the Vermilion Bird, Zhou Tianming broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the crumpled, ruptured Black Tortoise. He yanked the control stick back, decelerating. "How...?" He had intended to use [Bloodlust] to propel the Black Tortoise out of the whale's belly in one go. The start had gone smoothly, but the outcome was beyond comprehension.
The massive drain on his Mindpower, the relentless information overload, and now this—his thoughts spiraled into chaos.
At that moment, the communication line connected, and Natarle appeared in the expanded window.
"Natarle!"
Zhou Tianming snapped back to reality, shouting in delight.
"Shut up!"
Natarle roared, and Zhou Tianming immediately fell silent.
Seeing Zhou Tianming's blood-covered face, her expression softened with concern, but she still spoke rapidly:
"The enemy is immune to physical, beam, and microwave attacks, and possesses spatial strike capabilities—but you just wounded it! Think fast—what did you do?"
With Natarle's guidance, it was like finding the end of a tangled thread. His thoughts instantly cleared, and realization struck. It was Mental Power—the Vermilion Bird, enhanced by [Bloodlust], had harmed the enemy.
The [Feather Plumes], which had been flying chaotically around due to Zhou Tianming's scattered thoughts, immediately regained control. Without firing beams, they shot straight toward the whale.
The wound on the whale's flank, torn open by the Vermilion Bird, was rapidly healing. Seeing the [Feather Plumes] approaching, it swung its tail to evade.
But the [Feather Plumes] were faster, transforming into ten crimson streaks that pierced the whale's body, then wildly slashed along its skin, slicing it open.
The whale let out a mournful cry, but the crimson streaks showed no mercy, continuing to carve through its flesh.
Two of the streaks flew to the other side of the Black Tortoise, cutting through the skin. Zhou Tianming slammed the pedal, pushing the thrusters to maximum power, and ejected the ship before the [Bloodlust] effect faded.
"Natarle, abandon ship! Come to me!"
"Don't be ridiculous! How can you fight while carrying me? Leave me behind!"
Meeting Natarle's resolute gaze, Zhou Tianming clenched the control stick and turned away without hesitation.
The Vermilion Bird soared into the sky, spreading its wings before diving down like an eagle.
At that moment, the golden orb in the whale's abdomen flickered ominously.
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