The Aska spent four days undergoing maintenance and upgrades.
At last, the entire warship had been comprehensively reinforced by Muse.
It was hard to say precisely how powerful it had become, but according to Muse, its defenses were no weaker than those of the training room.
Naturally, the upgrades extended beyond defense. Every capability had improved—especially its space jump. Previously, it had to locate stable space to initiate a jump, but now it could perform one directly within the Abyss, over distances thousands of times greater than before.
In short, the Aska could jump straight to the coordinates of the signal source. Yu Xian and the others would soon be able to rescue Shui Yuetian and eliminate Zhi'er.
"Muse, lock onto the signal source and initiate a space jump straight to it... No, wait, jump ahead of the signal source. We'll intercept it!" Inside the cockpit, Yu Xian and the others sat together. After learning the extent of the Aska's overhaul, Yu Xian gave the command.
A gleam flashed across Muse's eyes as she responded, "Space jump initiating in five, four, three..."
"Wait, pause!" A sudden thought struck Yu Xian, and he called out in haste.
Muse blinked once and said calmly, "Space jump paused."
"Yu Xian, what's wrong? Is there something else?" Nora asked, looking at him.
Yu Xian pointed at one of the screens on the console. Before the upgrade, the Aska had been unable to observe the Origin Tiger's giant egg in this universe, but now its enhanced sensors could capture a clear image of it.
Seeing the egg on screen had reminded him that he should leave a few bubbles across this universe to make it convenient to return later.
Although no one knew how long the Origin Tiger would take to hatch, if it did emerge one day and he had the means, forming a contract with it wasn't out of the question.
After explaining his reasoning, he stepped into the teleporter, beamed onto the deck, and flew out from the Aska to scatter bubbles in various locations.
Once he returned to the cockpit, Niman instructed Muse to resume preparations for the jump.
The Aska was instantly enveloped in a shimmering, multi-colored film of energy. The next moment, surrounding space collapsed, and the warship plunged as if tumbling into a bottomless chasm, descending at blinding speed.
At first, everything outside was pitch-black. Soon, however, crimson energy swirled through the void, followed by swarms of meteorites that battered the Aska relentlessly. Yet these space rocks could not shake the ship in the slightest, disintegrating into dust the instant they collided with the hull.
When the surrounding space gradually stabilized, the Aska had emerged within the Abyss. Murky crimson energy permeated every direction, accompanied by drifting planetary fragments and small asteroids.
"Muse, how far are we from the signal source?" Yu Xian asked.
"The signal source is two hundred and fifty thousand kilometers behind the Aska," Muse answered. "Due to unknown factors, its velocity is steadily decreasing. It is estimated to reach our current position in five minutes."
"Five minutes? That's plenty," Yu Xian nodded.
He then turned to the group and smiled. "After practicing for so long, it's finally time to take action. Let's get ready—rescue our friend, and kill the enemy!"
"Rescue our friend, kill the enemy!" Little Nora was the first to jump up and cheer.
Not to be outdone, Little Huangquan rose as well, chiming in, "Rescue our friend, kill the enemy!"
"All right, let's fuse first," Niman said, handing Little Nia over to Muse before turning to the others.
Even though their current strength left them unafraid of unexpected developments, one could never be too cautious in the Abyss. Niman was far less optimistic than Yu Xian and the rest; she was prepared for a grueling battle—and braced for genuine danger.
The group fused at once, temporarily using Yu Xian as the host body while the others provided support, prepared to switch roles if the need arose.
Yu Xian walked to the teleporter, beamed onto the deck, donned the King of the Abyss Battle Armor, and only then stepped beyond the Aska's protective perimeter.
This was the first time Yu Xian had truly faced the Abyss head-on. Even shielded by the King of the Abyss Battle Armor, he could still feel the omnipresent turbulence of energy around him.
Moreover, the ambient energy exuded a deeply sinister, suffocating chill, as though countless tiny mouths were shrieking at him, or swarms of microscopic needles were pricking at his skin.
"The Abyss... really is terrifying," Yu Xian murmured to the others.
The rest shared his sentiment. The sensation was difficult to describe; only those immersed in it could truly understand.
Five minutes slipped by in the blink of an eye. A warship materialized in their field of vision. It was still moving at considerable speed, though sluggish compared to near-light velocity.
"I doubt we can stop it head-on," Yu Xian judged the moment he laid eyes on the Primordial Water.
Trying to block the vessel while piloting the King of the Abyss would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; he would be batted aside by the sheer momentum of the warship.
Star-rank powerhouses were certainly capable of blowing up warships, but when facing one another, both sides functioned much like glass cannons. A Star-rank combatant couldn't withstand the direct ramming force of a dreadnought.
If it were merely a matter of attacking the vessel from range, Yu Xian could easily manage it. But Shui Yuetian was likely inside. He obviously couldn't open fire; his first priority was to extract her safely before he could fight without reservations.
"Muse, does the Aska have any way to bring the forward warship to a halt?" Yu Xian asked Muse in the cockpit via his Star Ring.
Muse was skillfully cradling Little Nia, coaxing giggles from the baby. She replied, "We can deploy the warship's tow hooks to anchor the target vessel and gradually sap its propulsion."
"Then let's do that," Yu Xian agreed at once.
Moments later, the Primordial Water entered the Aska's effective range.
Under Muse's control, massive grappling hooks fired from one side of the Aska.
Heavy metal chains tethered each hook back to the ship. Because Muse had reinforced the hooks as well, they punched straight through the Primordial Water's shields in an instant, embedding themselves deep into the hull. The two warships drifted forward slowly together as the Aska hauled back against the Primordial Water, steadily dragging its velocity down.
"Something's not right," Niman said, staring at the Primordial Water.
Yu Xian nodded in agreement. "Look at its starboard side. The shield is compromised, and the hull itself shows heavy damage. On top of that, it hasn't responded at all to the Aska's attack... I'm afraid things don't look good."
Worried that Zhi'er might have already perished in an assault by abyssal creatures, he used his Star Ring to hack into Shui Yuetian's to check on her. Fortunately, she remained unconscious within that doorless room.
"No matter what the situation is inside that warship, it looks like we have no choice but to go in," Yu Xian said with a wry smile after disconnecting from her Star Ring.
As long as there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Shui Yuetian was on board, they had to plunge straight into the fray. No matter how dangerous it might be, they had to see it through.
Chapter 292