158: Chapter 158 Using Divine Interference to Disturb Things, Amidst Danger

The anomaly in the metal box was the key. If he could interfere with its signal and make Keith misjudge it as a "brief equipment malfunction" or "interference from unknown environmental factors," he might be able to buy a crucial breathing space. Whether he continued to lurk or sought an opportunity to retreat, he would have more options.

This required precise control of his "Spiritual Sense" and a simulation of the rhythm of the "Ancient Ring"/"Stars." The risk was that the fluctuations of his "Spiritual Sense" itself might be captured by the opponent's detection equipment, and the effect of the interference was unknown. However, in this desperate situation, it was the only means of confrontation with "technical" content and on an "informational" level. If successful, its significance would far exceed a simple armed conflict.

In a flash, Ling Ye made up his mind! He no longer suppressed his "Spiritual Sense" but instead condensed, purified, and compressed it to the extreme in an instant, like an invisible needle!

At the same time, deep within his consciousness, he forcibly "ignited" the light of that "Eternal Star," simulating a trace of an imperceptible "Concept" that contained the supreme rhythms of the "Star Gate" and "Reincarnation," the same one that had flashed by with the "Ancient Ring" phantom when he fought the black stone last night!

This "Concept" was not a physical force; it was more like a kind of "interference ripple" on an informational level or a "faint negation" on the level of rules!

Go!

The "Spiritual Sense," compressed to the extreme, carried that trace of the simulated, vast, and ancient rhythm of "negation." Silently yet swiftly, it crossed the corner and accurately "pierced" towards the metal box in the chamber that was emitting abnormal fluctuations!

There was no physical contact, no energy explosion. There was only a silent collision and interference on the informational level!

"Hum—"

Inside the metal box, the periodic, weak energy fluctuations were suddenly thrown into chaos the moment they were touched by Ling Ye's "Spiritual Sense," like a calm water surface into which a stone had been thrown!

The originally rhythmic waveforms on the monitoring terminal screen twisted and stretched wildly, turning into a patch of meaningless noise!

The faint light vaguely flowing on the surface of the box also dimmed abruptly, flickering a few times as if the power were unstable, before extinguishing completely and returning to the silent state of low-power standby as before.

Inside the chamber, Keith, who was just about to call for reinforcements and conduct a thorough search, stopped abruptly!

He looked in astonishment at the waveforms on the monitoring terminal screen that had instantly turned to static, then looked at the metal box that had suddenly gone silent, his face full of disbelief and confusion.

"Equipment failure? Electromagnetic interference?" He whispered, immediately bending down to check the casing and interface of the metal box, and quickly operating the terminal to bring up the self-test program.

Lines of code and status reports flashed rapidly across the screen.

"Energy core reading abnormal... internal sensor module briefly overloaded... unknown signal interference... self-test passed, no hardware damage... re-initializing..." The terminal emitted a cold electronic voice.

Keith's brows furrowed tightly.

The equipment self-test showed a brief abnormality caused by "unknown signal interference," which had now recovered.

But in this deep underground outpost, where would an "unknown signal" strong enough to interfere with encrypted military equipment come from? Was it a natural geomagnetic anomaly? Or...

His gaze became sharp again, sweeping across the chamber, but this time, there was less intent to attack immediately and more deep doubt and inquiry.

He did not call for an alarm immediately but picked up the portable scanner and restarted the multi-spectrum scan.

This time, the scan range was wider, and the precision was set to the highest, focusing on detecting energy residuals and abnormal information disturbances.

Behind the corner, Ling Ye was panting (silently), his face pale.

That last move had almost exhausted most of his remaining Mental Energy, and his head felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, throbbing with pain.

But he had succeeded! He had temporarily interfered with the metal box!

However, the crisis was not resolved.

Keith clearly did not fully believe it was an "equipment failure"; he had started a higher-precision scan!

Although he had released his "Spiritual Sense" to interfere for only an instant and subtly, could it have left detectable "informational residuals" or "energy traces" in the air? Could the opponent's scanner capture it?

He had to leave immediately! He had to take advantage of the precious gap before the opponent's scan results came out, while their attention was occupied by the "equipment abnormality" and the scanning process!

He looked at the rock crevice passage he had come from, and then at the closed airtight door on the other side of the chamber.

Returning the way he came might mean running into a patrol.

Behind the airtight door, it was unknown, but perhaps it was another path, and since Keith had just left through that door, it might be safe for a short time?

There was no time to weigh the options! The humming sound of the scanner was increasing!

Ling Ye gritted his teeth and used his remaining Mental Energy to strengthen his body for an instant burst and control.

Like a venomous snake that had been lurking for a long time, he suddenly darted out from the shadows of the corner!

But he did not rush towards the rock crevice, nor did he rush towards the airtight door.

Instead, he rushed towards the inner side of the chamber, the corner where folding tables, chairs, and miscellaneous items were stacked, the furthest point from Keith and the scanner!

His movements were as fast as a ghost, yet light and silent; he didn't even kick up much dust when he landed.

As he darted out, his hand swept across the table like a phantom, silently scooping up the multi-function knife that belonged to him, which Keith had placed there earlier (he had taken it out during the cave inspection earlier), and tucking it into his sleeve.

Then, without stopping, he used his momentum to crouch low and, like a loach, slid into the shadows beneath the metal frame bed!

The space under the bed was piled with some empty supply boxes and discarded packaging, which provided perfect extra cover.

The entire process, from darting out to hiding under the bed, took no more than two seconds!

Almost the moment his body was completely submerged in the shadows under the bed—

"Beep, beep, beep!"

The scanner in Keith's hand emitted a sharp alarm!

On the screen, a clear light spot representing a brief high-energy information disturbance appeared at the corner of the chamber entrance!

Furthermore, an extremely faint but definitely existing "trajectory" extended from the corner, pointing towards... the inside of the chamber?!

"Something has been in here!" Keith growled, his pistol raised instantly, the muzzle aimed at the general direction indicated by the scanner—the interior of the chamber, including the bed area where Ling Ye was hiding!

His gaze swept across every corner like a hawk's, his finger on the trigger, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Come out! I know you're in here!" Keith shouted sternly, his voice echoing in the enclosed chamber.

"Show yourself, and you might still live!"

In the shadows under the bed, Ling Ye held his breath, his body pressed against the cold floor, his right hand gripping the multi-function knife he had just retrieved.

His trajectory had been discovered! The opponent had locked onto the general area!

Now, it was a fight of a trapped beast.

Should he continue to hide under the bed, betting that the opponent would not shoot at the bed immediately, or betting that the scanner could not pinpoint the area under the bed?

Or... should he burst out again before the opponent completely confirmed his location or called for reinforcements, to make a final stand?