207: A successful gamble and fragments of the "Star Core"

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Wen Youyi and the other five held their breath, their gazes locked tightly on the direction of the energy vortex where those few "Flowing Silver" had vanished. The colorful, constantly twisting and rotating turbulent energy now appeared to them like the maw of a man-eating beast, filled with the unknown and danger.

Zhao Iron Pillar clenched his fists, his palms slick with sweat; Wang Wu bit his lip unconsciously; Senior Brother Li kept adjusting the parameters of the detection Magical Artifact in his hand, attempting to capture even a faint signal. Wen Youyi was even more focused, his Mental Energy like a taut string, maintaining that tenuous, enticing connection through the star core fragment, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Every second felt exceptionally long.

The vortex continued to roar, and the energy fragments it flung out exploded not far away, reminding everyone of just how perilous this place was.

"It's been nearly the time it takes to burn an incense stick... those few hunks of iron, could they..." Zhao Iron Pillar couldn't help but mutter in a low voice. He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the meaning—could they have gone and not returned, completely torn apart by the vortex?

Just as everyone's hearts were gradually sinking, and even Wen Youyi began to doubt if his "fishing" plan was too whimsical—

At the edge of the energy vortex near the core area, the twisted light and shadow suddenly fluctuated violently!

Immediately after, a streak of silver light, like a fish swimming against the current, struggled to break free from the destructive turbulent energy!

It was one of the "Flowing Silver"! It had come out!

But the state of this "Flowing Silver" was extremely poor. Its originally condensed silver body had become somewhat scattered, with tiny silver droplets constantly being stripped away and annihilated at the edges. Its overall radiance had dimmed to the extreme, like a candle in the wind, and the thoughts it transmitted were weak and painful; it had clearly suffered heavy damage.

However, in the center of its somewhat scattered silver liquid, it was tightly wrapped around something!

That thing was about the size of a fist, entirely a deep, dark blue that seemed to contain a starry sky. Its surface was covered in naturally formed, profound and complex patterns, and it was emitting a gentle, pure, yet immensely powerful stellar fluctuation! This fluctuation was of the same origin as the star core fragment within Wen Youyi's body, but it was more than ten times stronger! Just by sensing this fluctuation, everyone felt the circulation of their spiritual power become smoother, and their spirits were invigorated!

"It's it! A larger star core fragment!" Senior Brother Li's voice was distorted with excitement!

That heavily injured "Flowing Silver" seemed to have exhausted all its strength. Wrapping around that dark blue star core fragment, it wobbled as it "floated" toward Wen Youyi and the others, its speed pitifully slow. The thoughts it transmitted were left only with the most instinctive "delivery" and "desire for reward."

But before it could even get close, another change occurred!

Two more streaks of silver light suddenly rushed out of the energy vortex! It was two other "Flowing Silver"! Their condition was not much better than the first; their bodies were similarly scattered and their radiance dim, but they too had succeeded! One was wrapped around a slightly smaller, yet still astonishingly energetic dark blue fragment; the other was even more extreme, actually dragging a broken, basin-sized dark gold metal plate, which was covered in dense, ancient runes, emitting an aura similar to the star core but even more ancient and obscure!

The appearance of these three "victors" seemed to stimulate the "Flowing Silver" group that was still watching and picking up scraps on the periphery of the vortex. Seeing their companions actually bring out such "delicacies" from the "Dragon's Den," the remaining "Flowing Silver" went completely crazy! They were no longer satisfied with the energy crystals on the periphery, emitting a sharp, excited wave of thoughts as they surged toward the depths of the energy vortex like a silver tide, one after another!

"Come back! Danger!" Wen Youyi exclaimed in his heart, trying to stop them, but it was already too late. Greed had overwhelmed reason, and more "Flowing Silver" rushed into the vortex.

In an instant, the energy vortex seemed to be enraged, its rotation suddenly accelerated, and the colorful light inside flashed wildly!

"Puff, puff, puff, puff—"

A series of slight popping sounds rang out, like bubbles bursting. Those "Flowing Silver" that had just rushed in, with slightly weaker strength, had no power to resist in the face of the more violent turbulent energy and the abruptly appearing spatial rifts, instantly being torn apart and annihilated, turning into the most basic energy particles without leaving a single trace!

Only a few exceptionally strong and lucky ones managed to withstand the first wave of impact and continued to venture deeper inside.

This scene made Wen Youyi and the others' scalps tingle, and at the same time, they broke into a cold sweat for those three "triumphant" warriors.

The three "Flowing Silver" finally arrived not far in front of Wen Youyi, wobbling. They seemed to have difficulty even maintaining their form, gently placing the "spoils" they had each "carried" back onto a relatively flat piece of metal wreckage, then collapsed to the side, their silver liquid flowing slowly as if losing vitality, transmitting thoughts of extreme weakness and a "begging to be fed."

Wen Youyi suppressed the excitement in his heart and a trace of guilt for those annihilated "Flowing Silver," and immediately stepped forward. He first took out a few of the highest quality Spirit Stones from his bosom, carefully using Star Power to guide the pure energy within and slowly infusing it into the bodies of the three extremely weak "Flowing Silver."

Having received the energy replenishment, the radiance of the three "Flowing Silver" recovered somewhat at a speed visible to the naked eye, and their scattered bodies became solid again, transmitting thoughts of satisfaction and dependence, affectionately rubbing against Wen Youyi's hand (if that could be considered a hand).

After soothing the "meritorious heroes," Wen Youyi finally turned his gaze to the three "spoils" that had been obtained at such great risk.

The largest dark blue star core fragment felt warm and smooth to the touch, pulsating slightly as if it had life, with starlight circulating inside, its vast energy like a sleeping ocean. Wen Youyi could feel that the fragment inside his own body was rejoicing, while also carrying a trace of awe.

The slightly smaller one was equally extraordinary, with pure energy.

And that broken dark gold metal plate was even more mysterious. The runes on it were ancient and complex; Wen Youyi felt dizzy just after looking at it for a glance, and the amount of information contained within it was unimaginably huge. Senior Brother Li was even more like he had found a treasure, his hands shaking with excitement: "This... what is recorded on this, is very likely the core power matrix of an ancient starship or some kind of rule application technology!"

We struck it rich! This time we really struck it rich!

Not only did we find a powerful energy source sufficient to support the long-term development of the base, but we may have also obtained crucial ancient technology!

"Quick! Put it away! We are leaving here immediately!" Wen Youyi suppressed his wild joy and decisively gave the order. The energy vortex had become extremely unstable due to the crazy actions of the "Flowing Silver," and this place was not suitable for a long stay.

He carefully put away the two star core fragments, and the metal plate was left to Senior Brother Li for safekeeping. Everyone stopped lingering, and they couldn't afford to wait for the "Flowing Silver" that might still be fighting for their lives in the vortex, so they began to evacuate along the way they came at the fastest speed.

It was difficult when they came, but the return journey was much faster because they were eager to return and were familiar with the path.

When they finally saw the familiar silhouette of "Bedrock Base" and the automatic turrets flashing with silver light at the entrance from afar, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, revealing smiles of survivors who had escaped a disaster.

They had won this gamble of venturing deep into dangerous territory! And they had won big!

The future of "Spark" will surely be completely changed because of this harvest!

(End of chapter)