580: Chapter 576 Hidden Entrance

A series of questions flooded Kairos's mind, giving him a splitting headache.

He had initially thought that finding Aires's trail would be a simple rescue mission, at most encountering some Chaos Void Beasts. He never expected the situation to become so complex, involving a Higher Universe civilization.

"Commander, we've detected that behind the barrier of this fake planet, there seems to be an even more massive energy signature. The range is vast—it doesn't resemble a single planet, but more like... a star System!" reported the crew member operating the detection instruments again, his tone a mix of excitement and fear. "But the concealment method of this barrier is too sophisticated. We can't find an entrance, nor can we penetrate the barrier to see what's truly inside. This technique is too miraculous; we are completely unable to decipher it!"

Kairos snapped back to attention, his gaze returning to the screen to carefully examine the waveform of the energy signature.

Indeed, just as the crew member said, hidden behind the barrier was an incredibly vast energy signature. Its range was extremely wide, far exceeding that of a single planet, vaguely outlining the shape of a star System. Clearly, behind the barrier, a star System was indeed concealed, hidden by some powerful cloaking method. They could neither find an entrance nor break through this cloaking barrier.

Kairos was filled with shock.

This cloaking method was too bizarre, too Advanced. He had never seen nor heard of anything like it. Whether it was the technology of the Tianxuan Universe, or the methods of the cultivation civilizations, Zerg civilizations, God Race civilizations, or Void Beast civilizations he had learned about, none possessed such formidable concealment capabilities—capable of perfectly hiding an entire star System and even fabricating a rocky planet as a cover for the entrance.

He attempted to mobilize his own Mid-Stage Star Cluster Level combat power, releasing a surge of immense energy towards the barrier in the planet's core region, trying to shatter it and find the entrance.

However, when his energy struck the barrier, it remained completely unmoved, not even producing a single ripple. His energy was instead absorbed by the barrier, having no effect whatsoever.

"Damn it!" Kairos cursed under his breath, a trace of irritation flashing across his face. As a mid-tier powerhouse of the Tianxuan Universe with Mid-Stage Star Cluster Level combat power, he couldn't even break a single barrier, let alone decipher the opponent's cloaking technique.

At that moment, a young crew member, wearing a hesitant expression, cautiously spoke up: "Boss, should we... request more Advanced detection equipment and reinforcements from higher command? We are completely unable to crack this cloaking method. Only with more Advanced equipment and stronger experts might we possibly find the entrance, break this barrier, and locate Aires's trail."

As soon as the words were spoken, Kairos whirled around, his gaze fierce as he glared at the crew member and roared, "Shut up, you useless fool!" His voice was full of rage, causing the crew member to tremble and quickly lower his head, not daring to speak another word.

"If higher command finds out that our twelve warships, along with me, the Commander, can't even handle a secret in a low-level universe bubble, can't even crack the barrier of a fake planet, next time, they probably won't assign us any field missions for ten thousand years!"

Kairos's tone was icy, carrying a warning. "By then, you'll all be stuck at the Tianxuan Universe base every day, waiting to be ordered around like grandsons, never getting another chance to play local overlord. Is that what you want?"

Hearing this, the other crew members all lowered their heads, not daring to speak, fear evident on their faces.

They all knew in their hearts that Kairos was telling the truth. The Tianxuan Universe's hierarchy was extremely strict. If a mission failed or performance was poor, they would not only face severe punishment but also be stripped of field mission opportunities, trapped at the base for life, living a miserable existence. This was what they feared most.

The command bridge fell deathly silent again. No one dared suggest requesting reinforcements from higher command anymore. Everyone kept their heads down, silent, afraid of angering Kairos.

Kairos took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. His gaze became firm and fierce, his tone cold as he declared, "Since we can't decipher it, then we won't! Brute force it is. I refuse to believe this barrier can withstand the full assault of twelve warships!"

After speaking, he immediately took out his communicator and issued a stern command: "All warship captains, listen up immediately! All twelve warships are to spread out, forming a circular encirclement. Completely surround this fake planet and the surrounding area. Activate all weapon Systems and prepare Galaxy-class shells for a full-power bombardment! One Galaxy-class shell is enough to destroy a star System. I refuse to believe we can't blast through this damned barrier and find that hidden star System entrance!"

"Yes, Commander!" The captains of the twelve warships immediately bowed in acknowledgment, not daring the slightest delay.

Upon receiving the order, the twelve warships immediately sprang into action. They spread out, forming a massive ring around the fake rocky planet. The distance between each ship was equal, completely sealing off the entire rocky planet and its surroundings. Then, all warships' weapon Systems activated. Cannons on the hulls slowly extended, radiating a heart-palpitating energy signature. Jet-black Galaxy-class shells, exuding an aura of destruction, were loaded into the barrels, ready to fire at any moment.

Galaxy-class shells were among the top-tier weapons of the Tianxuan Universe, possessing immense destructive power. A single shell's force was sufficient to annihilate an entire star System, capable of easily tearing through the space of a low-level Universe and destroying any low-level Universe civilization's defenses. Even a Star Domain-level expert, if hit by a Galaxy-class shell, would suffer severe injuries or even perish.

"All units, stand ready. Countdown: three, two, one, fire!" Kairos's voice, transmitted through the communicator, reached every warship's command bridge, carrying a tone of anger and frustration.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"

As Kairos's command was issued, the twelve warships simultaneously fired their Galaxy-class shells. Twelve black shells, carrying world-ending destructive force, tore through the icy void of space, hurtling towards the fake rocky planet and the barrier at its core region. The shells streaked across the Void Realm, leaving behind trails of black energy. The surrounding space warped and tore under the shells' power, emitting a piercing roar. The entire cosmic space trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

Kairos and the detection team members all retreated, moving away from the planet's surface. Simultaneously, they released their own energy to construct a defensive barrier to withstand the shockwaves from the bombardment. Their faces showed anticipation, hoping that through this brute-force method, they could shatter the barrier, find the hidden star System entrance, and locate Aires's trail.

However, the very next second, a shocking scene unfolded.

The twelve Galaxy-class shells slammed fiercely into the barrier at the planet's core region and the surrounding Void Realm. Yet, the expected explosion and barrier-shattering scene did not materialize. The barrier hidden in the Void Realm remained completely unmoved, not even producing a single ripple, as if those Galaxy-class shells had merely struck a pocket of air.

Even more terrifying, the energy from the twelve Galaxy-class shells was completely reflected back by the barrier, transforming into waves of black energy shockwaves that surged towards the twelve warships. The power of these energy shockwaves was immense, no less formidable than the Galaxy-class shells themselves. Wherever they passed, space violently warped and collapsed, emitting a piercing roar as they rapidly closed in on the twelve warships.

"Not good! Energy reflection! Activate defense Systems immediately, full defense!" Kairos's face paled, his heart filled with terror. He immediately roared into the communicator while mobilizing all his combat power, releasing a surge of powerful energy towards the reflected energy shockwaves, attempting to weaken their force and protect the warships and his crew's safety.