375: Extubation

As Morning Light's squad broke through numerous obstacles and gradually approached the final entrance to the deepest part, the passage ahead suddenly became exceptionally wide.

This was a colossal hemispherical space, with a towering dome emitting a soft glow. In the center of the space, two distinctive figures floated silently in mid-air.

They were clad in exquisite dark golden armor, surrounded by faint energy halos.

The figures' hands were pressed forward, causing subtle distortions in the surrounding space. Almost invisible luminous threads Entanglement their fingertips, slowly drifting in the air and emanating a dangerous aura.

"High-intensity energy signature detected! Characteristics match Pathstrider!"

"Stay alert, everyone. These are tough opponents."

Morning Light immediately raised his hand, signaling the squad to halt. All team members quickly dispersed, taking advantageous firing positions, their weapons aimed at the threat ahead.

"Maintain distance, and use probing attacks!" Morning Light calmly ordered.

Lin Tao was the first to open fire, his pulse rifle's high-energy particle beam aimed directly at the head of the figure on the left. However, just as the energy beam was about to hit its target, it seemed to strike an invisible wall, dissipating without a trace after creating a ripple in the air.

Almost simultaneously, the enemy on the right flicked his fingers, and several almost transparent energy threads shot towards the squad with astonishing speed. These threads were incredibly sharp, easily cutting through the metal floor in front of the team members, leaving deep marks.

"Scatter! Don't get tangled by the threads!" Morning Light shouted a warning.

Capable of creating an invisible barrier for defense, and possessing insidious, hard-to-detect long-range attacks. The initial engagement made the squad realize how difficult these two Pathstriders were.

"Adjust tactics. Use suppressive fire to test their range and defensive properties," Morning Light quickly decided.

Ten team members immediately split into three groups, launching attacks from different heights and angles. High-temperature plasma beams and high-explosive armor-piercing shell barrages wove into a net of fire, the varied and dense attacks forcing the enemies to focus solely on defense.

The dense net of fire firmly suppressed the two Pathstriders, their surrounding glows flickering, clearly indicating they were fully maintaining their defenses.

Morning Light caught a detail: these two enemies never attempted to close the distance for a counterattack. Instead, while blocking with their psychic barriers and energy threads, they subtly drifted backward, striving to maintain a relatively safe distance.

"They're afraid of close-quarters combat," Morning Light concluded. "Their core defense might be very fragile. Zhao Qiang, prepare for an overload assault; I'll open the way!"

"Captain, the risk is too high!" Lin Tao immediately objected, though his pulse rifle did not cease firing.

"Execute the order! Suppressive fire!" Before Morning Light finished speaking, the main thrusters on his battle armor's back suddenly erupted with a fierce plume of exhaust far exceeding normal, the dazzling blue light almost illuminating the entire hemispherical space as his armor entered an overloaded state!

The powerful thrust made him like a lightning bolt tearing through space, suddenly breaking from the formation and rushing towards the two Pathstriders with astonishing speed.

The closer Pathstrider reacted extremely quickly, his ten fingers dancing wildly. The countless energy threads that had been drifting instantly converged and intertwined, forming a shimmering, deadly net in front of him, attempting to block Morning Light's advance.

The threads cut through the air with a sharp hiss, sealing off most of the advance routes.

But Morning Light pushed his battle armor's performance and his own reaction speed to their limits. His figure made a series of incredible, minute directional changes during his high-speed charge, finding fleeting gaps in the dense net like a ghost.

The moment he broke through the thread blockade and entered optimal firing range, the specialized handheld plasma cannon in Morning Light's left hand had already finished charging. The scorching white energy sphere gathered at the muzzle emitted destructive fluctuations, and he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The Pathstrider clearly realized the threat of this attack and could no longer remain composed. He was forced to rapidly retract most of the psychic power used for overall defense, condensing it highly in front of him to form an invisible shield wall so thick it almost distorted light.

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening explosion erupted! The overloaded plasma cannon struck the shield wall, unleashing a dazzling light and violent shockwave comparable to a small sun.

Energy currents surged everywhere, and the entire space trembled violently.

Before the strong light of the explosion dissipated, Morning Light seized the opportunity, drawing the thermal oscillation dagger from his left waist with his right hand.

The dagger's blade instantly turned crimson, and high-frequency oscillations blurred the surrounding air. His target was crystal clear: the enemy's neck!

Just as the dagger, emanating high heat and high-frequency waves, was about to touch its target, an unexpected change occurred.

The more distant Pathstrider, seeing his companion in danger, suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly intense purple-gold light from his eyes. An invisible shockwave, far more powerful than any before, violently spread outwards from him like a tsunami!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The team members, who were fully engaged in suppressive fire, were caught off guard. They were thrown violently like they had been struck by a giant hammer, crashing into distant walls or the ground, their formation instantly shattered.

The swung dagger stopped dead, less than ten centimeters from the enemy's throat!

Morning Light felt an unimaginable immense force pressing in from all directions, as if the entire space was against him. His dagger-wielding right arm trembled violently, his muscle fibers groaned under the strain, and the crimson dagger was slowly forced back by that invisible force, moving further and further away from the Pathstrider's throat.

The joints of his battle armor emitted a grating "creak" sound, and fine cracks, like a spiderweb, began to appear on his reinforced faceplate, spreading rapidly.

"Cap...tain!" Lin Tao, the first to struggle to his feet after being thrown by the shockwave, saw Morning Light's perilous situation, his eyes bloodshot. He suppressed the discomfort of his churning insides and roared hoarsely: "Suppressive fire! Don't stop!"

Despite the incessant battle armor alarms and the sharp pain from multiple parts of their bodies, the other team members stubbornly raised their weapons again.

Although the fire density was not as great as before, it still provided effective harassment.

The Pathstrider who released the shockwave had to divert some of his attention and power to construct a psychic barrier at his side, fending off the continuous attacks.

Although these attacks could not directly breach his defenses, they did distract him, causing a momentary loosening of his suppression on Morning Light.

The pressure suddenly lightened.

Morning Light's combat instincts far surpassed those of ordinary people, and he immediately seized this fleeting opportunity. A low growl escaped his throat, and all his strength, like a volcanic eruption, poured into his right arm. The dagger surged forward several inches, its sharp tip almost touching the skin of the enemy's neck!

But just then, the Pathstrider, who had just slightly recovered from the shock of the overloaded plasma cannon explosion, also regained his awareness. Feeling the cold touch of death at his neck, he fearfully pressed all his psychic power, without reservation, back onto Morning Light.

The pressure, which had just eased, instantly doubled. Two powerful psychic forces, like two giant hydraulic presses, fiercely squeezed Morning Light from both sides.

He felt his bones groaning, his muscles seemingly tearing apart, the battle armor's structural alarms shrieked piercingly, and the cracks on his faceplate spread further. A trickle of fresh blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth, its metallic sweetness spreading in his oral cavity.

The dagger was again slowly pushed back by the combined force, the shadow of death thicker than ever before.

Just as Morning Light's vision began to blur and he was about to give out, a figure, like a long-prepared hawk, swooped down from the edge of a partially destroyed platform high above.

It was Lin Tao! He had used the brief lull to quietly outflank to a high ground. Now, he unleashed all of his battle armor's remaining thrust, holding an equally scorching oscillation dagger, and with lightning speed, he thrust it directly at the vital spot on the back of the Pathstrider's head who had released the shockwave.

Most of that enemy's energy was focused on maintaining the suppression on Morning Light and defending against the flanking fire, making his reaction to the deadly sneak attack from above fatally slow.

Although he instinctively tried his best to turn his head and dodge, Lin Tao's dagger still precisely pierced the back-side of his skull!

"Pfft!"

Accompanied by a grating sound and splashing blue liquid, the Pathstrider's movements suddenly stiffened, and the purple-gold light in his eyes flickered violently and erratically, like a faulty light bulb.

One of the powerful psychic forces suppressing Morning Light suddenly weakened, then spiraled out of control.

And the Pathstrider who was locked in a stalemate with Morning Light seemed to experience an extremely brief moment of shock and distraction due to his companion's sudden severe injury, causing a subtle disruption in his psychic power.

An opportunity!

Morning Light's will to fight surpassed his body's limits. He almost purely by instinct, condensed all his remaining strength into a single point, his right arm muscles bulging, and an inch-force burst!

"Swish!"

The blood-red dagger became a blurry afterimage, slicing across the enemy's neck with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, precise and ruthless. A clear blue bloodline instantly appeared.

But Morning Light's attack did not stop.

To ensure the complete elimination of this powerful enemy, his left hand, following his body's rotation, shot out like lightning, his five fingers like hooks, fiercely plunging into the gushing blue wound, gripping the warm bone inside.

Then, using his core strength, he yanked outwards!

"Crack!"

A chilling tearing sound echoed. Along with a more copious gush of blue blood and shattered tissue, the enemy's entire cervical spine was forcibly ripped from his body by Morning Light.

Lin Tao on the other side was equally merciless. As his dagger pierced the enemy's head, his free left hand had already formed a fist, delivering a heavy blow to the opponent's throat.

"Bang!"

A horrifying sound of bone shattering was clearly audible. The Pathstrider's neck twisted at an extremely unnatural angle, then broke.

The light in his eyes completely extinguished, and his body softly fell downwards.

The battle ended in a flash, the entire engagement, front to back, lasting less than a minute.

The two powerful Pathstriders became gradually lifeless husks, falling from where they had been suspended in mid-air.

Morning Light staggered, steadying himself by leaning on his dagger, breathing heavily, his face pale beneath his faceplate. Lin Tao landed not far away, also breathing unsteadily, but clearly in much better condition.

The team members quickly gathered, and the medic immediately performed emergency checks and treatment for everyone.

Aside from significant energy and ammunition consumption, minor internal injuries, and varying degrees of damage to several team members' battle armor, the squad miraculously suffered no serious injuries or casualties.

Truth be told, the only thing seriously damaged was Morning Light's faceplate.

What? You said bleeding? Couldn't that be stopped in three seconds?

"Quickly regroup, replenish energy, repair armor. We don't have time to rest," Morning Light wiped the blood from his mouth and swallowed a nutrient agent to restore his physical and mental strength.

The team members immediately followed orders, taking energy supplements and quickly repairing the most critical damage to their battle armor with their portable tools.

A few minutes later, the squad was reassembled. Though bearing the marks of battle, their morale was high. Their gazes collectively turned forward.

At the end of the hemispherical space, a majestic, hundred-meter-tall gate, entirely radiating a soft yet heart-pounding golden light, stood silently like the final barrier of a myth, awaiting their arrival.