17: Core Crisis and Time-Space Raid

A giant plasma sphere, over ten meters in diameter, condensed at the top of the Stormcaller, emitting destructive energy fluctuations that warped the surrounding air.

If this strike landed, the Command Center would surely be annihilated, and Sun Zheng would have no chance of survival!

"Intercept! Stop it at all costs!" Sun Zheng's voice was distorted by the extreme danger. He tried to use his spatial ability to move the entire Command Center, but as soon as his mental power touched the massive structure, he felt like an ant trying to shake a tree—it was impossible!

"patriot missile, full volley! Target the plasma sphere!"

"prism tower, focus fire on the Stormcaller!"

The surviving defensive towers maximized their firepower. Several patriot missiles, trailing flames, crashed into the plasma sphere, but were detonated prematurely by the high-temperature plasma field before contact, only slightly reducing the plasma sphere's size and failing to prevent its launch! The prism tower beams struck the Stormcaller's shield, creating ripples but failing to break through.

The plasma sphere detached from the Stormcaller, howling with death, and hurtled towards the Command Center like a falling purple sun! Its speed was despair-inducing!

At this critical moment, Sun Zheng's gaze suddenly fell upon the Chrono Legionnaire, which had just finished cooling down! An extremely risky, almost insane thought flashed through his mind!

"Chrono Legionnaire! The target isn't the plasma sphere, it's the space behind it! Create a temporary Chrono Rift!" Sun Zheng roared with all his might! He remembered that Chrono technology in the game could warp space!

The Chrono Legionnaire didn't hesitate. Its Chrono Emitter aimed at the trajectory behind the plasma sphere, and a blue light, more condensed and profound than ever before, shot out!

The blue light didn't directly touch the plasma sphere, but instead tore open a fleeting, extremely unstable miniature Chrono Rift in its path!

The high-speed plasma sphere plunged headfirst into this warped space!

There was no explosion, no deafening sound. Under everyone's astonished gaze, that destructive energy seemed to be half-erased by an invisible hand. The remaining portion, due to the drastic change in spatial structure, underwent an unpredictable deflection, carving a bizarre arc, grazing the edge of the Command Center, and crashing into the ground in the distance, creating a huge crater!

The Command Center shook violently, its external armor scorched red, but its main structure remained intact!

It was blocked!

This stroke of genius operation caused the entire battlefield to pause!

"Well done!" Sun Zheng was so excited he almost jumped! His creative use of Chrono abilities in a desperate situation had saved the base's core!

The Stormcaller also seemed to enter a brief state of paralysis due to this full-power attack and the bizarre redirection of its energy; its surrounding shield visibly dimmed.

An opportunity!

"All units still capable of movement! Concentrate fire! Take down that jellyfish!" Sun Zheng seized this fleeting strategic opportunity!

The recently saved multifunction infantry vehicle and Rocket Trooper, along with the prism tank at the front, unleashed all their ammunition frantically upon the Stormcaller!

Stripped of its shield protection, the psionic unit's fragile body was exposed! Missiles and prism beams exploded on its semi-transparent body. It emitted a high-pitched, headache-inducing wail, its body rapidly deflated like a leaking balloon, and finally turned into a charred wreck falling from the sky.

One of the biggest threats, the psionic unit Stormcaller, was eliminated!

However, the battle was far from over. Without the Stormcaller's interference and cover, the enhanced devourer tank and the Eradicator, which had just recovered from the abdominal strike, became even more furious!

The devourer's main cannon continuously bombarded, completely destroying a prism tower! The Eradicator burrowed underground again, clearly intending to sabotage the base facilities from within.

"Don't let it succeed! Engineer, grab the high explosives and follow me!" A fierce glint flashed in Sun Zheng's eyes. He decided to act personally, using the homeworld space's mobility to deal with this underground threat!

He took an Engineer and several high explosives, instantly teleporting via a Spatial Anchor near the hole left by the Eradicator's earlier emergence.

"Commander, it's too dangerous!" the Engineer exclaimed.

"No time! Give me the Dynamite!" Sun Zheng snatched the Dynamite, and with a thought, stored it all in his homeworld space. Then he took a deep breath and actually leaped into the deep, dark hole!

"Commander!"

In the few seconds of falling down the hole, Sun Zheng saw the massive metallic body of the Eradicator digging below. Without hesitation, he took out all the high explosives from his homeworld space and precisely placed them at the critical connection point between the Eradicator's drill and its body!

"Goodbye!"

With another thought, Sun Zheng instantly returned outside the Command Center via the Spatial Anchor!

As soon as he appeared, he heard a muffled thunder-like roar from beneath his feet! The entire lunar surface shook!

Deep underground, a violent explosion occurred at the location where the high explosives were placed! The digging Eradicator was blown to pieces from within!

Three powerful Scrin siege units were successively destroyed under Sun Zheng's series of risky maneuvers and precise command!

On the battlefield, only the lone, scarred enhanced devourer tank remained for now.

The scales of victory seemed to be tilting.

But before Sun Zheng could catch his breath, an urgent communication came again from the Combat Laboratory, its tone filled with unprecedented panic:

"Commander! Spatial fluctuation readings... they're back! This time... the signal source... is the Ancient Ruins-01!"