94: Void Corridor and Remnants of Memory

The entrance to the hidden passage was like a fine wrinkle in the cosmic curtain, almost impossible to detect without the precise coordinates from the Guardian star charts. As the Expeditionary Fleet adjusted engine frequencies and entered this anomalous space, a sensation utterly different from conventional hyperspace travel enveloped everyone.

Outside the viewports were no longer the shimmering torrents of energy, but a profound, near-absolute darkness. Yet this darkness was not empty; within it seemed to float countless minute, dust-like specks of light, like frozen fragments of stars. Space itself felt viscous and sluggish, as if navigating through a kind of non-Newtonian fluid.

"Spatial curvature anomaly... conventional physical laws seem partially distorted here," the Navigator said, watching the fluctuating abnormal data on the screen, his tone a mix of wonder and wariness. "Speed is encountering unknown resistance, but the passage directionality is extremely stable. It is indeed a shortcut."

Sun Zheng could feel that the resonance from the glimmer keystone on his chest had become very faint here, as if the signal was being blocked or absorbed by this strange space. He attempted to expand his order resonance network, but his perception range was compressed to its limit, barely covering the fleet itself.

"Stay alert, proceed slowly," Sun Zheng ordered. This region marked as the 'Void Corridor' gave one an intensely uneasy feeling.

The fleet, like a few solitary boats, moved slowly forward through the viscous darkness. Time here seemed to have lost its meaning; only the low hum of the engines and the rhythmic ticking of instruments reminded them of reality's passage.

An unknowable amount of time passed—perhaps hours, perhaps days—when suddenly, some blurry light and shadow appeared in the darkness ahead.

"Detecting energy fluctuations ahead... very weak, but structurally complex," the Sensor Officer reported.

As the fleet drew closer, those light and shadow gradually became clearer. They were not physical entities, but more like holographic projections, silently playing out certain fragments in the void:

A vibrant green planet, enormous silver cities floating in the sky, various strange aircraft shuttling to and fro—it seemed to be a scene from the golden age of the 'Guardian' civilization.

Immediately, the scene shifted. Darkness descended, purple cracks spread across the sky, massive shadowy creatures poured forth like a tide, cities crumbled in flames—that was the moment of the 'Reaper' invasion, the civilization's destruction.

There were also other fragmented scenes: Guardian ships one after another sailing into the deep void, executing the 'Seed of Hope Plan'; survivors struggling amidst ruins; ancient rituals being performed in a certain temple, praying for the return of order... These light and shadow were intermittent, fragmented, as if historical dust inadvertently recorded in this strange space, or echoes of some collective consciousness.

"These are... Memory Phantoms?" Whispering Shadows stood beside Sun Zheng, speaking in a low voice. His fusion with the keystone made him more sensitive to these energy fragments.

"Perhaps more than just memory," Sun Zheng observed intently. "This 'Void Corridor' might be a special spatial dimension. It could be connected to some kind of... information sea or collective subconscious realm. The information fragments left by the Guardian Civilization have been captured and preserved by the spatial properties here."

He tried using the keystone to touch these phantoms. When Order Energy gently brushed over the light and shadow, some originally blurry fragments actually became a bit clearer, even transmitting faint emotional fluctuations—the pride of a glorious era, the despair of the moment of destruction, the determination to preserve the seed of hope.

"Watch out!" At that moment, the Sensor Officer suddenly issued a warning. "Detecting high-energy reactions approaching! From deep within the phantoms! Extremely fast!"

They saw the previously calm historical phantoms suddenly twist and churn violently, as if stirred by some force! Immediately after, several twisted entities composed of pure shadow energy, their forms unstable, lunged out from the phantoms, charging straight at the fleet! They exuded a devouring aura similar to the previous 'Void Phantoms,' but more solid, more... full of malice!

"It's 'Whispering Shadows'! The 'void whisper' used the memory phantoms here to set a trap!" Sun Zheng understood instantly. This corridor was not just a shortcut; it might also be a carefully laid hunting ground!

"Full shields! Prepare for combat!"

The shadow entities, like hungry sharks, frantically slammed into the fleet's Order Shields, devouring energy. Conventional weapons had minimal effect.

Sun Zheng tried using the Order Purification Field again, but this time, its effectiveness was greatly reduced. These shadow entities seemed entangled with the surrounding memory phantom energy, making purification exceptionally difficult.

"They are learning! Adapting to our Order Energy!" The Engineer discovered in horror that the shadow entities' attack patterns were changing, even beginning to mimic certain frequencies of Order Energy, attempting to penetrate the shields!

The battle reached a stalemate; shield energy continued to drop. In this bizarre corridor, the fleet was like being stuck in quicksand, trapped between advance and retreat.

They had to find the source of these shadow entities, or find a way out of this corridor!

Sun Zheng turned his gaze towards the depths of the still-churning memory phantoms. Perhaps the answer was hidden within these ancient echoes of the Guardian Civilization.

"All ships, converge on me! Concentrate shield energy!" Sun Zheng ordered. "Whispering Shadows, prepare an assault team. We may need to... enter those phantoms and take a look!"