353: Chapter 353 The materials are all ready

Qin Lin shared the news with everyone.

In the living room, the women sat together, watching the swirling energy storm on the holographic screen.

The image of the storm was a System simulation, not a real-time recording, because The Ark's optical sensors could not penetrate the energy barrier.

But even as a simulation, its terror was evident.

The energy writhed in space like countless snakes, and space itself tore open and healed, healed and tore open again, each opening and closing releasing blinding white light.

Han Qing looked at the storm, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Can The Ark withstand it?"

Qin Lin nodded. "Yes, but energy consumption will increase significantly; the protective shield needs to run at full power."

Li Ying leaned back in the massage chair, watching the storm.

"So, you intend to go in?"

Qin Lin nodded again. "The resources inside are enough for us to upgrade. Rather than searching slowly outside, it's better to resolve it all at once. The Ark's protective shield can hold, so we won't be in danger."

Li Ying glanced at him and didn't ask further.

Murong Xue stood behind the crowd, watching the storm on the holographic screen.

Her expression was very calm, but Qin Lin noticed that her hand was gripping the corner of her clothes tightly.

The Central Region was swallowed by a storm just like this.

The energy storm at the edge of the rift was more violent and larger in scale than this one.

Her family might have died in a storm just like this.

Qin Lin walked over to her side.

"Are you afraid?"

Murong Xue shook her head.

"No."

Qin Lin looked at her; her profile was cold in the light of the screen, her lips pressed together.

"I will help you find your family."

Murong Xue turned to look at him, silent for a long time, then said, "Okay."

The Ark turned and flew toward the storm region.

Qin Lin turned the protective shield's power to maximum, and the energy shield shifted from light purple to deep blue.

The hull began to tremble slightly as it approached the edge of the storm—not from instability, but from the resonance created by the friction between the protective shield and the storm's energy.

The view outside the window changed from the gray sky to swirling energy.

The psionic crystal storm was white, and the rift fragment storm was black; the black and white energies intertwined like two giant Dragons fighting in the sky.

The Ark passed through the outer periphery of the storm and entered the inner layer.

The energy density increased suddenly, and the deep blue light on the surface of the protective shield began to flicker; the energy consumption rate jumped from 5% to 15%, stabilizing around 18%.

Qin Lin looked at that number and breathed a sigh of relief.

With an 18% consumption rate, The Ark's energy reserves could handle it.

He activated the automatic extraction function; mechanical arms extended from both sides of the hull, and energy beams shot toward the ground below.

psionic crystals and tianxuan crystal cores were captured by The Ark's energy field, drawn out from deep underground, and turned into glowing rivers that poured into The Ark's cargo hold.

The numbers on the holographic screen began to jump.

psionic crystal +50, +80, +120. tianxuan crystal core +10, +20, +30.

The upgrade Materials collection progress jumped from 87% to 89%, then to 92%.

Qin Lin leaned back in his chair, looking at the numbers, feeling a sense of "harvest."

In the living room, the women looked through the windows at the storm outside.

The black and white energies intertwined and swirled outside the window like an abstract painting.

Han Yurou stood by the window holding Qin Yue. Qin Yue looked at the storm outside; instead of being afraid, she reached out to touch the glass and went "wow."

Han Yurou held her a little tighter.

Li Ying sat in the massage chair with her eyes closed, but she wasn't asleep; she was listening to the sound of the storm.

The Ark was well soundproofed, but that low-frequency sound, like the earth breathing, could not be blocked out.

Listening to that sound, she remembered the blizzard during the Earth's apocalypse; back then, she had also listened to the wind like this, waiting for a tomorrow she didn't know if she would ever see.

Su Yuran sat on the sofa holding Qin An. Qin An was already three years old; he was no longer the little baby who only knew how to chew on stuffed toys.

He looked at the storm outside the window, his eyes filled not with fear, but with curiosity.

"Mommy, what's happening outside?"

His voice was milky and childish.

Su Yuran looked down at him and kissed him on the forehead.

"The Ark is collecting energy so it can take us to further places."

Qin An nodded as if he understood, pressing his face against the window glass, his exhaled Qi forming a patch of white mist on the glass.

Murong Xue stood on the Bridge, behind Qin Lin.

She watched the jumping numbers on the holographic screen and the swirling energy storm outside the window.

Her hometown, the Murong Clan, was in the other direction of the storm.

She didn't know what it had become now, but she knew that when The Ark upgraded to Lv10 and her cultivation was high enough, she would go back to see.

Qin Lin turned his head to look at her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Murong Xue snapped out of her thoughts.

"I was thinking about when I'll be able to go back."

Qin Lin didn't ask "go back where," because he knew.

He reached out and patted her shoulder gently.

"Soon."

Murong Xue looked at him without speaking.

The Ark stayed in the storm for a long time.

The psionic crystals and tianxuan crystal cores in the cargo hold piled up higher and higher, and the upgrade Materials collection progress jumped from 92% to 95%, then from 95% to 98%.

[Upgrade Materials collection progress: 98%]

[Remaining requirement: 12 units of tianxuan crystal core, 30 units of psionic crystal.]

[Estimated time remaining in the storm: 8 hours.]

Qin Lin looked at the number and felt reassured.

After 8 hours, the Materials would be enough.

The Ark's protective shield operated stably within the storm, with the energy consumption rate consistently maintained between 18% and 22%, completely within the acceptable range.

The Ark remained in the storm for several more hours.

The tianxuan crystal cores and psionic crystals in the cargo hold finally filled the last gap.

On the holographic screen, the upgrade Materials collection progress jumped to 100%.

[Lv9 → Lv10 upgrade Materials are complete]

[Upgrade conditions unlocked]

[Confirm upgrade?]

Qin Lin looked at the line of text but did not confirm immediately.

The Ark was still in the storm; although the protective shield could hold, The Ark could not move during the upgrade, and the protective shield's energy distribution would be affected.

He didn't intend to upgrade here; he would wait for The Ark to leave the storm region and find a safe place first.

He tapped "Pause" on the control console and closed the upgrade confirmation interface.

The Ark's automatic extraction System stopped working, the mechanical arms retracted, and the energy beams extinguished.

The numbers in the cargo hold stopped jumping, and the upgrade Materials collection progress remained at 100%.

Qin Lin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the swirling energy storm outside.

The black and white energies were still intertwining outside the window, but they were weaker than when they first entered, and the center of the storm was slowly calming down.

"Return," he set the return coordinates on the control console.

The Ark turned and flew toward the edge of the storm.

The light of the protective shield slowly shifted from deep blue back to light purple, and the energy consumption rate dropped from 22% to 12%.

The storm outside the window grew further away and smaller, finally disappearing behind the horizon.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

Murong Xue walked onto the Bridge and stood beside Qin Lin.

"Are the Materials collected?"

Qin Lin nodded.

"Yes."

Murong Xue was silent for a moment, then said, "Are we going to upgrade next?"

Qin Lin nodded again.

"We'll upgrade once we find a safe place."