Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 498 Another one who doesn't know what's good for him!

The ship was damaged in several places, and some compartments were emitting blue smoke. The main engines had shut down, and only the emergency thrusters were still barely running. Worse still, red lights were flashing incessantly on the instrument panels around the ship, emitting piercing alarm sounds.

"Captain, the navigation system has completely failed!" a young crew member shouted anxiously. "Our position cannot be determined; the star chart match has failed!"

"What about the communication system?" Captain Chen Yuanshan asked in a deep voice. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with a burly build and a resolute face. As a senior astronaut of the China Federal Space Agency, he had carried out dozens of space missions, but had never encountered such a difficult situation.

"The communication system has failed too!" Communications officer Li Wan shook her head, her face pale. "We can't contact Earth on any frequency band, not even the nearest space station. We...we seem to have been transported to a completely unknown region."

Chen Yuanshan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He knew what happened.

Three hours ago, the Starship was on a routine deep space exploration mission. They detected a strange energy fluctuation fifty light-years from Earth and set off to investigate.

Unexpectedly, that energy fluctuation turned out to be the entrance to a wormhole.

As they approached, the wormhole suddenly activated, and a tremendous gravitational pull drew the Starship inside. In those brief seconds, everyone lost consciousness. When they awoke, they found themselves in this unfamiliar star system.

“Wormhole teleportation…” Chen Yuanshan murmured, “We’ve been teleported to the other side of the universe.”

"Captain, what should we do now?" asked First Mate Wang Haitao. He was also an experienced astronaut, but at this moment, there was a hint of panic in his voice.

“First, calm down,” Chen Yuanshan said. “Panic won’t solve anything. Xiao Li, you continue trying to repair the communication system. Lao Wang, you take some men to check the main engine and see if it can be fixed. The rest of you, check all the ship’s systems and assess the damage.”

"Yes!" the crowd responded and began to get busy.

Chen Yuanshan stood in front of the command platform, looking at the unfamiliar starry sky outside the window, his heart heavy.

There were thirty-two people on board the Starship, including twenty crew members and twelve scientists. They were originally just carrying out a three-month deep space exploration mission, but unexpectedly encountered this unexpected turn of events.

"Captain!" the navigator, Xiao Zhou, suddenly shouted, "I've spotted something in the optical telescope!"

"What is that?" Chen Yuanshan walked over quickly.

Xiao Zhou pointed to the screen: "About 50,000 kilometers away in our 10 o'clock position, there's a planet. Judging from its appearance, it should be a rocky planet with an atmosphere, possibly suitable for life."

Chen Yuanshan stared thoughtfully at the grayish-brown planet on the screen.

“Where there are planets, there are galaxies,” he said. “Perhaps we can find supplies there, or find people who can help us.”

"Captain, do you mean...?" Wang Haitao asked.

“Let’s get closer and take a look,” Chen Yuanshan said. “It’s better than drifting aimlessly here. Xiao Zhou, calculate the course and use the emergency thrusters to slowly approach that planet.”

"Yes!"

The Starship slowly started up and headed towards that unknown planet.

However, at that moment, the alarm sounded again.

"Captain!" shouted the crew member in charge of radar monitoring, "Multiple unidentified flying objects detected at our six o'clock position! Approaching at high speed!"

Chen Yuanshan's expression changed: "What?!"

He rushed to the radar screen and saw more than a dozen bright spots appearing on the screen, approaching the Starship at an extremely fast speed.

"Spaceships!" Xiao Zhou exclaimed. "And not just one, there are at least fifteen! They're incredibly fast, more than ten times faster than us!"

"All personnel on high alert!" Chen Yuanshan shouted.

But he knew in his heart that what use was vigilance? The Starship was just a research vessel, without any weapons or equipment. If the other side was hostile, they would have no chance to fight back.

Soon, the fifteen spaceships came into view of the Starship.

These spaceships had a peculiar shape, completely different from Earth's spaceship designs. They were streamlined, with black hulls covered in various strange symbols and patterns. Each spaceship had two huge cannons mounted on its bow, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

“Alien spaceship…” Li Wan murmured, her voice trembling, “There really are aliens!”

"Signal received on the communications channel!" the communications officer suddenly shouted. "The other side is sending us a message!"

"Connect!" Chen Yuanshan commanded.

The communication screen lit up, revealing a chilling face.

It was a humanoid creature, but definitely not human. Its skin was bluish-gray, covered with bumps and scars. Its eyes were long and narrow, with golden pupils that gleamed with a greedy light. Its mouth was large, revealing two rows of sharp fangs when it opened.

"Hahahaha!" the creature let out a piercing laugh. "Another lost spaceship! Looks like natives from some remote planet; I've never seen this type of spaceship before."

Chen Yuanshan tried to calm himself down: "We are a scientific expedition team from Earth, no offense intended. May I ask who you are...?"

“Earth? Never heard of it,” the creature interrupted him. “But that doesn’t matter. Where you came from isn’t important. What matters is that you’re now in the hands of our ‘Blood Skull’ pirate crew.”

"Pirates?!" Chen Yuanshan's heart sank.

“That’s right, pirates,” the creature licked its lips, “your spaceship may be dilapidated, but it should still fetch a few dollars. As for you people… you all look quite healthy; you could get a good amount of crystal coins selling you on the slave market.”

"You can't do this!" Wang Haitao roared. "We are a peaceful scientific expedition team, you have no right to—"

"Rights?" the creature laughed loudly. "In this star system, strength equals power! What right do you weak insects have to talk to me about rights?"

It waved its hand: "I'll give you two choices. First, surrender obediently, and we'll only take your stuff, not kill you. Second, resist, and we'll blow your spaceship to pieces, leaving no one alive. You have three minutes to consider."

Communication was interrupted.

The command center of the Starship was deathly silent.

"Captain..." Li Wan's voice trembled with tears, "What should we do?"

Chen Yuanshan looked out the window at the fifteen black pirate ships, feeling bitter.

Surrender? That would mean they would become slaves and never be able to return to Earth.

Resist? They don't even have a single weapon, how can they resist?

"Captain," Wang Haitao said in a low voice, "are we... are we left with no choice but to surrender?"

Chen Yuanshan did not answer. His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Just then, a new spot of light suddenly appeared on the radar screen.

"Captain!" Xiao Zhou exclaimed, "Another spaceship has been spotted at our three o'clock position! It's approaching at high speed!"

"Pirates again?" Wang Haitao's face darkened further. "No...no!" Xiao Zhou's eyes widened. "This spaceship is faster than a pirate ship! And...its flight path...it's heading straight for the pirate ship!"

Everyone rushed to the window to look at the newly appeared spaceship.

It was a golden spaceship, much smaller than a pirate ship, but with smoother, more graceful lines. It moved at an astonishing speed, leaving a golden trail across the starry sky like a shooting star.

“That is…” Chen Yuanshan’s eyes widened.

The next moment, a shocking scene happened.

The golden spaceship suddenly slowed down and stopped less than a kilometer away from the pirate fleet. Then, the spaceship's hatch opened, and a figure flew out.

Yes, it flew out.

In the vacuum of space, the figure was not wearing any spacesuit, but only a black suit of armor, and floated in space as if walking on empty air.

"A human?" Chen Yuanshan exclaimed incredulously. "How could he survive in space?!"

"Captain, that man..." Wang Haitao pointed at the screen, his voice trembling, "He's glowing! He has a faint glow around him!"

Indeed, the man in black armor was enveloped in an almost invisible energy shield, isolating him from the vacuum and radiation of space. This ability had never been seen on Earth before.

The pirate fleet had clearly spotted the uninvited guest. The lead pirate ship turned, its cannons aimed at the man in black armor.

"Hahahaha!" the pirate leader's voice came through the public channel, "Another one who doesn't know his own limitations! Brothers, take him down!"

Fifteen pirate ships opened fire simultaneously.

Countless beams of energy shot toward the black-armored man, their density almost covering the entire space around him.

"It's over..." Li Wan covered her mouth, unable to bear to look.

However, the next second, everyone was stunned.

The man in black armor did not dodge. He simply hovered in place, letting the energy beams strike him.

However, the moment those energy beams touched his body, they vanished without a trace, like water droplets falling into the ocean. The energy shield around him rippled slightly, like waves on a lake, before returning to calm.

"This...this is impossible!" The pirate captain's voice turned terrified. "He...he could even withstand our cannon fire?! What kind of monster is he?!"

The man in black armor did not answer. He slowly raised his right hand, and a ball of black energy condensed in his palm.

"die."

A simple word, somehow, reached everyone's ears.

Then, the black energy transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the pirate ship fleet.

boom!
The first pirate ship was hit and exploded instantly, turning into countless fragments.

boom! boom! boom!
The black beam of light seemed to possess a life of its own, weaving through the pirate ships and causing an explosion with each strike. In just ten seconds, all fifteen pirate ships were reduced to nothing.

In the command center of the Starship, everyone was stunned.

“Ten…fifteen spaceships…” Xiao Zhou stammered, “One person…ten seconds…all wiped out…”

"Is this a god?" Li Wan murmured. "Is he a god?"

Looking out the window at the black-armored figure floating in space, Chen Yuanshan felt a complex mix of emotions. It was awe, shock, and a glimmer of hope.

That person... might be able to save them.

The man in black armor turned around and looked at the Starship. Although they were far apart, Chen Yuanshan felt that those eyes were watching him.

Then, the man moved. His figure vanished from his spot in an instant, like a ghost, and the next moment, he appeared outside the Starship's hatch.

"He...he's coming!" Wang Haitao exclaimed.

"Don't panic!" Chen Yuanshan took a deep breath. "He just eliminated the pirates, so he shouldn't be an enemy. Open the hatch and let him in."

"But……"

"Execute the command!"

The hatch slowly opened. The man in black armor walked in, and the energy shield around his body automatically dissipated.

Only then did Chen Yuanshan get a clear look at him.

This was a young man, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, with handsome features and deep-set eyes. His black armor was exquisitely crafted, exuding an aura of both technology and mystery. What surprised Chen Yuanshan most was that this person… clearly had a Chinese face.

"Are you Earthlings?" the young man asked calmly.

Chen Yuanshan paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes! We are a scientific expedition team from the Earth-China Federation! I am Captain Chen Yuanshan. May I ask who you are...?"

“My name is Rowan,” the young man said, “and I’m also from Earth.”

"Earthlings?!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Rowan nodded: "I didn't expect to meet my fellow Earthlings here. What brings you to the edge of Dark Planet?"

"Dark Star?" Chen Yuanshan asked, puzzled. "Where is this place? We were transported here through a wormhole and have no idea where we are."

“A wormhole…” Rowan mused. “No wonder. Dark Star is a planet located at the edge of the universe, about five hundred light-years from Earth. It’s one of the training bases of the Virtual Universe Company, specifically used to hone high-level martial artists. You were quite lucky to be able to teleport here via a wormhole.”

"Five hundred light-years?!" Chen Yuanshan's face turned pale. "We...we are five hundred light-years away from Earth?!"

“Yes,” Rowan said, “at the speed of your spaceship, even without eating or drinking, it would take tens of thousands of years to return to Earth.”

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, plunging everyone on the Starship into despair.

Tens of thousands of years... Doesn't that mean they can never go back?
“However,” Rowan changed the subject, “with the help of Virtual Universe Company, we could be back in a few days.”

"Really?!" Chen Yuanshan's eyes lit up. "What is Virtual Universe Company? Can it help us get back to Earth?"

“Virtual Universe Corporation is one of the largest organizations in the universe,” Rowan explained. “Its influence extends throughout the entire universe, possessing the most advanced technology and the most powerful martial artists. I am a member of Virtual Universe Corporation. If you wish, I can contact the company and have them send a spaceship to take you back to Earth.”

"Yes! Of course I'm willing!" Chen Yuanshan's voice trembled with excitement. "Mr. Luo, you are truly our savior! First, you wiped out those pirates, and now you're going to help us return to Earth. We don't know how to repay this immense kindness!"

(End of this chapter)