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

Chapter 299 Danger is Imminent
Thor frowned. "This isn't a good sign. There are too many unknown forces in the universe, some of which can affect the mind. Rowan, are you possessed by something?"

“No, it’s not like that,” Rowan shook his head. “That voice… how should I put it? It felt familiar, yet strange. It was as if it were connected to me in some way, yet separated by time and space.”

Hong approached the stone box, carefully examining the patterns on it, but didn't touch it: "These symbols... seem to be remnants of an ancient cosmic civilization. I've seen similar accounts in some ancient books; it's said that certain ancient civilizations possessed telepathic technology, enabling them to establish contact with specific individuals across time and space."

Thor glanced around warily. "Whatever it is, we have more pressing issues now. Shadow clearly has a peculiar interest in this stone box, and his behavior is highly unusual. A normal captain wouldn't detain a teammate over something like this."

“I noticed that too,” Hong nodded. “He overreacted to the crate. Logically, we're only responsible for escorting it; we don't need to know the contents. But Ying seems to know a lot about this stone crate, and he's unusually nervous.”

Rowan suddenly remembered something: "Wait, was this stone box mentioned on our mission list? I remember it only contained ordinary trade goods and research equipment."

Thor and Hong exchanged a glance and shook their heads simultaneously.

“No,” Thor confirmed. “The mission list doesn’t mention any stone chests, especially not one with this special seal.”

“That’s strange,” Rowan frowned. “If this isn’t within our mission scope, why is Shadow so concerned about it? More importantly, why is it on our ship?”

Just then, the spaceship suddenly shook violently, and all three nearly lost their balance. Immediately afterward, alarms blared throughout the entire ship:

"Warning! The spacecraft has entered the edge of a chaotic star system. Strong spatial turbulence detected. All personnel, return to your posts immediately and secure protective devices! Repeat: Strong spatial turbulence detected."

“We have to get out of here immediately,” Thor said, steadying the swaying shelf. “The spatial turbulence in the Chaotic Galaxy is no joke; if the protective systems fail, we’ll all be in danger.”

Rowan, however, remained rooted to the spot, his gaze still fixed on the mysterious stone box: "You guys go first, I want to take another look at this."

"Don't be silly!" Thor grabbed Rowan's arm. "Do you want to give Shadow another reason to arrest you? Besides, the spatial turbulence in the Chaotic Galaxy is no joke. The cargo hold has the lowest level of protection; if something goes wrong, this will be the first place to collapse."

Hong nodded in agreement: "Thor is right, Rowan. Whatever secrets this stone box holds, it's not worth the risk. Let's leave here first and figure out a way to investigate once the ship is stable."

Rowan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. The three of them quickly moved towards the cargo hold exit, but just as they were about to leave, Rowan couldn't help but look back one last time.

In that instant, he seemed to see the patterns on the stone box flicker, emitting an even brighter blue light, and the calling voice echoed in his mind once more:
"Rowan, we'll meet again."

"Rowan! Hurry up!" Thor shouted from ahead.

Rowan shook his head, trying to shake off the sound, and quickly caught up with his companion. The three hurriedly left the cargo hold and ran along the swaying corridor towards the cockpit.

The spacecraft was in a state of emergency. Red warning lights were flashing, and all hatches were automatically closing, leaving only essential exits. The astronauts were frantically moving between workstations, checking equipment and ensuring the spacecraft's safety systems were functioning properly.

“We need to get to the control room,” Hong said, his voice trembling slightly from the violent shaking. “It has the highest level of protection and can monitor the entire ship.”

Rowan and Thor nodded and followed Hong into a side corridor. However, just as they were about to reach the control room, a familiar figure blocked the doorway—Shadow was standing there, coldly watching them.

“I thought you’d all obediently return to your posts,” Shadow said, her tone laced with cold sarcasm. “Looks like the three of you are all looking for trouble.”

Thor stepped forward: "Listen, Shadow, this is not the time for infighting. The ship is in danger; we need everyone to be at their posts."

Shadow sneered, "Precisely because the spaceship is in danger, I need to make sure no one takes advantage of the situation to do anything they shouldn't. Especially you, Rowan, you've already shown an unusual interest in that stone box."

Rowan felt a surge of annoyance: "I've already said I don't know how I got there! If you really care about the ship's safety, you should let us in to help, instead of arguing pointlessly here!"

Just then, the spaceship shook violently again, this time with greater force, causing everyone to lose their balance and fall to the ground. The alarms blared even louder, and the mechanical female voice of the main control computer echoed throughout the spaceship:
"Serious warning: The protective shield's energy has dropped to 53%, and abnormal spatial turbulence has been detected. All personnel are requested to prepare for an emergency evacuation."

Shadow leaned against the wall to stand up, his face growing even more grim. "The situation has changed. I need to return to the cockpit. But that doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook, especially you, Rowan. Once we've safely traversed the chaotic star system, I will continue to pursue this matter."

After saying that, Ying turned and left, quickly walking towards the cockpit.

Thor helped Rowan up: "Are you alright?"

“I’m fine,” Rowan said, stretching his slightly aching shoulder, “but I’m worried about the ship’s condition. The spatial turbulence in chaotic star systems is always unpredictable, and if the shield’s energy continues to drop, we might be in trouble.”

Hong had already stood up and was checking the ship's status through the emergency terminal in the corridor: "The situation isn't good. The spatial turbulence is much stronger than expected, and it seems to be intensifying. At this rate, the shields might not last until we pass through the edge of the chaotic galaxy."

"Is there any way to enhance the protective shield?" Luo Wen asked, walking over to Hong's side to check the data on the terminal together.

Hong shook his head: "The main energy has been used entirely for the protective shield, unless..." He suddenly paused, as if he had thought of something.

“Unless what?” Thor pressed.

“Unless we can find an additional energy source.” Hong looked at Rowan and Thor. “Do you remember that paper published last month by the Alliance Academy of Sciences? It was about how to utilize the energy of space turbulence itself to enhance a spaceship’s protection.”

Rowan suddenly realized: "I remember! That paper proposed a new type of energy converter that can transform the chaotic energy of space turbulence into ordered energy, which can be used to enhance the spacecraft's protection system."

“The problem is,” Thor frowned, “that technology is still in the theoretical stage, and our ship shouldn’t be equipped with such a device.”

Hong revealed a mysterious smile: "Actually, I secretly checked the ship's equipment list before boarding. Our ship is indeed equipped with an experimental space energy converter, located in the equipment bay next to the engine room."

Rowan and Thor looked at Hong in surprise. "When did you check the equipment list?" Thor asked.

“Before undertaking any mission, I try to understand my surroundings as much as possible,” Hong shrugged. “It’s a basic survival skill.”

Rowan nodded. "Alright, let's activate that converter now. If it works, we can safely traverse the Chaotic Galaxy."

“The problem is,” Hong’s expression turned serious, “that converter is in the captain’s private area, requiring the highest level of clearance to access. Moreover, I suspect Shadow won’t let us get close easily.”

Thor clenched his fist, making a cracking sound. "Then let's force our way in. There's no time for formalities. If the ship disintegrates in the chaotic star system, we're all doomed."

Rowan pondered for a moment: "No, forcibly breaking in will only cause a bigger conflict. We need a smarter approach."

Just then, Rowan suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Wait, I have an idea. We can enter the equipment bay through the maintenance passage. Those passages generally don't require particularly high clearance, and Shadow probably wouldn't expect anyone to enter through there."

Hong's eyes lit up: "That's right, the maintenance access road! I remember seeing it on the equipment list; maintenance access road number 1 is connected to the equipment compartment."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Thor said anxiously, "Let's get started!"

The three quickly devised a simple plan: Hong would hack into the system and unlock the security lock on the maintenance passage; Thor would be in charge of guarding the area to prevent being discovered by Shadow or other crew members; and Rowan would be responsible for operating the space energy converter, as he had studied the principles of similar devices.

They quickly moved to the nearest maintenance entrance, and Hong took a small hacking tool from his pocket and connected it to the security panel next to the entrance.

“Give me two minutes,” Hong said, his fingers flying across the tools. “I’ve dealt with this kind of security system many times; it’s not too difficult.”

Thor stood guard in the corridor, while Rowan pondered how to activate the converter most effectively. Based on his knowledge, the space energy converter required precise parameter settings to transform chaotic spatial turbulence energy into usable protective energy.

In less than two minutes, Hong successfully cracked the safety lock. The hatch in the maintenance passage slowly opened, revealing a narrow pipe.

“Success,” Hong said with a smile, “but we need to hurry, the system might detect the anomaly and issue an alarm.”

The three quickly squeezed into the maintenance passageway. It was much narrower than a normal corridor, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, and surrounded by various pipes and equipment. The passageway was dimly lit, with only a few emergency lights providing illumination. They had to stoop to move forward, sometimes even crawling through particularly narrow areas.

“According to my memory,” Hong led the way, his voice sounding somewhat strange due to the echo in the narrow space, “the equipment bay should be about two hundred meters ahead.”

The spaceship continued to shake violently, making their movement even more difficult. Several strong jolts nearly caused Rowan to lose his balance, but Thor managed to catch him in time.

"The shield's energy has dropped to 43%," the spacecraft's broadcast system continued, reporting the deteriorating situation. "All non-essential personnel, please proceed to the escape pods and prepare for evacuation."

“We need to speed things up,” Thor urged from behind. “It sounds like things are worse than we thought.”

After a nearly twenty-minute arduous trek, the three finally reached the equipment bay entrance. It was a metal door much smaller than a regular hatch, covered with warning signs and various safety instructions.

“This is it,” Hong said softly, taking out his hacking tools again and connecting them to the security panel next to him. “The security level here is much higher than outside; it might take a few minutes.”

Thor anxiously looked at both sides of the passageway: "Hurry, I feel the ship shaking more and more violently."

Rowan leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling dizzy. The mysterious voice reappeared in his mind, this time clearer than before:
"Rowan, danger is imminent."

"Did you hear anything?" Rowan asked, his brow furrowed.

Thor and Honduran shook their heads in confusion.

"Nothing but the roar of the spaceship engines and the alarms," ​​Thor said. "Are you alright?"

Rowan shook his head, trying to concentrate: "It's nothing, I was probably just too nervous."

Just then, Hong cheered, "It's done!" The equipment bay door slowly opened, revealing a room filled with all sorts of high-tech equipment.

The three quickly entered the equipment compartment and closed the door behind them. The room was larger than they had imagined, about fifty square meters, with various control panels and monitoring devices installed on the walls. In the center of the room was a huge machine that looked like a spherical energy converter, surrounded by several smaller control panels.

“That’s the space energy converter,” Hong said, pointing to the central device. “Theoretically, it should be able to capture the spatial turbulence in chaotic star systems and convert it into ordered energy to strengthen the spaceship’s shield.”

Rowan stepped forward and began inspecting the converter's control panel: "It seems this device is indeed based on the paper from the Alliance Academy of Sciences, but with some improvements. The control interface is more simplified, presumably for quick operation in emergencies."

Thor stood guard at the doorway: "Then let's start it quickly, we don't have much time."

Rowan nodded and began inputting commands on the control panel. With a series of key presses and adjustments, the converter began to emit a slight hum, and the spherical core slowly lit up, emitting a blue-white light.

“Initialization complete,” Rowan said, his eyes fixed on the constantly changing data on the screen. “Now we need to set the capture parameters, this is the most critical part. If the parameters are set incorrectly, not only will we be unable to effectively utilize the energy of the spatial turbulence, but it may also cause the spacecraft to suffer even greater impact.”

Hong walked over to Luo Wen and they reviewed the data together: "Based on the current turbulence pattern, I suggest adjusting the frequency to 0.78 Hz to resonate with the dominant frequency of the turbulence. This will maximize energy capture efficiency."

Luo Wen nodded in agreement and quickly adjusted the parameters. As the settings were completed, the converter's core light became even brighter, and concentric energy ripples began to form around it, like ripples on the surface of water.

(End of this chapter)