Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!-Chapter 851 - 609 Dismantling!_2

That is... a terrifying wave emanating from Spiritual Energy!

Countless players clinging tightly to the fixed facilities within the cabin stared dumbfoundedly at the transparent screen in front of them. This barrier, seemingly non-existent in substance, connected the two halves of the heavily fractured ship and sealed the cabin's leaking passageways.

And the master of this unfathomable Spiritual Energy stood in the heart of the main control hall.

Seeing the players scattered outside the ship, floating aimlessly, Bai E softly commanded, "Kuang Xin, take some men and bring them back."

"Yes!"

As the response rang out, more than a dozen Storm Armors equipped with autonomous propulsion systems shot out from the starship's launch pods. After rescuing the players freely drifting in space one by one, the previously fragmented starship, under the influence of an immense force, began to slowly mend itself.

"Screee~ Screee~"

Amid the teeth-grinding noises, the starship's hull once again sealed itself tightly.

However, this was merely a façade. A ship that had once completely fractured could no longer recover its original self-repair capabilities.

Moreover, the space curvature in the current area had yet to return to its previous standards. The adaptive repair system could counteract some level of structural tears, but the current extent of damage had exceeded the limits of the hull's adaptive materials.

Bai E may not be able to retract these surging Spiritual Energies for quite a long time.

"Deploy personnel to repair the fractured area, and continue the return course at maximum speed!"

Having already reached the fourth level of Spiritual Energy during this long journey, Bai E could accomplish many unbelievable feats in the eyes of ordinary people. However, as his Spiritual Energy level increased, the virtual world's ability to supplement his energy reserves no longer offered endless confidence as it once did.

Facing his current fourth-level cap of 30,000-plus Spiritual Energy points, the virtual world's supplements had begun to show signs of inadequacy—such as a replenishment speed that couldn't match his maximum consumption rate; or the fact that he could no longer fully recharge dozens or hundreds of times like he could at the second level.

Thankfully, the self-recovery speed after achieving fourth-level Spiritual Energy was impressive. Coupled with the virtual world's supplements, Bai E was confident he could sustain this level of output and safely bring the entire starship back to the original planet.

"Understood, Captain!" The native crew chief responded solemnly.

The abrupt and catastrophic transformation of the starship was a completely unforeseen calamity.

If not for the "Demon's Child" called Xu Ruoguang, who had been shoehorned into the crew for unknown reasons as a warning, humanity's first space exploration starship might have encountered an even more horrifying disaster.

In that case, the crew chief would've been the greatest sinner of humanity!

Just thinking about this made the cold sweat drip down his back, filling his heart with lingering dread.

...

The starship's retreat couldn't escape the keen-eyed players onboard, and the realization sparked an explosion of chatter among them.

"What the hell? Why are we retreating?"

"We weren't far from the target point, right? Now how long will this retreat take?"

"I'm so sick of the stuff on this ship. If it weren't for being able to visit the higher-dimensional space to mess with demons, I wouldn't even know how to spend my days..."

"Come on, boss?"

After initially stabilizing the situation, the crew chief stepped forward to explain to these "Demons' Children": "Everyone, hold your horses. Due to certain technical errors, the starship must return to the planet for some adjustments."

"We're really going back? Why not charge forward and give it a shot? Anyway, it doesn't seem that far..."

"Why not give us some of those small escape pods, so we can go explore for ourselves?"

Seeing the natives acting so serious, they inferred that there must be an even bigger and more exciting storyline awaiting in the depths of the universe. Now that they had made it so far into space, how was there any logic in turning back?

Hearing the players' pleas, Bai E's eyes flickered. He couldn't help but feel a temptation rising within himself.

That's right; the players weren't afraid of death. If they wanted to use their lives to uncover new worlds, was it even possible to deny them?

Besides, with the technology of the artificial body production pods now in his hands, most players had already prepared backups of their bodies. Even if they died, they wouldn't have to endure the three-day "character reroll" waiting period anymore—they could instantly respawn.

Though their strength would reset to the basic level of their custom artificial bodies' initial condition, akin to saving progress at high costs, it was still a significant improvement compared to before.

Some players stored their backup bodies on the original planet, while others kept theirs onboard the starship.

Now their main bodies wanted to wander the stars. If they were lucky, perhaps they could bring back some valuable information.

But the risks involved needed to be clearly explained to these players.

Thus, Bai E replaced the crew chief and spoke through the shipwide broadcast: "Humanity is meant to explore the unknown—it's our inherent nature. But due to fatal flaws in the starship's design, proceeding forward would inevitably lead to a complete disintegration. The same applies to the smaller escape pods. Their delicate structure might endure for longer, but that doesn't mean they are safe. If faced with the same circumstances, these escape pods would also be at risk of disintegration. If you understand these risks and still wish to pilot those escape pods and continue the journey... then go ahead."

Disintegration? fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Death?

Do these words pose any real threat to players?

Not to mention, many players had already tested their own limits. Except for a few unlucky souls who crashed into sharp objects and succumbed to the vacuum of space, most managed to endure brief exposure to the cosmos thanks to their enhanced physical resilience.

As long as the small escape pods didn't completely disintegrate—or they didn't die before encountering a chance that could trigger a new storyline—wasn't it worth trying?

Sure, this sounded unreliable and abstract.

In the boundless expanse of the universe, relying on escape pods or physical bodies to find something fresh would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But to the players? Who cares?

"What if it works?"

"What's the harm in trying?"

"At worst, you die!"

Similar thoughts rang incessantly in the minds of many players.

Thus, half of the escape pods carried by the starship were deployed, replacing the starship itself, heading toward its originally planned destination.

Inside each small pod, which could hold dozens of people, every player excitedly equipped their jet-powered backpacks. These were their final options for active mobility in space after their pods disintegrated.

If they didn't find any opportunities before the backpacks ran out of fuel, they'd be completely out of luck.

What seemed like an insane gamble with microscopic odds still attracted plenty of willing participants. Through the transparent portholes, players waved goodbye to each other as their pods drifted further and further away...

...until they exploded into bursts of fireworks one after another.

The starship began its journey home, bidding farewell to the adventuring players.

Some of those who had just said their goodbyes moments earlier awakened in the artificial body production pods. Their faces were filled with regret. "I shouldn't have left!"

"Damn it! Blew up right after I left!"

"Hahaha, that was so fun!"

"Did everyone explode?"

"Not everyone..." Some players glanced at the backup body chambers, where the quiet, soulless flesh of their former comrades lay sleeping. Envy flickered in their eyes as they muttered, "Some are still flying forward!"

"I'm so jealous of them..."

"Wonder how far they'll go?"