106 Alarm Sounds

Zhong Yun did not feel much anxiety regarding this journey. Before departing, he had already instructed Xiao Ling to follow his ship at a distance once they set sail.

The vast, boundless universe holds far too many unknown dangers, and compared to the Dawo ship, Zhong Yun placed more trust in the mysterious Xiao Ling. According to Xiao Ling, with the detection capabilities of the "Mars" (the name Zhong Yun had given his own ship), following the transport ship without being detected would not be difficult.

The trouble lay at the jump point; the "Mars" could not possibly pass through the heavily guarded jump points. It would have to locate alternative routes. Although he had purchased a star chart from Dawo to the Shata Empire in Free Star two days ago, he would still be out of contact for a period of time.

After flying through the cosmos for several hours, the ship reached the jump point. Before the jump, all personnel were required to enter protective pods to prevent accidents. Once the spatial jump was completed, it would take ten days of travel to reach the next jump point. Within those ten days, the "Mars" would be able to catch up.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yun felt a bit more relaxed and stepped out of his cabin, having been stifled by staying inside all day. No sooner had he stepped out than he bumped into a staff member. "You're just in time. We're about to hold a drill; hurry to the main cabin."

"A drill? What kind of drill?" Zhong Yun asked, puzzled.

"An escape drill," the person replied, hurrying away.

"An escape drill?" A jolt went through Zhong Yun’s heart. Could there be danger on this voyage?

With a sense of trepidation, he headed toward the main cabin. Having memorized the ship's layout over the past few days, he didn't need guidance. As he walked through a corridor, he heard an alarm sound: "All off-duty personnel on the ship, please report to the main cabin immediately. I repeat, all off-duty personnel, report to the main cabin immediately for drill training..."

"Zhong Yun!"

Just as he was about to break into a run, Zhong Yun heard someone call his name. He was astonished. Could there actually be someone on this ship who knew him? Turning toward the voice, he was shocked. "Zhang... Zhang Xiao?"

Not far behind him, he saw Zhang Xiao, a member he had met on his first day at the base, running toward him with a warm smile on his face. "I finally found you!"

"How are you here?" Zhong Yun asked, filled with doubt. He could never have imagined meeting him on this ship. Hadn't Yang Siqing said there was only one spot for the base?

Seemingly anticipating Zhong Yun's reaction, Zhang Xiao chuckled. "Surprised to see me here?"

"Didn't Chief Instructor Yang say there was only one spot?" Zhong Yun punched him lightly on the chest. He was both surprised and delighted; among the hundred-plus people at the base, Zhang Xiao was the one he got along with best. Having expected this journey to be incredibly lonely, he couldn't have been happier to run into an acquaintance.

"I’m not as lucky as you, having a chief instructor who values you so much," Zhang Xiao said with a laugh. "Luckily, my family has some connections, so they managed to get me a spot."

"Sigh," Zhong Yun sighed. "If I had known you wanted to come so badly, I would have just given you my spot."

"Give it to me?" Zhang Xiao said dismissively. "Could you beat Chief Instructor Yang?"

"As long as I can beat you, that’s enough," Zhong Yun laughed heartily.

As they walked and talked, Zhong Yun looked him up and down, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"What are you looking at?" Zhang Xiao asked, confused.

"I couldn't tell," Zhong Yun shook his head, sighing. "I never would have guessed you were a scion of a noble family."

Zhang Xiao smiled without responding, seemingly accepting the assessment. Since he didn't want to talk about it, Zhong Yun tactfully changed the subject. "I heard the broadcast mention a drill—is there actually danger on this voyage?"

"No matter how advanced space travel technology becomes, it can never be completely safe in the mysterious universe. The universe is endless; even those advanced civilizations wouldn't dare claim to have explored it all. So, theoretically, every space voyage carries a certain level of risk," Zhang Xiao replied.

"How is that any different from saying nothing at all?" Zhong Yun gave him a disdainful look.

"This is your first time on a spaceship, isn't it?" Zhang Xiao asked with a smile.

Strictly speaking... "Yes."

Zhang Xiao wore an "I knew it" expression. "Although the routes we travel have been tested countless times, no one can guarantee one hundred percent safety. To prepare for the worst, the captain of every ship conducts several drills during the journey, just to..."

Before Zhang Xiao could finish his sentence, the entire ship shuddered slightly. Neither of them knew what had happened when, suddenly, a piercing alarm began to wail in the corridor, and red lights flashed incessantly.

Zhang Xiao's face went pale, and he exclaimed, "This is the highest-level emergency alarm!"

"What?" An ominous feeling rose in Zhong Yun’s heart.

"Attention passengers, please take note. The ship has been struck by an unidentified electromagnetic wave and has suffered a system failure. Please prepare to evacuate. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill..."

Zhang Xiao's face turned whiter than paper in an instant. What did a ship failure mean? Anyone with a normal mind could imagine.

Instead, Zhong Yun jumped up like a rabbit and grabbed his hand. "What are you standing there for? Let's run for our lives!"

Zhang Xiao finally snapped out of his trance and shouted, "Quick, the escape pods!"

Zhong Yun gritted his teeth and sprinted toward the escape pods at top speed. His memory was good; he remembered the staff member telling him on the first day that there were nineteen escape pods on the ship.

Nineteen pods for a hundred students and over three hundred crew members—it was a case of too many monks and not enough gruel. If they were even one step behind, the consequences were unthinkable.

At this moment, the only thing in Zhong Yun's mind was to survive. Anyone with even a little common sense knew how dangerous the vast universe was. This was undoubtedly the most perilous moment of Zhong Yun's life; a moment of hesitation, and before long, he would become nothing more than dust in the cosmos.

Zhong Yun did not want to die. He had parents who loved him, brothers he would stand by, a lover who adored him... and the Earth, which he longed for in his dreams.

*I cannot die.*

Zhong Yun raced through the corridor at an unprecedented speed. Though he was still pulling someone along, it did not slow him down in the slightest. There was an escape pod near his room; he had seen it when he left, and that was his target.

Just as they were about to arrive, the ship shuddered violently again. Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao felt their bodies lighten as they began to float.

At that moment, the broadcast chimed in: "Gravity equipment has failed. Gravity equipment has failed..."

Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao had been moving too fast; with the sudden loss of gravity, both of them slammed toward the opposite wall. Both reacted quickly, pressing their hands against the wall to absorb the impact, then pushing off to "swim" forward.

There it was—a metal wall marked with labels in several languages: "Escape Pod."

At the same time, they saw someone else approaching from another direction. Judging by his clothing and age, it was one of the partners who had come with them. The man saw them too, his face twisted with terror. Seeing them, he gritted his teeth and swam forward even harder.

Three people, one escape pod. The alarm became increasingly frantic, and the red light signaling danger flashed faster and faster.