"Something was wrong."
Amid the rushing darkness and the ceaseless falling bombardment, the Solar Ship struggled onward.
On the bridge, Raymond tapped the desk before him, his expression gradually growing irritated. "Something's not right, Huai Shi. Did anything unexpected happen?"
"What kind of unexpected situation do you mean?"
At the highest point, Huai Shi sat atop the Iron Tree and couldn't help laughing. Raising a hand, he deflected the massive Brilliant Light burning down after them from dozens of miles away.
"Do you mean the abnormal changes in depth, the increasingly dense artillery coverage against us, or the growing number of blockades ahead?"
"Anything else?" Raymond pressed. "Is there more?"
"...Honestly, everything is abnormal right now. I really don't know which one you mean."
Huai Shi looked around and gazed out over the barren, deathly silent hell. "If you ask me, the biggest anomaly is that we're still alive. Did you find something?"
"Nothing."
Raymond rolled his eyes. "But it just feels wrong... Like realizing you took the wrong exit on the highway, only to discover your fuel tank has been leaking all along.
"I suggest we make an emergency stop for maintenance and inspect the operating condition of every unit and system."
Huai Shi paused slightly, instinctively looking toward the distant darkness and that faint glimmer of the Present Realm. He could hardly believe it. "Are you sure?"
"I'm... not sure."
Raymond scratched his head irritably. "It's that feeling you can't put into words, you know? Restless and on edge, like something is about to happen. The kind where you're afraid you'll choke to death even drinking cold water."
"Buddy, aren't you being a little oversensitive?" The Red Dragon raised one eye from beneath the screen and looked over. "Relax. This is totally normal."
"I've only had this feeling