"Functions severely damaged... phase shift... intermittent... initiating..."
He passed through walls. Through the self-repairing Eternal Wall he had personally "modded." Through the soldiers and mortals still cheering their victory.
Like a true ghost, he moved through the unimaginably vast structure of the Imperial Palace.
His destination was a forgotten "antique" warehouse deep beneath the Imperial Palace, piled high with ancient mechanical constructs. Back when he had been "Kastor Alpha," he had used his authority to secure it as his secret hangar.
When he staggered out through the last wall, he nearly fell to his knees. Every phase shift tore at his already fragile energy core.
Core integrity: 34%. Self-repair protocols: overloaded. Recommendation: enter stasis immediately.
I know, I know! Stop rushing me! Liu Zhipeng roared inwardly.
His ride sat quietly before him.
It was a small, crescent-shaped spacecraft with eerily sleek lines. Pitch-black from end to end, it seemed to absorb light. This was a Night Shroud-class reconnaissance craft of the Necron Dynasty, a "personal project" he had built when he first arrived on Terra.
He stumbled up the boarding ramp. Behind him, the warehouse's enormous doors sounded a shrill alarm-forcing his way through the Imperial Palace's defense systems had finally triggered some kind of ultimate alert.
"Too late, babies."
He settled into the pilot's seat. As though alive, it reshaped itself to fit his metal body perfectly. Countless streams of green data flooded his consciousness.
He poured all his remaining energy into the Inertial Inhibitor Engine and the Phase Generator.
The ship made no sound. It simply... vanished.
It passed straight through the warehouse's vaulted ceiling, through Terra's thick layers of rock, and through miles of ruined city on the surface.
When it reappeared in reality, it was already in high orbit.
Liu Zhipeng took one last