The lingering aftereffects of spatial teleportation receded like a tide, carrying away the last traces of dizziness and tearing pain.
Beneath their feet lay the familiar, solid sensation of that uniform, slightly cool dark-gray crystalline material.
Before them was an empty hemispherical hall, evenly illuminated by soft gray light, the air saturated with an extreme sense of "stillness" and inertia.
They had returned to the seventh maintenance zone of the "Stasis Corridor."
Almost the instant he landed, Ming Xin staggered and dropped to one knee, coughing violently as blood threaded with a dark purple sheen spilled from the corner of his mouth again.
Forcibly activating the beacon and maintaining the energy link had aggravated his not-yet-healed injuries. Coupled with the strain of teleportation itself, it pushed his barely sustained condition back toward a dangerous edge.
Yet he still shielded the still-sleeping "Starlight" beside him.
Sha Sha's figure solidified from illusion beside him. His dark-gray Shadow Body rippled faintly, while the dark patterns across its surface continued to flow with light.
Clearly, the precise, high-intensity structural destruction and concealment he had carried out earlier had drained him heavily as well. Still, he stood straight, his dim "gaze" vigilantly sweeping their surroundings.
The Seeker's Light Mist swiftly stabilized and spread after the teleportation ended, its brightness noticeably greater than when they had left.
It exuded a steadier, deeper aura. Clearly, fusing with the "Prism" data core had brought it a fundamental enhancement.
"Safe... for now." After rapidly scanning the environment, the Seeker confirmed, "We have successfully returned to the preset receiving point.
External energy disturbances and spatial tremors have subsided. No tracking signals or abnormal intrusions have been detected."
Ming Xin caught his breath for a moment, then forced himself to stand. As he looked around the familiar hall, so silent it