Colonial Suit

The light beams moved with deceptive speed, filling the entire screen in an instant. Before anyone could react, the thick beams grazed the sides of the strike shuttle. All the screen images went dark, and piercing alarms blared. Seven or eight instruments erupted in dazzling sparks.

Looking again, they saw that the newly activated shields had already dropped by thirty percent.

Bloodshot Eyes couldn't help but pale. The power of these beams was immense, almost comparable to his positron beam cannon. Just a graze had nearly shattered the strike shuttle's shields. What would happen if they were directly hit? Not only would the shields be destroyed, but the entire strike shuttle would be pierced through!

Before he could speak, Heck snorted coldly, his face darkening.

"It's that guy again."

"Heck, you know him?" Sylvina asked softly. Her gaze, still veiled in mist, flickered with a hint of sharpness, clearly angered.

"Of course," Heck replied without turning his head. "He's an old friend of mine. These tricks are his specialty, but this time..."

Heck didn't finish, instead taking a step and vanishing, reappearing in front of the strike shuttle in space. Without any apparent action, countless black rifts appeared around him as if from nowhere. A flood of frost emerged, spreading like a plague in an instant.

The frost arrived swiftly, spreading at an alarming rate, reaching as far as the eye could see in mere moments. Then, a section of space in the distance twisted, and a humanoid figure enveloped in golden light jumped out in a panic, as if terrified of being touched by the frost.

"Heck!" His voice boomed like a bell, full of anger. "Are you crazy? Do you want to destroy this tunnel?"

Heck smiled slightly, as if he had expected this. He didn't even look at the figure.

"Sears, you're the one who provoked me."

"I didn't!" The figure called Sears retorted furiously. "I was just being friendly. Didn't you see my target was behind you? If I really wanted to attack you, your broken strike shuttle would have been destroyed already."

"And... stop your Frost Plague, or I'll really get angry."

"Alright," Heck nodded, waving his hand. The frost returned to the rifts like living things, disappearing without a trace. He then looked up at the figure. "What are you doing here? If I remember correctly, this tunnel isn't your responsibility."

"None of your business!" Sears seemed to be still angry about Heck's earlier actions, replying irritably. "I was just taking a stroll. I didn't expect to see you here, with a tail following you. Heck, you've gotten slow... don't you even know you're being followed?"

Heck smiled. How could he not know? He just didn't want to expose it.

In fact, he had noticed a small smuggling ship entering the tunnel with him as soon as they left Planet Gittany. These ships had extremely strong stealth capabilities and were specifically used for smuggling. Their hulls and shields were specially modified, making them undetectable even by Third World scans. In the Fourth World, they were known as 'Shadowfish'.

Heck knew that smuggling was extremely difficult due to the tight security of the Third World, but the Third World was a strong attraction for both resources and population. Some powerful smugglers would use Shadowfish, lurking near the stargates for years, waiting for a fleeting opportunity.

He had obviously been used as a 'guide'. But Heck didn't mind. It didn't harm him, and he didn't mind helping others. After all, these people had it hard enough, lurking for years, not to mention the resources they had to mobilize.

Smuggling into the Third World was an extremely risky business. Failure would result in the situation he was now facing.

Heck didn't need to turn around to know that Sears had destroyed the Shadowfish following him. That guy's magic cannon was incredibly powerful, capable of destroying planets when fully charged.

However, Heck wouldn't give Sears an easy time. No matter what, this guy had provoked him. Given his temper, he was already being lenient by not beating him up on the spot.

"Sears," Heck said, looking at the figure of light and shadow with a smile. "No matter what your reasons, you provoked me. Has it been too long since you've been taught a lesson? If that's the case..."

Heck didn't finish, but Sears flinched, taking a few steps back.

Although Heck wasn't a big shot in the Third World, he was known for being difficult. Sears didn't want to provoke him. Otherwise, Heck might not do anything to him, but chasing him for several star systems was very possible. That would be too embarrassing.

Thinking of this, Sears didn't dare to linger, coldly saying to Heck, "I'm not wasting my time with you." Then, with a flash, he disappeared into space. In his place, countless golden light spots spread out, forming two light belts thousands of meters long, a spectacular sight.

Heck breathed a sigh of relief, a flash of anger in his eyes.

When had he ever suffered such a loss? However, the other party wasn't easy to deal with either. Being in the Third World, Heck didn't want to cause trouble. But... he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. Looking at the light spots still spreading in space, he snorted heavily and returned to the strike shuttle.

As soon as he returned to the bridge, Bloodshot Eyes and the others surrounded him. He explained what had happened, and then said to Bloodshot Eyes.

"Remember, this place is different from the worlds you've experienced before. Magic Armor Warriors are the rulers here. If you encounter enemies with similar characteristics, be careful. Never engage them in long-range combat. Otherwise, you'll only be defeated."

"No long-range combat?" Robbie asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Because..." Heck looked at Robbie, finally sighing. "Because Magic Armor Warriors are the kings of long-range combat."

Robbie opened his mouth wide in surprise.

Heck had understated it. How could the real Magic Armor Warriors be described simply as kings of long-range combat? Although they rarely appeared in low-level worlds, their strength far surpassed ordinary warriors. They were deeply respected.

Magic Armor Warriors were born masters of energy manipulation. Unlike ordinary cosmic warriors who needed to evolve to master energy, they were immersed in energy civilization from birth. Even their bodies were changed by energy. The magic cannons, the crystallization of their civilization, were incredibly powerful and possessed unimaginable surreal manifestations, which they called 'Mega-Energy'.

How could cosmic warriors catch up with such warriors? While others were still struggling to find the direction of evolution, they had already mastered the art. The starting point was different, so the achievements would naturally not be the same.

Heck's words seemed to be directed at Bloodshot Eyes, but they were also reminding Robbie and the others. Otherwise, they would suffer greatly when the time came.

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"I see..." After listening to Heck's explanation, Robbie finally understood, bowing slightly to Heck. "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Heck."

"Don't thank me, I've also suffered," Heck said with a wry smile. Then, he ordered the strike shuttle to continue forward. This time, they didn't go through the tunnel, but decided their own course using high-level warp.

Watching the crew working nervously, Bloodshot Eyes asked again. "Is this place the same as a normal universe?"

"You noticed," Heck said with an approving smile. Although Bloodshot Eyes' words were simple, they asked the key question. It showed that he had done his homework during this time.

"The Third World is not a normal universe. It's a space they created. Of course, there are special rules," Heck replied softly. "Simply put, the spatial structure here is somewhat distorted compared to a normal universe. If you use normal space, you'll fall into a place called the Chaotic Rift, where you'll be forcibly projected into countless planes. The result is like a shattered mirror. Each piece has your reflection, but they are not connected to each other."

"In other words, you'll be completely torn apart."

"Hiss..." Although they knew it wouldn't be simple, everyone was still shocked.

Being forcibly projected into countless planes was chilling to think about. Space manipulation was part of the cosmic rules. Although cosmic warriors would gradually get involved, they were far from proficient. If they were forcibly projected, it would be worse than death. Even planetary-level warriors might not be able to escape.

No wonder Heck was so serious. But if normal methods couldn't be used, how could they make long-distance jumps in the Third World?

"That's where the passcodes come in," Heck said with a wry smile, pointing to Sylvina. "Every time we enter the Third World from the outside, we receive a passcode. This can be seen as a key or a codebook. Only by translating the passcode can we use the spatial rules of a normal universe. This is one of the ways the Third World's civilization limits low-level worlds."

At this point, Heck sighed, his face gloomy. "Of course, this also includes combat."

"What!?" Bloodshot Eyes and the others were shocked. If even combat was restricted, what combat power would cosmic warriors have in the Third World? Wasn't this like having their hands and feet tied?

"Don't worry, only the spatial rules are restricted. Other abilities are still unrestricted," Heck comforted everyone. Then, he smiled confidently. "And... we're not without resistance. You'll find out soon enough."

Before he finished speaking, there was a slight tremor under their feet, and the strike shuttle had slipped into warp... Ten minutes later, their eyes lit up. They had arrived at an amazing place.

Before them was a man-made planet entirely constructed of steel.

"Welcome to the human's war fortress in the Third World. Marsus... the Tooth of War," Heck said with a smile, looking at everyone's surprised expressions. (To be continued) rq