The Phoenix's crew gathered around the viewscreen, their faces etched with exhaustion and relief. The Germinal warship's retreat had saved them, but at what cost?Arianna's eyes locked onto Drake. "We need to regroup and reassess."Drake nodded, his mind racing. Elara's sister, captured. The thought sent a chill down his spine.Maya stepped forward, her voice soft. "What's the plan?"Drake's jaw clenched. "We get her back."Zephyr's fingers flew across her console. "I'm trying to hack into the Germinal's systems, but their security is tighter than ever."Ada's face twisted in determination. "I'll help. We can't let them use her as leverage."Arianna nodded. "Assemble a team. We'll infiltrate the Germinal's base and extract Elara's sister."The Nova's captain, Ryker, appeared on the viewscreen. "I've got your back, Arianna. We'll provide cover."Drake's eyes locked onto Ryker. "Thank you."As the crew dispersed to prepare for the mission, Drake turned to Maya. "Stay close to me."Maya'
Drake descended onto Nexar's surface in a small shuttle, his heart pounding with anticipation. The landscape stretched before him, barren and unforgiving. A figure emerged from the shadows – Elara."Drake," Elara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's been so long."Drake's eyes locked onto hers, searching for answers. "How are you alive?"Elara's smile twisted. "I faked my own death to protect you, Drake. The Germinal was closing in."Drake's mind reeled. "Why didn't you contact me?"Elara's eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't risk it. The Germinal had eyes everywhere. But I've been watching over you, guiding you when I could."Drake's grip on his knife tightened. "What do you know about the Germinal?"Elara's expression turned grave. "They're seeking the Eternity Code, a powerful artifact that could control the entire galaxy."Drake's eyes widened. "And you know where it is?"Elara nodded. "I've been searching for years. But we need to hurry. The Germinal is closing in."Sudd
The Phoenix shuddered, dodging blaster fire from the Germinal warship."Can we outrun them?" Maya asked, her eyes locked onto the viewscreen.Arianna's fingers flew across the controls. "Not forever."Drake's jaw clenched. "We need a plan."Elara's gaze turned thoughtful. "I know a hidden route through the Nebula of Erebus."Drake's eyes narrowed. "Is it safe?"Elara nodded. "Safer than facing the Germinal head-on."The Phoenix veered into the nebula, its engines straining.The Germinal warship followed, its sensors struggling to penetrate the dense gas."We're losing them," Arianna said, her voice laced with relief.But Drake's instincts screamed warning. "Don't celebrate yet."Suddenly, the nebula erupted with energy blasts."What's happening?" Maya shouted.Elara's eyes widened. "The nebula's unstable. It's going to collapse."The Phoenix careened through the chaos, narrowly avoiding destruction.As they emerged from the nebula, the Germinal warship reappeared."Victor's not giving
The Council led Maya to a vast, ancient chamber deep within the mothership."This is where the Trial of Worthiness will take place," Arkea explained.Drake's eyes locked onto Maya. "I don't want you to do this."Maya's determination shone. "I have to, Drake."Arianna's gaze flicked between them. "What happens during the trial?"Arkea's expression turned somber. "The trial will test Maya's courage, wisdom, and willingness to sacrifice."Elara's eyes narrowed. "What kind of challenges will she face?"Arkea's voice dropped. "That is for the trial to reveal."The Council departed, leaving Maya alone in the chamber.A low hum filled the air as the trial began.Maya stood tall, her heart pounding.Suddenly, the chamber erupted into chaos.Illusions assaulted her senses, testing her courage.Maya navigated the maze of reflections, her wits guiding her.But with each step, the challenges intensified.A figure emerged from the shadows.Kael."Welcome, Maya," Kael sneered. "I've been waiting."
Drake plunged his knife into the Devourer's core, but it was like striking a mountain. The blade shattered, sending Drake flying across the room.The Devourer's laughter boomed. "You dare challenge me?"Arianna's voice came through the comms. "Frequency amplified! We're disrupting its energy!"Elara's eyes locked onto the Devourer. "It's working! Keep going, Arianna!"The Devourer stumbled, its power faltering. Drake took advantage of the opening."Let's end this!" Drake shouted, charging forward.The Phoenix's crew joined the fray, unleashing a fierce assault. The Devourer's defenses crumbled under the onslaught.Kael's voice, barely audible, whispered through the comms. "Drake...stop...the...Devourer..."Drake's eyes narrowed. "Kael? You're still alive?"Kael's voice grew stronger. "Use...the...Code...Drake..."Elara's eyes widened. "The Eternity Code! We can use it against the Devourer!"Arianna's fingers flew across the console. "I'm uploading the Code's data!"The Devourer's eyes
A bright light flashed and a humanoid figure dressed in military uniform appeared. This figure looked exactly human but a bit unrealistic. It looked human, but it wasn't human. It had an oval face, lean body and wavy hair. It's military uniform fitted his tall lean body. This was the character of Drake in the game 'Galaxy'.“Alright, the war between Germinal and the Six Nations is still ongoing. The quest states that I have to meet up an old soldier in a little bunker and obtain more information about the war from him.” Drake spoke to himself. Just as he was about to move, he heard a bang, and a red light flashed in front of him, he felt a stinging pain on his right shoulder.-48He had been been shot. He pulled his gun and turned around. Facing him were seven individuals dressed in all black, even their faces were covered with black colored masks. But he knew who theses were; The Gator Crew. This group always bullied him, both at school and even in the game.“What do you want! Tony.”
“Test subject number 24. The subject lasted for two minutes and forty-five seconds after the administration of Valkyrie. Time of death: 4:22AM.”'I should be the only one at home. Who's talking?'Drake opened his eyes, only to be blinded by light. The familiar hatch of his VR capsule was no longer there, instead he was facing a white ceiling. The walls that surrounded him were also white and reminiscent of cold, hard metal. They felt like something straight out out of science fiction. The room resembled an intensive care unit, and Drake lay atop a cold metal table, barrel-chested and wired to all sorts of machines. His back was freezing.Drake noticed there was a group of people in white coats surrounding him, and they were looking at him as though they had seen a ghost.'I thought I just accepted a leveling request? Where am I?'«Ding!Alpha Link System initialized. Host selected; Drake Michaelson of East View New Jersey. Welcome.»«Ding!Alpha Link System activated. Transferring unp
“Thank God I have a system!” Drake was ecstatic but quickly discovered that there were several irregularities.'NPC, not a player? Countdown timer? Torturous future ahead?'Drake furrowed his brows as he organized his thoughts.First of all, although he had no idea how the system had transmigrated together with him, he had to treat this world as a new reality, meaning that if he died, he could not bank on being able to respawn like in the game, he will be dead for good.Secondly, he could still access the system's interface despite being classified as an NPC. This suggested that he could still level up like a player, which was good news.Thirdly, if the countdown timer confirmed his suspicions that he had indeed traveled back in time to before the game's launch, did it mean that 'real players' will soon appear?Lastly, and most important of all, the 'torturous future ahead' meant only one thing; he was currently in grave danger!Drake felt indignant. Didn't people who transmigrated no