manynovel Chapter 116 Spacetime Oscillation
Chapter 116 Spacetime Oscillation
Gotham's rainy nights always carry a chilling cold. The rain pounded against the tin roofs of the abandoned factories in the East Wing, creating a continuous, noisy sound. Chen Haotian stood in front of the control panel on the second floor, his brow furrowed as he watched the constantly fluctuating data stream on the holographic projection.
"The situation is worse than we anticipated," Tony's voice came through the communicator. He was in the underground lab conducting the final equipment evacuation. "Those spacetime rifts aren't shrinking; they're expanding exponentially."
Nick Fury sat cross-legged on the rug in the corner, his hands forming a mudra, surrounded by a pale blue magical aura. "I can feel the groaning of space," he said with his eyes closed, "like a torn cloth, its threads snapping one by one."
Suddenly, the entire factory shook violently, and tools on the shelves fell to the ground with a crash. The holographic projection on the control panel flickered and then went out completely.
"What happened?" Chen Haotian pressed the control panel to steady himself.
Tony's voice was visibly tense: "The spacetime rift in the underground lab suddenly tripled in size and started generating gravitational fluctuations! I almost got sucked in!"
Chen Haotian strode to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains. The sight outside made him gasp—the rain wasn't falling vertically, but rather tracing strange arcs in the air, as if its trajectory had been distorted by an invisible force. Further away, the light from several streetlights refracted strangely, forming halos of light.
"The gravitational anomaly has already affected the surface," Chen Haotian said in a deep voice. "We must take immediate action, or the entire Eastern District will be in danger."
They quickly assembled in a relatively safe area in the center of the factory. Tony switched on the emergency backup power, and a small holographic projector lit up again, displaying chilling data.
"Look here," Tony pointed to the energy readings on the projector, "the spacetime rift is not only widening, but it's starting to resonate. Like dominoes, the expansion of one rift triggers a chain reaction, causing other rifts to expand simultaneously."
Nick Fury stood up and walked to the projection: "I can temporarily stabilize these cracks with magic, but it requires your technological support. A single force cannot solve this problem."
After a moment's thought, Chen Haotian made a decision: "We need to address this from both technological and magical perspectives. Tony, you're in charge of designing an anti-gravity field to counteract the gravitational anomalies caused by the rift as much as possible. Nick, you'll use magic to construct a barrier to prevent the rift from expanding further."
Work commenced swiftly. Tony retrieved several miniature arc reactors from his toolbox and began assembling a makeshift anti-gravity device. Nick Fury, meanwhile, began chanting incantations, his hands tracing intricate runes in the air.
"The anti-gravity device is ready," Tony said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "But I must warn you, this device uses Marvel Universe technology, and its activation may trigger a more intense energy outburst."
"There's no other choice," Chen Haotian said firmly. "Let's begin."
Tony pressed the start button. The device emitted a low hum, and waves of blue energy radiated outwards from it. Initially, the effect was remarkable; the distorted raindrops in the air gradually returned to a vertical fall, and the halo in the distance slowly disappeared.
But the good fortune didn't last long. A few minutes later, the device suddenly emitted a piercing shriek, and the energy reading instantly spiked.
"Overload!" Tony yelled. "The device can't withstand the repulsion of the laws of the DC Universe!"
Almost simultaneously, the space in the center of the factory suddenly tore open, forming a black hole about two meters in diameter. A powerful suction force emanated from the hole, sucking in the surrounding tools and equipment.
Nick Fury immediately cast a spell, creating a blue barrier in front of the black hole. However, the barrier began to fluctuate violently the moment it made contact with the black hole, clearly unable to hold for long.
"The energies of magic and technology are repelling each other!" Nick Fury gritted his teeth and persisted, "My barrier is only exacerbating the spacetime turbulence!"
Chen Haotian quickly analyzed the situation: "Stop the magic barrier! Tony, shut down the anti-gravity device!"
With the removal of the two forces, the black hole's expansion slowed slightly, but it continued to grow slowly and steadily. Worse still, several small spacetime rifts appeared around the factory, and the entire building began to groan under the strain.
"We have to admit defeat," Tony said helplessly. "The methods we have are only making things worse."
Chen Haotian was unwilling to give up so easily. His gaze fell on the Amazonian artifact that Nick Fury always carried with him—an ancient amulet said to contain the primal magic of Paradise Island.
"Perhaps we've gone in the wrong direction," Chen Haotian suddenly said. "We've been trying to counteract the shockwaves with force, but maybe we should try guiding them instead of suppressing them."
Nick Fury seemed to understand: "You mean, like Yu the Great controlling the floods, channeling rather than blocking?"
"That's exactly right." Chen Haotian took the talisman, feeling the ancient energy flowing within it. "If we can't eliminate the spacetime tremors, perhaps we can create a safe channel for their release."
A new plan was quickly devised. Instead of attempting to forcibly seal the spacetime rift, they used the magical energy of the artifact to construct a massive energy circulation system around the factory. This system would not prevent spacetime tremors from occurring, but it would confine them within a controllable range, while gradually guiding the energy to dissipate smoothly.
The work proved more difficult than anticipated. Every magical rune had to be inscribed with millimeter-level precision; any tiny mistake could cause the entire system to crash. Tony was responsible for using technological means to precisely measure the path of energy flow, while Nick Fury cast the corresponding spells based on the data.
After hours of effort, the energy circulation system was finally completed. When the last rune was activated, the entire factory was enveloped in a massive blue light shield. Inside the shield, the spacetime rifts still existed, but they no longer expanded; instead, they remained in a stable state, as if frozen in time.
"Success," Tony breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the stabilized energy readings. "The system is functioning normally, and the spacetime oscillations are under control within a safe range."
Nick Fury sat wearily on the floor, his face pale. "But this is only a temporary solution. The energy cycle system requires continuous maintenance, and it doesn't address the root of the problem."
Chen Haotian stared gravely at the frozen spacetime rifts within the light barrier: "At least we've gained valuable time. Next, we must find a way to fundamentally resolve the conflict of laws."
The rain gradually stopped, and the dawn light shone through the factory windows. Early risers began to appear on the streets outside. No one knew what had happened here last night, much less that they had just narrowly escaped a time-space disaster.
"Batman didn't show up last night," Tony said abruptly. "That's very unusual. He should be investigating the strange occurrences in the East Side, given his usual style."
Chen Haotian walked to the window, gazing at the gradually awakening Gotham City: "Perhaps he came, but chose to observe. Or perhaps he has a bigger problem to deal with."
Regardless, they knew this spacetime tremor was just the beginning. As their activity between the two universes increased, similar crises would only become more frequent and severe. Until a permanent solution was found, they were dancing on a knife's edge, the slightest misstep potentially triggering catastrophic consequences.
But for now, they have at least temporarily controlled the situation. As for what new challenges tomorrow will bring, that will be another question to face.