"Wormhole collapse! Spatial coordinate distortion! Energy backlash!" Leah quickly reported the observations.
It was as if the crystal consciousness could be heard emitting a piercing, desperate wail!
The immense energy backlash from the wormhole collapse, like an enraged venomous snake, **fiercely fed back to the crystal core on the planet's surface** along its energy beams!
The crystal core, already greatly depleted from forcibly opening the wormhole, could no longer withstand this combined attack from within and without!
Bang—!!!
A muffled, deafening roar, seemingly originating from the depths of the soul (perceived through energy fluctuations)!
The dazzling core light on the planet's surface, like a blown-out candle, **instantly dimmed**!
Immediately afterwards, the globally covered gray-white region, deprived of its core energy support, began to **collapse and disintegrate** at a visible speed! Like ice and snow under the sun, it rapidly melted and peeled away, revealing the ravaged planetary surface beneath!
"Core energy signature… rapidly decaying! Decay rate 99.8%! Activity gone!" Leah's voice was filled with disbelief and excitement. "It…it seems…**it's dead**?!
It was CME's premature interference, coupled with the backlash from the wormhole collapse, that delivered the fatal blow!
This terrifying entity that ravaged the outpost, devoured the planet, and nearly forced the Nightingale to perish with it, actually self-destructed in an unexpected way at the last moment!
A brief silence fell over the bridge.
Was it a victory?
However, death had not departed.
On the main screen, the countdown representing CME's arrival continued relentlessly:
**29 minutes 48 seconds…47 seconds…46 seconds…**
What destroyed the crystal was a stellar storm capable of destroying them as well.
They had vanquished one demon, but unleashed an even more irresistible catastrophe.
Kane slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Rex and Lydia, whose faces had just shown a fleeting hint of joy, quickly replaced by despair.
The crisis was far from over.
In fact, due to the recent spatial storm and energy turbulence, the nearby gravitational field and radiation environment had become even more complex and dangerous.
The heavily damaged lone ship, the Nightingale, continued its slow, resolute descent into the impending, devastating sea of fire.
The annihilation of the crystal core brought no joy; instead, it was like the sudden silence at the end of a symphony, highlighting the even more magnificent and merciless symphony of destruction that followed. Inside the bridge, the brief moment of relief that had arisen from the enemy's self-destruction was instantly swallowed by an even greater despair.
**CME Arrival Countdown: 28 minutes 33 seconds…32 seconds…31 seconds…**
**Estimated Time to Escape Danger Zone: 51 minutes (Due to spatial disturbances, the trajectory needs minor adjustments, and the time may increase slightly)**
The time difference not only didn't narrow, but actually widened. The cold numbers, like inscriptions on a tombstone, pronounced their fate.
"Engine output is stable at 8%, unable to increase." Lydia's voice carried a systemic fatigue. Although she was a synth, continuous overload computing and energy depletion had clearly affected her core performance. "Based on the current speed and the CME expansion model, the probability of us being caught in the storm's core is…100%."
100%. A suffocating number.
Rex sat silently in his seat, his massive power claws opening and closing unconsciously, emitting a faint metallic scraping sound. He had experienced countless hail of bullets, but faced with this stellar fury sweeping across the heavens and earth, individual bravery seemed so pale and powerless.