Chapter 160 - 60 Pathway to another world

Chapter 160: Chapter 60 Pathway to another world

MINUTES BEFORE LUNA’S ARRIVAL

Luna sat in the pilot’s seat of the new flying aircraft, watching the system take complete control of the vehicle’s navigation and maneuvering. The aircraft moved smoothly through the sky—far too smoothly. There was barely any vibration beneath them, and the controls responded faster than anything Luna had ever used before.

But she wasn’t enjoying the experience. Her attention was completely focused on the holographic panel in front of her. The destination the system had selected didn’t make sense. Not even remotely.

Luna narrowed her eyes as she studied the route. "I don’t think something is right here." Her fingers tapped against the control panel. "Are you sure Kai and Adrian are over there?"

The system blinked once, then the familiar message appeared.

[Affirmative.]

[Kai Blackwood and Adrian Solis are currently fighting for survival at the designated island.]

[Distance: Several hundred meters from destination point.]

That was all. The system didn’t provide a normal route. There was no recognizable road, no familiar coastline, no indication that they were even heading toward a location Luna had ever seen before.

The landscape below them had already begun changing. The sea looked different. The air looked different. Even the clouds seemed strange.

Luna leaned closer to the panel. "This place isn’t even on the map."

Previously, she would have simply dismissed the problem. She would have taken control herself, made the calculations, and figured out a way forward without bothering to explain anything to the others. But she had learned a painful lesson recently. Trying to carry everything alone wasn’t strength. Sometimes, it was nothing more than suicide disguised as bravery. She had nearly lost herself because of it.

So this time, she didn’t hide her concern.

"Having trouble locating the place?" Rowan asked.

Luna nodded. "Yeah."

Rowan glanced toward the windshield. "Hmm." He studied the strange waters beneath them. "I’m not surprised." His expression became more serious. "This looks like we’re about to transport into another universe."

Luna turned toward him. "Another universe?"

Rowan pointed toward the sea. "Look at the water density. It’s different." He narrowed his eyes. "And I can feel the pressure from the ocean even though we’re this high above it."

Luna looked down. She could feel it too. There was something wrong with the atmosphere. It wasn’t simply the ocean. The entire area felt as if they had crossed some invisible boundary. Something separated this place from the rest of the world.

Luna’s fingers tightened around the controls. "That’s exactly what I was thinking."

Meanwhile, Ethan seemed completely unconcerned. He was busy admiring the aircraft. His attention moved from the seats to the seat belts, then to the buttons built into the armrests. He pressed one experimentally. A small panel illuminated.

His eyes widened. "This thing is fucking beautiful." He leaned closer. "And look at these designs." He touched another button. "I swear, whoever designed this had too much time on their hands."

Rowan looked at him. "Ethan."

"Hmm?"

"We might be entering another dimension."

Ethan glanced at him, then at the aircraft, then back at Rowan. "I know." He turned toward the controls again. "But look at this button."

Rowan stared at him. "You’re unbelievable."

Luna almost smiled. Almost. Then her expression became serious again.

"This is it." The aircraft slowed slightly. "There is nothing beyond here." She looked at the system panel. "But my system is telling me to continue."

Ethan’s attention finally shifted. He leaned forward and looked through the windshield.

"What the..."

A massive wall of fog stretched across their path. It wasn’t normal fog. It was thick. Dense. Almost solid. It looked as though someone had built a gigantic wall of white mist directly in front of them.

Ethan squinted. "Let’s just pass through it."

Rowan immediately looked at him. "What?"

"It’s just fog." Ethan shrugged. "What’s the worst that could happen?"

Rowan stared at him for several seconds. For some reason, whenever someone said those words, something terrible always happened afterward.

"This is a new vehicle!" Rowan pointed toward the windshield. "The fuck, Ethan? What if something happens to it?" He gestured toward the ocean. "We can’t exactly go back to walking through the sea. We’d barely last a day."

Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it. "Okay..."

Luna didn’t join the argument. She reached into the compartment beside her and pulled out a magnifying glass provided by the system. She raised it toward the fog. The device immediately enhanced what she was seeing.

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."

Rowan and Ethan immediately moved closer.

"What?"

"This is crazy." Luna lowered the magnifying glass slightly. "Another strange phenomenon."

The two men reached for their own equipment. Then Rowan remembered something. Their uniforms. He tapped the small button on the left side of his chest. Immediately, his vision changed. A transparent holographic display appeared across his eyes. Ethan did the same.

The two men stared through their enhanced vision. For several seconds, neither said anything.

The fog looked normal from a distance. But once they focused properly, they realized it wasn’t fog. Not entirely. The massive white wall was pulsing. Almost breathing. Then the center of it twisted. The fog began rotating. Slowly at first. Then faster.

A black spiral appeared inside the white mist. It looked like a tornado, except it wasn’t moving with the wind. It was opening. A portal.

And beyond that swirling darkness... there was green.

Rowan’s eyes widened. He focused harder. Plants. Trees. A massive amount of vegetation. The green landscape stretched farther than they could see.

Ethan’s mouth fell open. "The fuck?" He leaned toward the windshield. "That’s an island."

Rowan blinked.

Ethan pointed excitedly. "That’s a fucking island right there!"

Luna stared at it. He was right. There was an enormous landmass beyond the strange black vortex. Trees covered almost every visible section. Hills rose in the distance. The vegetation was thick enough to resemble an untouched jungle.

But something about it was wrong. The sky. The atmosphere. Everything looked almost too beautiful. The sky was bright. Clear. Almost magical. And that was exactly what made Luna suspicious.

When was the last time they had seen a sky that looked this peaceful? After everything they had experienced, beauty had become suspicious.

"Let’s check it out," Rowan said.

Ethan immediately turned toward him. "And why should we do that?" He pointed toward the island. "Can’t you see what I’m looking at?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"A new island." Ethan folded his arms. "Which means new things." He shook his head. "And probably deeper danger that could kill us immediately."

Rowan remained silent.

Ethan continued. "We barely escaped the last place alive. We were lucky none of us died." His voice became more serious. "Are we really going to risk that again just to explore some strange island hidden inside a damn portal?"

Luna finally turned toward them. "We aren’t exploring." She pointed toward her system panel. "Look."

The red marker on the screen pulsed. "Kai and Adrian are inside."

Ethan stared at the coordinates.

Luna continued. "We’ve been looking for them for so long." Her voice softened. "Are we really going to abandon them because the place is dangerous?"

Ethan sighed. "That’s not what I meant."

Luna looked at him. "Then what did you mean?"

"I mean we’ve gone through enough." He rubbed his face. "I don’t want us suffering again. I just want us to go home." His voice became quieter. "I want to get back to our base. I want to relax. I want to know that Miles and Astrid are okay."

Luna’s expression softened. "I understand." She looked ahead at the strange portal. "I miss our base too." She paused. "There’s not a single day I haven’t thought about Miles and Astrid." Her fingers tightened around the controls. "But we can’t go back without everyone." She looked toward Ethan. "I can’t leave them."

Ethan lowered his eyes.

Luna then looked at the system. "And I trust my system." She gave a small smile. "It has never been wrong before."

Rowan and Ethan exchanged a glance. Neither of them had an argument strong enough to stop her. They knew Luna. Once she had decided that someone was hers to protect, she wouldn’t abandon them.

Luna adjusted the aircraft’s controls. "Hold on."

Ethan immediately grabbed his seat belt. "Why?"

"We’re going through it."

Rowan quickly fastened his own belt. "Of course we are."

Luna secured hers. The aircraft began moving forward. The holographic panel suddenly brightened. The red marker representing Kai and Adrian began flashing.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Luna leaned closer. "That’s them." Her eyes lit up. "They’re right there."

Ethan stared at the red point, then he shrugged. "Or..."

Luna looked at him.

He continued. "It could be a giant hibernating creature."

Luna’s expression went flat. "Ethan."

"What?"

"We’re going in."

"I know." He looked toward the portal. "I’m just saying we could be waking something up."

Rowan sighed. "You’re not helping."

Ethan shrugged. "Someone has to prepare you people for disappointment."

Luna ignored him. She focused completely on the aircraft. The strange portal grew larger. The black vortex rotated faster. Wind slammed against the aircraft. The entire vehicle shook.

Luna tightened her grip on the controls. Her heart began beating faster. For the first time, even she wasn’t completely certain what waited on the other side. But Kai and Adrian were there. That was enough.

She pushed the controls forward. "Here we go."

The aircraft suddenly accelerated. The enormous machine shot toward the strange vortex at terrifying speed.

The moment they reached the edge of the fog—the entire world disappeared.