Chapter 8: The First Encounter with Danger

Kyle piloted the spaceship, dashing through the nebula with the Interstellar Federation's fleet hot on his heels. The nebula was like a mysterious and dangerous fog, putting both sides' spaceships in a difficult situation. The Federal Fleet, relying on their numerical and firepower advantages, continued to pursue relentlessly in this chaos.

Suddenly, the spaceship's alarm blared urgently, and the shrill sound echoed in the narrow cockpit. Kyle's face paled instantly. His eyes were fixed ahead as a dense belt of small meteorites came into view. These meteorites varied in size, with the large ones as huge as boulders and the small ones as small as fists. They shuttled and collided randomly in the nebula, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Damn it!" Kyle's heart sank. His hands unconsciously tightened around the control stick, his knuckles turning white. He knew very well that at the spaceship's current speed and condition, a collision with these meteorites would turn it into debris in the universe in an instant. In this critical moment, Kyle took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and concentrated all his mental power, attempting to establish a closer connection with the stardust power in his body.

Since awakening the stardust power, Kyle had gone through numerous life - and - death tests. Each time, he had continuously tapped into the potential of this power in desperate situations. At this moment, he tried hard to recall those mysterious symbols in his mind. As he delved deeper into his thoughts, he gradually felt that the stardust power in his body, like a sleeping giant being awakened, began to surge slowly. This power spread from the area around his heart, and the warm energy flowed through his meridians to every part of his body, making his hands glow faintly.

Kyle slowly opened his eyes, and the scene in front of him seemed different. The previously disorderly meteorites seemed to be connected by invisible lines in his eyes. He could clearly "see" their movement trajectories. This was a special ability granted to him by the stardust power - the ability to sense the movement and energy fluctuations of objects.

Kyle immediately took action. His hands moved quickly and precisely on the control stick. The spaceship was like a nimble bird, dodging left and right. A meteorite as large as a house rushed straight towards them. Kyle's eyes sharpened, and he quickly pushed the control stick. The spaceship tilted sharply to the left, and the meteorite passed by the right - hand side of the spaceship's hull. The powerful impact made the spaceship shake violently, and the indicator lights on the dashboard flashed wildly.

"That was close!" Kyle muttered to himself. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't have time to wipe them off. Immediately after,several small meteorites came flying from different directions, like a hail of crazy bullets. Relying on the perception of the stardust power, Kyle predicted their trajectories in advance. He maneuvered the spaceship to rise and dive, shuttling through the gaps between the meteorites in a thrilling manner.

On the flagship of the Federal Fleet, Rain was staring intently at the screen, his brows knitted into a deep frown. "That kid has entered the meteorite belt. Follow him!" he ordered loudly, with a determined look in his eyes that showed he wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal.

"Sir, the meteorite belt is too dangerous. Our spaceships are likely to be damaged," the adjutant reminded cautiously.

"Stop talking nonsense. We can't let him get away!" Rain roared, pounding his fist on the console.

The spaceships of the Federal Fleet carefully followed Kyle into the meteorite belt. Without the help of the stardust power, they could only rely on the spaceships' detection systems and the pilots' experience to avoid the meteorites. However, the environment in the meteorite belt was extremely complex. Before long, one of the Federal spaceships was hit by a meteorite. The spaceship's shield shattered instantly, and a large dent was smashed into its hull. The out - of - control spaceship spun in space.

"Report, sir! Spaceship No. 5 is severely damaged. Requesting support!" an anxious voice came from the communication channel.

"Don't worry about it for now. Keep chasing!" Rain said through gritted teeth, his gaze never leaving the signal dot of Kyle's spaceship.

On Kyle's side, although he had managed to avoid many meteorites with the help of the stardust power for the time being, the situation was getting more and more critical. The spaceship's shield energy was constantly decreasing due to multiple impacts, and the alarm kept going off. Moreover, he found that the density of the meteorite belt was increasing, making it even more difficult to break through.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait for death!" Kyle swore inwardly. He concentrated again and increased the guidance of the stardust power. This time, he not only wanted to sense the meteorite trajectories but also tried to use the stardust power to interfere with the movement of the meteorites.

Kyle closed his eyes, the veins on his forehead bulging, and sweat rolling down continuously. He constructed an energy field in his mind, attempting to push away the surrounding meteorites. Under the influence of the stardust power, the movement trajectories of the meteorites that were originally flying towards the spaceship began to change slightly. Some meteorites deviated from their original paths, and some slowed down.

"Yes, it worked!" Kyle was delighted, but he didn't let his guard down. He continued to control the spaceship to move forward while constantly adjusting the output of the stardust power. During this process, he found that his control over the stardust power had made a qualitative leap. Things that used to require a great deal of effort now seemed much easier.

However, just as Kyle was about to reach the edge of the meteorite belt, a huge meteorite rushed down at high speed from the diagonal direction. This meteorite was as large as a small mountain and was moving extremely fast, instantly filling Kyle's entire field of vision. According to the current trajectory, the spaceship had no time to dodge.

Kyle's heart rate skyrocketed, and his breathing became rapid. He knew that this was the biggest crisis he had ever faced. In this life - and - death moment, countless thoughts flashed through Kyle's mind, but he quickly pushed them aside. He had only one belief - to survive!

Kyle used all his strength to release the stardust power without reservation. His hands glowed brightly, and his whole body seemed to turn into a luminous body. Under the full - force action of the stardust power, the huge meteorite suddenly changed its direction when it was only tens of meters away from the spaceship, passing over the top of the spaceship. The airflow generated by the meteorite made the spaceship shake violently. Kyle was thrown to the side of the cockpit, and his head hit the cabin wall hard. Blood trickled down his forehead.

"Cough, cough..." Kyle coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he ignored the pain and quickly climbed back into the pilot's seat. At this time, the spaceship's system was severely damaged. The dashboard was in chaos, and all kinds of warning lights were flashing wildly. Kyle gritted his teeth and, relying on his tenacious will and trust in the stardust power, continued to control the spaceship.

Finally, after a series of violent jolts, the spaceship successfully broke through the meteorite belt. Kyle let out a long sigh of relief and slumped in the pilot's seat, a tired but relieved smile on his face. He knew that he had survived this time thanks to the stardust power and his own continuous efforts and perseverance.

As for the Federal Fleet behind, they suffered heavy losses due to the obstruction of the meteorite belt. Rain watched the signal of Kyle's spaceship getting farther and farther away on the screen, trembling with anger. "Keep chasing. Don't let him get away!" he roared, his eyes filled with unwillingness and anger.

Kyle looked back at the Federal Fleet behind him, and his eyes became firm. He knew that this escape was far from over, and there were more dangers waiting for him ahead. But he was no longer afraid. Because he believed that as long as he continued to grow and master the stardust power, he would definitely be able to escape the pursuit of the Federation and uncover the secrets behind the stardust. He took a deep breath, adjusted the course of the spaceship, and continued to move forward in the vast universe.