Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 39 - 38: "How Long Can a Person Survive in Space Without Protection?

Chapter 39: Chapter 38: "How Long Can a Person Survive in Space Without Protection?

As long as we get back to the store and close the shutter door, we’ll be able to disconnect from this world and bring her out of danger!

Chen Xuan turned and ran towards the store with her, when suddenly a high-pitched buzzing sound came from behind them, just listening to it was enough to know trouble was imminent. He turned his head, glimpsing out of the corner of his eye, he saw the six-legged robot aiming at them, the central turret’s six-barreled machine gun began to spin rapidly.

"Quick, hide!" the girl shouted.

At the same moment, Chen Xuan activated the Divine Eye Technique.

In an instant, all moving objects around him slowed down, he saw the barrel, as thick as a fist, spraying flames again and again, with bullets piercing through layers of air shooting towards him, forming clear circular shock waves along the way.

If someone got hit by those bullets, even an athlete may not be able to withstand it, right?

But Chen Xuan knew he could react!

With the Celestial Mist Skill elevated to the third level, he was quicker in movement, his limbs stronger, and having anticipated the trajectory of every bullet, he could plan his evasive route in advance. His mind had already constructed the plan: first a crouching forward roll, followed by a flip, and finally a side jump would allow him to dodge all the bullets and squeeze through the narrow gap into the store, creating an unimaginable miracle—

However, the girl’s tug abruptly brought all his plans to a halt.

Chen Xuan never expected her pulling strength to be so astonishing, matching his own! They exerted force in opposite directions, neither able to pull the other, leading to a stalemate that delayed them for 0.05 seconds. This brief pause allowed the subsequent bullets to block their path forward.

Seeing she couldn’t move Chen Xuan, she released her arm’s grip and did something that left Chen Xuan dumbfounded! She actually pulled Chen Xuan behind her, presenting herself, standing guard in front of him!

That took another 0.05 seconds.

In the 0.1-second gap, bullets struck the girl. Chen Xuan not only heard the muffled thud of bullets piercing flesh but also felt a massive force pushing against them. It was the effect of large caliber bullets transferring kinetic energy, even without direct contact, he could feel as if it floored like a hammer against him, causing both to roll away flying!

Doomed.

Chen Xuan was startled inside, that spinning Gatling at least 30mm caliber, hitting the guest would tear her into pieces, wouldn’t it?

The Divine Eye Technique ended, and the traversing bullets suddenly became impenetrable hot streams, washing over the two and pouring into the shop entrance, shredding the shelves and glass display cases to pieces.

Chen Xuan’s heart ached immediately, he had thought this shop was so magical that its body should have some kind of self-protection mechanism, yet the reality was vastly different. Be it furniture, decorations, or products, they shattered like paper when faced with large-caliber gunfire, even the brick walls pierced right through them. In mere seconds, the interior of the store became a mess.

The two landed and happened to roll into a corner of the hall.

The subsequent streams were all blocked by the thick metal pillars.

"Cough!" The girl released Chen Xuan, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Chen Xuan unexpectedly discovered that she was still whole, without any missing legs or hands, her body not split in two. The bullet had only shredded her skintight suit at the abdomen, exposing a patch of charred skin beneath.

"You... were you trying to die earlier?"

She weakly reprimanded.

It’s good you’re not dead.

Chen Xuan barely had time to respond, just now they were blasted away by the machine cannon, although temporarily escaping the fire coverage, they were further from the store. It would take one or two seconds to run over, and there were no covers along the way, he might manage it alone, but while carrying the guest, it seemed improbable.

"How did you teleport earlier? Can you do it again?" Chen Xuan pointed towards the store entrance, "As long as we can get there, we’ll be safe."

"What use is safety? I must quickly reach the control room, otherwise it’ll be too late!"

She forced herself up, trying to find an escape route from the hall.

At this moment, the six-legged mecha also changed its battle strategy, it crouched lower, with the top cover plates opening one by one.

The next second, seven or eight cylindrical capsules ejected from the ammunition bay!

Chen Xuan used the Divine Eye Technique once more, slowing down the speed of everything around—he saw that those cylinders weren’t missiles, but small drones, judging by their size, they couldn’t carry extra weapons, most likely suicide weapons. Once they joined the fray, this corner would become completely exposed.

They absolutely must not be allowed to spread!

Chen Xuan decisively summoned the Thousand Thoughts Sword, letting four Qi Swords appear directly above the ammunition bay!

The drones had just ejected, without having time to unfold their rotors, crashing straight into the barrier of blades, immediately cut into several segments.

Taking advantage of the Divine Eye Technique which was still active, he pointed down once more, as if the Thousand Thoughts Sword understood his mind, turning the sword tips, stabbing towards the open launch bay.

Instantly sparks flew.

The sparks triggered a violent explosion!

Only two deafening blasts were heard, and a crimson fireball rose from the top of the Armed Mecha, shaking the floor with its shockwave!

"Who... exactly are you?" The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"I told you, I’m the shopkeeper." Chen Xuan steadied her, "Where’s the control room? What’s running out of time?"

"In the sunken area of cabin N45, we have to get through here..."

Before she finished speaking, the Mecha, engulfed in flames and smoke, trembled and started moving again!

It took a step back and fired a dazzling laser at the ground!

"What’s it doing?" Chen Xuan was puzzled.

The girl suddenly realized something and screamed, "This is bad!"

But it was too late; the floor previously shattered by the explosion snapped entirely under the laser’s sweep. Coupled with the intense tremors in the hall, the unreleased stress seemed to find a breakthrough, instantly turning the crack into a fissure that spanned the entire hall!

The entire glass dome couldn’t bear the load either, collapsing completely under the tension, as if an invisible hand ripped the hall in half.

"Warning! Severe structural damage in N43 district. Everyone, please proceed to escape facilities immediately!"

The shrill alarm increased its volume again.

But for Chen Xuan, it was already too late—when the hall cracked, the air quickly dispersed outward. The terrifying pressure difference was like a hurricane, sucking everything movable out of N43, including the burning Mecha.

For a second or two, Chen Xuan lost control of his body. When he regained consciousness, he found himself, along with tons of debris, tossed into weightless space.

No matter how agile he was, he was helpless now.

The six-legged machine would stop at nothing—even destroying the space station—to prevent the girl from reaching the control room.

How long could a person survive in space without protection? This classic question popped into Chen Xuan’s mind.

Previously, he dared to fight the Armed Mecha using the Golden Cicada Shell Escape Technique, but being thrown into space was a completely different scenario. The Golden Cicada Technique could evade death once, but the freezing, pressure-less vacuum would kill him endless times.

Seizing his consciousness, Chen Xuan quickly took out the portable scanning gun, intending to use the shopkeeper recall function to return to the shop.

Strangely, he didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Even halting his breath, he didn’t hear the hiss of saliva evaporating or feel the sharp pain of bulging eyeballs.

Only after careful awareness did Chen Xuan realize he was enveloped by a layer of Qi—not just on the surface, but every blood vessel, every strand of muscle was protected by this Qi, emanating from the Heart Method "Celestial Mist Skill" that had accumulated over time.

This was said to drive a permanent bodily evolution, a first step toward ascension... He remembered there was a note about this in the Celestial Mist Skill description; perhaps ascending naked to space was part of it!?

He could even breathe lightly as if his body activated an internal circulation mode. At this Qi consumption rate, he could last at least another ten or so minutes.

What an amazing advanced Heart Method!

Suddenly, Chen Xuan saw his customer.

The girl was rolling twenty meters away from him, apparently alive, but the weightless environment prevented her from stabilizing her posture.

He could clearly see the full view of the colossal space structure beneath—though not as exaggerated as a true megastructure, far from blotting out the sun, it was grand and magnificent nonetheless. Structures akin to N43, comparable to walking plazas, numbered in the hundreds. They formed exquisite hexagonal constructs, arranged like a honeycomb, suspended beneath the circular framework.

Theoretically, the collapse of one N43 wouldn’t threaten the main body fatally, but "Space City" was indeed on the brink of destruction. Explosions erupted everywhere on the frame, connections broke one after another, and glowing debris flew outward, resembling a snowstorm in deep space.

The hundreds of connected honeycombs were also slowly descending under Earth’s gravitational pull, akin to a sandcastle washed away by the sea, and total collapse seemed inevitable.

Chen Xuan understood what those "fireworks" shot from Earth were... They were ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads. However, exploding in a vacuum, they lost their shockwave, and the flames didn’t rise, making them look like intensely bright circular firecrackers.

Were people from Earth attacking this Space City?

Yet it appeared unguarded, merely a residential and tourist spot.

Chen Xuan shook his head, casting aside a string of questions. Since the vacuum couldn’t harm him temporarily, and since there was still some time, he must save his customer.

At the very least, he had to try. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

After all, every customer was the most valuable treasure, right?