dmims Page 245
Page 245
With unknown creatures ahead and no way back, their situation was worse than they had imagined.
Chapter 519 Fierce Battle in the Nest
The scene outside the door instantly put the four of them on edge.
A damp, putrid stench filled the air, mixed with an indescribable, sweet-smelling odor reminiscent of fungal spores. The corridor walls were covered with a thick, writhing, dark green biological matrix, like a living carpet of moss, emitting a faint phosphorescence that cast eerie shadows throughout the space. The few "woodlice" creatures that had been gnawing outside the door had already retreated into the shadows, but deeper into the corridor, more scarlet eyes lit up, radiating blatant malice.
"Damn it, we've just escaped one danger only to fall into another!" Vegeta spat, and golden flames rose involuntarily, startling several small creatures that approached and causing them to shrink back, but more of them hissed threateningly.
"Stay alert, but don't waste your energy." Lin Ye lowered his voice. The fragments in his palm emitted a continuous, weak sense of repulsion, pointing towards these creatures and the substrate covering the hull. "They seem to be very sensitive to high-energy reactions."
"The scans show that these biological substrates contain highly active acidic enzymes, which are slowly breaking down the ship's structure," Night Owl quickly reported the instrument data. "Individual life signals are weak, but their collective consciousness is very strong... They see us as intruders, or... food."
Before he could finish speaking, from the writhing dark green depths of the passage, a dozen or so creatures resembling enlarged centipedes suddenly sprang forth. They possessed metallic-looking limbs and sharp jaws, and moved with astonishing speed, charging straight at the four of them!
"You're asking for death!" Trunks' eyes narrowed, and he drew his longsword, unleashing a sharp sword light that precisely cleaved the two leading "centipedes" in two! Green, viscous fluid splattered out, landing on the metal floor with a hissing, corrosive sound.
Vegeta was more direct, not even bothering to use ki blasts. With a flash, his fists and feet rained down on the creatures like a storm. Each of his blows contained terrifying power, shattering their hard shells and sending limbs flying everywhere.
Lin Ye didn't rush forward rashly. He maintained the release of his force field, keeping its range limited to a few meters around him. As the force field swept across, the charging creatures visibly faltered, as if stuck in quagmire, creating an excellent opportunity for Trunks and Vegeta to kill them. At the same time, he also vigilantly observed his surroundings, preventing any creatures from sneaking up from the walls or ceiling.
The owl remained hidden within the protective circle formed by the three, constantly scanning the environment: "Their carapaces have some resistance to physical and conventional energy attacks, but their joints and compound eyes are weaknesses! Be careful of their blood; it's highly corrosive!"
The battle was brief but intense. The first wave of monsters was small in number and was quickly wiped out by Vegeta and Trunks' relentless assault. An even stronger stench filled the passageway.
"Pathetic." Vegeta flicked the green slime off his hands, which was trying to corrode his aura, but was quickly repelled.
“Don’t be careless.” Lin Ye frowned as he looked at the wreckage on the ground, which was being rapidly covered and absorbed by the biological matrix. “They are just sentinels. This ship… has become a complete ecosystem, and we are the outsiders.”
He looked up into the depths of the passage. The crimson eye-like features hadn't retreated despite the death of their companions; instead, they had multiplied, and the writhing biological matrix seemed even more active. "We can't stay here. We must find a way out, or the ship's control center."
"Which way?" Trunks asked, the tip of his sword pointing to both ends of the dark passage.
The owl adjusted the instruments: "Air flow indication... there's a weak circulating airflow in the left channel, possibly leading to a more open area or an environmental control system. On the right... the life signal response is stronger, possibly their... hatching area or the core of their nest."
"Go to the left." Lin Ye said without hesitation. "Try to avoid a direct confrontation with their main force. Let's figure out the situation of this ship first and find something usable or information."
The four immediately sprang into action, cautiously advancing along the left-hand passage. Vegeta led the way, with Lin Ye and Trunks providing support from the left and right, while Night Owl brought up the rear and constantly monitored the surroundings.
The passage wound downwards, the bio-matrix beneath their feet growing thicker and thicker, giving it an uncomfortably soft and sticky feel. On the walls on either side, one could occasionally see the rusted ship equipment and pipes, partially encased in the bio-matrix, with some places even revealing holes gnawed through, allowing a glimpse of the even more intricate structure beyond.
“This ship is thoroughly parasitized,” Trunks murmured, looking at the skeleton of an astronaut entangled in green mycelium.
"It seems the 'Pioneer's' exploration journey didn't go very well," Lin Ye responded. He noticed that some equipment panels still had messy scratches and dried, suspiciously colored stains, which gave him an idea of the crew's despair at the time.
Suddenly, Vegeta, who was walking ahead, stopped.
“There is light ahead,” he said in a deep voice.
As everyone gazed intently, they saw a faint, more stable white light, different from phosphorescence, emanating from the end of the passage, and the space seemed to have become more open.
"Be careful," Lin Ye warned.
The four slowed their pace and approached cautiously. The passageway ended here, connecting to a relatively spacious area, like a small warehouse or equipment room. The white light came from a few emergency lights still working on the ceiling, stubbornly penetrating the thin layer of biological substrate covering it and illuminating the space.
The warehouse was filled with supply crates, most of which had been opened or corroded, but a few in the corners looked relatively intact. More importantly, at the other end of the warehouse, there was a tightly closed, rather heavy-looking metal door with a manual control valve wheel on it.
"The door!" Trunks' eyes lit up.
"Let's go take a look!" Lin Ye decided immediately.
However, the moment they stepped into the warehouse, something unexpected happened!
Suddenly, the bio-matrix on the walls of the warehouse began to writhe violently, and then dozens of parasitic creatures of various shapes and sizes swarmed out! There were "woodlice" and "centipedes" that we had seen before, as well as many more species that we had never seen before—some looked like spiders with bone spurs, and some looked like reptiles without skin but only muscle tissue. They made teeth-grinding hisses and rushed in from all directions!
At the same time, the bio-matrix on the top of the warehouse cracked open, and several larger, moth-like creatures vibrated their wings, which were covered with fungal patches, and scattered scales containing paralyzing spores!
"A trap?!" Trunks exclaimed, slashing his sword to deflect a bone-spiky spider that lunged at him.
"Who cares if it's a trap, just kill them all!" Vegeta roared, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts that exploded into clusters of green liquid amidst the monster horde.
Lin Ye immediately expanded the Order Force Field to its maximum, enveloping the entire team. Within the force field's range, the monster's speed noticeably decreased, and the scattered scales were repelled by an invisible force. However, he also felt a pressure; maintaining such a large-scale force field was quite taxing on his mental energy and fragmented energy.
"Night Owl, find a way to open the door! We'll cover you!" Lin Ye shouted as he twisted a tentacle monster that was trying to crawl out of the ground with the power of order.
"Understood!" Night Owl rushed toward the metal door, his tools already warming up, ready to force open the lock or melt the bolt.
The battle instantly intensified. The number of monsters far exceeded what they had encountered in the previous passage, and their coordination was impeccable, as if commanded by a unified consciousness. Vegeta and Trunks were locked in a fierce struggle; although they could kill the monsters with every move, the constant replenishment made it difficult for them to approach the center of the warehouse.
Lin Ye was under even greater pressure. He not only had to maintain the order field, but also had to deal with any fish that managed to break through the defenses from time to time. The fragments in his palm continued to radiate high temperatures.
"This thing is rusted too badly! It will take time!" Night Owl's anxious voice came as he used a laser cutter to burn the valve connection, making slow progress.
"What we lack most is time!" Vegeta punched a muscle monster, splattering green blood all over him, and yelled angrily, "Damn it, these bastards are never going to stop!"
A moth-like creature seized the opportunity to swoop down, its sharp mandibles aimed straight for Vegeta's nape. Trunks reacted swiftly, slicing it in half mid-air with a sword strike.
"This can't go on!" Trunks gasped. "There are just too many of them!"
Lin Ye's gaze swept across the entire warehouse, finally settling on the stacked supply crates. One of the crates was half-open, revealing several tubes inside that flickered with unstable energy... seemingly energy batteries or some kind of fuel rod?
An adventurous thought flashed through his mind.
"Vegeta! Trunks! Move closer to me, prepare to storm the door!" Lin Ye shouted, while simultaneously contracting the Order Field to concentrate his power and temporarily clear a small area in front of him.
He flashed to the half-open supply crate, grabbed two energy bars, and felt the violent energy fluctuations within them.
"What do you want to do?" Vegeta asked as he retreated.
"Give them a good thrashing!" Lin Ye hurled one of the energy bars at the center of the warehouse where the monsters were most concentrated, while aiming the other at an area on the ceiling with a particularly thick biological matrix!
"Vegeta! Smash them!"
Although Vegeta didn't understand why, his fighting instincts made him raise his hand without hesitation and fire two precise Ki blasts!
boom! boom!
Two violent explosions rang out almost simultaneously! The energy bar was detonated, releasing a blinding white light and a violent shockwave that instantly wiped out the monsters in the center! The explosion on the ceiling triggered a chain reaction, with large chunks of biological substrate and the parasites attached to it falling like rain, crashing into the monster horde below and causing chaos.
"Now! Let's go!" Lin Ye roared.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the four broke through the thinned encirclement caused by the explosion and rushed to the metal door. Night Owl had almost melted the door valve shut in the confusion.
"Get out of the way!" Vegeta stepped forward and kicked the door hard!
"boom!"
The heavy metal door slammed open, revealing a relatively clean corridor behind it, with only a few scattered biological substrates. There seemed to be stairs leading upwards at the end of the corridor.
"Get in quickly!"
The four filed in, with Vegeta entering last. He reached out to close the door, only to find that the hinges had been bent from his kick and could not be closed completely.
"Damn it!" he cursed, deciding to ignore it and keeping a wary eye on the warehouse he had come from. The monsters inside seemed momentarily stunned by the explosion, but quickly began to gather again, stirring restlessly.
"Never mind them, let's go!" Lin Ye urged. He sensed that the fluctuations from the fragments were somewhat chaotic, and the explosion seemed to have affected the energy balance of this area.
They hurried down the corridor and climbed the stairs to the next floor. Behind them, the hissing of monsters intensified again, but they seemed wary of the relatively "clean" corridor and didn't immediately give chase.
It's safe for now.
The four men climbed the stairs, their nerves on edge. The "Pioneer" was far more dangerous than they had imagined, and they were still far from finding a way to escape.
What awaits them at the end of the stairs?
Chapter 520 Upper Deck and Data Fragments
The stairs were not long, and at the end was an airtight door with a manual valve wheel, but compared to the one below, this door was relatively well preserved, with only a thin layer of rust on the valve wheel.
"Hopefully, this isn't another monster's lair." Vegeta snorted, stepped forward, grasped the valve wheel, and with a slight exertion, accompanied by a reassuring metallic scraping sound, the valve wheel slowly turned.
With a click, the door lock disengaged. Vegeta carefully pushed the door open a crack and peered out warily.
Outside was a relatively tidy corridor, typical of a spaceship interior. The metal walls, though somewhat weathered, weren't completely covered in the disgusting biological matrix; only a few scattered green patches remained. About half of the overhead lights were still working, emitting a steady white light that dispelled most of the darkness. The air still carried a musty smell, but the intense stench of decay and spores had lessened considerably.
“Safe.” Vegeta confirmed, then went out first. Lin Ye, Trunks, and Night Owl followed closely behind.
The corridor was lined with doors to various functional cabins, most of which were tightly closed, and the lettering on the doorplates was mostly illegible. They tried to push open a few doors and found that the rooms inside were either empty dormitories or storage rooms filled with discarded junk, clearly indicating that the spaceship had experienced chaos before and after the crash.
"It doesn't seem to be completely parasitized here." Trunks observed his surroundings and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“That doesn’t mean there’s no danger.” Lin Ye didn’t dare to be careless, keeping his senses constantly extended. “Those things might just not have spread here yet, or… there’s something here that they’re wary of.”
Night Owl continued operating his instruments: "A faint energy reading has been detected, coming from ahead... like some device still operating at low power. Also, the air composition here is better than down below. Although it's still not suitable for long-term survival, short-term exposure shouldn't be a problem."
"Is there any equipment running?" Lin Ye looked in the direction Night Owl pointed. "Let's go take a look."
They proceeded cautiously down the corridor, seeing more signs of battle along the way... scorch marks from energy weapons on the walls, scattered broken tools, and dried, blackened bloodstains. One could imagine the desperate resistance the crew of the "Pioneer" had once put up here.
At the end of the corridor was a double, heavier-looking metal door, with the words "Data Archives Communications Relay" written in blurry lettering on it. The faint energy reading was coming from behind that door.
“The archives…maybe we can find records of what happened on this ship, or even a star map!” Trunks’s eyes lit up with hope.
Vegeta stepped forward and pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked. You need either permission or physical destruction."
“Let me try.” Lin Ye stepped forward and placed his palm near the lock. The fragment of the Key of Creation glowed faintly as he tried to infuse it with a wisp of order power to interfere with its electronic lock structure. This method was ineffective against purely mechanical locks, but it might work on locks that might have electronic identification.
A few seconds later, a soft "beep" sounded from inside the door, and the red indicator light on the door frame turned green.
"It's open." Lin Ye withdrew his hand, letting out a slight sigh of relief. The power of the fragments always brings surprises at times like these.
The four pushed open the door, revealing a room covered in dust and cobwebs (ordinary). Rows of tall data storage cabinets were neatly arranged, but most were dim and unlit, clearly damaged by power outages. Only a standalone control console in the corner of the room and a smaller relay server array connected to it were still flashing faint power indicator lights.
“Some devices are still operating with backup power.” Night Owl immediately walked to the control panel, blew away the dust, and quickly swiped his fingers across the touchscreen. The screen lit up, displaying a tattered interface and numerous error reports.
“System self-check… Backup power remaining 3%… Core database corruption rate 89%… External communication array offline… Last log recording time… Ephemeris 7744-Gamma, marked as ‘Highest Emergency Status’…” Night Owl read out fragmented information while operating the system.
"What can be restored? About the ship's mission, or what happened to them?" Lin Ye asked.
"I'm trying to access undamaged storage sectors...needs to bypass several broken firewalls..." Night Owl was focused, his instruments directly connected to the console's data port. "Found some fragmented logs and exploration reports...decoding..."
Fragmented text and blurry images began scrolling across the screen:
"...Seventh deep space jump successful...Coordinates locked on an unknown star region...High concentration of life signals detected...Preliminary assessment indicates an unrecorded ecological treasure..."
"...Dispatching the 'Stalker' probe to land on the surface of Zeta-09...Signal lost...Contact lost..."
"...Unknown biological spores invade through the life support system...They possess extremely strong adaptability and parasitism...The crew begins to exhibit abnormalities...Security measures fail..."
"...They are learning...they are imitating...the ship's structure is being transformed...we are trapped..."
"...The distress signal could not be sent...Space was distorted by some kind of force field...They are using us as a breeding ground...For the 'main nest'..."
The final recording is an extremely chaotic audio clip, interspersed with screams, explosions, and a chilling background sound like the hissing of countless insects: