met free Chapter 32 Alien 2
Chapter 32 Alien 2
Cold air, carrying the smell of engine oil and unknown metallic oxidation, filled everyone's nostrils. The passageway extended downwards, its slope gentle, yet seemingly endless in its depth. The walls were no longer made of the smooth material of the previous hall, but of rough, massive stones with dark silver metallic patterns, their surfaces covered with indescribable etched lines—some resembling electrical circuits, others twisted characters or biological textures. Dark red warning lights, spaced every ten meters, cast flickering shadows, stretching the shadows long and distorting against the walls.
"The air composition is stable, but it contains trace amounts of inert heavy metal particles and unknown inert energy residue. It has no direct toxicity, but long-term exposure to the unknown is harmful." Chu Xuan looked at the readings of the simple detector on his wrist, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the narrow passage. He had already inputted the fragmented information he had obtained from the Surako and here into his portable terminal, constructing a preliminary structural model of the ruins, but most areas were still blurry shadows.
"My mental scanning range is suppressed to about fifty meters. Beyond that, it's all blurry, with a kind of... viscous resistance," Zhan Lan said in a low voice, her face pale. In this place, her abilities were severely limited.
Wang Lin walked in the middle of the group, his mental resonance network quietly expanding, covering a range of thirty meters in front and behind. He didn't attempt a large-scale survey, but instead focused his perception on environmental details, subtle changes in energy flow, and the mental state of his teammates. After losing the contract, this refined and proactive perception and control became his new reliance. He could feel the surging fighting spirit and a hint of vigilance within Zheng Zha, Chu Xuan's thoughts operating at high speed like a precision instrument, Zero's icy focus, Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi's taut muscles, Zhao Yingkong and Ming Yanwei's stealthy footsteps, and... the faint fluctuations of the calm, cold, background noise-like Guide 7341-ZJ in the direction of the hall behind him.
"Fifty meters ahead, the passage forks. The energy readings in the left passage are erratic, with intermittent high-intensity energy pulses. The right passage... the life signal is weak, but... the structure is abnormal, and the spatial readings are discontinuous," Zhan Lan warned.
The group stopped at the fork in the road. Chu Xuan pulled up the model and compared the limited data from the two routes.
"The energy pulse on the left may connect to an energy core or a defense system node. It's highly dangerous, but it could contain valuable information or a control terminal. The spatial anomaly on the right could be a trap, a shortcut to deeper areas, or... an experimental field," Chu Xuan analyzed. "We need more information. Wang Lin, how far can your psionic vision penetrate?"
Wang Lin focused his mind, channeling his spiritual energy into his eyes. Under his psionic vision, deep within the left passage, a turbulent, bluish-purple energy current surged, like an ocean in a storm. At the source of this current, there seemed to be a constantly pulsating, blazing ball of light. The right passage was even more bizarre; the "structure" of the space itself was distorted and folded, like crumpled paper. In the gaps between the folds, one could vaguely "see" some slowly moving, blurry shadows, emanating a cold, lifeless, yet incongruous aura of "vitality."
"The energy source on the left is extremely unstable; getting close is risky. The space on the right... is unstable; there's something inside, but it's not clear. It feels... very bad," Wang Lin said in a deep voice.
"Splitting the troops?" Zheng Zha frowned.
"No. The depths of the ruins pose an extremely high level of unknown threat, and splitting our forces would be too risky. We must concentrate our forces." Chu Xuan shook his head. "I suggest we go to the right. Although spatial anomalies are dangerous, they usually mean we're close to some core area. Moreover, those faint life signals might provide information about the 'ancient experimental subjects' within these ruins. We need to understand our enemy."
"Agreed. Zero and I will lead the way, Wang Lin and Zhan Lan will provide early warning in the center, Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, Ying Kong, and Yan Wei will provide cover on the flanks, and Chu Xuan, you and the story characters will follow behind." Zheng Zha quickly made tactical arrangements. The four story characters (Captain Alyssa, Engineer Reynolds, Medic Anna, and Marine Karl) were pale at the moment, but they knew they had no choice and stayed close to Chu Xuan.
The group turned to the right-hand passage. Upon entering, everyone felt a strange sense of sluggishness, as if the air had thickened and their steps became heavier. The walls of the passage began to distort unnaturally; even while walking forward, they sometimes felt as if they were drifting to the side. The lights also began to flicker, the interplay of light and shadow causing a slight dizziness.
"The curvature of space is changing... We may have entered a folded or compressed region." Chu Xuan stared at the fluctuating data on the detector, his brow furrowed. "Watch your step and your head; the spatial structure may be unstable."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Zha, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and shouted, "Stop!"
Without warning, a distorted light screen appeared on the ground of the passage ahead, like a reflection on water, showing the distorted figures of everyone. However, the movements of the shadows were not synchronized with the real bodies, and they even made some strange gestures.
"A spatial mirror trap. Stepping into it might randomly teleport you to different locations, or... tear you apart." Chu Xuan quickly assessed the situation. "Go around it. Stick to the left wall; the spatial disturbances are weaker there."
The group carefully huddled along the left wall, slowly making their way around the distorted light curtain. However, just as Wang Lin, in the middle of the group, passed by, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of an inconspicuous etched pattern on the right wall, which suddenly emitted an extremely faint, dark red light!
"Watch out on the right..." Before he could finish his warning, something unexpected happened!
The glowing pattern seemed to come alive, instantly spreading countless fine red rays that crawled across a large section of the wall like blood vessels! Then, the wall suddenly caved in and twisted, forming an irregular spatial vortex with sparks crackling at its edges! A powerful, chaotic suction force emanated from the vortex, aimed directly at Wang Lin and Zhan Lan, who were closest, and the medical officer Anna, who was slightly behind them!
"Grab him!" Zheng Zha reacted swiftly, turning around and grabbing Wang Lin's arm. His vampire energy erupted, pinning him to the spot. Zero and Li Shuaixi also pounced on Zhan Lan and Anna simultaneously.
However, the suction force was far stronger than imagined, and it carried a spatial dislocation effect, making it difficult to fully utilize one's strength. Wang Lin felt as if his body was being torn in two, his mental energy fluctuating violently under the interference of the suction. Zhan Lan screamed as half of her body was already pulled off the ground. Anna let out a desperate scream; she was positioned further back, and Zero Point hadn't been able to grab her immediately, and she was about to be sucked into the vortex!
At this critical moment, at the very back of the column, Marine Carl, who had been silently following along, flashed a resolute glint in his eyes. He suddenly turned the flamethrower of his makeshift welding torch to its maximum power and unleashed a powerful blast at the center of the spatial vortex! At the same time, he lunged forward, using his body to shield Anna from the vortex!
"Karl!" Anna screamed.
The blazing flames surged into the vortex, triggering a violent energy disturbance and explosion! Sparks and lightning flashed everywhere! The chaotic energy shock slightly weakened the suction. Taking advantage of the moment, Zheng Zha roared and forcefully pulled Wang Lin back. Zero also finally caught Zhan Lan.
But Karl... he was violently pulled into the rapidly shrinking spatial vortex by the shockwave of the explosion and the residual suction! Only a short groan and splattered blood remained before the vortex completely disappeared behind him, the wall returned to its original state, leaving only a charred mark.
"Karl..." Anna collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Another character in the story had sacrificed himself.
Everyone was still in shock. Chu Xuan quickly stepped forward, examining the scorch marks and energy readings remaining on the wall, his face grim: "It's a triggered spatial folding trap. It utilized the ruins' own energy and spatial distortion nodes. Karl's self-destruction disrupted the energy stability, forcibly shutting it down. But there might be more than one of these traps."
"Keep going, but be extra careful." Zheng Zha's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger. Karl's sacrifice saved them, but it also made the atmosphere in the group even heavier.
The journey that followed was fraught with peril. Wang Lin pushed his psionic vision to its limit, scrutinizing every minute energy flow on the walls. Zhan Lan's mental energy, like the most sensitive tentacles, probed the structural stability of every inch of space. Chu Xuan, meanwhile, continuously analyzed the detector data, attempting to uncover the distribution patterns of the spatial traps.
They encountered similar traps twice more. Once, a gravity well suddenly appeared, nearly crushing Ba Wang and Zhao Yingkong into mincemeat; Li Shuaixi pulled them back using a specially made grappling hook and rope, along with Zheng Zha's brute force. The other time, a spatial rift occurred. Engineer Reynolds, walking in the middle, lost his footing, half his body disappearing into a black fissure that appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, Ming Yanwei reacted quickly, shooting off his tool belt, which got stuck at the edge of the rift. Zheng Zha's renewed burst of energy pulled him back, but Reynolds' right leg had vanished below the knee. The cut was smooth as a mirror, without bleeding, only covered by a strange, writhing black energy membrane, preventing both blood loss and regeneration. Reynolds fainted from the pain and, after a quick bandage, was carried by Ba Wang.
The passage seemed endless, and the spatial distortion grew increasingly severe. Sometimes they appeared to be moving forward, yet felt themselves being pushed backward. Sometimes their own reflections appeared on the walls, but the reflections moved strangely and independently. A faint, cloying, putrid odor began to permeate the air, mingled with the smells of metal and ozone.
"We may be approaching the 'experimental subject' area," Chu Xuan said in a low voice. He noticed that the etching patterns on the wall were becoming denser and more biological tissue-like structures were appearing. In some places, he could even see dark red, muscle fiber-like things wriggling slightly under the metal.
Suddenly, Zheng Zha, who was walking at the front, stopped again and raised his fist. The passage ahead opened up, and they arrived at a huge, hemispherical space.
This space was much smaller than the previous hall, but its appearance was ten times more eerie and terrifying. The dome and walls were no longer metal, but covered with a thick, pulsating, dark red membrane. The surface of the membrane was covered with large blood vessels and nerve ganglia, and in some places, it was inlaid with shimmering metal parts and transistor wires, as if life and machine had been brutally fused together. The membrane emitted a faint dark red light, illuminating the entire space.
On the ground of the space stood dozens of enormous, semi-transparent culture chambers. Most of the chambers were damaged, containing only dried slime and broken organic debris. However, about ten chambers remained intact, and the "things" inside, submerged in a pale green nutrient solution, sent chills down everyone's spines.
They were neither pure aliens nor humans. They possessed streamlined bodies and bony armor similar to aliens, but their limb structures were closer to humanoids. Some even retained some human facial features, albeit distorted and contorted in pain. Their carapaces displayed eerie colors of dark gold, deep red, or purplish-black, inlaid with metal plates or extending tiny mechanical tentacles. Some individuals had twisted, insect- or bat-like membranous wings growing from their backs, while others had tails that resembled mechanical structures with chainsaws or jet nozzles. They floated silently in the nutrient solution, their chests rising and falling slightly, as if in a deep sleep.
"Biomechanical fusion...ancient experimental subjects..." Chu Xuan's voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement. "No wonder the Xenomorphs on the Surako were 'modified.' The experimental direction here is to forcibly fuse the genes of Xenomorphs (or similar biological weapons) with mechanical technology, and even possibly human genes, attempting to create super soldiers that combine biological adaptability, mechanical strength, and controllability. It seems...this relic, or rather its builders, failed. These are failed products, or...unactivated finished products."
"Are they still alive?" Zhan Lan asked in a trembling voice. As soon as her mental scan touched the incubation chambers, she felt a chaotic, violent mental turbulence filled with pain and a desire for destruction.
"Life activity is faint, but present. They may be in deep hibernation or a state of maintenance." Chu Xuan stared at the detector. "Energy readings show the cultivation chamber is connected to the fleshy membrane network at the top, seemingly drawing energy. We need to obtain the 'core data fragment,' and this might be one of the key areas. But if we disturb them…"
As if to confirm Chu Xuan's words, the movement of everyone entering this space seemed to activate some kind of sensing mechanism. On the dome, several fleshy membranes suddenly writhed violently, extending several mechanical tentacles with sensors and sharp probes at their ends, slowly reaching towards the group! At the same time, in the nearest intact incubation chamber, the purplish-black humanoid monster's eyelids twitched violently!
"Prepare for battle! Don't get touched by those tentacles! Prioritize destroying the energy connection of the incubation chamber!" Zheng Zha roared, his entire body surging with red and white energy! He knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.
The Overlord's heavy machine gun fired first, the scorching bullet belt sweeping towards the nearest mechanical tentacle! The bullets hit the bio-metal hybrid carapace on the tentacle's surface, scattering dense sparks, but failed to immediately sever it, only causing it to deflect slightly!
Zero calmly aimed at the base where the tentacle connected to the flesh membrane and pulled the trigger! The specially made armor-piercing bullet successfully tore open a gap, and dark red viscous liquid and electric sparks shot out, causing the tentacle to immediately go limp.
But more tentacles surged in from all directions! Li Shuaixi and Zhao Yingkong moved swiftly, their blades flashing, slashing at the agile tentacles. Ming Yanwei, on the other hand, used precise bursts of fire to attack the sensor nodes on the tentacles.
Wang Lin did not participate in the attack on the tentacles; his mental energy was highly concentrated. Under his psionic vision, he clearly saw that at the bottom of each cultivation chamber, there was a thick, pulsating dark red energy pipe connecting to the ground, converging towards an inconspicuous, dark golden hexagonal pillar embedded in the ground at the center of the space. The pillar was only half a person's height, but the energy fluctuations and aura of order it emitted far surpassed everything around it.
"Chu Xuan! That central pillar! It might be a control node or a data storage point!" Wang Lin shouted through the mental link.
Chu Xuan also noticed the pillar. While shooting at the approaching tentacles with his energy pistol, he tried to get closer to the pillar, and at the same time, he quickly operated the terminal to try to wirelessly hack or connect.
However, their actions seemed to further trigger the space's defense system. The dome's membrane suddenly contracted violently, then violently ejected dozens of fist-sized, tumor-like fleshy spheres! These spheres landed on the ground, quickly unfolding into half-human-sized, grotesque crawling monsters pieced together from biological tissue and mechanical parts, hissing and swarming towards the group! At the same time, the indicator lights of three intact incubation chambers turned from green to red, and the liquid inside began to drain rapidly!
"Damn it! More have been activated!" Overlord roared, turning his gun to sweep the small monsters.
Zheng Zha blasted a mechanical reptile that lunged at him with a single punch, then moved with lightning speed, lunging at a purplish-black humanoid monster that had just opened its hatch and staggered out! The monster, having just emerged from the nutrient solution, seemed somewhat sluggish, but its reactions were incredibly fast; its tail, covered in bone spurs, shot towards Zheng Zha's face with afterimages! Zheng Zha dodged to the side, and his fist, enveloped in red and white energy, slammed into its chest!
Bang! With a dull thud, the monster's chest armor shattered, and it staggered backward, but instead of falling, it let out a sharp screech and lunged forward even faster! Its strength and defense far surpassed those of the ordinary aliens on the Surako!
The battle instantly intensified. Ten people (including the Overlord carrying Reynolds) were surrounded by dozens of mechanical tentacles, dozens of small mechanical reptiles, and three (quickly becoming four, then five) awakened, enhanced humanoid monsters! In the confined space, gunshots, explosions, the clanging of metal, the roars of monsters, and the angry shouts of the crowd rang out in unison!
Wang Lin pushed his mental resonance network to its limit, providing his teammates with precise information on enemy and friendly positions and the direction of threats amidst the chaos of the battlefield. He also attempted to use his mental power to assist them—either pushing away a reptile lunging at Zhan Lan, interfering with a tentacle about to entangle Li Shuaixi, or creating a brief mental shock that slowed the movements of a humanoid monster by half a second. His brain was like an overclocked processor, processing massive amounts of information; the veins on his forehead throbbed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.
Chu Xuan finally reached the central hexagram pillar. Ignoring the fierce battle around him, he rapidly tapped and slid his hands across several flashing runes on the pillar's surface, attempting to activate or decipher them. The runes on the pillar's surface lit up one by one, projecting a complex three-dimensional light screen upon which flowed countless incomprehensible symbols and data streams.
"Requires authorization verification... or brute force... not enough time..." Chu Xuan spoke rapidly, his hands moving like lightning, while simultaneously dodging stray bullets or small monsters that occasionally attacked. He was also struck on the back by a mechanical tentacle, his combat suit torn and his skin bleeding, but he seemed completely unaware of it.
Just then, a piercing scream rang out! It was Medical Officer Anna! In her attempt to protect the unconscious Reynolds, she was bitten on the calf by a mechanical reptile that pounced from the side, its sharp metal jaws severing her Achilles tendon in an instant! She screamed and fell to the ground, whereupon more reptiles swarmed around her!
"Anna!" Zhan Lan cried out in alarm, unleashing her mental power to blast away several reptiles, but more surged forward. Zheng Zha tried to return to help, but was held back by two enhanced humanoid monsters.
Just as Anna was about to be torn apart, a figure slashed in like a ghost, the blade flashing like mercury, instantly slicing the several reptiles that were attacking Anna into pieces! It was Zhao Yingkong! She had somehow escaped the main battlefield and, relying on her superb stealth and speed, had fought her way here.
"Take her back!" Zhao Yingkong's cold voice rang out as she brandished her short sword, temporarily blocking the surging reptiles.
The situation remains dire. Six enhanced humanoid monsters have awakened, possessing not only astonishing strength and defense but also seemingly basic tactical coordination, knowing how to cover each other and employing cunning attacks. Zheng Zha, Ba Wang, Li Shuaixi, Ling Dian, and Ming Yanwei are facing immense pressure against these six monsters, and each has sustained injuries. Wang Lin's mental energy is rapidly depleting, and his support capabilities are increasingly insufficient. Zhan Lan, who must maintain the team's mental connection (Wang Lin in control, she providing support) while simultaneously using mental attacks to disrupt the enemy, has also reached her limit. Chu Xuan's efforts to break through the defenses have yielded no progress.
"Chu Xuan! Aren't you done yet?!" Zheng Zha roared, smashing a monster's shoulder with a punch, but was also slashed in the ribs by another monster's bone blade, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound that bled profusely.
Chu Xuan didn't answer. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers traced afterimages across the light screen. Suddenly, the data stream in his eyes froze, as if he had caught something.
"Wang Lin! Use your mental power at maximum strength to attack this coordinate point!" Chu Xuan shouted urgently in the mental connection, while transmitting a set of complex three-dimensional coordinates and energy frequency spectrum.
Wang Lin didn't ask why; he trusted Chu Xuan's judgment. He took a deep breath, ignoring the soul-tearing pain caused by the depletion of his mental energy, and focused all his remaining mental energy, according to the frequency and coordinates given by Chu Xuan, and slammed it hard into an extremely inconspicuous, constantly flashing dark red dot on the six-sided pillar light screen!
Om-!
An invisible mental storm spread out from Wang Lin, leaving everyone stunned. The six-sided pillar shuddered violently, its surface runes flashing wildly, and the data stream on the light screen instantly became chaotic! Then, the dark red fleshy membrane covering the entire space suddenly dimmed, the mechanical tentacles and small reptiles froze, and then went limp as if power had been cut off! Even the six enhanced humanoid monsters let out painful howls, their movements stiff and uncoordinated, as if they had lost some kind of control signal.
"Now! Attack them! Attack the energy channels connecting the pillars!" Chu Xuan shouted, slamming his hands down on several specific runes on the surface of the six-sided pillar!
At the top of the pillar, a palm-sized, dark golden crystal radiating intense energy fluctuations slowly rose from within and hovered in the air.
"Core data fragments!" A glint flashed in Chu Xuan's eyes.
Zheng Zha and the others seized the opportunity and unleashed their strongest attacks, blasting away the monsters that had fallen into chaos. Ling Dian and Li Shuaixi swiftly severed all the energy pipes connecting the cultivation pods to the ground.
After unleashing that attack, Wang Lin's vision went black, and he nearly collapsed, only to be caught by Zhan Lan. He felt his mental energy completely drained, unable even to maintain mental resonance, and the network instantly went down. The intense headache and the deep weakness in his soul almost rendered him incapable of thinking.
Chu Xuan quickly stepped forward and carefully collected the floating dark gold crystal using a specially made container. The crystal felt cool to the touch, and it seemed as if countless tiny points of light were flowing inside.
"Acquisition of 'Relic Core Data Fragment' (1/1) Completed. Mission completion updated. Immediate evacuation recommended. The brute-force attack and energy interruption just now may have triggered a higher level of defense mechanisms or alarms." Chu Xuan spoke rapidly.
The group dared not linger. They helped the wounded (Wang Lin, Zhan Lan, Zheng Zha, Reynolds, and Anna), picked up usable equipment, and quickly retreated towards the passage they had come from. Behind them, within the hemispherical space, the flesh membrane began to convulse violently, emitting a teeth-grinding tearing sound. The incubation chambers burst open, releasing more viscous liquid and incompletely formed monster remains, but it was no longer enough to stop their evacuation.
The return journey was equally perilous. The spatial traps seemed to have become even more unstable due to energy disturbances, but with their experience on the way there, coupled with Chu Xuan's rapid calculations and Wang Lin's barely recovered psychic vision guidance, they managed to pass through the most dangerous area without any major incidents.
When they finally stumbled out of the spatial distortion passage, returned to the relatively "normal" fork in the road, and finally returned to the central hall, everyone collapsed to the ground, only able to gasp for breath.
The guide, 7341-ZJ, remained standing quietly in the center of the hall, its scarlet electronic eyes sweeping over the disheveled and wounded crowd before finally settling on the container in Chu Xuan's hand.
"Energy signature of 'Relic Core Data Fragment' detected. Mission: Explore the depths of Relic Zero and obtain at least one 'Relic Core Data Fragment'. Completion. Rating: A-. Rewards will be issued based on mission completion rating and team survival rate."
As the cold voice fell, the Supreme God's prompt simultaneously echoed in everyone's minds:
[Potential Enhancement Trial Mission Completed. Rating: A-.]
[Reward Distribution: Each survivor receives 8000 reward points and one B-level side quest.]
[Special Discovery Reward (Cracking the Ancient Experimentation Site, Obtaining Core Data): An additional 3000 reward points for the entire team, and one C-level side quest.]
The reward was generous, but no one cheered. They had lost Karl, Reynolds was severely injured and crippled, Anna had lost a leg, and everyone was battered and bruised, their mental strength exhausted. Wang Lin felt as if his soul had been ripped out; he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
"Guide unit 7341-ZJ, teleportation protocol ready. Target: God Space. Countdown: 60 seconds," the guide said calmly.
In the center of the hall, a familiar white beam of light slowly illuminated.
"Finally... I can go back..." the Overlord murmured, almost crying.
Zheng Zha struggled to his feet and helped the unconscious Reynolds to his feet. Li Shuaixi and Ming Yanwei helped Anna to her feet. Zhao Yingkong stood silently to the side. Lingdian checked his gun. Zhan Lan, barely holding on, used her last bit of mental strength to calm everyone down.
Chu Xuan walked up to the guide 7341-ZJ, looked into his calm eyes, and suddenly asked, "After the repair, how do you still feel about your 'past' and the identity of 'Zhang Jie'?"
The guide, 7341-ZJ, blinked briefly, seemingly searching the database, before calmly replying: "Data records show that the previous identity 'Zhang Jie' had emotional conflicts and rule clashes. After repair, redundant and conflicting modules have been cleared. The current state is the optimal operating mode. 'Feelings' was an inefficient variable and has been optimized. Is this issue related to the task?"
Chu Xuan paused for a moment, shook his head, and turned to walk towards the pillar of light.
Supported by Zhan Lan, Wang Lin took one last look at the cold, eerie "Zero Relic," a place filled with death and secrets, and then at the familiar yet unfamiliar white figure standing beside the pillar of light.
He knew they had brought back an important "fragment" and received a generous reward, but they had also lost a teammate forever—Zhang Jie, the one who smoked, swore, and wore a complex smile at crucial moments. Now, all that remained was a tool of absolute rationality, codenamed 7341-ZJ.
A beam of light descended, bringing a familiar sense of homecoming.
In the final moment before his consciousness was withdrawn, Wang Lin felt no joy at completing the mission, only deep exhaustion and a premonition of an even heavier road ahead.
In the God Realm, what awaits them is a new round of rest and strengthening, and... an unknown and even more terrifying next world.
Zhang Jie's story seems to have come to a cruel end in this way. But perhaps, the secrets about the guide, the main god, and this Zero Relic have only just begun to be revealed.