"Hanton," the captain patted Yang Ming on the shoulder, "thank you, you might have just averted a disaster for us."
Yang Ming clenched his fist slightly.
If it had been the real Hanton who had been given such an opportunity, he naturally would have been ecstatic; his current anxiety and resistance had already aroused Professor Kigrov's suspicion.
Even, Yang Ming faintly realized that Professor Kigrov was now observing him.
Soldiers stood beside him holding laser guns, their fingers near the trigger, and the biological safety on their firearms activated.
This meant that the soldiers had already received orders to kill Hanton at any moment, and the only one who could have issued this order was Professor Kigrov.
"Captain."
Yang Ming said softly, "If possible, please suggest to the professor to use some more mature technologies on me, as only by staying alive can I serve the Empire."
Before the captain could speak, the person who was usually inconspicuous as third mate had already bowed his head and walked into the chamber, calmly lying on the experimental table. Without needing the soldiers to 'assist', he placed his limbs in the designated positions, securely fastened by the shackles that sprang from below.
'The professor may have made an unwise decision.'
This thought inexplicably popped into the captain's mind.
Signaling the soldiers to stay in the laboratory, the captain turned and hurried towards the lower hold, his mouth pondering words that could plead for the third mate Hanton without enraging Professor Kigrov.
...
The wait on the experimental table seemed particularly long.
Yang Ming's mood gradually shifted from anger and irritation to calmness and restraint.
This life was, after all, one that had been salvaged; now, all he needed to do was find a way to survive.
Drip, drip, drip.
He didn't know which instrument was making the sound, its rhythm perfectly matched Yang Ming's heartbeat.
Needles pierced the back of his hands and feet, a cool liquid seeped into his veins, and Yang Ming felt his mind grow foggy, soon slipping into unconsciousness.
Drip, drip.
Yang Ming groggily opened his eyes and saw Professor Kigrov in a surgical cap and mask, intently watching a nearby instrument panel.
"Professor, the Genetic Stabilizing Liquid has very low rejection, it's an excellent material."
"Should we try Type 2 Genetic Fluid, Professor? Or use the most conservative Type 1 Genetic Fluid? After all, this is a loyal Imperial soldier."
Professor Kigrov said, "Bring over the No. 6 Genetic Fluid, this time it might work."
"No. 6? Professor, isn't that the gene sequence extracted from Valkyrie's body...only theoretically possible..."
"His key metrics are very close to those of Po Suo originally," Professor Kigrov's voice revealed impatience, "If only a cluster of Ancient God Cells wasn't all that was left, I would transform Hanton just like I transformed Po Suo! Be quick, don't miss the chance!"
"Alright, Professor."
Po Suo?
Is that the Valkyrie's name? Really a mouthful.
Yang Ming wanted to flip off Professor Kigrov, but he was already sedated, and his thoughts soon faded.
He didn't know how long he was unconscious, maybe just for a moment, or perhaps several hours.
Excruciating pain shattered the void dreamscape woven by the anesthetic.
The agony of being burned by underground fire reappeared, and it felt as if he were being thrown into an incinerator post-anesthesia but this blaze was erupting from beneath his own skin.
"Let the mechanical arm hold him down!"
"Two doses of Genetic Stabilizing Liquid! Administer them intensively!"
"Bleed him! Arterially bleed and inject the Stabilizer!"
These bastards!
Yang Ming was roaring in his mouth, roaring like a wild beast.
Buzz—
Suddenly, a sound like ten thousand bees flapping their wings at high speed appeared in his head.
In the midst of pain, Yang Ming saw several rapidly flashing images.
[A dark cloud floated in the tranquil starry sky, far from the stars, with no destination; it was material belonging to this universe, a gift of possibility from the universe, capable of thinking, of feeling existence—it was a Life Form.]
Ancient God Life Form?
Amidst excruciating pain, Yang Ming forced himself to keep thinking.
Ancient Gods, cosmic creatures of "Abyss," referred to special life forms that could survive in near-vacuum environments without any external help.
In the games, they often appeared as legion world bosses, possessing tremendous destructive power, usually with capabilities like Spiritual Control, devouring, infinite reproduction, each appearance heralding a massive disaster.
If the Ancient God Life Form represented the ultimate path of evolutionary life; "Abyss's" classic antagonist, the second Natural Disaster known as Insect Race, represented the ultimate evolution of life as a collective.
'Research on the Ancient God's Life affords us a shortcut to immortality.'
This was a line from a scene in "Abyss."
Yang Ming suddenly understood.
Valkyrie was a product of the Sherman Empire's research on Ancient God Life Forms, a monstrosity created by combining Ancient God Cells with humans. The Ancient God had already revived within Valkyrie!
Other fragmented images surged forth, but they were ruptured and incomplete, interspersed with the experiences of two life forms.
[The 'dark cloud' besieged, the Ancient God Life Form gradually dissolving under the bombardment of the Star Destroyer, meeting its end.
A cute little girl with a ponytail, holding her father's hand, frolicking in glass-colored waves, her tiny feet constantly kicking the waves.
'Po Suo.'
The father's hand gently touched the girl's head.
'You will become the perfect life.'
'Daddy, what is perfect?']
What?!
Yang Ming stared at that memory fragment. His physical pain and agony seemed to fade a bit as he slowly looked up with the little girl, catching sight of Kigrov's face before he had prosthetic eyes installed.
Kigrov and Valkyrie were father and daughter!
This old guy had modified his own daughter!
The broken scenes flickered away like sparks, and Yang Ming's pain swiftly subsided, leaving only a soreness throughout his body.
Had he endured it?
Right then, Yang Ming heard Kigrov laughing, "Very nice, Hanton's modification was very successful, the genetic stability coefficient is at 0.92, which is a great number; prepare enough Genetic Stabilization Liquid and nutrient solution for him..."
Kigrov was waxing eloquent, brimming with pride and satisfaction.
But Yang Ming was in no mood to keep listening.
In a daze, he felt as though he was in a starry space, dazzling nebulae above and below him.
He and the girl floating ahead were facing each other.
The girl was Valkyrie. She was enveloped in divine, pure white light, naked yet devoid of any desire or vulgarity.
Goo-goo-woo—
A deep-sea whale call resonated through the starry space.
Words surfaced in Yang Ming's heart, as if Valkyrie was conveying and summoning.
How should one interpret the message Valkyrie was sending now?
It was complex yet simple, a higher level of direct communication beyond language. If it were described in terms understandable to humans, it might be...
Combine? Devour? Return? Merge into one?
No, none of those were accurate.
The most precise translation would be:
'I want to eat you.'
Yang Ming trembled unconsciously.
The girl was openly revealing her desire for Yang Ming!
In the lower deck laboratory and the backup laboratory, on two similar experimental tables, a man and a woman, both restrained, opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
Valkyrie's pupils filled with dense compound eyes, which in an instant formed a dense crystal structure.
She opened her mouth and let out a silent shriek, a red energy wave emanating from her forehead, instantly sweeping across the entire cabin.
Soldiers wearing anti-neural interference helmets clutched their heads and screamed; more than a dozen people without adequate protection slowly collapsed to the ground, their eyes bloodshot, blood flowing from their nostrils.
Explosions sounded from various instruments.
The high-energy ray emitters that had been continuously targeting Valkyrie lost contact with the bridge!
Simultaneously.
In the backup laboratory,
Yang Ming violently shook his head, the red in his eyes fading instantly.
With no time to think further, he shouted at the frantic staff nearby:
"Quick, release me! Valkyrie was hiding her strength, preparing to unleash something big on you! She's going to devour me now!"
The few remaining laboratory staff looked bewildered.
Kigrov was not present in the lower deck laboratory.
"Believe me!"
Yang Ming earnestly faced the few staff members, "Only I can stop Valkyrie; this is a secret mission the professor gave me! For the glory of the Empire! The light of the Emperor Star shines upon us!"
The few staff seemed to hesitate slightly.