"Hanton... Hanton?"
Doctor Lina's voice came closer from the distance.
It was as if Yang Ming, like a drowning man suddenly waking, gasped for air with his mouth wide open, the red patches on his skin rapidly fading, and his pupils slowly brightened with light.
The landing craft wasn't destroyed in the explosion?
Before him was the low hatch door, and the beautiful, shocked face of Doctor Lina.
"Hanton, your injuries? Did you undergo genetic modification, Hanton?"
Yang Ming shook his head gently, feeling his strength had recovered substantially, and he quickly sat up to survey his surroundings, the microgravity environment making him slightly uncomfortable.
The narrow cabin was about the same volume as the interior of a medium-sized sedan as Yang Ming remembered from Earth.
Yang Ming clearly remembered...
The battle with Valkyrie, Kigrov, the cell clump, the chance to escape...
He had passed out due to a severe collision.
At this moment, Yang Ming didn't bother to check his injuries but was first concerned about the status of this spacecraft.
This was their last lifeline, for both him and Doctor Lina.
And Yang Ming's standard for judging the condition of the spacecraft was simple—checking how many red lights were on the various displays.
"Oh, Hanton, can we talk?"
Doctor Lina, supporting herself on the seat cushion, looked at Yang Ming with concern:
"What happened? Why did only you rush in here at the end? It seems like we left the first officer behind... we murdered him, didn't we?"
"You're wrong, Lina," Yang Ming said firmly, "In such a desperate situation, all we can do is apologize to those who couldn't escape, but we can't change much."
Doctor Lina covered her cheeks with her hands, her voice trembling, "So many people died, what exactly are we doing?"
Yang Ming sighed, his thoughts a bit jumbled.
He slowly settled into the pilot's seat, his mind flashing through scenes.
Glance at the timer.
He had been unconscious for about six minutes;
The explosion of the research ship happened seven minutes ago;
What about that pair of maintenance goggles?
Yang Ming searched carefully but regretfully found that the goggles which had restored his "sense of operation" were lost at some unknown time.
What Yang Ming was thankful for was that it was precisely the transformation with the Valkyrie genetic fluid that had given him the excellent physical strength to qualify for a direct confrontation with the Valkyrie.
For that, Yang Ming could only utter "Damn, I'm really lucky."
Lucky to be alive.
"Hanton, what happened before?"
Doctor Lina's mood seemed more stable, and she asked gently, "I think I need to know the truth."
Yang Ming surveyed the pitch-black space outside the front window and the orange-red constant star to the upper left: "I'll tell you what I can, of course, just a quick summary."
"Thank you, Hanton."
"No need, we need to help each other."
Yang Ming closed his eyes and exhaled, "It's like a nightmare, what do you know about the Valkyrie Plan, doctor?"
Lina sighed, "I'm just a doctor accompanying the ship, by the rules, I shouldn't know anything, but I've heard them discuss it many times. I've come to know almost everything, whether I should or shouldn't."
"Do you know about the existence of Valkyrie?"
"All I know is she is called a time bomb, a demon, a divine being imprisoned—this is what the crew calls her."
A hint of curiosity shone in Doctor Lina's eyes.
Yang Ming spoke in a low voice, "Then let me explain briefly. This research ship is where the Valkyrie Plan is being carried out. It never enters the heartland of the Empire, always wandering at the edge, because it detains Valkyrie."
Po Suo.
Her name was Po Suo.
"Valkyrie is Kigrov's daughter.
"Kigrov fused her with the genes of an Ancient God Life Form, she is gradually transforming into a new Ancient God Life Form, and slowly losing her humanity.
"She has always lived on the research ship, and the turmoil that occurred was her attempt to take control of the research vessel, to escape this cage."
Doctor Lina frowned tightly, "The experiment uses human bodies as samples? Hanton, were you also transformed? Your injuries just now recovered too... unnaturally..."
"Yes, Professor Kigrov didn't give me a choice," Yang Ming didn't avoid the question, "The mortality rate was thirty-five percent, and the failure rate was ninety-one percent. Fortunately, I am part of that nine percent."
```
"This..."
Doctor Lina frowned slightly.
Seeing her companion's disappointed expression, she hurriedly said,
"Genetic modification experiments actually exist all across the Milky Way, I'm aware of that.
"The Sherman Empire, New Federation, Free Federation, Guel Alliance... these major forces that control most of the resources in the Milky Way all have their own militarized applications of genetic modification.
"There are many beneficial genetic modification technologies that have matured and gained interstellar recognition, and a small part of the elite forces' professional soldiers will undergo genetic modification to enhance their physical qualities.
"Hanton, cheer up. We survived, and you are now normal."
"Thank you for your comfort, Lina."
Yang Ming showed a grateful smile and complained with distress,
"I don't know if I'll be captured and studied next, I hope you can help me keep this secret."
"I will, Hanton, you know, I'll help you," Lina replied gently.
Yang Ming was somewhat reassured, but as he planned for his future, he couldn't help feeling a bit lost and helpless.
The two engaged in idle chat.
"The military power on the research ship was unilaterally destroyed by the Valkyrie."
"The Valkyrie is that powerful?"
"If she's given enough time and a continuous supply of nutrient fluid, she could grow into a new Ancient God Life Form," Yang Ming said seriously, "If she can maintain a smaller size, rather than expanding chaotically like the original Ancient God life forms, she will become the Sherman Empire's nightmare."
Lina whispered, "So, did Professor Kigrov decide to blow up this research ship in the end?"
"Yes," Yang Ming turned to look towards the rear of the cabin, his heart still racing.
He could no longer feel the presence of the Valkyrie.
He had finally survived.
An explosion of that magnitude would directly destroy cells.
"It was Kigrov who murdered those crew members," Yang Ming said, "He had many opportunities to stop the Valkyrie, but since the Valkyrie found Kigrov's weak spots, she brazenly escaped from her cage, and Kigrov retreated more than once."
Lina's eyes held a hint of confusion.
Yang Ming left out details about himself and began recounting the entire process from the Valkyrie's uprising to the fight in the aft cabin, but he couldn't stop reminiscing about the events that unfolded in the minute before the ship exploded.
All life forms that had witnessed his fight with the Valkyrie had perished in the final blast.
He would tell Lina that what he had undergone was just a regular strength-enhancing genetic modification experiment.
...
"Alas," Yang Ming sighed, "that's what happened, and Professor Kigrov ultimately used an Antimatter Bomb."
Lina reached out her hand and gently patted Yang Ming's hand, comforting him with a warm voice.
She smiled and said, "Now, there is good news and bad news, Hanton. Which do you want to hear?"
"The bad news."
"Our ship has lost its main engine power, and only the micro-working-fluid engines on the wings are still operating," Lina said, "Next, we will be captured by the gravity of this Constant Star."
Yang Ming's expression hardened slightly, "What's the good news?"
"Good news number one, I roughly calculated, and it will take at least several centuries for the ship to crash into it, but we don't have enough fresh water and oxygen; we will be trapped and die in space in at most two weeks."
Yang Ming: ...
His sister's damn humor.
"What's good news number two?"
"I just sent out a distress signal," Lina pointed to the light green screen in front of the co-pilot, "Someone received our signal and responded; we've been located, Hanton!"
Yang Ming covered his forehead and slumped in the seat, a slight smile flickering in his eyes.
He had finally survived...
Sssss.
The control screen emitted a faint electromagnetic noise, and then the voice of a middle-aged woman slowly sounded:
"Target vessel, is it you who are calling for help? My ship is about to initiate the capture procedure. Please ensure your shipborne weapons stay silent. The Human Rights and Ethics Interstellar Council will guarantee your life safety."
The smile at the corner of Yang Ming's mouth instantly stiffened.
His number one mistress, whose life or death was uncertain at this moment, seemed to have mentioned that the research ship had been trying to shake off a Human Council investigation ship, and this Human Council seemed to be the complete name... according to Hanton's memory...
They were a group of staunchly positioned pioneers against genetic modification.
What a nice turn of events.
```