First Meeting with the Valkyrie

That "thirty years" was rounded up?

A modified human riot could break out at any moment?

Scenes began to surface in Yang Ming's mind.

In the gray-toned game instance, a fully armed player squad was being chased and slashed by a sexy yet powerful Valkyrie, wiped out time and again amid curses and shouts.

A gray corridor was plastered with dark red bloodstains; headless skeletons still wore pale blue Imperial military uniforms; two tumor-like monsters seemed to be devouring something at the bridge's entrance; and from deeper in the corridor came the occasional low, muffled sob.

This was the fate of this research ship.

No, he couldn't just sit and wait.

He had barely gotten a second chance at life—the taste of death was far too bitter.

Yang Ming turned and rushed toward the hatch, no longer daring to rest.

He wanted to find Geglov, the person in charge here, and talk things through—he had to escape this research ship before it turned into a hellish slaughterhouse.

But...

The hatch slid open, and a young woman who had been about to knock made the hurried Yang Ming stop in his tracks.

She looked about twenty-four or twenty-five.

With modern medical aesthetics and anti-aging technology so advanced, it was impossible to judge her exact age by appearance alone; but Yang Ming knew she was the same age as him, an Intern Navigator on the ship. Her job was to look at star charts, confirm routes, and fetch tea and water.

Of course, she also had a unique private identity:

Hanton's Mistress Number One.

She was a sexy woman, with full lips, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, fair skin, and an excellent figure. Though her waistline wasn't particularly defined, her bulging work uniform made Yang Ming's heart race.

"Hey, Darling! Your wound's healed?"

Surprise lit up her eyes as she skillfully wrapped her arms around Yang Ming's waist.

Yang Ming instinctively stepped back half a pace, but before he could speak, a pair of full, soft, sweet-tasting lips pressed against his.

Uh, what?

Were Imperial girls always this warm and hospitable?

Thanks, Hanton.

Their lips tangled for a while, and just before Yang Ming's breathing grew heavy, he managed to regain some sanity.

This young woman was a Navigator—the kind who could read star charts. That meant she should know the ship's current course, right?

Since the timeline was fuzzy, he might as well try to pinpoint the spatial node.

"Where are we flying to now, dear?" Yang Ming asked.

"Oh, Darling, are you sure you want to bring up such a mood-killer right now?" the woman pouted and complained coquettishly.

Yang Ming gripped his belt tightly.

Mistress Number One quickly gave in.

"Darling, why are you suddenly so interested in this? We just shook off a Humanity Association survey ship. We're near Empire Border Tower 4339 now, and in about two hours we'll pass an abandoned Resource planet where we can extract water for resupply."

Yang Ming nodded and was about to resume their previous topic—engaging in an academic exchange between Earth civilization and extraterrestrial civilization with this Imperial girl—when his hands suddenly trembled.

Resource planet?

Abandoned Resource planet?

What was the first line of the Lost Voice instance's background introduction again?

[A border scout ship discovered a research ship abandoned at the edge of a deserted Resource planet.]

"Dear, dear, wait!"

Yang Ming pushed the octopus-like woman away again: "Dr. Lina said I can't do strenuous exercise right now."

"Oh, right, you just got gloriously wounded."

Mistress Number One gave a gentle smile, then bit her lip, her eyes seductive as she slowly pushed Yang Ming onto the single bed.

"This is a reward for our hero. Today, you just lie there—no need to move."

Yang Ming asked quickly, "Does that abandoned Resource planet have a planetary ring? One made of rubble and dust? Looks yellowish-brown from the surface, with a permanent giant storm in the atmosphere?"

She was clearly puzzled, staring at Yang Ming for a long moment as the fire in her eyes cooled a little.

"How do you know that? Our star charts are classified..."

He knew it!

Yang Ming flipped over swiftly, gently laying her on the bed. Reluctantly, he bit her full lips once, tightened his belt, pulled down his vest, grabbed the military jacket and Identification Card hanging on the wall, and dashed toward the metal door without looking back.

"Sorry, dear, I have something to take care of."

The woman on the bed was clearly at a loss.

Just before leaving, Yang Ming paused, turned back to look at the beautiful girl, and a series of pleasant memories with her surfaced in his mind.

"There are three Lifeboats on the ship. You can go wait near one of them."

This wasn't rational—it could easily make others misunderstand something.

But Yang Ming felt he should warn her.

"Darling?" Mistress Number One's eyes were full of confusion.

Bang!

The hatch was forcefully slammed shut.

Yang Ming strode swiftly toward the nearest elevator.

At the convex mirror on the corner, he caught a glimpse of his current appearance—sharp, angular features, the standard Imperial Soldier buzz cut, a slender neck, and a robust physique. It was indeed the kind of look that attracted female crew members.

Still, nothing was more important than survival.

No one could make him die again!

Yang Ming had already started running.

Find Geglov. Only Geglov could issue the order to abandon the Valkyrie.

Yang Ming fished out his Identification Card from his coat pocket, swiped it deftly, slipped into the elevator, pressed the topmost button labeled with the bridge tag, and habitually grabbed the handrail.

When the elevator moved, it would enter a low-gravity environment, and the ship's simulated force field would temporarily fail—a limitation tied to field technology.

This detail was exactly the same as the setting in Abyss.

'I need to sort out my thoughts now.'

Hanton's memory showed that because the Valkyrie's destructive potential was too immense, Geglov had long prepared for it. The chamber housing the Valkyrie was at the very bottom of the ship, an independent module that could be ejected at any time.

Yang Ming's mind was unusually active, and he quickly identified some issues.

With his status as Third Mate, he could directly request an audience with Geglov. But how would that evil and arrogant professor listen to the opinion of a 'senior technician' like him?

How could he prove the Valkyrie was about to go out of control?

Claim he suddenly had the ability to foresee the future?

He'd most likely be treated as a precious specimen by Geglov for dissection experiments—the kind that involved cracking open his skull.

The problem now was that Geglov regarded the Valkyrie as his life's masterpiece, the only near-perfect semi-finished product of the Valkyrie Project, and a trump card to extort massive funding from the Imperial ministers.

Geglov couldn't bear to part with the Valkyrie.

That was the most fatal part.

'No time left.'

Yang Ming looked up at the elevator, pressed the topmost button twice, then switched to the bottom floor marked with a red exclamation mark.

Now he should go confirm the Valkyrie's status, find evidence that she was about to lose control, and then convince Brother Ji.

'There must be some clues.'

Yang Ming thought to himself.

The elevator descended silently and slowly. Yang Ming stared at the smooth Alloy Plate, his composure gradually steadying.

Clank—

The elevator door opened, and the microgravity gradually increased to normal gravity.

Yang Ming's military boots stepped into the view of the two guards stationed ahead.

Swish, swish—both soldiers saluted simultaneously.

"Captain!"

"Mm, hard duty," Yang Ming nodded calmly and continued forward.

One soldier was about to speak up to remind him—this was an area off-limits to non-experimental staff—but under the other soldier's restraining gaze, they both ultimately kept silent.

This was the ship's Third Mate, with the authority to inspect firefighting equipment and ventilation ducts in every corner.

The scene before him made Yang Ming slightly uncomfortable.

The bottom deck resembled a circular hall, with various areas meticulously partitioned.

At this moment, Yang Ming stood at the upper-left position, with a spiraling alloy staircase descending to his left.

On the left side of the bottom deck was a row of sealed chambers shaped like cans, containing a dozen or so men and women, their bodies bristling with various input tubes, clearly in a state of hibernation.

The special bathrobes they wore preserved the last shred of dignity for these Genetically modified experimental subjects.

Among these Modified Persons, Yang Ming spotted the mini-boss from the Lost Voice dungeon, along with two or three muscle-bound men who were probably elite dungeon monsters.—When not out of control, they all maintained normal human physiques.

The central area was an array of dozens of precision instruments, with narrow pathways connecting small laboratories scattered in all directions. Experimental personnel in protective suits moved back and forth.

On the right was a small 'exercise yard,' where several sturdy figures were undergoing physical training, with Laser Guns constantly aimed at their heads.

The security level here was quite high.

Every entrance was guarded by soldiers, and the ceiling and walls were lined with high-energy biological laser guns controlled from the bridge.

The Valkyrie should be in the special chamber at the front-left corner. Hanton had once come here to inspect the fire suppression system.

Yang Ming hurried down the steps, forging ahead along a narrow path hemmed in by experimental equipment.

The cabin door stood slightly ajar. Two researchers in protective suits busied themselves at a console beside it, heads bent together, murmuring.

Yang Ming thought he heard a thumping heartbeat.

He reached the door, paused, and cast a casual glance inside.

The cabin was roughly thirty or forty square meters. At its center sat a five-meter-diameter "can" of a biotank. That familiar yet unfamiliar beauty, the Valkyrie, floated silently in the pale green fluid.

Her figure was flawless, her lovely face brimming with girlish innocence. Her orange-red hair drifted upward through the light green nutrient fluid.

The silver white collar around her neck was likely some kind of detonation device, yet it only completed her transcendent, genderless beauty.

But Yang Ming's attention was fixed on something else... the nutrient fluid slowly flowing away around the Valkyrie.

"Hanton?"

A sharp, shrill woman's voice came from behind: "You're not on the research team. By regulation, you're not allowed in the lower hold, and this area is a restricted zone you must not enter!"

Yang Ming turned to look at the middle-aged woman behind him. Without wasting words, he pointed at the Valkyrie's nutrient tank and asked:

"I'm doing a fire safety inspection... What's going on here? Changing the nutrient fluid?"

The woman replied coldly: "Yes. Replacing the nutrient fluid and conducting a phase test. Please leave immediately."

"Can it be stopped?" Yang Ming asked directly.

The woman, approaching in high heels, looked puzzled.

Her expression softened slightly. She crossed her arms and frowned: "This is a routine experiment on the schedule. What's the matter, Hanton? This doesn't seem to be your area of work, and you look unwell. I heard you suffered a head injury while operating the mech's tail fin repair."

Yang Ming tried to make his gaze as sincere as possible.

"That's right. I hit my head, and then I vaguely saw some... well, some images that bothered me. About the Valkyrie losing control..."

"Losing control?"

The woman crossed her arms. Her figure under the white lab coat was gaunt. She shook her head with a smile and continued: "She's like an infant now. A pure and powerful infant. She won't slip out of our control. Besides, Hanton, there's no need for us to deliberately control her. She's my friend. My best friend."

Yang Ming caught a hint of something off.

As she spoke, her thin, freckled face—clearly marked by unfulfilled desires—wore an expression of rapture, of obsession, of a strange, devout reverence.

No way?

Yang Ming remembered clearly: in the second phase of the Valkyrie raid, she would unleash a mind control skill—full coverage, no blind spots. Players without mental protection gear had a high chance of falling into confusion, attacking teammates indiscriminately. It was a tough wipe point.

Now, an unpleasant association surfaced in Yang Ming's mind.

He decided to test this big sister.

"Yes, she's so beautiful."

Yang Ming murmured in admiration, then narrowed his eyes with a smile, trying to look as sleazy as possible. He said slowly: "I'm almost falling in love with her."

"Hanton!" The woman beside him was full of disgust: "Don't defile her purity with your filthy thoughts!"

"Isn't she just an experiment subject?"

Yang Ming looked puzzled and deliberately raised his voice:

"She's beautiful, sure, but she's only a half-finished product. A manufactured thing at heart. Reminds me of those expensive non-intelligent mechanical companions. You can even customize their bodies and faces, and some unique... sounds."

"Shut up... Shut your mouth! She is perfect! She is great! A god! She is a god!"

The woman's voice suddenly pitched high.

She clutched her ears in pain, letting out low growls:

"She is the most perfect god! Hanton! You will pay for your frivolity and arrogance!"

This woman's mental state was definitely off.

'Brother Ji, take a look—your subordinate has already become the Valkyrie's little darling.'

Evidence found. Yang Ming immediately stepped back two paces, putting distance between himself and the woman.

Nearby staff noticed the disturbance. Some shot Yang Ming looks of disgust and contempt.

A strange feeling rose in Yang Ming's heart.

He instinctively looked up, through the slightly ajar special protective door, into the Valkyrie's cabin. Suddenly, his hair stood on end, his heartbeat skipped a beat.

Behind the transparent wall of the nutrient tank, the Valkyrie was opening her eyes. Her nearly translucent eyelids lifted slowly. Ruby-like irises flickered with red light.

Barely visible, shallow red ripples spread like water rings.

This was the Valkyrie's "mental control."