Lesser Ancient God Lifeform

Imperial Star, your second uncle!

Yang Ming shook his slightly numb left hand, glared fiercely at the researchers and soldiers he had just knocked unconscious, spat viciously, then bent down to strip a soldier of his helmet and upper garment.

That bastard Brother Ji had already transformed him, and he was still supposed to stop the Valkyrie?

The only reason Yang Ming didn't hand the Valkyrie a cigarette or a knife was that she'd cut him down right along with them!

The hull shuddered continuously.

The Valkyrie's second riot had already begun.

Yang Ming felt himself over from head to toe and found that this body, inherited from Hanton, was completely unharmed—only slightly stronger than before.

He didn't dare waste any more time. While putting on the helmet and upper garment, he pondered the issue of gene modification and the strange connection he had established with the Valkyrie.

Assuming the Valkyrie was a lower lifeform of the Ancient God;

Then Yang Ming was now a lower lifeform of the Valkyrie.

The Ancient God that the Sherman Empire had wiped out had, with Geglov's "help," transformed into the Valkyrie; the Valkyrie's original personality had been extinguished, and the current Valkyrie was a lifeform that couldn't be understood through carbon-based biology.

The most lethal thing was that after Yang Ming had fused with and perfectly accepted the Valkyrie's Gene Fluid, the Valkyrie had also sensed his existence!

This connection was mutual!

She was now going to devour Yang Ming, reclaim the gene, and perfect herself!

[Selfishness] was the first trait of an Ancient God lifeform!

Yang Ming cursed that pervert Brother Ji in his heart, his movements growing more urgent.

The hull transmitted a continuous series of explosions, and evacuation orders played throughout the ship. The situation was grim.

When Yang Ming rushed out of the Backup Lab's door, he was drawn by the sound of an explosion and turned to look down the corridor, just in time to see a ball of flame surge up from the descending passage.

In the flames, a burly Imperial Soldier screamed as he flew backward, slamming heavily into the wall with a broken alloy plate lodged in his chest.

His death lacked any artistic merit.

Yang Ming took a few steps back, dashed toward the Emergency Passage like the wind, then retreated just seconds later and turned to run for the elevator.

The Emergency Passage was blocked by a Safety Gate!

Although the elevator was also out of service, there was still a path here that could go straight up and down.

—The Elevator Shaft.

The explosions at the end of the corridor grew denser.

The research ship's hull kept shaking.

Using the Identification Card he had scavenged to swipe open the elevator doors, Yang Ming ducked into the disabled elevator.

The simulated gravity quickly vanished. Yang Ming leaped lightly and touched the elevator ceiling, his left foot on the handrail and his right foot braced against the corner. He fumbled beside the recessed light panel above, activating a small screen that displayed a numeric keypad.

A Maintenance Password...

Seriously, what kind of broken elevator needs a Maintenance Password!

Yang Ming casually punched the silver-gray panel, and the light panel's glow began to flicker gently.

This punch, meant only to vent his anger, made Yang Ming freeze. He looked up, staring at the clearly dented fist mark.

'When did my strength get this big...'

Yang Ming felt like he had discovered a new continent. He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the muscles in his arm heat up slightly. After taking a few deep breaths, he threw an uppercut at the metal panel!

Bang!

The twenty-centimeter-thick modular device flew upward, its internal circuit boards and warning lights shattering simultaneously. A piercing alarm blared throughout the elevator and beyond.

Yang Ming stared at his fist, which was red and swollen but rapidly returning to normal. He gently scratched his knuckles, and the bone pain quickly faded.

Uh, then those guys he had just knocked "unconscious"...

May they rest in peace.

So this was the power of the Valkyrie Gene Fluid?

Yang Ming didn't dare think too much. He violently pried open the side panel, slipped out of the elevator like a fish, and under the faint force field, landed steadily on top of the elevator.

Looking up, the deep Elevator Shaft seemed to stretch into space. The indicator lights for the ship's decks flickered softly, like signposts guiding the way for the vessel.

Head to the bridge?

No, he couldn't go to the bridge.

Going straight to the bridge would likely cost him any chance of escape. Geglov wouldn't let him off.

Yang Ming had already understood why Geglov was so determined to transform him—his proposal had harmed the Valkyrie, Posa.

Three lifeboats were distributed in the outer bay of the bridge, the outer bay of the Crew Lounge, and the Tail Hangar; the Tail Hangar also housed a squadron of Shipborne Aircraft, seven or eight Combat Mechs, and two Landing Craft, all usable as emergency escape equipment.

The lifeboat in the Crew Lounge's outer bay was bound to be crowded, and it was too close to the Lower Deck Lab...

Head to the Tail Hangar!

Yang Ming exerted a little force with his legs, his body drifting diagonally away from the elevator top, and he firmly grabbed a protrusion on the inner wall of the Elevator Shaft.

The vision before his eyes suddenly trembled a little. Yang Ming naturally couldn't see the changes occurring in his pupils, but the pitch-black elevator shaft had turned a grayish-white in his sight, with every detail clearly visible.

He even had night vision now.

Half a minute later, Yang Ming forced open the third elevator door. Following the memories of Hanton, he began weaving through the maze-like corridors, successfully slipping into the transit duct that ran through the middle section of the ship, heading straight for the stern hangar.

Although safety doors blocked various points, this fast passage was still clear.

The war between the Valkyrie and the Empire continued.

As he ran, Yang Ming noticed the changes happening to him.

His bodily organs seemed to have been greatly strengthened; he could hold his breath for a long time without feeling suffocated. His brain appeared able to directly control every muscle, with strength and speed still increasing. His reactions were sharper, allowing him to extract useful information from his field of vision in a very short time.

Now, Yang Ming kind of understood those players who loved showing off their biceps as modified warriors.

The feeling of a body growing stronger was indeed pretty awesome.

This transit duct passed through the spacious outer engine room.

Through the thick glass on the periphery, Yang Ming could clearly see the complex mechanical structures everywhere, as well as the ship's heart—the inner engine room glowing with a faint blue light.

Passing through this long duct led to the rear half of the ship.

Yang Ming turned a corner, planning to detour to the weapon bay to find some gear for self-defense. Before he had run far, he saw over a dozen fully armed Imperial soldiers charging toward him.

Just as Yang Ming was hesitating about whether to cause mechanical deformation in these soldiers' necks, the squad leader took the initiative to greet him:

"Captain Hanton! How's the battle in the lower deck going? The captain issued the evacuation order earlier, and everyone has already headed for the lifeboats."

Yang Ming immediately realized that news of his modification hadn't spread yet.

"It was truly brutal," Yang Ming said, raising a hand to his forehead, his expression full of lingering fear. "I don't recommend you join the fight. Hurry and escape, lads. Find the lifeboats."

The squad leader frowned. "But, Captain! The only thing we need to do is carry out orders."

"You're right," Yang Ming said firmly. "So I'm planning to grab some equipment and then fight the Valkyrie to the death! The Empire's glory must not be defiled! The weapon bay is over here, right?"

The dozen or so Imperial soldiers looked at him with eyes full of admiration and respect.

"By the way, can you give me one of your radio sets?" Yang Ming pointed at the small earpieces in their ears. "I want to receive orders from above in time too."

"Use mine, Captain. I have a spare!"

"Thanks!"

"It's my honor!"

Yang Ming took the fairly clean earpiece.

The squad of soldiers raised their fists in a neat salute, then lowered the transparent visors of their blast helmets, shouldered their laser rifles, and strapped on their micro-assist flight units, charging without looking back toward the inferno ahead.

Yang Ming threw a casual Imperial military salute, watched the soldiers disappear around the corner, then stuffed the earpiece in and continued rushing toward the weapon bay.

There was only a little static in the earpiece for now.

The armory was usually guarded by soldiers, but when Yang Ming arrived, he realized—that squad just now must have been its guards.

Now, the only things blocking his way were two ordinary cabin doors, ten centimeters thick.

Yang Ming let out a loud shout to build momentum, smashed a combination of punches against the two alloy doors, then grimaced and clutched his swollen right fist, kicking open the cracked door panels.

What met his eyes were two neat rows of laser rifles, with several racks on the left and right filled with standard individual equipment.

Yang Ming grabbed a tactical backpack from the wall and headed straight for the grenade area.

High-frequency flashbangs, electromagnetic concussion grenades, fast-acting sleep grenades, individual thermobaric grenades, directional fragmentation mines...

Yang Ming took two of each throwing weapon he recognized and had used in the Abyss game, plus two emergency med-kits and three spare laser magazines. He slung the backpack across his chest, fastened the safety straps, jumped up and down a few times, then picked up an unlocked laser rifle and set his biometric information.

Click, click.

He deftly switched off the safety, assuming a standard standing firing stance.

Yang Ming pulled the trigger at an empty wall. Two purple beams flashed, leaving scorched marks on the cabin.

Decent power, but he didn't know if it could hurt the Valkyrie.

Yang Ming slung the rifle and was about to slip away when his eyes were drawn to a few boxes in the corner.

In the Lost Echoes dungeon, the Valkyrie wore a fiery red power armor and carried a blackish-red ion blade, killing anyone in her path, unstoppable. Only high-level energy shields could block her attacks.

Now, the Valkyrie was showing off her figure in a bathrobe...

Wait, could the Valkyrie's equipment be here too?

Yang Ming dashed over to those boxes, shot the locks off with his laser rifle, and flipped open a lid, his eyes lighting up.

An ion blade and an energy shield!

Unfortunately, they weren't the Valkyrie's set.

Yang Ming grabbed the flashlight-shaped ion blade, gripped the handle firmly, and pressed the hidden button with his thumb.

Vwoom—

Amid the low hum of vibration, Yang Ming's short hair stood on end. A powerful magnetic field constrained the high-energy ionized gas into the shape of a slender blade.

Damn. The 'lightsaber' he'd struggled half a year to obtain in the Abyss, and now he was just getting it for free?

Bring it, bring it!

Yang Ming clicked the switch, stowing the lightsaber and the glove-style energy shield into his backpack before leaving the armory with satisfaction.

Suddenly, a jumble of voices crackled through his earpiece.

It was the squad of soldiers from earlier.

"The target has broken through the lower deck defense line and is heading our way! Take cover on the spot, all weapons authorized!"

"Damn it! Did the lower deck ejection fail? Or did it not even fire?"

"Target spotted! Fire!"

"My god, is she flying?"

"Fire! Fire!"

"That red energy shield around her! We can't break through her shield! Captain!"

"Shock grenades! Use shock grenades!"

"Shock grenades are useless too! Damn it! No! Ah! Don't come near!"

From the initial chatter to the explosions, the shouts, and finally those terrified screams, barely half a minute had passed.

If Yang Ming's judgment was correct, the Valkyrie seemed to be flying... straight toward his direction!

Boom!

The entire ship shuddered, then the lights flickered a few times before going out, leaving the corridor bathed in the dim glow of emergency lights.

The Valkyrie had destroyed the ship's Power System.

Yang Ming hadn't stopped moving, and the temperature around him had already dropped by a degree or two, signaling that the Tail Hangar wasn't far off.

He sifted through Hanton's memories for information about this Research Ship, tapping lightly on his earpiece as he ran to tune into a bustling Communication Channel.

"Captain, the Valkyrie has broken into the Weapon Bay! She's searching for weapons... Oh, Imperial Star, she understands our civilization!"

The corner of Yang Ming's mouth twitched violently.

He should have just blown up the Weapon Bay with a grenade!

"The Valkyrie is pushing toward the hangar! She's flying too fast to set up an effective defense! She's trying to escape our ship!"

"Two squads are gathering in the Tail Compartment. There are a few old-model mechs there, and their High-Energy Penetration Cannons can be activated... but they might punch through the Ship Hull."

"Have them aim the mechs at the Valkyrie!" The Captain's voice had lost its composure. "The Tail Hangar Lifeboat will close its hatch and detach in twenty seconds! The rest area Lifeboats detach in one minute! The bridge Lifeboat stands by! Break through the Valkyrie's shield and shoot her body with Laser Guns!"

Twenty seconds?

Yang Ming took a stride out of the passageway, and the space before him suddenly opened up—a hangar the size of three or four basketball courts came into view.

Also coming into view were soldiers scattered behind various cover, and two six-meter-tall 'Imperial Star' Guardian Mechs.

The hatch connecting to the Tail Hangar Lifeboat was just ahead to the left!

A dozen or so people were running toward it, but the hatch was already slowly closing.

Those who had already boarded the Lifeboat couldn't even wait for the last dozen seconds of the countdown!

There was no time left!

Yang Ming didn't care if he startled anyone; he leaped from the third-floor stairwell, the wind whistling past his ears.

He could make it!

Even if he had to crash through, he would force his way into that hatch and board the Lifeboat!

Whoosh—

Midair, Yang Ming suddenly felt time slow down, like a slow-motion scene in a movie.

He strained to turn his head toward the cabin wall, where the silver-gray metal seemed to bloom like a gorgeous flower.

A two-meter-diameter red orb of light melted straight through the hull.

Inside the orb, the Valkyrie's long hair drifted, her feet hovering off the ground. Her clear eyes locked onto the falling Yang Ming, and a thrilled smile curled at her lips.

'Eat you.'