Seamless Docking

"Hanton... Hanton?"

Dr. Lina's voice came from far to near.

Yang Ming was like a drowning man suddenly waking, gasping for air as he opened his mouth, the red patches on his skin rapidly fading, light gradually returning to his pupils.

The landing craft hadn't been destroyed by the explosion?

What met his eyes was the low hatch and Dr. Lina's beautiful face, full of shock.

"Hanton, your injuries? Did you undergo gene modification, Hanton?"

Yang Ming shook his head lightly, feeling his strength had mostly returned. He quickly sat up and surveyed his surroundings; the microgravity environment made him slightly uncomfortable.

The cramped cabin had a volume roughly equivalent to a mid-sized sedan in Yang Ming's memory of Earth.

Yang Ming remembered clearly...

The fierce battle with the Valkyrie, Gigrov, the Cellular Collective, the chance to escape...

He had passed out earlier from a violent impact.

Now, Yang Ming couldn't spare a moment to check his own injuries; his first concern was the ship's condition.

This was his and Dr. Lina's last lifeline.

And Yang Ming's standard for judging the ship's state was simple—how many red lights were on the various displays.

"Oh, Hanton, can we talk?"

Dr. Lina, gripping the seat cushion, looked at Yang Ming with deep worry:

"What happened? Why were you the only one who made it in at the end? It seems we abandoned that First Mate... We murdered him, didn't we?"

"You're wrong, Lina," Yang Ming said firmly. "In a situation where even self-preservation is this hard, we can only say sorry to those who couldn't escape. But we can't change much."

Dr. Lina covered her face with both hands, her voice trembling: "So many people died... What are we even doing?"

Yang Ming sighed, his mind in turmoil.

He slowly sat down in the pilot's seat, scenes flashing before his eyes.

He glanced at the timer.

He had been unconscious for about six minutes;

The research ship's massive explosion had happened seven minutes ago;

And that repair goggles?

Yang Ming searched carefully for a while but found, to his regret, that the goggles—which had given him a sense of "control"—had been lost somewhere along the way.

What Yang Ming was grateful for was that, thanks to the transformation from the Valkyrie Gene Fluid, he had gained exceptional physical strength, earning him the right to face the Valkyrie head-on.

To that, Yang Ming could only say: Damn, I'm big.

Lucky as hell.

"Hanton, what happened before?"

Dr. Lina, her emotions somewhat steadier, asked gently: "I think I need to know the truth of things."

Yang Ming studied the dark space outside the front window and the orange-red star to the upper left: "I'll tell you what I can, of course, just a brief rundown."

"Thank you, Hanton."

"No need. We have to help each other."

Yang Ming closed his eyes and exhaled: "This is like a nightmare. How much do you know about the Valkyrie Project, Doctor?"

Dr. Lina sighed: "I'm just a ship's doctor. By regulation, I shouldn't know about it, but I've heard them discuss it many times. What I should know and what I shouldn't—I've pretty much learned it all."

"Do you know about the existence of the Valkyrie?"

"I only know she's called a ticking time bomb, a demon, an imprisoned goddess—that's how the crew refers to her."

Dr. Lina's eyes held a hint of curiosity.

Yang Ming said quietly: "Then I'll explain simply. This research ship was the site of the Valkyrie Project. It never entered the empire's heartland, always drifting on the fringes, because it was holding the Valkyrie captive."

Posa.

Her name was Posa.

"The Valkyrie is Gigrov's daughter.

"Gigrov fused her with the genes of an Ancient God Lifeform. She's gradually transforming into a new Ancient God Lifeform, losing her humanity bit by bit.

"She's been living on the research ship all along, and this outbreak was her attempt to seize control of the ship and escape this cage."

Dr. Lina frowned tightly: "Was the experiment really using human subjects? Hanton, were you modified too? I saw your injuries just now—the recovery was far too abnormal..."

"Yes, Professor Gigrov didn't give me a choice," Yang Ming didn't dodge the question. "The mortality rate was thirty-five percent, the failure rate ninety-one percent. Luckily, I was in that nine percent."

"This..."

Dr. Lina frowned slightly.

Seeing the disappointment on her companion's face, she quickly said:

"Gene modification experiments exist throughout the entire Milky Way—I'm aware of that.

"The Sherman Empire, New Federation, United States of Freedom, Guer Alliance... these major powers controlling most of the galaxy's resources all have their own militarized applications of gene modification.

"Many benign gene modification technologies are already mature and recognized across the stars. A small portion of elite troops in professional armies undergo appropriate gene modification to enhance their physical capabilities.

"Hanton, pull yourself together. We survived, and you're normal now."

"Thanks for the comfort, Lina."

Yang Ming showed a grateful smile and complained with frustration:

"I don't know if I'll be caught and studied next. I hope you can keep this secret for me."

"I will, Hanton. You know I'll help you," Lina replied gently.

Yang Ming relaxed a little, planning his future path in his mind, though some confusion and helplessness lingered.

The two chatted idly, exchanging a few words here and there.

"The research ship's armaments were unilaterally destroyed by the Valkyrie."

"Is the Valkyrie that powerful?"

"Given enough time and a steady supply of nutrient fluid, she could grow into a new Ancient God Lifeform," Yang Ming said seriously. "If she could maintain a smaller form instead of letting her body expand chaotically like the original Ancient God Lifeforms, she'd become the Sherman Empire's nightmare."

Lina asked softly, "So Professor Gigrov chose to blow up this research ship in the end?"

"Yes," Yang Ming replied, turning his head to look toward the rear of the cabin, still shaken.

He could no longer sense the Valkyrie's presence.

He had finally survived.

An explosion of that magnitude would directly destroy even cells.

"Gigrov murdered those crew members," Yang Ming said. "He had many chances to stop the Valkyrie, but she exploited his weakness and broke out of her cage without restraint. Gigrov backed down more than once."

Lina's eyes held a hint of confusion.

Yang Ming glossed over the details about himself and began recounting the entire process from the Valkyrie's uprising to the battle before the tail compartment, though his mind kept replaying the minute before the ship exploded.

Every living being that witnessed his fight with the Valkyrie died in the final explosion.

He would tell Lina that what he experienced was just a standard enhancement modification experiment.

"Ah," Yang Ming sighed, "That's how it went. Gigrov used the Antimatter Bomb in the end."

Lina reached out, gently patting the back of his hand, offering warm comfort.

She smiled and said, "Now there are two good news and one bad news. Hanton, which do you want to hear first?"

"The bad news."

"Our ship has lost main engine power. Only the micro-thrusters on the wings are still working," Lina said. "We'll be captured by this star's gravity soon."

Yang Ming's expression stiffened: "And the good news?"

"Good news one: I roughly calculated that it'll take at least a few hundred years for us to crash into it. But we don't have enough fresh water or oxygen—we'll be stranded in space within two weeks at most."

Yang Ming: ...

This woman had a damn dark sense of humor.

"What's the second good news?"

"I just sent out a distress signal," Lina said, pointing to the pale green screen in front of the co-pilot seat. "Someone received our signal and responded. We've been located, Hanton!"

Yang Ming slumped into his seat, covering his forehead, a faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

He had finally survived...

Zzzzt.

The control panel emitted a faint electromagnetic noise, followed by a middle-aged woman's voice slowly sounding:

"Target vessel, are you the ones calling for help? Our ship is about to initiate capture procedures. Please ensure all onboard weapons remain silent. The Interstellar Council for Human Rights and Ethics will guarantee your safety."

The smile on Yang Ming's lips froze instantly.

That first mistress of his, who might be dead or alive by now, had mentioned that the research ship was trying to shake off the Humanity Association's investigation vessel. And if Hanton's memories served him right, the full name of that Humanity Association was exactly this...

They were a group of staunch anti-gene-modification vanguard fighters with firm convictions.

What a seamless transition.