Repair Zone

"Have we seen them before?"

Everyone's heart jolted, and their thoughts immediately turned to the real world.

Absurdity, unease, disbelief.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

He Zheng swallowed dryly, shook his head, then asked nervously, "Ye Lin? Where do we find spacesuits, then? And where's the Airlock?"

"The Maintenance Room."

Ye Lin kept it brief, speaking rapidly:

"The base is within the atmosphere, so there must be missions outside. That means there have to be spacesuits there. Even if there aren't, there'll be similar protective suits. By the same logic, the Maintenance Room will have an Airlock exit, most likely somewhere near An Ke."

Unlike before, Ye Lin couldn't be bothered to explain his reasoning.

The system's sudden mission change meant the Repair Zone couldn't be too hard to find. Otherwise, with so many monsters chasing them, they would all die on the way.

And An Ke was the only one outside.

"You figured all that out!? Then we...!"

He Zheng was overjoyed, eager to leave immediately.

The next second, however, Ye Lin suddenly drew his gun and aimed it straight at Wang Yuanyang.

Without giving him time to react, Ye Lin said coldly:

"You have two choices now."

"Either I cripple you and leave you here to die, or you go to the Hibernation Zone and turn on the broadcast to draw the Species away from us."

With that, Ye Lin pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

The bullet whistled out, grazing Wang Yuanyang's ear and tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

"Aah!!"

Wang Yuanyang clutched his ear and screamed, blood pouring between his fingers.

Huang Liang recoiled in shock. Everyone froze; no one had expected Ye Lin to turn on him so suddenly.

Meanwhile, He Zheng recovered and drew his gun too. He didn't know what Ye Lin was doing, but following his lead was the right call.

In an instant, weapons were drawn, and the atmosphere turned ice-cold.

Clutching his ear, Wang Yuanyang scrambled over to Huang Liang and squealed like a pig being slaughtered:

"Huang Liang! Save me! Save me!"

"He's trying to kill me! He's getting revenge!"

Though the bullet had only grazed his ear, he had no doubt that Ye Lin would kill him if he dared refuse!

This lunatic held a grudge over everything! All because I questioned him earlier!

"Ye Lin!"

"Wang Yuanyang didn't mean it! There's no need for this!"

Huang Liang urgently tried to persuade Ye Lin to put down his gun.

But as soon as he finished, Ye Lin raised the watch on his left wrist, glanced at it, and scoffed:

"Revenge? I'm not that childish."

"Fifteen seconds left. Keep wasting time, and I can't guarantee we'll make it. Someone has to draw the Species away, or they'll bog us down until we're all dead."

Ignoring Zhao Cheng's panicked aim, Ye Lin strode up to Wang Yuanyang and pressed the muzzle against his thigh.

"Go now. Once we reach the Maintenance Room, we'll draw the monsters over. You won't necessarily die."

"Refuse, and I'll pick someone else. You'll definitely die."

Then Ye Lin turned toward Zhao Cheng.

"Ten seconds left. If he doesn't go, you do."

Zhao Cheng shuddered, suddenly realizing that Ye Lin was driving a wedge between them.

But he didn't want to die either. He knew Wang Yuanyang, but not well enough to risk his life for him. Especially since Ye Lin was right: someone had to lure the Species away!

"Yuanyang...! Y-you'd better agree!"

"H-he's right. You won't actually die if you go. It might even be safer back there!"

Seeing Zhao Cheng switch sides out of sheer fear, without even considering resistance, Wang Yuanyang went deathly pale and sank into utter despair.

Of the seven of them, five had sided with Ye Lin. Even if Huang Liang wanted to help, it would be useless.

"Huang Liang...!"

His gaze pleading, Wang Yuanyang looked at Huang Liang with his last shred of hope.

But it was pointless. Before Huang Liang could offer to take his place out of pity, Ye Lin sneered and crushed the idea.

"Do you think we won't encounter any Species on our way?"

"You and He Zheng are our strongest fighters. Without you, our chances drop by half."

"Of course, you can be an idiot and insist on taking his place. But then you'll have to wonder whether I'll save a spacesuit for him."

There was no way out.

After those threats, even Wang Yuanyang no longer dared to plead.

That was right. Luring the Species away might not kill him, but if Huang Liang dared take his place, this lunatic would absolutely kill him along the way!

"Huang Liang... y-you go with them. I'll go on my own!"

Staggering to his feet, Wang Yuanyang took the light ring and the grenade Huang Liang pressed into his hand, then climbed into the ventilation duct.

With his back to everyone so Ye Lin wouldn't see, Wang Yuanyang clenched his fists and crawled inside, his eyes brimming with hatred.

He didn't dare fail to lure the monsters away. But if he made it back alive, he would make that little bastard regret it in the next exam!

The ventilation duct opened, and the group split up.

Before climbing in, Huang Liang looked angrily at Ye Lin, who was sending a message with his head lowered.

Only now did he fully understand what Ye Lin had meant.

I need you to understand, then trust me completely and do as I say...

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"You explained all that just to make everyone trust you completely, to make them think they couldn't survive without you! Then you could force Wang Yuanyang to his death!"

Looking at Zhao Cheng, Hu Jia, and the others, who didn't dare speak, Huang Liang took a deep breath. He knew they were all on Ye Lin's side.

No one wanted to take the risk. If Wang Yuanyang didn't go, one of them would have to.

"Ye Lin... you're... despicable!"

Ye Lin looked up at the young man with the close-cropped hair, who seemed ready to seize him, and couldn't help laughing.

What a naive fool...

"So what if I did?"

Not bothering with Huang Liang's overflowing sense of justice, Ye Lin climbed into the duct, rapidly mapping the route between himself and An Ke in his mind.

Yes, he had done it on purpose.

But unlike what Huang Liang thought, it wasn't for revenge.

It was because people would definitely die if he didn't. And then it might not be just Wang Yuanyang who died-they might die until only one person remained...

It was like a strategic game.

Ye Lin slowly closed his eyes, running through the possibilities in his mind.

All he could do now was gamble: gamble that the thing was cautious enough, and greedy enough!

"An Ke, I need you to go outside and check whether that monster has left!"

Inside the Maintenance Room, An Ke stared at Ye Lin's message, conflicted.

After exchanging messages, she already knew the conclusion Ye Lin had reached. Through the Equipment Room's semicircular window, she had even glimpsed part of a spacesuit.

Turning to glance at the sealed Equipment Room, An Ke drew a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and stood.

All that remained before they could finish this exam was to let He Zheng and the others in to break down the door and destroy the Airlock!

Though she could hardly imagine how a newcomer like Ye Lin had figured all this out, they had come this far. She didn't mind taking a gamble.

"Give me five seconds! If it hasn't left, I'll find a way to lure it away!"

"Warning, the hibernation zone is under breach!!"

"Warning, the Hibernation Zone is being damaged!"

"Jump!"

He Zheng led the way, leaping out of the ventilation duct.

Seeing a few isolated Species around the corner turn and charge toward the noise, he cursed inwardly, pulled a triangular-bladed dagger from inside his clothes, and rushed the nearest one.

He didn't dare shoot. Though Wang Yuanyang had activated the Hibernation Zone's broadcast and drawn most of the monsters away, gunfire was too loud.

On this final stretch, he couldn't afford the slightest risk.

"Huang Liang! Cover me!"

He sprinted into a slide. The instant he reached the Species, He Zheng dropped to one knee and used his momentum to slide beneath it.

He thrust his dagger upward, aiming to stab into the Species' abdomen from below.

Huang Liang had taught him this move. Aside from their vulnerable eyes, the Species also seemed to have an egg-laying organ beneath their lower abdomen.

Though they had no idea how to distinguish males from females, stabbing there could do enormous damage, just as it could with fish.

"Got it!"

Behind him, Huang Liang charged out with his combat dagger in a reverse grip, coordinating his stab with He Zheng's.

With a wet squelch, the Species' eyeball burst. The palm-length blade instantly pierced its brain.

Under their combined attack, the Species collapsed heavily without even having time to shriek.

They turned toward Ye Lin and saw that the Species behind him had reacted, but before they could turn back to help-

Ye Lin smashed a vial of anesthetic and urged them on:

"Go! Leave them!"

Bang!

White mist rose, and the Species charging from behind went numb all over, screeching as they toppled to the floor.

It was somewhat wasteful, but with the Repair Zone less than a hundred meters away, it was worth it.

No matter how skilled Huang Liang was, they couldn't kill every Species instantly. Their only option was to rush into the Repair Zone before the shrieks attracted "God."

Hu Jia and the others jumped down one after another. Spotting the maintenance sign nearby, the three followed Ye Lin and sprinted with their heads down.

Excitement and tension gripped them.

Only the red alarm lights overhead illuminated the route, and they couldn't see how many monsters lay ahead.

But once they made it inside, everything would be over!

"An Ke, what's happening over there!"

Ye Lin raised his watch to contact An Ke as he ran.

The five seconds had long since passed, yet An Ke still hadn't replied.

The only remaining problem was the "Buddha" near the Repair Zone.

Without knowing how far that monster had been lured away, he remained their greatest threat.

"We're clear!"

Meanwhile, outside the Maintenance Room.

An Ke gasped for breath, her right hand pressed tightly against her abdomen.

Dark red blood streamed from the wound in her belly.

With no time to drag the cleaved Species in the corner any farther away, she saw figures racing around the bend and laboriously waved to show them where she was.

"Hurry!"

"The Buddha hasn't gone far!"

He Zheng's expression changed, and he ran with everything he had. At the rear, Zhang Tie realized the Buddha was nearby and grabbed Hu Jia with one hand, dragging him along like a kite.

A dozen or so seconds later, they reached the entrance. Seeing the wounded An Ke, Huang Liang instinctively moved to support her.

But An Ke gritted her teeth and waved off his kindness, indicating that she could still hold on.

"Get inside! That monster's only a few hundred meters away!"

The Buddha moved slowly. Even with the broadcast drawing him away, he was still only a few hundred meters from them.

That monster could attack with sound waves. If he discovered them, hiding here wouldn't offer much safety.

"Go!"

They didn't dare waste any more time.

Entering the outermost part of the Repair Zone, they immediately saw a garage-sized alloy door that opened horizontally.

Through the glass, they could see part of a spacesuit hanging on the wall. Excitement lit every face, and they couldn't help marveling at Ye Lin's judgment.

But when they reached the door, He Zheng's expression darkened. As a core area, the Repair Zone still had power, and the door bore the thing he hated most: an electronic lock.

"Ye Lin! What do we do? Shoot it!?"

What they needed to survive was right inside, but they couldn't open the door!

Without a word, Ye Lin hurried up and pressed his palm to the glass. Then he held out his hand to Huang Liang for a grenade.

"That's the Pressure Chamber inside. To withstand the pressure difference, this glass is specially made. Bullets won't break it."

But before Ye Lin could take the grenade, Huang Liang suddenly grabbed his hand. As if remembering something, he asked urgently:

"Wait!"

"If we blow it open with a grenade, what happens to Wang Yuanyang?"

"He's not here yet!"

According to the plan, after Wang Yuanyang activated the Hibernation Zone alarm, they needed to set a delayed alarm here.

Then they would use that interval to take the spacesuits and rendezvous with him.

But if they detonated the grenade now, the nearest Buddha would be drawn over, leaving Wang Yuanyang no chance of making it across.

"Do you have another way?"

"If we keep stalling, we'll all die."

"You were lying to him! So you never intended for him to come back alive in the first place!?"

Huang Liang glared furiously. He had thought Ye Lin was merely asking Wang Yuanyang to take a risk, but he had never imagined that Ye Lin had been lying to him from the start!

"So what if I was?"

Ye Lin admitted it outright, signaling He Zheng with a flick of his eyes to snatch the grenade.

He did not care whether Wang Yuanyang lived or died. All he cared about was the conclusion he would reach in the end.

If Wang Yuanyang died, he could narrow down the remaining targets. If Wang Yuanyang survived, he would probably learn what the real danger actually was.

If they wanted to survive, they had to do this.

"He Zheng!"

A sharp shout rang out.

Behind Huang Liang, He Zheng acted on Ye Lin's signal and suddenly struck him with a knife-hand blow.

As Huang Liang lost his grip, Ye Lin snatched the grenade and immediately pulled the pin.

"Run!"

BOOM!!

The explosion was deafening. A hail of fragments slammed into the metal door, leaving shallow dents.

Although it could not damage the alloy door, fortunately, some of the special glass above it shattered in the blast.

They only needed to reach inside to turn the mechanical handle from within.

Dragged away by Zhang Tie, Huang Liang watched Ye Lin rush into the Equipment Room, his eyes blazing with fury.

He dared not imagine how desperate Wang Yuanyang, still hiding in the Hibernation Zone, would feel once the Airlock opened!

But before he could stagger to his feet, Ye Lin, who had quickly put on a Spacesuit, suddenly turned and tossed two more toward him.

"If you really want to save him, you can."

"Don't forget, those monsters are afraid of 'it.' If you're fast enough, you might get one on him before the oxygen leaks out."