Chapter 36: Blood Pact

Li Nanke gritted his teeth and strode to the center of the laboratory, reaching out to touch the colossal “First Construct.”

Alba had already been terrified by the experimental logs and words like “planetary-scale,” “gigantic aberrant entity,” and “terrifying extraterrestrial civilization.” No one had expected such dreadful secrets to be hidden at the bottom of this deep-pit prison.

“Michael! Are you insane? What are you doing?”

Seeing Li Nanke about to touch the construct, Alba recalled the contents of the experimental logs and shouted desperately, “Didn’t you see what was written in the logs? All those inmates turned into monsters because they touched this construct!”

Li Nanke raised an eyebrow. “Did the inmates in the mining tunnels touch the First Construct as well?”

Alba shook his head immediately.

Li Nanke continued, “Experimental subjects became aberrants after death if they touched the construct. Yet the prisoners in the mine didn’t touch it; they were merely exposed to a sudden burst of electromagnetic radiation, and still turned into aberrants after death... We’re already infected, so what difference does it make whether we touch the construct or not?”

“As for becoming an aberrant after death... If I die here, what do I care if the world turns to chaos afterward!”

Alba was speechless, only able to remind him, “The logs said it causes hallucinations...”

Li Nanke sneered and reached out to touch the “First Construct.”

The alien stone surface was rough and cold. A surge of powerful static washed over his flesh, bones, and organs, the tingling sensation reaching its peak.

Suddenly, faint whispers echoed in his ears, as if coming from unfathomable distances in another dimension. The voices resembled the mutterings of ancient, twisted leviathans, imbued with a maddening, erratic rhythm that reverberated ceaselessly in his mind.

Everything around the laboratory began to blur; the once-clear surroundings grew indistinct, as though the fabric of reality itself was unraveling. All light twisted, and a violet-red mist of blood enveloped everything.

In his daze, Li Nanke saw grotesque jellyfish formed from flesh drifting through the darkness, trailing long blood-soaked tendrils, spewing blood mist as they swam...

At the same time, a mysterious symbol appeared in his mental world, its shape like splattered blood.

Li Nanke finally snapped out of the hallucination, drenched in cold sweat, gasping heavily as he leaned on his knees.

[Nightmare: You have completed the hidden node—accessed the key experimental logs of this biological laboratory and touched the ‘First Construct’!]

[Since you have triggered the hidden node (Initial), subsequent hidden nodes will activate at specific times during this forbidden dream sequence!]

[Hidden node reward: Trait ‘Blood Pact’ (claimed), partial unlock of special exchange privileges, increased dream settlement rating!]

[Trait: Blood Pact]

[Affiliation: Bestial]

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[Rank: 0]

[Level: 0/10]

[Details: This trait strengthens your blood, increasing the number and quality of red blood cells, greatly improving oxygen transport efficiency and thus slightly enhancing muscular endurance. It also strengthens white blood cells, boosting the immune system’s responsiveness. The increase in platelet count and function accelerates wound healing, reducing bleeding time and blood loss, thereby improving survival odds.]

[As the trait’s level increases, your blood will not only be further strengthened, but will also cure and render you immune to various blood diseases, and even grant the ability to dramatically enhance hematopoiesis for short periods.]

[Note: Halloween is here, and everyone is dressing up as vampires. I’ve decided to go as a bag of blood...]

Li Nanke carefully sensed his body and could distinctly feel the blood rushing through his veins—a sensation both marvelous and uncanny.

“It slightly increases endurance, boosts immunity, and speeds up healing. Not bad. But... why is it another bestial trait?”

Except for a single human trait, “Armament,” all his traits and main qualities belonged to the bestial category, leaving him with a frustrating sense of imbalance.

This time, the hidden node was easy to complete, yet the reward was quite generous. He noticed the prompt mentioning “Initial” and “Subsequent,” and suspected the reason he could claim this reward so easily was that the later hidden nodes would be extremely difficult.

“Michael? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here, quickly!”

A large group of lab staff and prison administrators had already fled; staying any longer would only become more dangerous.

Li Nanke led Alba out of the laboratory, boarded the transport vehicle, and returned to the massive freight elevator.

The elevator, which connected directly to the surface, was a gigantic platform capable of vertical ascent. Not only could it carry a single transport vehicle; it could haul ten fully loaded mining trucks to the surface at once.

The earlier group of escaped prisoners had already hacked the elevator’s identification system. The two drove the transport vehicle onto the platform and ascended to the surface transit station.

Because the surface environment of Gliese 798c was harsh and extremely cold, humans couldn’t survive without protective suits and oxygen masks. Anyone going outside needed to use special vehicles and wear professional gear at the transit station.

However, upon arrival, the two fell silent.

All the heavy polar snow vehicles originally parked in the station were gone, leaving only two transport vehicles abandoned by the prisoners.

The specialized snow vehicles were fully enclosed, with insulated cabins, tires replaced by triangular snow tracks, and large snowplows mounted on the front.

Without snow vehicles, not only would the near minus-fifty-degree temperatures of the planet’s surface prove fatal, but the thick, perennial snow would make walking impossible.

The only stroke of luck was that the transit station still had ample protective suits and oxygen gear left, enough to spare after the guards and some prisoners had fled.

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“Michael, what do we do now?”

Alba was out of ideas. He was an expert at hacking electronic devices, but now had no clue how to escape.

Li Nanke scanned the items in the transit station and quickly said, “Refuel the transport vehicle. There’s minus-50 diesel for the snow vehicles here. Lower the tire pressure, wrap iron chains around all the wheels for traction.”

“The transport vehicle is our only means of transportation right now. If we rely solely on our legs, we’ll freeze to death outside.”

The two busied themselves for a while, prepping the transport as best they could. Compared to specialized snow vehicles, it was still prone to slipping or getting stuck in snow drifts, but it was the best solution available.

As for keeping warm, they could only wear extra layers of protective suits...

With a thunderous roar, the metal doors of the transit station slid open.

Instantly, the temperature plummeted. Fierce winds swept in, carrying swirling snow.

All he could see was a vast, blinding white, as if the entire world were wrapped in thick cotton. Snowflakes danced in the air, and the frozen land was covered in pristine snow... This was a solitary, icy alien world.

[Dreamer: You have successfully escaped the deep-pit prison, completing Key Node Two!]

[Node Reward: Space Station Secondary Armory Key (pending collection)]

[You have triggered Key Node Three!]

[Key Node Three: Ride the space elevator to Gliese 798c’s main space station and enter the station’s central control room!]

The bitter wind howled, dense snowflakes making it nearly impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

Li Nanke wore two layers of heavy protective suits and a transparent oxygen mask, with heating elements on the mask to prevent frost, feeling the condensation with every breath.

He looked up toward the sky. Despite the swirling snow obscuring his view, he could vaguely see the cable of the space elevator towering in the blizzard, suspended between earth and sky.

The silver thread-like cable was incredibly thin, yet stretched endlessly upward from the ground, piercing through the snow and vanishing into the dense clouds above...

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