Chapter 45: Deadly Loss of Pressure

The electronic display in the evacuation chamber flickered ceaselessly, switching between scenes that showed hordes of fused aberrations charging toward their location. Among them were not only Hive Mothers and Berserkers, but also strange, unfamiliar aberrations they had never encountered before.

Li Nanke didn’t bother glancing at the display, for the commotion caused by the advancing monsters was drawing ever closer; the tremors of the Berserkers’ footsteps could be heard distinctly, even through the thick metal blast doors.

He checked his linear laser cannon—the barrel still radiated searing heat, and the standby indicator light had shifted from red to yellow. Red signified urgent cooling was required—firing a second shot was impossible. Yellow meant the cannon had only begun to cool; forcing another shot now would result in irreversible, total destruction.

Li Nanke stowed the cannon and pressed the button to open the metal door. Striding out, his gaze locked on the far end of the silver corridor. In his left hand, a shockwave rifle materialized; in his right, he gripped the hilt of his chainsaw sword.

The rhythmic pounding grew louder, until with a thunderous crash, the blast door at the end of the corridor was hurled aside by brute force.

Two Berserkers charged forward like armored vehicles, followed by a crouching, humanoid aberration with a grotesquely swollen belly.

Li Nanke drew a deep breath and surged forward, sword raised.

A gale roared overhead—the Berserker’s fist descended in a hammering blow. Li Nanke darted in, raising his sword to cleave upward!

The rotating teeth of the blade shredded flesh and bone, and amidst a spray of gore, nearly half of the Berserker’s forearm was severed, flung aside.

Twisting his body, he slashed horizontally, carving a bloody arc through the monster’s abdomen. Multicolored viscera spilled out in torrents.

The Berserker collapsed to its knees, clutching its ravaged belly. Li Nanke raised his rifle and fired—a shockwave struck the head of the second Berserker, stunning it momentarily.

Facing the kneeling, drooping Berserker, Li Nanke smiled coldly. He drove his sword upward, plunging most of the chainsaw blade into the creature’s skull. The frenzied teeth shredded its brain, ending its life in a crashing fall.

Li Nanke stamped down and leaped high, intent on decapitating the stunned Berserker.

Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end. He reacted instinctively, kicking off the corridor wall and springing away.

A sizzle—it was the sound of a mass of green viscous liquid splattering against the wall. The corrosive fluid began to eat through the metal, releasing acrid white smoke and swiftly gouging a massive hole.

Li Nanke eyed the aberration with the swollen belly nearby; the corrosive fluid had been spat from the maw of this creature, known as a Spitter.

“I was so busy dealing with them, I forgot about you!”

He flicked a lever on his rifle, lowered the barrel, and unleashed a scattershot shockwave that sent the Spitter tumbling, exposing its fragile, protected underbelly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Rifle bullets tore through the air, a string of shots puncturing its navel with powerful kinetic force, ripping apart its internal organs.

The leaking corrosive fluid became the deadliest weapon, dissolving the Spitter’s entrails amid hissing white smoke as the creature died in a shrill wail.

Meanwhile, the massive Berserker beside him had regained its senses and was about to swing its fists down. Li Nanke’s eyes flashed with ferocity; he swept out with a high roundhouse kick that cracked the air, striking behind the creature’s knee.

With a thud, the Berserker collapsed onto one knee.

A flash of cold steel—chainsaw teeth screamed through the corridor!

A grotesque head was severed from its neck, blood spraying across the walls as the Berserker fell with a thunderous crash.

Li Nanke barely had time to catch his breath before he looked toward the end of the corridor.

His pupils contracted, and he clenched his teeth in frustration.

A dense mass of fused aberrations surged forward, among them some terrifying Hive Mothers…

…

Alba listened to the sounds of battle and monstrous roars outside the blast door, his hands trembling so badly that he fumbled several key presses. He didn’t dare glance at the terrifying images on the wall display.

Alba knew all too well that Li Nanke was fighting alone outside, holding off a tide of monsters. Li Nanke had chosen to battle outside precisely because he feared the horrors might overwhelm Alba’s nerves and slow his hacking efforts.

Suddenly, Alba slapped himself hard, leaving his cheek red and swollen, a clear handprint marking his face.

“Calm down, you must stay calm—mistakes now really mean death!”

The pain snapped him back to clarity, suppressing the surging terror within. His fingers flew across the controls, rapid-fire keystrokes echoing through the chamber.

“Almost there, almost—just give me one more minute!”

Suddenly, the metal blast door slid open with a beep. Li Nanke, drenched in blood, staggered into the chamber, followed by a swarm of terrifying monsters.

“Fasten your safety line, put on your oxygen mask!”

Alba responded to Li Nanke’s orders with conditioned reflex—never mind right or wrong, simply obey and you won’t go astray!

Inside the emergency evacuation pod, the two donned specialized space suits. Thanks to the United Human Government’s advanced technology, these suits weren’t the bulky outfits people imagined, but sleek, lightweight bodysuits.

The suits were equipped with small propulsion units, allowing movement in outer space for repairs or brief excursions beyond the station.

Alba yanked his safety line from his waist, locking it to the wall rail, and pulled his oxygen mask over his head.

Li Nanke’s hand brandished a massive, fierce-looking weapon. He hefted the heavy linear laser cannon in one hand, ignoring the yellow warning light, and slammed the trigger!

A torrent of linear laser energy surged from the barrel, draining the high-capacity battery and transforming it into a destructive, blinding beam.

The cannon’s barrel glowed like molten iron, scorching his palm with agonizing heat. The entire weapon radiated an unnatural, furious red.

Li Nanke retreated quickly, the chamber’s vast space giving him enough safety and the cannon enough time to charge.

Roars echoed through the chamber as the gigantic fused aberrations crowded in, their twisted, monstrous shadows nearly filling the entire evacuation room.

The cannon in his hands was blisteringly hot, the pain severe enough to burn flesh, yet Li Nanke didn’t loosen his grip for a moment.

The laser at the cannon’s mouth seemed to converge into a miniature sun, its blinding brilliance and heat almost impossible to behold.

“Brigitte! Lock down all isolation doors!”

“Understood, Station Chief!”

Li Nanke pulled his safety line from his waist and locked it to the wall rail. At the same moment, he raised the cannon and released the trigger.

The devastating beam didn’t fire at the monsters, but traced a scorching arc, boiling the air as it struck the chamber wall.

He shouted, twisting his wrist, the furious beam carving a continuous circle along the wall.

Under the laser’s destructive energy, the metal glowed red and melted into liquid, the entire circular wall peeled away and flew out.

Through the gaping hole, the endless black of outer space was clearly visible.

Boom!

Violent air currents surged, the enormous pressure difference inside and out forming a hurricane that threatened to suck everything into the cold void.

The monsters, unprepared, were utterly powerless against such force; they were instantly torn from the floor and hurled out through the breach, flung into the darkness of space.

Li Nanke pulled down his oxygen mask, clinging tightly to the rail, resisting the brutal suction caused by rapid depressurization.

Even so, his body floated and swayed uncontrollably. Alba fared worse, like a kite caught in a storm, with his safety line the only thing keeping him from being swept away.

Soon, most of the monsters vanished, leaving only a few humanoid Berserkers who managed to grab onto fixtures and survive.

They could no longer threaten Li Nanke.

“Brigitte, lower the isolation doors.”

“Understood.”

Thick, sturdy isolation doors descended, sealing the breach while the chamber’s pressurization system began to restore air.

The deadly crisis at this final node was resolved—Li Nanke had triumphed.

After dealing with the remaining Berserkers, he could even use his suit’s propulsion unit to finish off the monsters drifting helplessly in space…