Chapter 41: The Final Node

Li Nanke dashed around the corner of the long corridor, his footsteps echoing as the thunderous roar of the monstrous creature's pursuit resounded behind him.

Alba, who had originally been hiding at the corner, realized the danger and immediately fled back the way he had come in a frantic rush.

Li Nanke, his mind racing, chose not to follow Alba. Instead, he sprinted down a different, unfamiliar passage.

The crazed monster behind him refused to give up, its enormous body nearly filling the corridor. Its dozens of elongated, razor-sharp legs propelled it forward with terrifying speed in a straight line, though its massive form slowed it whenever it tried to turn.

Moreover, as it chased, the remaining half of its head gushed blood like a fountain, splattering the walls and floor, pooling into streams that flowed along the corridor.

The linear laser cannon had dealt a devastating blow—even if it hadn’t killed the broodmother outright, it had left her grievously wounded, teetering on the brink of death.

All Li Nanke needed now was to buy time, to let the broodmother’s vitality drain away during the chase until she reached her critical limit. That would be the perfect moment to strike back!

He had already memorized the layout of the cabins and corridors around the command room. Though he couldn’t match the monster’s speed in a straight line, he could use the corners and rooms to slow her down, leading her in circles around the command center.

The corridor’s corner only impeded the broodmother for a brief instant, but that moment was enough for Li Nanke to reach the end of the hallway.

He activated the metal gate before him, firing a burst behind him as he did so. The bullets from his rifle hammered into the wound on the broodmother’s head, causing blood to spray and her roar to grow even more deafening.

He slipped into the cabin, hit the button to seal the door, and immediately raced to the exit on the other side.

Thanks to the enhancement from the primary material “Deep Sea,” Li Nanke’s physical capabilities had improved dramatically—strength, neural reflexes, speed, and endurance all surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.

The monster, a fusion of countless aberrant forms, was formidable, but sooner or later he would cut her down with his chainsaw sword.

With a crash, the cabin’s metal door was torn apart. The broodmother squeezed into the cramped space, but Li Nanke had already turned the corner and entered the next cabin.

As the door closed behind him, Li Nanke charged in, only for his hair to stand on end and his pupils to contract sharply.

Standing inside was another aberrant fusion—a Berserker!

The creature noticed him at the same moment and let out a furious roar, lunging forward.

Caught between the wolf ahead and the tiger behind, Li Nanke had no time to think. Without pausing, he pulled the trigger of his shockwave rifle.

A concentrated barrage of shockwaves struck the Berserker, causing its body to freeze and stiffen.

Using the momentum from his sprint, Li Nanke pushed off the floor and leaped high…

The chainsaw sword’s blade flashed with cold light, its teeth spinning at high speed, tearing flesh and unleashing a shrill, brutal scream.

He vaulted over the Berserker’s head, rolled after landing, and sprang up without looking back, continuing his dash toward the corridor outside.

The Berserker’s skull split in two, its gray brain matter churned into a pulp. Its massive body stiffened, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The broodmother squeezed into the cabin, shoving the fallen Berserker aside and barreling forward, heedless and frenzied…

…

Air rushed past Li Nanke’s ears as he sprinted, the corridor’s floor slick with the blood of monsters. He had already circled the command center several times.

He noticed the monster’s pursuit had slowed noticeably compared to before, knowing his moment had come.

Li Nanke headed for the corner, stopped to take several deep breaths, then, pushing off the floor, launched himself at the wall, clinging to the overhead pipe like a spider, his body pressed tightly to the metal, chainsaw sword gripped firmly in his hands.

The pounding of countless legs grew closer.

The broodmother’s thick, grotesque body squeezed into the turn, her hideous, laser-scorched head emerging before him.

“Now’s the time!”

Li Nanke kicked off the pipe with all his might, denting the metal with sheer force. Using the recoil, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The chainsaw sword screamed, its blade tracing a deadly arc as it struck.

The sharp teeth plunged into the bloodied, scorched wound!

Li Nanke roared, his arms bulging with muscle, tearing into flesh. The chainsaw sword’s blade buried itself in the monster’s head, then pulled free, spraying blood and brain matter with explosive force.

He landed and retreated swiftly, sword in hand.

The broodmother convulsed wildly, sparks flying as her body battered the corridor’s walls. Soon, the spasms faded, replaced by a final, silent stillness.

A torrent of source energy surged into his “self” as the broodmother died, filling the once-dry reservoir nearly halfway.

Li Nanke stood still, calming his ragged breath, then channeled all the source energy into the primary material “Deep Sea.”

[Primary Material: Deep Sea]
[Level: 7 (2%) → 9 (87%)]

His body was suddenly flooded with power—neural reflexes and organ resilience grew even more formidable.

He clenched his fists, feeling the ferocious energy coursing through every fiber of his being.

“A pity—just a little more. The primary material’s demand for source energy is truly immense…”

Li Nanke returned the way he had come, chainsaw sword in hand, calling out, “It’s safe now, come out.”

Soon, Alba crept out from the corner, feigning surprise. “Michael, you took down that monster?”

Li Nanke ignored him and headed straight into the command room.

The metal gate at the rear of the command center had been violently destroyed, torn apart—clearly the broodmother’s handiwork.

The control room was spacious, lined with large display screens and operational platforms, all smeared with blood. Not a single survivor remained.

As Li Nanke entered, a synchronized alert sounded.

[Nightmare, you have completed Key Node Three!]
[Node Reward: Trait ‘Magnetic Storm’ (pending collection)]
[You have triggered the Final Node!]
[Final Node: Board the escape pod and leave Gliese 798c.]

The escape pods served much like lifeboats on a ship. They lacked the capability for interstellar travel and propulsion, able only to return through the atmosphere to the planet’s surface or drift alone in space awaiting rescue.

Reading the final node, he said to Alba, “Now it’s your turn to work. The control room should have logs from the space station and a wealth of intelligence.”

Alba eagerly set about cracking the control room’s system password.

Beside the console was a small box, glowing faintly white in Li Nanke’s eyes.

He opened it, revealing a stone fragment—apparently a small part of a construct. Its etched markings were dim, somewhat different from the constructs he’d seen before.

He reached out and grasped the fragment. Enduring the mental invasion, the peculiar trait known as “Magnetic Storm” was engraved upon his mind.