allendalepharm Page 267
Page 267
“My body… has also become a new target of the whispers’ erosion… Pain… is constant… The agreement cannot terminate itself, the stellar energy chains… are both energy and a prison… My consciousness is being eroded step by step…”
The information flow abruptly stopped, leaving behind a heavy, lifeless silence.
The truth is so cruel! This so-called purification protocol not only failed to purify, but instead aided the enemy, nurturing a terrifying entity in the distance, and even dragged itself down with it, becoming an out-of-control beacon that kept sending coordinates to the enemy.
"So, you're asking for help not just to escape, but also to stop this flawed agreement from causing even greater destruction?" Lisa understood the key point, her voice tinged with sympathy. This ancient creation was itself a victim.
"Yes... terminate the agreement... cut off the energy supply... let me fall into complete silence... otherwise, when my core is completely corrupted by the whispers... this star... will also be polluted, turning into the 'Whispering Star'... becoming... an even more terrifying source of pollution..." The "Radiance of Annihilation" thought was filled with an unprecedented sense of urgency, as if one could hear the whispers from the abyss howling at the edge of its consciousness.
"How do we terminate the agreement?" Lin Ye asked succinctly, getting straight to the point. "Does it require destroying your core?" He gripped the shard in his hand tightly; the cold, hard touch kept him alert. If destruction was the only answer, he would not hesitate.
"No!" A strong denial immediately came from his mind. "Core damage... will instantly detonate all the absorbed stellar energy... the explosion will engulf several galaxies... everything will be destroyed..."
This consequence sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"The protocol is maintained by three secondary control nodes..." the thought continued, "Find them... use the power of the Light of Origin in your hands... cover and shut down the nodes... and the protocol will gradually stop... the energy chains will also weaken accordingly."
Three control nodes! This sounds like a feasible solution, but the task is clearly not easy.
"The location of the node?" Lin Ye pressed.
"Distributed within my ship's hull... coordinates are..." Three sets of complex spatial coordinate information flowed into Lin Ye's mind, accompanied by an incomplete internal structural diagram filled with gibberish and missing sections. "But... warning... the internal structure has been severely altered due to protocol errors and the Whispering Erosion... unknown risks exist... the shadow of the Whispering... has already taken root within... they... are no longer mere illusions..."
The internal structure is unknown, the environment is harsh, and there are even physical monsters corrupted by whispers? The difficulty and danger of the mission increase dramatically.
Lin Ye immediately turned around and looked at the pulsating biological tissue deep inside the bridge: "Wild Fang, analyze this structural diagram, assess our current status, and see if we can support internal exploration?"
Wild Fang remained silent for a few seconds, its biological tissue emitting a faint glow, seemingly calculating at high speed. "The structural diagram is 62% incomplete, providing only general direction and area markers, not precise navigation. According to the target unit's description, the internal environment is highly likely filled with high-concentration radiation, stellar energy turbulence, and materialized whispering constructs. Commander, with our current energy level below 15% and our unrepaired external armor, the odds of success in this high-intensity, high-risk internal operation are less than 20%. Recommendation: Prioritize restoring to 20% energy level and completing at least basic armor regeneration, estimated to take…"
“We don’t have that much time!” Lin Ye interrupted Huang Ya’s calculations. “‘Radiance of Annihilation’ won’t last that long, and who knows if that Whispering Node it’s nourishing will crawl over along the network cable any second?” He had a strong intuition that danger was approaching, and waiting would be suicide.
He had to make a decision.
"We can't wait." Lin Ye's voice was resolute. "Huangya, you stay outside and use the relatively stable environment here to focus on repairs and energy extraction. At the same time, closely monitor the activity of the external star, and... any movements of that Whispering Node!"
He looked at Lisa and Sentinel: “Lisa, Sentinel, the three of us will go in. I have a fragment of the Key of Creation, which should be able to resist the Whispers' corruption to some extent. Lisa, your psionic powers will be responsible for early warning and scanning for unseen dangers. Sentinel, you will provide tactical support and real-time terrain data.”
A hint of nervousness flashed across Li Sha's face, but more so, determination. She nodded vigorously: "Understood! I will do my best to sense any anomalies on the psionic level."
The sentry's mechanical body emitted a slight hydraulic hum as the combat module came online: "Weapon system calibration complete, environmental scanning system ready. Commander, we are ready to depart at any time."
"The holder of the key..." that weak thought echoed again, carrying a hint of relief, yet concealing a deeper unease, "Please... as soon as possible... the whispers... are becoming clearer... they are urging... searching..."
“We will shut it down,” Lin Ye replied in a deep voice, as if promising “Radiance of Annihilation” and also encouraging himself and his teammates. “Open the access channel.”
At his request, a low metallic scraping sound rang out from the side of the ship where the silver shuttle approached them. A panel that had been seamlessly integrated with the surrounding armor slowly slid open, revealing a circular entrance about ten meters in diameter, pitch black inside. A nauseating stench, a mixture of stale engine oil, pungent ozone, and some indescribable odor resembling decaying organic matter, surged out from it.
Arakawa slowly adjusted its posture, roughly connecting the emergency airtight hatch on one side of the ship to the dark entrance.
"Maintain communication. If you encounter an insurmountable danger, retreat immediately. I will try to establish support firing points outside." Huangya's consciousness transmitted the instructions, carrying the worry unique to living beings.
Lin Ye took a deep breath, suppressing a trace of apprehension about the unknown, and stepped forward into the darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything. Li Sha gripped her psionic focuser tightly, following closely behind. The Sentinel faithfully fulfilled its rearguard duty, its metal feet making a crisp echo as they trod on the unfamiliar metallic ground.
Just as the docking tunnel closed and the last ray of light from the external star was completely cut off, that immense will sent forth one last time, carrying a sense of utter relief at surrendering everything, and a chilling warning:
"Thank you... May the light of origin... guide you..."
"Be careful... the shadow... is no longer an illusion..."
click-
A soft, crisp sound came from beneath Lin Ye's feet. He looked down and, by the faint light emanating from the fragment of the Key of Creation, saw that he had crushed a half-buried, completely calcified finger bone. The shape of that finger bone vaguely indicated that it did not belong to a human.
The light stretched forward, illuminating the narrow, deep passage ahead. The walls were no longer smooth metal, but covered with rough, dark red, proliferating tissue resembling blood vessels or nerve plexuses, pulsating slightly and radiating ominous energy fluctuations. Further away, darkness writhed like a living thing, as if countless eyes were staring at these uninvited guests from every corner.
The air was thick and heavy, and in addition to the strange smell from before, there was a burnt smell of metal being burned by strong energy, and... a very faint but undeniable smell of blood.
"The structural diagram shows that the first node is on the port side, at a depth of about 1.5 kilometers," the sentinel reported, its scanning beam scanning back and forth in the distorted passage. "But seventy percent of the path does not match the structural diagram, with numerous unknown obstructions and energy barriers."
“The psionic background noise is extremely strong, causing severe interference.” Li Sha’s face was a little pale as she tried to steady her breathing. “I can hardly pinpoint the specific source of the threat, but… it feels very uncomfortable, as if something is watching us.”
Lin Ye raised the fragment of the Key of Creation slightly higher. The soft light dispelled a small patch of darkness in front of him, but it also made the shadows further away appear even more intense. He could feel the fragment heating up slightly, as if it were resisting the invisible erosion permeating the surrounding environment.
"Stay close to me and stay alert." Lin Ye's voice echoed in the silent passage, low and menacing. "Sentinel, prioritize finding a viable route. Lisa, watch out for any signs of a mental attack."
He strode forward, carefully avoiding the suspicious debris and writhing, proliferating tissue on the ground, heading towards the first control node, venturing into the depths of this steel tomb shrouded in whispers and despair. Every step felt like walking on the edge of life and death. Their mission had only just begun, and the horrors within "Radiance of Annihilation" had already revealed just the tip of the iceberg.
Chapter 558 The Aberration Corridor
"laugh--"
Emergency lights illuminated one after another on either side of the corridor as people entered, casting a pale, cold glow that barely dispelled the darkness at the entrance. The air circulation system seemed to be still functioning, emitting a muffled hum, but the stench of decay and engine oil in the air was even stronger.
"This smell is unbearable." Li Sha wrinkled her nose; even through the breathing mask, the odor seemed to seep in.
Lin Ye looked around; they were in an extremely wide metal corridor. The corridor walls, which should have been smooth silver-gray, were now covered with stains, scratches, and irregular, dark red growths that resembled biological tissue. These growths pulsated slightly, their surfaces shimmering with an ominous glow.
"Low-intensity psionic contamination detected." The Sentinel's voice echoed in the quiet corridor, a faint energy barrier rising from its mechanical body to resist the invisible erosion. "The air composition is complex, containing trace amounts of neurotoxins and unknown organic degradation products. It is recommended to keep the internal respiration system activated."
Lin Ye checked the seal on his helmet: "These are the materializations of 'Whispering Shadows'?"
“They look more… tangible than those things in the nebulae outside.” Lisa felt nauseous looking at the pulsating “tumors” on the wall.
Lin Ye raised the fragment of the Key of Creation, letting its soft white light dispel the darkness ahead. "The fragment has a suppressive effect on them. Sentinel, record the energy characteristics and distribution patterns of these proliferators."
“Recording.” The sentry’s scanning beam swept across the corridor. “According to the coordinates provided by ‘Radiance of Annihilation,’ the first control node is located at the port side energy distribution center, about 1.7 kilometers from here. The structure diagram shows that three main areas need to be traversed: the current corridor, the remnants of the living quarters, and the main energy pipeline bridging point. However, the path information is severely incomplete, and the actual environment may have changed drastically.”
"Stay alert, let's keep going." Lin Ye took the lead, holding the fragments in front of him as a light source and purifier. Li Sha followed closely behind with her energy rifle, while the sentries covered the rear and conducted all-around scanning.
The corridor was eerily quiet, save for their footsteps, their breathing, and the faint creaking of the sentinels' mechanical joints. As they ventured deeper, the dark red growths on the walls grew increasingly dense, some even hanging from the ceiling like disgusting vines.
“These things are really creepy,” Lisa couldn’t help but say. “They seem to be…breathing?”
Lin Ye nodded: "It is indeed pulsating. The light from the fragments can make them retreat slightly, but the effect is limited. We need to speed things up."
Suddenly, the sentry issued a warning: "Life detected ahead... Correction, it's aberration!"
Almost simultaneously, a rustling, teeth-grinding scraping sound came from around the corner of the corridor ahead. Several twisted figures staggered out.
"My God..." Li Sha gasped.
These monsters may have once been some kind of robot or maintenance unit working inside "Radiance of Annihilation," but now, their metallic bodies are also covered with dark red biological tissue, their joints twisted and deformed, and the ends of their limbs mutated into sharp bone spikes or tentacles. Only two leaping, malevolent red lights remain where their optical sensors used to be.
"It's a whispering, corrosive mechanical entity!" Lisa immediately raised her gun and aimed.
"Prioritize destroying the energy core or control system!" Lin Ye ordered, while simultaneously focusing the light from the fragments of the Key of Creation forward.
As if burned by the white light, the mutated machines emitted a piercing shriek, their movements becoming stiff and frantic. They brandished their mutated limbs and staggered forward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Li Sha fired with precision, the energy beam accurately hitting the two foremost distorted mechanical heads, which appeared to be sensors, and the energy cores in their chests. They collapsed instantly, their dark red tissues rapidly withering and disintegrating.
The Sentinels were even more efficient, their shoulder-mounted miniature rapid-fire cannons spitting out tongues of fire, and the dense energy barrage blasted the other two aberrant machines into pieces.
"Well done." Lin Ye stepped over the still-smoking mechanical wreckage. "But these are just small fry. Everyone stay alert."
They continued forward, the light from the fragments sweeping around the corner. The corridor behind was even more dilapidated, the ground piled with unknown waste and dried slime, the proliferating growths on the walls almost merging together, like a living tapestry.
“The whispering corrosion here is much stronger than outside.” Li Sha felt the air inside the helmet was somewhat viscous. “How did the consciousness of ‘Radiance of Annihilation’ endure for so long in this environment?”
Lin Ye could feel the resonance emanating from the fragments becoming increasingly clear: "It is enduring far more than we can perceive. This corrosion is not only affecting the material level, but is also constantly eroding its consciousness."
They cautiously navigated the distorted corridors, occasionally encountering attacks from small groups of mutated machines. Thanks to the suppression of fragmented light and the precise fire of Lisa and the sentries, these attacks were all thwarted without serious harm.
“Ammunition is being used up faster than expected.” Lisa checked the energy magazine. “These guys are tougher than they look.”
"Use it sparingly; we don't know what we might encounter ahead," Lin Ye cautioned.
After traversing a long, distorted corridor, they arrived at the so-called "living support area wreckage." This area may have once been a place with an ecological cycle, providing rest for the crew, but now, everything has turned to ruins.
“This place is like a tomb,” Lisa said in a low voice, her voice trembling slightly.
The plant cultivation tanks were broken and filled with black, fuzzy colonies; the doors to the living quarters were twisted and deformed, and faint, gnaw-like sounds could be heard coming from inside; the lights in some areas were completely off, and only the scanning beams of the sentries and the light from the debris provided limited visibility.
"Watch out, there's a high-energy reaction here!" The sentry suddenly stopped, his scanning beam locking onto a collapsed metal structure in front of him.
"What is that?" Lin Ye asked immediately, focusing the light from the fragment in that direction.
“Hiss—!”
A sharp roar rang out from behind the ruins, and a shadow far larger than the mutated machines they had encountered before smashed through the obstacles and pounced out!
"Back off!" Lin Ye shouted, and the three of them quickly retreated to create distance.
Before them stood a monster formed from the fusion and twisting of multiple large maintenance machines. Its main body was a gigantic, constantly opening and closing shattering drill bit, surrounded by seven or eight mechanical tentacles covered in bio-armor and energy blades. Most unsettling of all was its "head"—a constantly rotating sphere covered in red compound eyes, radiating intense malice and mental shock!
"This guy is tough to deal with!" Li Sha raised her gun and aimed, but the monster's tentacles kept flailing, making it difficult to lock onto a vital spot.
"It's an elite unit! Be careful of its tentacles and mental attacks!" Lin Ye pushed the light of the fragment to its limit, trying to interfere with it.
The monster, illuminated by the white light, let out a painful screech and its movements visibly faltered. Seizing the opportunity, Lisa and the sentries unleashed their full firepower!
Beams from energy rifles and rapid-fire cannons rained down on the monster, exploding into bursts of sparks and a viscous, dark red liquid. But its bio-armor was exceptionally sturdy; its energy-blade tentacles swung and parried, managing to block most of the attacks!
“Its armor is too thick!” Lisa shouted, dodging a tentacle that suddenly lunged at her.
The tentacle lunged at Li Sha like a venomous snake, moving with incredible speed! Li Sha narrowly dodged it with a side roll, the energy blade carving a deep trench where she had just stood.
The other tentacle grabbed a huge piece of metal debris and slammed it down on the sentinel! The sentinel raised its energy shield and withstood the blow, the shield flickering violently.
"This can't go on!" Lin Ye stared intently at the constantly rotating head. "We must find its weakness!"
Through the fragments, Lin Ye keenly sensed the location where the monster's energy was most concentrated: "Its core is below its rotating head! That's its weak point!"
"Easier said than done, that thing spins like a top!" Li Sha complained as she fired.
"I'll draw its attention!" the sentry suddenly said, advancing forward and unleashing full firepower on the monster's main body.
As expected, the monster was enraged, and multiple tentacles attacked the sentinel simultaneously. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Ye also locked the fragmented light firmly onto the monster's head, causing it to shake painfully and making it difficult to precisely control its tentacles.
"Now!" Lin Ye shouted to Li Sha.
Li Sha understood, rolled to find the right shooting angle, held her breath, and pulled the trigger the instant the monster's head rotated to the desired angle!
A beam of concentrated energy shot out like a scalpel, precisely piercing through a gap in the armor beneath the monster's head!
"Ow—!"
The monster let out an extremely shrill roar, its entire body suddenly stiffened, and then it collapsed to the ground with a thud. The dark red tissue on its body quickly lost its activity, and its tentacles drooped limply.
The battle ended, and all three were slightly out of breath. The strength of this elite aberration had exceeded their expectations.
"That was close." Li Sha wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "If we hadn't hit them, we would have been in big trouble."
Lin Ye nodded: "It seems that the closer we get to the control node, the greater the resistance we encounter. We must be even more careful."