Chapter 454: Turnabout
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was dead silent in the laboratory, that Fei Si could hear her hectic heartbeats. Her face was pale as her enlarged eyes peered at that one specific set of red curves among the messy lines on both diagrams. That one specific attribute illustrated in red curves, while having the same levels in the beginning, had diverged at one point of the y-axis.
Fei Si's eyes traced the line of deadly scarlet. Her heart was racing.
The curve… the diverging point was leading to…
"It was an evolution…," muttered Fei Si.
If Fei Si was the very expert of the other branch of biology, maybe she was making a wild guess and she would not be able to confidently address such baseless assumption. But the process of evolution was highly common in her field of microbiology, which justified her extreme familiarity and sensitively on the specific characteristics of a typical evolution act illustrated on a line diagram. She wanted to prove herself wrong, knowing the iron rule of the world of biology, a species would always face a proportional increase in both difficulty and the time needed to complete the evolution cycle the higher the level of the said species was.
Reality was quite the contrary however, it was indeed an evolution.
Fei Si was pretty sure.
Still, if it was really an evolution, all the fundamentals she had learned in biology would be flushed to black hole. The species had produced an anomaly, which went totally against whatever she knew about evolution. "C-could it be…?" There was something else in her mind. Perhaps it was the unique attribute of such species. "But what is the trigger? What promotes their evolution?" mumbled Fei Si as her eyes rested upon the sample.
…(Meanwhile back to-
Klink!
Under the bright beams of sodium lamps, a few sparks bloomed before Ye Chong.
Ye Chong's will sank a little upon seeing his barrage being blocked completely. All 12 propelling tentacles crashed into something, causing the sparks in the crimson woods.
It had been confirmed. This unidentified creature had a higher development than the minions outside. On top of its height about 12 meter, similar to Han Jia, its head rested as enveloped by a thick shell like a helmet of phylum, which made it different from its compatriots. The dark layers of shell were as if made out of black gold alloy with its fancy gloss. Its red tail had been raised, pointing towards Han Jia. That was the creature's efficient guard which ceased every incoming attack of Han Jia just now.
Both of them stood still.
The opened eyes were cunning-slim, emotionless whenever the crimson pupils rolled from one corner to another. The beast was hovering soundlessly, observing the gesture of its intruder.
Han Jia had already withdrawn its daggers from the sheath. Those were its royal knights, the impeccable, reliable arsenals on its team, which had never once disappointed it.
Ye Chong raised his hands and-
Dammit!
Ye Chong's pupils went wide like saucers.
The unknown creature which was under the spotlight a moment ago, had vanished.
His hands began storming upon the interface, prompting a forward thrust on Han Jia as it charged towards the vesicle rapidly. The camera behind beeped as captured imagery of a slashing red at where Han Jia stood before. It was a close shave. The creature did make use of its speed. Ye Chong could feel the cold sweat rolling off his back.
Han Jia was actually installed with photographic cameras at most directions which their angles would form an enclosed scope of vision, allowing Ye Chong to know whatever happened in the surrounding. It was smart but not practical enough, unlike the full hologram readings today, the photon mode vision had a lot of limitations, but it was still better than being utterly blind.
He might have dodged the tail-whip, but that did not assure his safety, not just yet.
Something had flashed on one corner of the scope! Ye Chong was astonished as his hands danced again.
Han Jia had a quick slide. The slash came by and Han Jia was not managed to dodge it completely. Wham! Ye Chong lost his sense of balance as he saw the interface tumbling before him. Clearly Han Jia had been struck!
Such strength! Ye Chong was astonished. The blow just now was almost as vicious as a direct diving-kick from a combat mech model.
Ye Chong tried to respond but that was when he tumbled again. The hydraulic system did not relieve the impact either.
The creature somehow reappeared right next to Han Jia just now. Ye Chong did execute a simple dodge but the tail was the hazard that sent Han Jia off crashing the vesicle like a shooting star.
It was fortunate that Han Jia did not get hit by the tip of the creature's tail or the spike would have caused Ye Chong some real trouble.
Certainly the membrane of the vesicle could not withstand such momentum. Leakage occurred as soon as Han Jia crashed and was engulfed by the cytoplasm.
Ye Chong made a quick response by giving a firm press on the control panel the moment Han Jia was whammed. Han Jia, at the second getting enveloped by the vesicle, spread out its wings, making the drastic endeavor.
Han Jia was losing momentum as Ye Chong saw before him a dark red lining swung, which sent him chills to his spine.
Before the lining faded out, Ye Chong's hands accelerated again, to the maximum of his APM.
Han Jia lowered its wings again, forming dynamic within the vesicle. With the thrust it created in the fluid, Han Jia turned on all engines and sped upwards!
Han Jia broke the membrane successfully!
But the scarlet beast was hovering in the air, eyeing its prey breaking free.
Ye Chong was having cold sweat, wondering the last time he got driven up to the corner like this. It was nerve-wrecking as he watched the hovering beast.
The beast had agility, speed and a deadly weapon being its tail - the necessary components to build a killing machine. What made the beast more deadly was its night sight. It was unaffected by the darkness, unlike Ye Chong who moved around like a blind man within the limited vision illuminated by sodium lamp. All detection systems were useless and Ye Chong felt he was fighting a losing fight.
The surrounding was not doing him a favor at all!
He got to be calm, be cool, be icy cool, there must be a solution somewhere.
One opportunity to make that turnabout!
He respirated deeply, as rhythmically his chest inflated and deflated like an accordion. The heat in his mind was eliminated and that was how his eyes turned crystal clear once again.
Han Jia rested on the surface of the vesicle, with the twin daggers crossed before its chest.
Ye Chong's mind ran wild. He must get something done but he had no idea what to. Oddly the beast seemed undisturbed as its front legs crossed before its head. Ye Chong would want no more thrashing from the foe, he decided to make the strike first!
Han Jia turned on its engines.
Ye Chong's only vision now would be the photon detection mode. Too bad he was not competent and talented in being a mentalist or he could have foreseen the beast's attack. But well, judging from the overwhelming velocity this beast could attain, probably only Huang Baiyi the hacking mentalist could make the necessary foresight before things happened. Still, Huang Baiyi would be a clumsy greenhorn in flicking the interface.
...
Okay, enough idle thoughts. Those are not important.
The beast is important, as well as my own life.
What?
The beast snickered as its silhouette vanished in the screen.
Ye Chong brandished the sodium lamps desperately, yet the beast acted faster than his lights.
Ye Chong's eyes scurried upon every camera projection, the beast had vanished into the darkness and no way he could perceive its movements in the dark.
Streams of sweat rolled off Ye Chong's forehead. Ye Chong seized his breath in intensity. The muscles on his face were twitching, guiding one stream of cold sweat into his eyes.
Ugh.
Ye Chong squinted his eyes as scorched by the salty uneasiness. His squinted eyes were forced open, yet his sight remained blurry. He dared not to move a muscle on his limbs, as his hands rooted themselves onto the interface. He glared upon the projection, trying to see things.
And that was when the projection at the right caught something flashing by.
Now!
Adrenaline boiled within Ye Chong as his heart was pumped with agitation, screams of himself could be heard in his head. A deadly struggle as his APM had increased beyond limits, once again.
Ye Chong would certainly be joyful of seeing another improvement in his speed, but maybe he might not have the life to taste it some other time.
He must strike the beast!
He must take the beast out!
He must live!
Han Jia took a strange step backwards as the dagger on its right slashed upwards to one side of its rib.
Klink!
Ye Chong could hear the heavenly clinking as his eyes caught the sparks in the darkness.
He did it!
He did it!
The left dagger thrusted upon the sparks.
...
Ye Chong heard something, the microphone caught the sound of the slaughterhouse. He had made the stab and it was real! The bit of blood on the dagger justified it!
The beast had been wounded!
The fact made Ye Chong excited, as he saw a shadowy figure flew towards the far in the tunnel of lights created by his sodium lamps.
The beast is running away!
Han Jia chased the beast without hesitation.
Ye Chong was pretty confident that the cut he made was a critical one, as now the beast had turned more traceable in the light. The vanishing movements could no longer be observed. The beast seemed terrified as well for it maintained a single direction in its runaway, which made tracing it much easier within the range of the sodium lamps' projection. The mollusks around had a simpler structure compared to the outside, that was also why Ye Chong managed to keep the beast in his eyes.
The beast ran.
The human chased after.
Both towards the outside of unknown.