In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

Page 276

Chapter 572 The Spreading Fear

The final scream from the terminal, like an icicle, pierced the brief silence of the corridor. The subsequent buzzing tone, seemingly carrying the scent of death, lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate.

Lin Ye and Li Sha leaned against the cold metal box, their heavy breathing the only sound they could hear. Cold sweat trickled down Lin Ye's temples, dripping onto the dust-covered collar of his protective suit. Li Sha's face was even paler than before, her clenched fists so tight that her knuckles were clearly visible.

“B-12 area…” Li Sha’s voice was a little hoarse, dry with the pain of surviving a disaster, “not too far from us. Those white bone monsters… their range of activity is not limited to this level.”

“They are systematically eliminating the survivors.” Lin Ye’s voice was low, a mixture of suppressed anger and calm analysis. “Organized and purposeful. Like the group we encountered before, they are not wandering aimlessly.”

He raised his wrist, and the terminal screen lit up, displaying the approximate location of Sector B-12 marked by the sentry and their current position. A dotted line representing a "relatively safe" path meandered around several structurally unstable and unknown threat areas, leading to their initial target—the spare compartment that was considered safe.

“We need to hurry.” Lin Ye forced himself to stand up straight, ignoring the soreness in his muscles and the exhaustion in his mind. “That distress signal indicates two things: first, there may be other survivors; second, the speed at which these ‘Bone Walkers’ are spreading and their aggressiveness is more terrifying than we thought. The backup cabin that we previously thought was safe may not be safe now.”

Li Sha also struggled to her feet. Although her body was still trembling slightly, her eyes had refocused: "Understood. We must find a place that we can hold and that we can resupply from before they form an encirclement."

Without further ado, the two began moving again along the route indicated by the sentry. This time, their pace was faster, and their vigilance was at its peak. The already eerie atmosphere of the corridor seemed to be shrouded in even deeper shadows because of the distress signal. Behind every tightly closed hatch, it seemed as if eerie green eyes were lurking; every faint whirring sound coming from the ventilation ducts was like the stealthy footsteps of a monster.

They passed through an abandoned supply depot. It had once been piled high with crates and containers, but now most were overturned, their contents scattered everywhere, covered in a thick layer of dust and a congealed, dark-colored, unidentified liquid. Several striking claw marks on the wall were frighteningly deep and sharply edged, unlike anything left by human tools, and quite different from the destruction methods of the flesh-and-blood mutants they had encountered before.

"Look here." Lin Ye crouched down and used the muzzle of his rifle to brush away a pool of dried slime, revealing several scratches on the floor below, mixed with fine bone powder. "These were left by those things. They were here, and stayed for a while."

Lisa cautiously looked around, trying to extend her psychic senses like tentacles, but immediately withdrew due to weakness and mental pain. "The traces are quite old, at least... from several hours ago. There are no signs of them being active here now."

“But their range of activity is expanding.” Lin Ye stood up, his brows furrowed. “From the unknown areas on the lower decks, to the storage room we just encountered, to the B-7 area here, and the B-12 that sent the distress signal… it’s like they’re systematically cleaning every deck.”

The sentry's voice rang out at the opportune moment, adding further analysis: "Based on the recorded energy characteristics and behavior patterns, the 'Bonewalker' group exhibits a high degree of environmental adaptability and a tendency to clear out areas. Their diffusion pattern aligns with some pre-set instructions or survival instinct, prioritizing the elimination of targets with significant life responses and weak defenses. Recommendation: Avoid direct confrontation and prioritize finding areas with independent energy sources, robust physical barriers, and information shielding capabilities."

“Independent energy source and information shielding…” Lin Ye repeated the keywords, his mind rapidly searching his memory and terminal database for places that might match the criteria. “Besides the core control area, where else? The bridge? Or… some high-level research laboratories?”

"The database is partially corrupted and a complete list cannot be made. However, based on the existing structure diagram and access records, there is an independent module marked 'Observation Station Zero' at the boundary between areas B-7 and B-8. This module has an independent backup power source and an early-installed physical information shielding layer, designed for highly sensitive experimental observation. However, its specific status and internal conditions are unknown, and access permissions are extremely restricted."

“Zero Observation Station?” Li Sha asked doubtfully. “I’ve never heard of this place.”

“This ship is too big; there are many corners we don’t know about.” Lin Ye looked at the blurry structural diagram of “Observation Station Zero” pulled up by the Sentinel on the terminal and the conspicuous “Insufficient permissions” warning. “Now, any place that can provide shelter is worth trying. It’s better than being used as a target by those skeletons in an open corridor. Sentinel, replan the route, target 'Observation Station Zero,' prioritize routes with stable structures and good visibility.”

"Route replanning in progress... Warning: An abnormal energy reading has been detected 300 meters ahead at the main entrance of a Class C ventilation duct. The energy signature is highly similar to that of the 'Bone Walker,' but the signal strength is weak and it is in a silent state. Quantity: One. Status: Suspected of being lurking."

"Infiltrate?" Lin Ye and Li Sha exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

These monsters not only coordinate their attacks, but they also ambush.

"Can we go around it?" Lin Ye asked in a low voice.

"The alternative route requires crossing the severely damaged D-3 connecting bridge, increasing the risk by 47%. Alternatively, you could try to eliminate the lurking target, but be aware that the commotion may attract more enemies."

Clear it out? Lin Ye glanced at the rifle in his hand, which had almost no energy left, felt his nearly depleted stamina, and then looked at Li Sha's pale face. Forcing his way through was unwise, but taking a longer route was equally risky.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, finally settling on a nearby overturned container with scattered engineering parts and tools. He walked over, quickly rummaged through it, and picked up several fist-sized, heavy metal bearings, then found a small, almost empty can of industrial lubricant in the corner.

An adventurous plan took shape in his mind.

“Lisa,” he turned and asked, “can you do another precise, small-scale psionic shock? No need to kill, just create a momentary disturbance and noise.” As he spoke, he discreetly poured lubricant onto a patch of metal floor below the ventilation duct entrance, creating an inconspicuous oil stain.

Li Sha took a deep breath, felt the emptiness of spiritual energy within her body, and gritted her teeth: "Once... barely enough. But the effect might be very poor."

“One shot is enough.” Lin Ye held several metal bearings in his hand and pointed to a structural support point above the ventilation duct. “Wait for my signal, then hit that point. Sentry, keep a close watch on the surroundings. If any other living thing approaches, immediately sound the alarm.”

He crouched low, using the abandoned shipping container as cover, and silently moved to the other side of the ventilation duct entrance, forming an angle with the oil-stained area. Holding his breath, he slammed a metal bearing in his hand against the metal wall beside the duct entrance!

"clang!"

The crisp sound of the impact was particularly jarring in the quiet corridor.

Almost at the same moment the sound rang out, the mesh cover of the ventilation duct was smashed open from the inside by a tremendous force! A white shadow pounced out like lightning, heading straight for the direction from which the sound came! The pair of eerie green eyes left two afterimages in the darkness, filled with the ferocity of being disturbed.

It was that lurking Bonewalker!

Its entire attention was drawn to the impact, and its trajectory landed precisely where Lin Ye had predicted—on the metal floor covered in lubricant!

The moment its claws touched the oil, the Bonewalker was clearly unprepared for the slippery feel. The force of its high-speed pounce caused it to lose control of its lower body instantly. Its entire body tilted forward like an out-of-control race car, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud and a sharp screech that was distorted by the accident!

It's now!

"Li Sha!" Lin Ye roared.

Li Sha, who was already prepared, used her last bit of strength to push out a weak burst of spiritual energy towards the structural support point that Lin Ye had previously indicated!

"Buzz!"

A low tremor shook a loose metal panel above the support point, causing it to rattle and scatter a few specks of dust. The noise was minor, but in the instant the Bonewalker stumbled and was momentarily disoriented, this threat from "above" successfully triggered its instinctive alertness. It instinctively looked up, its eerie green eyes fixed on the ceiling.

This moment is a fatal gap where it has exhausted its old strength, failed to generate new strength, and its attention has been diverted!

Lin Ye made a move!

Instead of using a rifle, he leaped out from behind cover like a cheetah, concentrating all his strength in his right leg, delivering a swift and powerful side kick that precisely targeted the relatively vulnerable neck joint exposed by the Bonewalker as he fell!

"Crack!"

The sickening crack of bones rang out again. The Bone Walker was sent flying by this long-awaited kick, its neck twisted at an odd angle, crashing heavily against the wall in the distance before sliding down, twitching twice, and then remaining still. The eerie green light in its eyes quickly faded.

The entire ambush and counterattack took only three or four seconds. Precious energy was not wasted, and the operation was conducted quietly, relying on the utilization of the environment, the timing of the attack, and precise physical strikes.

Lin Ye, panting heavily, walked to the corpse of the Bone Walker and kicked it to confirm it was dead. Sweat beaded on his forehead; that kick had almost exhausted most of his remaining strength.

“Solved.” He turned around and said to Li Sha, whose expression had eased slightly. “It seems that although these things are hard, their joints and connections are still weak points, and… they don’t seem to be very bright. They can be easily dealt with by simple traps.”

Li Sha breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, supporting herself on the shipping container: "But they might learn very quickly. This trick might not work next time."

“So we need to hurry.” Lin Ye picked up the remaining metal bearing from the ground and stuffed it into his pocket. He glanced at the route that had become clear again on the terminal. “Let’s go to that ‘Zero Observation Station.’ Hopefully, we can catch our breath there… and find some clues.”

His heart was heavy; the engineer's dying words—"the abyss," "it has awakened"—haunted him like a ghost. Were these bone walkers the minions that crawled out of the "abyss"? And what exactly was this so-called "it"?

The unknown fear, like pervasive poison gas, enveloped the dying behemoth and weighed heavily on his heart. They had to find the answer, or else they would face utter annihilation. The path to "Observation Station Zero" seemed to be their only way out.

Chapter 573 Observation Station Zero

Following the route planned by the sentinels, Lin Ye and Li Sha swiftly navigated the maze-like corridors of the spaceship. They tried to avoid the wide main passageways, squeezing into narrow maintenance pipes and secondary passages. These places were usually cluttered with debris and had foul air, but they were well-hidden, and the risk of encountering "Bone Walkers" or other monsters seemed to be lower.

Along the way, the traces of battle became increasingly dense. The walls bore charred bullet holes left by energy weapons, disgusting remnants of exploding flesh and blood mutants, but more often, they were marked with deep scratches from sharp bone claws and the occasional pale white bone fragments scattered on the ground.

“Their territory is expanding,” Lin Ye said in a low voice, pointing with the muzzle of his gun at a shredded aberration, with several broken bone spikes stuck on it like victory flags. “Moreover, they are actively cleaning up these ‘echo’ creations.”

Looking at the horrific scene, Li Sha's face paled even more: "Is this good news for us? They're fighting like dogs."

“In the short term, we’ve lost some enemies.” Lin Ye shook his head, his tone heavy. “But once they’ve cleared out the mutants, their next target will definitely be us. There aren’t many survivors left on this ship.”

Li Sha pursed her lips and remained silent. It was a dead end; no matter which side won, it seemed that the survivors would all perish.

After navigating several more bends and passing through a maintenance corridor reeking of engine oil and rust, the sentry announced that the destination was almost within reach. At the end of the corridor, a door blocked the way.

This door was unlike any other. It was unusually heavy, cast entirely from a dark gray alloy, with a smooth surface, no observation windows, and no superfluous decorations; only a cold, unapproachable solidity. Above the door, a long-extinguished sign had faded lettering, barely legible: "Observation Station Zero" and "Unauthorized Entry Prohibited." The access control panel was completely black, and the complex instrument interfaces beside it were also devoid of light.

"This is it." Lin Ye stepped forward, placing his hand on the cold door panel, feeling a faint, almost imperceptible vibration. "Sentinel, can you handle it?"

"Attempting to connect... Independent backup power system detected, remaining energy 3%. Inability to support normal startup. Access control system physically locked; forced entry is beyond current capabilities."

"Three percent?" Li Sha's heart sank. "What can we do with that little bit of energy? Did we come all this way for nothing?"

"Not necessarily." Lin Ye didn't give up, his sharp gaze sweeping around the gate. "A facility of this level must have emergency measures. Look for a manual opening device."

He carefully examined the door frame and the adjacent wall, leaving no stone unturned. Finally, in the lower right corner of the door frame, a small, extremely well-hidden cover plate that almost perfectly blended into the wall caught his attention.

“There’s something.” He carefully pried open the cover with the tip of his dagger, revealing an old-fashioned T-valve and a red pressure switch. “Found it! Manually open! But you need a key.”

His gaze immediately locked onto an inconspicuous little metal box next to the access control panel. "Sentinel, scan that box."

"Scan complete. A physical key is found inside the box. The box lock is disabled and can be physically destroyed."

Lin Ye took a step back and kicked the metal box hard at the joint!

With a clang, the box popped open, revealing a T-shaped key with a metallic sheen lying quietly inside.

"Got it!" Li Sha breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ye picked up the key, inserted it into the valve, and said to Li Sha, "I'll turn it. You press the red switch. Listen to my commands and apply force at the same time; it might require a lot of strength."

Li Sha nodded, placed her hands on the pressure switch, took a deep breath, and mustered the little strength she had left.

"one two Three!"

Lin Ye let out a low shout, channeling all his strength into his arm, and suddenly turned the key! At the same time, Li Sha pressed the switch with all her might!

"Click...creak—"

A dull hum of machinery turning and hydraulic release came from inside the heavy door. The alloy door vibrated slightly, then slowly slid inward, opening a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways, before coming to a stop. From behind the door, a scent of years of dust and cold metal wafted out.

The door is open.

Lin Ye immediately raised his rifle, the beam of his tactical flashlight piercing the darkness ahead like a sharp sword. Li Sha followed closely beside him, her fingertips flashing, ready to respond to any attack.

The beam of light swept across a short, narrow alloy passage, which seemed to end in an open space. There was no movement, no sound, only deathly silence.

"Sentinel, scan inside."

"Scanning in progress... Air composition is safe. Temperature: 12 degrees Celsius. Humidity: Low. No life signs. No abnormal energy reactions. Structural stability: Excellent."

Upon hearing the report, the two men relaxed slightly. At least it was safe inside for the time being.

Lin Ye squeezed through the crack in the door first, followed closely by Li Sha. Once inside the passage, they discovered a manual closing mechanism on the inside. Lin Ye operated it again, slowly closing the heavy door. As the door closed completely, shutting out the world filled with the threatening alarms, an indescribable, fleeting sense of peace enveloped them.

They finally found a place where they could catch their breath for a while.

Stepping out of the passage, you're greeted by a circular control room. It's not large, perhaps forty or fifty square meters. The walls are covered with black-screen monitors of varying sizes, each with a corresponding control panel below, all covered in dust. In the center of the room is a huge, semi-circular console, with a few physical buttons and joysticks standing alone.

The most striking feature was a massive observation window directly opposite the circular room. Outside the window, instead of the expected starry sky or spaceship structure, there was only a deep, all-encompassing darkness. A flashlight beam shone on it, illuminating only a very small area in front of the window; nothing could be seen.

"What's outside?" Li Sha walked to the window and wiped the dust off the glass. Outside, it was still endless darkness.

Lin Ye walked over and shone his flashlight, but the beam of light disappeared without a trace. "Sentry, retrieve the structural diagrams and functional specifications for this place."

The terminal flickered, and the sentry's voice was filled with static: "Some entries in the database are corrupted. Residual information retrieved: Observation Station Zero, located at the lower end of the core axis of the spacecraft's keel, depth marker 'critical point'. Function: Long-term monitoring of the stability of the 'Abyss' interface. The observation window is made of a multi-layered composite reinforced boson confinement barrier to isolate... unknown radiation and information disturbance fields."

"The Abyss Interface?" Lin Ye and Li Sha exclaimed almost simultaneously, their hearts clenching.

The "abyss" that the engineer screamed before he died! Is this the place?

Lin Ye quickly returned to the central control panel and tried pressing several physical switches. There was no response. The three percent reserve energy seemed only enough to maintain the most basic manual access control mechanisms and the internal environment.

"Sentinel, connect our terminal to the console and see if we can read any residual data! Fragments will do!" Lin Ye brought the wrist terminal close to an interface on the console.

"Attempting a low-power connection... Connection successful. Local storage fragmentation detected... Parsing... Parsing complete. Three encrypted log texts read, timestamps from 72 to 8 hours before the system crash."

"Play!" Lin Ye said without hesitation.

After a slight electrical noise, the voice of a weary and confused male researcher came through the terminal speaker, exceptionally clear in the long-standing silence: