Chapter 39: Engine Room_1

In the pitch-dark corridor, Cao Ge and his four teammates followed Nadir toward the power core.

They split into two teams, Cao Ge's side with five people, and Eric's side with three.

In this public area, the spaceship had completely changed, with sticky, unidentified substances growing on the walls, and the lights on the ceiling flickering on and off.

The air inside the ship was permeated with a mix of oil and blood, not pleasant but tolerable.

After all, in this situation, having enough oxygen to breathe was already a stroke of immense luck; they had no right to complain about the air quality.

The ship had been adrift in space for over nine hundred years, mostly with the main engine shut down, and it was fortunate that the oxygen circulation system hadn't malfunctioned.

Besides providing thrust, the ship's main engine also supplied power.

That was why the ship was currently without power.

Due to relying on the slight amount of solar energy available in space, only essential equipment could be prioritized.

Their location in the universe was remote, with the stars too far away, so the solar panels received very little energy, and maintaining the hibernation pods and oxygen circulation system was already the most efficient use of resources.

Soon, Cao Ge and the others, led by Nadir, arrived at a crossroads.

It was a four-way intersection with exits in every direction, including above their heads.

"Which way should we go?" Cao Ge asked as he held his gun and looked around.

The others also began to back up and aim their guns at the various exits.

"Let me think," said Nadir.

Hearing this, Cao Ge was taken aback, then frowned at Nadir, "Didn't you say you knew the route to the power core?"

"I only stumbled there once before, it's been a long time, give me a moment to think," Nadir said calmly.

A trace of irritation crossed Cao Ge's face—if he had known this, why had he brought her along?

"Mir, pull up the route map."

"Yes."

Mir immediately put down his gun and took a tablet computer out of his bag.

While Nadir was still trying to recollect, Mir had already found the answer.

"Minister, according to the computer's route, all three of these can be taken, but the closest one is this," Mir pointed out a navigable route on the computer.

Cao Ge took the computer, swiped through the screen, then said, "Alright, we'll take the closest one."

He handed the computer back to Mir after speaking.

"Alright, no more thinking, we'll already be there by the time you remember," Cao Ge said, then moved forward with his gun raised, leaving Nadir standing there, dazed.

The path they chose was surprisingly smooth, with no dangers encountered.

"Stop." Just as they were about to pass another intersection, Cao Ge stopped and gestured to the others behind him.

Cao Ge turned back, made a few expressions at them, and then cautiously advanced with his gun ready.

He stayed close to the wall, slowly moving forward, and when he peeked out, he saw a person with a strange appearance.

That person was holding a steel rod with a sharp iron piece tied to the front.

The creature was hunched over, dressed in a few pieces of black leather, had a ghostly face, with highly degenerated eyes, dense and sharp teeth, and some spiky stone-like protrusions growing from its back, bizarrely tight.

Cao Ge retracted his head and looked back at Guy, "I'm going to test the gun, see if it works on them. Get ready, and if it doesn't work, run back immediately."

"Clear?" Cao Ge asked the silent crowd.

"Mhm," the group nodded.

Cao Ge returned to his position, slowly raised the gun, aimed it at the creature, and finally pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet pierced through the monster's head, spattering a red, viscous mixture on the wall.

"Bang!"

The creature unsurprisingly fell to the ground immediately.

Because it was a special firearm, the sound was very low.

"Let's go."

Cao Ge led everyone over to the monster, nudged it with his foot, and there was no response—it was dead as could be.

Seeing this outcome, Cao Ge's tense heart felt somewhat eased. At first, he had been worried that they might not be able to kill these creatures, as the image of the monsters from the original drama had left a deep impression on him—their speed, their strength, and their beast-like physiques.

Now he saw that they were made of flesh and blood just the same; although they could run a bit faster and were a bit stronger, it did not hinder their ability to be shot dead.

In the animal kingdom, there are countless creatures that can run fast. Cheetahs run swiftly, but once targeted, they too only require a single bullet.

"So these are the monsters? I can't see anything impressive about them," asked a soldier curiously.

Nadir was also stunned. She had lived on the spaceship for several months and had encountered them a few times. Each encounter ended with nothing but running as the only option. Compared to human physical abilities, they were simply too strong; going head-to-head would not end well.

In the original drama, that Thai guy fought so fiercely, and it still took him a great deal of effort to kill just one.

The balance of power shifted in an instant, and Nadir couldn't process the change.

But after considering the guns they were holding, she was able to accept the situation. Using guns to deal with these monsters was indeed like having an overwhelming advantage.

"Don't be complacent, everyone stay sharp," Cao Ge commanded, "as Nadir said, they move very fast. Don't let them catch you off guard…"

"Yes."

With Cao Ge's reminder, they all immediately became serious once again.

"They typically move around together. We've found one, which means there probably are more of its kind nearby," Nadir reminded them.

"Nadir's right, everyone be careful," responded another voice in agreement.

After that, they continued leading the way towards the designated route.

"Minister, this is the place. Open this hatch, and right behind it is the engine room."

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor and saw a large door.

"Open it."

"Creak~~"

The rusty iron door made a creaking noise as it opened.

"Everyone be careful, this might be the lair of those monsters," Cao Ge, who knew the plot, specifically warned.

"Yes."

They entered the engine room and started looking around.

The engine room was a cylindrical space with a massive engine column in the middle, stretching a hundred meters.

"Minister, come quickly."

"What is it?"

Guy pointed down below, and they saw at the very bottom, ten plus meters down, a mass of monsters huddled together. A rough estimate suggested there were hundreds.

"Minister, what should we do?"

"Kill them, or…?"

"There are too many monsters, we can't kill them all in a short time. Let's restart the engine first, we'll deal with the monsters later," Cao Ge thought for a moment before deciding.

"Has the engine repair team been arranged?" Cao Ge asked.

"It's been arranged; they are trying to get there now," Guy pointed to a platform about seven or eight meters away, next to the engine column.