Chapter 425
Going over the visuals from his mechanical spiders again and again, Van paused.
The other spiders had reported several Aberrants patrolling the mothership.
They moved between the various sections, checking on the creatures responsible for the ship’s vital systems.
Almost like guards protecting a military facility.
The mothership’s enormous size made it easy for the towering creatures to move around inside.
It was honestly incredible that the Aberrants had managed to construct something this massive.
And this wasn’t even their only mothership.
Every area currently under attack had one hovering above it.
Which meant these bastards had more than enough of them wherever they came from.
...
But that wasn’t Van’s concern.
His attention remained fixed on the Control Chamber.
Something about it bothered him.
Despite the patrol guards moving around the ship, none of them had gone anywhere near the chamber.
It was almost as if they were deliberately avoiding it.
Even his spiders couldn’t get inside.
The door was sealed so tightly that Van doubted even air could slip through the cracks.
He needed to think.
Fast.
The Control Chamber was extremely important.
Not only would it contain visual feeds from both the mothership and the battlefield below, but it would also house the systems responsible for controlling the vessel’s primary functions.
If he could access it...
He might be able to bring the entire mothership crashing down with a single command.
That would save him minutes.
Maybe even hours.
Instead of spending all that time navigating this gigantic vessel and shutting down every system individually, he could potentially end everything from one place.
But...
How was he supposed to get inside?
All his life, Van had been the cautious and intelligent type.
Ray was the hot-headed one.
Ray could charge into a dangerous situation and figure things out along the way.
Van couldn’t.
He needed to understand what he was dealing with before taking a single step.
How many guards were inside the Control Chamber?
By now, shouldn’t they have noticed that someone had infiltrated their ship?
Why hadn’t any alarms gone off?
Why had nobody come searching for him?
Something was wrong.
And the uncertainty made Van’s stomach churn.
’Could there be a dozen guards inside?’
’What am I supposed to do?’
’How do I get inside without alerting them?’
’And even if I do get inside... how am I supposed to take them all down?’
He needed an answer.
Quickly.
Because the patrol guards’ next destination...
Was the very room he was standing in.
Van clenched his teeth in frustration.
His eyes wandered across the room.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"The others are out there risking their lives..."
"They’re fighting with everything they’ve got."
"They’re charging into battle without caring whether they live or die."
He paused.
His expression slowly hardened.
A firm determination replacing the uncertainty in his eyes.
’...Why should I be the one afraid of risking my life?’
’Yeah, if I die, Ray is going to kill me.’
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
’But if this helps the others survive...’
’It’s worth it.’
Van inhaled deeply.
A sharper breath than any he had taken since entering the mothership.
He had made his decision.
No more hesitation.
No more hiding.
Van double-tapped the glowing arc embedded in his chest.
Immediately, his mech suit began to move.
Metallic components separated from his body.
Then more.
And more.
Until the entire suit began crumbling apart.
Not into pieces...
But into hundreds.
Then thousands...
Of tiny mechanical spiders.
Van watched silently as they scurried across his body before disappearing into the glowing blue circular device embedded in his chest.
His suit was gone.
Every piece of it.
He had willingly given up his greatest protection.
Now...
He was relying entirely on his speed, his ability, and his wits.
Van kicked off from the ground.
He silently crossed the room and pressed his back tightly against the wall beside the door.
Then he waited.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing.
Van held his breath.
Then—
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Heavy footsteps approached from the other side.
His heartbeat accelerated.
He remained completely still.
Waiting.
And waiting.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Until finally—
Click.
The door unlocked.
SHHHHK!
It slid open.
Two Aberrants stepped into the room.
Van moved instantly.
His VMS boots activated with barely a sound.
WHOOSH!
His body shot past the two creatures before either could react.
"...."
One Aberrant froze.
Its eyes shifted toward the corpse lying on the floor.
"What?! How is he dead?!"
The second Aberrant’s expression changed.
Without wasting another second, it rushed toward the side of the wall.
Its claw slammed against a large red button.
CLICK!
An alarm system immediately came to life.
"...."
Alarms immediately blared throughout the entire mothership.
This alarm had only one purpose.
An intruder had infiltrated the mothership.
And that was an extremely rare occurrence.
Throughout all the years humanity had fought against the Aberrants, not a single human had ever thought of infiltrating one of their gigantic motherships.
Not that they had the means to.
Even if someone wanted to attempt it, they would most likely be shot down by the powerful cannons before they could get anywhere near the vessel.
But now...
The alarm had been triggered.
Every single Aberrant aboard the mothership was alerted to the presence of an intruder.
But Van didn’t care.
Through the feedback from his spiders, he already knew where to avoid.
Which corridors were dangerous.
Which rooms were occupied.
Which paths he could take without getting his head ripped off.
With the help of his VMS boots, he moved faster than he ever had before.
’In a world of giants... being a puny ant does have its perks.’
Van slid beneath the feet of a passing Aberrant.
The creature didn’t even notice him.
He kept moving.
Unfortunately, the Control Chamber was located near the far end of the mothership.
That meant Van had to cross several rooms, hallways, and corridors before reaching it.
He was like a cockroach crawling through a human house.
Everything was enormous.
The corridors were massive.
The doors were gigantic.
Even the smallest rooms could accommodate creatures several times his size.
If not for the reconnaissance provided by his mechanical spiders, Van would have either gotten lost or been killed several times already.
Any door that attempted to stop him stood little chance against his ability.
Van slipped through every obstacle in his path.
All the while, one thought remained at the back of his mind.
’I just need them to survive.’
He prayed that his friends wouldn’t die before he completed his mission.
If he could shut down the mothership...
It would crash.
And every Aberrant still aboard would come crashing down with it.
They would be destroyed in the impact.
The fighters below wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.
He could do this.
He had to.
...
He kept repeating those words to himself.
Soon—
Van slid to a halt.
His boots scraped against the metallic floor.
He had finally reached the Control Chamber.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to catch his breath.
Van glanced down.
One of his mechanical spiders stood beside his foot.
It immediately climbed up his leg before reaching his arm.
Van tapped his chest twice.
More spiders flooded out.
They crawled across his hands and began shifting shape.
Metallic components twisted together.
WHIRRR!
Two energy blades formed around his forearms.
Van inhaled deeply.
Then placed one palm against the scanner.
His eyes flashed blue.
The alien system flickered beneath his touch.
"...."
A moment later—
SHHHHK!
The enormous door began sliding open.
Van’s eyes narrowed.
Beyond the entrance was a dimly lit chamber.
Hundreds of screens floated through the air.
Holographic displays surrounded a single figure seated in a large chair at the center of the room.
The figure slowly turned toward the entrance.
"Hm."
A feminine voice echoed through the chamber.
"Took you long enough to come in."
Van’s expression hardened.
An Aberrant.
But unlike the towering creatures he’d encountered throughout the mothership...
This one sounded strangely feminine.
And more importantly...
She was much smaller.
Far smaller.
She didn’t even come close to the usual nine-metre height of the Aberrants.
"Come in."
The creature smiled.
"I’ve been waiting for you."
She paused.
"I hope you’re—"
Her finger pressed against a control on the armrest.
CLICK!
The floor beneath Van suddenly shifted.
His eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
BOOM!
The ground launched him forward.
Van was violently propelled into the chamber.
The door slammed shut behind him.
He twisted his body in mid-air and landed in a defensive stance.
His energy blades immediately raised.
But then—
He froze.
The Aberrant slowly rotated her chair.
She stood.
Van’s eyes moved toward her back.
He began counting.
’One...’
His breathing stopped.
’Two...’
His pupils contracted.
’Three...’
His fingers tightened.
’Four...’
His heart pounded.
’Fi... fi...’
’Five Spines?!’
The creature slowly turned toward him.
A small grin rested on her face.
"...strong enough."
She completed her earlier sentence.
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