Chapter 24 (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Whack!

Zhang Heng smirked coldly. His staggering reaction speed of 0.032 seconds would enable him to catch even flying darts, and such a stinger was hardly a problem. He grabbed hold of the necromorph’s tail and twisted hard, snapping the monster’s spine and causing it to wail.

This wasn’t a game after all. There were only three ways one could attack the monsters in-game—shooting, stomping, and punching. However, in real life, Zhang Heng had countless ways to kill the necromorphs. With the exoskeleton-like suit of armor augmenting his strength, he was rendered four to five times stronger than normal, as well.

A huge pile of yellow fluid dropped onto the suit’s glove. The monster wailed and died shortly after having its tail snapped. Zhang Heng turned up his nose at the good on his hand and rubbed it onto the wall as best he could, before quickly leaving the room that no longer had light in it.

Zhang Heng only sighed after going back into the corridor. He wondered if he was seeing things, as the environment felt a lot more stifling than it had been in the Resident Evil plane. Worse still, he kept feeling as if he was being watched constantly.

Zhang Heng was left rather speechless. He noted that he was in the Dead Space plane instead of a plane that resembled Ju-on. As such, he was puzzled as to why the feeling of fear was so real and noticeable. He turned his head around and, to his surprise, saw that the lights in the command room had lit up again right after he walked out of the room…

Holy sh**!

He cursed deep down and didn’t bother going back into the room, running as fast he could in the other direction instead. He wanted to find the data that he needed as quickly as possible and leave that eerie place behind completely.

He ran and came across a junction. He peered warily at the other path, seeing only a vague shadow flickering in the darkness. He didn’t bother finding out more, as the figure would have either been a human or a necromorph, and the possibility of it being the latter was somewhat higher.

But that shadowy figure seemed to have no intention of letting Zhang Heng go. He soon heard loud scratching sounds from above, while he was still running.

What is it this time?

Zhang Heng halted and stood perfectly still. He checked the map of the military base. The base was located more than 900 meters below ground and the entire base was ring-shaped, with a huge space at the center that was completely sealed off, designed with the express purpose of simulating a battlefield in space where things felt weightless.

At the moment, he found himself on the topmost floor of the base and wondered how something could be something running above him. It shouldn’t have been possible.

Zhang Heng narrowed his eyes and glared at the ceiling suspiciously. He was shocked when he saw the metallic pipes above his head. “Those are ventilation ducts?” Was that where the noise was coming from?

He heard the noise of metal being torn at that very moment. His vision flickered and he saw an elongated creature that looked like an octopus’s tentacle, only it was about half a meter in diameter, punching and slithering through the ducts, heading straight for him.

That thing’s fast!

He jumped forward out of reflex and evaded the incoming tentacle, but the metal flooring behind him burst open and revealed the space below.

Hell, this thing’s strong!

Zhang Heng gasped and ran away. He wasn’t even close to being prepared to take on something powerful enough to tear through concrete and metal just like that.

Something that could move at breakneck speeds and possessed enough strength to tear through steel plates! Damn, was there actually something that powerful in Dead Space? He wondered as he ran. However, before he was able to lose that tentacle behind him, he heard loud screeching noises again, this time coming from the duct in front of him.

Another one?