Chapter 3: Survive (1/2)
Chapter 3: Survive
Translator: OneshotwonderEditor: Tehrn
Wang Tong packed his belongings into a space crystal - the flagship domestic product of the FFC Corporation, almost everyone on earth owned one. Wang Tong received it as a gift from Old Fart. He often wondered why Old Fart didn’t exchange this space crystal for moonshine like he did to his ”Mind Opening Operation” ticket.
The sirens had become more ear-piercingly loud, an indication that the Zergs had breached the final line of defense. They could arrive at any moment now.
Wang Tong and Charcoal ran towards the entrance of the mine cave. To Wang Tong's surprise, the sluggish robot seemed to burst suddenly with energy; it ran even faster than Wang Tong to save his life.
Wang Tong lengthened his stride when he was almost at the mine’s entrance. Inside, a grisly gravity of 5g awaited him. He gritted his teeth to muster all of his courage before he finally dashed into the mine.
As soon as he entered, he felt the gravity's blow immediately. Pressure started to build up inside of his body and deflated his lungs. Wang Tong found it hard to breathe; however, Wang Tong was determined to escape the death clutch of the Zergs. He should be able to withstand the gravity for a short while, after all, he was a fairly robust and healthy teenager, or at least that's what he thought.
This mine was built for robots to work in, not for humans to stay in, so the further one went inward, the more unbearable its environment became. Despite the dangerous path, Wang Tong had to go deeper into the mine to avoid the attention of the Zergs because they were able to detect the slightest light or heat signals.
A few more moments had passed, the internal pressure inside of Wang Tong’s body had been forcing the blood to flow into his brain which caused his vision to become blurry. Charcoal stood right beside him helplessly, as he couldn’t help his master since he was not a medic-bot. Wang Tong grimaced in pain as he peered at the fumbling Charcoal, he said: ”Go out there and live a full life! It will be your final order!”
Blood had started to seep out of Wang Tong's nose and ears, but at least it seemed like Wang Tong wouldn’t die from a bug's claw after all.
Wang Tong's consciousness started to blur, and he thought perhaps that this would be his last moment. In his blurred consciousness, he saw Old Fart, his only family who had told him that he would have to look after him when Wang Tong had grown up, but now it seemed like Wang Tong would die before him.
”Old-timer, don't drink too much ever again,” Wang Tong mumbled.
Wang Tong's consciousness became blurrier with every passing second; soon he felt as if there was nothing left in him to hold on to. He decided to give up control of his body, but immediately after letting go, his body switched instinctively into a crisis mode on its own. It initiated the internal force exercise that had, by then, become Wang Tong's muscle memory thanks to his strenuous daily practices.
In the dark, motionless cave, a faint light started to glow from Wang Tong's forehead.
”Drip, drip, drip...”
Wang Tong heard the sound of water falling into a puddle, his body was in great pain, but he felt relieved at the sensation because the pain was proof that he was still alive.
Wang Tong forced himself back into reality. He opened his eyes and saw Charcoal in the faint light coming from his own forehead.
”Master, you are finally awake!”
”Charcoal...Am I still alive?”
”Master, by the definition of human death, yes, you are still alive. ” Charcoal clearly lacked a sense of humor.
Wang Tong smiled back and asked, ”Hehe, what had happened to me?”
”You passed out due to the excessive internal pressure built up under the planetary gravity, but thanks to your body's incredible ability to...recover, you have now adapted to the gravity, you have created a ...”
Charcoal took a moment to search his physical memory for a word that could most humanly describe the situation: “a miracle!”
Even though Wang Tong's body still ached, his difficulty to breath was gone, and he no longer felt the built-up pressure inside of him. Perhaps the pressure had been significantly reduced or perhaps it was just like what Charcoal had said - he had adapted to the environment. He asked himself, “But how? To adjust to the gravity so quickly required the mobilization of vast amounts of inner energy which is impossible without using EMF! Could it be...?”
The reality shocked Wang Tong - he realized that he had connected his consciousness to the EMF unknowingly while his life was in this unprecedented peril.