A silver meteor streaked across the dark purple carpet of flesh, Evelyn's body crashing into that ocean of writhing biomass. The impact didn't raise water splashes but instead flung foul-smelling, viscous tissues and energy ripples into the air.
Upon contact, a strong, homologous yet hostile consciousness surged toward her like a tide, attempting to engulf and assimilate her. This wasn't just physical entanglement—it was an erosion on both the informational and energetic levels. Countless tiny biological tendrils, like animated steel needles, stabbed at her surface, trying to burrow into her energy core and neural interfaces. Simultaneously, a powerful psychic whisper resonated in her mind, tempting her to surrender and merge into this warm, dark "matrix."
"Merge… Unite… Become… Part of the great whole…"
Evelyn's Omega core vibrated violently, its fused biomass resonating deeply with the external flesh carpet. A sense of "belonging" that almost dissolved her sense of self arose within her. She could even feel her body yearning to fuse with this cradle, sharing its energy, becoming part of it.
"No!" Evelyn's will, forged through countless cycles of destruction and rebirth, blazed like a cold star in the darkness, suddenly erupting with fierce resistance. The "rule fragments" left by the original Evelyn activated, constructing a sturdy defensive barrier around her consciousness core, isolating the seductive psychic whispers.
At the same time, she began to counterattack!
She no longer tried to destroy the endless flesh carpet purely with energy. Instead, she utilized new abilities gained from the biomass fusion. She adjusted her energy frequency to closely match that of the flesh carpet while maintaining subtle deviations, then released it explosively!
This wasn't a destructive attack but rather… "informational interference." It was akin to injecting erroneous commands into a vast, chaotic biological computer.
Zzzz—!
The surrounding flesh carpet immediately spasmed violently, reacting as if rejecting a foreign body! Countless tendrils convulsed wildly, snapping apart; the previously writhing surface hardened and cracked like cheap plastic! Chaotic energy flows within the flesh carpet triggered localized chain reactions, spewing out more putrid liquids and tissue fragments.
Evelyn seized the opportunity to push forward. Her goal was to clear a safe path for Dr. Carter to reach the boarding ladder of the *Hermes*. At times, her hands transformed into high-frequency blades capable of cutting through anything, severing thick tendrils blocking her way. Other times, they condensed into energy drills, shattering hardened biomass barriers. Occasionally, she released interference pulses to temporarily paralyze the activity of the surrounding flesh carpet.
She moved like a virus, forcibly carving out an "isolation zone" within the massive biological cradle. Wherever she passed, the once-wriggling flesh carpet necrotized and collapsed, leaving behind a relatively safe, charred-black path leading to the silvery-white aerospace plane.
"Doctor! Now!" Evelyn roared through internal comms, turning to face the enraged biomass tide surging at her from all directions.
Dr. Carter didn't hesitate for a moment. Clutching his energy pistol tightly, he gritted his teeth and dashed out of the blast door, sprinting along the freshly cleared, scorched-black path toward the *Hermes'* boarding ladder. Beneath his feet, the ground still trembled slightly, and on either side, the flesh carpet writhed and churned like living creatures. Countless tiny tendrils attempted to cross the charred boundary to ensnare his legs. From above, the ceiling dripped corrosive liquid from hanging, stalactite-like formations of flesh.
Evelyn stood firm at the starting point of the path, like a stabilizing force amidst chaos. She abandoned large-scale clearing efforts, concentrating all her energy on defense. An indigo energy field unfurled around her, forming a spinning vortex that shredded and deflected incoming tendrils and energy blasts. Her new body exhibited astonishing resilience and regenerative capabilities—when attacks occasionally breached her defenses, the biomaterial beneath her liquid-metal skin squirmed rapidly to repair itself.
But she could feel her energy reserves draining rapidly. This biological cradle was connected to the residual energy fields of the entire base, possibly drawing power directly from some unknown dimension, rendering it nearly inexhaustible. Her Omega core, even after overclocking and fusion, had limited capacity.
What troubled her more was the growing sensation deep within the seemingly chaotic biomass—a stronger, more cohesive consciousness was awakening. Like a sleeping giant stirred awake, it radiated a terrifying anger and oppressive presence. The previously disorganized biomass attacks began to grow more coordinated and targeted.
The ground heaved violently as several colossal tentacles, armored with hardened shells and resembling battering rams, erupted upward, slamming into Evelyn's energy shield!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Her energy shield flickered wildly, forcing her back step by step, her core churning inside her.
"Doctor! Hurry!" she urged, crossing her arms to unleash a maximum-power energy blast, temporarily repelling the giant tentacles.
By now, Dr. Carter had reached the base of the boarding ladder. He glanced up at the silvery spacecraft half-entangled by twisted tendrils, determination flashing in his eyes. Stowing his pistol, he scrambled upward using both hands and feet. Parts of the ladder were coated with slippery, sticky biomass, but he climbed resolutely nonetheless.
Just as he neared the hatch, a thick tendril lurking beneath the ship's belly lashed out like a viper, coiling toward his body!
"Watch out!" Evelyn roared. Her right arm instantly morphed into an energy cannon, firing a searing beam that struck the tendril mid-length, severing it! But the severed piece continued its momentum, striking Dr. Carter's leg. The old man cried out in pain, nearly falling off the ladder, but managed to cling desperately to the railing.
Ignoring the searing agony in his leg, he scrambled up the last few rungs, shouldering the partially open hatch and tumbling into the cockpit of the *Hermes*.
Inside, the cockpit was better preserved than expected. Though covered in dust and many panels dim or unlit, the central console and seats appeared intact. However, creeping along corners and wiring junctions, dark purple biomass spread like mold, with several small tendrils already connected to the main control panel's energy ports!
Dr. Carter wasted no time catching his breath. He rushed to the control panel, trying to activate the ship's primary power supply and energy core. Rapidly operating familiar yet alien buttons and switches, he muttered under his breath: "Main power circuit… activate… backup battery array… switch… preheat sequence…"
But most system indicators remained unresponsive or blinked red errors. Biomass corruption had interfered far more severely than anticipated, disrupting key underlying circuits.
"Damn it! Power pathways are blocked!" The old man pounded the console in frustration.
"Interface… lower left… third cable… red wire…" Evelyn's voice crackled in his mind, laden with static interference. Outside, she fended off relentless waves of biomass while diverting processing power to analyze the ship's internal wiring structure via weak sensor connections.
Dr. Carter quickly located the specified cable, slicing through its insulation with a utility knife and forcibly connecting it to a nearby backup port.
Hum—
The cockpit lights flickered, and the main screen finally lit up, displaying a complex startup interface and system diagnostics. However, the diagnostic process soon reported a cascade of errors and warnings, mostly related to corrupted sensors and energy regulators.
"System… contaminated… unable… to complete… preheating…" Lucas' mental voice faintly echoed again, like a candle in the wind, pinpointing the issue and providing an extraordinarily complex manual ignition sequence code for the energy core!
This code clearly wasn't part of the *Hermes'* standard operating procedures. It seemed more like an emergency override protocol—or perhaps a backdoor left by Original Evelyn?
"Lucas?" Evelyn's thoughts jolted. He was still here! And he seemed… intimately familiar with this ship?
There was no time to ponder further. She immediately forwarded the code to Dr. Carter.
The old man hesitated briefly upon seeing the unprecedented ignition sequence on the screen, but ultimately clenched his teeth and began inputting it. This gamble risked permanent damage to the ship's core—or worse, triggering an explosion.
Meanwhile, outside the hangar, Evelyn's situation grew increasingly dire. The awakened, stronger consciousness hidden within the depths of the biomass appeared to have fully materialized.
The entire hangar's flesh carpet contracted violently toward the center, receding like a tide to reveal the cold metal floor beneath. In the middle of the hangar, all the biomass merged and reformed into a towering, grotesque monstrosity—over ten meters tall, composed of countless twisted limbs, eyes, and screaming mouths. Its appearance defied description, exuding chaos, madness, and profanity. Its "head" was a swirling storm of dark purple energy and organic tissue, with three fused spore-infused energy cores faintly glowing at its center. The psychic pressure it emitted felt tangible, threatening Evelyn's Omega core.
"Variable… must… eliminate…" The monster let out a roar composed of countless voices, a hellish chorus. A massive claw formed by intertwined arms descended with overwhelming force, smashing toward the diminutive Evelyn!
This strike rivaled the destructive power of the abyssal claw encountered back at Blackstone Base!
Evelyn's pupils contracted sharply as she poured every last ounce of remaining energy into her defensive barrier. At the same time, she prepared for the worst—if the barrier broke, she would detonate her Omega core without hesitation, destroying the monster and buying Dr. Carter precious final moments.
At the last possible second!
Woomph—!!!
A soul-piercing roar erupted from within the *Hermes*! The silvery hull shuddered violently as intricate energy patterns across its surface ignited brilliantly! A pure, immense wave of energy rippled outward, sweeping through the entire hangar in an instant!
The *Heart of Hermes*… had been ignited!