Chapter 16: The awakening of the hunter.

Time slowed to a crawl as the alien's claws ripped through Kampa's chest. The Russian's eyes widened, a choked gasp escaping his lips as blood sprayed across the bridge's metal floor. The Desert Eagle slipped from his fingers, clattering uselessly beside him.

"No!" Len screamed, her voice cracking with horror.

The alien withdrew its blood-stained claws, preparing for the killing blow. But Kampa, even with his life flowing out of him, managed a weak smile. His hand moved to his chest pocket, revealing a grenade.

"For killing me," he wheezed, his finger hooked through the pin.

The alien lunged forward, but Kampa had already released the pin. The explosion rocked the bridge, sending shrapnel and alien blood flying in all directions. When the smoke cleared, the alien staggered backward, its armour cracked but still intact. Kampa lay motionless, his sacrifice buying them only moments.

The creature turned its attention to Len, who had been thrown against the computer console by the blast. As it stalked toward her, something deep within Zheng snapped. The pressure that had been building in his genes finally reached its breaking point.

*I won't let anyone else die!*

A surge of raw power coursed through Zheng's body, his muscles burning as if filled with molten metal. The genetic constraints that had held him back shattered, releasing a flood of evolutionary potential. His perception sharpened, time seeming to slow as his neural pathways rewired themselves.

The alien's tail whipped toward Len, but Zheng was already moving. His hand found one of the steel bars on the floor, and instinctively, he channelled his qi through it, feeling an exhilarating mastery over the energy. The metal hummed with power as he hurled it like a spear.

The bar pierced the alien's damaged armour, driving deep into its shoulder. The creature shrieked, black blood hissing where it splattered against the floor. But Zheng wasn't done. His body moved with newfound grace, snatching up another steel bar.

"Len, the balls!" he shouted, gesturing to the container of steel-bearing balls.

Understanding flashed in her eyes. She kicked the container, sending the heavy steel balls rolling across the floor. The alien's tail lashed out at Zheng, but he was ready. He drove the second bar through its leg, pinning it momentarily.

The creature opened its mouth, its secondary jaw shooting out like a bullet. Zheng grabbed one of the steel balls, his enhanced muscles, and qi infused it with devastating force. The ball flew true, straight into the alien's open maw.

A sickening crunch echoed through the bridge as the ball tore through the creature's inner jaw. Acid blood sprayed in an arc, some of it splattering across Zheng's arm. He grimaced as the acid burnt through his sleeve, but the pain barely registered through his evolutionary high.

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"Zheng!" Jack's voice rang out as his group burst onto the bridge, weapons raised. They opened fire immediately, their combined firepower finally bringing the wounded creature down. With a final, ear-splitting shriek, the alien collapsed.

"Kampa," Len gasped, rushing to the fallen Russian's side. "He's still breathing!"

They gathered around Kampa, but one look at his wounds told them everything. The Russian's eyes fluttered open, meeting Zheng's gaze.

"Did we... win?" he asked, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes," Zheng said softly. "You helped us kill it."

Kampa nodded slightly, a faint smile crossing his lips. Then his eyes glazed over, and his last breath escaped in a quiet sigh.

"Quick, the medical supplies," Jack ordered, pulling out the advanced spray and bandages from their God Space equipment. But it was too late. Kampa was gone.

The adrenaline fading, Zheng suddenly staggered. The full impact of his genetic awakening hit him like sledgehammer. His muscles spasmed, and he collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his nose.

"Zheng!" Len caught him before he hit the floor. His heart was racing dangerously fast, his body struggling to cope with the evolutionary changes.

"He's crashing," Chu Xuan warned. "The gene lock break was too sudden."

Len immediately began CPR, her own training kicking in. "Come on, Zheng. Don't you dare die on us!"

After what felt like an eternity, Zheng gasped, his eyes flying open. His body shook with tremors, but he was alive.

"We need to move," Jack said, scanning the corridor. "There could be more of them. There's a safe room three sections over. Zero, help me with Zheng."

As they helped Zheng to his feet, Jack told Zheng to bring out the blood pouch; it's time to use it.

Chu Xuan said, ,Blood pouch!

Jack said that Zheng exchanged for vampire bloodline from the light sphere. He is a half vampire. So drinking blood would help him.

Zheng didn't argue, brought out the blood pouch with trembling hands, then started drinking the blood pouch. As they made their way to the safe room, he could feel his cells slowly stabilising, the vampire blood working its magic. But the victory had come at a terrible cost. Kampa's sacrifice and his own evolution were just the beginning. How many more would fall before their journey through God Space was complete?

The safe room's heavy door sealed behind them with a reassuring hiss. Zero and Jack helped Zheng onto one of the metal benches while Chu Xuan immediately went to work on the control panel, his fingers moving with practiced efficiency across the security interface.

"Accessing security feeds now," Chu Xuan reported, his glasses reflecting the flickering screens. "The corridors in sections B through D are clear, but I'm getting interference in the lower levels."

Zheng continued drinking from the blood pouch, each swallow visibly strengthening him. The vampire blood worked through his system, healing the damage from his explosive evolution.

"We've confirmed two kills," Jack said, moving to stand beside Chu Xuan at the monitors. "Based on what we found near the colonial marines' bodies and the attack patterns..."

"Seven," Zero cut in, his voice grim. "We counted seven distinct killing patterns when we examined the marine corpses back in Sector 4. One alien doesn't hunt like this."

"Six or seven adults," Len agreed, checking her remaining ammunition. "Which means we still have at least four more to deal with."

"The question is how," Jack said, his mind racing through their recent encounters. "The first one we killed with my Sharingan predicting its movements, combined with coordinated fire from multiple angles..."

"And the second," Zheng stood up, his strength almost fully restored now, "fell to a combination of close combat and overwhelming force. The steel ball through its inner jaw was key; "iit's one of their few vulnerable points when their armour is intact."

Chu Xuan's fingers paused over the keyboard. "Both kills required either special abilities or perfect coordination. My calculations suggest our survival rate drops by 43% for each hour we delay. Once those eggs start hatching..."

"We need a plan that can work consistently," Jack said, studying the security feeds. "The Sharingan can predict their movements, and Zheng's enhanced strength with his vampire abilities could...""

Suddenly, Chu Xuan's hand shot up, silencing them. He leaned closer to one of the monitors, adjusting the image enhancement. "Movement in Corridor E-7..."

The group crowded around the screen, watching as a dark shape slithered into view. The alien moved with predatory grace, its elongated head turning directly toward the camera. As they watched, a second alien emerged behind it.

"They're heading straight for us," Len whispered.

The first alien's jaws parted in a silent hiss, acidic blood

dripping onto the corridor floor.

And then the screen went dark.

[End of Chapter 16]