The tremor that followed the explosion was subtle—at first. A faint ripple beneath their boots, barely enough to make the bolts on the wall rattle. But in the silence that followed the blast, every man in the workshop felt it in their bones.
Wang Ming, still gripping the wrench in his hand, stood frozen. His breath caught in his throat, and for a brief moment, the only sound was the shrill echo of alarms and the blinking red glow bathing the room like the heartbeat of a dying beast.
His corpulent boss, Guo Lian, had also stopped yelling. The man's cigar dropped from his lips, landing in a puddle of oil with a soft hiss. All around them, engineers and maintenance workers looked at each other, uncertainty and dread flashing across tired faces.
"C-Could it be... Zergs attacking our base?" a trembling voice whispered from behind a supply crate.
Wang Ming's head snapped toward the speaker, but his mind had already surged ahead, grasping the implications.
Zergs...?!
That single word was enough to send a chill down his spine.
His mind reeled, dragging up half-remembered fragments of history and data logs he'd skimmed during orientation week.
When human civilization began expanding beyond their native solar system, they encountered many races—some primitive, others ancient and terrifying.
There were times humanity was the weaker species, crawling through the stars like newborns in a sea of predators.
But that changed... the moment they discovered the Paths of Transcendence.
Through the intertwining of forbidden sciences and ancient mystical practices—things once considered incompatible—humans began forging themselves into something more. Not merely physical enhancements or psychic talents, but true ascension beyond the mortal coil. And with this power, they stood tall, shoulder to shoulder with the most fearsome entities in the known universe: the Demonic Clans of Arterion, the Silver-Winged Angels of the Astra Dominion, and of course, the hive-minded nightmare that was the Zerg Swarm.
In the deep frontier zones of galactic space, humanity and the Zerg had been locked in endless battle for decades. Yet this world—Dustveil-9 wasn't even remotely close to the active frontlines. It was a quiet, barren logistics station assigned to maintenance and low-tier recruits. Nothing here was worth invading.
How the hell did they get this far inside human territory?!
No, Wang Ming thought, sweat breaking across his brow, this isn't the time to think about that!
A blood-curdling scream shattered his thoughts.
"AAAAHHHHH—!!"
Panic erupted like wildfire. The men who had been stunned just moments before now scrambled like rats on a sinking ship. Tools were abandoned, panels left half-open. Some workers ran for the hallways, others dove behind machines or crates. A few stood paralyzed, unable to process the chaos.
Wang Ming didn't hesitate. He turned and bolted for the nearest exit, boots slamming against the grated floor. Several others followed him, including Guo Lian, who despite his size managed to keep up through sheer terror.
Then... it came.
A sickening, wet crunch echoed through the corridor behind them.
"Heheheheh…"
That sound—an eerie, guttural rasp did not belong to anything human.
Wang Ming dared a glance behind him, just in time to see the thing emerge from the shadows.
It was massive—at least four meters long—with a sleek, obsidian-black exoskeleton that shimmered like oily glass under the emergency lights. Its limbs were spindly yet muscular, each ending in serrated claws dripping with some kind of corrosive slime. Its head was a grotesque fusion of mandibles and bone-plated armor, with a pair of lidless, red eyes that gleamed with hunger and intelligence.
Before anyone could scream, it lunged.
A worker beside Wang Ming was plucked into the air like a rag doll. His cries lasted only a second before the Zerg clamped its maw down and bit clean through his skull. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, the lifeless body discarded like trash against a metal wall.
"RUN!"
Someone screamed the command, and no one needed to be told twice.
Wang Ming pushed himself harder, lungs burning, fear overriding every sense. He could hear the creature behind them...its claws scraping against the steel floor, its breathing a low, predatory growl.
One by one, it caught up to the fleeing workers, ripping through them with terrifying efficiency. Blood splattered across the walls and floors. Some men cried out, some sobbed, some didn't even get the chance.
Wang Ming's mind raced. He spotted a narrow ventilation pipe ahead, just large enough to crawl through. Without a second thought, he dove toward it, wriggling inside like a desperate animal. He held his breath, crouched deep within the rusted tunnel, heart hammering in his chest.
From the slits in the piping, he could see the corridor and the horror painting it red.
A metallic clang rang out behind him.
Someone else was coming.
"Wang Ming! Help me! Please!"
The voice was familiar. Panicked. Hoarse.
It was Guo Lian, his boss, stumbling toward the pipe, his round face pale with fear and soaked in sweat. But just behind him, the monstrous Zerg skittered forward on razor legs, its head lowered like a predator preparing to strike.
Wang Ming froze. He could have reached out. He could have pulled the man in. For a moment, their eyes met..pleading and hollow.
But Wang Ming said nothing.
He turned his face away and pressed his back further into the pipe, biting down on his own knuckle to muffle his breath.
Then came the scream.
A visceral, agonizing wail, followed by the wet sound of flesh being torn and bones breaking like dry twigs.
The pipe vibrated with the impact.
Wang Ming shut his eyes. His body was trembling, soaked in sweat. In that moment, he felt a darkness rise within him. Not from fear—but from choice.
He had survived.
And in this world, perhaps that was all that mattered.