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Chapter 40: Mutual Destruction
At the edge of the central hole, Housen hurtled forward like a human cannonball, slamming directly into the statue’s knee joint. It was as if his impact had been the final straw—both the statue and Housen toppled over the edge, plunging into the abyss below.
“Housen!” Tang Fang roared in fury, his blood boiling as his mind buzzed with disbelief. The ruins stood over 200 meters tall, and the shaft-like hole designed for launching spacecraft stretched at least 300 meters deep. Could anyone survive such a fall?
Throughout their journey, even when faced with overwhelming odds from the Sulru Empire, Housen had never once retreated. He’d always stood steadfast by Tang Fang’s side. Though Tang Fang might not admit it openly, he was deeply moved by Housen’s unwavering loyalty. Despite Housen constantly talking about repaying his life debt, they had long since come to regard each other as friends—comrades who shared both triumphs and trials.
Housen may have been reckless, brash, and infuriating at times, but beneath that rough exterior lay a simple soul. If someone saved his life, he would repay them with his own. That was just how Housen operated—a stubborn man whose sense of honor bordered on madness.
Three marauders had been reduced to one; all marines were gone; every zergling lay dead or dying. The queens, their heads half-severed, were barely clinging to life. Meanwhile, Tang Fang himself was locked in a desperate struggle against the remaining statue.
Housen wasn’t a hero, nor did he aspire to be one. But he owed Tang Fang—a debt of life. And now, this was his moment to settle that score. Like a fighter in the ring, as long as his heart still beat, his blood still flowed, and breath remained in his lungs, he would rise no matter what. Housen could be an ass, but he refused to be a coward when it mattered most.
“That damn idiot,” Arroz spat bitterly, rising to his feet and sprinting toward the hole. Tang Fang followed close behind.
The hole seemed bottomless, its depths shrouded in darkness. Using the depth-scanning function on his helmet, Tang Fang grimaced as the numbers appeared: 533 meters. A staggering height. Even with the shock-absorbing capabilities of powered armor, surviving a fall from 50 meters was pushing the limits. From this height, Housen’s chances of survival were virtually zero.
“Damn fool! What were you thinking?” Arroz growled, stomping his foot in frustration.
Silently, Tang Fang stared into the abyss. Along the walls of the shaft, glowing blue rings encircled the hole every ten meters, occasionally flickering with star-like sparks that cast faint illumination throughout the void.
“We’re going down,” Tang Fang declared gravely.
“Down?” Arroz hesitated, glancing back at their battered forces. Two queens on the brink of collapse, a spine crawler, ten zerglings, a one-armed marauder, and a single reaper remained. Half their troops were already lost. What if more enemies awaited them below?
“Yes, down. Until I see his body, I won’t give up. How others treat me is how I’ll treat them. That’s my principle.”
“But remember, this mess was entirely his fault. All those losses… don’t you feel any resentment?”
Before Arroz could finish, the battlefield shimmered as the remaining units vanished. When he turned around, Tang Fang was already stepping onto a small lift platform nearby.
“To me, they’re just data. As for you? Once you’re truly dead, there’s no coming back.”
“Just data?” Arroz blinked, surprised by Tang Fang’s rare explanation of the mysterious alien creatures and unfamiliar units under his command.
“What are you waiting for? Do you want to stay up here alone?”
“Oh, coming.” Realizing Tang Fang wasn’t going to elaborate further, Arroz didn’t press the issue. Instead, he hurried after him, trusting fully that Tang Fang considered him a reliable ally. Whatever secrets these astonishing beings held, whatever strange connection bound them to Tang Fang—it didn’t matter. All that mattered was knowing they were allies, not foes.
The newly discovered lift platform was only five meters away from the central chasm. Presumably, its destination wouldn’t be far from where Housen had fallen.
The control panel mirrored the ones used earlier. As Arroz approached, Tang Fang pressed his hand against the glowing cerulean surface. A soft hum resonated beneath their feet as the platform vibrated gently before accelerating downward, carrying them swiftly toward the ruins’ base.
The layout inside the shaft resembled the central hole used for transporting spacecraft—glowing blue rings marked every ten-meter interval along the walls. As they descended, watching the luminous circles recede above them, Tang Fang felt as though he were trapped in a dream. The technology of the Epsilon civilization far surpassed humanity’s. Those statues, for instance, were clearly advanced robotic sentinels. Their super-strong armor, high-temperature energy blades, teleportation abilities, and enigmatic psionic powers were beyond comprehension.
Never before in human history had such sophisticated technology been uncovered in Epsilon ruins. What significance did Planet Namie hold for the Epsilons? What secrets lay hidden within these ancient structures?
As the lift continued its descent, Tang Fang’s expression grew increasingly somber. They had reached 542 meters—and with each passing meter, Housen’s chances of survival dwindled further.
Arroz’s brows furrowed together, his face darkening with worry. Neither spoke, the oppressive silence weighing heavily between them.
After roughly two minutes, the platform jolted slightly as it came to a stop at the bottom. Before them lay a circular hall, wider at the base and tapering upward, with a radius of about six meters. Rings of bright blue lights adorned the ceiling and walls, casting a soft glow brighter than the markers in the shaft.
Tang Fang and Arroz’s expressions were as stormy as the thunderclouds of Planet 5. At 756 meters, falling from such a height meant certain death unless Housen were some kind of immortal.
“Which way?” Arroz asked, surveying the surroundings.
Four paths extended outward from the lift, leading to rune-inscribed doors set into the circular walls. After quickly assessing their direction, Tang Fang pointed to the door aligned with where Housen had fallen. “This way.” Without waiting, he strode ahead, his footsteps echoing through the chamber.
Tap tap tap. The floor, made of an unknown stone material, reverberated with their steps, creating haunting echoes reminiscent of water droplets falling into a quiet pool.
Reaching the door, Tang Fang paused to examine the control panel—but before he could act, the ε symbol on the door rotated 180 degrees, emitting a flash of blue light. Slowly, the portal opened like an inverted vortex.
A pale green beam illuminated the threshold. Peering through, their eyes fell upon a raised circular platform in the center of the opposite hall, spanning seventy to eighty meters in diameter. There, motionless in the middle, lay Housen and the fallen statue.
“There!”
With a shout, the two men rushed through the doorway, sprinting toward the platform’s center.
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