Chapter 103: The Massive Ice Hole in the Abandoned Building Complex

"Boom!"

A deafening roar erupted as a massive fireball rose within the research station, the shockwave blasting Zhou Shu and Kate away. Fortunately, Zhou Shu had shielded Kate from the brunt of the blast from behind, and their subsequent tumble into a snowdrift had spared their lives.

Because Zhou Shu had been positioned behind her, a flying iron scaffold had slammed directly into his leg. Although it had struck him at an angle and didn't pin him down upon landing, it still caused significant trouble. His leg throbbed with pain, making it difficult to put any weight on it.

Thankfully, this wave seemed to be over.

Zhou Shu and Kate could be considered to have "bonded through battle." Due to the unique nature of the "The Thing: Prequel" template, the plot changed with every entry. Sometimes Kate became a Thing, and Zhou Shu had to put her down. Other times, Zhou Shu would be busy fighting other monsters, only to be ambushed and killed by her.

Mostly, however, the two worked together. As the protagonist of the original film, she possessed excellent adaptability, and she usually only morphed into a Thing at the very end. Through countless skirmishes and kills, Zhou Shu had developed a genuine fondness for her. The uncanny rapport they shared during their collaborations often left Kate deeply bewildered, feeling as though they had known each other for a lifetime; she eventually attributed it to fate.

This time was no different. With Kate providing the "intelligence" and Zhou Shu providing the brute force, they had fought their way through the entire research station. In its death throes, the final creature had ignited leaking flamethrower fuel and oil drums, effectively blowing the entire facility to pieces.

Keeping Kate alive while eliminating all the Things had become a personal objective for Zhou Shu. Otherwise, what was the point of killing every monster if everyone else had already turned? Of course, one could also argue that Zhou Shu had simply grown stronger and started to show off.

The two lay in the snow, gasping for air.

"Zhou Shu, do you think... we succeeded? Did we manage to... save the world?" Kate asked, her voice intermittent.

"Who knows? Probably, maybe, possibly."

Zhou Shu was too tired to talk. Decades of "scheming" had left his mental faculties near exhaustion. The world of "Edge of Tomorrow" didn't require much brainpower—the plot was simple, the enemies never changed, and one could just bulldoze through. But "The Thing: Prequel" was different. In this roguelike mode, every encounter was unique.

He came here specifically to train his "Anomaly Sensing," which required constant cognitive effort. After so many rounds, having finally avoided being killed by a Thing, wiped out all the monsters, and saved a life, Zhou Shu felt it hadn't been easy. While his previous run had been half-training, this one had been pure high-intensity combat.

Of course, whenever his chances of winning were high, it was usually accompanied by an increase in his attributes—the same held true in "Edge of Tomorrow." How could he win without growing stronger? Was he supposed to rely on shouting? Not only had he become more durable and capable, but his "Anomaly Sensing" had also become second nature. He would periodically cast a scan on Kate, relaxing only after confirming she remained uninfected.

He sat up, gazing at the burning research station, and mused, "Am I about to clear this level again?"

Just then, he heard the roar of an engine. He turned his head and saw Sander—who hadn't died in this version—speeding away in a snowcat. A sane person wouldn't choose to flee into the frozen wasteland; whoever did this was clearly not sane.

"Damn it, Sander is infected!"

Zhou Shu shouted and tried to chase after him, but as he stood up, his leg felt as if it had snapped, refusing to bear his weight.

"Hiss..."

Kate scrambled to her feet, noticing Zhou Shu stumbling, and rushed to steady him.

"Zhou Shu, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just hit by something earlier. I can't put too much pressure on it for now," Zhou Shu said after steadying himself. "Quick, go see if there are any weapons left. I'll start the other snowcat."

With the finish line in sight, Zhou Shu wouldn't let Sander escape.

"Right!"

Kate obediently ran into the burning wreckage to scavenge for weapons. Zhou Shu limped over to the vehicle, quickly repairing the ignition wiring he had sabotaged earlier to prevent others from fleeing. He had done this many times before, so he was highly proficient.

By the time he reconnected the lines, Kate returned, carrying a flamethrower with a few grenades tucked into her belt. There was a reason she had survived until the end.

"Time is tight, and the fire inside is too dangerous, so I only searched the perimeter. This is all I found."

"That's enough. Get in!"

Without further ado, the two jumped into the vehicle to pursue. If the Thing-infected Sander was heading anywhere, it had to be the crashed spaceship. Zhou Shu hadn't known how to drive before, but after hundreds of runs, he had been forced to learn how to operate these "little tanks."

The tracked snowcat roared across the tundra. Zhou Shu knew the terrain intimately and drove at breakneck speed, catching glimpses of the taillights ahead. However, by the time they pulled up next to the other vehicle, its doors were open and Sander was gone. Clearly, he had already entered the ship.

Having driven the entire way, Zhou Shu's formidable constitution had mostly healed his injury; the Hunter's instinct told him there was no fracture, and that seemed to be the case. With his body recovered, he felt more confident about fighting the monster. He had Kate strap on the flamethrower while he took two grenades.

With his "Bullet Time" and "Anomaly Sensing," he planned to wait for the monster to roar at him, then toss a grenade straight into its maw. Even if the creature was smart enough not to open its mouth, he had other ways to finish it. He had fought hundreds of these things, thoroughly understanding their combat patterns.

The two quickly entered the ice tunnel they had excavated earlier, reaching the alien vessel. Zhou Shu had learned many hard lessons here and remembered the layout well, leading Kate through a safe path into the ship. He kept his eyes forward while Kate covered their rear, though his mini-map was already active, clearly marking the trail of pheromones left by the monster.

It was clear "Sander" had completely abandoned his human form.

They soon reached the central control hall, where a device made of countless glowing blocks was constantly connecting, dismantling, and rearranging itself, calculating something like an "abacus of light." It was the ship's central control system.

The concentration of monster pheromones spiked here. After a few more steps, a red dot appeared on the edge of Zhou Shu's mini-map.

*Gotcha.*

Zhou Shu glanced into a dark corner. Having witnessed Zhou Shu slaughter so many of its "teammates," the monster realized its concealment was blown and immediately... bolted.

"Damn it, I'm trying to clear this level, and you're running?"

"Think you can get away?"

Zhou Shu didn't even have time to alert Kate before he gave chase. However, he couldn't outrun the monster. Once it shed its human guise, it became a chaotic mess without a fixed shape, using seven legs to scramble across the floor. Zhou Shu’s two legs couldn't keep up.

Within seconds, the monster and Zhou Shu burst out of the ship and into the snow. The creature ran with desperate speed, clearly aware that if it didn't move fast, it would end up like its kin. The human chasing it was nothing short of a monster himself!

Zhou Shu pursued relentlessly, but his legs were at a disadvantage in the snow. Yet, looking at the ground, he somehow recalled the phrase "treading on snow without leaving a trace." His body had been specially modified by primal energy, and the Hunter had told him he could rapidly adapt to any situation. As he ran, he couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but his legs felt lighter, and his footprints in the snow seemed shallower.

[Your Strength and Agility have both increased by 2.]

*Nice, another level up.*

*Damn, the last monster is getting further away!*

*Blast it!*

Just then, a snowcat roared up from behind. Kate leaned out the window and shouted, "Why are you running? Get in!"

Although the tracked vehicle wasn't as fast as the monster, riding it conserved energy and kept them relatively warm. They just had to follow the trail.

They chased for an unknown distance, winding around two mountains. Just as the snowcat was about to run out of fuel, a complex of buildings appeared in the distance.

"Why are there buildings here? Was this on the research station's maps?" Zhou Shu asked, confused.

"I don't know. I don't remember them mentioning any structures here, but the monster's trail leads inside. We have to finish it."

Kate drove the vehicle inside, finding the area filled with abandoned structures. What surprised them most was that a massive hole had been bored into a nearby iceberg—a perfectly circular tunnel leading straight down.

"Could there be another alien ship here?"