Starry Rebirth: The Warden and the Outlaw’s Interstellar Revenge | Chapter 98 | The Monster Within | Novela.app

It was a vast room, bisected by a large pane of transparent glass. Within the sealed inner chamber lay a massive medical pod, while on the other side, a multitude of figures in white lab coats bustled about. The entire space was deathly silent. No one spoke; only the rhythmic hum of machinery filled the air. Separated by that single glass wall, a figure lay inside the medical pod. Clad in oversized hospital scrubs, the patient had golden hair and a face like a porcelain doll. With hands folded neatly over his chest, he looked like a sweet, slumbering angel. Everything was serene. Then, in an instant, the peace shattered. The "angel" in the medical pod snapped his eyes open. His emerald irises were composed of countless overlapping pupils—a pair of compound eyes, just like an insect’s. As the golden-haired man stirred, it was as if Pandora’s box had been flung wide. The Omega, who had looked so angelic in sleep, began to struggle with primal ferocity. When his mouth fell open, what emerged was not a human tongue, but a long, broad appendage like that of an amphibian. The tip was forked, and its surface was coated in a layer of revolting, viscous mucus. As he thrashed, his wide sleeves slid back, revealing skin covered in patches of black carapace. The plates of the shell shifted slightly, revealing crimson openings beneath that pulsed as if they were breathing. This creature, who appeared so divine while dreaming, was nothing more than a mutated monstrosity. Realizing his struggles were futile, the monster opened his maw wider. His long tongue lashed out, and his blood-red throat constricted as if he were brewing something terrible within. Seeing the monster prepare to "scream," the people on the other side of the glass reacted as if facing a mortal enemy. The middle-aged man leading the group barked out orders: "Inject the sedative! Increase the containment field! Now! Move!" "Notify Young Master Ji immediately! He’s awake again!" "Reinforce the energy shield! Hurry!" Orders collided in the air, and the room dissolved into a flurry of chaos. Perhaps due to the excessive use of sedatives, the monster in the pod had developed a terrifying resistance. The initial injection failed to hinder his movements. His muffled roars grew louder, and fine cracks began to spiderweb across the reinforced casing of the medical pod. Just as the panic reached its peak, Ji Wei arrived, his face a mask of fury. "Useless! You can’t even handle a simple task!" Ji Wei’s eyes flashed with loathing as he watched the monster thrash. His sinister expression twisted his handsome features into something truly ghastly. The compound-eyed monster seemed to recognize Ji Wei. His struggles intensified, his mouth agape in a silent howl as his gaze locked onto the Alpha, staring at him as if he were the most exquisite delicacy. Being watched by those green compound eyes made Ji Wei’s skin crawl. He took an involuntary step back and roared, "What are you standing there for? Inject the sedative!" "Young Master Ji, we’ve already administered the maximum dose of Grade A sedative," the lead scientist said, his face pale. "His rate of adaptation is too fast. At this point, only a Grade S sedative might work." The implication was clear: at this rate, once the subject adapted to Grade S, they would be completely out of options. Furthermore, with such frequent use of high-concentration, high-potency sedatives, the scientist suspected that even if the patient could be "cured," his brain would be nothing more than mush. Ignoring the man’s concerns, Ji Wei turned his head. "Inject it!" Under the cold clinical lights, the Alpha’s gaze was dark and terrifying. From the scientist's perspective, for a fleeting second, it looked as though Ji Wei’s eyes were also filled with a dense cluster of pupils—identical to the monster in the pod. The middle-aged man shuddered and recoiled. He blinked and looked again, only to find that Ji Wei’s eyes appeared perfectly human. *Was it an illusion?* The man was filled with doubt, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Since it was Young Master Ji’s command, he had no choice but to obey. Soon, the Grade S sedative was pumped into the medical pod. The monster’s movements slowed, his thrashing subsiding until he finally drifted back into a deep sleep. Seeing the golden-haired horror go still, Ji Wei turned back, his gaze predatory. "It’s been a month. Have you found the problem yet?" The scientist looked miserable. "Young Master Ji, the patient’s vitals are all normal. We... we haven't found anything wrong." "Useless! He looks like a monster, and you’re telling me he’s normal?!" Ji Wei’s complexion was as foul as it could get. The scientist had no way to defend himself. The patient Ji Wei had brought in was simply too bizarre. Despite his monstrous appearance, every test and every scan insisted there was nothing wrong. From a purely medical standpoint, the subject was incredibly healthy—a healthy, permanently marked Omega. The scientist was privately dying of curiosity: who could possibly have had the courage to mark such a monster? Given the creature's state, the mark could never be removed. The Alpha who had formed a lifetime bond with him would be tied to this monster forever. He thought this, but dared not speak it. Ji Wei didn't want to hear excuses. He glared at the man with a look of pure malice. "Before the Grade S sedative loses its effect, I don't care what methods you use—you must find the cause. Otherwise..." He didn't finish the sentence, but the savagery in his eyes said enough. "Yes, sir!" His orders given, Ji Wei turned and strode away. He covered one of his eyes with his hand, walking so fast it was as if he were being pursued by a demon. Only when he reached his private quarters did he dare drop his hand. The Alpha looked into the mirror. Staring back at him was a pair of compound eyes identical to the golden-haired Omega’s—a mass of dense, swarming pupils that looked utterly repulsive. Looking at his reflection, Ji Wei lost control. He let out a strangled scream and began smashing everything in the room. Thinking of the monster locked in the medical pod, he felt a wave of nauseating regret. He had actually marked a monster! Terrified that he would one day turn into a creature like Hill, Ji Wei vented his hysteria. However, he didn't realize that he was actually "luckier" than Hill. As the host for a First Generation Star Worm, Hill had long ago become a puppet—a mere biological vessel. Ji Wei, on the other hand, was only recently infected. This infection would cause his physical appearance to become increasingly insectoid, but his brain had not yet been parasitized. He was still a complete, conscious human being. Yet, for a man like Ji Wei, this "blessing" in the eyes of other species who had survived the insect plagues might actually be the most horrific future of all. *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 季崴 | Ji Wei | An Alpha character, likely an antagonist. 希尔 | Hill | The golden-haired Omega who has mutated into a monster. 初代星虫 | First Generation Star Worm | A parasitic alien species/entity that takes over hosts. 复眼 | Compound eyes | Insect-like eyes composed of many visual units. 灭世 | World-Ender / World-Extinction | The name of the weapon system created by Feng Zhixi. 反曲率超核弹 | Anti-curvature Super Nuclear Bomb | A high-tech weapon mentioned in the flashback. 生物机甲 | Biological Mecha / Bio-armor | Mecha made of biological components. A级镇定剂 / S级镇定剂 | Grade A / Grade S Sedative | Levels of potency for medical tranquilizers.