Survival at the Limit

"Stay still! We just stumbled upon this place, we mean you no harm," Kahn whispered, his voice trembling with fear. His hand subconsciously gripped his weapon tighter. The creature before them seemed like a higher form of intelligent life—a being acutely aware of its own strength, weighing whether to launch an attack.

Rakien stood beside Kahn, breathing rapidly. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, the air thick with tension and danger. The creature did not move but tilted its head slightly, as if analyzing their every move. Its gaze fell on the liquid in the jar, pausing briefly, as if this scene唤起了 (唤起了) some familiar memory.

"It's observing us," Rakien whispered, his eyes never leaving the creature. He silently prayed in his heart, hoping it was not an enemy.

Kahn's gaze was fixed on the creature's every movement. Both were filled with questions and uncertainty: was this creature friend or foe?

Time seemed to stretch on, and the creature finally broke the silence. It emitted a series of low, buzzing sounds, seemingly sending some kind of signal. Then, its arm slowly lifted, reaching out towards Rakien and Kahn. The two instinctively stepped back, their guard heightened.

The creature ignored the noise outside the door, its focus entirely on Rakien and Kahn. Then, with a gentle flick of its fingers, a faint energy wave instantly enveloped the two. Rakien felt a warm current pass through his body, as if his mind was resonating with the creature.

"It's... trying to communicate with us!" Rakien said in surprise, his brow furrowing slightly. He could feel a powerful will attempting to enter his consciousness, as if seeking a way to communicate.

Kahn clearly felt this force as well, and he loosened his grip on his weapon slightly. Rakien closed his eyes, trying to understand this strange sensation. In that instant, unfamiliar images flooded his mind, and he saw the creature's past!

It was a desolate planet, scarred and ruined, its once-glorious civilization destroyed by endless warfare. The creature stood alone amidst the ruins, trying to protect the last remnants of its biotechnological heritage, but all was lost.

"It's telling us... it was also a victim of war," Rakien murmured, a flicker of compassion and shock in his eyes. He could feel the creature's pain and loneliness, an emotion that transcended time and species.

At that moment, the monster outside finally broke through the last barrier, the door crashing open. It was ready to pounce. Kahn's face turned pale, and he instinctively gripped his weapon, preparing for the imminent fight for his life.

The creature, however, turned gently and raised its hands towards the monster. Its body emitted a strange light; it was going to use some power to fight the monster at the door.

"This guy... it's really going to help us!" Kahn whispered in disbelief, his eyes filled with complex emotions. In this desperate moment, the species that once inspired fear had actually chosen to stand by their side.

Rakien watched the creature's glowing back, his inner vigilance slowly easing.

The creature's light grew stronger, the surrounding air seemingly shaken by its energy. Rakien could feel that this power was not just for fighting; it seemed to come from some deep consciousness, filled with wisdom and compassion. The monster at the door sensed the threat and suddenly stopped roaring, as if stepping back out of fear.

"It's scared..." Kahn's eyes widened, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. The monster, which had seemed unbeatable, was now being suppressed by the creature's power.

As the monster roared again, preparing to charge, the creature's fingers twitched slightly, and an invisible barrier instantly appeared between the monster and them. Rakien and Kahn heard a "boom" as the monster's huge claws smashed into the barrier, producing a metallic impact sound. The powerful shockwave trembled through the entire passage, but the barrier showed no signs of breaking.

The monster screamed in frenzy, constantly attacking the barrier, its claws desperately tearing at the air, trying to break through this intangible obstacle. However, no matter how furious it was, the barrier remained impenetrable.

"We're safe..." Rakien exhaled deeply. He turned to look at the creature exerting the power; its body trembled slightly with each impact of the barrier, as if it had expended a great deal of energy.

The creature did not stop, still maintaining a slight lift of its fingers. Its facial expression did not show pain but instead revealed an extraordinary calm and determination. Although its eyes did not speak, they conveyed a sense of trust to Rakien; this creature was not an enemy.

"Why is it helping us?" Kahn's voice still carried caution, and although there was a bit of trust in his eyes, he had not completely let down his guard.

"I don't know, but I feel it's not our enemy," Rakien whispered in response, sensing the creature's profound compassion. Perhaps it was because it had experienced the same disaster and did not want to see such a tragedy repeated.

However, just as the barrier withstood the monster's last attack, the creature's body suddenly trembled, and its emitted light began to fade. Its power seemed to be running out, and as the last trace of light dissipated, the barrier began to tremble slightly.

"Not good!" Rakien sensed the instability of the barrier and grabbed Kahn's arm urgently, "It can't hold on!"

At that moment, the monster suddenly let out a deafening roar, using its last strength to smash into the barrier once more. The powerful impact caused the barrier to shatter instantly, and the monster charged in, lunging at the three of them.

In that moment of life and death, Rakien and Kahn instinctively retreated, while the creature showed no fear. It faced the monster head-on, lifting its hands again to create a final defense. But its energy was nearly depleted, and it could no longer support a solid barrier. The monster's claws were about to pierce its chest, the scene incredibly perilous.

Just at this critical moment, a burst of intense light suddenly erupted from within the creature, blinding brightness enveloping the entire room. Rakien and Kahn were forced to close their eyes, and when they opened them again, the sight before them was astonishing—the monster's movements had frozen, its claws suspended in mid-air in front of the creature, as if halted by some powerful force.

"What is this...?" Kahn's voice was filled with undeniable shock.

"Could it be... time has stopped?" Rakien said in a daze, having never seen such a powerful force that could freeze everything in an instant.

The creature's eyes were filled with endless compassion as it slowly turned to look at Rakien and Kahn, seemingly bidding farewell. Its body began to gradually become transparent, as if it were disappearing, having expended all its energy.

Rakien felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart, as if he were losing a companion that had been with him for a long time. This sorrow came suddenly, prompting him to take a step forward, wanting to prevent this from happening.

"Wait!" he shouted, but the creature's figure had already become extremely ethereal, as if about to be scattered by the wind. Rakien rushed forward but could only watch helplessly as it turned into specks of light dust, dispersing into the air.

The creature's last trace of light gradually merged into the void, and the monster remained frozen in time.

"It... disappeared," Kahn's voice was mixed with confusion and sighs.

The monster, still frozen after the barrier broke, hung in mid-air, its mouth filled with fangs slightly open, eyes fierce, as if ready to pounce on them in the next second. However, no matter how furious it was, under the powerful time-freezing force, it could only stand still helplessly.

Rakien and Kahn looked at each other, realizing this fleeting opportunity. They stood in that ice-like moment, time seemingly frozen, knowing it was only temporary. Once the monster woke up again, they would have nowhere to run.

"We can't wait any longer," Rakien whispered, gripping his weapon tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "It might come back to life soon."

Kahn nodded and slowly approached the motionless monster. Although its body was huge and terrifying, it was now like a statue frozen in ice. Kahn took a deep breath, raised his sharp weapon, and aimed at the monster's neck. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, followed by the sound of the blade falling.

"It's also a release for it," Rakien murmured.

Kahn said nothing, just quietly put away his weapon. They both knew that this was perhaps the most merciful end for the mutated monster.

"We have to go."

The two quickly moved through the desolate passage, the light dim, the walls covered with cracks, like remnants that had withstood countless impacts. The surrounding air was filled with a nauseating stench of decay, inevitably reminding one of the monsters that had roamed here, polluted by radiation and genetically twisted.

"That monster just now..." Kahn's voice was deep, "definitely wasn't naturally evolved. It must have been contaminated after the nuclear war, its genes severely damaged and mutated, turning into what it is now."

Rakien was silent, knowing in his heart that Kahn's speculation was likely correct. He thought of the cities destroyed by war, how radiation not only devastated human homes but also caused biological mutations. The monster before them was undoubtedly one of the casualties of Oklara's nuclear