Chapter 13: The Shelter Resident
Monica was born in a nuclear shelter. Her childhood consisted only of the dim lights of the shelter, drinking water filled with the scent of disinfectant, tasteless nutrient paste to stave off hunger, and—her favorite delicacy as a child—mutant insect meat.
The shelter was her entire world. She had no idea what the outside looked like, but the precious pre-war videos stored in the archives gave her a glimpse: a blue sky, lush green grass covering the land, forests, rivers, and cities.
Oh, cities! That was what she longed for the most. She had heard of glass skyscrapers reaching hundreds of meters into the sky! For a little girl like her, it was unimaginable. She had also heard that the people living in cities were happy, with countless delicious foods to enjoy. Though she had no idea what "delicious" meant, it must have been something far better than mutant insect meat.
If it weren't for the nuclear war between nations, she would have been attending school, dressed in fancy clothes she loved. But everything changed because of that war.
A distant rumbling pulled Monica from her memories. Now, she wore tattered, deep-black linen clothing, crouching between the ruins of two collapsed buildings.
Three years ago, a rebellion broke out in her shelter. The overseer detonated the reactor and air purification system, leaving her homeless. She had since wandered the ruins, surviving by hunting mutant insects.
The sky remained perpetually gray, with volcanic ash drifting through the air. The green plants that once decorated the city had long vanished, replaced by dark red moss that thrived on radiation, producing the oxygen Monica needed to survive.
She stayed perfectly still, her eyes locked onto a mutated beast in the distance. Her fingers gripped a makeshift spear fashioned from scrap metal.
As the mutated beast crept closer, she launched the spear with all her might and simultaneously sprang forward like a cannonball. Mid-air, she drew two knives strapped to her waist—her only remaining possessions from the shelter.
Thud! The spear lodged into the beast's abdomen. Monica landed just in time to kick against the embedded spear, propelling herself onto the beast's back. With precise aim, she plunged both knives into the gap between its armored plates on the head and back!
The mutated beast shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly to throw her off. But Monica didn't give it the chance—she yanked her knives free and flipped forward, driving them straight into its two enormous compound eyes!
Not lingering, she withdrew her blades and dodged out of range. While the mutated beast writhed in pain from its destroyed vision, she sprinted to its side, seized the spear, and slashed sideways with all her strength.
Thick, dark-green liquid gushed from the wound.
Moments later, the beast fell silent. Monica swiftly carved off its six massive legs—by far the most valuable part. With this, she wouldn't need to risk hunting again for at least five days.
But just as she slung her prize over her back, an unsettling rustling surrounded her.
Countless mutated beasts emerged from the ruins, slowly closing in.
They had intelligence! It was a trap!
Despair gripped Monica. She pressed a dagger to her throat, ready to end it all before becoming their prey.
Then—
Flashes streaked across the sky.
A squadron of drones appeared overhead, their weapon bays opening. Thumb-sized missiles rained down like a deadly snowstorm.
BOOM! Deafening explosions erupted all around her, the shockwaves sending her hair whipping through the air.
What… is this? Monica stood frozen in shock. She had only ever seen this kind of firepower in old war documentaries. Ever since civilization fell in nuclear war, no one had used such weapons.
The drones roared overhead, their engines howling as they disappeared into the sky.
Still reeling, Monica looked up to see a colossal fireball in the distance—a massive spaceship, its red lights flashing ominously, descending rapidly.
She had no idea that this reconnaissance vessel had been observing her for a month.
To the Empire, discovering a surviving industrial civilization—no matter how ruined—was an invaluable research opportunity.
And its people? Perfect for cannon fodder.
As Emperor Li Mingze imagined future planetary invasions, millions of disposable "shock troopers" clad in simplified power armor raining down from orbit—no pensions, no need to deplete imperial manpower—he couldn't help but salivate at the thought.
The ship landed before Monica, its underside hatch opening. Several armored soldiers rushed out, swiftly neutralizing her with an electric stun baton before carrying her aboard.
The ship's anti-gravity engines hummed as it ascended back into orbit.
As Monica lay unconscious, a team of robotic attendants stripped away her filthy rags and placed her in a cleansing pod. High-pressure water jets blasted away the grime, followed by a round of disinfectant, then biodegradable soap, and finally another rinse.
Out of the pod stepped a fresh, fragrant Monica.
Other robots moved in, carefully shaving off her thin layer of blue body fur, storing it for research. A laser treatment erased the scars crisscrossing her skin. Another machine dressed her in a standardized work uniform and snapped a security collar around her neck.
The collar injected microscopic medical nanobots and vaccines while extracting spinal fluid. It also had a built-in explosive function—ensuring compliance.
Once prepared, the robots placed Monica in a rest chamber. She had no idea her life was about to undergo a drastic transformation.
Back in the Empire, Li Mingze turned to his AI assistant, Tianyi.
"Prepare the descent pod. I want to meet my future cannon-fodder commander in person."
With that, he stepped into the pod.
Dozens of light-years away, aboard Exploration & Research Vessel #005, a clone of Li Mingze awoke from cryosleep.
Dressing in a sleek power suit and regal cape, he strode towards the observation chamber.
Inside, Monica sat anxiously on a white rubberized bed, her blue skin tinged pink from nervousness. Her two antennae curled inward with unease.
The thick chamber door slid open. Li Mingze stepped in, pulling up a chair to face her.
As he sat down, he studied her closely.
Even though he had seen her photos, meeting her in person was still a shock—not because she was beautiful, but because it was incredible to find a mammalian species in the universe so similar to humans.