Chapter 548: The Subspace Webway

At the end of the passage lay countless bones, emitting an inexplicable stench—not the reek of rotting flesh, but a strange, peculiar odor.

"Did all these people die?" Cardel stared at the bones, showing little sorrow; any emotion he felt was merely a trace of grief.

"How did they die here?" Cardand's face darkened—not because his own people had perished, but because their deaths here meant this place was dangerous.

"Don't worry. They were merely consumed by the xenomorphs." Cardel gazed at the bones with cold indifference. "I told you before: once the Hive Master Harris seized the Xenomorph Queen, these bugs would likely use xenomorph cells to strike back and exterminate us."

"But they didn't believe it. They thought xenomorphs were the perfect lifeform, that xenomorph genes could never be exploited by stupid bugs, never turned against them. Heh heh."

Cardel let out two hollow laughs, their tone mournful. These were his own people—now all dead here, killed by xenomorph genes. It filled him with sorrow.

Once, xenomorphs were their ultimate weapon, the most perfect lifeform in the universe, their pride. Thanks to xenomorphs, they rose to the pinnacle of the cosmos. They parasitized bug bodies with xenomorph genes, evolving into xenomorph-bug hybrids, inflicting countless wounds upon the bugs—now they were extinct.

"But we're not finished yet. Once we activate the ultimate weapon, these damned bugs will all die here."

BOOM!

The ground shook violently, rocking Cardel and Cardand, both Prometheus clan members, off their feet.

"What's happening?" Cardand cried out in alarm.

"I don't know. Probably the bugs are attacking." Cardel's face darkened. "A Wyvern couldn't cause this kind of damage. It must be the main bug force arriving. Still, it's surprising the Xenomorph Queen held out this long."

"The Xenomorph Queen isn't particularly strong—or she is, depending on timing. If she seized the right moment, she could assemble a xenomorph army and wipe out all bugs on this planet. But that's impossible now."

The bugs, having fought the Prometheus clan many times, already understood xenomorph tactics. Once their main force arrives, xenomorphs are doomed. Compared to bug reproduction, xenomorph parasitism is pitifully ineffective.

"We need to hurry," Cardand urged. "The main bug force arriving means our time is running out."

"Mm." Cardel replied, then suddenly turned and swung a punch at Ye Nan.

THUD!

A sharp crack. Cardel felt as if he'd struck a wall—his fingers recoiled, his fist numbing.

"This feeling… what's going on?" Grinning through gritted teeth, Cardel swung another punch at Ye Nan. Again—THUD! His fist rebounded, but this time he saw what blocked him.

"A spatial barrier? A psychic barrier? A pressure field? Or something else?" Cardel stared at Ye Nan, spouting a string of terms.

"Why waste words with him? Kill him," Cardand snapped, hurling twelve eggs. The moment they hit the ground, they cracked open—xenomorphs burst forth.

These xenomorphs were bizarre: some had wings, others grew multiple legs. Judging by their forms, they bore genes from other lifeforms.

In truth, everyone believed the Xenomorph Mother was stronger than the Xenomorph Queen, and the Queen stronger than ordinary xenomorphs—but that wasn't true.

From the original gene sequence, yes, that order held—but don't forget xenomorphs' special ability: parasitism.

By parasitizing living organisms and absorbing their genes, xenomorphs refine themselves, growing into powerful forms.

That means: if the host organism is strong enough, the resulting xenomorph will be stronger still—surpassing even the Xenomorph Queen or Mother isn't difficult. Unlike bugs, which must evolve from the bottom up, xenomorphs leap directly to power—stronger foes yield stronger xenomorphs.

"Can you tell me why you're trying to kill me? I remember I've done favors for your Prometheus clan, and you yourselves called me your guest." Ye Nan stared at the two, ignoring the surrounding xenomorphs.

"True. You are our guest, and you've done us some favors. If we could, I wouldn't harm you—but unfortunately, I must." Cardel spoke with slight regret.

"Why waste time talking? Let's kill him together," Cardand growled, impatient. The bug force outside would attack any moment—every second delayed meant greater danger.

"Don't rush. We still have time." Cardel tossed out a string of white eggs. From them hatched many xenomorphs, one standing out: a xenomorph with two heads.

Like the mythical two-headed dog or serpent, this xenomorph bore two identical heads.

"Cardel, you…" Cardand stared, stunned. "How did you create this? These are two entirely different genes!"

"Some genes I discovered during experiments," Cardel said calmly. "The bugs mix hundreds of thousands of genes. Why can't I inject two completely different ones into a xenomorph?"

"But bug genes are all latent—hidden within the DNA, surfacing only during upgrades, guiding evolution. Once chosen, they vanish again. Yours are dominant—two entirely different concepts!" Cardand's words tumbled out like a machine gun.

"Have you forgotten Hive Master Harris?" Cardel showed no surprise. "Harris possesses hundreds of thousands of genes—the strongest being in the entire galaxy. Even a planet-destroying cannon couldn't kill him. Clearly, gene fusion is the way."

"Xenomorphs are perfect, but from their design, they can only grow stronger through parasitism. Against individual foes, fine. But against a swarm larger than themselves, they're helpless. That's one reason we lost."

"So I intend to create a xenomorph rivaling Hive Master Harris." Cardel's face flushed with fanaticism, then dimmed. "Too bad… I don't have time."

"But for Paradise Star, even if I fail to realize my dream, it doesn't matter."

"You still haven't told me why you're attacking me. A host attacking a guest isn't right—and you know I'm the Emperor of the Space-Time Empire. As Emperor, I'm protected by the Galactic Alliance." Ye Nan's voice turned cold.

"If you kill me, you're provoking the Galactic Alliance. Even as a high-level civilization, you'll face sanctions."

"Hahahaha!" Cardand roared with laughter. "Brother, he still thinks the Galactic Alliance will protect him. What a grand reputation that alliance has!"

Cardel waved his hand, silencing Cardand. "You really want to know why I'm killing you?"

"I do," Ye Nan replied. "Not just that—I want to know other things. I want answers before I die. Only then can I rest in peace."

"Very well. But time is short." Cardel waved again. Ye Nan was their guest, and he'd done them favors. Had it not been for that thing needing him as a sacrifice, Cardel wouldn't have moved against him. But now he had no choice. Before Ye Nan died, satisfying his curiosity was Cardel's final gift to him.

"Why is Paradise Star's name known throughout the galaxy? You created humanity—but not all of humanity. I want to know this secret." Ye Nan finally asked the question.

"In the past, I wouldn't tell you—it's Paradise Star's secret. But since you're about to die, I'll tell you." Cardel's expression turned solemn. "Because Paradise Star holds the Subspace Webway—a network spanning the entire galaxy. Through it, we travel freely between every life-bearing planet. Now do you understand?"

"Subspace Webway!" Ye Nan stared at Cardel, searching his face for lies—but found none. He couldn't hold back. "If you have the Subspace Webway, why don't you just conquer the entire galaxy? Why did other civilizations rise? Why did the bugs even appear?"

"We were the first to fight the bugs," Cardand cut in, coldly. "When the bugs first emerged, we fought them. But they were cunning—their backer was a powerful entity who directly erased our Subspace Webway routes to bug planets. That gave the bugs time to grow. Otherwise, they'd have been wiped out long ago, and we'd have replaced them as the galaxy's dominant civilization."

"As for other civilizations," Cardel took over, "they arose before us. By the time we began using the Subspace Webway, they were already established. We couldn't stop them."

"Then what is the ultimate weapon?" (To be continued.)