Biocores: The Legendary Weapon Designer-Chapter 55: The Crash

Nioh scrambled to regain his focus as pain shot through his body like a jagged blade. His wounds had reopened, and the white bandages wrapped around him were now soaked in crimson.

"You really should see an astronomer about your luck," a familiar voice muttered dryly. "Because why are you always so banged up?"

Through the haze of pain, Nioh recognized Ekoh’s voice. Even now, in the aftermath of a shipwreck, the bastard still had time for sarcasm.

"I really don’t have time for your commentary at the moment," Nioh replied through gritted teeth, using the fractured remains of the ship’s walls for support as he forced himself upright.

Pain tolerance had always been one of his strongest traits. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel pain—it was that he had long learned to endure it.

Around him, groans and muffled curses filled the air as the other passengers began regaining consciousness. But Nioh’s focus wasn’t on them. He turned his gaze toward the cockpit.

If his calculations were right, they had crashed deep in the heart of the Expanse. A desolate and near-impossible terrain to navigate without experience. And there was only one person on this ship who had that kind of knowledge.

Kyle.

Pushing through his own injuries, Nioh forced open the damaged cockpit door. Smoke curled in thick tendrils, and broken glass crunched under his boots. The sight inside made his stomach clench.

Kyle lay slumped against the pilot’s seat, his breathing shallow. But the safety airbags had deployed just in time, shielding him from the worst of the impact.

Nioh shook him firmly. "Wake up! Kyle, wake up!" His voice was sharp with urgency.

A groggy groan came from Kyle as his eyelids fluttered open. Confusion clouded his gaze before his survival instincts kicked in. With Nioh’s help, he unbuckled himself and staggered out of the wrecked cockpit, descending into the chaos below.

The ship was barely recognizable. The once-sleek frame had been torn apart on impact, its jagged remains scattered across the barren landscape. Flames still licked at the twisted metal, thick smoke curling into the sky in eerie black spirals. The hull had split open upon crashing, leaving large gashes through which the insides of the vessel were exposed like the carcass of a gutted beast.

The ground beneath them was cracked and uneven, a mixture of dry rock and sand that stretched endlessly toward the horizon. In the distance, sharp, towering rock formations jutted out from the earth like broken fangs, casting long, ominous shadows. The sky above was a dull, sickly orange, the Expanse’s notorious dust storms churning in the far-off distance.

This was a graveyard of the lost.

The passengers had made it out, though their expressions were hollow, their bodies bruised and dirt-streaked. Nioh’s sharp gaze flickered over them, doing a quick headcount. One was missing.

He didn’t bother to ask who.

Instead, he focused on his own wounds. With Kyle’s assistance, he began changing his bloodied bandages. The moment of reprieve didn’t last.

A pair of approaching shadows drew his attention.

A man and a woman stepped forward, their expressions unreadable. Behind them, two younger girls stood slightly apart, gripping the same package they had been clutching even before the crash.

Something about them set Nioh on edge.

Nioh exhaled sharply, already bracing himself for whatever was about to come next.

"Hey! You’re part of the crew. How the hell did this happen? Where are we?"

The voice was sharp and accusatory. A man stormed forward, grabbing Kyle by the collar and shaking him violently.

Kyle trembled, his voice weak. "I—I don’t know. This has never happened before."

"What do you mean you don’t know?!" The man’s eyes burned with fury as he yanked a handgun from his belt and pressed it against Kyle’s temple. "I already lost a friend today. What’s stopping me from killing you?"

A heavy silence settled over them. Then, a voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"Go ahead. If you want to die."

The man stiffened. "What? Are you talking to me?" He turned toward Nioh, bewildered by the arrogance in his tone.

Nioh tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "Is there anyone else standing in front of you?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "I remind you, I have the gun."

Nioh scoffed. "So? If you’re so eager to die, shoot the only person who knows how to navigate this place."

The man’s grip on the gun tightened, his breath hitching. The air between them was electric with tension.

"Enough!"

A woman stepped forward, placing a firm hand on the man’s wrist and forcing him to lower his weapon. "We don’t have time for this."

Nioh rolled his eyes, exhaling in frustration. "Of all the people to be stranded with, I get stuck with dimwits."

The woman’s expression darkened. "What did you just say?"

"I said we don’t have time for this nonsense. You’re acting like we’re not in a hurry." Nioh gestured toward the burning wreckage behind them. "We just made a hell of a lot of noise crashing in the Expanse. And the people who shot us down? They’re probably on their way right now. So what are we waiting for? To see who kills us first?"

The woman hesitated. "Shot at us? How do you know that?"

Nioh’s gaze was cold. "If it wasn’t deliberate, how do you explain them hitting the ship’s weak points with such precision?" His eyes flickered to the large box strapped to the girl’s back. "I’m guessing it has something to do with whatever you’re transporting."

The three of them stiffened.

Nioh continued, voice unwavering. "If they tracked you down so easily, then you have a mole in your ranks. You’d better figure it out before we move."

A tense silence followed. Then, without another word, Nioh turned his attention back to Kyle and pulled him to his feet.

"Which direction should we head in?" he asked.

Kyle hesitated, still shaken. "I—I’m not sure..."

Nioh’s patience snapped. "Get it together, Kyle. Where in the Expanse are we?" freēwēbnovel.com

Kyle took a deep breath, fists clenching. Then, with a sharp exhale, he muttered, "Screw it. Let’s go." He grabbed Nioh’s arm and started moving, his steps determined but direction uncertain.

Just as they took their first steps, a gunshot rang out behind them.

Nioh didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. The look on Kyle’s face told him everything.

The trio had found their mole.

Whatever happened next wasn’t his problem. He had enough people hunting him already.

And he wasn’t about to wait around for more.