The heavy sound of Rex's footsteps and the faint hiss of Lia's energy leak quickly faded beyond the crystalline opening leading to the main corridor. The lab's heavy doors, under the control of the crystalline sentience, began slowly grinding shut once more, sealing the interior from the outside, leaving Kael alone to face the seething, gray-white radiance overflowing with malice and fear.
The pressure intensified exponentially.
With Rex's suppressive fire and Lia's data interference gone, the full force of the crystal's aggression focused solely on Kael. The psychic whispers stabbed at his mental defenses like countless icy needles; the physical energy impacts hammered against the faltering, small stabilization field like a battering ram.
The dark blue field flickered violently, strobing under the assault of the gray-white tide. The backup power cell from Rex's blaster in Kael's hand was now dangerously hot, its surface webbed with cracks, the energy within restlessness uncontrollably, hissing on the verge of detonation. It had seconds left, at most.
Time, measured in heartbeats (real or simulated), was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Kael didn't waste a millisecond. The moment Rex retreated, he was already moving!
He didn't try to reinforce the field or charge the closing door—that would be suicide. His target was the large ventilation/hoist shaft in the lab ceiling, partially blocked by crystals!
According to the structural schematics he'd briefly scanned earlier, this shaft should lead directly to the planetoid's surface. It was used for transporting large equipment during the outpost's initial construction, later likely sealed or repurposed. Now, it was the only viable exit!
But the shaft opening was at least fifteen meters high, choked with a thick layer of active crystals, utterly unreachable by jumping alone.
Kael's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept the lab. It locked onto several thick metal chains hanging from the ceiling, not yet fully assimilated, once used to suspend heavy instruments. One of them dangled not far from the edge of the stabilization field!
That was it!
He bent down swiftly, snatching up the discarded, ammunition-spent, and still superheated barrel of Rex's blaster—the heavy metal now a perfect throwing weight.
Taking a deep breath (a purely biological habit), Kael mustered all his strength and hurled the heavy blaster remnant towards the chain's ceiling mount!
*CLANG!*
A dull impact echoed. The blaster remnant struck the mechanical hook connecting the chain to the ceiling true! It didn't break it, but the impact stressed the already crystal-weakened structure, making it groan alarmingly, a crack appearing.
Simultaneously, Kael performed an even more insane act. Instead of retreating, he charged forward—not away from, but *out of* the increasingly unstable dark blue stabilization field, directly into the onrushing gray-white onslaught!
*"Come on!"* he roared inwardly.
The moment he left the field's protection, the terrible mental pressure and energy radiation swallowed him like a tsunami! Phantoms resurged, whispers attacked his core, all his sensors screamed overload warnings! But he forced his will to a razor's edge, focusing on one thing—the loosened chain!
He leaped high, his left hand snapping out to grab the cold metal links just before crystalline spikes could converge. His right hand still clutched the critically overloaded power cell.
"Down!" he bellowed, putting his full body weight and the force of his drop onto the already compromised hook!
*SCREECH—SNAP!*
The sound of shearing metal! The hook finally gave way, breaking completely! The entire length of the thick chain, over ten meters long, plus Kael's weight, plummeted downwards!
But Kael's goal wasn't to hit the floor! As he fell, he used his core muscles to swing violently! Like Tarzan, gripping the chain, he arced through the air, swinging directly towards the center of the lab—right above the furiously pulsating "Pandora Stone"!
This move was completely unexpected by the crystalline sentience! All its attacks were focused at ground level; it never anticipated an assault from above!