Fu Qinghai let out a breath and came back to his senses.
That piece of broken glass—the other party had used its reflection to see him.
So his position could also be easily determined: diagonally behind Fu Qinghai, in the direction Peppo had crawled from.
Fu Qinghai turned around, facing that direction, retrieved the Shock Lance strapped to his back, held it in his hand, and slowly retreated.
He carefully chose his words and asked, "Excuse me, who might you be?"
The eye seen in the glass reflection was undoubtedly a Human eye.
It was a Human; being able to communicate was better than encountering some strange Warp Creature.
“Hmph,” the rough voice let out a sneer, “You want to know? Come over here and talk.”
Fu Qinghai thought, then why don't you come over here and talk to me?
Fu Qinghai slowly retreated in the direction away from the voice.
...Could it be that you can't come over?
Confirming this suspicion, Fu Qinghai continued to retreat until he was behind the half-open hatch door, ensuring that no reflection from any piece of broken glass could see him.
He raised his voice, “Esteemed... uh, Sir, I mean no harm, nor do I intend to offend. I am a law-abiding citizen of the Imperium, a resident of the colony Planet Cheslatan, Number 17-974. My name is Cedric.”
“I was passing by here unintentionally and took the liberty of disturbing you... Please do not take offense.”
“Kukuku…” The voice let out a hoarse, unpleasant laugh, “Passing by here unintentionally and taking the opportunity to pilfer something from me on the way back?”
“I just want to understand the situation, Sir, understand the situation,” Fu Qinghai responded loudly while simultaneously shuffling further into the hatchway.
“There is an automated defense turret in the corridor, one that is still operational. If you aren't afraid, feel free to move a little further that way,” the voice said lazily.
Huh? Fu Qinghai faced the dark corridor behind the hatch, unable to see anything clearly, so he gently twisted open the Flashlight at the end of the Shock Lance.
A thin red light suddenly illuminated the depths of the dark corridor, instantly aiming at the Flashlight in Fu Qinghai’s hand.
Damn it!
Fu Qinghai scrambled out of the hatchway, tumbling and crawling, looking utterly pathetic.
The red light extinguished as he moved.
“Kukukukuku…” The hoarse, unpleasant laughter sounded again, “Poor little mouse, hiding and scurrying everywhere.”
Although his movements were clumsy, Fu Qinghai had not lost his composure.
In the passage behind the hatch just now, the instant the Flashlight illuminated the area, besides the beam of red light from the darkness ahead, there were also fresh, shattered pieces of Corpse in the corner of the corridor.
The remains of a person shattered by a large-caliber turret probably looked like that, Fu Qinghai guessed.
The person had been talking the whole time, but he hadn't heard any footsteps, and the perceived distance of the voice remained the same.
He clearly saw me first, yet he couldn't come over.
He was trapped!
Having reached a conclusion, Fu Qinghai calmed down for the moment. He slowly sat down on the ground and took a breath.
The voice also fell silent.
Fu Qinghai casually picked up a piece of scrap metal and tossed it into the pile of broken glass near the corner. With a "snap," he first eliminated the possibility of the mysterious person observing him through glass reflections.
By analyzing the angle of reflection, Fu Qinghai could roughly guess the mysterious person's location.
The entire Warship was currently in a tilted state; the original floor had become the wall, and the original wall had become the floor. To Fu Qinghai's left was a collapsed bulkhead and a steel Skybridge, a Ruin stuffed with debris, and several half-open hatch doors.
To the right was a tall and wide Gate. Judging by the scorched textiles and shattered colored glass, it seemed to be a small Auditorium or similar space, much wider than the area to Fu Qinghai's left. However, because the direction Peppo's Corpse was facing away from was over there, Fu Qinghai had always been afraid to go that way.
Just as Fu Qinghai was sitting on the ground thinking, there was a "sizzle"—the end of a thick Cable in the corner sparked with a burst of electrical fire, bringing a trace of pale light to the dim space.
Fu Qinghai looked down at the Shock Lance he was holding.
“Pop!” In the sea of thoughts belonging to the Iron Man Electronic Soul, a bubble burst.
Sparks meant that some power supply equipment on the Warship was still operating... Fu Qinghai slowly unscrewed the Flashlight at the end of the Shock Lance, then painstakingly disassembled the Casing of the shaft, revealing the Battery and transformer components inside. The idea in his mind became clearer and clearer.
After removing the Battery, he modified the Shock Lance's circuitry components by hand. Fu Qinghai stood up and walked toward the thick Cable sparking in the corner. He wrapped both hands around the insulated outer skin and pulled with all his might. With a "crash," accompanied by the sound of shifting debris, a long, thick black Cable was yanked out of the Ruins by Fu Qinghai.
Fu Qinghai looked at the thick Cable, which was as thick as an Adult's arm on one end, and the metal Shock Lance, which was only as thick as a regular steel pipe on the other.
Fu Qinghai, who didn't even have a basic electrician's certificate, had a vague idea forming—he felt he could connect the two.
While Fu Qinghai was fiddling with the Cable, the rough, unpleasant voice remained silent, not continuing to harass Fu Qinghai with words.
Perhaps it was tired or found the situation uninteresting.
Fu Qinghai ignored him and continued his work.
Fifteen minutes later.
Fu Qinghai laboriously dragged the Cable, holding the Shock Lance attached to the Cable's end, and took firm steps toward the Gate from which Peppo's Corpse had crawled.
Fragmented Information was Rolling in his mind: "Modified Shock Lance, external power source. Judging by the load capacity of the transformer and circuit board, Weapon Durability: One use."
The preliminary Judgment was that it would burn out after one use.
Fu Qinghai thrust the gun shaft out past the corner!
The interior of the Warship was silent; no storm of bullets, as imagined, rushed toward him.
Fu Qinghai poked his head forward and immediately retracted it.
Still silent; no sound of blades slicing through the air, as imagined, rushed toward him.
Finally, Fu Qinghai mustered his courage and darted forward suddenly.
He saw clearly!
Not far ahead, a burly Titan with a brutish, Eastern face was leaning against the Skybridge, sitting on the ground.
He was looking at Fu Qinghai with an expression reserved for an idiot.
…………