SPACE: I Can Summon Players From Earth! Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Fight!

Read chapter 3 of SPACE: I Can Summon Players From Earth! by JJA_Lightzero on NovelPedia.

Luis pressed himself harder against the cold metal wall, his heart hammering wildly against his ribs. He bit down hard on his lower lip, forcing himself to stay completely still, not daring to make even the tiniest sound. His eyes were fixed on the scene five meters ahead, and what he saw made his blood run colder than the void of space outside. The thing wriggling inside the torn-open torso was no ordinary insect. It was a pale, milky-white beetle-like creature, roughly half a meter in length. Its shell looked softer and thinner than the ones he had seen earlier, almost translucent, allowing faint glimpses of its twitching internal organs beneath. Six spindly, sharp legs protruded from its sides, each tipped with a claw that gleamed like polished steel. At its front, two long, whip-like antennae swayed back and forth, sensing the air, while its mouthparts worked rapidly, producing those wet, sickening crunching sounds. A juvenile? Or a different type entirely? Luis thought, his grip tightening until his knuckles whitened around the plasma weapon. "Commander, analysis complete," the System whispered directly into his mind, keeping her voice low so it would not carry. "This variant is classified as a White Burrower. They are smaller but more aggressive than the standard soldier beetles. Their shells are weaker, but they are faster, more agile, and their claws can cut through standard alloy plating. They also have a highly sensitive sense of vibration and air movement." "Great~ just what I needed." "So it can hear and feel even if I hold my breath." He slowly raised the weapon, his movements slow and controlled, compensating carefully for the lack of gravity. If he fired now, the sound and the flash would definitely alert it, but if he waited, it might finish its meal and wander directly into his hiding spot. No time to hesitate. Two hours of oxygen left, and every minute counts. Luis steadied his aim, lining up the narrow slit of the muzzle with the creature's exposed underbelly, its weakest point, according to the System's quick scan. Pshhh! The shot was silent, just a soft hiss of energy. The blue-white plasma blade shot forward, piercing straight through the floating corpse and slamming directly into the White Burrower. Screeeech! A high-pitched, ear-splitting shriek echoed through the corridor, sharp enough to make Luis's teeth ache. The creature was thrown backward by the impact, its body convulsing violently as it tumbled away from the body. A smoking, clean hole had been burned through its midsection, and pale, viscous fluid oozed out into the air, forming floating globs in the zero-gravity environment. But to Luis's horror, it did not die instantly. The wounded creature spun in the air, its legs thrashing wildly, and those long antennae whipped around until they locked onto Luis's position. Its small, black eyes glinted with pure, feral rage. "Damn it! It's still moving!" Before he could fire a second shot, the White Burrower pushed off against the wall with all six legs and launched itself straight at him like a living projectile. It moved much faster than he expected, its body twisting and turning in the air with unnatural ease. Luis ducked instinctively, kicking off the floor to drift backward. The monster's claws slashed through the spot where his head had been a split second earlier, scraping sparks from the metal bulkhead. The force of its swipe sent Luis spinning uncontrollably backward. "System! Any weak points besides the belly!?" "The joints of its legs and the base of its antennae are unarmored! Its head shell is thin as well!" "Got it!" Luis aimed again, but this time the creature did not give him a clear shot. It darted left and right, using the floating debris and pipes along the corridor as cover, closing the distance rapidly. Every time it moved, it released that same high-pitched clicking sound, a warning that it was preparing to strike again. Pshhh! He fired twice in quick succession, but the agile mon