Survival in infinity

Chapter 17: The Bait Strategy

The safe room's heavy door sealed with a hiss, isolating the group from the chaos outside. The metallic clang reverberated through the tight quarters, but the silence that followed was anything but comforting. It was thick with grief, exhaustion, and the weight of Kampa's death.

Len slumped against the wall, her rifle clutched tightly in her hands. She stared at the floor, her lips pressed into a thin line. "He shouldn't have died," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Not like that."

Zheng sat heavily on a bench, his pale skin glistening with sweat. Despite the vampire blood coursing through his veins, stabilizing his mutations, the toll of the battle was evident. Zero stood beside him, silent as ever, while Chu Xuan hunched over the monitors, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he analyzed the ship's layout and the aliens' movements.

Jack leaned against the wall, his fists clenched tightly. He hadn't known Kampa as well as the others, but the man's death still hit hard. More than grief, it was the implications that gnawed at him. Kampa was supposed to survive this stage in the novel. His death here... it's wrong. The story's already diverging.

Chu Xuan's voice cut through the heavy silence. "Two confirmed kills. But there are still at least six—possibly seven—aliens unaccounted for." His tone was clinical, but even he couldn't mask the tension in his voice. "And the eggs will hatch soon. If that happens, our survival probability drops to near zero."

Len shot a sharp look at him. "We know that. What we don't know is how we're supposed to handle them with just us left."

Zheng forced himself to sit upright, his glowing eyes scanning the room. "We need a plan," he said firmly. "Something more than just reacting."

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Acknowledging the Stakes

Jack stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "We need to control the fight. If we keep letting them ambush us, we're done."

Zero tilted his head slightly. "Divide and conquer."

Jack nodded. "Exactly. We isolate them, funnel them into kill zones. But to do that, we need bait."

Len's head snapped up. "You're joking, right? After what just happened to Kampa? We can't afford to lose anyone else."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Jack shot back, his voice rising. "Kampa's death wasn't just a tragedy—it was a wake-up call. If we don't change how we're fighting, we're all going to die."

Zero's calm voice cut in. "The bait plan. It's our best chance. But we're short one person for it."

Jack took a deep breath. He'd been dreading this moment, but there was no avoiding it. "I'll do it," he said firmly.

The room erupted.

"You're insane!" Len shouted, pushing herself to her feet. "You barely know how to use that... that Sharingan thing! And your chakra control? Let's not even start on that."

Zheng frowned deeply. "She's right. You're not ready for this. You're valuable to the team, Jack. We can't afford to lose you."

"Then who else?" Jack countered, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Zero's our sniper—he needs to stay at a distance. Zheng, you're our heavy hitter, and they'll focus on you the moment you show yourself. Chu Xuan's our strategist. Len... you've got the best aim next to Zero. You're all critical to this plan."

He stepped forward, his Sharingan flickering momentarily before fading. "But me? I'm expendable. I have the Sharingan, yes, but I'm not good enough with it yet for it to matter in a straight fight. What I can do is run. With my clone, I can split their attention and lead them exactly where we need them."

Chu Xuan leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in thought. "Let's say we go with this. The ship's corridors form a neural network. We can use environmental controls—bulkhead seals, air vents, temperature adjustments—to funnel the aliens where we want them. But timing will be everything."

Zero stepped up to the monitors, studying the layout. "Ambush points need to be defensible. Narrow corridors. Places where they can't flank us."

"Agreed," Chu Xuan said. He highlighted three sections on the map. "These are the best locations. We'll station teams at each point to intercept them. Jack and his clone will draw them in, then we'll seal the bulkheads behind them."

Jack rubbed his temples, his mind racing. "We'll need decoys. Blood to lure them in."

"I'll prepare some traps," Len said reluctantly. "Explosives, maybe some noise-makers. Something to keep them focused on the bait."

Zheng folded his arms, his expression grim. "And if something goes wrong?"

"It won't," Jack said quickly. "Because we'll stick to the plan."

"Plans don't always survive contact with the enemy," Zero muttered.

Jack met his gaze. "That's why I have the Sharingan. Even if the plan goes sideways, I'll see it coming."

"Hopefully," Len muttered under her breath.

Chu Xuan interrupted before the argument could escalate. "Jack, your clone. How much can it handle?"

Jack glanced at Jack-B, who had been silently observing. "He's me, down to the last detail. Same skills, same abilities, same memories and his attributes are bigger than mine. We can coordinate perfectly."

Jack-B nodded. "I'll take the first leg of the bait run. You handle the final stretch. That way, if one of us goes down, the other can still lead them into the trap."

The team moved with grim efficiency. Len and Zero set up traps at the ambush points, while Chu Xuan fine-tuned the bulkhead controls. Zheng stayed close to Jack and Jack-B, offering quiet words of encouragement.

"Remember," Chu Xuan said through the comms, "timing is critical. If you're even a second off, the entire plan collapses."

Jack-B smirked faintly. "Don't worry. We've got this."

Jack gave him a wry look. "Confidence doesn't equal invincibility."

The clone grinned. "It does when you're me."

Jack couldn't help but laugh, the tension easing slightly. "Alright. Let's do this."

As the safe room door opened, Jack-B darted out, his movements swift and precise. The aliens took the bait almost immediately, their hisses echoing through the corridors.

"Section 12 is clear," Chu Xuan reported. "They're following the bait."

Jack positioned himself at the first ambush point, his Sharingan activating with a painful jolt. The creatures move erratically, but the Sharingan allowed him to track their patterns. He signaled Zero, who fired a single shot. One alien fell, its body twitching.

"Bulkhead sealed," Chu Xuan said. "Move to Section 15."

Jack-B sprinted ahead, his gunfire keeping the aliens focused on him. Jack followed, his mind racing as he recalibrated the route. So far, so good. But this is where it usually goes wrong.

At the final kill zone, the air grew heavy. Jack's Sharingan picked up a massive heat signature. His blood ran cold.

"Chu Xuan," he whispered. "We've got a Queen."

The comms were silent for a moment. Then: "Abort. Fall back now."

Jack gritted his teeth. "No. If we retreat, it's over."

The Queen's screech reverberated through the corridor, shaking the walls. Jack glanced at Jack-B, their eyes meeting in silent agreement.

"This isn't how it went in the novel," Jack muttered, his Sharingan blazing. "But this is our story now."

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