The 700-meter-long Yautja mothership swiftly returned to Earth's orbit, while the micro-ship controlled by the Xenomorph-Yautja hybrid crash-landed in the United States.
The only silver lining was that the crash site was in the remote mountains of Colorado.
However, when Sunday reported that the crash occurred near a small town of over 3,000 people, William couldn't help but mutter, Of course. Trouble always seems to happen in this country.
Once the mothership reached Earth's orbit, William reconnected with Sunday. Thanks to the interstellar language package provided by the Yautja leader, Sunday could now fully translate the Yautja language.
Hearing that the leader intended to send just one warrior to deal with the Xenomorph-Yautja hybrid, William immediately objected.
"One isn't nearly enough. What if that hybrid is a Queen? And don't forget, there are at least a dozen Facehuggers on that ship."
The other Yautja hesitated, glancing at their leader, who finally explained, "Apologies, but we must first thoroughly inspect the mothership and all auxiliary ships for any Xenomorphs or Facehuggers.
If even one Facehugger infiltrates the animal pens aboard our ships, we're all doomed."
"Wait, Xenomorphs can parasitize animals?" William asked, surprised.
"Of course," the Yautja leader replied, waving his warriors off to begin the inspections. "In the presence of higher lifeforms, Xenomorphs prioritize them as hosts. However, certain animal species possess genetic traits superior to those of higher lifeforms in specific ways.
When that happens, the Xenomorphs don't hesitate to use them as hosts. And when these mutated Xenomorphs emerge, they often herald a biological catastrophe."
"Then why not just toss those damned animals into the sun while you're at it?" William growled.
The leader hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head. "The five Moven beasts aboard are remnants of a species we've spent centuries recovering from the Moven planet."
He pulled up a red holographic display, showcasing two large and three smaller creatures resembling Tyrannosaurus rex with two fleshy tendrils on their heads. Each stood three meters tall, measured four meters long, and emitted either a faint red or blue glow. Their tails split into five or six luminous, forked ends.
As William studied the display, a thought struck him: This looks just like the alien beast in that ancient Earth film, Monster Battlefield!
In the film, a human-like alien civilization discovered the Moven planet and determined that the Moven beasts were intelligent, physically powerful apex predators. Unwilling to risk the lives of ground troops in a drawn-out conflict, the aliens unleashed a viral storm that swept the entire planet, eradicating the species in one decisive blow.
Talk about a dimension-reducing strike, William mused. No warning, no consideration—just pure extermination, treating the creatures as nothing more than viruses.
This revelation raised an unsettling question: was there a human-like civilization beyond Earth capable of such advanced interstellar travel and destructive power? Could this be why species like the Yautja and other aliens hesitated to invade Earth?
But who exactly were these human-like aliens?
William was jolted from his thoughts as the Yautja leader continued, "Our plan was to release the Moven beasts on a suitable planet after this trial, allowing them to repopulate. But with the Xenomorph contamination, these creatures pose an even greater threat.
If a Xenomorph hybridizes with a Moven beast, it could gain their immense strength and natural energy, potentially making them the rulers of an entire galaxy. All life would become their prey."
Damn Yautja. William's irritation grew as he pondered his options. Could he use his mirrored space magic to scan for Xenomorphs and Facehuggers aboard the ship?
Without hesitation, he conjured a golden magical circle, raising a mirrored space that he extended from the control room toward the ship's midsection.
The mirrored space stretched 300 meters before William halted and rotated his hand, reversing everything non-living within the space.
The terrified Yautja warriors were left standing amidst the illusion of deep space as William scanned for threats. Confirming the area was clear, he told the leader, "Let's move to the midsection."
The Yautja leader, now grasping William's method, eagerly led him forward.
After walking another 200 meters, William stopped to deploy another mirrored space, ensuring no Xenomorphs or Facehuggers had moved in the meantime.
To his surprise, he found a hidden Facehugger, which he immediately incinerated. William and the leader then quickened their pace, moving another 200 meters and casting the mirrored space again.
This time, they brought the five Moven beasts into the mirrored space as well.
With the ship being only 700 meters long, three rounds of magic were sufficient to uncover the stowaway Facehugger. Still wary, William started from the rear of the ship and cast the mirrored space three more times, confirming there were no further threats.
Relieved, he made a mental note: My future ships will never be as crude as the Yautja's. No self-diagnostic systems, no internal defensive weapons—it's ridiculous.
Then again, he conceded, simplicity had its merits. Without automated defenses, the ship's crew was safer in case of system compromise. Still, William thought it foolish not to prioritize external defenses over internal ones.
Returning to the control room, William saw a live feed from the warrior who had pursued the micro-ship to Earth. The footage showed that the Xenomorph-Yautja hybrid had survived the crash, along with 12 Facehuggers.
"F***!" William cursed loudly. If these weren't dealt with quickly, the Americans might resort to nuclear strikes on their own territory—an option with dire consequences.
"Sunday, notify the Expendables, Lara's team, and Selene and Nyssa. Have them gear up and fly directly to the town."
"Understood, Sir."
But ten minutes later, Sunday reported, "Apologies, Sir. The U.S. government has denied entry permits for all three teams to bring weapons into the country."
Are they trusting me too much, or are they just suicidal?
Frustrated but unwilling to let Earth suffer the consequences, William ordered, "Have them wait in Mexico. Be ready to deploy them at a moment's notice."
Turning to the Yautja leader, he said, "I need all your data on Xenomorph tracking."
The leader hesitated, his dissatisfaction evident. William quickly clarified, "Don't get the wrong idea. I have no interest in studying Xenomorphs. I want to wipe them out entirely.
And let's not forget—the responsibility for this crisis lies squarely with you. If you don't want to share the data, then you can deal with this mess yourself."
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Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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