Chapter 43: Revival
Zhang Jie's consciousness swayed in the shockwave of the explosion. His world was filled with chaos and noise.
As his vision gradually cleared, he found himself pinned beneath a pile of rubble. Heavy stones pressed down on his body, making it almost impossible to breathe.
He felt like he was about to die. Intense pain shot through every part of his body, especially his legs—it was an agony he had never experienced before.
But on the brink of life and death, the obsession in his heart was like a flame, burning away at his will:
He had to live. He had to live to reach that place, to see that face one more time...
This obsession with survival awakened Zhang Jie. A surge of power suddenly erupted from his body!
This power tensed his muscles. He unleashed a strength he had never known in his life, shoving aside the rubble that pinned him!
"Hah... hah..."
After struggling out from under the pile of rubble, Zhang Jie looked back at his crushed leg.
It seemed... it didn't seem to hurt as much as he'd imagined?
He struggled to crawl out of the ruins and looked toward the deep crater in the distance, his heart sinking in shock.
Ren Arakawa, at the epicenter of the explosion, was probably dead.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Zhang Jie's heart.
Having been a soldier, Zhang Jie already considered Ren Arakawa, his teammate for a short time, a comrade.
He also understood very well that even if he survived and returned to the Main God Space, he couldn't escape the fate of being turned into a human swine.
Would he never be able to see her again, or even indulge in the luxury of hugging her?
Suddenly! Zhang Jie thought of something!
He hurriedly raised his wrist and looked at his System Watch!
When he saw the number "seventeen" displayed on the watch, a flash of joy crossed his eyes. "Excellent! Excellent!"
Before the team battle started, the number on the watch was seventeen crew members. It was still seventeen now, which meant...
Including Ren Arakawa and the female lead, the explosion just now hadn't caused any casualties.
Zhang Jie looked around. Amidst the ruins, a pair of eyes happened to meet his!
"Dan Nusi!"
Zhang Jie was overjoyed. "Are... are you alright?"
Dan Nusi gritted her teeth. "I... I'm pinned. I think my arm is broken."
"Don't move yet. I can't lift a rock this big."
Dragging his injured body, Zhang Jie painstakingly crawled towards the deep crater.
Every inch he moved seemed to drain all the strength from his body.
When he finally reached the edge of the crater, the scene within was one he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Ren Arakawa lay there, his skin and flesh split open. His clothes had been torn to shreds by the blast.
His body was covered in black, irregular, cloud-like "tattoos"—the marks of the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
Half of his body was submerged in water, creating a particularly desolate sight.
His eyes had rolled back into his head, and he was unconscious, but his hands were still clasped together. Even unconscious, his body maintained its final posture.
This scene stirred complex emotions in Zhang Jie's heart once again.
He suddenly wondered, if he had gone through what Ren Arakawa had, would he still possess such a strong will to live?
He probably would have broken down long ago, his spirit shattered, right?
Suddenly!
Something emitting a faint glow caught Zhang Jie's attention!
He turned his head and saw that the light was coming from a corner of the deep crater.
He crawled over with great difficulty, gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain in his leg, and picked up the glowing object.
It was a bracelet that emitted a purple glow. There were still remnants of human skin tissue on it, making it look exceptionally strange.
This is...
The bracelet worn by that woman from the Devil Team!
This thing is glowing, it can't be just a simple accessory, can it?
A thought flashed through Zhang Jie's mind. Without a second thought, he plunged headfirst into the crater where Ren Arakawa lay!
*Splash!*
Because Ren Arakawa had used a Water Formation Wall, Zhang Jie choked on a couple of mouthfuls of the water in the pit. But he quickly got up on one foot, propped Ren Arakawa up against the edge of the crater, and slipped the bracelet onto Ren Arakawa's wrist.
Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.
Zhang Jie's condition was getting worse and worse.
He tried calling out to Ren Arakawa, but it had no effect.
If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of Ren Arakawa's chest and the unchanging number on the System Watch proving he was still alive, Zhang Jie would have truly thought he was waiting for a corpse to resurrect.
*Keke-ke...*
What... what was that sound?
Zhang Jie abruptly looked up!
The moment their eyes met, his blood ran cold!
Facehugger!
Because of the explosion just now, a Facehugger that had been soaking in Nutrient Fluid had broken free of its restraints and woken up!
One of them, following the scent, had come here!
His previous infinite-ammo Desert Eagle had been blown away somewhere by the explosion. Powerless and unable to even stand properly, Zhang Jie was instantly dumbfounded.
In a panic, he searched for a suitable rock to attack the Facehugger.
The next second, his heart stopped!
Another Facehugger appeared above the crater!
As if by agreement, the two Facehuggers pounced on Zhang Jie and the recovering Ren Arakawa at the same time!
(Seriously? You can handle this too?)
Zhang Jie's heart hammered wildly in his chest. His eyes bulged as he stared at the dark shadow that first leaped onto Ren Arakawa's body!
He didn't have time to think, because immediately after, a Facehugger leaped onto him as well!
His heart filled with despair!
But at this moment of life and death, an intense will to survive erupted from the depths of his heart!
He desperately grabbed the Facehugger's body, using all his strength to try and throw it off.
The Facehugger's proboscis dangled no more than five centimeters from the tip of Zhang Jie's nose. The threat of death was inches away.
Zhang Jie could feel the Facehugger's tentacles scraping across his face, cold and slick, making his skin break out in goosebumps.
Zhang Jie and the Facehugger were locked in a brief stalemate.
But soon, Zhang Jie felt dizzy. A powerful wave of vertigo overwhelmed his brain!
The aftereffects of unlocking the first Tier of the genetic lock were not something an ordinary person could resist.
Zhang Jie's consciousness began to blur, and strength drained from his fingertips.
The Facehugger seized the opportunity to shove its proboscis into Zhang Jie's mouth!
He could feel the cold sensation penetrating his throat. An indescribable sense of terror and nausea washed over him!
Having seen the movie, Zhang Jie knew that a Xenomorph egg had been implanted by the Facehugger into his burning stomach.
He didn't know how long it would be before a Xenomorph burst from his chest.
This feeling of waiting for death was more torturous than death itself.
Zhang Jie gradually gave up resisting, letting the Facehugger cling to him.
The next second...
*Squelch!*
Scalding green liquid exploded across Zhang Jie's face! The sensation, like having sulfuric acid thrown on him, was a fate worse than death!
He hastily flung away the now-dead Facehugger on his face, tore off his clothes, and frantically wiped at the areas stung by the corrosive liquid!
"Being disfigured is better than having your chest burst open."
Ren Arakawa's hoarse voice sounded out. Zhang Jie struggled to open his eyes. The first thing he saw were two Facehuggers lying on the ground with kunai embedded in their heads.
Then, he saw the sole savior of the Farming Team—Ren Arakawa.
"That's... that's great..."
Ren Arakawa waved a hand, cutting off Zhang Jie's emotional outburst. "The Facehugger implants a Xenomorph egg... *cough, cough, cough*..."
"And if it's forcibly disconnected from the host..."
Ren Arakawa rubbed his uncomfortable throat. "The Xenomorph egg's incubation time should be several hours, give or take. *Cough!*"
"We have two paths before us."
"One, wait to die."
"Two..."
Ren Arakawa toyed with the bracelet on his wrist. "Go back to the Covenant and get this damn thing out!"
"Ah? We're going back like this? Meng Yao and Da Qiang will definitely know you killed a Veteran. She'll dismember you to snatch your reward points!"
Ren Arakawa narrowed his eyes. "No, she won't have time to deal with me."
(end of chapter)