Chapter 47: Xenomorph Mother Nest! Unexpected Survival!
Fu Ming!
A silent scream echoed in the hearts of Zhang Jie and Denise.
It wasn't that they were incapable of speaking; rather, they were so terrified that for a moment, they didn't know how to make a sound.
Facing Fu Ming in the sky, Zhang Jie's legs gave out.
He was already at the end of his rope. Where would he find the courage to resist now?
*Let death come.*
*It's better this way.*
*Dying is much better than being ripped open by a Xenomorph later.*
As Zhang Jie thought about it, he surprisingly found himself wanting to laugh.
To be honest, a day ago, how could he have imagined that he would one day be cleaved in two by a sword-wielding cultivator standing on a flying sword in the sky?
*'This way of dying... it's not so bad.'*
Zhang Jie slowly closed his eyes, quietly awaiting death.
*Clatter, clatter!*
Beside him, the sound of footsteps approached!
Before Zhang Jie could open his eyes, his entire body was knocked to the ground!
He felt a warmth in front of him and quickly opened his eyes.
This is... Denise?
"What are you doing?"
Denise didn't explain. She looked up at Fu Ming in the sky, who was about to strike with his sword again.
A flash of surprise crossed Fu Ming's eyes!
Such an expression was incredibly rare to see on his face!
"You told her about the Mission?"
*Huh?*
Zhang Jie's mind raced, arriving at an almost impossible conclusion! This group had been so secretive around Denise, yet had this Original Character managed to deduce from mere fragments of their conversations that she was an important figure in this movie, perhaps even a crucial part of the Mission?!
Denise's character setting in this movie was a legitimate Ph.D.; her intellect was far superior to anyone else present.
She had instantly deduced her own importance, tackling the incapacitated Zhang Jie and catching Fu Ming completely off guard!
Fu Ming staying his hand also confirmed Denise's judgment.
She couldn't be killed by these people.
"Interesting," Fu Ming said calmly, taking something out and tossing it down from the sky.
Denise wasn't afraid. She raised a hand and caught a canister.
"That's a medical spray." Fu Ming paused before speaking again. "I've never seen an Original Character as smart and brave as you. He hasn't unlocked his Gene Lock, so he's not worth much."
Fu Ming formed a sword seal with his hand and retracted the golden light. "I'll spare this reincarnator's life on account of your bravery."
"Consider it a way for him to protect you."
"I won't kill him for now."
With that, Fu Ming actually put his hands behind his back and flew off into the distance!
"He just... left!?"
Zhang Jie muttered in a daze, while Denise was already applying the medical spray to his leg.
"No, keep it for now! Let's see how he is first; my watch hasn't shown any reduction in personnel yet!"
Along the banks of a clear underground stream, the group of six—Yan Wei, Xiaoye Hui, Nuowa, the one-armed aunty, and the Original Characters, the old white man Bello Zork and the black girl Shanti—walked slowly.
Their faces were pale with shock, their eyes flickering with unease and anxiety.
Anyone who knew their destination was a Xenomorph Queen's lair would not be in a good mood.
A tense atmosphere permeated the group, ready to explode at any moment.
Yan Wei finally couldn't hold back any longer, his voice laced with obvious dissatisfaction. "This is all your fault for splitting the team! If it weren't for you, how would we have ended up in this situation!"
Xiaoye Hui's expression darkened. She retorted, "Yan Wei, that's not right! Meng Rui and Da Qiang were going to steal our reward points anyway. They never saw us as human! No matter what I did, this day would have come sooner or later."
Yan Wei's face grew even uglier. He said furiously, "There's strength in numbers, don't you get it?! If we hadn't split up, how could she have dared to move against so many of us? Xiaoye Hui, you're just a stupid pig pretending to be smart. This is all because of you, you idiot!"
"Heh heh." Xiaoye Hui crossed her arms. "You think Meng Rui wouldn't have turned on us if we hadn't split up? You think too highly of yourself."
"Whether I think highly of myself or not, it's better than you standing here acting like you know everything, isn't it?"
Xiaoye Hui sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "Yan Wei, you're just a self-righteous person with no leadership ability. I originally thought you were just a coward, but now I see that cowardice is the most insignificant part of your despicable character!"
Yan Wei grew frantic. "Say that again?"
Xiaoye Hui gave Yan Wei a look of utter contempt, the kind a woman reserves for a man she despises. "What? You dare to hit me?"
Yan Wei was completely enraged. He rushed forward and grabbed Xiaoye Hui by the throat.
"Bitch! You bitch!"
Yan Wei transferred all his pent-up grievances—from the confusion of arriving in "Alien: Covenant," to the brief, exhilarating moment of leading the small team, to being chased by Xenomorphs, placed in a Xenomorph egg, and undergoing surgery, to being implanted with a Xenomorph egg and a bomb—onto Xiaoye Hui's neck.
It looked as if he was about to choke her to death.
As a woman, Xiaoye Hui was no match for a man's strength. Yan Wei straddled her upper body, and her eyes bulged as she was about to suffocate!
Just then, the one-armed aunty, who had been silent all this time, suddenly made a move!
She picked up a rock and smashed it hard against the back of Yan Wei's head.
Yan Wei cried out in pain and released his grip on Xiaoye Hui. He turned around, looking at the one-armed aunty in disbelief.
A flash of satisfaction appeared in the aunty's eyes. She had finally seized the opportunity to get revenge on Yan Wei for shooting her in the back earlier.
"You old hag!" Yan Wei roared, wanting to strike back, but the one-armed aunty had already taken a few steps back, her eyes filled with caution and triumph.
"I'm warning you, don't mess around!" The aunty placed her free hand on her hip, apparently used to having only one arm. "I'm not afraid of you. No matter how scary you get, are you scarier than those big bugs? No way!"
"You waste any more time, and the big thing in my belly will come out and take your life all the same!"
"You!"
Yan Wei knew the aunty was absolutely right. He glanced around at the others and noticed that they were all looking at him with disapproval.
His reputation was completely ruined!
Xiaoye Hui took the opportunity to retreat to the side. Watching this scene, she had mixed feelings.
The internal conflicts within this Team had reached an irreconcilable point. It would be a miracle if a squad like this could survive on such a dangerous planet.
Nuowa, with her gun held ready, chose not to waste any more time with them. She moved quickly, carefully exploring along the underground stream.
Nuowa scanned the depths of the stream. The beam of her flashlight couldn't fully illuminate the darkness. She had no idea what lay at the very end.
An emotion called fear crawled all over her.
Suddenly, a strange noise came from the depths of the underground stream!
Nuowa's nerves instantly tensed. Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly placed her gun on the bank, took a deep breath, and dived directly into the ice-cold river water.
The river water was clear, but because it was underground, the light was dim and visibility was poor.
Nuowa widened her eyes, trying hard to adjust to the murky underwater environment.
She sank deeper into the river.
Just then, she saw a Xenomorph slowly walking past on the bank.
This Xenomorph was huge, its skin smooth and moist, shimmering with a metallic luster.
Its tail was long and flexible, and its head was a terrifying, menacing structure, full of sharp teeth and a transparent inner jaw.
Nuowa's heart tightened!
This was a Xenomorph similar to a "drone"!
Nuowa was terrified. She realized that what Meng Rui had said might be true.
If there really was a Xenomorph mother nest here, then the danger they faced would be far beyond their expectations.
This planet was likely far more dangerous than they had imagined. The number and range of the Xenomorphs could be far beyond their comprehension.
Waiting until the footsteps of the "drone" Xenomorph faded into the distance, Nuowa, her face pale from holding her breath, surfaced.
She gasped for air, and after a moment, pressed the walkie-talkie on her shoulder.
"There's a mother nest."
The message had just been sent when Meng Rui's voice came back.
"Excellent, baby," Meng Rui said. "I knew you were the only useful one in this Team. Go take a look and see if there's a Xenomorph with an unusually large body. If there is, report back to me."
As if she already knew Meng Rui would change her tune, Nuowa spoke calmly, "I can go look, but you have to give me a chance to live. And you have to tell me why we must find the Xenomorph Queen."
Meng Rui was silent for a moment before replying slowly:
"Have you ever seen..."
"...a Japanese anime called 'Parasyte'?"
(There's another chapter coming, before twelve o'clock.)
(end of chapter)