Everyone's nerves instantly sharpened, and they eagerly observed the crystalline object. Indeed, it was a blue tinged with black, resembling an overripe grape. Lu Zong commanded, "Quickly, move."

As soon as he spoke, everyone scattered. Only Lu Zong remained at the scene. He smiled faintly and then fled as well.

After fleeing for an indeterminate time and finding nothing in pursuit, they all finally breathed a massive sigh of relief.

In their panic to escape, they had forgotten their current predicament. They quickly scanned their surroundings and realized they were now in a pool shrouded in thick mist. They had no idea what lay beneath them.

Lu Zong sniffed the air. Why was there such a potent stench of decay? He tossed a small stone into the depths, but it landed with no discernible sound or disturbance.

Fatty picked up a much larger stone from the ground and hurled it down. Unexpectedly, the stone flew back up, hurtling directly toward Fatty. If Fatty hadn't reacted and dodged just in time, the stone would surely have smashed into his head.

The group froze, staring at this bizarre sight, utterly bewildered by what was happening.

Han Chong grabbed a rock from the ground, intending to throw it. Lu Zong watched him, uneasy, took the stone from Han Chong’s hand, and passed it to Ma Xiong. "Ma Xiong, you try."

Ma Xiong took the stone doubtfully and threw it down. But just like before, the stone shot back up after falling, aimed straight at Ma Xiong.

Ma Xiong clutched his head and scrambled away, cursing, "Lu Zong always sets me up!"

Lu Zong squatted down, his expression deeply puzzled. What was beneath them? How could it send stones flying upward?

As they pondered this mystery, a sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from behind them. Da Ji whirled around and saw it—the child that had just been born from the corpse.

Like its parents, it had no ears, and its nose was curled upward toward the sky. Its eyes were blue, and its limbs were disproportionately strong. Had it not been for its human-like body proportions, they might have mistaken it for a monkey.

But it wasn't a monkey. What was it? To call it human seemed wrong, given its facial structure. Could it be a Yao (demon/spirit)?

Lu Zong stated, "Let's worry about what it is later. We need to figure out how to deal with it first."

At this point, Lu Sha, usually reserved in speech, broke the silence. "I know. I know what this thing is."

The others rushed to ask, "What is it?"

Lu Sha explained, "Actually, I stumbled upon this during some research into East-West cultural exchanges—the Silk Road three thousand years ago. Legend says that three millennia ago, Prince Mayhar led his camel caravan into the Xinjiang Silk Road. Besides local specialties, they transported something incredibly strange. In Western history, one event caused a nationwide sensation: Prince Mayhar discovered an alien spacecraft in a desert and allegedly brought back many mysterious artifacts. Some claimed they were aliens. If that story was true, this creature might indeed be an extraterrestrial. The puzzle is how such an alien could survive for so long."

Lu Zong offered his thoughts, "Time is relative to different entities, just as the concept differs between Earthlings and aliens. Because Earth and Mars have different rotation and orbital periods, perhaps one Earth year equals only a few months on Mars. This suggests this being comes from a planet with a much longer orbital cycle. That's why its lifespan could be so extended."

Fatty grumbled, "What are you scientists going on about? First a monster, now an alien. You're scientists, how can you believe such things?"

Han Chong exchanged a look with Lu Zong. "Right. We are scientists. Everything should start from a scientific basis, yet everything they're saying now sounds like supernatural superstition."

Fatty declared, "Let's just handle it this way. I refuse to believe that the combined strength of a few of us can't defeat this alien."

Saying this, he drew his dagger and tucked several firearms into his belt. "Brothers, fight for the great lands of our motherland, fight for our women!"

Lu Zong and Ma Xiong also drew their weapons and stood before the women, glaring fiercely at the little monster before them.

Because it had just emerged from a corpse, it was still smeared with fresh blood and rotting flesh. In a way, the creature was pitiful; its parents had died immediately after its birth. To be precise, it had been born from a dead person’s womb, without ever tasting milk.

Fatty noted, "Lu Zong, look at that thing, baring its teeth. It must be hungry. This is a great opportunity for us."

Lu Zong asked, "What great opportunity?"

Fatty explained, "We can stall him. We just have to starve him out. Especially a newborn infant like this. I’m telling you, newborns who haven't been fed within three hours will starve to death; I've seen how meticulous hospitals are about that."

Ma Xiong looked at Fatty. "So you frequent maternity wards, do you?"

Lu Zong countered, "Have you ever seen a human infant walk right after birth? This child is clearly different from a human baby. Perhaps it can last much longer; maybe we'll all starve before it does."

Fatty scoffed, "Whatever. I don't believe such a tiny thing can eat all of us."

But just as the words left his mouth, the creature walked over to a rock—the seemingly soft stone they had initially called a meteorite. It picked up a piece and shoved it directly into its mouth, chewing loudly. The five of them watched, terrified. They never imagined the thing grew by eating rocks. This fact further confirmed it was likely an extraterrestrial, as it was consuming meteorites, not human milk.

After consuming one stone, the creature instantly grew taller by three or four centimeters. They were stunned. If it continued growing at this rate, it would surely turn into a dinosaur.

Lu Zong urgently told the two girls behind him to find a way out while he and Fatty stayed to hold the line. Ma Xiong was tasked with leading the women to find the exit.

After eating several more stones, the creature's skin became smooth, and its blue fur shone with a brilliant luster as it bared its teeth. Lu Zong watched, his heart pounding.

Suddenly, it lunged at Lu Zong. Lu Zong raised his dagger and stabbed down, but the creature’s teeth clamped down hard on the blade, refusing to let go. Lu Zong desperately shook the dagger, trying to dislodge it, but all he heard was the metallic clink-clink of the blade hitting the creature’s teeth, which remained stubbornly fixed.

Lu Zong grew anxious and threw the dagger away, fearing the creature might bite him next.

The creature and the dagger crashed against a pillar, and it tumbled down from the three-meter height. It hit the ground, writhed momentarily, then flipped over and lunged again, this time at Fatty.

Fatty yelled in terror, "Oh, sweet mother!" and tried to dodge backward. But before he could escape, the creature slammed into him and bit down hard on his arm. Fatty panicked and yanked his arm free, but the creature held on tight.

Lu Zong's heart jumped. Not good. Does this thing refuse to let go of whatever it bites? It held my dagger like that. Does it intend to rip Fatty’s arm off?

Lu Zong realized the gravity of the situation. Fatty had few virtues, but his limbs were perfectly intact. If he lost an arm, Fatty would sink into crippling self-loathing. He rushed forward, attempting to pull the creature off Fatty’s arm, but he only heard Fatty cry out in pain. Lu Zong's heart trembled again—was he really going to have to sacrifice Fatty's arm?

Facing this unknown alien creature, Lu Zong didn't know how to proceed effectively. He resorted to repeatedly stabbing the monster with the dagger he retrieved. However, the creature's outer hide was incredibly thick; the dagger blade even bent slightly, yet the creature’s fur remained entirely undamaged.

Lu Zong muttered, "How can this guy's skin be thicker than Fatty's? You can't drive him away; he just keeps clinging to people."

Fatty screamed in pain again. Lu Zong grew frantic, unable to find a way to save him.

Then, he remembered the stones from earlier. Since the creature loved eating rocks so much, perhaps bringing it more stones would work.

He spun around and ran off. Fatty thought Lu Zong was abandoning him and shouted, "Lu Zong, come back! You come back here!"

Lu Zong turned back and made a shushing gesture, signaling him to be quiet. Fatty immediately understood and stopped yelling, instead working furiously to pry the creature's jaws open with his dagger.

Lu Zong returned with the largest rock he could find and placed it near the monster's mouth. To Lu Zong's dismay, the creature didn't even glance at the rock he offered.

There was only one option left. Lu Zong gritted his teeth, looked at Fatty, and said, "I have to use meat to distract it."

He raced back to where the corpse lay. Seeing the body still there brought him a measure of relief. He hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and returned behind Fatty. He instructed, "Fatty, make sure it keeps its eyes on me."

Fatty looked at the corpse Lu Zong was carrying and instantly grasped his intent. He turned his body slightly so the creature’s gaze was fixed solely on Lu Zong.

The creature froze upon seeing Lu Zong, nearly letting go of Fatty’s arm. Fatty cried out happily, "It worked! It worked! Show it something stronger!"

Lu Zong took his blade and made a shallow cut across the creature's neck. Blood immediately jetted out in a torrent.

The creature went utterly berserk, emitting a low, distressed moan, and charged straight toward Lu Zong.

Lu Zong panicked, dropped the corpse, and bolted. So, the little guy is quite filial after all.

The creature reached the body, lowered its head, and let out a whimpering sound, like a ghost weeping. The noise gave both remaining men chills.