"Just imagine it for yourselves," Zheng Zha thought, a spark igniting in his mind as if he'd glimpsed something profound, only for the thought to vanish when he tried to grasp it firmly. "If monkeys, reaching their absolute limit, evolve into humans, what might a human become upon reaching that extreme?"

The usually silent Ling Mo suddenly broke the quiet. "How do you unlock the Gene Lock? Does it require medication or something else?" Chu Xuan waved a dismissive hand. "It requires a substance similar to adrenaline. This substance can only be generated by the human body itself, and the crucial point is... it's extremely toxic. I imagine you’ve all heard stories of elderly women single-handedly lifting cars to save grandchildren trapped beneath the wheels, right? That’s a genuine incident, but that old woman died very shortly afterward. Scientists discovered trace amounts of this very substance in her blood."

"Therefore, it’s impossible to force open the Gene Lock using external means—at least not with humanity's current level of technology. To unlock it, one must strive on their own... Of course, right now, we don't even know the direction in which to strive, so it's just talk. In any case, I suspect this space is somehow related to unlocking the Gene Lock, perhaps even... a ruin left behind by the first humans who managed to unlock it."

Zhang Jie laughed heartily. "You think ancient monkeys somehow foresaw us watching horror movies today? And that they could offer countless high-tech weapons exchangeable in the future? Do you think those monkeys could predict all of this?" Chu Xuan smiled faintly. "The monkeys perhaps couldn't, but what if they created an intelligent computer? A computer that cannot die? It could record all our horror films and force us to experience this Infinite Horror until we die, or until we break through our limits amid the terror, unlock the Gene Lock, earn enough reward points, and leave. What do you think of my deduction?" Ling Mo abruptly waved his hand and lowered his voice. "What you're saying might hold water, but pay attention to our current situation... I smell blood thirty meters ahead, turning left. Who wants to check it out?" Zheng Zha gritted his teeth. "My physical conditioning is the highest; I’ll go take a look."

No one spoke; they simply cleared the corridor. Zhang Jie also readied his Desert Eagle, handing a grenade to each of the others as he did so.

Zheng Zha took a deep, ragged breath, forcibly pushing down the boundless terror surging in his heart. He moved cautiously down the left side of the corridor. Due to the extreme tension, he felt as though he could hear his own heartbeat, gradually becoming aware of the minute fluctuations within his very blood vessels. It was a strange, indescribable sensation, yet Zheng Zha felt a glimmer of enlightenment—he seemed to be only a single step away from unlocking the Gene Lock.

Regrettably, this state didn't last long. As he peered cautiously around the corner of the corridor to the left, he was suddenly jolted by a frightful sight, and the profound, ineffable state vanished without a trace, replaced entirely by deep, consuming fear.

The area to the left of the passage was piled high with unrecognizable chunks of shredded meat—nothing recognizable as human remained. Bones, organs, gore, and all manner of filthy debris were heaped together. Aside from scattered scraps of torn clothing on the floor, no one could possibly confirm that these remnants had once been human.

Zheng Zha let out a loud retch, clutching the wall as he vomited violently. Seeing that there was no immediate danger, the others rushed over. Then Zhan Lan, Li Xiaoyi, and Li Shuaixi joined Zheng Zha in retching, and even Zhang Jie’s mouth twitched several times. Only Ling Mo, Ba Wang, and Chu Xuan knelt by the pile of gore, observing in silence.

Ba Wang picked up a few strips of cloth from the ground. He exchanged a glance with Ling Mo, and the foreigner said haltingly in broken language, "It’s those three punks, and the meat volume from two other bodies is gone."

Zheng Zha and the others, who had just managed to stop vomiting, erupted in another bout of violent nausea, this time expelling bile, upon hearing the word "meat volume."

"No, I don't think so."

Chu Xuan examined the scraps closely. "I have conducted minor dissection experiments. Most of these pieces are crushed bone fragments, along with the indigestible and soiled parts of the organs. And look here—this is a fragment of a shoulder blade. I have already found three different shoulder blade fragments. Therefore, I conclude that the Xenomorph took the usable meat and left behind the remains of three corpses."

Zheng Zha and the others truly had nothing left to vomit; their insides felt like they were convulsing. Fortunately, Zheng Zha's physical capabilities far surpassed the others, and after a moment of heaving, he could still manage to move. The rest, however, were utterly weak, their limbs soft, barely able to stand without leaning against the wall.

After concluding their grim discussion, Chu Xuan and the other two returned to the group. He frowned as he looked at the four individuals leaning weakly against the wall. "Let’s leave this place first. Things are much worse than we anticipated. A fully mature Third Stage Xenomorph has appeared, and... they are likely nearby."

No sooner had he spoken than Ling Mo and Ba Wang suddenly lurched forward and dropped low to the ground. A flash of terror appeared in both men's eyes, especially Ling Mo, who whispered urgently, "Something’s wrong, there’s danger..." Those who live on the edge of life and death often possess a peculiar sixth sense for peril. As Ling Mo and Ba Wang simultaneously dropped low, Zheng Zha felt a sharp premonition as well. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he instinctively looked behind him. A massive, dark shadow suddenly shot out from the corridor behind him. The speed was so immense that only his own heightened neural reaction time allowed him to register the colossal, terrifying silhouette—a creature of nightmares.

At the very end of the group, leaning against the wall, was Li Xiaoyi. He had been trembling from vomiting just moments before and now lacked the strength to move even slightly. As Zheng Zha looked back at him with a look of horror, the young man could only manage to turn his head slightly before freezing, too terrified to move.

It was a fully mature, giant Xenomorph, nearly two meters seventy or eighty tall, with a length extending over three meters including its tail. Its exoskeleton was slick and jet-black, its massive, elongated head stretching back toward its spine. Its horrifying mouth was filled with sharp teeth, but what was most terrifying was that the tongue protruding from its jaws was also bristling with fangs. This was a monster whose mere appearance was enough to scare ordinary men to death.

Li Xiaoyi watched the saliva dripping incessantly from the creature's maw. He had just managed to swallow, when the Xenomorph's enormous tongue pierced his shoulder. The speed of that tongue, lined with fangs, was so quick that even Zheng Zha could only perceive a blurred shadow. Then, Li Xiaoyi was dragged by the creature toward the corner of the corridor.

"Ah! No! Brother Zhang, Brother Zheng, save me... I don't want to die!" Li Xiaoyi screamed frantically, but his strength was negligible compared to the Xenomorph's. He struggled like an infant. The others only had time to watch as his hand, clutching the corner of the passage, was pulled outward inch by excruciating inch. His fingernails were scraped back, showcasing the raw instinct for survival at its peak. Even as his nails were torn away, Li Xiaoyi held on desperately, his fingers being shredded and rubbed raw, until he was finally yanked into the darkness of the passage. On the wall remained five bloody thumbprints, and the corridor echoed with Li Xiaoyi's agonizing, tragic wails, punctuated by the sickening sound of flesh and bone tearing apart, lingering long in the air.

Jumping to