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Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan lay sprawled on the floor, still locked in a desperate embrace. The sheer intensity of their terror had frozen them in place, unable to recover, until the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor caused them to strain themselves, managing only a slight separation.

Of course, Zheng Zha didn't imagine lying there with his limbs splayed out looked heroic, but truthfully, his entire body felt utterly spent. In fact, he had been submerged in fear since charging in, terrified that the agonizing, near-death feeling might return. Fortunately, this time it seemed to be mere exhaustion rather than the activation of any Genetic Lock; perhaps that particular threshold wasn't something one could simply will open.

Zhang Jie and the other four soon rushed over from the corridor’s end. Except for Zhang Jie and Li Shuaixi, Chu Xuan, Ba Wang, and Ling Dian all wore serious expressions. They had witnessed the speed of Zheng Zha’s escape, especially the instantaneous leverage rebound when facing the alien last, a maneuver that, without it, would have prevented them from even entering the isolation barrier. Such action and velocity were simply beyond the capabilities of the others present; it was a speed and reaction time no longer belonging to ordinary humans.

Chu Xuan knelt beside Zheng Zha, inquiring with close attention, "How are you? Are you injured anywhere? How long before you regain your previous fighting strength?" Zheng Zha replied weakly from the floor, "I'm probably just drained. No real injuries, though. If I rest well... maybe half an hour to recover full combat power."

A look of profound delight crossed Chu Xuan’s face—an expression so rare for someone usually so composed, reserved only for massive, situation-altering surprises. He stood up and announced, "It's a pity we didn't manage to grab any food or fresh water; otherwise, my initial plan could have been executed. Now we need to devise an alternative, but that's fine. The initiative has returned to equilibrium; we are no longer helpless prey. At the very least, we can put up a fight."

Following this, Zhang Jie hoisted Zheng Zha onto his back. Zhan Lan, having expended very little physical energy, was merely petrified. After a brief rest, she stood and followed behind the group.

"This is the control center for the entire commercial starship. Although it appears incredibly complex, the operational system is quite similar to that of a rocket launch base. In essence, it’s an operating methodology that can be mastered easily."

The seven sat down in Room Twenty-Seven, which housed the vessel's entire control hub. Chu Xuan calmly explained the functions of the various control panels and buttons to the others. In reality, his explanation was merely superficial; to everyone present except himself, the details were incomprehensible noise, though executing simple commands according to instruction would likely pose no issue.

Zheng Zha thought to himself, For you, a system this intricate is probably child’s play, isn’t it? Despite the thought, he certainly wouldn't voice it. Truthfully, he felt immense gratitude that the newcomers included a super-genius like Chu Xuan; compared to others, such an individual was undeniably the most vital asset to the entire team.

As Zhang Jie gently lowered him to the ground, Zheng Zha suddenly spoke up, "Actually, I managed to secure a lot of food and water in that other room. If we ration carefully, it should sustain us for several days."

Chu Xuan and the others exchanged confused looks, but Zhang Jie became animated. "It’s the Nà Jiè! The food and water were inside the Nà Jiè, weren't they?" Zheng Zha smiled and nodded. Chu Xuan immediately pressed for details on what a Nà Jiè was, and upon hearing Zhang Jie explain it was a cultivation artifact obtained from the 'Main God' at a very high cost, the man instantly became electrified with excitement. He seized Zheng Zha's hand, examining the ring closely, murmuring repeatedly, "Is it truly a cultivation artifact? Is it truly a cultivation artifact? Good heavens, I had already hypothesized the existence of such items from extensive literature and documentation—they were never just myths! They all originated from this space! Oh my God! If we could unlock the secrets of this technology, imagine the extent of human evolution!"

Chu Xuan ignored the strange looks directed his way, continuing with feverish intensity, "Do you realize what this means? It implies that the direction of human advancement is no longer confined merely to technology. While this unknown technique could still fall under natural science, it transcends the realm of external technology—this is the pinnacle of internal science!" Ling Dian interjected coldly, "External science and internal science—how do these relate to our current predicament? I’d much rather have the food and water in that ring."

Chu Xuan sighed softly, "Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I elaborated. The point is, uncovering the secret of cultivation will be humanity's greatest avenue for progress following the Genetic Lock!" Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie exchanged wry smiles. Despite Chu Xuan’s usual calm demeanor and intelligence, deep down he was still fundamentally a researcher; once he encountered a field that captured his interest, he became more fervent than anyone else—as evidenced by him still gripping Zheng Zha’s hand.

Zheng Zha stated with resignation, "Since we have a sufficient supply of food and water, what is your next plan? You'll need a substantial amount of Reward Points to research this xiuzhen stuff, right? That requires tens of thousands of points for the ultimate exchange, something we can only earn if we survive."

Chu Xuan finally began to settle down, releasing Zheng Zha's wrist with a look of intense regret that sent a chill down the spines of Zheng Zha and the others watching. He found a chair, sat down, and continued, "Since food and water are plentiful, we have two plans we can execute. First: we monitor the various corridors, mapping the location of the aliens. When they are sufficiently separated, we activate the corridor isolation barriers. This way, we can seal the aliens individually into several passageways, and simultaneously locate a safe route to the armory in Room Seventeen. Once all the aliens are contained, we can utilize Zheng Zha's melee prowess to eliminate them one by one. This is the only combat strategy I can conceive."

Zheng Zha’s heart skipped a beat; he desperately wished to avoid another close-quarters encounter with those terrifying monsters. He quickly pressed, "What about the second one? Didn't you say there were two plans?" Chu Xuan sighed deeply. "The other plan... in a room beyond the isolation layer is the hibernation chamber—a cryogenic unit where one can enter a state akin to suspended animation. A person sleeps inside, consuming almost nothing. We can sleep in there after eating and drinking our fill, while the control center's navigational computer is pre-set to the pre-programmed return route... we travel back with the aliens."

Zhang Jie suddenly asked with curiosity, "Back? Back where?" "To Earth! We bring the aliens to Earth in this timeline! Let their governments use their armies to fight the aliens! And we get to live safely... Of course, there's another possibility: the humans of this timeline are wiped out by the aliens, and we end up facing tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even an infinite horde of aliens, surviving perhaps a few more years before we die..."