"Die, all of you! I..." Li Shuaixi ripped the buckle open, laughing maniacally. Just as he was about to hurl the bomb toward the crowd, the explosive in his hand detonated violently. The entire sequence, from him pulling the clip to the bomb's complete detonation, lasted barely a second. He didn't even have time to throw it; the massive flash and shockwave were already engulfing everyone.

"No!" Zheng Zha’s eyes split with fury. He stared, wide-eyed and frozen, as the fiery impact wave surged closer. It was only because Zhan Lan, right beside him, violently tackled him to the ground that the man was forced flat against the earth. He watched, rigid, as the blast swept just inches above his nose, and for a moment, he could almost smell the scent of burning flesh within the fire.

No! How could life be so fragile? Why was life so terrifyingly fragile! Zheng Zha leaped up from the ground, plunging into the white smoke like a madman. Piercing through the outermost layer of haze, he immediately saw Li Shuaixi, his face unrecognizable, slumped on the ground. The young man’s entire body was charred black; everything from his hands to his chest had vanished completely. On the ground, besides shredded flesh, lay only the black blood oozing from his ruined torso. It turned out that the blood within a person’s heart wasn't always red; when ruptured by a bomb, it too… turned utterly scorched black.

"Why? Why did the bomb explode the instant he pulled the clip?" Zheng Zha emerged from the smoke and walked silently toward Chu Xuan, asking the question.

Chu Xuan was now the closest person to the explosion's epicenter. Blood continuously streamed from his mouth and nostrils. He wiped away a nosebleed. "That’s right. The bombs I asked Ba Wang to make—one was set to detonate after several seconds, and the other was set to detonate immediately upon unbuckling. When I handed him the two bombs, the one set to go off later was positioned on the outside, so he was forced to use the first one..." Zheng Zha landed a savage punch on his face, cutting off the remainder of his sentence as the blow sent him flying back. However, Zero Point immediately leveled his Desert Eagle at Zheng Zha, while Ba Wang stepped in to shield Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan slowly sat up from the ground, spat out a tooth, and spoke calmly, "This is the true face of the decoy plan. Did you really believe that the blood from a minor wound could lure the Xenomorphs? Impossible. While their sense of smell is keen, during the Empress’s incubation period, they guard the nest area closely. As you saw on the surveillance screens, they are moving toward the hive. Therefore, you need a large amount of fresh blood and meat scent, coupled with the lingering scent of Alien blood already on your skin, to attract them. If my guess is correct, the Xenomorphs are heading this way right now. If you wish to die, then feel free to remain outside the containment wall."

With that, he stood up and walked silently toward the control room.

Zheng Zha grew even angrier at this. But under the threat of Zero Point's Desert Eagle, he could only roar in fury, "So he wasn't wrong? You abandoned him from the very beginning, intending to kill him, didn't you? Why did the two of you help him? When did we become partners with someone like that, someone who would abandon us without a second thought! What kind of partnership is this?" Chu Xuan turned around and said coldly, "I didn't plan to abandon him initially. At first, I intended for each of us to offer some of our blood, and then he only needed to—never mind, I don't need to explain this to you. Just understand one thing: everything I do is for the survival of everyone in our team through this horror movie. I am absolutely not wrong!" Zheng Zha's voice grew colder, and he spat out the words, "Abandoning a partner, letting him be blown to death, and then using his flesh and blood to attract Aliens—and you say you weren't wrong? Then what do you believe is right! Do the two of you agree? Are lives truly that insignificant?" Chu Xuan walked away without looking back, saying, "I gave him a final chance. If he hadn't used the second bomb on us, if he had followed my plan to lure the Aliens—if he could have wounded just one Alien, the others might have been drawn in, and he could have taken shelter in the safe zone between the two corridors. Alas, the wisdom of mortals… is always clouded by resentment. It is truly too petty."

Zero Point remained silent, keeping his gun trained on Zheng Zha, forcing him to retreat step by step. After backing up more than ten meters, Zero Point finally turned and left. Only Ba Wang remained standing there, stating seriously, "Our mercenary creed emphasizes unity. In combat, turning your back to your comrade is the most fundamental trust and rule. But to achieve those two things, the other person must be a partner you acknowledge, not a completely useless burden. I imagine Zero Point feels the same way. We are different from people who grew up in ordinary environments; we are better suited to survive in this horror movie world. To me, these movies are just a series of mercenary contracts. Chu Xuan did the right thing; he chose the method that would allow the majority to survive and successfully complete the mission. Li Shuaixi failed to convince me that I could trust him with my back, and in the final test, he chose self-destruction…" Zheng Zha stood there dumbfounded until the containment wall slowly descended. Only then did Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan pull him inside the barrier. It was only then that he looked up and asked them, "Did it really have to be this cruel? Must we abandon others just to save ourselves? Or if there is a hint of resentment, must one drag everyone down to death with them… then what does that make us? The next set of chess pieces to be used and discarded by them?" Zhang Jie snarled, "I don't care what those bastards are planning. Being with those three gives me zero sense of security. I thought Chu Xuan was smart enough to come up with a brilliant plan to save us, but now it seems the smart ones are just too damn insidious. No, being with them makes me even more insecure! Zheng Zha, I’m going to get the Desert Eagle back later, or even if I can’t, once they’ve contained the Aliens, the three of us will go solo! Let’s not be sold out without even knowing it."

Zhan Lan sighed, "But… should the three of us really act alone? Wouldn't it be better to just stick it out until the end of this movie, and then we separate from those three in the next one?"

Zheng Zha looked at Zhan Lan sternly, then said fiercely, "No, we act alone right now! I don't want to see them again… If you can't trust your companion first, then why should your companion trust you first! I will never abandon any partner beside me; if I can save a partner's life, that partner will definitely save mine when I'm in danger! That’s why I absolutely will not stand with them again!"