The female researcher immediately jumped forward. "I'll do the surgery; I performed the last operation..." Before she could finish, the male researcher struck her hard on the back of the head, knocking her completely unconscious.

The male researcher silently held the woman's body. Tears were streaming down his face. He then kissed her, handed her over to Zhan Lan, and turned to face Zheng Zha. "Let me perform the surgery. I was the one who taught her the procedure. Rest assured, if there is the slightest mistake, you can operate on my wife."

Zheng Zha said lightly, "Wise. In that case, we'll need another volunteer..." With that, he looked toward the other two researchers, making them both feel a chill crawl up their spines.

Cheng Xiao quickly interjected, "No worries. My blood is different from your woman's; it’s highly toxic. As soon as any organism enters my body, it dissolves instantly. Otherwise, do you think I would have woken up so quickly before? Hahaha... My mother is the Pope of Gu Arts."

Everyone looked at him with surprise. This man seemed quite pleased with himself. He even blew a kiss toward the two girls, though they clearly ignored him.

Zheng Zha paused. He quickly said, "Gu? Then do you have a way, perhaps through Gu techniques, to eliminate the Alien inside her?"

Cheng Xiao waved his hand dismissively. "It wouldn't be that simple, would it? Do you really think the knowledge my mother and I possess doesn't account for the absence of Chinese herbs or Gu insects here? How can I help you? Relax, relax. Just look at the calluses on his hands. Hands like these belong to someone who has performed countless surgeries; his skill must be far superior to mine."

Zheng Zha fell silent, his eyes slowly regaining focus from their earlier blankness. He couldn't sustain Chu Xuan's personality for long, but given the situation, Chu Xuan's personality would undoubtedly act this way. Of course, he might also have abandoned Lolita, but that wasn't something he would do. Thus, only by thinking alongside Chu Xuan's persona was he barely able to arrive at the current solution.

"There's no time to waste; we can discuss matters while moving," Zheng Zha said without hesitation, leading the way down the alley. Zhan Lan quickly walked beside him to point the direction. In this manner, the group hurried toward the medical bay at high speed.

While running, Zheng Zha called out to everyone, "As I said before, my speed is definitely much faster than yours. This journey should take about ten minutes. Don't deny what I say. I need you all to keep moving, finish this horror movie, and return to the 'Main God' space. If I die, the next guide will appear among the newcomers, and one of you who has unlocked the Genetic Lock will undergo a trial. If you pass successfully, the position of the Central Continent team captain will be passed on. Don't worry about me... I definitely won't die!"

Zhang Heng and Zhao Yingkong both opened their mouths as if to say something, but in the end, they remained silent. Zhan Lan appeared unusually quiet, while only Xiao Honglü nodded and said, "Understood. This is actually the best solution for the entire team... Don't die, or the strength of the Central Continent team will drop to a frightening level, and our situation in future horror movies will become very dangerous... Let's go. You two lead the way. Take the shortest route here to reach the escape pod quickly. Understood?"

The two researchers had already been stunned by the rapid succession of events. They dared not say much more and could only follow Xiao Honglü's instructions, nodding immediately, their mannerisms suggesting they had already become part of the team.

Zheng Zha continued, "Don't underestimate the Aliens; they are much stronger than the ones in Alien 1. In terms of power, speed, or anything else, try to shoot them from a distance. If they get too close, Zhao Yingkong, stab them in the head with your dagger; that should take care of one Alien, basically..."

Zhao Yingkong nodded. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately just stood there with a composed expression. Meanwhile, Cheng Xiao suddenly clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "You were secretly in love with our captain, weren't you, hahaha... Hey, you are the girl of my dreams, so pure and lovely! Why would I laugh if you loved someone else?"

"Bang!"

Cheng Xiao was violently punched and sent flying several meters. He lay on the ground for a moment, then started laughing again and ran back. This action significantly eased the heavy atmosphere among the group, but unexpectedly, Lolita mumbled, "I'm not going; I don't want the surgery!"

Everyone froze, and Zheng Zha said with some confusion, "Lier, don't be silly, be good. There will be anesthetic; it will only hurt for a moment, don't worry."

Lolita immediately burst into tears, crying as she said, "But what about you? You said ten minutes would be enough, but they all take forty minutes! I don't believe it, I don't believe it... It's all my fault; I'm back in this horror movie, and I've been implanted by an Alien again, wuaa... I don't want you to die, I don't want you to..."

Before Lolita's cries could fully fade, two fingers gently pressed the back of her head, and the little girl instantly lost consciousness. Cheng Xiao stood there solemnly and said calmly, "Good girls should not make things difficult for men! When a man has resolutely made a decision, whether right or wrong, do not use feminine tantrums to stop him! Furthermore, a man should never be swayed by such tantrums, or he is unworthy of being called a man!"

Zheng Zha stared blankly at Cheng Xiao. This was the first time he had seriously looked at this often-jovial man. At this moment, he possessed a trace of true manliness.

"Thank you..."

"No need. Take care of your woman, even if it means sacrificing your life for her... That is what a true gentleman does!"

The conversation didn't last long. By now, the group had reached the door of Medical Bay Seventeen. The researcher who volunteered to stay behind silently watched his wife but did not touch her again; he simply looked at her one last time before turning and walking into the medical bay.

Zheng Zha sighed, carrying the unconscious Lolita inside as well. Following Xiao Honglü's order, the group began to proceed further down the corridor, and at this moment, there were still several minutes left before the thirty-minute deadline.

As soon as they entered the medical bay, Zheng Zha urgently stated, "Hurry with the surgery; I'll assist you. What do you need or what equipment?"

The man said nothing, merely bringing a small gas canister before Zheng Zha. He stated, "This gas can temporarily sedate an Alien. Of course, it works completely on the larvae as well. This canister lasts about five minutes. Because this synthetic gas is extremely expensive, we only have this one remaining here. You are very lucky... During this time, I will sever the nutritional pipeline connecting the Alien and the Queen; this will stop the Alien's growth. Then, I will slowly extract it from the host body. It will take about thirty minutes. Now, expose her chest."

Zheng Zha hesitated slightly, but he followed the man's instructions. After all, human life was paramount, and this man was essentially sacrificing his own chance of survival; therefore, there was little need to be overly concerned about such a person. In the end, he only exposed the very center of her chest, covering the rest with sterile cloths.

First, total paralysis. This man was clearly a very skilled surgical expert; administering the injection was done with a mere light press. The time taken from using the gas canister for the injection to placing Lolita in the isolation chamber took only three minutes. Afterward, he focused all his attention on the scalpel in his hand. His intense concentration suggested he wasn't merely performing surgery but completing a work of art, channeling all his focus onto it.

As the first cut slowly opened the chest, he then used small forceps to probe gently inside. After several tens of seconds, he finally brought the scalpel into Lolita's chest cavity with a grave expression. Then, with a slight movement of his finger, as the scalpel was withdrawn, a spurt of blood shot out.

Zheng Zha startled and immediately asked anxiously, "Did you sever a blood vessel? Or cut in the wrong place? What exactly happened?"

The man said quietly, "Don't worry. My technique hasn't had an accident in over ten years. The nutritional pipeline has been cut. Next, I will slowly extract this Alien step by step. However, judging by its size, I fear it is... sigh."

Zheng Zha took a breath and calmed down. "What exactly is going on? Tell me. What do you mean, 'judging by its size'? Don't hide anything from me!"

The man moved the forceps a few times in his hand and said calmly, "...Indeed, this Alien is the Queen. A Queen that takes hundreds of hosts to be born... This is truly terrible!"

Zheng Zha asked curiously, "What do you mean? Is it hard to take out?"

"No. The Queen from the last time was also taken out. But have you ever heard legends about a Queen Bee or Queen Ant? They share a special link with their respective bees or ants. When their lives are threatened, large numbers of bees and ants will begin attacking whatever poses the threat to them. In fact, Aliens are a similar kind of creature. When this Queen is forcibly cut out... the surrounding Aliens will begin rushing here madly, and the two of us are very likely to be torn to shreds!"

Just then, a sound came from outside the door... Jump to...