When Zheng Zha pushed open the door to the medical bay, Zhan Lan was standing outside. She smiled sweetly at him, as if not at all surprised to find herself there, and without a word, she swept past him and walked into the bay. “Why did you come back?” Zheng Zha finally couldn’t help but ask. Zhan Lan chirped back, “How would you orient yourself and know your position all alone? What if a Xenomorph ambushed you?

I only weigh a little over ninety catties, carrying me shouldn’t be too hard for you, right?” Zheng Zha gazed at her deeply, but the girl’s expression was completely frank. She looked at him tenderly, and in her eyes, as clear as water, were countless unsaid words. They stared at each other for several seconds before he finally murmured, “You didn’t have to come back… You didn’t have to go this far for me.” Zhan Lan just shook her head with a smile. “That won’t do. I owe you so many favors from before, and I should repay them all at once now.

Hehe, I can’t just abandon you when Xiao Li’er needs help the most… Don’t say another word. If you truly feel grateful, just carry me on your back later; don’t lift me up like a sack, okay?” Zheng Zha sighed, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. In the end, he could only sigh in speechless resignation and stand silently beside the man, watching his skilled surgical technique. Although the surgery was allotted thirty minutes, given his skill and speed, he should finish within twenty to twenty-five minutes. After making this rough estimation, Zheng Zha felt a measure of relief, mixed with a growing sense of guilt toward the male researcher.

About ten more minutes passed, and the Queen’s skull was gradually taking shape. At that moment, the Queen’s hideous mouth slowly began to open, and its tongue suddenly flicked out, slapping the back of the scalpel with a snap. Though the scalpel was unharmed, it revealed the Queen’s inherent savagery. Even as an unformed specimen, relying purely on instinct, it was ferocious and terrifying. The horror of its massive body once it matured… Zheng Zha clearly remembered the near-annihilation of their entire team at the conclusion of the Alien scenario, which perfectly illustrated the Queen’s terrifying might.

Zhan Lan suddenly spoke with concern, “If the Queen is already so terrifying and powerful, why does killing it only yield a reward of one thousand points and one D-grade sub-plot? Yet killing that Xenomorph Evolved Form grants five thousand reward points and one B-grade sub-plot. Don’t you think that’s strange? Could that Xenomorph Evolved Form be that much stronger?” Zheng Zha pondered this, thinking, “Perhaps that Xenomorph Evolved Form is indeed that strong. Although the movie didn’t emphasize the Queen’s strength, the fact that the Evolved Form shattered her skull with a single swipe shows that the Evolved Form was not weak… Did you scan for any of those Evolved Forms?” Zhan Lan shook her head.

“No, not yet. It seems my scanning is ineffective against the acid phlegm secreted by the Xenomorphs. Any area covered in that phlegm becomes untraceable for me; I don’t know why…” Zheng Zha could only respond helplessly, “Are those areas constantly increasing? Where are they now?” Zhan Lan closed her eyes and murmured, “Yes, those areas are increasing. By my scan, I can track about eleven Xenomorphs.

Six of them are moving toward our level, and another two are trailing far behind Xiao Honglü and the others—they probably won't catch up anytime soon. They are heading toward the main elevator now. If they pass through the main elevator, they can ascend two levels, bringing them very close to the escape pod…” Zheng Zha sighed. “Don’t worry, I will get you all back safely… If, in the end, we die together…” Zhan Lan just gave a brilliant smile. “If we die together… that would actually be even more…” At that moment, the man let out a breath and said, “I have completely severed the muscle connections.

Next, I need to cut the nerve connections… This will provoke a dangerous reaction from the Queen. I need about ten minutes to finish the surgery, and I cannot be disturbed during this time, so I’ll be relying on the two of you to guard this medical bay.” Zheng Zha nodded silently, saying plainly, “Thank you… Rest assured, your wife is completely safe with them. My teammates will ensure she reaches the entrance to the escape pod unharmed! I take full responsibility for all security matters here. Everything related to the surgery is in your capable hands.” The man stated calmly, “It’s an equal exchange: the life of my wife for the life of your beloved.

It is quite fair. Rest assured, I will complete the surgery within the allotted time… Afterward, please provide me with a pistol and one bullet, thank you…” “En…” Only about two more minutes passed when Zhan Lan’s expression suddenly shifted. “They’re here. The first two Xenomorphs are very close. They’ll be outside this corridor in a few seconds, and the other four are rushing toward us as fast as they can—they’re moving quickly…” Zheng Zha took a deep breath, holding the Strong Fusion Gun in his left hand and the combat blade in his right, and walked out the door without a word.

As the medical bay door began to close, Zhan Lan whispered softly, “Be careful.” “En, I will be careful…” But was mere caution enough? Against Xenomorphs, no amount of caution could completely prevent injury. Therefore, rather than stepping lightly, it was better to fight to the death, and Zheng Zha had already made that decision. Holding the Strong Fusion Gun, he knew he could fire at most two energy blasts. If there were more than two Xenomorphs, he would face the danger of close combat—the very scenario he had to avoid at all costs.

Once in melee range, life and death would be left to fate; one slight misstep, and a Xenomorph tail could pierce his heart. His weak points were his heart and brain; if those two areas were shattered, no matter how powerful his Earl bloodline, he could not survive. Zheng Zha stood silently in the corridor, gripping the Strong Fusion Gun. He did not close his eyes but focused all his attention on his ears. Gradually, he began to hear a faint scraping sound from not far away—a sound like metal grinding against metal.

As time passed, the sound grew louder. Finally, Zheng Zha opened his eyes. He aimed the Strong Fusion Gun directly at the corner of the left corridor while rapidly counting down aloud. “Three…” “Two…” “One!” Zheng Zha fired instantly. Although no sign of a Xenomorph was visible there yet, the moment he shot, a Xenomorph’s dark body appeared around the corner.

The energy sphere struck the body precisely. Almost instantly, following a flash of light, the Xenomorph was incinerated to ash, and a large section of the wall at the corner even melted. Almost simultaneously, a black shadow lunged forward swiftly. Zheng Zha barely managed to release the trigger before the shadow surged forward several meters in the blink of an eye. Zheng Zha reacted just as fast, pushing off with his feet and leaping backward.

As he jumped, he fired another energy blast. The Xenomorph was struck mid-air by the blast, and after a flash, it was burned away with no trace of ash remaining. Zheng Zha let out a deep breath. Before he could lower the Strong Fusion Gun, a palpable sense of danger shot through him from inside the medical bay, startling him into shoving the door open and rushing back in. Inside, the environment was still quiet.

The man sat motionless, performing the surgery, while Zhan Lan looked at him with a wry smile. “Up there, all four Xenomorphs are inside this steel plating layer. I don’t know how they got in… Look there! The steel is corroded!” Zhan Lan suddenly pointed to a patch of corroded steel in the corner of the wall. The two looked up.

Indeed, the steel layer directly above them was softening and corroding. Judging by the situation, in a matter of seconds, that section of steel would be eaten through, and then… four Xenomorphs would drop down to attack them from directly above! As a tail pierced through the corroded steel layer, the attack they expected did not materialize. Instead, corrosion began on the steel layer of the isolation chamber’s ceiling as well. In other words, the Xenomorphs knew the Queen’s location and intended to breach the chamber directly to retrieve the Queen… and kill Loli at the same time!

“Aah!” Zheng Zha roared madly. He charged toward the breach in the corner, kicking off the floor with explosive force, leaping several meters high. He hooked one hand onto the edge of the large, corroded hole in the steel, then flipped himself up and slammed hard into the body of a massive Xenomorph. He tumbled forward, crashing into the other three giant Xenomorphs. Above, in the layer of plating, there were four huge Xenomorphs, and Zheng Zha was alone… leaping up to—