Xiao Honglü asked a researcher carefully, "Is that main elevator really as safe as you claim? What if a line gets corroded by an Alien?" The researcher immediately responded, "That shouldn't happen. The main lines of the main elevator are protected by an electric grid. Even a minor attack would trigger a violent countermeasure. While Aliens can resist standard voltage, they have little defense against high voltage... Of course, that applies to typical Aliens. A Queen’s carapace might withstand ordinary high voltage... but I doubt a Queen would casually wander near the main elevator, right?" Xiao Honglü pondered for a moment and said, "Alright then, we'll take the main elevator upstairs... How much longer until we reach the escape pod vicinity?" Another researcher chimed in right away, "At our current pace, we should arrive in about twenty more minutes. There should be some security personnel along this route; their weapons can inflict damage on regular Aliens. Perhaps we should travel with them?" Zhao Yingkong, however, stated coolly, "I'm not used to moving with strangers. If they're using live ammunition, I fear I might be accidentally hit during combat. And do they truly believe they will help us? Help their test subjects?" The researcher immediately flushed, silenced.

The other researcher took up the thread, "I truly don't understand. How exactly did you manage to get out of there? Reinforced bulletproof glass, reinforced titanium alloy restraints, plus a head-ring made of the same material—you couldn't possibly have escaped using only your own strength, could you? Did someone let you out?" Xiao Honglü let out a cold laugh. "Let us out? Who would let us out? Stop speculating and focus on the route; move faster, unless you fancy blowing up with this ship."

The two researchers exchanged a look and finally clamped their mouths shut, proceeding silently with the main group. After perhaps another few minutes of running, they saw a massive elevator door ahead, easily nearly three meters high. Standing outside the door were three soldiers who turned around strangely upon hearing the footsteps behind them.

Immediately, the three soldiers raised their weapons, pointing them at the crowd. The lead soldier shouted loudly, "Drop your weapons and crouch down—" Xiao Honglü hissed a low command: "Zhao Yingkong!" Zhao Yingkong had already set down the beautiful woman and gracefully slipped to the front of the group, flashing a hand.

The soldiers exchanged confused glances, then stared in horror as their bodies slowly slid from their chests to the ground, split perfectly in half from top to bottom. The cut was as smooth as polished glass, as if they had grown that way naturally. Only after the three were completely severed did heavy blood begin to spray from their wounds, their organs spilling onto the deck.

The little girl retracted the weapon, which was as fine as a strand of silk. When thrown, the weapon was both resilient and razor-sharp, yet when recalled, it felt as smooth as silk in her hand. It had effortlessly sliced through the three soldiers' weapons, and now it coiled around her right wrist like an ornament, held fast by that single thread.

The two researchers were utterly stunned, frozen by terror and unable to utter a word for a long time. Not just them—everyone else in the group was gaping, dumbfounded. Some weren't shocked by the gruesome dismemberment of the corpses; having survived several horror films, their nerves were somewhat tested. Only Zhang Heng’s face turned ashen, his whole body trembling incessantly. His affliction seemed not to have diminished at all; in fact, it appeared worse. Judging by his reaction, this full-body tremor was definitely abnormal fear.

The reactions of the others were mostly sheer astonishment. Whether it was Cheng Xiao or the beautiful woman, they all stared at the three corpses in surprise. Xiao Honglü’s astonishment, however, stemmed entirely from the weapon’s sheer power and Zhao Yingkong’s flawless control. Given that sudden, precise strike, the weapon seemed impossible to defend against. Based on its destructive force, killing a person effortlessly was certainly within its capability.

At a distance of about seven meters, this would qualify as a deadly weapon in mid-range combat.

Xiao Honglü steadied his mind and immediately looked at the two researchers. "Is this the main elevator? Are you certain it's still operational?" The researchers quickly examined the floor indicator panel on the elevator; it clearly showed the car continuously descending. One of them nodded rapidly. "Yes, this main elevator is indeed usable. Phew, judging by how they were waiting for the elevator just now, there must be people upstairs too? Oh, that's a relief; I was afraid we’d reach the upper floor only to find it littered with Aliens—that would be utterly despairing…" Xiao Honglü rubbed his hair, saying strangely, "I’m actually quite puzzled. Don’t you think the elevator is taking a little too long to come down? Cheng Xiao, carry me. Zhang Heng, do you remember what I told you? In a confrontation, one strike only: either you live, or I die… Don’t be afraid. That mindset—if I just kill the enemy, I will be safe—that guarantees the enemy can never harm you."

Zhang Heng dared not look at the three corpses; his body still trembled slightly. After handing Xiao Honglü to Cheng Xiao, he asked strangely, "Did something happen? Explain clearly, or I won't be mentally prepared to fight and might be too scared to draw my bow!" Xiao Honglü grinned playfully. "Isn't that perfect? Since you aren't intentionally seeking a fight, you won't have such great reservations when one happens. Just one shot is all it takes. Whether you hit the target, what happens after you hit it, or whether you will die—don't concern yourself with any of that. Focus only on one thing… Is your arrow on the bow?" Zhang Heng took a deep breath, retrieved a +3 Holy Explosive Arrow, gripped it with one hand, and clenched his Ancient Bow, Shooting Heaven Wolf, with the other. Just as Xiao Honglü advised, his mind went blank—fear, death, fighting—it didn't matter. If danger arose, fire an arrow; worry about the consequences only after the shot. Perhaps this was the most suitable fighting style for him; at least, he wouldn't be paralyzed by the fear of being attacked or killed! As the main elevator slowly descended from the top floor, Zhang Heng immediately drew his longbow taut, ready to loose an arrow the moment the doors opened. He smelled the stench of Alien and the metallic scent of blood from the car, a smell similar to the corpses behind him.

Zhao Yingkong was doing the same, except she held the hilt of her dagger in one hand while the metal wire coiled around the other. Whatever emerged from the elevator doors, she was prepared for the danger, be it human or Alien.

In fact, even Xiao Honglü raised his Fusion Gun, aiming it dead center at the elevator doorway. As the doors gradually parted, what was revealed was a floor covered in shattered bone fragments and corpses, as if chewed by some massive maw—it was both disgusting and gruesome, stunning everyone into silence. Only Cheng Xiao and Zhao Yingkong stepped forward. Of course, since he was being carried, Xiao Honglü was carried in too, which terrified the little boy. He immediately cried out loudly, "Put me down first, put me down first… While I’m not afraid of dead people, this looks far too disgusting! Don't make me go near them!" Cheng Xiao playfully pretended he might toss Xiao Honglü onto the pile of shredded flesh. Only when the little boy trembled violently in fear did he laugh and set him down, then walked with Zhao Yingkong to the remains.

"Very fresh. Likely no more than ten minutes dead. And judging by the uniformity of the mastication, oh heh heh, we might just have struck gold. Based on the size here, the one upstairs might be…" Cheng Xiao laughed heartily.

Zhao Yingkong nodded. "That's right. They died because of a chewing apparatus of this size, and they’ve been dead less than ten minutes. Upstairs might actually have a…" "Is it the Queen?" Xiao Honglü asked with a bitter smile.

The Queen—roughly several times the size of a normal Alien, and not just in bulk, but its armor plating was several times thicker too. This meant ordinary weapons might have no effect, and while energy weapons were powerful, there was no guarantee they could withstand a single strike from the Queen's tail, whose strength was also multiplied several times over. This was why Xiao Honglü had spent the entire journey contemplating how to evade the Queen. But man proposes, and fate disposes; they had finally encountered this massive and terrifying creature—the Queen! "Then, fight. It’s up to everyone now… Zheng Zha told me about the Queen's horrifying combat power. He said they barely survived that encounter with almost total annihilation, but our current strength should be far superior to theirs back then. A direct clash with the Queen isn't impossible, even if this Queen is far more terrifying than the one in the movie. We might not necessarily lose!" "Zhao Yingkong, draw the Queen's attention. Zhang Heng… Triple Burst Arrow! One strike to determine our fate, we entrust our lives to you!" Jumping toward...