All the comrades’ lives were entrusted to his Triple Burst Arrow; this pressure left him with no qualification even to pass out.

Before mastering the Triple Burst Arrow, he had already informed Xiao Honglv about the sheer destructive power of this skill, but at the same time, he also revealed its greatest flaw: its utter lack of accuracy. If a regular arrow possessed 100 points of accuracy, and a regular Burst Arrow had 90, the Triple Burst Arrow only mustered 50. He had only a fifty percent chance of hitting the target, and even if he did, there was no guarantee it would strike a vital spot. In short, just like the immense power of the Triple Burst Arrow, what was gained was equally lost: immense power cost accuracy.

Zhang Heng took a deep breath, steadying his uncontrollably trembling body. He then asked cautiously, “Xiao Honglv, the power of the Triple Burst is indeed massive, but the accompanying danger is too great. What if you miss? Trust me, with these Enchanted +3 Keen Arrows, the power of a regular Burst Arrow is already enormous. Stop using the Triple Burst Arrow!” Xiao Honglv shook his head. Seeing they were almost at the rooftop, he slowly uttered a sentence: “Fine, you can abandon us and run away, just like you abandoned your woman, leaving her to be ravaged…” Zhang Heng, with a punch, sent Xiao Honglv, who was being held by Cheng Xiao, flying, crashing down into the pile of crushed bones and flesh.

That wasn't all. He violently yanked Xiao Honglv up from the pile, only to see the young boy smiling at him. Cheng Xiao also suddenly pulled Xiao Honglv close and said coldly, “A man shouldn't shift his own mistakes onto the suffering of others!” Zhang Heng lowered his head and nodded silently, sighing, “No, he’s right. I am a coward... I left her alone, I fled while leaving her behind! What else am I if not a coward? He’s absolutely right!” Xiao Honglv touched his cheek, silently cursing the impact of the blow. He kept muttering, “Do you know where the name ‘Shooting the Heavenly Wolf’ comes from? Drawing the bow taut like a full moon, gazing northwest, shooting the Heavenly Wolf—that’s right now!” A faint bell chimed as the elevator finally reached the highest floor of this massive shaft. Zhang Heng’s eyes were vacant. Without thinking, he drew the Shetianlang back as if pulling a full moon, gripping three enchanted arrows tightly. With a hiss, he unleashed them, one bursting after the other, until the third arrow shimmered with dazzling enchanted light. The enchantments of all three arrows merged, and then, with a vicious shot, he buried it into the giant head that was just beginning to poke out. With a dull thud, the arrow pierced the air. That massive head slowly dissolved into powder, like sand, drifting away into the void. Only after the entire head had vanished did a colossal body slowly begin to slide toward the ground.

“T-this is the special power of the enchanted arrows—they can effortlessly turn anything into ash, making it disappear. Not only that, they increase range and destructive power. That’s why I said a single shot should suffice; why insist on using the Triple Burst Arrow?” Zhang Heng stepped out of the elevator, looking around curiously as he spoke. This state of unlocking the Gene Lock, which he discovered purely by chance, felt incredible no matter what. The ceaseless combat intuition flooded him, making him feel instantly superhuman—a sensation too profound to share with outsiders. Of course, the feeling after unlocking the Gene Lock was equally indescribable to others.

Xiao Honglv watched as Zhang Heng was suddenly struck by agonizing pain, rolling and convulsing near the elevator door, looking utterly miserable. Even Cheng Xiao’s application of pressure points was useless. Xiao Honglv scratched his hair and said, “So that’s how it is. Truly a pity. The regular Burst Arrow should have been enough; I underestimated the power of those enchanted weapons. By the way, are you alright?” Zhang Heng desperately wished he could dismantle and devour Xiao Honglv, breathing in deep gasps as he said, “You… you are absolutely infuriating.”

Xiao Honglv laughed heartily, “Not really. Didn't I take a hit from you? We’re even now, right? You feel much better now, don't you? As long as you aren't afraid, just don't be afraid! Hahaha, all enemies are paper tigers; they look terrifying but aren't so scary once you kill them. They can't hurt you at all, hahahaha…” Supported by Cheng Xiao, Zhang Heng slowly stood up. He truly wanted to smash Xiao Honglv with another punch, but he was completely drained. This immediate exhaustion was typical of the early stages of unlocking the Gene Lock. Helplessly, he handed Xiao Honglv over to the two researchers who carried him, while Cheng Xiao carried Zhang Heng on his back. Time was short, and they absolutely had to reach the escape pod within a set time limit.

“Hahaha, regardless, you easily eliminated the Queen that nearly wiped out your entire original team! Didn't you say it was a near-wipe? The captain's team back then—were they that weak?” Cheng Xiao laughed loudly as they ran.

Before his words fully faded, a long black shadow suddenly flashed out from beside the elevator passage. With a dull snap, Zhao Yingkong, who jumped to intercept the shadow, was swept nearly ten meters away. Zhang Heng slammed into the wall next. The one who was supposed to be attacked was Cheng Xiao. He stared blankly at Zhao Yingkong in the distance, then dropped Zhang Heng, snatched the High-Fusion Gun from Xiao Honglv's hand, and charged toward the threat.

In the passage stood a massive alien creature nearly ten meters tall, its body easily over ten meters long. Its pitch-black exoskeleton looked like steel armor, radiating an overwhelming pressure that bore down on anyone facing it. However, Cheng Xiao was clearly an exception.

He seemed entirely unaffected by the Queen's immense pressure.

Even as the Queen was retracting its tail, he fired the weapon at its thigh. A flash of light streaked out. Cheng Xiao was sent flying backward, but only a melted depression appeared on the Queen’s thigh bone, seemingly not even breaking the bone. Still, the pain was enough to trigger the Queen’s murderous rage.

Cheng Xiao was flung to the ground but sprang up as if untouched, though the High-Fusion Gun in his hand was completely shattered.

That tail swipe had struck his weapon; otherwise, it would have certainly broken his ribs or perhaps cut him in half.

The Queen let out a loud screech. It moved its feet and charged toward them. Its enormous legs gave everyone the illusion that with a mere stomp, they would all be crushed into pancakes. Thus, as the Queen charged, several people facing it instinctively retreated. They failed to see Zhao Yingkong streaking back from the distance. Before the Alien Queen’s tail could sweep over them, she was already at the Queen’s feet, sliding past deftly. The incredibly thick thigh was instantly severed, and a torrent of highly corrosive yellow fluid sprayed from the wound, causing the Queen to lose balance and collapse.

Zhao Yingkong leaped onto the Queen’s body without a word. Before the creature could turn and shoot out its tongue, she produced a flaming dagger. In the instant she passed over, she plunged the dagger deep into the center of the Queen’s brain. The intense flames burned directly into the Queen's mind.

Do aliens possess souls? No one could say for sure, but judging by the Queen’s agonizing scream, it was undoubtedly enduring immense pain. It struggled frantically. The ground was already corroded into a massive pit by its highly corrosive acid. It was essentially an acid-spewing machine, having pitted and scarred the flat surface so much that it looked like one might sink just by taking a single step. After a long while, the giant alien slowly ceased its struggles, freezing stiffly in place.

Zhao Yingkong walked silently to the Queen’s side. With a slight flick, she threw out a length of metal wire and yanked hard, pulling the flaming dagger back. She examined the dagger closely. Thankfully, both the material of the blade and the handle were made of metal she had never seen before, and this metal seemed immune to the corrosive strong acid. It had been thrust into the Queen's brain and remained completely unharmed, which finally brought a faint smile to Zhao Yingkong’s face.

Cheng Xiao and the others rushed over, cheering loudly. Cheng Xiao was the most dramatic, sweeping Zhao Yingkong into a tight hug, pretending to be solicitous: “How can a girl fight? But… that was incredibly satisfying to watch, hahaha! Too bad I didn't have a handy weapon, or I could have fought alongside you… Zhao Yingkong? Zhao Yingkong!” Zhao Yingkong showed no struggle whatsoever. The moment the girl resheathed her dagger, she simply stood there and fainted, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her entire body limp. Cheng Xiao quickly checked her shoulders and back. From her left shoulder down to her left abdomen, she appeared to have taken a heavy blow—her bones were shattered, and her internal organs were likely severely damaged. Cheng Xiao immediately shouted, “Hurry! We need to run, damn it, quickly! She has maybe ten minutes left, bleeding internally. I sealed a few points, but without gold needles, how can I completely stop it? Run, now!” Before his voice faded, he was already sprinting wildly with Zhao Yingkong in his arms.

The others froze, stunned. Zhang Heng, still weak all over, gritted his teeth and followed Cheng Xiao, and the rest also began to run. Only Xiao Honglv continued to enjoy the privilege of being carried, though his face was also ashen as he frantically wrung his hair, deep in thought.

(If there were two Queens, how many evolved aliens might there be?) He jumped to...