The Trembling Heart (3)

Was it because the people around her had left her once that she was so afraid of losing them again?

Zheng Zha seemed to be able to feel her thoughts. He felt they were the same kind of people, who, after losing something particularly important, swore in their hearts never to lose it again, which was why they were so persistent about this life, and why they felt a sense of kinship with others like them and offered their help.

"I'm much better..."

At this moment, the image of another girl flashed through Zheng Zha's mind. He gently pushed Zhan Lan away and said, although he couldn't muster any strength, his push was incredibly resolute.

Zhan Lan, who was crying miserably at that moment, was stunned when she was suddenly pushed away. After a long pause, she forced an unnatural smile and said, "Are you okay? You really scared me to death just now. You suddenly started acting like you were having a seizure, and you kept spitting up blood. You looked so terrifying..."

Zheng Zha felt weak and powerless all over, but compared to the pain of near-death before, he felt like he was in heaven now. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Thank you so much. Fortunately, you kept... kept giving me breaths, otherwise I would have suffocated to death. If I had suffocated and passed out in that situation... I think I would be a corpse by now."

Zhan Lan's expression had also returned to normal. She chuckled and said, "Actually, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't saved me, I don't know what would have happened to me... What happened just now? Was it some kind of illness?"

Zheng Zha shook his head. He really didn't know how to describe what had just happened. In that moment of life and death crisis, he felt as if something inside him had unlocked. The smooth combat, the precision to the millimeter, every ounce of strength used to its limit, a combat instinct devoid of mercy or fear. If he had to use a phenomenon to describe it, it was similar to an anime he had watched called "Seed," where he had unleashed his "Seed" at the most critical moment.

Of course, this was more likely the Gene Lock that Chu Xuan had mentioned, an evolutionary human who could survive in any extreme situation. This would also explain why he was in so much pain afterward; it was likely the side effect of the substance that unlocked the Gene Lock.

The pain came and went quickly. Zheng Zha felt his strength gradually returning, but the feeling of his Gene Lock being unlocked was also gradually leaving him. It seemed that the highly toxic substance was being broken down by his body. His powerful Cell Vitality and immunity had saved him, and at the same time, it had cut off the possibility of the substance unlocking his Gene Lock permanently. Zheng Zha could almost imagine that if he had retained that combat instinct, the Alien would not have been an invincible monster.

Seeing that Zheng Zha didn't answer, Zhan Lan didn't ask any more questions. She suddenly said with a giggle, "You killed an Alien. See if you got any rewards? Hehe, you didn't get anything, did you?"

Zheng Zha's strength had recovered significantly by now. Hearing her words, he quickly raised his watch to check. It indeed said he had killed one Alien, followed by five hundred Reward Points. Perhaps the reward notification had sounded while he was fighting, but his mind was filled only with killing at the time, so he hadn't heard it at all.

He suppressed the joy in his heart and said, "I was rewarded with five hundred Reward Points. That's great, that's almost half the reward for surviving one Horror Movie."

Zhan Lan's eyes lit up, as if the Reward Points this man had received were her own. She happily said, "Five hundred points for one, and maybe you can kill a few more Aliens. You'll get a few thousand more points from this round... Hehe, since you said I saved your life, will you exchange some small gifts for me when we get back?"

Zheng Zha looked at Zhan Lan's delicate, crimson lips. For some reason, his heart warmed, and he said, "Then I'll get you the most perfect lipstick. That lip color looks beautiful..."

Zhan Lan's small face immediately turned red. She gave Zheng Zha a reproachful look. He immediately realized the ambiguous tone in his words and coughed, saying, "Let's get out of here quickly. The smell of Alien blood is too strong. I don't know if there will be another Alien. My stamina has recovered a lot now, so let's head in the direction you suggested."

Zhan Lan nodded repeatedly, but the blush on her face hadn't completely faded. She just mumbled, "You... you'll be okay, right? You were bleeding a lot from your legs and body just now."

Zheng Zha had actually noticed the wounds on his body. Strangely, after bleeding a little, the muscles and skin on both sides of the wounds quickly closed up. Such a fast healing speed was simply miraculous. It seemed that the vampire genes within him were taking effect, and the effect was very obvious.

He moved his limbs and said, "I'm fine. My stamina has recovered a lot, and I feel a sense of danger still approaching, so let's move forward quickly."

This time, Zhan Lan dared not ignore Zheng Zha's premonition. She quickly continued in the direction she had planned. After passing through a few more corridors, another large door appeared before them. Just as Zhan Lan was about to enter alone, Zheng Zha suddenly grabbed her and said, "I'll go first. Your Nerve Reaction Speed is really terrible, so let me take the lead."

Zhan Lan nodded silently. Zheng Zha instantly rushed into the room. The room was surprisingly quiet. This room turned out to be a kitchen filled with all sorts of food packaging. The two looked at each other, seeing a hint of joy in each other's eyes.

Suddenly, the communicator hanging on the wall rang, startling them so much that they almost collapsed. Zheng Zha reacted the fastest. He rushed to the communicator and pressed the button that was flashing green.

Chu Xuan's voice came from the communicator. He said, "We found an Alien corpse in the corridor outside room twenty-two. Did you kill it? Have you found the armory yet?"

Zheng Zha sighed and said, "We'll discuss the specifics when we meet. Where are you located? Also, how did you know we were here?"

Chu Xuan's voice said, "Every important room has a number. We are in the ship's control room, room twenty-seven. There's a surveillance system for all the corridors here. If you don't enter this room, we won't be able to contact you. By the way, your location should be the kitchen, right? The control room displays its name. If possible, try to bring enough food and fresh water that won't slow you down, and then move towards room twenty-seven by following the room numbers."

"The following information is related to your lives. I'll make it short. There are three Aliens following you from behind, about ten room numbers away. At their speed, they can catch up to you in about two and a half minutes. I don't know why, but they've been following you!"

The smell, it was the smell of Alien blood on Zheng Zha! Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan immediately understood the reason for all this.

Chu Xuan's voice continued, "I'll give you two minutes. Keep running forward. The specific route is forward, forward, forward, left, forward, left, forward, left! This is the route and direction to reach the control room. I'll repeat it again, memorize it carefully! Forward, forward, forward, left, forward, left, forward, left! You have one minute to gather provisions, and you must reach the control room within two minutes. I will lower the isolation wall within one room number of the control room at the two-minute and forty-five-second mark! If you can't reach within the isolation wall in this time... I'm sorry, I'll have to abandon you, after all, there are five of us!"

"Timer... starts!"

Zheng Zha took a deep breath. He channeled his internal force into his storage ring and then began to frantically sweep through the storeroom's food, especially the boxes of fresh water. The size of 1.5 cubic meters could actually hold a lot of things, especially these neatly packed boxes. About thirty seconds later, he picked up Zhan Lan and ran out of the room like the wind.

Zheng Zha shouted, "I'm running at full speed, I can't think about anything else. You tell me when to turn left and when to go forward! Do you understand?"

Zhan Lan nodded obediently, her eyes fixed straight ahead, muttering, "Keep running, just keep running. The first corridor is forward, keep running. The second one too... the third one too... This time it's left..."

Zheng Zha charged forward like a madman, his speed pushed to the limit. The air around him felt thick again, but even so, he could still feel the terrifying danger approaching from behind, getting closer and closer. Compared to the slightly smaller Alien before, the mature, larger Alien was much faster. It was definitely faster than Zheng Zha! He couldn't think; his mind was filled only with the thought of running forward with all his might! Death! Was chasing him desperately from behind!

"Left! This time it's left!"

Zheng Zha pushed off the wall with his feet, and he shot into the left corridor like an arrow. The moment he turned, he saw the huge black shadow behind him. The Alien's speed was definitely not inferior to his speed when he pushed off the wall, and perhaps even faster! He couldn't think; his mind was filled only with the thought of running forward with all his might! Death! Was chasing him desperately from behind!

He saw it, he saw the huge steel gate slowly descending! Zheng Zha could fly several meters with each step, but after a few steps, he felt a slight pain in his back. The Alien closest to him was only a little over a meter away. When its tongue shot out, it had just grazed the surface of his back, so he only felt a slight sting!

No! I don't want to die! I will live no matter what! No matter what!!

Zheng Zha roared madly. He suddenly turned and jumped up. The Alien's speed was indeed much faster than his. The moment he jumped, the Alien was dozens of centimeters closer to him, and its tongue slowly retracted. When the tongue shot out again, it would be the moment his head exploded!

After jumping, Zheng Zha suddenly kicked the Alien's body with his feet. Most of his internal force had been used during the run. Now, he concentrated all his remaining internal force on his feet. Using the Alien's speed and this force, he shot out like a cannonball towards the half-closed steel gate. Finally, he shot through the last gap into the gate. The three Aliens all slammed into the gate with a bang, their force shaking the entire ship's cabin. Zheng Zha lay flat on the ground, completely devoid of the strength to even move a finger.

Live... I must live no matter what!!