This Is a Trap

The Thorned Serpent King's movements were so fast that ordinary people couldn't see them clearly. If it had already raised its blade, even if you fired a gun at close range, you wouldn't be able to stop its kill. However, at this moment, the Serpent King's blade had only swung halfway when an invisible focused shockwave smashed into its face.

There was only a dull thud, and the Serpent King, like a four-legged lizard slapped by a fly swatter, was sent flying backward on the spot.

"Psionic Shockwave... So, I'm a sensitive too? Does that mean the bugs' target isn't Ina, but both of us?"

Yu Lian felt like much had happened in that brief moment, but to everyone else, it truly was just a brief moment. In the blink of an eye, they vaguely saw a dark shadow dart out from the churning dirt, and then with a "snap," the shadow was flung away, landing among the crowd. Only then did everyone get a clear look at what it was.

It looked like a super-sized lizard, over two meters long including its tail, with its back covered in a carapace that sprouted bone spurs, resembling sharp thorns. Two thin membranes, like bat wings, were half-open, emitting a faint glow.

The monster lay on the ground, half-raising its head to expose its chest and abdomen, revealing another ferocious maw filled with fine, hooked teeth. Both giant mouths let out a menacing howl.

It was indeed a bit stunned by the sudden psionic shockwave, but it wasn't dead. Frankly, psionic shockwave was one of the most basic and common skills, its power entirely dependent on the user.

Lieutenant Mondsen raised his Chainsaw Sword and charged forward, yelling, "Monster!" He hadn't seen what happened clearly, only that an enemy had appeared. In this moment, the greasy middle-aged man who hustled for a living disappeared once more, and the space-age swordsman persona was back online.

His swordplay was like thunder, yet his movements were remarkably steady, precisely targeting the Serpent King's waist. However, it lacked the satisfying crispness of cutting through a monster like before. This creature with low intelligence had recovered a bit and knew how to use its momentum to dodge. At the last second, it forcefully contracted its body, springing itself up. Even so, its vital waist was ripped open with a large gash, and it was thrown backward by the force of the Chainsaw Sword, landing with a pia sound in the crowd.

"Bear's Strength!" Sergeant Baka roared a guttural yell in the Enbear dialect that no one understood, swinging his axe at the Serpent King's face.

"Awooo!" Sergeant Youyou, the Black man, also let out an unintelligible roar, raising his Power Hammer and smashing down with all his might.

Alright, this was another familiar scene of beating a stuffed bun, and it wasn't just the two of them; several soldiers also charged forward with their weapons. Swords and blades rained down, and flesh and blood flew.

Yu Lian let out a shaky sigh of relief, his gaze naturally meeting Ina's. She was the closest and had seen the whole thing, including the fleeting air ripples just now. Her cheek still felt like it had been scraped by a knife, burning with pain. So, besides being shaken, her eyes also held a clear curiosity.

"Stop guessing, I'm probably a sensitive... But I really don't want to go down this path of idealistic fools!"

The Sergeant Major shot him a look of disdain, much like how we'd look down on someone saying, "Why are my parents so rich? I want to struggle on my own and live a normal life."

"I'm telling the truth, and also, actually... forget it." Yu Lian looked at the cigar he had unconsciously crushed, feeling a double pain that made him want to writhe. He then shouted to the group still beating the creature, "Stop hitting it, there might be something inside its belly."

Lieutenant Mondsen paused slightly, then, as if wound up, rushed forward, pushed aside the crowd, pulled out a dagger, and with practiced movements, began to pry open the Serpent King's corpse, which had already been widened by several rounds of beating. He rummaged around. His hand stopped, and his movements became cautious.

The Lieutenant slowly stood up, spreading his palm. Three thumb-sized, crystal-clear gems lay within, colored black, green, and orange-yellow.

"Th-this... Radiant Crystals, and such high purity?" The Lieutenant's face flashed with elation, then he seemed to recall something and looked at Yu Lian doubtfully, "But how did you know?"

"I'd like to know why you're so skilled! You're a soldier, why are your appraisal skills maxed out?"

"Well, well, it's all just to make a living." The Lieutenant smiled naively and pragmatically, his swordsman persona dropping again. But he was still eagerly awaiting an explanation.

"This thing just glowed, it had the ability of an energy shield, which means it had something inside its body. It's highly likely to be Element Zero, which naturally produces energy. And among all known Element Zero crystals, Radiant Crystals combine best with biological organisms. Besides being an energy source, they're also popular as jewelry after a bit of processing, and sell well." Yu Lian had already thought of an explanation, of course.

The Lieutenant suddenly understood, then asked suspiciously, "Did you learn this at school too?"

"The library naturally has records of it," Yu Lian replied.

"You Moonfolk are truly monsters!" Lieutenant Mondsen muttered, casually stuffing the Radiant Crystals into his storage compartment.

"Don't worry, after we sell them, you'll get your share."

I'm not worried about that. I feel like you're pretty principled in this regard. Besides, if it really comes down to it, I might have more connections than you, like in Tulon Port, there's already a... Ugh, Tulon, hiss!

Yu Lian pressed his temples, feeling like his massive skull was about to explode. Back then, during the desperate fight for survival against the bugs, he hadn't felt it, but now, all the accumulated pain seemed to erupt at once. Coupled with the red, black, green, purple, and yellow flashes that, while not physically manifesting, had still burdened his body. Yu Lian felt all sorts of pain and dizziness surge towards his soul like an avalanche from all directions, threatening to bury the last vestiges of his sanity.

He gagged, his eyes unfocused and swaying precariously.

"Warrant Officer? Belinda!" Ina called out loudly to the young nurse.

No way, not again? Lieutenant Mondsen still felt responsible, standing there helplessly.

"Pain... painkiller!" The young nurse rushed over, fumbling and pulling out the syringe as thick as an arm.

"Don't..." Yu Lian stopped Belinda.

This thing had side effects, and he really didn't trust the girl's skills.

"Sir, Lieutenant Mondsen, I have something to say!" Despite the pain and dizziness, it was precisely because the memories of two people overlapped that his thoughts were clearer than ever.

He said in a deep voice, "This place is not safe!"

How many times had he said that today? The Lieutenant quickly stepped forward to comfort him, "Warrant Officer, don't rush. You need to rest first! Yes, we're safe now, you rest and recover your strength. Leave everything else to me! Sleep, our Moon child. Don't worry, we'll be at the base when you wake up."

"We can't return to the base! Don't worry, we won't be attacked at the outer base! We've already traveled more than half the way, and we're less than a day's journey from Tulon Port. Let's go, right now, let's go to Tulon immediately, we absolutely cannot go back to the outpost..."

"Uh, Warrant Officer, everyone is very tired, and our ammunition supplies are mostly depleted. And you're in this condition..."

"Shut up! Listen to me! Shut up, and listen to me!"

"...I, I'm listening." The Lieutenant looked resigned, as if thinking, Here we go, it's finally starting. It's no wonder you Moonfolk want to seize power, I've been waiting for this. He forced a slightly stiff, yet indulgent, smile.

"Don't you understand? Why was our convoy attacked? Why were the bugs attacking us different each time? The key is, why did they come wave after wave instead of all at once? This is a test! Sir, a test of the Bioweapons!"

Yes, in the later Tulon Port incident, there were no reports of Xenomorph activity, and the future celebrity Miss Ina never mentioned it. In fact, the swarm didn't truly appear on the galactic governments' agendas until two years later.

Yu Lian didn't know if his butterfly effect had brought bugs that shouldn't have come, or if he had changed their original targets, but it didn't matter, at least not now. What mattered was that, as confirmed by later history, the earliest appearances of the swarm were in small batches. Caravans, pedestrians, patrol soldiers, and even farms and small towns were their targets, yet there seemed to be no pattern, like a group of mindless beasts with no purpose.

No, even beasts were smarter than them. At least their attacks were for sustenance, not purely for killing.

It wasn't until the swarm became a natural disaster that everyone finally realized. Their purpose had always been clear: First, to collect genetic diversity. The flesh and blood consumed by each Xenomorph individual would upload its genetic information to the swarm's shared life database. This was the true meaning of "I for everyone, everyone for me" in a hive mind.

Second, it was to test the combat effectiveness of new types of swarms.

Engaging with opponents of different types and combat strengths, analyzing the enemy's and their own weaknesses and strengths. Of course, more importantly, they needed to develop stealthily and not take unnecessary risks. Therefore, before the opportune moment, they absolutely could not attack well-defended, densely populated cities.

Furthermore, and most importantly, if you're going to do something, do it thoroughly!

Therefore, they would continue to attack this small team of twenty people, and there was no reason they would let a military outpost with twice the number of people go. The safest place right now was Tulon, which seemed to be under siege by the Sandfolk army.

"This is a trap!" he roared. However, this exhausted his last bit of strength. His hand went limp, and he released his grip on the Lieutenant's collar, losing consciousness.

Everyone looked at each other, at a loss.

"Sir, we..." Miss Belinda looked pleadingly at Lieutenant Mondsen.

The Lieutenant hesitated for a few seconds, then forcefully waved his hand, "Return! Back to the base!"