The Choice

Chapter 2: The Choice

Several gazes converged on him once more.

As Fang Xiu had expected, the rookies who had received the relevant information had already pegged him as the backbone, the veteran responsible for guiding the newcomers.

And the simple fan crest unique to the Uchiha clan on his standard ninja attire was also imbued with a special significance by the group.

In reality, Fang Xiu was nowhere near that strong...

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been killed instantly by Itachi—

Under the moonlight, the members of the Uchiha clan were slaughtered one by one. Itachi's face was gradually splattered with the blood of his kin; whether they were ninjas or old, weak, women, and children who hadn't even awakened their eyes, none were spared.

Chunin Uchiha Xiu, as a member of the Konoha Military Police Force, happened to be off-duty on the night of the massacre. Just as he caught the scent of blood and was about to rush out to investigate, he witnessed his parents fall before his eyes...

Extreme emotions like grief and rage reached their limit, and the chakra within his body naturally began to fluctuate violently. The scarlet two-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, and in an instant, a third tomoe appeared! It was precisely at this relatively high-profile moment that Itachi drew his ninja blade, transformed into a streak of light, and flashed past. The body that Fang Xiu had just taken over collapsed to the ground, logging out at the speed of light.

Fire, Lightning, Earth, three affinities.

High resistance to genjutsu.

Jonin-level chakra reserves.

Proficiency in basic ninjutsu.

If he played it safe and wasn't particularly unlucky, passing the Predator trial shouldn't be difficult.

Now, having easily controlled the situation and achieved his intended result, Fang Xiu steadied his resolve. Facing their gazes, he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, raise your hand if you've seen the Alien vs. Predator series."

"Hmm... the Alien series, and the Predator series count too. After all, these movies can help everyone gain a clearer understanding of our current situation."

The result was quite unexpected.

Of the seven temporary companions, six raised their hands. Only one middle-aged Black man's eyes once again revealed a look of pure, unadulterated confusion.

"Then, to make a long story short."

Glancing at the light screen again, the countdown had entered five minutes and thirty seconds. Fang Xiu summarized the plot: "Billionaire Charles Weyland, through his private thermal imaging satellite, discovered an ancient pyramid-shaped temple buried thousands of feet beneath the Antarctic ice."

"According to calculations, this Aztec temple was built even before the Egyptians constructed the pyramids. To verify his discovery, Charles assembled an elite expedition team to head there."

At this moment, a young man dressed in white-collar attire seemed to want to show off his presence, chiming in, "Obviously, we are the members of that expedition team."

"Yeah, there are a large number of Facehuggers sleeping in the pyramid beneath our feet. Once we step inside, the Alien Queen will begin laying eggs in large quantities," another unnamed temporary member interjected.

A white man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking refined responded, "What's worse is that the Predators, once worshipped as gods by the Aztecs, have now piloted their warships to Earth's orbit!"

Seeing this, Fang Xiu stopped speaking.

Fortunately, with everyone chiming in, the middle-aged Black man finally had a basic understanding of the situation:

Predators possess powerful physiques, stealth capabilities, and thermal vision, while their iron fists can eject blades at any moment, much like Wolverine.

As their opponents, the Aliens not only have powerful offensive capabilities, but their blood and corpses also contain highly corrosive acid, which happens to be the perfect counter to the Predators' steel-like bodies.

"There are cold-weather clothes piled in the corner of the room. Be sure to keep warm; you should know that it's dozens of degrees below zero outside."

"I hope to see everyone again after we return."

"Finally, good luck."

Just as he finished speaking, a bone-chilling gust of wind squeezed through the door crack, making Fang Xiu feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy. The small, independent, and safe space that had been extremely quiet gradually began to fill with noise.

The Main God's protective barrier had finished its mission! At this very moment, everyone in the room could hear excited shouts coming from outside.

"Quick! Quick! Come over here!"

"There's an ice cave that seems to have no end, as if it leads straight to the bottom of the pyramid."

Hearing this, Fang Xiu understood immediately; he knew exactly which stage of the plot they were at—in a few dozen minutes, three adolescent Predators would arrive in this area.

After slaughtering all living creatures remaining in the vicinity, they would enter the pyramid hunting ground to hunt Aliens and earn the recognition of their clan elders.

Because that ice cave was created by the spaceship these alien warriors arrived in! It led directly to the main entrance of the pyramid.

Bang! His thoughts were cut short. Fang Xiu pushed the door open and vanished into a dark shadow.

Behind him were his temporary teammates, scrambling to find polar gear to wear.

Having just "received his lunchbox" not long ago, he was extremely resistant to death. Therefore, after completing the guidance, he prepared to seize something that could further secure his victory—

High-tech equipment.

In a secret chamber within the pyramid, there were Predator weapons like plasma casters stored away.

The sound of the wind whistled past his ears.

The moment his toes touched the thick ice, he gathered chakra into his legs, leaving not a single trace behind as he launched himself over ten meters forward.

With the agility of a rabbit, Fang Xiu moved through the blizzard like a gust of wind.

During this, he used the relatively smooth ice surface to catch a glimpse of his own face—he was young, with handsome features, wearing a black bodysuit under a green standard-issue tactical vest. His thick black hair was tied at the ends with a red cord, and the simple, distinct Uchiha clan crest was printed on his back.

The point was, he looked exactly the same as he did before his soul transmigrated! If there wasn't some hidden secret behind this, Fang Xiu wouldn't believe it even if he died...

A similar flower? A version of himself from a parallel world? The internal conflict didn't last long.

In the span of a breath, these distracting thoughts were cast to the back of his mind, because once he became strong enough, the truth would naturally come to light.

Instead, guessing wildly would only cause him to lose his footing! He had to focus all his energy on the present and survive the first trial.

"Excluding myself, there are seven reincarnators and fifteen natives. In the worst-case scenario, they have all been transformed into Xenomorphs by Facehuggers."

His footsteps halted as Fang Xiu stomped heavily onto the ice, instantly exiting his sprinting state and revealing a physique that was both powerful and resilient.

Not only that, but he had done so silently throughout, without alerting the billionaire Charles Weyland, who was guarding the ice cave, or any of his attendants.

"A ninja's offensive capabilities are superior to an ordinary person's, but their defense is fragile—much like a high-burst assassin. The Xenomorphs, on the other hand... they have high attack and high durability..."

By scanning his surroundings, Fang Xiu immediately gathered sufficient information from the environment, and a thought couldn't help but surface: what if he just killed all the natives? That way, the difficulty should decrease.

However, the dark thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

He couldn't bring himself to be a bleeding-heart saint who risked his life to help temporary teammates, but he also couldn't bring himself to slaughter indiscriminately. Compared to Uchiha Itachi, who killed his own parents, Fang Xiu was just a person with a normal mindset.

Furthermore, he hadn't yet grasped the rules of this strange Main God, and playing petty tricks might just prove counterproductive.