The Choice

Chapter 2: The Choice

Several gazes turned toward him again.

As Fang Xiu had expected, the newcomers who had learned a bit about their situation had already taken him for their leader, an experienced veteran responsible for guiding them.

The simple Gunbai emblem unique to the Uchiha Clan, printed on his ordinary ninja uniform, had also been imbued with a special meaning by the others.

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

Otherwise, Itachi wouldn't have killed him in an instant—

Beneath the moonlight, members of the Uchiha Clan were slaughtered one after another. Itachi's face gradually became spattered with the blood of his clansmen. No one was spared, whether they were ninja or elderly, women, and children who had never awakened their eyes.

Uchiha Xiu, a Chunin and member of the Konoha Military Police Force, had been 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 watched his parents fall before his eyes...

Grief, fury, and other extreme emotions reached their peak. The Chakra within him began to surge violently on its own. His crimson Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, then gained another Tomoe! Yet at the very height of this moment, Itachi drew his Ninja Blade and flashed past like a streak of light. The body Fang Xiu had just taken over hit the ground, logging out at lightning speed.

Fire, lightning, and earth affinities.

High resistance to Genjutsu.

An elite ninja's Chakra reserves.

Proficiency in basic ninjutsu.

As long as he played it safe and wasn't exceptionally unlucky, passing the Iron-Blooded Trial shouldn't be difficult.

Now, having easily taken control of the situation and achieved his intended result, Fang Xiu reinforced his confidence as he met the others' gazes and said in a low 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, those movies can help everyone better understand the situation we're in."

The result was rather unexpected.

Six of his seven temporary companions raised their hands. Only a black man in his fifties once again wore an expression of wide-eyed cluelessness.

"Then I'll keep it brief."

He glanced at the screen again. The countdown had reached five minutes and thirty seconds. Fang Xiu summed up the plot: "The billionaire Charles Weyland discovered, using his privately owned thermal imaging satellite, an ancient pyramid-shaped temple buried thousands of feet beneath the Antarctic ice.

"According to estimates, this Aztec temple was built even earlier than the Egyptian pyramids. To verify his discovery, Charles assembled an elite expedition team and headed there."

At that point, a young man dressed like an office worker seemed eager to make himself heard and chimed in, "So, obviously, we're members of the expedition team."

"Right. A large number of Facehuggers lie dormant inside the pyramid beneath our feet. Once we go in, the Alien Queen will start laying eggs in great numbers," another unnamed temporary companion interjected.

A white man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking scholarly replied, "What's worse is that the Yautja, whom the Aztecs once worshipped as gods, have now arrived near Earth aboard their spacecraft!"

Seeing this, Fang Xiu fell silent.

Fortunately, after everyone had talked over one another, the black man finally gained a basic understanding of the situation:

The Yautja were physically powerful and could turn invisible and detect heat. Their Iron Fists could also extend blades at any moment, just like "Wolverine."

Their opponents, the Xenomorphs, had not only powerful attacks, but also blood and corpses that contained highly corrosive acid, which could easily eat through bodies as tough as steel.

"There are warm clothes in the corner of the room. Dress warmly. It's dozens of degrees below zero outside."

"I hope we'll all meet again after we return."

"Lastly, good luck."

As soon as he finished speaking, an icy wind forced its way through the crack beneath the door, putting Fang Xiu on high alert. The tiny space, once completely silent and isolated from the outside world, was gradually filling with noise.

The Main God's protective barrier had served its purpose! At that moment, everyone in the room could hear excited shouts coming from outside.

"Quick! Hurry, over here!"

"There's an ice tunnel with no end in sight. It looks like it goes straight down to the bottom of the pyramid."

Hearing this, Fang Xiu understood. He knew exactly where they were in the story—within a few dozen minutes, three young Yautja would arrive in the area.

After killing every living thing left behind nearby, they would enter the pyramid-shaped hunting ground and hunt Xenomorphs to earn the approval of their clan elders.

That ice tunnel had been carved by the spaceship carrying those alien warriors! It led straight to the pyramid's main entrance.

Bang! His thoughts were cut short. Fang Xiu pushed the door open and shot out like a shadow.

Behind him, his temporary teammates hurriedly searched for cold-weather gear.

Having only recently been killed off himself, Fang Xiu was utterly unwilling to die again. So, after finishing his briefing, he set off to seize something that could further secure victory—

High-tech equipment.

In a secret chamber somewhere in the pyramid, Yautja weapons such as Plasma Shoulder Cannons were stored.

The wind whistled past his ears.

The instant his toes touched the thick ice, Chakra gathered in his legs. Without leaving a trace, he launched himself more than ten meters forward.

In a flash, Fang Xiu swept through the blizzard like a gust of wind.

Along the way, he used the relatively smooth ice to examine his reflection. He was young, with refined features, dressed in a black bodysuit and a standard-issue green vest. His thick black hair was tied at the ends with red string, and the simple, striking Uchiha Clan Crest was printed on his back.

Most importantly, he looked exactly the same as before he transmigrated! Fang Xiu wouldn't believe there was nothing behind that, even if someone beat him to death...

A flower that looked the same? A parallel-world version of himself? His confusion didn't last long.

In a matter of moments, he cast aside those distracting thoughts. Once he grew strong enough, the truth would naturally come to light.

Dwelling on it would only throw him off balance! Right now, he had to focus all his energy on the task at hand: surviving and passing his first trial.

"Besides me, there are seven Reincarnators and fifteen locals. The worst-case scenario is that all of them get turned into Xenomorphs by Facehuggers."

Fang Xiu stopped and planted his foot heavily on the ice, abruptly shifting out of his sprint. His body was powerful yet resilient, and it showed.

What's more, he had moved silently, without alerting billionaire Charles Weyland, who was standing by the ice tunnel, or any of his entourage.

"Ninja have better means of attack than ordinary people, but they're fragile when it comes to defense—like high-damage assassins. Xenomorphs, on the other hand... They hit hard and can take a lot of punishment..."

A quick survey of his surroundings gave Fang Xiu plenty of information. A thought surfaced: Should he kill all the locals? That ought to lower the difficulty.

But the dark thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

He couldn't bring himself to act like a saint and risk his life to help his temporary companions, but neither could he bring himself to slaughter them. Compared to Uchiha Itachi, who had killed his own parents, Fang Xiu was simply a person with normal thoughts.

Besides, he still hadn't figured out the rules of this unfamiliar Main God. Trying to pull a fast one could easily backfire.