Passing through the arch, Fang Xiu continued down the ancient passage. Rows of murals lined both sides.
They depicted Yautja battling Xenomorphs, along with scenes of ancient people worshipping the former as gods and making offerings to them...
After giving the murals a casual glance, Fang Xiu used Chakra to dart from wall to wall. Already moving at a brisk pace, he instinctively sped up.
And yet, as if afflicted with some kind of compulsion, he steadfastly refused to step on the floor tiles, even though they would have made walking much easier.
If I remember correctly, once someone steps on the floor of the Sacrificial Hall, the lightning will rouse the frozen Alien Queen, and she'll start laying eggs in large numbers.
Murmuring to himself, Fang Xiu reached the end of the passage alone and entered the first room without a hitch.
This room was also known as the Sacrificial Chamber—the Sacrificial Hall! Eight platforms stood in the very center.
A skeleton lay face-up on each platform, surrounded by stone tablets inscribed with accounts of ancient history.
There was no need for a scholar to translate them. Knowing the story, Fang Xiu couldn't have cared less about the records. His gaze was fixed on the ancient corpses' faces and chests—
Without exception, the head of each skeleton had remnants of a weathered Facehugger shell, and its rib cage was turned outward, clearly showing that something had burst out from within.
A Xenomorph...
Three words surfaced in his mind.
Then he began forming Hand Seals.
Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage!
He completed the final seal in an instant. The stone tiles beneath his feet turned liquid, and Fang Xiu sank into them. Like a fish in the sea, he swiftly passed through the thick barrier and arrived safely in the equipment room.
There was no time to waste. He felt his way along the winding passage.
Meanwhile, outside the pyramid.
"Thank you. I want to thank every one of you for being here. Come on, let's witness history together."
In response to everyone's congratulations, the billionaire Mr. Charles took a deep breath, rallied his strength, and climbed the stairs first, despite his frail condition.
At the back of the group.
The frail female Reincarnator, who was in the terminal stage of cancer, sat down on the ground and closed her eyes, apparently dozing. She didn't seem at all worried about the approaching Yautja.
The other members looked at her enviously.
Yautja rarely attacked the unarmed, especially seriously ill creatures. In the original story, Charles, who had both heart disease and a pulmonary embolism, was frail and near death, so he was spared for the time being.
"You should go on ahead. From here, it's all down to luck for me... I'm betting the Xenomorphs won't make it to the outermost edge of the pyramid," the woman rasped.
"Sigh, aren't we all betting on luck?"
The Black man shook his head. Ever since learning about the Yautja and the Xenomorphs, he'd been utterly despairing.
"Maybe that veteran has already gotten the Plasma Shoulder Cannon. What a sly bastard..."
"He definitely hasn't. I remember a detail from the movie: once all the Shoulder Cannons in the weapons cache are taken, that means the last safety measure of the trial has been cleared and the warriors have obtained the ultimate weapon. The pyramid will change dramatically. It wouldn't be this peaceful."
Amid the complaints, a muscular middle-aged man wearing mirrored sunglasses muttered, "What if he deliberately left one Shoulder Cannon behind, then took his high-tech weapons to kill the bound Alien Queen and make the trial easier?"
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry over there! We might as well grab a useful weapon to protect ourselves!"
At that, a Black man with a gold chain around his neck and iron rings piercing his nose immediately started riling everyone up. "If we're counting on pistols, we probably couldn't even kill the lowest-level Facehugger."
Spurred on by him, the other five healthy Reincarnators, men and women alike, broke into a run.
Before long, they had overtaken Charles's group. They were able to take over the lead because they were members of the security team and had weapons, making the billionaire wary of provoking them.
"The Alien Queen is the variable."
"And the Predalien, too."
"We have to eliminate as many of these potential threats as possible."
Muttering to himself, Fang Xiu had no interest in playing babysitter. He strode over to a Stone Sarcophagus and spread out the paper diagram drawn by Sebastian, the ancient linguist.
Following the instructions, he turned the two dials that resembled combination locks.
As before, everything went smoothly.
As soon as they reached the correct positions, gears began turning inside the Stone Sarcophagus. The lid slowly slid back, and icy mist, like liquid nitrogen, spilled out.
One, two, three!
Inside the Stone Sarcophagus stood three archaic mounts, with a special weapon resting on them—the Plasma Shoulder Cannon.
"What a shame. I don't have the Yautja's matching tech, so I'm missing the socket on my shoulder."
Fang Xiu had kept up a brisk, efficient pace from beginning to end. He let out a long breath, though regret still colored his voice.
But there was nothing he could do.
In fact, the Shoulder Cannon required the Yautja's unique facial neuro-sensor to unlock features like automatic aiming and mind-controlled power adjustment.
As an unauthorized user, he could only dismantle it on the spot. In the same universe, the elite Yautja Wolf had demonstrated how in Alien vs. Predator: Requiem—
By following the mechanical joints and removing the precision outer frame, the barrel and the trigger hidden deep inside would be exposed, turning it into a Plasma Pistol with a fixed power output.
Click.
After cautiously fiddling with it a few times, Fang Xiu successfully downgraded the unusable Shoulder Cannon into a weapon he could use.
"Until I master jutsu that requires no Hand Seals and can be cast instantly, the Plasma Pistol can serve as a substitute. Its penetration and destructive power speak for themselves. One shot to the head, and a Drone Xenomorph is done for."
As he spoke, he pulled out another Plasma Pistol.
Its technology was advanced, yet its construction was still primitive and simple. Fang Xiu loved Yautja technology even more! However, he left the last Shoulder Cannon in the Stone Sarcophagus untouched. He simply tucked the two usable pistols into his waistband so he could grab them whenever he needed.
Just as his temporary teammates had predicted...
Three Shuriken, three coils of high-strength steel wire, two Explosive Tags, and two newly acquired high-tech weapons. Fang Xiu planned to take advantage of the Alien Queen still being bound and solo the final boss first!
"Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage."
Using the same technique again, the bricks beneath his feet turned to fine sand, allowing the user to move freely through them.
In his memory fragments, Uchiha Xiu, a former member of the Konoha Military Police Force, had mastered three Earth Release techniques, two Lightning Release techniques, and five Fire Release techniques. They were—
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu, Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, and Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
Lightning Style: Earth Flash and Lightning Style: Four Pillar Bind.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Fire Style: Dragon Flame Technique, Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame, and Majestic Flame Destroyer Arrow.
Of course, Fang Xiu had also mastered the Three Body Technique, Uchiha Shurikenjutsu, Uchiha Style Taijutsu, and even the more difficult Shadow Clone Technique.
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