Si Ming's hand was steady.
Si Ming's aim was true.
The gun was called the Samurai Edge—Albert Model. Its magazine capacity had been modified from fifteen rounds to unlimited, and it was loaded with 9mm anti-biological heavy rounds, exceptionally effective against high-intensity biological weapons.
So—
Blood burst forth.
Dark green corrosive blood exploded from a weak point along the side of the Xenomorph's head crest.
—Weaker than expected.
The instant Si Ming pulled the trigger, he had already prepared himself for the possibility that the gun might fail to penetrate its defenses. But judging by the situation, the Xenomorph before him possessed strength consistent with its depiction in the movies.
Not the super-killing weapon from the setting guides.
Much less the absurdly overpowered monster from the comics, or even the crossover comics.
Then—
Battle Qi erupted.
His body's reaction speed rose once more. There was no third Xenomorph within his range of perception. The wails and struggles of the living bait in the sewer pipes were dragged farther away. The Xenomorph before him, having missed its strike, rapidly retreated, attempting to return to the shadows not yet fully swallowed by night.
—Don't even think about running.
Night Battle Qi flowed into the nameless katana he had taken.
His experience fighting in other worlds allowed Si Ming to charge toward the fleeing Xenomorph along a zigzagging path. Just as he had expected, the instant he came within three meters of it, the Xenomorph's tail spine, which had missed, retracted, and slipped back into the shadows, fired out again like a cannonball!
Fast.
But not fast enough.
With preparation, he could cross past it. And with the blade's lethality still uncertain, he did not need to strike the most heavily protected vital structure!
Slash—
A dragging resistance traveled from his fingertips to his spine. He had targeted the Xenomorph's right claw, and the sensation of cutting through it was like splitting a piece of cork with a cleaver.
Difficult, but not impossible.
The Xenomorph whose right claw had been severed let out a sharp, hurried growl. Yet without hesitation, it spun violently, sweeping its tail spine and the acidic blood froth from its severed limb in a wide horizontal slash!
The range was vast. There were almost no blind spots in that attack. But its actual killing power was not particularly great.
—Was it gathering information?
His perception spread outward, and a spot on his skin prickled faintly from a distant gaze. He still could not pinpoint its exact location, but that was enough for Si Ming to make the right move—rather than advancing again, he threw himself backward, widening the distance with all his strength. The sweeping tail missed, acidic venomous blood splashed onto the ground, and clumps of corrosive vapor spilled out amid a shrill sizzle like something thrown into a frying pan!
He raised his gun.
As Battle Qi entered it, the gun's structure appeared within his perception.
Other than the magazine area, which had become a black box due to its unlimited ammunition modification, every part inside the gun surfaced in Si Ming's mind. He precisely locked onto a 9mm bullet about to be fired.
Battle Qi infusion, one percent.
It gathered around the outer casing at the tip of the bullet, without disturbing the propellant—he knew such an operation existed in Original First Generation's reincarnation world. And now, he put that attempt into practice!
Bang! The muzzle flash swelled dramatically.
This shot once again avoided the Xenomorph's black Polarized Silicon skull and successfully injected power into its inner flesh through the wound he had struck earlier!
The injury was not severe.
The bullet rapidly dissolved in the acidic blood after entering the Xenomorph's flesh.
But the Night Battle Qi attached to the bullet remained inside its flesh, maintaining a connection with Si Ming's senses.
He saw it.
He saw the Xenomorph's blood and flesh, tendons and bones. Though he could not grasp the whole picture, the Xenomorph's next movement appeared vaguely within his perception. And that allowed him to seize the initiative once more!
He stepped back, avoiding the wounded beast's renewed pounce. The gun in his hand never stopped firing. Some bullets were infused with Battle Qi, while others merely tested its structural strength. In a single exchange, the Xenomorph had already suffered nearly a dozen wounds.
It was injured; its balance and speed had both been affected. Then, exploiting a distorted movement that was half lure, half opening, the tightly held long blade successfully slashed out once more!
This strike was heavy.
Si Ming was far faster than the tail spine the Xenomorph had concealed within that feigned movement.
With an especially dull slicing sound, the Xenomorph's abdomen was cut through more than halfway. Internal organs and great chunks of flesh sprayed out, and its head and chest could no longer evade Si Ming's close-range gunfire.
It screamed because of it.
And this scream was a warning and wail from a dying creature.
It struggled and writhed, trying to splash the acidic blood on its body onto Si Ming's skin and clothes. But in the end, its life came to an end under acute copper poisoning.
—[Killed one Adult Xenomorph. Obtained 300 reward points.]
More than expected.
The adult Xenomorph, which had taken at least a hundred bullets, no longer writhed or convulsed.
Acidic blood flowed across the ground, corroding one irregular hole after another. And the Night Battle Qi successfully injected into the Xenomorph through the bullets was silently retrieved by Si Ming.
That faint feeling of being watched had not yet vanished.
But there was more than one piece of information he could confirm.
First, an Adult Xenomorph's defense would not exceed the protective plating of an armored vehicle. Its speed and strength would not surpass those of a racing motorcycle. Its explosive output and reaction speed were close to those of large cats and dogs. Its internal structure was also much more fragile than expected.
And second...
He reached out and lightly touched a tiny remnant drop of acidic blood with an unprotected fingertip. It was roughly the same amount used by the female lead in the first movie to carve a mark of honor into her face. The acid blood immediately began corroding his flesh.
It hurt a little.
But not much.
When the pain faded, the tip of his finger had shed a thin layer of skin. But it quickly recovered under his body's natural healing ability.
In Original First Generation, a C-rank bloodline enhancement was enough to withstand acid blood corrosion without suffering fatal injuries. Now, he could confirm that the strength of his Night Battle Qi was probably above the C-rank threshold. The next step was to test its exact strength in close combat.
—I need to find a way to unlock the Gene Lock...
He remembered that in Original First Generation's India Team, someone had exchanged for the cheapest B-rank bloodline, Younger Toguro's bloodline, which only enhanced muscular strength. That character, who had not unlocked the Gene Lock, had entered with the line: "Even if I fight a Xenomorph head-on again, I won't be afraid."
Fight head-on, not be afraid—then that meant he could also fight one directly at C-rank, though it would be extremely unpleasant and he might even suffer serious injuries. But Si Ming's Night Battle Qi had at least one advantage over pure physical enhancement—
A Xenomorph's acid could not react with Battle Qi composed of pure energy—naturally. Which meant that as long as he used a very small portion of Battle Qi to cover his body, he could create a barrier immune to acid blood corrosion.
Good.
The colors of dusk deepened, enough now to completely conceal the glow of Battle Qi covering Si Ming's body.
That meant night was approaching.
And it also meant—
Si Ming, bent over as he touched the acid blood, was about to straighten up.
The timing was perfect.
The second Xenomorph, which had lurked to the side, watching and waiting for its chance, silently drove down its tail spine.
Thud— Si Ming caught it.
He caught that sharp, thorn-covered tail structure.
His flesh was pierced, and he endured the pain. His feet, planted firmly against the ground, suddenly tensed, and strength rose together with Battle Qi from his toes to his hips, his waist, his back, his shoulders, until he could swing his arm with all his might!
The wind howled.
The lurking Adult Xenomorph, over two meters tall and weighing more than one hundred and fifty kilograms, was swung by its tail and smashed into the ground. The heavy impact came with faint cracking from the acid-corroded floor. The soft inner flesh beneath its Polarized Silicon shell was violently shaken!
That was not enough, because an Adult Xenomorph's endurance and balance were both powerful enough. The tail spines gripped by Si Ming trembled and tore at his flesh like living things. But before that could matter, Night Battle Qi had already seeped into the creature's body through physical contact.
He had not lost the initiative.
Si Ming's second burst of strength was a fraction faster than the lurking Xenomorph.
A prey's struggle, in the right posture, could instead become reliable leverage. And the Adult Xenomorph trying to break free and rise made it even easier for Si Ming to swing it again!
Bang!
Its black shell slammed into the concrete wall beneath the bridge.
The nameless katana embedded in the ground, yet kept at the most convenient distance, was violently flung toward the area directly ahead under the pull of his body!
One strike, hit.
The nameless blade pierced through the black breastbone and outer armor, nailing the massive creature directly to the wall. Then, in the next instant, came the heavy blows of his fists!
Like beating a sandbag.
Like beating a wooden post.
Black claws swung desperately, and the sharp tail spine stabbed and swept. But none of it could stop fists wrapped in Night Battle Qi from smashing violently into the black exoskeleton, as tough as armored vehicle plating!
Bang—
Bang bang bang bang bang—
Cracks appeared across its interlocking breastbone, and the flesh inside shook violently. With Battle Qi having seeped into it and its movements exposed, its tail spine and claws could not inflict any effective injury. Even its final trump card—
Bang! Si Ming tilted his head slightly, evading the inner jaw that shot out at high speed. Immediately afterward, an uppercut aimed at its vital point surged upward!
The sound was dull yet strangely crisp.
The central nervous system hidden beneath acid-corroded flesh was forcibly detonated by the penetrating force—this strike was no longer purely muscle and technique. Si Ming triggered the Night Battle Qi that had seeped into the acid-corroded flesh as well. And the final result was the Main God's second announcement.
—[Killed one Adult Xenomorph. Obtained 300 reward points.]
The sense of danger and being watched finally vanished completely.
Si Ming let out a soft breath and pulled out the long blade. The Adult Xenomorph, whose insides had already become a mass of pulp, fell to the ground.
His body was somewhat tired, his arms slightly sore and numb, and nearly one-third of his Battle Qi had been consumed in the fight.
He needed to replenish some nutrients.
And...
"I need to prepare a more powerful gun."
Before you continue