The First Drop of Sour Blood

Chapter 5: The First Drop of Acid Blood

Si Ming's hand was steady.

Si Ming's aim was true.

The gun was a Samurai Edge - Albert Model. Its magazine capacity had been modified from fifteen rounds to infinite, and it was loaded with 9mm anti-biological heavy rounds, which were exceptionally effective against high-intensity biological weapons.

And so—

Blood sprayed.

Dark green, corrosive blood erupted from the weak structure on the side of the Xenomorph's cranial crest.

Weaker than expected.

The moment Si Ming pulled the trigger, he had already braced himself for the possibility that the firearm might fail to penetrate its armor. However, looking at it now, the Xenomorph before him possessed the strength consistent with its cinematic portrayal.

It was not the super-slaughter weapon found in the setting manuals.

And it was certainly not the ridiculously overpowered monster from the comics, or even the crossover comics.

So then—

Battle Qi erupted.

His body's reaction speed increased once more. There was no third Xenomorph within his sensory range. The wails and struggles of the live baits in the sewer pipes were being dragged further away. The Xenomorph before him, having missed its strike, retreated rapidly, attempting to return to the shadows not yet fully swallowed by the night.

Don't even think about escaping.

Night Battle Qi was infused into the nameless katana he had seized.

His experience in otherworldly combat allowed Si Ming to charge toward the fleeing Xenomorph in a zigzag trajectory. Just as he had anticipated, the moment he closed to within three meters, the Xenomorph's tail—which had retracted and vanished into the shadows—shot out once again like a cannonball!

Fast.

But not fast enough.

With preparation made in advance, he was able to weave past the strike. Since the lethality of the blade remained uncertain, he did not aim for the heavily armored vital structures!

Slash—

A sense of resistance traveled from his fingertips to his spine. He had locked onto the Xenomorph's right claw, and the sensation of the strike was like cutting through a piece of softwood with a meat cleaver.

Difficult, but not impossible.

The Xenomorph, its right claw severed, let out a sharp, urgent hiss. Without hesitation, it spun violently, lashing out with both the acidic blood spray from its stump and its sharp tail!

The range was massive. This strike had almost no blind spots. However, its actual lethality was not quite sufficient.

Are you gathering intelligence?

His perception was expanding; a patch of his skin stung slightly from a gaze originating from afar. He could not yet pinpoint the exact direction, but this was enough for Si Ming to take the correct action—he did not press forward, but instead retreated as far as he could. He let the sweeping tail strike empty air, and as the acidic blood splattered onto the ground, clusters of corrosive mist erupted with a sharp, sizzling sound like a frying pan!

The muzzle rose.

The structure of the gun appeared within his perception as the Battle Qi was injected.

Aside from the magazine area, which remained a "black box" due to the infinite ammunition modification, everything inside the firearm manifested in Si Ming's mind. He precisely locked onto a 9mm round about to be fired.

Battle Qi injection: one percent.

It gathered at the tip of the bullet's casing without disturbing the propellant—he knew such operations existed within the original Samsara world. And now, he was putting that theory into practice!

Bang—! The muzzle flash was exceptionally brilliant.

This shot successfully bypassed the Xenomorph's polarized silicon-black skull, injecting itself into the internal flesh through the wound he had previously inflicted!

The injury was not severe.

The bullet dissolved rapidly in the acidic blood after penetrating the Xenomorph's flesh.

However, the Night Battle Qi attached to the bullet remained within the creature's body, maintaining a sensory link with Si Ming.

He saw it.

He saw the Xenomorph's blood and flesh, sinew and bone. Although he could not grasp the full picture, the creature's next move appeared vaguely within his senses. And this allowed him to seize the initiative once again!

He stepped back, dodging the wounded beast's renewed lunge. The gun in his hand never stopped firing. Some shots were infused with Battle Qi, while others were merely to test the structural integrity of its armor. In just one exchange, the number of wounds on the Xenomorph's body had reached nearly double digits.

It was injured; its balance and speed were compromised. Taking advantage of a movement that was half-bait and half-flaw, he swung his long blade once more!

This strike was heavy.

Si Ming's speed was far greater than the Xenomorph's tail, which had been hidden behind its awkward movement.

With a dull, heavy cutting sound, the Xenomorph was successfully sliced through more than half of its abdomen. Internal organs and large amounts of flesh splattered out, and its head and chest could no longer dodge Si Ming's point-blank fire.

It shrieked in response.

This time, the shriek was a warning and a death rattle.

It struggled and writhed, trying to splash its acidic blood onto Si Ming's skin and clothing. But in the end, its life came to an end from 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, stopped twitching.

Acidic blood flowed across the ground, corroding irregular holes one after another. The Night Battle Qi that had been successfully injected into the Xenomorph via the bullets was now silently reclaimed by Si Ming.

The faint sensation of being watched had yet to dissipate.

However, there were several pieces of information he could confirm.

First, the defensive power of an adult Xenomorph was no greater than the armor plating of an armored vehicle, and its speed and strength were no match for a racing motorcycle. Its instantaneous burst efficiency and reaction speed were close to those of a large dog or cat. Furthermore, its internal structure was far more fragile than he had anticipated.

And second...

He extended his hand, and his fingertip, unprotected by Battle Qi, lightly touched a tiny residue of acidic blood. The amount was roughly equivalent to what the heroine of the first film had carved into her face as a mark of honor. The acidic blood immediately began to erode his flesh.

It stung a little.

But not much.

When the pain vanished, the skin on his fingertip had peeled slightly. However, the peeled area quickly recovered under the body's self-healing power.

In the Original First Generation, a C-rank bloodline enhancement was sufficient to withstand the erosion of acidic blood without suffering fatal wounds. Now, he could confirm that the strength of his Night Battle Qi was roughly at or above that C-rank level. The next step, then, was to test his exact strength in the realm of close-quarters combat.

I have to find a way to unlock the Gene Lock...

He remembered that in the India Team of the first generation, there was someone who had exchanged for the cheapest B-rank bloodline, the Younger Toguro bloodline, which only enhanced muscle strength. The catchphrase of that character, who had not unlocked the Gene Lock, was, "Even if I have to face a Xenomorph again, I won't be afraid."

To face them, not to be afraid—this meant that even at C-rank, he could fight them head-on, though it would be grueling and could even result in significant injuries. However, for a pure physical enhancement, Si Ming's Night Battle Qi held a slight advantage—

The Xenomorph's acid could not react with Battle Qi, which was composed of pure energy—as expected. This meant he only needed to mobilize a tiny fraction of his Battle Qi to cover his skin to form a barrier immune to the acidic blood's corrosion.

Very good.

The hues of dusk grew heavier, now capable of completely masking the glow of the Battle Qi covering Si Ming's body.

This meant that the night was coming.

It also meant—

Si Ming, who had been leaning over to touch the acidic blood, was about to straighten his back.

The timing was perfect.

Lurking to the side, the second Xenomorph, which had been watching and waiting for an opening, struck. Its tail vertebrae pierced down silently.

Thwack— Si Ming caught it.

He caught the sharp, thorn-covered tail structure.

His flesh was pierced, and he endured the pain. His feet, planted firmly on the ground, tensed, and his strength, along with his Battle Qi, surged from his toes up to his hips, waist, back, and shoulders, until he could swing his arm with all his might!

The sound of wind whistled.

The lurking adult Xenomorph, over two meters tall and weighing more than 150 kilograms, was swung by its tail and slammed into the ground. A dull impact accompanied the slight cracking of the acid-eroded floor. The soft flesh inside, protected by the polarized silicon shell, suffered a severe shock as a result!

That wasn't enough, for the adult Xenomorph had sufficient resilience and balance. The tail thorns gripped by Si Ming began to twitch like a living creature, biting into his flesh. However, before that could happen, the Night Battle Qi had already seeped into the creature's shell through the contact of their limbs.

The initiative had not been lost.

Si Ming's second burst of strength was a fraction faster than the lurking Xenomorph.

The prey's struggling movements, in the right posture, actually became a reliable aid. The adult Xenomorph, trying to break free and rise, inadvertently made it even easier for Si Ming to swing it again!

Bang—!

The pitch-black shell slammed into the concrete wall of the bridge tunnel.

The nameless katana, which had been inserted into the ground but kept at the most convenient distance, was jerked upward toward the area directly in front of him by the pull of his limbs!

One strike, a hit.

The nameless blade pierced through the pitch-black sternum and outer armor, pinning the heavy behemoth directly to the wall. In the next instant, he unleashed a heavy barrage of punches!

Just like hitting a sandbag.

Just like hitting a wooden stake.

The pitch-black claws flailed wildly, and the sharp tail vertebrae stabbed and swept. Yet, this could not stop the fists wrapped in Night Battle Qi from slamming into the pitch-black exoskeleton, which was comparable to tank armor!

Bang—

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

Cracks appeared in the interlocking sternum, and the internal flesh was violently shaken. With Battle Qi seeping in, the tail vertebrae and claws, whose movements were already seen through, could not inflict any effective wounds. And even its final trump card—

Bang— Si Ming tilted his head slightly, dodging the inner jaw that shot out rapidly. Following that, he unleashed a fierce uppercut aimed directly at its vital point!

The sound was dull yet paradoxically crisp.

The cognitive center hidden beneath the acid-eroded flesh was forcibly detonated by the impact of the penetrating force—with this single strike, Si Ming no longer relied purely on muscle and technique, but triggered the Night Battle Qi that had seeped into the acid-eroded flesh. The final result was the second announcement from the Main God.

--[Killed one adult Xenomorph, obtained 300 reward points.]

The sense of danger and being watched had finally vanished completely.

Si Ming exhaled softly and pulled out his long sword. He let the adult Xenomorph, its insides now reduced to a pulp, fall to the ground.

His body felt somewhat exhausted, his arms were slightly numb, and he had consumed nearly a third of his Battle Qi during the engagement.

He needed to replenish some nutrients.

And...

"I need to prepare a more powerful gun."