Falling in Love with the Art of Fireworks

Wang Zhen did not sense the two Xenomorphs approaching from behind, but he used himself as bait, convinced he could lure them out. After all, to these perfect predators, the craving for flesh and blood was equivalent to a starving man seeing a platter of succulent, fatty braised pork!

That was a delicacy absolutely not to be missed!

Especially since Wang Zhen was all alone; to a predator, what could be more suitable prey than a solitary creature?

Although Wang Zhen was not a psychic-talented individual, he had used a cheat to change his class to State Alchemist. This profession leaned close to the psychic side, especially since he had completed the sacrifice through four instances of Human Transmutation, communicating with the "Gate of Truth" and siphoning endless knowledge from the cosmic consciousness behind it. This had passively elevated his psychic talent.

Therefore, the current Wang Zhen was comparable to someone like Zhan Lan, who possessed high potential for psychic talent. Even though he lacked corresponding psychic abilities—which had caused her to fail to detect the Xenomorphs' pursuit early on—when the two Xenomorphs neared him, he could still perceive that violent, brutal killing intent!

"Hmm? I set the nest, I used the bait, but instead of catching the fish, I'm being hunted by these things?" Wang Zhen sensed the two Xenomorphs approaching at extreme speed from behind and couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. Although there was no air support, this clearly didn't go according to plan; it could only be considered a lucky strike!

Wang Zhen did not run away. Instead, he turned around, walked back toward the direction the two Xenomorphs were charging from, and stood at an intersection, quietly waiting for the two fish that had delivered themselves into his net!

A dozen seconds flashed by in an instant.

The two Xenomorphs were one in front and one behind—not in a straight line, but diagonally, about two meters apart. This layout made Wang Zhen frown. To say Xenomorphs understood military strategy was pure nonsense, but as an instinctive reaction of top-tier predators, it was obvious!

The movements of the two Xenomorphs could even be called a natural hunting formation!

However, as a cheater—even if he hadn't been able to max out his cheats because the money (reward points) in his pocket wasn't enough, having only stingily opened them four times—Wang Zhen still had enough courage to face the assault of two Xenomorphs simultaneously!

Without waiting for the two Xenomorphs to get any closer, as soon as the distance between both sides entered the ten-meter range, Wang Zhen clapped his hands together, and the all-metal corridor instantly came to life!

Since the two Xenomorphs were hunting him, Wang Zhen didn't want any accidents. Therefore, he completely abandoned the "magical turret" attack mode he had used to solo the first Xenomorph and instead directly employed a combat method he had just conceived through the power of "I think, therefore I am"!

Metal Transmutation Array... activate!

Although the Xenomorphs' body fluids were highly corrosive liquids capable of melting metal, they didn't have much opportunity to be used before their tough exoskeleton shells were breached. Therefore, the spaceship hull, entirely cast from metal, was the ultimate home field for Wang Zhen, who had mastered the instant Metal Transmutation Array!

Since he was fighting on his home turf, why not make full use of the home-field advantage?

As the entire metal corridor was activated under the drive of Wang Zhen's Metal Transmutation Array, it instantly came to life. The entire passage resembled a writhing intestine, ejecting hundreds of strands like countless silk ribbons dancing in the wind. As the two Xenomorphs charged into these metal ribbons, they acted like tentacles, instantly wrapping and binding the two creatures!

The entire process looked like sea anemone tentacles swaying wantonly in the water—beautiful and magnificent. But once prey appeared nearby, these seemingly soft and beautiful tentacles would instantly turn into the deadliest weapons, tightly binding the prey before devouring them!

Wang Zhen used all his strength to activate the entire section of the metal corridor, then bound the two Xenomorphs that had intruded. He didn't want to eat them; he wanted to set off two massive fireworks!

In the vast, dark void of the universe, Wang Zhen intended to use his most devout heart to perform an act of instant, stress-relieving art. Although fireworks fade quickly, a single moment is eternity. When the fireworks vanished, it would be the peaceful, serene "sage time"...

And this was the true essence of art!

Seeing the two Xenomorphs bound like zongzi, Wang Zhen didn't wait for the artistic release and the blooming of the fireworks in resignation. Instead, they bit through their long muscular tongues, releasing high-concentration corrosive body fluids to melt the metal bands wrapped around their bodies!

"Truly admirable survival instincts and combat techniques! However, you walked into this yourselves; you didn't bite my bait and get reeled in. How could I let you two fish, having swum into the pot, jump back out and return to the water?" Wang Zhen chuckled to himself as he saw the two Xenomorphs using their corrosive fluids to melt a hole in the metal bands near their mouths, which was already bubbling with yellow foam.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhen snapped his fingers. In an instant, the metal bands wrapped around the two Xenomorphs flared with an orange-red light. Within just a few seconds, the two Xenomorphs looked like two giant orange-red balls of light, and then, both spheres exploded!

"Boom, boom..."

This explosion was not like the previous test, where small bombs detonated one after another; these small bombs detonated simultaneously!

Without any surprises, the two Xenomorphs were not protagonists with an immortality halo; they couldn't awaken a power-up one microsecond before death to break free from the bombs and complete a counter-kill. Thus, they died very peacefully—the kind where not even bones remained!

"So satisfying..." Wang Zhen witnessed the blooming and fading of the two brilliant fireworks he had created. It was as if the pressure that had been building for so long was instantly vented; the feeling of mental clarity was truly exhilarating!

"No wonder Xiao Di loved explosions so much, wanting to use them in every mission. In that final mission, he even exposed his identity because his methods were too obvious, and for the sake of the art he obsessed over, he ended up dying with his target!" His body felt hollowed out, his mind clear and entering a sage-like state, and he couldn't help but think of his former companion, Xiao Di—a guy who loved explosions and worshipped them as art.

In the past, Wang Zhen had only thought Xiao Di was too paranoid and eccentric, disdaining his obsession with explosive assassination methods.

But now, Wang Zhen understood!

Explosions really are art!

Wang Zhen held his waist, slowly shuffling to the wall and leaning his body against the cold, hard metal. Activating the entire section of the metal corridor, controlling hundreds of metal bands to bind the two Xenomorphs, and then detonating them all at once—the toll on both his mental power and his body was immense.

Although Wang Zhen was currently in the "sage time" after the fireworks had faded, with weak hands, legs, and waist, the mental clarity left him feeling incredibly satisfied. He even had a feeling that once he recovered, his understanding of the State Alchemist profession and his control over transmutation arrays would enter a brand-new realm, elevating his strength to a new level!

"There were about sixteen Xenomorphs. I lured and killed one earlier, Zheng Zha and the others lured one away, and I just took out two more. That leaves twelve. I hope Zheng Zha and the others don't do too well; I really want to solo the rest!" After resting for a few minutes, Wang Zhen stood up again to continue his fishing trip...