Wang Zhen hadn't sensed the two Xenomorphs approaching from behind, but he'd made himself the bait, certain he could lure one out. After all, these perfect predators craved flesh and blood as much as a man who'd gone hungry for a week craved a basin of rich, succulent braised pork!
A delicacy no one could possibly pass up!
And Wang Zhen was all alone. What prey could be more tempting to a predator than a creature separated from its group?
Although Wang Zhen wasn't naturally gifted on the psychic side, his cheat had let him change classes into a State Alchemist, a profession that came close to being psychic. And after he'd completed a sacrifice through four Human Transmutations and communed with the Gate of Truth, he'd plundered endless knowledge from the universal consciousness beyond the Gate. That had passively improved his psychic talent, too.
So Wang Zhen was now much like Zhan Lan, someone with considerable potential for psychic abilities. Although he didn't have any actual psychic powers, and therefore hadn't noticed the Xenomorphs pursuing him sooner, he could still sense the vicious, bloodthirsty killing intent when the two creatures drew near!
"Hm? I set the trap and used the bait, but no fish took it. Instead, I've got these guys chasing me?" Wang Zhen sensed the two Xenomorphs racing toward him from behind and couldn't help feeling helpless. At least he hadn't come up empty-handed, but this clearly wasn't according to plan. He'd only stumbled into a result by sheer luck!
Wang Zhen didn't run. He turned around and walked toward the two charging Xenomorphs, then stood at an intersection and calmly waited for the two fish to swim right into his net!
A dozen or so seconds passed in a flash.
The two Xenomorphs came one behind the other, but not in a straight line. They were staggered diagonally, about two meters apart. This arrangement made Wang Zhen furrow his brow. Saying the Xenomorphs understood military strategy would be ridiculous, but their instincts as apex predators were plain to see!
Their movements could even be called a natural hunting formation!
But as a cheater, Wang Zhen had the courage to face two Xenomorphs at once, even though he hadn't had enough points in his pocket to activate his cheat to the fullest and had only reluctantly activated it four times!
Before the Xenomorphs could get any closer, the moment they entered a ten-meter radius, Wang Zhen clapped his hands. The all-metal corridor instantly came alive!
Since the two Xenomorphs were pursuing him with the intent to attack, Wang Zhen didn't want to leave anything to chance. He abandoned the attack pattern he'd used to kill the first Xenomorph—the one that made him a spellcasting turret in a video game—and instead used the battle strategy he'd just come up with through the power of "I reckon"!
The Metal Transmutation Array... activated!
Although Xenomorph bodily fluids were highly concentrated corrosive liquids capable of eating through metal, they had little chance to come into play before the creatures' tough exoskeletons were breached. That meant the all-metal hull of the spaceship was the perfect home ground for Wang Zhen, who could instantly activate a Metal Transmutation Array!
If he was fighting on home ground, why not make full use of the advantage?
At Wang Zhen's urging, the entire metal corridor came alive in an instant. It writhed like a living intestine, shooting out hundreds of silken strands that fluttered like ribbons in the wind. The moment the two Xenomorphs charged into them, the metal ribbons wrapped around the creatures like tentacles, binding them tight!
The whole scene was like sea anemone tentacles swaying freely beneath the waves. They looked beautiful, almost ethereal, but the moment prey came near, those seemingly delicate, lovely tentacles became deadly weapons. They wound around their victims, bound them fast, and devoured them!
Wang Zhen poured all his strength into animating the entire metal corridor, then wrapped the two Xenomorphs that had invaded it in metal ribbons. But he wasn't going to eat them. He was going to set off two massive fireworks!
Here in the vast universe, facing the boundless darkness of the void, Wang Zhen would perform the art of instant stress relief with all the reverence in his heart. Fireworks might fade quickly, but a single instant could be eternal. When the fireworks disappeared, it would be time for peaceful, tranquil post-release clarity...
And that was the true essence of art!
Wang Zhen saw that the two Xenomorphs, bound up like rice dumplings, weren't resigned to waiting for their artistic release and the fireworks to bloom. They bit through their long, muscular tongues and released the highly concentrated corrosive fluid inside their bodies, trying to eat through the metal ribbons wrapped around them!
"What an admirable will to survive and such impressive fighting skills! But you came here of your own accord. You didn't bite my bait and get reeled in. How could I let two fish swim right into the pot, then hop out and swim back into the water?" Wang Zhen said with a smile as he watched the two Xenomorphs use their corrosive fluids to eat a hole through the metal ribbons near their mouths. Yellow foam bubbled around the opening.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhen snapped his fingers. In an instant, the metal ribbons wrapped around the two Xenomorphs glowed orange-red. In just a few seconds, the two creatures had become enormous orange-red spheres of light. Then both spheres exploded!
Boom! Boom!
Unlike the earlier test, where the little bombs had exploded one after another, this time they all exploded simultaneously!
There were no surprises. The two Xenomorphs didn't have the protagonist's invincibility aura. They couldn't awaken some berserk power a microsecond before death, break free of the bombs, and turn the tables. So the two of them died very peacefully—the kind of death that left not even a trace of their remains!
"Ah, that felt so good..." Wang Zhen watched the two dazzling fireworks he'd made bloom and fade before his eyes. It was like all the pressure he'd been carrying for so long had vanished in an instant. The feeling of having his mind cleared was incredible!
"No wonder Xiao Di loved explosions so much. No matter what the mission was, he had to use explosions. Even in that last mission, he gave away his identity because his methods were too obvious. In the end, for the sake of the art he'd always dreamed of, he even died alongside his target!" His body felt hollowed out, and his mind was clear as he entered a state of post-release clarity. He couldn't help thinking of the old companion named Xiao Di, a kid who'd adored explosions and regarded them as an art form.
In the past, Wang Zhen had thought Xiao Di was too obsessive and eccentric. He'd looked down on his insistence on using explosions for assassination.
But now, Wang Zhen understood!
Explosions really were art!
Wang Zhen clutched his aching lower back and slowly shuffled to the wall. Leaning against the cold, hard metal, he let his body rest. Animating the entire metal corridor, controlling hundreds of metal ribbons to bind the two Xenomorphs, then detonating them all at once had taken an enormous toll on both his mind and body.
Although Wang Zhen was now in the post-fireworks aftermath, with weak hands, weak legs, and a weak back, the clarity in his mind left him deeply satisfied. He even had a feeling that once he recovered, his understanding of the State Alchemist profession and his control over Transmutation Circles would reach a whole new level, taking his abilities into a brand-new realm!
"There were about sixteen Xenomorphs. I lured one away earlier and killed it, Zheng Zha and the others lured away another, and I just took out two more. That leaves twelve. I hope Zheng Zha and the others don't do too well. I want to solo the whole thing!" After resting for a few minutes, Wang Zhen stood up again and continued his fishing trip...
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