Alas, Alas

Drip, drip—

Water seeped unhurriedly from the ceiling of the sewer, the sound as cold and grim as the dripping blood of prey.

Deep within the city sewers, in a location no conventional detector could find, a massive figure lay coiled within the broad nest at the very bottom.

Its body was several times larger than that of an ordinary Alien. The enormous ovipositor connected behind it, its nearly shield-shaped special head, and its unusual four-armed emperor—cough, cough, two primary limbs and two secondary limbs—all proclaimed its unique identity: the Alien Queen!

This had originally been a large reservoir filled with water, its underground pipelines as complex as a spiderweb.

But now, the water had long since dried up. In its place, grayish-brown and even black viscous matter covered nearly every inch of the walls from top to bottom, transforming the entire underground space into a dimly shrouded "living nest" that seemed to breathe at every moment.

These life-like writhing gelatinous substances were secreted by male bee-type Aliens. Beyond retaining warmth and moisture, they could easily restrain captured living food, providing a suitable environment for newborn young to grow.

For creatures lacking an Alien's silicon shell and pheromone perception, this "terrain" could also indirectly slow movement, obstruct vision, and even block electromagnetic signals. It was the ideal resting ground and hunting field for an Alien colony.

This Alien Queen, only four or five meters tall and positively "petite" compared to its counterparts in the films—practically underdeveloped—had remained in this safe place, constantly producing those "cocoons" taller than an ordinary person's arm.

But that did not mean it did nothing else.

Objectively speaking, Aliens were a "hive" species. While serving as the "main brain," the Queen also controlled the colony's movements through a certain degree of psychic connection and pheromones.

Yes,