Hive

Late at night, the rundown old district was plunged in a death-like stillness.

Ever since the Xenomorph descent half a year ago, Qingjiang City had been classified as a high-risk zone, and not a single shadow could be seen on the streets after dark.

Feng Ling carried discounted convenience store items from before closing time, her brisk footsteps carrying her through the streets and alleys back to the old tube building.

The key turned with a click.

The noise of the door opening seemed to startle something, and a faint sound came from the corner of the room as some sticky, rotting tentacles wriggled in the shadows.

Feng Ling paid it no mind.

She entered the room, turned on the light, walked straight to the fridge, and put the bought instant meal packs and fruit away in an orderly fashion.

At the very bottom of the shopping bag was a newly bought boning knife.

She tore off the wrapping paper on the outside of the boning knife, weighed it in her hand, and then looked expressionlessly at the wooden table against the wall--

A monster, half-human and half-beast, was tied up there.

To say it looked like a human was because arms and legs could faintly be distinguished.

To say it did not look like a human was because not a single proper head could be found; only twitching limbs were sPREAd out and tied to the table, while its belly was bloated to a near purplish-red, with dozens of tentacles stretching out from inside, and the pus and mucus it secreted dripped down along the table legs, emitting a nauseating stench.

Clearly, this was a dying Xenomorph creature.

Feng Ling had accidentally picked it up last week and immediately brought it home to study.

Ever since the Xenomorphs invaded Earth, every day's news was either Xenomorphs killing people or Xenomorphs being killed, and all kinds of Xenomorph news flew around the internet, making her develop a strong interest in this kind of creature.

After studying it for a few days, she found that this Xenomorph's condition was very strange.

It was growing more rotten every day, yet it simultaneously displayed an overly exuberant vitality, continuously growing new flesh while rotting, as if it could never die no matter what, yet showed no signs of healing at all.

Perhaps sensing her approach, the monster on the table changed from a slow wriggle to a fierce struggle, those foul-smelling tentacles writhing like snakes.

Feng Ling picked up the boning knife and stabbed it directly into the monster's belly!

The towering belly instantly collapsed, the tentacles struggling in an attempt to counterattack, but they were so thoroughly rotted that Feng Ling easily chopped them to pieces with her knife.

Seeing that it had become "well-behaved," Feng Ling put on plastic gloves, picked up the boning knife once more, and began to perform the dissection.

First, she severed the limbs.

Then she excised the skin layer with sharp teeth.

Next, she cleared away the damp tentacles, cut open the rotting putrid flesh, and opened the abdominal cavity--no organs were found inside.

She picked and chose amidst this mass of bloody pulp with great interest, finally discovering flower-petal-like fleshy fascia in the chest region; they overlapped layer upon layer, slowly opening and closing with its breath, and deep within, one could vaguely see a bloody eyeball wrapped up.

They all say Xenomorph cards can make people gain superpowers; could the card be in here...

Feng Ling muttered to herself, aimed the tip of her knife at the eyeball, and stabbed down--

Blood gushed out like a spring.

The black was foul-smelling, the red was fresh, the green and purple were unknown mucus, and various kinds of liquids mixed together and flowed downward.

Feng Ling exerted force once more.

With a crunch, the eyeball was completely pierced.

The monster jerked straight, then rapidly went limp and rotted, losing any remaining signs of life.

Feng Ling was dazed for a moment, and then watched as a card gradually overflowed from this pool of flesh and blood.

Blood-red, slightly transparent, it floated weightlessly and silently in midair, with an eye clearly carved onto the card surface.

She had read many posts discussing cards online, and felt somewhat puzzled: Didn't they all say cards are silver? How is this color?

She reached out to touch it.

The blood-red card instantly melted, slipped along her fingertips into her pores, and vanished without a trace.

At the same time, a string of clear text surfaced within Feng Ling's mind--

You have obtained the card “Unknown.”

You are the Source of Life, you are the Mother Nest, you possess a robust physique and an inexhaustible source of power; as long as a sliver of vitality remains, it is nearly impossible to kill you.

For some reason, the card name displayed as garbled text.

Just as Feng Ling found it bizarre, this text suddenly disintegrated, replaced by a few lines of massive red characters that thoroughly occupied her brain!

Warning: Unknown error!

Warning: Unknown error!

Warning: Unknown error!

The warning sound made Feng Ling's brain buzz, and the text kept stuttering.

What's going on...

Feng Ling pressed her temples in discomfort, and at that moment, the text in her mind changed once more--

Warning! You are not a Player.

Warning! Card Gene is undergoing an unknown change.

Instantly, a ringing echo resounded in her mind, and intense pain struck sharply!

Every cell in her body began to undergo violent changes!

The bodily reaction caught Feng Ling off guard, and she cried out in pain, immediately clenching her teeth, forcing herself to steady herself against the desk, sweating all over in just a dozen seconds!

Right after that, the tendons and bones all over her body hurt as if they were about to shatter!

Unable to bear it, she dropped to her knees on the ground, bracing herself tightly against the floor, cold sweat streaming down continuously, her vision blurring, hurting to the point that even breathing hurt! Even her heartbeat stung!

Every single nerve and every single cell in her body was screaming!

Not knowing how long had passed, this excruciating pain finally vanished—

Feng Ling was soaked through as if she had been fished out of water.

She opened her eyes, looking rather dazedly at her own hands.

There was no change whatsoever, nor did she feel like she had any superpowers. The room was deathly quiet, and apart from a puddle of rotten, dissolved monster, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Feng Ling slowly let out a breath, softly cursing, "What the actual fuck."

In a dark sewer, a girl wearing a Skull Mask was stumbling forward, when a blue-glowing virtual screen suddenly popped up in front of her.

In a quiet mountain forest, a man dressed as a Daoist priest put down the bamboo slip in his hand, staring at the virtual screen and falling into deep thought.

The music in the urban KTV private room continued to play, yet the guests eerily fell silent all at once, each and every one staring at their message panels.

At this moment, all players invading Earth simultaneously received a message—

The Hidden Boss Hive (Juvenile Form) has been born, danger level unknown, please players locate the Hive and eliminate it as soon as possible!