You Can Write an IOU

Feng Ling did not understand why Zhou Diao had emphasized his identity as captain.

But she figured out something else—

No wonder Zhou Diao usually only turned both arms into Beast Claws instead of maintaining his Hellhound form at all times. He was conserving his stamina.

She turned to Huangfu Miaomiao and asked, "Does that little jelly you drank work on humans?"

Huangfu Miaomiao froze for a moment. "It... should work, I guess."

"Give him a bag." Feng Ling pointed at Zhou Diao.

If he was weak, he needed replenishing.

Zhou Diao: "..."

Huangfu Miaomiao: "..."

Neither of them looked pleased.

One resisted using products made by Xenomorphs.

The other could not bear to spend the Points she had painstakingly saved.

Reluctantly, Huangfu Miaomiao exchanged her Points for a small bag of Nutrient Paste and handed it to Feng Ling.

Feng Ling tossed it to Zhou Diao.

Zhou Diao freed one Beast Claw and turned it back into a human hand, catching it in midair. Silently, he braced himself: Think of the bigger picture. Think of the bigger picture...

He bit open the packaging and sucked down the Nutrient Paste in one gulp.

It tasted like concentrated fruit juice, with a slightly gelatinous texture and a faint sweetness. After drinking it, his fatigue gradually faded, and his entire body perked up. Even his brain felt energized.

The effect was astonishing.

But Zhou Diao could not relax. This was a Xenomorph's high-tech concoction. The better it worked, the greater the pressure he felt.

Zhou Diao looked solemnly at Feng Ling and asked, "...Could there be side effects?"

Feng Ling said, "I haven't had any, so I don't know."

Zhou Diao: "..."

Feng Ling then said to Huangfu Miaomiao, "That Recovery Potion looked pretty useful too. Get one for Old Cao."

In truth, she was not familiar with Cao Hongyi. She called him that only because she had forgotten Cao Hongyi's name.

Huangfu Miaomiao felt like crying. "That one is really expensive. If I exchange for it, I'll only have 2 Points left..."

Feng Ling said casually, "You can have the Supervision Bureau write you an IOU. Don't we get Points for killing those bugs? One Potion only costs a few bugs to earn back."

"Hey, don't make decisions on your own," Zhou Diao said, unable to listen any longer. Having the Supervision Bureau write an IOU to a Xenomorph sounded absurd no matter how he thought about it!

Feng Ling smiled indifferently. "That little bag of jelly from before counts as one bug too. You already drank it, so don't even think about defaulting."

Zhou Diao choked on his words.

Feng Ling continued in a calm tone, "We've already wasted a lot of time here. If we delay any longer, the Contaminant might hatch a few more bugs. Hurry up and heal his leg. Then we won't have to hold back when we set up the plan."

With things put that way, there was really no reason to refuse.

The only person suffering was Huangfu Miaomiao.

She exchanged for a Recovery Potion. When she saw her balance reduced to the pitifully meager "2," her heart ached. Unable to bear a second look, she stuffed the syringe into Cao Hongyi's hands.

"Inject it into your leg," Huangfu Miaomiao said sadly.

Zhou Diao stood beside her, distracted and irritated. "We'll pay you back with interest in the future!"

Huangfu Miaomiao pursed her lips, still looking utterly dejected. The sight made Zhou Diao even more agitated.

Seeing Cao Hongyi inject the Potion, Feng Ling silently closed her eyes while waiting for the medicine to take effect—

Earlier, when she had attacked the Contaminant, she had also used "Mother's Longing."

A red mist appeared before her eyes.

Feng Ling followed where the mist led, trying to find the Contaminant's hiding place.

But after tracking it for more than ten meters, she had no choice but to give up.

Because the cave was too dark.

Every passage was pitch-black, and she could not see anything. That rendered her Mark-tracking ability meaningless.

Feng Ling opened her eyes in a foul mood.

By then, Cao Hongyi's leg injury had mostly healed. He could not exactly run like the wind, but walking was no longer much of a problem.

Everyone was happy for Cao Hongyi. Even Zhou Diao's expression improved considerably. But when he saw Feng Ling's cold face, he immediately wiped away his smile, unwilling to lose momentum in front of her.

"Don't worry. I'll leave enough bugs for later. I won't take the debt I owe you out of this cave," Zhou Diao said seriously.

Feng Ling answered with a distracted "Mm" and said, "Let's act according to the plan."

Zhou Diao: "..."

No, I'm giving you this much face, so why are you giving me that look?!

Zhou Diao was inwardly annoyed. He truly could not understand Feng Ling. She had clearly been enthusiastically discussing how to deal with the Contaminant with him just now, yet she had suddenly turned aloof. What had happened? He had not offended her!

"Of course we'll act according to the plan..." Zhou Diao gritted his back teeth in irritation and looked at Qin Liang. "Export the data and give it to her."

Qin Liang operated the Detector a few times, removed the internal chip, and solemnly handed it to Feng Ling.

"You saw the map earlier, so you should remember it all, right?" With the mission at stake, Zhou Diao carefully and patiently instructed Feng Ling, "These cave entrances connect to one another. After you leave through here, keep going left and you'll return to the passage leading to the Parking Lot. I'll make as much noise as possible to draw the bugs and the Contaminant away, buying you time."

"Got it." Feng Ling put away the chip.

Zhou Diao took out a combat dagger and handed it to Fang Ye. "Feng Ling needs to get the map data out as quickly as possible, so she can't take you with her. That means you can only follow us. We'll do everything we can to keep you safe, but if something dangerous happens, you'd better find a way to protect yourself, because we may not be able to rescue you in time."

Fang Ye nervously accepted the dagger and nodded hard. "I-I'll try not to cause you any trouble."

Zhou Diao let out a breath and stood up. "All right, move out!"

The team split into two.

Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao left first, their figures quickly vanishing into the darkness.

The rest, led by Zhou Diao, entered another cave entrance on full alert.

Feng Ling walked quickly.

Huangfu Miaomiao stayed close at her side, not daring to move even half a meter away from her.

Loud, intermittent banging sounded in the distance. It was probably the noise Zhou Diao's group was deliberately making.

Without bugs interfering, Feng Ling quickly found the cave entrance leading to the Parking Lot. Her flashlight illuminated the passage, and before long, she saw the protruding rock that had struck Cao Hongyi's forehead before.

As long as she went a little farther, her phone would have signal. She could call Su Yuqing directly and have him send someone to collect the chip near the sinkhole in the Parking Lot. That would save more time.

After delivering the chip, she wanted to return to the cave and see what exactly was inside that deep pit shaped like a Womb.

Scrape...

Scrape...

Feng Ling halted abruptly and turned around sharply.

Huangfu Miaomiao, following behind, nearly crashed into her. Before she could ask what was wrong, Feng Ling grabbed her by the collar and flung her into the front of the passage!

And at the spot where she had just been standing, a Bug Monster with a human face pounced forward!

"It's the Contaminant!" Huangfu Miaomiao screamed in terror.

The Contaminant had caught up!

—But why? Hadn't Zhou Diao already lured the Contaminant away?!