Fang Yu!
The silent cry rang out in Zhang Jie's and Daniels's hearts!
It wasn't that they lacked vocal cords.
They were simply so terrified that, for the moment, they didn't know how to make a sound.
Facing Fu Ming in the sky, Zhang Jie's legs gave out.
He was already at the end of his rope. How could he possibly still have the courage to resist?
Die.
Dying would be fine too.
It was far better than getting disemboweled by an Alien later.
Thinking it over carefully, Zhang Jie actually found it funny.
Honestly.
A day ago, how could he have imagined that one day he would be cleaved to death by the sword of a cultivator riding a sword through the sky?
This isn't such a bad way to die.
Zhang Jie slowly closed his eyes and silently awaited death.
"Tap tap tap tap!"
Footsteps came from beside him!
Before Zhang Jie could open his eyes, he was tackled to the ground!
He felt warmth against his chest and hurriedly opened his eyes.
This!
Daniels?
"What are you doing?"
Daniels offered no explanation. She looked up at Fu Ming, who was about to strike with his sword again!
A flash of surprise crossed Fu Ming's eyes!
That expression was exceedingly rare on his face!
"You told her about the mission?"
Hm?
Zhang Jie's mind raced, and he reached an almost impossible conclusion!
Had their group, through bits and pieces of conversation around Daniels, allowed this original character to deduce that they were important figures in the movie, perhaps even a crucial part of the mission!?
Daniels was, after all, a genuine PhD in this movie!
Her mind was sharper than anyone else present.
She instantly judged her own importance, tackling Zhang Jie, who could no longer move, and catching Fu Ming off guard!
Fu Ming withdrawing his attack proved Daniels's judgment correct!
These people couldn't kill her!
"Interesting." Fu Ming spoke calmly, took out something, and tossed it down from high in the air.
Daniels showed no fear and raised a hand to catch a canister.
"This is Medical Spray." Fu Ming paused before continuing. "I've never seen an original character as intelligent and brave as you. He hasn't opened his Gene Lock, so he isn't worth much."
Fu Ming formed a sword gesture and recalled the Golden Light. "This Reincarnator's life, in light of your courage..."
"Will be spared for now, so he can protect you."
"I won't kill him yet."
With that, Fu Ming actually clasped his hands behind his back and flew away into the distance!
"He just left like that!?"
Zhang Jie muttered blankly, while Daniels had already sprayed the Medical Spray over his leg.
"Don't! Keep it. Check on him first! My watch hasn't shown any casualties yet!"
Along the banks of a clear underground stream, Ruan Wei, Ono Kei, Nova, One-Armed Auntie, and the original characters, the white old man Belo Zock and the Black Girl Jones, walked slowly as a group of six.
They were still shaken, unease and anxiety flickering in their eyes.
No one would be in a good mood knowing their destination was the Alien Queen's lair.
Tension hung between them, as though it could erupt at any moment.
Ruan Wei finally couldn't hold it in any longer. His voice carried obvious dissatisfaction. "This is all your fault for splitting the team! If it weren't for you, how would we have ended up like this!"
Ono Kei's face darkened as she retorted, "Ruan Wei, that's not right! Meng Yao and Da Qiang were going to take our Reward Points from the start. They never treated us like people! No matter what I did, this day would have come sooner or later."
Ruan Wei's expression became even uglier as he said furiously, "There's strength in numbers, understand! If we hadn't split up, would she have dared to make a move against so many of us? Ono Kei, you're just a stupid pig pretending to be smart. This is all because of you, you fucking idiot!"
"Heh." Ono Kei crossed her arms over her chest. "You think Meng Yao wouldn't have torn off the mask if we hadn't split up? You think far too highly of yourself."
"Even if I do think highly of myself, it's better than you always pretending to be clever here, isn't it?"
Ono Kei sneered, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Ruan Wei, you're a self-righteous man with no leadership ability. I thought you were merely afraid of death, but it seems that cowardice is the least noteworthy part of your vile personality!"
Ruan Wei snapped, "Say that again?"
Ono Kei looked at Ruan Wei with the kind of gaze women reserved for men they despised most. "What? You dare hit me?"
Ruan Wei was completely enraged. He rushed forward and grabbed Ono Kei by the throat!
"Bitch! Bitch!"
Ruan Wei poured all his resentment onto Ono Kei's neck: the confusion from arriving in Alien: Covenant—
The high spirits of briefly ruling the team—
Then being chased by Aliens, implanted with an Alien Egg, undergoing surgery—
All his grievances over being implanted with an Alien Egg and a bomb!
He looked ready to strangle Ono Kei to death!
How could Ono Kei, a woman, match a man's strength? Ruan Wei straddled her upper body, her eyes bulging as she was about to suffocate!
At that moment, the previously silent One-Armed Auntie suddenly made her move!
She picked up a rock and smashed it hard into the back of the head of Ruan Wei!
Ruan Wei cried out in pain and released Ono Kei. He turned around and stared at One-Armed Auntie in disbelief.
A trace of satisfaction flashed through the middle-aged woman's eyes. She had finally seized the chance to retaliate for Ruan Wei's earlier sneak attack against her.
"You old hag!" Ruan Wei roared, wanting to strike back, but One-Armed Auntie had already retreated several steps. Her eyes revealed vigilance and pride.
"I'm warning you, don't drag this out!" Auntie planted her one hand on her hip, apparently already accustomed to having one arm. "I ain't afraid of you. No matter how scary you are, are you scarier than that Big Scorpion? No!"
"If we keep wasting time, when the Big Scorpion in my belly comes out, it'll take your life all the same!"
"You!"
Ruan Wei knew Auntie was completely right. He swept his gaze over the others and found that none of them were looking at him favorably.
His reputation was thoroughly ruined!
Ono Kei took the opportunity to retreat to one side. Watching this unfold, her feelings were complicated.
The internal conflicts within this team had already become irreconcilable. It would be a miracle if a team like this could survive on a planet where danger lurked at every turn.
Nova, holding her gun in both hands, chose not to waste time with them. She quickened her pace and carefully explored along the underground stream.
Nova scanned the depths of the stream. Even her flashlight couldn't illuminate the entire darkness, and she had no idea what lay at its end.
Fear crept over her entire body.
Suddenly, a strange sound came from deep within the underground stream!
Nova's nerves instantly tensed. Without the slightest hesitation, she quickly set her gun on the bank, took a deep breath, and plunged directly into the icy river water!
The river was clear, but the underground darkness made visibility poor.
Nova widened her eyes and tried her best to adapt to the dim underwater surroundings.
She sank into the depths of the river.
Then, she saw an Alien slowly pass along the shore!
This Alien was enormous, its skin smooth and wet, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Its tail was long and flexible, while its head was a terrifying, threatening structure filled with sharp teeth and a translucent inner jaw.
Nova's heart tightened!
Was this an Alien similar to a "worker"?
Nova was horrified. She realized that what Meng Yao had said might be true.
If there really was an Alien Hive here, then the danger they faced would far exceed their expectations.
This planet might be far more dangerous than they had imagined. The Aliens' numbers and range of activity might vastly exceed anything they had anticipated.
After the worker Alien's footsteps faded farther and farther away, Nova, whose face had gone pale from holding her breath, surfaced.
She gulped down several breaths of air, recovered for a moment, and pressed the walkie-talkie on her shoulder.
"There's a hive."
The instant the message was sent, Meng Yao's voice came through.
"Wonderful, baby. I knew you're the only useful one in this team. Go take a look. Is there an Alien that's abnormally huge? If there is, report back to me."
As though she had expected Meng Yao to change her attitude, Nova replied calmly, "I can go look, but you have to give me a chance to survive. And you have to tell me why we must find the Alien Queen."
Meng Yao fell silent for a moment, then slowly Responded:
"Have you seen a..."
"Japanese anime called Parasite Beast?"
(There'll be another chapter later, before midnight.)
Before you continue