thefictionvixens Chapter 13 Eradicating the Aliens
Chapter 13 Eradicating the Aliens
The roar of the collapsing nest gradually subsided, leaving only sporadic metallic twisting sounds and the soft patter of dripping slime. The shock of the Alien Queen's demise briefly plunged the team into a state of exhilaration and lingering fear.
But Chu Xuan's voice immediately brought everyone back to reality: "With the Queen dead, the other aliens have lost unified command and will enter a state of instinctive hunting or chaos. The threat has decreased, but it hasn't disappeared. They may be scattered throughout the ship, including ventilation ducts, cargo hold compartments, and unexplored areas. We need to systematically clear them out to ensure there is no further threat during the 72-hour survival period."
His gaze shifted to Wang Lin: "You mentioned before that the Xenomorphs have 'worker bee' individuals that tend to guard the hive and the queen. Now that the hive has been destroyed and the queen is dead, their behavior patterns may change, becoming more aggressive and stealthy. We need new strategies."
Wang Lin nodded, suppressing his fatigue, and quickly organized his thoughts: "Ordinary aliens are sensitive to vibration, sound, and heat. They are currently in two states: one is that they are enraged by the Queen's death and are actively seeking out and attacking living things; the other is that they are instinctively looking for new hiding places or escaping the spaceship. We can take advantage of this."
"I suggest we split into two groups: a cleanup group and a monitoring/support group," Wang Lin said. "The cleanup group will consist of Zheng Zha, Zero Point, Zhang Jie, Ba Wang, and myself. We'll be equipped with flamethrowers and ample ammunition, and will systematically clear out the enemy along the main corridor and key areas. We'll use thermal imaging devices (if we can find them) or create sound decoys to lure them out. The monitoring group will be led by Chu Xuan, Zhan Lan, and Li Xiaoyi, along with the remaining newcomers and Ripley. They'll be stationed at safe points like the bridge or medical room, using the ship's monitoring system to provide us with real-time intelligence, control access control and ventilation, and create an environment favorable to us, such as releasing noise or regulating the temperature in specific areas."
Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses: "The strategy is reasonable. I'd like to add: During the clearing operation, pay attention to collecting samples from the alien corpses, especially complete heads, internal tooth structures, and residues of highly acidic blood. If you find any recently deceased facehuggers or alien eggs, bring them back as well. This is extremely valuable for analyzing their biological structure, weaknesses, and even for dealing with similar biological weapons in the future."
"Samples?" Zheng Zha frowned, looking at the charred and frozen remains of the Queen not far away, as well as the scattered alien worker bee corpses around her. "Those things...aren't they too dangerous? The blood is also highly acidic."
"The risks are manageable," Chu Xuan said calmly. "They will be sealed and preserved in corrosion-resistant containers, and I will handle them personally. In the Main God Space, these samples may have research value, or even exchange value. Understanding the enemy is a crucial part of defeating them."
Wang Lin's heart skipped a beat. In the original story, Chu Xuan showed great scientific interest in the Xenomorphs, even risking his life to collect samples. That was indeed his style. But this also brought additional risks—sample leakage, accidental decomposition, and even the possibility of being judged by the Main God as "carrying dangerous biomass" and punished.
"Chu Xuan, I agree to collect samples, but the safety procedures must be strictly followed," Wang Lin said seriously. "All samples must be handled and sealed by your designated person (preferably yourself) in an absolutely safe environment. No one else may touch them. In addition, I suggest collecting only the remains of confirmed dead insects that have undergone preliminary treatment (such as high-temperature burning of vital organs or low-temperature freezing). Live eggs or suspected live facehuggers are too dangerous and are not recommended to be carried."
He paused, then looked at Chu Xuan: "You should understand that in the Main God Space, the cost of some 'knowledge' or 'samples' can be unimaginable. Our primary goal now is for everyone to survive and return, obtaining rewards to strengthen ourselves. Overly aggressive research might attract unnecessary trouble."
This was both a reminder and a warning. Wang Lin knew that Chu Xuan's desire to explore the unknown bordered on obsession, but it was necessary to keep it within safe limits.
Chu Xuan looked at Wang Lin for a few seconds, seemingly weighing his options. Finally, he nodded: "Okay. We'll only collect samples from the remains of those confirmed dead. I'll handle the processing. I'll design a three-layered isolation and sealing system. If the samples are deemed a threat or require additional compensation after returning to the Main God Space, I'll bear the corresponding losses."
He made a commitment. While this commitment may not completely bind his future actions, it at least provides a framework within the framework of the contract and the current team consensus.
"Alright, it's settled then." Seeing that Wang Lin and Chu Xuan had reached an agreement, Zheng Zha no longer objected. "The clearing team will replenish its equipment now and then move out. Chu Xuan, you guys go back to the bridge and maintain contact."
The team moved quickly. The clearing group found two somewhat cumbersome but well-fueled industrial flamethrowers in the engineering area (originally used for cleaning pipes or welding), one for Zheng Zha and one for Ba Wang. Zero switched to a more powerful rifle (obtained from the bridge armory, with Ripley granting him access). Zhang Jie still used his pistol, but now carried several high-explosive grenades (also found on the bridge). Wang Lin took a nail gun (from the engineering area) and several Molotov cocktails (homemade); his main role was early warning and support.
Led by Chu Xuan, the monitoring team escorted some of the new recruits back to the bridge. Zhan Lan and Li Xiaoyi stayed behind to assist the clearing team in clearing and securing the area.
The crackdown has begun.
With the Queen's death and the support of the surveillance team, the process went more smoothly than expected, but it was also much bloodier.
Without unified command, the aliens indeed fell into chaos. Some wandered aimlessly in the corridors and were shot in the head by Zero Point; some lurked in the ventilation ducts and were burned to charcoal by flamethrowers; and a few tried to gather together to fight back, but were defeated by Zheng Zha using fire and brute force (enhanced strength) in conjunction with Zhang Jie's grenades.
Wang Lin's lie detector skills were not very useful at this point (the aliens don't have the concept of "lie"), but his basic reconnaissance and stealth skills helped the team discover many potential ambush points for hidden aliens and facehuggers in advance. He also used his knowledge of alien habits to suggest that the team use noise or heat decoys to probe some areas before clearing them to avoid being ambushed.
During lulls in the battle, Chu Xuan guided them via communicator to cut and collect relatively intact parts from the alien wreckage: skull fragments (to study the carapace structure), a severed tail segment (to study the skeleton and locomotion mechanism), and a few milliliters of coagulated, highly acidic blood residue carefully collected in a specially made corrosion-resistant container. All samples were strictly sealed and labeled.
An unexpected incident occurred during the process. A severely wounded but not yet dead alien suddenly sprang from a pile of rubble and pounced on Li Shuaixi, who was collecting samples. At the critical moment, Bawang used a flamethrower to block it, and Zheng Zha rushed forward and used a fire axe (he found another one in the medical room) to cut off its neck, but the strong acid blood splattered onto Bawang's protective suit, corroding several small holes, but fortunately, it did not damage the skin.
This unexpected incident made everyone more vigilant. Chu Xuan immediately adjusted the sample collection process via communicator, requiring at least two people to provide cover and that the body's vital organs be subjected to secondary damage (by flame or low temperature) before approaching for processing.
Time passed slowly. Brief bursts of gunfire, explosions, and alien hissing echoed throughout the spaceship, then silence returned.
On the bridge's monitoring screen, the heat signals representing alien life forms disappeared one by one.
Finally, in the 58th hour of the horror movie, the final systematic scan revealed that, apart from the Reincarnators and Ripley, there were no other established alien life signals on the entire Nostromo. Only a few scattered facehuggers might be hiding in extremely concealed corners, but they no longer posed a swarm threat.
"Main threat eliminated. It is recommended to remain on the bridge or in the medical bay for the remaining time, taking turns to rest and stand guard," Chu Xuan's voice came through. "Sample processing is complete. Wang Lin, would you be interested in seeing the preliminary analysis results?"
Wang Lin, Zheng Zha, and the others returned to the bridge. It had become a temporary command center and safe house. The new recruits huddled in a corner, their faces finally showing a hint of relief at surviving the ordeal. Ripley sat at the control panel, her gaze complex as she looked at these suddenly appearing, formidable, yet purposeless "survivors."
Chu Xuan stood before a makeshift workbench, on which lay several sealed, transparent containers containing samples of the alien tissue. He was observing something with a simple microscope (brought from the medical room), while a notebook lay open beside him, filled with densely packed data and formulas.
"What did you find?" Wang Lin walked over.
"Amazing biological design." Chu Xuan didn't even look up, a rare hint of interest flickering in his voice. "The microstructure of the carapace combines strength, toughness, and lightweight, possibly referencing characteristics of certain Earth arthropods and extraterrestrial silicon-based life forms. The highly active, acidic blood has a corrosion mechanism unlike any known acid, seemingly able to recognize and adjust its reaction rate for different materials... And their nervous system, although the main body was destroyed, the remaining fragments show that they possess some kind of swarm sensing network based on pheromones and bioelectricity, with the Queen likely being the core processor of this network."
He looked up at Wang Lin: "If we could obtain more complete live samples, especially those from the central nervous system or reproductive system, their value would be immeasurable. Are you sure you don't recommend trying?"
Looking into Chu Xuan's almost glowing eyes behind his glasses, Wang Lin knew that this was the real Chu Xuan—a mad scientist who could ignore risks in pursuit of knowledge and truth.
"I'm sure." Wang Lin said firmly, "Chu Xuan, I understand your desire to explore the unknown. But we're in the Main God Space now, and every step could trigger unknown rules. Live alien samples, especially facehuggers or eggs, are too risky. If things get out of control, we could all be wiped out. In fact, the Main God might punish us for trying to 'carry high-threat biological weapons,' such as increasing the difficulty of the next mission or deducting our rewards."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice: "Our contract includes a clause prohibiting any actions that harm the overall interests of the team. At this stage, attempting to obtain live alien samples is, in my view, a high-risk activity that could potentially damage the team's overall interests. Unless you are 100% certain you can control the risk and the benefits clearly far outweigh the risks. Do you?"
Chu Xuan remained silent. He wasn't entirely confident. He was still exploring the rules of the Supreme God, and there were still many unknowns about the biological characteristics of the aliens.
"...Understood." Chu Xuan finally said, shifting his gaze to continue observing his slice. "Prioritizing the survival and maximizing the team's interests. The live sample project is on hold. I will further analyze the collected dead samples, attempting to deduce their common weaknesses, possible evolutionary directions, and... whether it's possible to reverse engineer them into targeted weapons or defensive measures."
"This is what's most valuable to us." Wang Lin breathed a sigh of relief. He was able to persuade Chu Xuan on the one hand based on the contract and the team's interests, and on the other hand because of Chu Xuan's rationality—when the risk-reward ratio is unclear, it is a reasonable choice to put aside the riskier option.
Time passed relatively calmly. In the remaining hours, there was only one false alarm—a facehugger that had slipped through the net attempted to sneak into the bridge through the ventilation ducts, but was spotted and killed by Zero in time.
The 72nd hour has finally arrived.
Main mission: Survive the alien pursuit for 72 hours. Complete.
[Mission Reward: 1000 reward points per survivor.]
[Bonus Mission: Eliminate all aliens (including the Alien Queen). Complete.]
[Bonus Reward: The entire team receives one C-rank side quest and 3000 reward points. (Distributed according to contribution level)]
Teamwork Rating: Good. Bonus: The entire team receives 500 reward points.
[Wang Lin, the reincarnated one, provided crucial information, assisted in tactical planning, participated in the kill of the Queen, and facilitated teamwork during this mission. Contribution rating: High.]
[You have received: 1000 (Basic) + 600 (Additional Task Assignment) + 500 (Teamwork) + 200 (Information Contribution Reward) = 2300 reward points. One C-level side quest.]
The Fragment of the Contract plays a role in this multiplayer collaborative mission and rule-based agreements. Its experience value increases, its binding force is slightly strengthened, and the writable clauses become slightly more complex.
A cold notification sounded in my mind, followed by a dizzying feeling of returning to normalcy.
Wang Lin took one last look at the battle-ravaged spaceship, saw Ripley's lonely figure walking towards the escape pod, saw Chu Xuan carefully putting away his sample container, saw Zheng Zha helping the exhausted Zhan Lan up, and saw the meaningful smile on Zhang Jie's lips...
The white light engulfed everything.
The main divine space, a pure white hall, an eternal sphere of light.
A familiar and reassuring (relatively speaking) environment.
This time, the number of people returning has increased significantly.
Senior contributors: Zheng Zha, Zhan Lan, Zhang Jie, Li Xiaoyi, Wang Lin.
The newcomer survivors are: Lingdian, Bawang, Li Shuaixi, and two other newcomers (one male and one female) who remained relatively calm in the later stages.
There are ten people in total.
Compared to the fifteen people who entered, five were lost, but considering that this is "Alien 1" and the Queen was killed, this survival rate is far higher than in the original work.
"We...survived!" Li Shuaixi shouted excitedly, collapsing to the ground. Ba Wang also grinned. Lingdian silently checked his body and equipment.
Zheng Zha and Zhan Lan exchanged a smile, both feeling as if they had been separated by time.
Zhang Jie stretched and lit another cigarette.
Chu Xuan immediately walked towards the sphere of light: "God, fully repair your body, deduct the reward points from my account." A beam of light enveloped him.
Others also demanded repairs. Beams of light continued to fall.
Wang Lin didn't rush to heal (his injuries weren't serious), but instead checked his gains. 2300 points, one C-level side quest! Adding the 1480 points he had left and the D-level side quest, he now had a total of 3780 reward points, one C-level side quest, and one D-level side quest!
More importantly, the contract paper had grown. He felt that he could now perhaps design some more refined clauses with slightly active triggering conditions.
The repair of the light pillars gradually came to an end. Everyone was refreshed and their injuries had healed.
"Everyone," Wang Lin stepped forward again, taking out the contract paper that seemed to have a slightly warmer luster, "I think it's time to re-examine our team and our future."
His gaze swept over everyone, especially lingering on the faces of Chu Xuan, Zheng Zha, Ling Dian, Ba Wang, and Li Shuaixi.
"We've been through life and death together in the alien world, and we've initially established a model of trust and cooperation. But the Main God Space won't let us relax. The next world may be even more dangerous. I suggest that we build a more stable team based on our existing personnel, share some resources, and develop a long-term strengthening and development plan."
"Those who agree can sign this updated team contract. The terms will be more detailed, including reward point lending rules, loot distribution details, team conduct guidelines, and... a constraint and arbitration mechanism for 'high-risk individual behavior' that may jeopardize the team's overall survival (such as conducting extremely high-risk experiments or actions without the team's permission)."
He said the last point while looking at Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, looked at the paper in Wang Lin's hand, then at the sphere of light, and slowly nodded: "A reasonable suggestion for organization. I agree."
Zheng Zha nodded vigorously: "I agree! We need a real team!"
Zhan Lan, Li Xiaoyi, Lingdian, Bawang, Li Shuaixi, and others also expressed their agreement. Zhang Jie smiled noncommittally, but also stepped forward and signed his name.
A new contract was slowly forged amidst the bloodshed and the hopes of the survivors in the alien world.
Wang Lin knew this was just the beginning. The clash of ideologies within the team (Zheng Zha's emotional nature versus Chu Xuan's rationality), Zhang Jie's secret, the even more terrifying world to come, and the mysteries of the Main God Space itself... all lay ahead.
But at least, he's not alone anymore. He has a team with enormous potential, which, despite its internal tensions, is initially bound together by "rules".
And he, the "prophet" and "controller" who holds the contract, will strive to guide this team to go further in the world of infinite terror.