Infinite terror invades all heavens

Zheng Zha slowly withdrew his fist, panting heavily. The crimson energy enveloping his right fist gradually faded, revealing a slightly trembling, somewhat exhausted arm. At the same time, the two illusory soul seed images behind him also quietly disappeared. Clearly, that explosive attack had taken a heavy toll on him.

The battle seemed to have ended temporarily, but the air was thick with the stench of blood, the pungent smell of acid, the burnt smell, and the faint, chilling aura left by Zheng Zha's vampire energy, all mixed together to create a complex and nauseating odor.

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses and calmly looked into the depths of the passage. There, more rustling, heavy footsteps seemed to be approaching from afar, much more frequent than before…

Zhu Peng's eyes sharpened, and the flute music suddenly became high-pitched and rapid!

Chapter 17: Variables in 20-Player Difficulty

Chu Xuan's words, "We are surrounded," were like a final judgment, instantly plunging everyone's hearts into an icy abyss.

The hissing and scraping sounds coming from deep within the passage were like a concerto of death, surging in from all directions and rapidly approaching.

"We can't stay here and fight to the death!" Zheng Zha's right arm injury had healed after Wang Yi's treatment. He suppressed the weakness from overusing vampire energy and roared hoarsely, "There are too many of them! We have to break through!"

"Follow me!" Wang Zongchao made a decisive move. His eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the several passageways, choosing one where the roars were relatively sparse, seemingly leading to the deeper parts of the spaceship. His arm injuries had been largely healed under Wang Yi's Nine Heart Begonia healing, and he once again became the team's sharpest spearhead.

"Zhu Peng, Zheng Zha, keep watch on the rear and flanks! Zhang Jie, Lingdian, Bawang, provide fire support! Wang Yi, stay close to me, be ready to provide medical assistance at any time!" Wang Zongchao issued the orders at lightning speed, demonstrating his outstanding on-the-spot command ability and decisiveness.

The team sprang into action instantly, like a taut arrow, charging towards the direction Wang Zongchao had chosen. Wang Yi was firmly protected by Ying at his side; he could clearly hear his own heart pounding like a drum, and the increasingly approaching, chilling crawling sounds behind him.

Just as the team was about to rush into the selected passage!

"Wait!" Zheng Zha and Zhu Peng exclaimed almost simultaneously!

Zheng Zha abruptly stopped, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He pushed the power of his [Scent Map] soul seed to its limit. His face was grim as he said, "Something's wrong! There's something above the passage ahead! A very faint smell of blood, mixed with... the scent of that 'cat' from before! It's lying in ambush!"

Almost simultaneously, a vermilion paper crane silently flew out from Zhu Peng's sleeve, circled halfway around the entrance of the passage, and suddenly burst into flames! A glint flashed in his eyes: "There is indeed something lurking there, with the same aura as what I sensed earlier, a hunter with restrained killing intent, preparing to kill with a single blow!"

Wang Zongchao's eyes sharpened, and without hesitation, he raised his hand and unleashed a scorching burst of ice and fire energy that blasted towards the top of the passage from a distance!

"hiss!"

A sharp screech, unlike any other Xenomorph, rang out! A dark shadow shot out from the shadows at the top of the passage like a ghost, its movement so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained! It was much smaller than a typical Xenomorph, about the size of a large dog, but its streamlined body was even more slender. It moved on all fours, with a long, thin tail, its movements possessing a feline lightness, agility, and stealth characteristic of cats! This was a special variant of the Xenomorph, renowned for its speed and stealthy assassination—the Cat Xenomorph!

It seemed not to have expected the ambush to be seen through so accurately. After landing, it did not stop and turned into a black lightning bolt, rushing straight towards Wang Yi and Zhan Lan, who looked the weakest in the group!

"court death!"

Shadow, who was on high alert, reacted with lightning speed!

Without even thinking, her body's instincts drove her to meet the attack! In the instant the cat alien pounced in mid-air, she suddenly turned to the side, her right hand fingers together, her arm muscles bulging instantly, and with a gust of wind, she struck first, delivering a vicious chop to the cat alien's waist and abdomen!

A muffled thud.

The cat-like alien let out a painful howl, sent flying sideways by the powerful blow, crashing heavily into the metal wall.

But it was clearly more resilient than the ordinary alien. After landing, it rolled over and quickly adjusted its posture, its long tail rising like a scorpion, aimed at the shadow.

However, it never had the chance to launch an attack again.

Just as it was knocked away by the shadow and its form was exposed.

Zero moved. He was a top-notch sniper. Even without a sniper rifle, his precision and decisiveness were still ingrained in his bones. He barely aimed his Desert Eagle; he relied almost on his senses to predict where the cat alien would hit the wall and pulled the trigger the instant before it froze!

"boom!"

The deafening gunshots echoed through the narrow passage! Specially designed large-caliber bullets, with extremely high initial velocities, struck the relatively vulnerable side of the cat alien's head with unparalleled accuracy!

At the same time, Zhu Peng's talisman arrived! A [Exorcising Talisman] shimmering with a pale golden light seemed to come alive, affixing itself to the wound on the cat alien's body caused by the bullet!

"Pfft!"

The kinetic energy of the bullet and the masculine power of the exorcising talisman exploded! The cat-like alien's head burst open like a smashed walnut, its dark green liquid mixed with broken shells splattering everywhere. Its slender tail drooped limply, twitched twice, and then stopped moving.

From discovering the ambush to killing the cunning cat alien, the entire process took only two or three seconds! The team's initial display of teamwork and efficiency put Wang Yi at ease.

Just as everyone was about to leave immediately, Zheng Zha suddenly felt that the [Power of Domination] in his body, which originated from the vampire bloodline of "Castlevania", was slightly restless, as if it was attracted by the cat alien that had just died in front of him. A crazy and daring idea flashed through his mind.

"Wait! Give me ten seconds!" Zheng Zha roared, ignoring the astonished looks of the crowd, and strode to the cat alien's corpse. He stretched out his right hand and pressed it lightly above the cat alien's shattered head.

"Zheng Zha, what are you doing?" Zhan Lan asked in surprise and doubt.

Zheng Zha did not answer. He concentrated all his energy and guided the strangely shaped [Power of Domination] within his body.

An invisible suction force emanated from his palm, as if trying to seize something.

In the dim light, he seemed to see a wisp of extremely thin gray mist, carrying the agility and cunning unique to felines, being forcibly peeled from the cat-like alien's corpse, struggling and shrieking, before finally being absorbed into his palm and merging into the [Power of Domination].

"Ugh!" Zheng Zha let out a suppressed, painful growl, feeling as if countless needles were piercing his brain, a tearing pain shooting through his soul. At the same time, the vampire energy within him was rapidly depleting, almost to the point of exhaustion. Forcibly refining a soul that had just died, still filled with resentment and bestiality, was far more difficult and dangerous than he had imagined!

The entire process lasted about seven or eight seconds. Zheng Zha's face turned ashen, cold sweat soaked his back, and he swayed precariously. Upon seeing this, Wang Yi immediately stepped forward, enveloping him in the light of the Nine-Heart Begonia, and gently channeling his life energy to soothe his dual wounds of mind and body.

A moment later, Zheng Zha suddenly opened his eyes. Although his face was still pale, his eyes were exceptionally bright, even flashing with a sharp light like that of a feline. He let out a long sigh, saying with a mixture of exhaustion and excitement, "Success... I forcibly refined its soul and obtained a yellow soul seed!"

He briefly assessed the situation and continued, "This soul seed doesn't provide any active skills, but it enhances my reflexes and dynamic visual perception without any cost! I can feel everything around me slowing down slightly, and details becoming much clearer!" This is precisely the core manifestation of the cat-like alien's ghostly speed and precise ambush capabilities! Although the process was dangerous and extremely taxing, the gains were immediate. As for the souls of ordinary aliens, their auras were even more violent and chaotic, and he dared not, nor did he have the energy, attempt to refine them for the time being.

"Hurry! They're catching up!" Zhang Jie shouted anxiously, firing bullets into the passage behind him to slow down the pursuers. The commotion Zheng Zha made while refining the soul seed seemed to have further provoked the aliens behind them.

The team dared not linger any longer and immediately rushed into the passage. Wang Zongchao took the lead, clearing a path with his fists. Although Zheng Zha was weak, his newly acquired enhanced neural reflexes greatly improved his ability to avoid risks. Combined with the reconnaissance paper cranes that Zhu Peng released from time to time, they helped the team avoid a large number of ambushes and dangers at forks in the road.

After running wildly through the intricate, maze-like spaceship passages for an unknown amount of time, and killing several scattered aliens along the way, the group finally managed to shake off the main force's pursuit and found a relatively sturdy small storage room with only a single entrance to rest.

"Running aimlessly like this isn't going to work!" Zheng Zha gasped for breath, leaning against the cold wall. Although his nerve reflexes had improved, his physical fatigue and energy depletion were real.

Chu Xuan, however, remained unusually calm. He quickly scanned the room, his gaze soon settling on a communicator on the wall, equipped with a keyboard and a small screen. He stepped forward, his fingers flying across the keyboard like phantoms, the screen displaying dazzling lines of code and data.

“I’m trying to access the ship’s internal network to obtain structural diagrams and system access,” Chu Xuan explained without turning his head, his tone still calm. “Based on the area markers we’ve passed through and the analysis of fragmented system logs, we are currently near the crew living quarters. The ship’s control room is most likely in the upper bridge area. Also… if we need to obtain sufficient food and drinking water supplies, the nearest ‘kitchen’ or ‘supply center’ should be at the end of this corridor, less than fifty meters away.”

His analysis was like a lighthouse in the darkness, giving everyone a clear direction.

"Go to the kitchen first! Bring enough supplies, then head to the control room immediately!" Wang Zongchao made the decision instantly. Without food and water, they couldn't survive for more than a few days under such high pressure.

After a short rest and treating the minor injuries of Zheng Zha and the others, the team set off again. Following the route indicated by Chu Xuan, they easily found the so-called "kitchen," a supply center equipped with large food processing equipment, cold storage, and a large quantity of packaged food and drinking water.

Seeing the mountain of standardized food packages and bottled water, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Zongchao didn't stand on ceremony and directly opened the storage bag, putting the high-energy food and drinking water inside.

After resupplying, the team, guided by Chu Xuan's real-time navigation, avoided main passages and made their way towards the upper bridge area without major incident, utilizing ventilation ducts and maintenance access routes. Along the way, they encountered several small groups of aliens, but thanks to the team's close coordination and individual strength, these attacks were quickly dealt with.

Finally, after a difficult journey of nearly an hour, they arrived at their destination: the spaceship's control room.

The control room door was a heavy alloy gate, currently in a semi-closed, locked state. Chu Xuan once again demonstrated his superb electronic warfare skills, producing several thin wires from somewhere and connecting them to the control panel next to the door. With his fingers flying across the screen, a hissing sound was heard, and the heavy gate slowly slid open to both sides.

The crowd rushed in, with Overlord and Zero entering last. They immediately searched the interior for heavy objects to temporarily block the door. The control room was spacious, filled with various instruments flashing indicator lights and a huge main screen. Although there were signs of battle and destruction in many places, with bloodstains everywhere, the main equipment seemed to still be functioning.

"I have sealed off all passageways leading here and am retrieving spacecraft monitoring and backend data."

Chu Xuan spoke in a flat tone while operating the main control panel. His hands seemed to have a life of their own, moving rapidly across the complex control interface. Data streamed down the large screen like a waterfall.

A few minutes later, accompanied by a series of heavy metallic clanging sounds and the hissing of air pressure locking, Chu Xuan said, "The main passages to the control room have been forcibly sealed off through emergency protocols, and they will be difficult to break through in a short time."

Immediately afterwards, the main screen switched to dozens of small windows, displaying real-time monitoring images of various areas of the spacecraft.

When they saw those images, everyone almost stopped breathing.

Hell! A true purgatory!

Throughout the passageways and cabins, mature Xenomorphs roamed everywhere! Their figures appeared ghostly under the eerie green emergency lights. Even more chilling were the scenes showing numerous viscous, organic-looking "nests" clinging to the cabin walls, containing human corpses seemingly being digested, and scattered Xenomorph eggs... These were incubation grounds established by the Xenomorph Queen! Their scale far exceeded the limits of what a single Queen could achieve!

"Zoom in on the footage of the low-temperature storage warehouse in Zone B7," Chu Xuan suddenly said, bringing up one of the monitoring windows.

The scene depicts a massive warehouse filled with white frost. In the center, several enormous, coffin-like, transparent sleeping chambers are neatly arranged. Through the blurred walls, one can vaguely make out gigantic, grotesque alien creatures frozen within!

"This is..." Zhan Lan covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Heavy armored horse, hammerhead behemoth, death god beast..." Chu Xuan's voice remained calm, but the names he uttered sent a jolt through Wang Yi's heart! Avatar! Creatures of Pandora!

“According to the spaceship’s navigation log and cargo manifest,” Chu Xuan pulled up another data panel, which was filled with dense information, “this ‘Nostromo’ is not just a simple commercial transport ship. It is secretly undertaking a top-secret federal government project called ‘Prometheus,’ responsible for transporting high-value extraterrestrial biological samples discovered on Pandora back to Earth for research. These organisms are placed in special cryogenic sleep chambers, theoretically in a state of absolute hibernation.”

He paused, then zoomed in on a corner of the cryogenic storage facility's surveillance footage. Several aliens were gathered against the wall outside the slumber chamber, frantically corroding and destroying the thick insulation wall with their highly acidic blood and sharp claws! The wall was already mostly eroded through, exposing the insulation layer and structural framework underneath! The sizzling sound of corrosion seemed to come through the screen, striking a chord in everyone's hearts.

"The good news is that there are currently no signs of Pandora's creatures being parasitized, nor have any so-called 'Pandora aliens' appeared." Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the cold light of the screen. "The bad news is that the aliens have clearly sensed the presence of extremely strong, life-energy-rich 'potential hosts' within the storage facility. They are attempting to breach the isolation wall. Based on the current rate of corrosion and the strength of the wall structure, the isolation wall can only hold for a maximum of six to eight hours."

Finally, Chu Xuan pulled up a crew list and an encrypted military deployment document. The original seven crew members and a cat named "Jones" were listed, but above them was a list of as many as fifty people, labeled as a special operations team called Hellfire.

Chu Xuan pointed to the military document and, in his signature emotionless tone, revealed the final, and most despairing, truth: "The original storyline included seven crew members and a cat. During this voyage, an additional elite secret operations force of fifty men was added to ensure the safe transport of the samples. Based on the last known location of the disappearance of life signals, the distribution of weapon debris, and analysis of residual surveillance footage… all fifty well-equipped and highly trained marines have been infected by the Xenomorphs. This means that the number of mature Xenomorphs we currently face is likely to exceed sixty, not including any special individuals potentially infected by other organisms, and… the continuously hatching new Xenomorphs."

A deathly silence fell over the control room. The air seemed to freeze, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

What was initially thought to be a difficult task involving only a queen and a small number of engineers has now turned into a challenge: to prevent a massive horde of over sixty mature aliens from acquiring the dominant Pandora creatures as hosts within a few short hours, while simultaneously searching for a slim chance of survival within this steel coffin that has become a death trap…

Li Shuaixi and the other newcomers were completely limp on the ground, their eyes vacant, uttering meaningless hoarse sounds, clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Zhan Lan's face was deathly pale, her hands tightly covering her mouth, and her body trembling uncontrollably.

Even Zhang Jie, a veteran who has experienced numerous horror movies, lost his color in his face, his eyes filled with undisguised fear.

The overlord slammed his fist hard on the control panel, producing a dull thud, but it couldn't vent the powerlessness and anger in his heart.

Lingdian pursed his lips tightly, his eyes as cold as knives, but his clenched fists were already white at the knuckles.

Wang Yi felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his limbs turning icy cold. More than sixty aliens... the Pandora behemoth could become a new host at any moment... This was not a situation their team should be facing at this stage! The malice of the Supreme God, like an invisible hand, was about to crush them completely in this cold space tomb.

Despair, like the thickest darkness, swallowed the last glimmer of light in the control room.

Chapter 18 Plan

The despair in the control room was almost tangible, so heavy it was suffocating.

The newlyweds reacted in various ways, but all seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Some were ashen-faced, their lips trembling uncontrollably, emitting faint "clucking" sounds; others dug their nails into their scalps, as if the physical pain could temporarily mask the trembling of their souls; still others clasped their hands together, curled up in a corner, muttering incantations, whether they were praying to some deity or simply talking unconsciously.

Li Shuaixi slumped on the cold metal floor, leaning against the control panel, his eyes vacant and lifeless, as if his soul had been ripped away.

More than sixty mature Xenomorphs roam and hunt within the massive steel labyrinth of the spaceship, including the possible Xenomorph Queen, the source of nightmares, and the Pandora behemoths about to be parasitized in the cryogenic warehouse.

This is no longer a hard mode, but a naked display of the malice of the main god, throwing them into a desperate situation with almost no chance of survival!

Just when this suffocating silence was about to crush the last bit of courage.

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, his cold yet steady voice piercing the frozen air: "Despair and fear are ineffective emotions; they only reduce the probability of survival. Logically, no mission is ever issued that is absolutely impossible; there must be a glimmer of hope. Now, we need to accurately assess all the chips we have at our disposal."

He turned to the senior members, his gaze sharp as a scanner: "Please tell me in detail each person's enhancement direction, specific abilities, areas of expertise, and currently available main weapons and equipment. The accuracy of this information will directly affect the survival rate."

Wang Zongchao spoke first, concisely stating: "A martial arts practitioner. Primarily cultivates the internal energy cultivation method of 'Seven Heavens of Ice and Fire' and the human immortal martial arts of 'The Present Tathagata Sutra.' The ice and fire energies have begun to merge, giving them powerful offensive and defensive capabilities, and a certain resistance to abnormal states. Their physique, strength, speed, and recovery ability far surpass ordinary people, possessing a strong self-healing ability. Having comprehended the essence of fist techniques, they can suppress opponents with their mental will. Their primary weapons are fists and feet, supplemented by throwing knives. Their storage bag contains emergency medicines and a small number of melee weapons."

Chu Xuan's fingers flew across the control panel, retrieving data records on potential aliens and Pandora creatures, while simultaneously asking, "What is the actual tolerance to highly acidic blood? What is the maximum duration of sustained high-intensity combat?"

Wang Zongchao pondered for a moment: "Based on initial contact, the ice and fire internal energy can form a temporary protection on the body surface, reducing corrosion, but it cannot provide complete immunity. The maximum time... if one does not hesitate to consume internal energy, a high-intensity battle will last about half an hour, after which recovery is required."

Next was Zheng Zha. He took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and said, "I've enhanced my vampire viscount bloodline. My core ability is [Power of Domination], which allows me to refine and equip 'soul seeds' formed from the souls of slain powerful individuals." He began to list them one by one: "Currently, I possess: a strength-enhancing type from the Tyrant, an agility and danger perception type from the Creeper, a basic amplification type that improves self-healing, [olfactory mapping] that allows me to construct a three-dimensional environmental map in my mind, and the yellow soul seed I just obtained from refining the cat alien, which can enhance neural reactions and dynamic vision." He paused, "The bloodline itself grants extraordinary speed, strength, and regenerative abilities, requiring regular blood replenishment. In battle, it can unleash vampire energy, greatly increasing instantaneous combat power. This energy has corrosive properties, but it consumes a huge amount of energy, and its sustained burst state is weak. My weapons are the exchanged military knife and pistol." He showed the already chipped military knife.

Chu Xuan took notes and calmly pressed for answers: "Soul Seed switching mechanism and consumption? Feasibility and risks of refining various alien souls? Impact and acquisition methods of blood replenishment?"

Zheng Zha explained: "Soul Seeds can currently be equipped simultaneously, but increasing the number will increase the mental and energy load. Switching requires an adaptation period and cannot be completed instantly. Ordinary alien souls are extremely chaotic and violent in perception, and forcibly refining them would consume a large amount of vampire energy and mental power, which is extremely risky, so we are not considering it for the time being. As for blood, a short-term lack will not affect basic actions, but replenishment can accelerate energy recovery. I have brought my own blood bags, and Instructor Wang also has reserves in his storage bag."

When it was Zhu Peng's turn, his tone was calm, but his gaze towards Chu Xuan held an indescribable scrutiny: "I am Zhu Peng, a cultivator from Longhu Mountain, with the Daoist name Taiyin. I have a rudimentary understanding of talismanic arts." He gestured to the rectangular iron box, "Inside is a corpse general refined from a different kind of reptile, which is still manageable. As for close combat... I also know a little bit about it."

Zhu Peng's introduction was extremely humble, but those who had witnessed his methods understood the power behind his "slight understanding," "rough knowledge," and "still capable of being driven."

Finally, it was Wang Yi's turn. He organized his thoughts and clearly stated, "My role is support. My martial soul is the Nine-Hearted Begonia, and I currently have two hundred-year soul rings. My ability is a wide-range, rapid group healing skill, which can efficiently restore physical damage and replenish life force to a certain extent, but it is not very effective against energy depletion and special toxins. The healing effect and range increase with soul power." He pointed to the silent, shadowy woman beside him, "She is Ying, my personal bodyguard. Created using the God's free human creation privilege, she underwent bloodline enhancements and possesses transformation abilities. She has excellent close combat strength and defense, and also has some energy attack methods."

When Wang Yi mentioned "creating humans" and explained that Ying was the enhanced bodyguard for creating humans, Chu Xuan's gaze quickly swept between Ying and Wang Yi, and his eyes behind his glasses narrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he had caught a key piece of information.

He immediately pressed further: "Creating humans? The Main God Space can create and enhance artificial humans as combat power? Then what about the others?"

Chu Xuan turned his gaze to Wang Zongchao, Zheng Zha, Zhang Jie, and others, "Do you also possess similar combat-type humanoid units? This is an important resource that can be utilized."

Wang Zongchao shook his head: "What I created are assistants who are proficient in medicine and assist in cultivation, not combat personnel."

Zheng Zha looked slightly embarrassed and didn't dare mention Lori. "I... created a life partner."

Zhang Jie's expression was somewhat unnatural; he snorted but didn't reply.

Li Xiaoyi lowered his head in shame.

Seeing this, Wang Yi explained, "Yes, the Main God provides the right to create humans for free. After the last mission, when I was researching the Main God's functions, I guessed that creating humans might not only meet basic living needs, but also create an absolutely loyal and upgradable combat partner. So I tried it out and created a Shadow according to bodyguard standards and enhanced it. At that time, we weren't sure if the created humans could be brought into the mission world. Now it seems that we made the right bet."

Wang Yi's words explained the origin of the shadow and also implied that it was a risky attempt based on personal judgment, an unconventional approach.

After listening, Chu Xuan nodded thoughtfully and did not ask any further questions, but he clearly remembered the information.

He then turned his gaze to the trembling newcomers: "You? What special skills, knowledge, or talents did you have before entering this place? Even if they seem insignificant, they may come in handy in specific situations."

The newcomers exchanged bewildered glances, stammering. Programmers, salespeople, students… in this environment where they faced a bloody monster, their professional skills seemed utterly inadequate. Li Shuaixi opened his mouth, finally whispering, “I… I’m physically capable, I can run…” He didn’t produce the special talents that everyone had expected, such as those related to demolition or top-tier hacking.

Chu Xuan showed no disappointment, as if he had expected it. He turned around and brought up a new interface on the main control panel, a compartment hidden deep within the spaceship's structural diagram and marked "S-ARMORY".

"It seems that this is the lifeline left by the main god, or rather, the 'compensation' prepared for this 'high difficulty' scenario, and it is here."

Chu Xuan pointed to the location of the armory, which was situated in a relatively independent area between the crew living quarters and the engine room.

"This is the 'Hellfire' squad's backup weapons depot. Access records show that it contains special equipment prepared for extreme situations, including uncontrolled sample loss. The log mentions that it contains high-energy pulse weapons, armor-piercing rounds, and special ammunition for large organisms."

This news was a huge boost to everyone's morale! The difference between having targeted weapons and not having them is like night and day!