Chapter 27: A Grinding Session Before the Team Battle?!

Because Zhan Lan had only recently reinforced her bloodline, her psychic scanning and mental link abilities were still in the preliminary stages, leaving their effective range quite limited.

To ensure a safer passage through this horror film, Wu Xian had taken the precaution of installing micro-computers in everyone’s combat suits before they set out, all connected to Friday’s program terminal. This allowed the members of the China Team to conduct long-distance voice calls and share real-time surveillance footage, making them functionally comparable to having a mature psychic controller.

A brief explanation is due here. Although Wu Xian had become a psychokinetic master due to his "cheat" ability, he was a controller type rather than a sensory one. While he could manage a rough psychic scan, his maximum range was only about five hundred meters, and the clarity was poor—sufficient only for early combat warnings and generally quite lackluster. He had considered seeking reinforcements from the Main God, but discovered that the system classified psychokinetic masters more toward kinetic power. To acquire skills like psychic scanning, he would need to raise his mental power attribute to over 1,600 points. While not impossible, he decided to follow the original plot and cultivate Zhan Lan, grooming her to be the China Team's dedicated psychic controller. Of course, nothing is absolute; once he reaches the "Planetary Level" in his future cultivation, his mastery of psychic energy will undergo a qualitative transformation, allowing him to perform feats on par with any true psychic controller.

Back to the matter at hand. It took less than three minutes for Friday to report that the task was complete. Simultaneously, within the helmets of the China Team’s core members, clear surveillance feeds appeared, showing every area of the spacecraft where Xenomorphs had been active. Seeing the hideous monsters darting across the screens, the team members grew serious, though they felt little fear. This was understandable; after all, they had already faced Tyrants and Lickers. While these Xenomorphs were more grotesque, they were merely different grades of the same threat and could no longer intimidate the current China Team.

Only Wu Xian looked uneasy. With a hint of doubt in his tone, he asked, "Friday, is this really all of them? Are there any other Xenomorphs or mutated variants?"

[Reporting, Master. According to calculations, there should be other Xenomorphs on the ship, but the surveillance in those sectors has been destroyed, and I cannot obtain accurate information.]

"I see... I hope I'm just overthinking it."

To be fair, the number of Xenomorphs displayed was significant—at least thirty, far exceeding what Zheng Zha and the others encountered in the original story. Yet, if that were all, it hardly seemed to warrant a B-rank side quest reward for the entire team.

After all, the current China Team was quite strong. Even if the Main God’s evaluation system hadn't accounted for his un-reinforced bloodline, it shouldn't have been this "easy." There was another possibility: because of Chu Xuan’s presence, the team had three members who had opened their genetic locks, and with any luck, Zhan Lan might soon be the fourth. But if that were the case, the next horror film would guaranteed be a team-versus-team match. It was precisely for this reason that the Main God had turned *Alien 1* into a point-farming mission, aiming to further boost the team’s strength in preparation for the upcoming clash.

The problem, however, was that if the original plot held true, the next movie was *Ju-On*! Wu Xian had intentionally avoided injecting the team with the T-virus back at the Main God’s space precisely to prevent them from opening their genetic locks and getting dragged into the hellish nightmare of a team battle in *Ju-On*. Had he tried so hard to prevent this, only to fail anyway?

"…Friday, calculate the spacecraft’s speed. How much time until it returns to Earth?" Wu Xian asked, suppressing the urge to curse.

[Barring any complications, the ship will return to Earth orbit in 1 hour and 57 minutes.]

Damn! That’s almost the exact runtime of the movie. Are you playing with me, Main God?

Wu Xian’s mouth twitched. He finally understood why the mission reward was so extravagant. Returning to Earth alive wasn't the hard part; the hard part was wiping out every single Xenomorph before then. At least in the current footage, there was no sign of the Alien Queen or a hive. If he cleared the ship only for the Queen to spawn another brood, missing the main objective and losing 7,000 reward points, there would be no one to complain to.

"Time is tight. We have less than two hours, so to ensure we complete the mission, we’ll have to split up after we leave this room," Wu Xian said, turning to his team. "Zheng Zha, you take Li Xiaoyi and Mou Gang, and lead the five newcomers. The rest come with me."

"Remember, don't just charge in blindly. Follow Friday’s prompts and be careful of potentially dangerous areas. Clear out the common Xenomorphs first. We will regroup at the central control room in one hour… Is that understood?"

"Understood, Captain. Don't worry, I’ll do my best to keep everyone safe." Zheng Zha patted his chest. He pulled a massive metal axe—purchased with a D-rank side quest—from his spatial bag, looking full of vigor and a newfound love for life, far stronger than when he first entered this space. All this change had started the moment he created Luo Li.

Wu Xian didn't quite get it, but maybe that was just love!

"Move out!"

As Wu Xian gave the order, the group left the room and parted ways at the first junction. Incidentally, besides Zero and Chu Xuan, Wu Xian had specifically brought the three hoodlums along—effectively keeping the most unstable elements by his side to prevent any accidents on Zheng Zha’s team.

"May I ask, what is your strength level? If we split up now, what are the odds of success if we encounter multiple Xenomorphs?" Chu Xuan asked as they walked. Perhaps due to a desire to test or observe, he hadn't voiced his opinion while Wu Xian was planning the tactics, waiting until Zheng Zha and the others had left to ask this crucial question.

"What, are you worried we aren't a match for the Xenomorphs?" Wu Xian turned to look at Chu Xuan. "Little Chu, I know you aren't an ordinary person in reality, but don't underestimate the veterans of a reincarnation team."

"Let me put it this way: if these Xenomorphs are only as strong as they are in the movie, then even if four or five attack at once, Zheng Zha and his team have the skill to pick them off one by one. Even if the Main God plays dirty and significantly buffs the Xenomorphs, they have their armor to protect them, making escape perfectly feasible... with the exception of the newcomers, of course."

"As for us..."

His voice cut off, and the surrounding environment went dead silent. Simultaneously, Zhan Lan and Zero tensed their muscles, entering a state of combat readiness.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH—"

Suddenly, a panicked scream rang out. One of the three hoodlums, seemingly losing his mind, let out a shout and, ignoring the surprised looks of his two companions, bolted around the corner of the corridor. Wu Xian didn't stop him, instead watching with a faint smile toward the spot where he vanished. Almost the next second, a blood-curdling shriek echoed from the corner, followed by the gruesome sound of flesh being torn apart.

The atmosphere in the corridor grew heavy instantly. Following the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps, the group soon caught sight of the true protagonist of this horror film—the Xenomorph!