Chapter 31: Chu Xuan: I Have a Fifty Percent Chance (Please Continue Reading! Please Bookmark!)

"Yes, and no."

Xuan shook his head. "I am not planning to trigger the self-destruct sequence directly. Instead, I intend to manually detonate specific sections that won't compromise the ship's structural integrity, specifically to provoke fear in the Alien Queen."

"If you have watched the movies, you should have noticed that the Xenomorph species, regardless of the version, exhibits an intense drive to survive and propagate. Therefore, to ensure her own survival, the Alien Queen—as their leader—will inevitably spare no cost to send more and stronger Xenomorphs to attack us, hoping to prevent the ship's destruction."

"When that happens, the Alien Queen will be forced to reveal her hiding spot. With your combined strength, eliminating her while she is in a weakened state should not be a difficult task."

"Of course, there is a worst-case scenario: that the God treats the Alien eggs and Facehuggers as part of the mission objectives for clearing out the infestation. Since it is nearly impossible to completely eradicate those things using conventional means, the self-destruct sequence serves as a final trump card. It can be used when the ship is about to reach Earth... after all, if the ship itself is gone, regardless of whether the Xenomorphs are dead or not, it should count as completing the cleanup mission."

Xuan spoke the final sentence with such casual indifference, as if he were discussing a common toy rather than blowing up a spacecraft.

That level of detachment, so extreme that he seemed indifferent even to his own life, sent a chill down the spines of everyone present—except for Wu Xian.

"Xuan, how confident are you in this plan? And... what if the bombs we place accidentally hit a critical point, triggering a chain reaction? Is there a possibility that the ship might explode prematurely?"

Wu Xian broke the somewhat oppressive silence, his gaze sharp as he looked at Xuan. "Tell the truth. Otherwise, even if we manage to return to the God, I will make you pay for your arrogance."

"...I have a fifty percent chance of success."

Xuan was silent for a moment before giving his answer. "As for the situation you mentioned, it is a possibility, but I believe it is worth the risk."

Damn it! It really is the classic fifty percent chance.

Wu Xian’s mouth twitched. He felt a mountain of complaints rising, but he didn't know where to direct them.

"Are you insane?! You can’t just use something like this as an experiment!"

This time, it was Zheng Zha who spoke. His eyes were bloodshot as he stepped forward, grabbed Xuan by the collar, and roared, "Fifty percent chance? I think you’re clearly gambling with everyone’s lives! Who do you think you are?!"

"Zheng Zha, let go."

Wu Xian’s voice sounded from behind.

"Captain!"

Zheng Zha looked at him in disbelief. "You don’t actually believe this guy’s nonsense, do you?"

"Of course... I don't."

Wu Xian offered a faint smile. He stepped forward and, looking through the glasses reflecting the white light, locked eyes with Xuan for a long moment before speaking.

"I have to admit, while your idea is aggressive, it is indeed a viable train of thought. Unfortunately, the risks and variables are simply too high. I have always been fundamentally opposed to gambling and reckless risks, so I’m sorry, but I cannot approve of this plan."

"Why?"

For the first time since waking up, Xuan wore an expression resembling confusion. "With your intellect, you should understand that this is currently the way to maximize our gains, and it comes with a fifty percent success rate. Once completed, everyone here could receive an incredibly generous amount of reward points. For that, even paying a certain price is entirely worth it."

"Whether something is 'worth it' is a subjective evaluation for every individual. For me, at least, staying alive is the most important thing. By comparison, reward points are secondary. Furthermore, if you want to demonstrate your capability and charisma as a tactician to vie for leadership of this team, that is fine—I don't mind that. But if you treat my team members' lives as pawns and chips, that I do not like."

Wu Xian maintained his smile, but his voice turned icy cold as he delivered the final sentence.

In an instant, the temperature in the main control room seemed to drop by several degrees. Even the newcomers outside the partition, who knew nothing of what was happening, shivered involuntarily.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Wu Xian dropped his posture and said in a low voice, "Actually... I have another method, one that might be able to locate the Alien Queen."

Xuan frowned. "Something so important—why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Because, just like you, I cannot guarantee a one hundred percent success rate. So, if it doesn't work, I hope you can come up with a more reliable plan—one that at least allows the majority of the people here to return to the God's space alive."

With that, Wu Xian beckoned to Zhan Lan, who was standing nearby.

"Come here, Zhan Lan. I need your help with this."

"Me?"

Zhan Lan pointed to herself, looking completely bewildered. Seeing everyone in the room now looking at her, she felt rather flustered.

"Captain, you must be joking. How could I possibly help with this? Uh, if you're referring to my mental scanning ability, the maximum range I can cover is only about one kilometer, and it's not even a precise scan. For the entire Nostromo, that’s just a drop in the ocean."

Zhan Lan was, after all, a novelist; her associative abilities were top-notch, and she had guessed why Wu Xian wanted her help in an instant.

But as she said, if she couldn't do it, she couldn't do it.

Reality wasn't an anime; you couldn't just shout words like "bonds" or "hope" and suddenly unlock a hidden power. At the very least, she, Zhan Lan, truly didn't have that capability.

"Relying on you alone wouldn't work, but what if you add me to the equation?"

Wu Xian smiled faintly and tapped his forehead.

"Don't forget, in a sense, I am also a mental power user. It’s just that my talents were poured into combat, so my perception skills aren't outstanding, and I haven't specifically reinforced those skills."

"But you are different, Zhan Lan. You have high potential in mental perception. You only reinforced a mutant gene for telepathy, yet you managed to figure out mental scanning and telepathic links on your own. In time, you could definitely become a top-tier mental power user, perhaps even the core of the China Team."

"But the problem is, time is exactly what we lack right now..."

Zhan Lan gave a helpless, bitter smile. Becoming the core of the China Team felt far too distant; she was a practical person and only wanted to survive in the God's space.

"No, this much time is enough."

Wu Xian said earnestly, "You have the talent. The reason your effects aren't showing is because your total pool of mental energy isn't sufficient. And that is something I can help you with."

"You mean... you can lend your mental energy to Zhan Lan in some way, and then let her scan the entire Nostromo to find the Alien Queen's hiding place?"

Xuan interjected, bringing a glimmer of hope to the previously somber expressions of the group.

"Can that really be done? Lending mental energy..."

Zhan Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Have you seen *X-Men*? Professor X uses a Cerebro machine to amplify his mental energy to an incredible degree, even allowing him to scan the entire Earth to precisely find the mental fluctuations of a specific mutant."

Wu Xian continued seriously, "I can perform a similar feat. A former comrade of mine taught me this. There is at least an eighty percent chance of success. The only side effect is that it will strain your brain. However, given the healing factor you possess, it shouldn't cause permanent damage, and we can fully repair it once we return to the God's space. The reward points for the repair can be deducted from my share."