Apart from not having heavy weapons, they also lacked food and water. It's fine if they were missing some other things, but without these two, if they were sealed inside a horror movie, they would likely starve or die of thirst.
"We are still rookies after all. We thought we were seasoned veterans just because we survived a horror movie. In reality, we haven't prepared many things. Coming into a horror movie so carelessly, it's like we're just here to have fun. Sigh," Smith Lee sighed helplessly, and Jane Lan nodded silently. The girl was searching around the walls of the room.
Curiously, Smith Lee asked, "What are you looking for?"
Without looking back, Jane Lan said, "This is an ultra-modern spaceship. I can't believe there wouldn't be any high-tech communication devices on board. Do the characters in the plot have to run to each other every time they want to talk?"
As she spoke, Jane Lan found a button device hanging on the wall. She casually pressed one of the buttons, and a faint sound came from it, as if no one was speaking on the other end of a phone call.
Jane Lan touched her forehead and said, "There are more than forty buttons in total. Assuming each button represents a room with a communication device, in other words, we are currently in the middle of the spaceship, and the control room should not be too far away."
Smith Lee leaned over. There were a total of forty-six buttons on the communication device. The one in front of them was labeled with the number twenty-one, and only button twenty-seven was marked in red among all forty-six buttons.
He carefully considered Jane Lan's way of thinking. Jane Lan meant to divide the entire spaceship into forty-six sections, precisely the number of buttons on the communication device. Room one and room forty-six were both located near the edge of the spaceship, and their current room, number twenty-one, should be in the middle. Similarly, the special red button, number twenty-seven, was likely to be the control room of the spaceship.
Smith Lee hesitated and said, "What if the numbers on the communication device are unrelated to the room locations? What if all the room numbers have been shuffled, and the red button twenty-seven is not the control room but the security room or something else? Your judgment seems a bit too arbitrary based solely on this."
Jane Lan snorted, "Hmph, arbitrary or not, it's still better than staying here and being found by the aliens, right? Do you want to experience another attack on the door by a crawler while we can't do anything? Watching the door break and we are helpless? Even if room twenty-seven is not the control room but the security room, there should still be usable weapons there, right?"
Smith Lee suddenly felt a headache coming on. Indeed, one should not provoke girls like her. When they panicked, they would start rambling, and their chatter alone was enough to make your head spin. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, that's good. No problem. I also think we should go out and search. It's better than staying here trapped. I agree with your decision."
Jane Lan immediately giggled. She kept saying, "Yes, yes, I knew Smith Lee is a good man. He's the best at accepting a lady's opinion. Hehe, then I'll leave it to you. Please protect me well."
Smith Lee tied three steel bars to his back and held the thickest and longest one in his hand. He didn't want to say much and just looked around attentively. His muscles were tense, and he held the steel bar tightly. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable, as if there was danger approaching him. It made him even more nervous.
After tens of seconds, Jane Lan happily rushed out of a room. She smiled and said, "Great! My deduction was correct. This is room number twenty-three. We must have passed room number twenty-two in the corridors earlier. If we continue along this path, we will definitely reach the control room of the spaceship... Huh? Your face looks pale. Are you scared?"
Smith Lee forced a smile and said, "I don't know why, but I just feel worried. Maybe we should find a place to hide for a while..."
Jane Lan quickly shook her head and adjusted the entrance of the room to green light. She said with determination, "No, we are already in danger when we separate from the main group. And now we are just one step away from the control room. We need to find the control room first... I know you might not be feeling well, but can you hold on a little longer?"
Smith Lee smiled wryly and said, "Alright, let's keep going then. I'm in good physical condition. It's just that I can't shake this feeling of worry... Well, I've never seen a girl like you before. Not only are you thick-skinned, but you're also so strong. Most girls would be hiding under the bed in this situation, right?"
Jane Lan turned back and giggled, "Hehe, I've always been strong. My parents died on my twelfth birthday... They got into a car accident while buying a birthday cake for me. If I hadn't been strong, I wouldn't have survived till now. So, as a good girl like me, you have to protect me well..."
"Crack!"
As Jane Lan turned towards the corridor and spoke to Smith Lee, a long, sharp-toothed tongue suddenly shot out from the corridor, piercing through her shoulder in an instant. Her splattering blood stained Smith Lee's face and eyes, as if her hot blood had turned his eyes red. In that moment, he could still hear her cheerful laughter and the words, "You have to protect me well..."
"No!"
Smith Lee's eyes turned bloodshot, whether from grief or from Jane Lan's blood dyeing his eyes, and as the girl was pulled into the passage and disappeared, he roared and rushed forward. Due to exerting too much force with his feet, everything around him seemed to slow down. He felt that every movement required tremendous strength, even with his current physical condition. The actions felt strenuous, and it felt as if his body was being torn apart with each movement. The ground, the air, and even the approaching wall seemed to exert a dragging force on his body, preventing him from moving too quickly. He had never experienced such a phenomenon before.
In his closest proximity to the wall, the air around him became thick, almost like a liquid. He even stepped on the air and leaped towards the wall. Then, with a kick against the wall, his entire body flipped over. The first thing he saw was an alien dragging Jane Lan. This alien was slightly smaller than the one he encountered earlier, but it still stood at a height of two meters and a length of over three meters. It was dragging Jane Lan deeper into the corridor. Her left shoulder was nearly crushed, and her frail body was covered in blood. Her eyes were filled with despair and a strange longing.
Smith Lee suddenly understood the longing in her eyes. It was the hope for life and the future. Although he had never seen his own eyes, he knew that in several moments of despair, a glimpse of longing must have flashed in his eyes... he was absolutely certain of it!
In Smith Lee's eyes, the Jane Lan in the alien's mouth seemed to transform into Michael Li, about to be torn apart and shredded by the alien, then turning into a pile of unrecognizable flesh, or perhaps it would become himself, being bitten and dragged away by the alien, with a glimpse of despair and longing flashing in his eyes. He didn't want that! No matter what, he had to save this strong woman, he had to let her live!
"Ah!"
Smith Lee roared madly. Everything around him seemed to slow down. He could almost see every movement of the alien's limbs. The air became thick, allowing him to jump several meters away with a single kick. He charged straight at the alien at an astonishing speed.
All of this happened in a short moment. In Jane Lan's eyes, she saw Smith Lee crazily rushing towards the wall, then with a strange speed, he forcefully kicked against the wall, causing a muffled sound. The sturdy steel wall even left two deep footprints. Then, like a cannonball, Smith Lee disappeared from her line of sight, moving at a speed that she couldn't perceive.
At this moment, Smith Lee had already swooped in front of the alien. He could clearly see the saliva spraying out of the alien's mouth and its long, sharp-toothed tongue. In the instant he leaped over the alien, he accurately slashed at its tongue with the steel bar in his hand. With a muffled sound, Jane Lan fell to the ground, and the alien let out a furious roar. Its severed tongue continuously sprayed out highly corrosive liquid, and the tongue was cut into two by Smith Lee.
"Ah!"
But it wasn't over yet. Smith Lee, just like the alien, also roared madly. There was no trace of reason in his eyes, only madness. Besides madness, his eyes were filled with blood-red color, whether it was stained by Jane Lan's blood or if his eyes had turned crimson.
At the same time Smith Lee landed, he forcefully struck the alien's back with the steel bar in his hand. There was a sound of metal colliding, and the bar, as thick as an arm, was bent. The alien's outer shell was also shattered, and corrosive liquid continuously flowed out from inside, corroding the ground of the corridor, leaving it pockmarked.
The alien's speed was also extremely fast. Even though Smith Lee felt that the speed around him had slowed down and the air had become thick, he could only match the alien's speed in this state. When the huge claws of the alien swept horizontally, Smith Lee could only barely raise his arm to block. With a muffled sound, the tremendous force knocked him down, causing the entire corridor to tremble. Smith Lee's head was hit, and blood flowed profusely from his head.
At this moment, Smith Lee was fighting for his life. He didn't have the strong outer shell like the alien. When he blocked that attack earlier, his arm was pierced, leaving several bloody holes. Not only that, the alien's immense strength was terrifying. His head hitting the floor almost made him pass out. Fortunately, he bit his own tongue at a critical moment, relying on the intense pain to keep himself conscious.
He didn't even plan to get up. He took another steel bar from his storage ring and ruthlessly stabbed at the alien's feet along the ground. With the instant eruption of strength and internal energy, he managed to knock down the alien, which was two to three times his size. However, at the same time, the alien's tail sharply pierced his thigh. The alien truly lived up to its reputation as a creature evolved for killing and survival, with such powerful combat instincts.
Smith Lee's mind went blank. He only felt his body convulsing violently, with a numb and painful sensation originating from his internal organs, as if countless small insects were crawling inside him. Then, this agony spread deep into his bones, flowing along with his blood, even reaching the surface of his skin. His entire body was filled with this unbearable pain, and gradually, his vision became blurred, and he felt as if he were about to die.
"You can imagine for yourselves what happens when a monkey reaches its limit and evolves into a human. So, what would happen if a human were to reach that same limit?"
"It requires a substance similar to adrenaline, a substance that can only be generated by the human body itself. And the most crucial point... it is highly toxic. I believe you must have heard stories of elderly women lifting cars with a single hand to save their grandchildren. It's a true phenomenon, but shortly after, those women quickly die. Scientists found traces of this substance in their blood, albeit in extremely small amounts..."
"...Gene Lock..."
Smith Lee recalled Xavier Sabato's discussion about the gene lock. He didn't know if he unintentionally unlocked the gene lock, but he knew he was struggling on the verge of death. The spasms of his internal organs became more intense, and fresh blood sprayed out of his mouth and nose. Then, his lungs began to spasm, and he could barely breathe any air. He had to open his mouth wide and struggle desperately.
Jane Lan reacted quickly. She held Smith Lee, who was convulsing, and placed her mouth on his lips, continuously blowing air into his lungs. After about ten seconds, the spasms in Smith Lee's internal organs gradually subsided, followed by his lungs starting to breathe, and the pain on his skin slowly diminishing. However, Jane Lan didn't know this. She continued to exhale into Smith Lee's mouth, all the while crying. Smith Lee could only faintly hear her murmuring.
"Don't die, please, don't leave me alone again. Please, accompany me to live on together..."
Was it because someone close to her had left her before, that she was so afraid of losing someone again?
Smith Lee seemed to sense her thoughts. He felt that they were the same kind of people, vowing never to lose again after losing something significant. That's why he was so determined to survive, and why he felt a connection with someone who shared the same determination and extended a helping hand.
"I'm feeling better now..."
At that moment, another girl's face flashed in Smith Lee's mind. He gently pushed Jane Lan aside and said, even though he couldn't exert much strength, his push was resolute.
Jane Lan, who was crying desolately, was taken aback when she was pushed away. She stayed motionless for a while before awkwardly smiling and saying, "Are you okay? You really scared me just now. You suddenly started spitting blood and convulsing like crazy. It was a terrifying sight..."
Smith Lee felt weak all over, but compared to the excruciating pain of near-death, he now felt like he was in heaven. He smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you... for constantly helping me breathe, I would have suffocated long ago. If I had passed out from suffocation in that situation... I would probably be a corpse by now."
Jane Lan's expression returned to normal, and she laughed playfully. "Actually, I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for you saving me, I don't know what would have happened to me... What happened just now? Is it some kind of illness you have?"
Smith Lee shook his head. He really didn't know how to describe the situation just now. In that life-or-death crisis, he felt as if something inside him had been unlocked. The smooth and precise combat, the ability to use every ounce of strength to the limit, the instinct to fight without mercy or fear—it could be best described as a phenomenon he had seen in a horror movie called "Seeds." In the most critical moment, he burst like a "seed."
Of course, this was most likely what Xavier Sabato referred to as the gene lock, a human evolutionary trait that allowed them to survive in extreme situations. That could also explain why he experienced such pain afterward—the side effects of unlocking the gene lock.
The pain came quickly and left quickly. Smith Lee felt his strength gradually returning, but the feeling of unlocking the gene lock was also fading away. It seemed that the highly toxic substance was being broken down by his body. His powerful cell vitality and immune system saved him while also preventing the substance from unlocking the gene lock all at once. Smith Lee could almost imagine the situation. If he had maintained that fighting instinct, the Xenomorph would no longer be an unbeatable monster.
Jane Lan saw that Smith Lee didn't answer, so she didn't ask further. She just suddenly smiled and said, "You killed a Xenomorph. Let's see what rewards you received. Haha, I hope you didn't get nothing as a reward."
Smith Lee, whose strength had already recovered quite a bit, quickly checked his wristwatch. Sure enough, it showed that he had killed one Xenomorph, and he received a reward of 500 reward points. Perhaps the reward sound had already played during the battle, but at that time, his mind was consumed by killing, so he didn't hear it.
Suppressing his joy, he said, "I received a reward of 500 points. That's great! It's almost half of the reward points from surviving a horror movie."
Jane Lan's face lit up with a smile. It seemed as if the reward points that the man in front of her received were the same as her own reward points. She happily said, "Five hundred points for one Xenomorph. Who knows, maybe you can kill a few more, and after this mission, you'll have thousands of points... Haha, since you said I saved your life, would you exchange some small gifts for me when we go back?"
Smith Lee looked at Jane Lan's rosy lips and, for some reason, felt a surge of heat in his heart. He coughed and said, "How about I give you the perfect lipstick as a gift? It seems like the color would look beautiful on you..."
Jane Lan's face immediately turned red. She looked at Smith Lee reproachfully, and he realized the ambiguous tone in his words. He cleared his throat and said, "Let's leave this place quickly. The smell of Xenomorph blood is too strong. I don't know if there might be another Xenomorph. My energy has recovered quite a bit now. Let's continue in the direction you mentioned."
Jane Lan nodded repeatedly, but the redness on her face hadn't completely faded. She just murmured, "Are you... really okay? You were bleeding a lot from your legs and body earlier."
Smith Lee had already noticed the wounds on his body. Strangely, after these wounds bled a little, the muscles and skin on both sides quickly closed, almost like a miracle. It seemed that the bloodline gene in his body was exerting its effect, and the effects were quite apparent.
He moved his limbs and said, "I'm fine. My energy has recovered a lot, and I still sense danger approaching. So let's move forward quickly."
Jane Lan didn't dare to disregard Smith Lee's premonition this time. She quickly followed the direction she had planned, and after a few more corridors, they came across another door. Jane Lan was about to enter alone when Smith Lee abruptly pulled her back and said, "I'll go ahead. Your reaction speed is really bad. Let me take the lead."
Jane Lan silently nodded, and Smith Lee instantly rushed into the room. Inside the room, it was surprisingly quiet. It turned out to be a kitchen filled with various food packaging boxes. When the two looked at each other, they both saw joy in each other's eyes.
Suddenly, the communicator hanging on the wall rang, scaring both of them. But Smith Lee reacted the fastest and quickly pressed the button that was flashing green.
Xavier Sabato's voice came from the communicator. He said, "We found a Xenomorph corpse in the corridor outside Room 22. Did you kill it? Have you found the armory?"
Smith Lee sighed and said, "We'll discuss the details when we meet. Where are you guys? And how did you know we're here?"
Xavier Sabato's voice said, "Each important room has a number. We're currently in the ship's control room at Room 27. It has a surveillance system for various corridors. If you don't enter this room, we won't be able to contact you. By the way, your current location should be the kitchen, right? The control room displays its name. If possible, take enough food and fresh water that won't delay your speed and continue to move towards Room 27 according to the room numbers.
"The following paragraph is crucial to your life and death. I'll keep it short. There are three Xenomorphs trailing behind you, about ten rooms away from you in terms of distance. Considering their speed, they can catch up to you in about two and a half minutes. I don't know why, but they've been following you!"
The smell, it was the scent of Xenomorph blood on Smith Lee's body! Smith Lee and Jane Lan immediately understood the reason for all this.
Xavier Sabato's voice continued, "I'll give you two minutes. Keep running forward. The specific directions are: forward, forward, forward, left, forward, left, forward, left! I'll repeat it again, remember it well! Forward, forward, forward, left, forward, left, forward, left! You have one minute to gather supplies, and you must reach the control room within two minutes. At two minutes and forty-five seconds, I will activate the isolation wall within one room number of the control room. If you can't reach the isolation wall within that time... I'm sorry, but we'll have to leave you behind. After all, we have five people here!"
"Countdown... begins!"
Smith Lee took a deep breath and channeled his inner strength into the storage ring. He then frantically searched the storage rooms for food, especially boxes of fresh water. Each box was about 1.5 cubic meters in size and could hold a lot of things, especially these neatly packed square boxes. After about thirty seconds, he picked up Jane Lan and rushed out of the room like the wind.
Smith Lee shouted, "I'll run with all my might. I can't think about anything else. You tell me when I should turn left and when I should run forward! Got it?"
Jane Lan obediently nodded, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and she kept muttering to herself, "Keep running, just keep running. The first corridor is forward, keep running. The second one too... The third one too... This time, it's left..."
Smith Lee rushed forward as if he had gone mad. His speed was almost at its limit. The feeling of thickening air began to appear again, but he could still sense the terrifying danger behind him, getting closer and closer. Compared to the slightly smaller Xenomorph from earlier, the matured adult Xenomorph was even faster, faster than Smith Lee for sure!
"Left! This time, it's left!"
Smith Lee pushed off the wall with his feet, and he shot into the left corridor like an arrow. In the instant he turned around, he already saw the black giant shadow behind him. The speed of the Xenomorph was definitely not inferior to his speed when he pushed off the wall, or even faster! He couldn't think anymore, his mind was filled with the single thought of running forward with all his might! Death! It was chasing him desperately from behind!
He saw it, the giant steel door slowly descending! With each step Smith Lee took, he could leap several meters, but after a few steps, he felt a slight pain in his back. The closest Xenomorph was only a little over a meter away from him. Its tongue shot out and happened to hit his back, causing only a slight pain!
No! I refuse to die! I have to survive no matter what! No matter what!!
Smith Lee let out a crazy roar. He suddenly turned around and leaped with all his might. The Xenomorph was indeed much faster than him. In the instant he leaped, the Xenomorph was only tens of centimeters away from him, and its tongue slowly retracted. When the tongue shot out again, it would be the moment his head would be pierced!
After leaping, Smith Lee suddenly kicked the Xenomorph's body. He had already used up most of his inner strength during the running process, so he concentrated all his remaining strength on his feet. With the Xenomorph's speed and this force, he shot towards the closing steel door like a bullet. Finally, at the last gap, he shot into the door, and the three Xenomorphs crashed into the door with a loud bang. The strength was so great that it seemed like the entire cabin was trembling. Smith Lee lay flat on the ground, completely devoid of strength even to move a finger.
Survive... I must survive no matter what!!