Zheng Zha looked around at the others and spoke first:"I don't know what you all think, but for me, seeing the Xenomorphs go to Earth, even if I'm not from this timeline, even if it might give me a few more years of life... I just can't do it. I absolutely can't do it…"
At this point, he hesitated. He had initially wanted to say that even if he were alone, he would still fight to the end, but that last sentence just wouldn't come out. After all, he was still afraid of death.
Chu Xuan nodded."Everyone must think the second plan is crazy, right? Actually, I think if the conditions are right, the second plan is the most reliable one for us all to survive. However, this plan has two flaws. If we can't resolve these two issues, the plan may fail. The first flaw is, since the storyline has already changed, who can guarantee that the Earth government won't blow this spaceship to pieces outside the atmosphere? With interstellar technology, do you all think Earth has no space defense measures?"
"The second flaw is that I'm worried whether the isolation layers will be enough to completely block the Xenomorphs. Their blood is extremely acidic. Remember in the movie Aliens 4, they escaped from their cells using the corrosive power of their blood. If they use the same method to corrode and break through the isolation layers... I fear that when we wake up, we might face a mass of flesh coming straight at our faces, with the Xenomorphs already parasitizing our bodies."
Zero Point coldly said,"If the plan has so many flaws, why even propose it? I don't need the talk."
Chu Xuan waved his hand in frustration."But even with two flaws, it's still the safest option between the two. You all need to understand, if we choose the first option, we will have to face the Xenomorphs head-on. The isolation walls won't save us again if we fail. Once we fail, it's death for all of us... and that failure rate could happen repeatedly. Do you all have confidence in surviving through those repeated tests?"
The burly Bawang suddenly spoke in broken Chinese,"Don't you have a saying in China? If you're afraid of dying, you can't be the... no, not that...'A hero in life, a ghost hero in death,' I think that's the one. I don't want to leave my fate to chance. What if we sleep and never wake up? I'd rather be in control of my future, even if it means dying in battle by my own choice, not relying on fate to give me life."
The more Bawang spoke, the more passionate he became, and by the end, he was speaking in Russian. Chu Xuan had no choice but to translate for him.
Zhang Jie nodded and said,"I also think we should choose the option where we can take control. It's dangerous, but at least we're fighting on our terms, not relying on luck to survive."
The others nodded silently, and Chu Xuan sighed."Alright, then we'll vote. The minority will follow the majority. I think this decision should be the most fair."
The result of the vote was quite unexpected. Of course, the majority chose to fight the Xenomorphs, but only four people voted for the first option: Zero Point, Bawang, Zhang Jie, and Zheng Zha. Besides Chu Xuan and Li Shuai Xi, even Zhan Lan chose the second option.
Chu Xuan breathed out."Since the decision has been made to fight, I'll respect everyone's choice. Let's face the Xenomorphs and fight… But first, Zheng Zha, please take out the food and water. I think everyone must be hungry by now."
Seeing the eager gazes from the others, Zheng Zha smiled and activated his inner power. After this period of rest, his internal strength had somewhat recovered. While it wasn't yet enough for combat, it was just right for opening the spatial ring.
A few seconds later, boxes of biscuits, cheese, bread, dried meat, and bottles of water were laid out on the floor. After the food was revealed, Chu Xuan was the first to squat down. He opened a few boxes and counted the water bottles. He said,"The food is abundant. If we ration it, the seven of us can survive for about a week. But I suggest we divide this food into three days' worth. This amount will be enough to fill us up, and in those three days, we can maintain our best physical condition and combat strength."
Since Zhan Lan had chosen the second option, she had been avoiding looking at Zheng Zha. At this moment, she wanted to touch her forehead but forgot about the large hole that had been pierced through her shoulder. She hadn't felt it much in the chaos of their escape, but now, as things calmed down, the pain stabbed through her chest. She touched her forehead with her other hand and said,"Why not divide the food into seven days' worth? As long as we can wait for the Xenomorphs to be trapped, we can clear a safe path to the kitchen. That way, we don't even have to fight them, we could just starve them to death."
The others looked at Chu Xuan in confusion, and the man smiled bitterly."I've considered this scenario too, but there are a few reasons I had to abandon the idea of a prolonged battle with them. First, we aren't familiar with the Xenomorphs' biology. What if they can go for days without food or water, like some desert creatures on Earth? We'd have no way to last in a prolonged standoff. And when we run out of food and water, we might be the ones trapped to die."
"Second, please count how many of us there are? Seven, right? I remember when we first came here, there were 15 of us. So where did the other eight people go? And the bodies of the original crew members, the Xenomorphs could survive on those."
"Third, and most importantly, I don't want to push the Xenomorphs too hard. If we really manage to trap them and get food supplies from the kitchen, when they get extremely hungry, are you sure they won't use their acidic blood to corrode the isolation layer and then rush at us to devour us? So, I'd rather fight them when we're fully fed and at our peak. This is the best battle strategy I've come up with."
Zheng Zha exhaled and said,"If we survive this horror movie... it will be thanks to you. If there's anything else we need to do, say it all at once. Since we're now partners in life and death, we'll trust you completely."
The others silently nodded and looked at Chu Xuan. Even though they didn't agree with him, they could see that this man was exceptionally intelligent, and his role was vital in their current predicament.
Chu Xuan smiled and nodded."To be honest, I heard Zhang Jie mention before that every horror movie involves new players, and these new players' qualities are really hard to guarantee. In many horror films, one person's power is too insignificant. If we survive this time, we'll likely face more terrifying movies in the future. I hope that my team will have the courage and strength to survive. That's why I'll give it my all. Out of the seven of us, at least six of you are strong enough. I'm happy with this team, and I hope we all survive... at least the six of us."
Li Shuai Xi's face immediately turned red. He was just an ordinary young man with no special skills, and he could tell that Chu Xuan's comment about one person referred to him. At this moment, Zheng Zha patted his shoulder and said,"Don't worry. As long as we survive, we can train and grow stronger. Never lose hope."
Li Shuai Xi looked at him gratefully, and Chu Xuan added,"So, my isolation plan is... bait! Yes, we will open a part of the isolation wall and lure the Xenomorphs into the path I've designed. The bait will be... Li Shuai Xi!"