This was the first time Zhang Jie had seen Zheng Zha throw the steel bars. He was stunned for a moment, then began to pat Zheng Zha's shoulder excitedly, laughing:"You little rascal, when did you get this kind of strength? You've been hiding it from me all this time when we sparred?"
Zheng Zha gave a bitter smile, rubbing his shoulder. He pulled out the spiral bar and said,"I just discovered this power not long ago, but it's not very durable. Every time I throw one, it consumes some of my internal energy. With my current energy and recovery speed, I can only throw about five before needing a rest for around five minutes."
"Five?" Zhang Jie scratched his head."Well, that's still decent. I don't believe the aliens' exoskeletons are tougher than steel plates. It's a pity you only just discovered this power. Without practice or precision, you probably won't have much trouble with the aliens now, huh?"
Zheng Zha smiled bitterly. The strength of the aliens wasn't as simple as Zhang Jie made it out to be. Besides their immense strength and strange speed, what truly made the aliens terrifying was their ability to ambush from the shadows. On the merchant ship, Zheng Zha had encountered the aliens twice, and both times, they had been ambushed, which led to fatalities. While the aliens could likely kill even without ambushing, the ones that hid in the shadows were the truly terrifying ones.
"Actually, the most terrifying thing about the aliens is their ambushes. Last time, when I was with Zhan Lan, we…" Zheng Zha started, but he suddenly noticed Zhan Lan was in a daze. He quickly asked,"Zhan Lan, what are you thinking about?"
Zhan Lan sighed bitterly and said,"I'm thinking about why Chu Xuan left with them. From his intelligence, he shouldn't have neglected the dangers behind Room 15. Why would he willingly risk it? Does that mean staying with us would be even more dangerous?"
Zheng Zha's heart skipped a beat. He and Zhan Lan almost simultaneously exclaimed:"Alien blood!"
Zhang Jie looked at them in confusion and asked,"What alien blood? I didn't catch what you guys just said."
Zheng Zha bitterly replied,"The aliens that are being isolated. I've seen Alien 4, and in the isolation footage, the aliens escape by injuring themselves and releasing corrosive blood. If we just isolate the aliens, they may not immediately harm themselves, but if we head toward Room 15, these aliens might harm themselves to escape and protect their nest. At that point, it won't be Chu Xuan's problem but ours—right behind them! He's such a ruthless guy. Has he been calculating us since he started scheming with Li Shuai Xi?"
Zhan Lan shook her head."No one could have such a strong calculating ability. He isn't that familiar with our personalities, so it's unlikely he planned this from the start. He probably only decided to act when he saw that we'd split up and formed our own team. We've become his shield."
At this point, Zheng Zha calmed down. He started scanning the large screen, and after a while, he coldly said,"If he's not benevolent, then neither will I. I'll make sure he knows we're not pawns for him to use as he pleases. Let's see who will end up dead in the end."
Room 22, bathroom.
Zheng Zha and the other two arrived as quickly as possible. He pulled them into the room and immediately instructed Zhan Lan to lock the door. Then, he entered a single shower stall and said,"You two hurry up and wash off the sweat and any other smells. Also, apply the food I gave you all over your bodies. Make sure you cover every inch, understood?"
Without a word, Zhan Lan rushed into one of the shower stalls, while Zhang Jie stood there holding a piece of cheese, unsure of what to do. But he eventually followed Zheng Zha's instructions, washing his body. After a moment, he suddenly heard Zhan Lan shout,"Zheng... Zheng Zha, my arm is too injured to clean off the blood smell. Can you help me?"
Zhang Jie immediately froze, and with a strange expression, pressed his ear to the wall to listen carefully. But before he could hear anything, there was a sharp metallic scraping sound coming from the hallway. It was so piercing, it sounded like someone dragging a steel brush across the floor.
All three of them immediately froze, standing still in complete silence. They didn't even dare to breathe. Zheng Zha, who had just entered the shower stall, awkwardly found himself staring at Zhan Lan's bare upper body, while he himself was completely undressed.
The sound stopped at the bathroom door, and for a moment, it felt like time stood still. The only sound was the flowing water. The pressure outside felt like it lasted for an eternity, though it was likely only seconds, or maybe a minute. Once the scraping sound began to fade, the three of them exhaled in relief, as if they had been holding their breath for years.
Afterward, none of them said a word. Zhang Jie stopped trying to eavesdrop and started rubbing cheese on his body as per Zheng Zha's instructions. The other two, still stiff, continued to wash and apply the food-like substance. It took less than a minute to complete, demonstrating just how boundless human potential could be.
Then, once again, the scraping sound returned from the hallway. The three of them immediately focused, ears straining. Having learned from the first experience, they weren't as tense this time. As expected, the sound stopped at the bathroom door again. However, this time, it was brief. The sound quickly faded as it moved toward the opposite end of the hallway.
Zheng Zha had an idea. He quickly ran out of the shower stall, picking up several spiral steel bars from the floor. Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan peeked their heads out of the stalls, both of them looking confused.
"The aliens reacted the same way twice before. Let's hope they do the same this time…"
Zheng Zha murmured to them, and as the faint scraping sound grew louder, the three of them could feel their breaths becoming tense. Zhang Jie and Zhan Lan had no idea what Zheng Zha was planning, and only Zhan Lan had a vague inkling, which made them both more nervous and fearful.
The sound came closer to the bathroom door. Their hearts raced, and Zheng Zha's grip on the spiral steel bar turned white. His immense strength was so great that the bar began to bend slightly under the pressure.
Sure enough, the scraping sound halted at the door. Zheng Zha didn't hesitate. He channeled all his internal energy and strength into the spiral steel bars and threw three of them in quick succession. The sound of metal cutting through the air was sharp and intense. The bars pierced the steel door with incredible force, and from the other side of the door came the wild, ferocious roar of a beast.