Zheng Zha was sent flying several meters away by the Queen's strike, but he didn't collapse to the ground. Instead, he planted his foot firmly and charged straight back at her, undeterred by the gruesome injury to his right arm, which was now dripping with blood.
The Queen's previous strike had hooked his right arm, and with a brutal pull and twist, most of the arm had been torn off. The sudden onslaught of pain was indescribable. For an ordinary person, such agony would have caused immediate unconsciousness, but Zheng Zha had temporarily unlocked his genetic constraints. In the instant he felt the pain, he instinctively suppressed it. However, he knew his time was running out.
Blood. Yes, blood.
A human entering shock after losing more than one-fifth of their blood, and facing death after losing over one-third, was a well-known fact. Zheng Zha had no idea how much blood he had already lost. The constant injuries and bleeding from his earlier battles with the common Aliens had already taken their toll. The massive blood loss from his ruptured intestines, followed by the lesser but still significant bleeding from his severed arm, pushed his body well past the critical threshold. But blood loss was only one of his looming dangers. The other was the collapse of his genetic structure due to unlocking the genetic constraints.
Each time he unlocked the gene lock, the resulting pain was indescribable. Beyond the pain, he felt as if his body was disintegrating—a visceral, instinctive understanding. Ordinary lifeforms simply weren't designed to withstand the rapid genetic changes induced by unlocking the gene lock. The violent alteration of genetic structure was fatal to most. This time, facing the Queen, he had pushed the unlocking far beyond anything he had attempted before.
He knew he didn't have much time left. Severe injuries, blood loss, genetic collapse—any one of these would be enough to kill him. If he couldn't finish the fight with everything he had, there would be no need for the Queen to finish him off; he was already on the brink of death.
Finish the battle within three minutes. It's either you or me.
Zheng Zha dashed toward the spot where his rifle had fallen. The other spiral-bladed explosive was with Zhan Lan, but considering the distance, the rifle was much closer. Furthermore, the Queen's waist armor had already been blasted open, leaving a large exposed area. The rifle alone could deal significant damage in this state. However, the Queen's terrifying strength and speed made her an overwhelming opponent—any hit could kill instantly.
The Queen let out a howl of pain. The bomb's power wasn't immense, but exploding inside her body had caused significant damage. An external detonation wouldn't have even scratched her impenetrable exoskeleton. Upon seeing Zheng Zha charging toward her again, she let out a deafening roar, raising her tail and striking toward him with a speed far beyond human perception.
At the exact moment Zheng Zha picked up his rifle, the sharp sound of the tail slicing through the air reached his ears, aimed directly at his head. Without a second thought, he leaped upright. Dodging was impossible. If he had to endure the blow, he figured it was better to sacrifice the remnants of his right arm rather than risk his head.
Thump!
A dull sound rang out as Zheng Zha felt the side of his chest collide with what felt like a truck. He coughed out a large mouthful of blood, and a flood of new information surged into his mind: Compound fracture of the right ribs, fragments piercing the right lung, severe internal bleeding, and oxygen deprivation. At this rate, he would be dead within two or three minutes.
But Zheng Zha was done holding back. The moment the Queen's tail struck him, he used the remnants of his right arm to clamp down on it. Though his grip wasn't strong, it prevented him from being flung away. Instead, he was dragged along as the Queen swung her tail, ultimately landing on her exposed flank—the damaged area on her waist.
The moment he landed, Zheng Zha aimed his rifle at the gap in her armor and pulled the trigger. Several loud bursts rang out, and streams of yellow blood sprayed from the wound. The blood, highly corrosive to most, only slightly blackened Zheng Zha's skin due to his unique physiology. Unlike Zhang Jie, who had lost an arm to the acid, Zheng Zha's body seemed somewhat resistant to the liquid's effects.
The real danger wasn't the Queen's blood but her counterattack. Clenching his teeth, Zheng Zha leaped onto her exposed flank. Since he had already decided to risk everything, he figured surprising her at close range was his best chance.
"Die!" he roared.
Zheng Zha planted both feet inside the Queen's exposed flesh. His blood-red eyes glinted with rage as he plunged the rifle directly into the wound and fired continuously. The sound of gunfire echoed, and while it was unclear how much damage he had inflicted, the Queen's pained howls were weakening.
After firing over a dozen rounds, Zheng Zha was finally thrown off her body. Before he hit the ground, her massive claw seized him, piercing through his left chest. Blood erupted from his mouth in another massive spray. It was unclear if his heart had been damaged, but his life was hanging by a thread.
"Zhan Lan… Zhan Lan! Throw me the spiral blade bomb!" Zheng Zha shouted weakly. His earlier efforts had completely drained his remaining strength. His inner energy was nearly exhausted, and the vampiric energy was being consumed just to keep him alive. His consciousness began to blur, but sheer determination kept him going, though that, too, was fading.
Zhan Lan, who was among the least injured, immediately scrambled to her feet. Ignoring the Queen's terrifying presence, she ran toward Zheng Zha. Just as she was about to throw the explosive, gunfire erupted again from the Queen's side. Zero, coughing up blood, was lying prone on the ground, firing his submachine gun desperately at the exposed gap in the Queen's armor. However, before he could fire many rounds, the Queen's tail struck him violently. His torso was ripped open, and his internal organs spilled out. His survival seemed impossible.
Zhan Lan continued running, but the Queen seemed to regard her as insignificant, focusing instead on slamming Zheng Zha against a nearby container. The sickening crunch of breaking bones was audible even to Zheng Zha, whose spine had been shattered. Apart from the searing pain, he realized he had lost all sensation below his waist. His body was now bent at an unnatural angle.
"I don't want to die! I won't die!" Zheng Zha roared, a primal surge of desperation driving him. In that moment, his inner energy flared briefly in his left hand, while the vampiric energy in his body coalesced. He grabbed onto the Queen's claw, and with inhuman effort, the corrosive properties of the vampiric energy burned through her exoskeleton, leaving five bloody holes.
"Zheng Zha! Catch!" Zhan Lan screamed as she lunged forward, throwing the spiral blade bomb with all her might. In that instant, the Queen's tail impaled her chest, creating a massive wound that pierced her spine. The injury was fatal; Zhan Lan's life was slipping away.
As the bomb flew toward him, Zheng Zha shattered the claw holding him and bit down hard on the Queen's exoskeleton. With his only functional arm, he caught the bomb. Just then, the Queen's other claw came crashing down, smashing his lower body into pulp. Zheng Zha had been severed in half.