The mountains rose and fell, perpetually dark, silent, and devoid of any trace of life—utterly desolate. A massive cave loomed ahead, like a black hole leading to hell, from which eerie roars echoed intermittently, rising and falling as if a horde of demons lurked within, ready to pounce at any moment and devour the mortal world.
Feng Lin and the two Greek sisters hid nearby, staring at the pitch-black cave with grim expressions. "Is this the Xenomorph Hive?"
"Correct!" Yana nodded. "Due to the immense danger of xenomorphs, interstellar humans regularly send exploration ships to monitor the situation on修罗星. One purpose is to track xenomorph reproduction, and the other is to surveil the death row inmates. These prisoners have committed unforgivable crimes across the stars. Exile to修罗星 is the most extreme punishment in the Southern Galaxy—living among xenomorphs, being devoured into nothingness. Only the most heinous criminals receive such a sentence. These individuals are devastating to human society, and many are exceptionally brilliant. Implanting monitoring chips in their bodies isn't foolproof; no one knows if they might crack the chips, so real-time surveillance is essential. If someone like that starts from scratch and advances through the tech tree, they could use修罗星's resources to progress from a primitive era to an agricultural, industrial, and technological age, eventually building basic spacecraft to escape. In the vastness of the stars, anything is possible. There have been numerous cases of criminals exiled on uninhabited planets advancing the tech tree and developing low-level aerospace technology to break free. To prevent this,修罗星's status is constantly monitored in the interstellar human court's optical brain database. I used hacking techniques to find a loophole in the firewall and accessed all the firsthand data..."
Though she spoke lightly, Feng Lin couldn't take it casually.
The Interstellar Court was a law enforcement body with authority spanning all interstellar humans, and its optical brain firewall was extremely tight. Yet she had still found a loophole.
This Yana was undoubtedly a top-tier hacker in the stars.
Many thoughts crossed Feng Lin's mind, but his face revealed nothing as he listened patiently.
Yana continued, "According to the latest records, this is one of thirty small xenomorph hives on修罗星!"
"Small hive?" Feng Lin asked again.
"Correct! Xenomorphs gather around a queen to form massive hives, hunting for life. Based on the system and xenomorph numbers,修罗星 has one super-large hive, three large hives, ten medium hives, and thirty small hives! To be cautious, we'll start with the smallest hive, hunting the small queen. Such queens are usually just breeding machines with little combat ability, though the royal guards beside them are troublesome."
The xenomorph hive was right ahead, so they had to avoid alerting the creatures.
From start to finish, they communicated through telepathy.
Hearing Yana's words, Feng Lin nodded. This was indeed a sound approach.
"Within the xenomorph hive, besides the queen, there are other types: Facehuggers, Runners, Soldiers, Stalkers, Praetorians... Each yields different assessment points when killed. The small octopus-like Facehugger is the initial form, with little combat ability, and killing one gives no points. Runners evolve from quadruped genes, are extremely fast but weak, worth 1 point each. Soldiers are the hive's most common unit, worth 10 points each. Stalkers are faster, excel at silent stealth, and have superior intelligence, worth 100 points each. Finally, Praetorians are the queen's loyal guards, incredibly powerful, worth 1000 points each. Queens are also categorized by hive size: small, medium, large, and super-large. Even a small queen yields a full 10,000 points, and each subsequent level multiplies the points by ten! More terrifyingly, once a queen reaches medium level, it's no longer just a simple breeding machine—it gains basic combat ability, which increases with its level. The super-large queen is the most powerful creature on this planet, worth 10 million points. Killing one would make you the true king of the solar system! But that's extremely difficult! A super-large queen is equivalent to a cultivator's elite大成 stage, with terrifying combat power. No examinee in this college entrance exam can achieve it. Perhaps only those peerless prodigies in the stars who suppress their generation have a chance, but even that's just a hope. Let's not overthink this. We'll start with the lowest-level Runners and Soldiers, continuously surround and kill them to earn points, gradually attract the small hive's attention, and lure the xenomorphs out. Once the hive's defenses are thin and the small queen's guard is weak, we can sneak in and kill her..."
Yana laid out her battle plan in detail, meticulous and nearly flawless.
Feng Lin nodded inwardly.
Indeed, people follow their own paths.
Yana, walking the path of the Athena myth as an interstellar cultivator, was exceptionally wise.
This method seemed dangerous but was highly feasible with a good chance of success.
"Alright!" Feng Lin nodded in agreement.
Before they could say more, Ares suddenly spoke up, "Watch out, xenomorphs are coming out!"
Feng Lin and Yana immediately focused their gaze. From the dark cave came a series of low, hoarse sounds, sharp and piercing, like ten thousand bats screeching in their ears, unsettling and making their heads feel as if a drill were churning inside.
"Steady your minds! These xenomorphs are extremely sensitive to biological auras. The slightest movement will be detected, exposing your position!" Yana transmitted mentally.
Feng Lin and Ares steadied themselves.
Soon, dozens of xenomorph monsters crawled out from the damp, dark cave walls. Their compound eyes rolled around, scanning the surroundings, and their nostril-like openings sniffed the air, carefully distinguishing scents.
But Feng Lin and the others had anticipated this, fully suppressing their auras without revealing anything unusual.
Then the xenomorphs scattered in all directions, like demons hunting various life forms.
Deep within the silent forest, angry roars soon erupted, filled with despair and terror.
Feng Lin and the others lurked nearby, their eyes fixed on three Soldier xenomorphs approaching, with six Runners leading the way.
They exchanged glances and proceeded according to the pre-set plan.
Ares released her restraint, letting a trace of her aura slip.
*Woof!*
The six Runners immediately twitched their noses, excitedly barking like dogs.
The three Soldiers also grew excited, recognizing the scent of a human female—a weak-bodied creature but a highly intelligent higher life form with infinite genetic potential, the best food in the xenomorph diet.
The nine xenomorphs rushed over eagerly, like wolves catching the scent of prey.
A scream rang out as a female figure flashed by, fleeing toward a narrow valley in the distance.
Seeing the prey's frantic escape, the xenomorphs' eyes grew more fervent. Their barbed tongues dripped with foul, acidic saliva as they gave chase.
The xenomorphs were fast. The six Runners ran along the cliff walls, with the three Soldiers close behind, surrounding from high to low.
But the human woman's long legs moved swiftly, keeping her ahead, frustrating the xenomorphs into anxious cries.
Yet, just as she seemed about to escape at the valley's end, the woman stopped, turned, and looked back with a mocking smile.
The xenomorphs, though emotionless, sensed something deeply wrong from their primal instincts.
*Pat! Pat!*
Two light footsteps approached.
The xenomorphs' ears twitched. Turning, they saw an ordinary-looking human male holding an iron rod, smirking, with a slender human female behind him.
*Screech! Roar!*
The nine xenomorphs roared in fury, instinctively lunging at the seemingly weak human female.
**Armament Haki!**
Ares roared.
The wind stirred!
Thick, oil-like Haki seeped from her skin, whipping up a gale that enveloped her like an indestructible armor.
**Armament Fist!**
Ares shot forward like an arrow, Haki extending to her fists, striking down like massive hammers.
The nine xenomorphs were hit one after another, stumbling back.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The massive iron rod came down like a pillar, smashing three Runners into pulp.
Ares didn't pause, charging in like a tiger, her fists pounding heavily, sending the xenomorphs into wailing misery.
Their natural fangs, claws, and acidic saliva were useless against Ares's Armament Haki. The once-ferocious monsters became lambs to the slaughter under her fists.
Feng Lin showed no mercy, swinging his iron rod with devastating force.
More piles of flesh appeared beneath his strikes.
The three worked in perfect coordination.
Yana devised the plan, Ares acted as bait, and Feng Lin delivered the force—a flawless synergy.
The narrow valley became a natural trap, trapping the nine xenomorphs with no escape, until they were completely annihilated.
Feng Lin cut off the thumbs of the nine xenomorphs, dividing them equally: one Soldier and two Runners each.
That gave each of them 12 points.
Feng Lin had already killed 4 Soldiers earlier, bringing his total to 52 points.
In less than a day, their efficiency was decent.
But what puzzled him was that after taking their spoils, the sisters pulled out knives and began carving into the xenomorphs, cutting out fist-sized chunks of flesh from each.
Without hesitation, they bit into the meat, blood splattering.
Seeing Feng Lin's strange look, Ares grinned smugly. "You don't know this? This is the gene collector—the gene pituitary from xenomorphs. It collects various biological genes without being corroded by their acidic fluids. This is the only edible part of a xenomorph. The taste isn't great, but it's packed with genetic essence from various life forms—a real tonic!"
She tossed a chunk of meat his way with a mischievous smile, the strong smell of blood making him nauseous.
Feng Lin frowned, seeing Ares's teasing look, clearly expecting him to struggle.
He scanned the gene pituitary with his mental energy, found no unusual aura, and decisively swallowed it without hesitation.
To his surprise, the foul-smelling meat had no rancid taste once in his mouth. It was juicy, turning into a warm current that flowed through his body, leaving him comfortably warm.
A wealth of nutrients replenished his energy and blood.
Feng Lin activated the method of refining essence into energy, continuously converting the nutrients.
Gene potential: +58%, +58%, +58%... skyrocketing.
Feng Lin marveled.
This plague-like biological weapon, the xenomorph, could produce such delicious meat.
He also realized the strategic value of the gene pituitary. Paired with fresh water, it could sustain them indefinitely on修罗星, solving supply issues entirely.
But Feng Lin thought even further ahead.
Could this gene pituitary, which collects various biological genes with unique properties, be used to develop specific gene potions?
Gene potions use cosmic rarities as ingredients, and this could count as one.
But he couldn't dwell on it now, so he set it aside.
Over the next half-day, he and the Greek sisters worked together, repeating their tactics, using various terrains to ambush xenomorphs. Gradually, they developed a rhythm: one killed, one buried, one kept watch. Their coordination was seamless, and their harvest was substantial.
27 Soldiers, 60 Runners...
Even split three ways, they had 920 points.
Feng Lin's assessment score rose to 972 points, just shy of 1,000.
They struck ruthlessly.
By then, even the slow-reacting xenomorph hive sensed something was wrong.
Countless octopus-like Facehuggers screeched and surged out like a tide, spreading across the mountains, searching in a carpet-like sweep. Various bizarre xenomorphs roared out, frantically sniffing for unusual scents.
Feng Lin and the others hid in a pre-dug pit, burying themselves deep, with no aura leaking out.
They waited for the hive's xenomorphs to fully emerge, then planned to sneak in and assassinate the queen.
But before the hive could empty, the xenomorphs and Facehuggers retreated, shrinking back into the cave, refusing to come out again.
The dark, silent cave returned to stillness.
What was going on?
Feng Lin and the others surfaced, puzzled.
The hive's behavior seemed anticlimactic.
Feng Lin glanced at the sky and suddenly noticed something, pointing, "Look!"
A massive star on the horizon slowly sank below the edge of the land, plunging the world into darkness. Bitter cold descended, freezing everything to the bone.
A cold wind blew.
Even Feng Lin and the others couldn't help but shiver.
"修罗星's deep-night cold has arrived. At minus 100 degrees Celsius, even the xenomorphs can't withstand it. They won't dare come out, or their blood will freeze solid!" Yana said grimly.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes!
Their attempt to lure the hive out had failed. They had to endure the night and start over tomorrow.
Having just arrived on修罗星 and wasted time dealing with death row inmates, they were already behind.
Time was running out!
Frustrated by the plan's failure, Yana gritted her teeth but had no choice.
Human strength was limited against nature's forces.
As the freezing night closed in, they reluctantly left, searching for shelter, planning to restart tomorrow.
Just then, Feng Lin stopped, looking at the xenomorph hive. An idea struck him, and he spoke, "The xenomorphs can't handle the cold, so they must be in hibernation. Isn't this the hive's weakest moment? Why not enter now, strike decisively, and assassinate the queen?"
He proposed a bold suggestion, unwilling to wait any longer.
The sooner they killed the queen, the more time they'd have to rack up points. Why not?
"What? You want to go into the cave now?" Ares exclaimed. "Are you crazy? This cold will freeze us stiff! We'd be at less than half strength. Going into the hive now is suicide!"
Facing her doubt, Feng Lin smiled calmly. "We're interstellar cultivators with strong vitality. The cold limits us, but the xenomorphs aren't supernatural beings. Under this cold, their life force will be at its lowest, and they'll be dormant. Between the two, we have the advantage. The hive may seem full of xenomorphs, but it's at its weakest—defenses thin, resistance low. Perfect for us to sneak in and kill the queen..."
Ares wanted to argue.
Feng Lin spoke again, his voice firm and resolute, showing he'd already made up his mind.
"Plans are just plans. We have to adapt. No risk, no reward..."