Chapter 2, The Fluttering Heart

The pain comes quickly and departs just as swiftly. Zheng Zha felt his strength gradually returning, but the sensation of the genetic lock within him being released was also slowly fading away. It seemed that the highly toxic substance was being decomposed by his body. His powerful cellular vitality and immunity had saved him, while simultaneously severing the possibility of that substance unlocking the genetic lock all at once. Zheng Zha could almost envision the scenario: if he had maintained his previous combat instincts, the alien would not be an invincible monster.

Zheng Zha let out a frenzied roar, suddenly turning and leaping into the air. The speed of the alien was indeed much faster than his. In the moment he jumped, the alien closed the distance by several centimeters. Its tongue slowly retracted, and when it shot out again, it was the moment his head was blown apart.

He carefully considered Zhan Lan's way of thinking. Zhan Lan meant to divide the entire merchant ship into forty-six parts, which coincidentally corresponds to the number of keys on the communication device. Both 1 and 46 are located near the edges of the merchant ship, while their room, number 21, should be situated in the middle of the ship. Similarly, that special red 27 is very likely to be the control room of the merchant ship

I am much better

Zheng Zha suddenly jumped and kicked towards the alien body. He had already used up most of his internal energy during the run. At this moment, he concentrated all his internal energy into his feet, leveraging the alien's speed and his own strength to push off violently. He shot towards the steel door, which was already mostly closed, like a cannonball, and finally squeezed through the last gap into the door. The three aliens crashed against the door with a loud bang, and the force was such that it felt as if the entire cabin was trembling. Zheng Zha lay flat on the ground, completely drained of energy, unable to even move a finger.

Zhan Lan nodded repeatedly, but the blush on her face had not completely faded. She merely lowered her head and murmured, "Are you... okay? I saw that you were bleeding a lot from your legs and body just now"

Zhan Lan is applying a hemostatic spray to her shoulder, and she gently says: "It’s truly wonderful to be alive, thank you... But why is your skin completely unscathed? The blood of the alien is extremely acidic; even a slight contact would leave nothing but bones.

Zhan Lan nodded obediently, her eyes fixed straight ahead, while her lips kept murmuring: "Keep running, keep running all the way, the first passage is straight ahead, keep running, the second one is too... the third one is also... this time to the left..."

In the midst of conversation, Zhan Lan had already found a button device mounted on the wall. She randomly pressed a key on the device, and sure enough, a faint sound came from above, resembling the silence on the other end of a phone call after it has been connected.

Zheng Zha shook his head, truly at a loss for how to describe the situation he had just experienced. In that life-and-death moment, he felt as if something within him had been unleashed. The combat was incredibly fluid, with precision down to the millimeter, every ounce of strength pushed to its limit, driven by an instinct for battle devoid of mercy or fear. If he had to liken it to something, it would resemble an animated series he once watched called "Seed"; at the most critical moment, he had "exploded the seed".

Zhan Lan said without turning her head: "This is a super-modern spaceship, I refuse to believe that there are no high-tech communication tools on board. Do the characters in the story have to run to each other to say every single word?"

Zhan Lan reacted promptly, desperately holding onto the convulsing Zheng Zha. She positioned her mouth against his lips, continuously exhaling air into his lungs. After more than ten seconds, the spasms in Zheng Zha's internal organs gradually subsided, followed by the onset of breathing in his lungs, and the pain on his skin began to diminish. However, Zhan Lan remained unaware of this; she continued to breathe into Zheng Zha's mouth, crying as she did so, while Zheng Zha could barely hear some low murmurs. Subsequently, the breathing in his lungs began, and the pain on his skin continued to lessen, yet Zhan Lan was still oblivious, persistently exhaling into Zheng Zha's mouth and sobbing, while Zheng Zha could only faintly catch some whispered words.

At this moment, Zheng Zha's strength had recovered significantly. Upon hearing this, he quickly raised his watch to take a look. Indeed, it displayed that he had killed one alien, and the reward points were five hundred. Perhaps during his previous battle, the sound of rewards had already been announced, but at that time, his mind was consumed by the urge to kill, so he had not heard the sound of the rewards.

The following statement concerns your lives and deaths. I will be brief: there are three entities following you from behind, approximately ten rooms away. At their speed, they can catch up to you in about two and a half minutes. For some unknown reason, they have been trailing you!

At this moment, Zheng Zha was completely fighting for his life. He did not possess the iron-like exoskeleton of the alien. Just now, when he blocked that attack, several bloody holes were left on his arm. Moreover, the immense power of the alien was truly terrifying; his head struck the floor with such force that it nearly knocked him unconscious. Fortunately, at a critical moment, he bit down hard on his tongue, and it was this intense pain that allowed him to remain conscious.

No! I do not want to die! No matter what, I want to live! No matter what!

Zheng Zha looked at Zhan Lan's crimson lips and, for some reason, felt a warmth in his heart as he said: "Then I will give you the most perfect lipstick, that lip color looks very beautiful..."

Zhan Lan lightly hummed and said: "Hmph, if being decisive means being decisive, it's certainly better than staying here and being found by the aliens, right? Do you want to relive the past when the Crawlers attacked the door? Watching the door being broken while we could do nothing? Even if Room 27 is not the control room but the security room, there should be some usable weapons there, right?"

Chu Xuan's voice continued: "I will give you two minutes to run straight ahead. The specific directions are: forward, forward, forward, left, forward, left, forward, left! This is the route and direction to the control room. I will repeat it again, memorize 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. I will lower the isolation wall outside the control room at two minutes and forty-five seconds, within the number of rooms. If you cannot reach inside the isolation wall within this time... I’m sorry, but I can only abandon you, after all, there are five of us on this side!"

Zheng Zha had actually noticed the scars on his body. Strangely, after these wounds bled a little, the muscles and skin on both sides quickly closed up. Such a rapid healing speed was nothing short of a miracle. It seemed that the bloodline genes within him were coming into play, and the effects appeared to be remarkably evident.

Is it because the people around her have left her once that she is so afraid of losing them again

Zheng Zha took a deep breath, channeling his internal energy into the storage ring. He then began to frantically sweep through the food in the storeroom, especially the boxes of freshwater. A volume of 1.5 cubic meters can actually hold a lot of items, particularly these neatly packed boxes. About thirty seconds later, he picked them up and dashed out of the room like a gust of wind.

A substance similar to adrenaline is needed, which can only be produced by the human body. The most critical point is that it is highly toxic. I believe you have heard the story of an elderly woman who lifted a car with one hand to save her grandson trapped under the wheel; this is a true fact. However, shortly after, this elderly woman passed away, and scientists found extremely trace amounts of this substance in her blood.

Zhan Lan's small face immediately turned crimson, and she looked at Zheng Zha with a hint of reproach. The man quickly sensed the ambiguity in his tone. He cleared his throat and said, "We should leave here quickly; the smell of alien blood is too strong. I really don't know if there will be another alien. My strength has recovered a lot now, so let's proceed in the direction you suggested.

He casually let go of the steel bar and drew another one from behind, relentlessly stabbing it into the creature's head. He didn't even notice that the highly corrosive liquid was splattering all over him; his frenzied demeanor seemed intent on tearing the creature apart. Fortunately, Zhan Lan reacted in time. This girl, disregarding her own severe injuries, jumped up and lunged at Zheng Zha. After colliding with him, the two rolled several meters away. It was only then that Zheng Zha slowly regained his senses.

Zheng Zha sighed helplessly, while Zhan Lan silently nodded. The girl was continuously searching for something on the walls around the room

"Perhaps it is because my cellular vitality and immunity are quite strong, and it is not as if nothing has happened; at least my skin has been burned to a charred black by acid..." Zheng Zha said with a bitter smile

At this moment, Zhan Lan was crying sorrowfully when she was suddenly pushed aside. She was taken aback for quite a while, and then she forced a smile and said, "Are you alright now? You really scared me just now; it was as if you were having a fit, and you kept spitting out blood. That sight was truly terrifying..."

Timing ... ... Start !

As he was about to take the hemostatic spray out of the ring, he suddenly began to convulse violently. A painful and numb sensation surged from his internal organs, as if countless small insects were crawling chaotically within him. This agony penetrated deep into his bones, and as the blood flowed, it seemed to spread to the surface of his skin. Soon, he was engulfed in a pain more unbearable than death, and gradually, his vision turned to a haze of white. He felt as if he were on the brink of death, overwhelmed by the suffering.

Zheng Zha seemed to sense her thoughts; he felt that they were of the same kind. After having lost something particularly important, he vowed never to lose again, which is why he was so devoted to this life. This is also why he felt a sense of kinship with others who shared the same experience and extended a helping hand to them

Zhan Lan's expression had returned to normal, and she chuckled, saying: "Actually, I should be the one to thank you. If you hadn't saved me, I truly don't know what my fate would have been... What exactly happened just now? Was it some kind of illness of yours?"

gene lock

Chu Xuan's voice said: "Each important room will have a number. We are currently in the control room of Ship No. 27, which has a monitoring system for the passageways. If you do not enter this room, we will be unable to contact you. By the way, your location should be the kitchen, right? The control room displays its name. If possible, try to bring enough food and fresh water without delaying your speed, and then proceed towards Room No. 27 following the room numbers.

At this moment, Zheng Zha had already dived in front of the alien, and he could clearly see the saliva continuously spraying from the alien's mouth, as well as its long, sharp-toothed tongue. Just as he leaped over the alien, he accurately swung the steel bar towards the alien's tongue. With a dull thud, Zhan Lan fell to the ground, while the alien let out a frenzied roar. Its severed tongue sprayed out a highly corrosive liquid, with more than half of the tongue brutally cut into two by Zheng Zha.

Certainly, this is more likely the genetic lock referred to by Chu Xuan, a human evolutionary form capable of surviving in any extreme conditions. This also explains why he would suffer so much afterward; it could be the side effects brought about by the substance that unlocks the genetic lock.

Zheng Zha pushed off the wall with both feet, and his entire body shot into the left corridor like an arrow. In the moment he turned, he had already seen the enormous black shadow behind him. The speed of that alien creature was undoubtedly not inferior to the speed at which he had propelled himself off the wall, and perhaps even greater! He could no longer think; his mind was filled only with the thought of running forward with all his might! Death! Was desperately chasing him from behind! He could no longer think; his mind was filled only with the thought of running forward with all his might! Death! Was desperately chasing him from behind!

As Zheng Zha landed, the steel bar in his hand swung violently towards the back of the alien. A sound of metal clashing echoed, and the steel bar, thick as an arm, was bent completely. However, the alien did not fare well either; the shell on its back was cracked open, and a corrosive liquid continuously flowed out from within. The ground of this corridor had long been eroded into pits and holes by this liquid.

At that moment, another girl's face flashed through Zheng Zha's mind. He gently pushed aside Zhan Lan, and although he felt utterly powerless, the push was still resolute.

He moved his hands and feet and said: "It's alright, my stamina has recovered a lot, and there seems to be a sense of danger approaching, so we should hurry forward."

Survive ... no matter what, you must survive ! !

Zheng Zha tied three steel bars to his back, holding the thickest and longest one in his hand. He did not wish to say much, and as he watched Zhan Lan adjust the entrance of the room to green light, he took a deep breath and charged out.

In addition to lacking heavy weaponry, they also do not have food and water. Other items may be forgivable, but without these two essentials, if they were trapped in a horror film scenario, they would likely starve or die of thirst.

Zheng Zha苦笑着喃喃说道: "It's easy to say, isn't it? No matter how one assesses the situation, it ultimately leads to death..."

As he approached the wall, the surrounding air became thick as if it were liquid. He even leaped towards the wall, stepping on the air, and then pushed off the wall with his feet, finally flipping himself around. At first glance, he saw an alien creature dragging Zhan Lan. This alien was clearly slightly smaller than the one he had encountered before, yet it still stood about 2 meters tall and measured over 3 meters in length. It was pulling Zhan Lan deeper into the corridor. The girl’s left shoulder had been nearly shattered, her frail form covered in blood, and her eyes reflected only despair and a strange sense of attachment.

The front of his body felt as if it were being burned by fire, both hot and painful. He hurriedly tore off all his clothes and then continuously wiped the liquid off his body. However, as soon as this liquid touched the steel floor, it emitted a hissing sound, and the steel seemed to melt and corrode like ice. Apart from some darkening of his skin, there were not even the slightest traces of injury from the corrosion. This scene astonished the onlooker, Zhan Lan.

No

Zheng Zha said with a bitter smile: "Then let's go. I am in good health, but I feel a bit worried... Hey, I have truly never met a girl like you. Not only are you quite thick-skinned, but you are also so strong. Most girls would probably be too scared to even get off the bed in such a situation, right?"

Zheng Zha's mind was a blank; he felt as if his body was acting on its own. Countless instincts related to combat surged in his mind. He turned his body and rolled backward, the sharp tail that had pierced his thigh smoothly withdrew from the wound. Then, he forcefully pushed off with his feet and lunged forward, driving the steel bar in his hand fiercely into the alien's mouth.

Although he said so, Zheng Zha remained fully focused on his surroundings. His muscles were tense all over, and he held a thick steel bar upside down in his hand. For some reason, he felt an uncomfortable sensation in his heart, as if some danger was approaching him, which heightened his mental tension.

Zheng Zha curiously asked, "What are you looking for?"

After several seconds, Zhan Lan happily dashed out of the room, exclaiming, "That's great! My deduction was indeed correct. This is Room 23, and there must be Room 22 in the corridors we just passed. If we proceed down this corridor, we will definitely reach the merchant ship's control room... Oh, your face looks so pale. Is it because you are too scared?"

Chu Xuan's voice came through the communicator, saying: "We found an alien corpse in the corridor outside Room 22. Did you kill it? Have you located the armory?"

In Zheng Zha's eyes, the figure of Zhan Lan in the alien's mouth seemed to transform into Li Xiaoyi, about to be torn apart and shredded by the alien, then becoming a pile of nothing but minced flesh, or perhaps turning into himself. When he too was bitten by the alien and dragged away, despair and a hint of longing would surely flash in his eyes, and he too would be torn apart and devoured by the alien. He did not want this! No matter what, he had to save this strong woman, no matter what, he had to ensure her survival. Despair and a hint of longing would surely flash in his eyes, and he too would be torn apart and devoured by the alien. He did not want this! No matter what, he had to save this strong woman, no matter what, he had to ensure her survival.

Do not die, please, do not leave me alone again, I beg you to live on with me

Zhan Lan silently nodded, and Zheng Zha had already rushed into the room in an instant. Inside the room, there was a serene atmosphere; this particular room turned out to be a kitchen filled with various food packaging boxes. The two exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw a sense of joy.

Zheng Zha sighed and said, "We can discuss the specifics in person. Where are you located? Also, how did you know we were here?"

At this moment, not far from Chu Xuan and the others, Zheng Zha and his companion were cautiously advancing quickly towards the corridor. After running for a short while, Zhan Lan shouted loudly: "Stop, stop, I will go check that room. If anything happens outside... if something happens, you just assess the situation yourself..." Without even glancing at Zheng Zha, he hurriedly entered that room.

Chu Xuan said lightly: "Regardless of whether they are dead or not, we must first locate the control room of the merchant ship. We are not familiar with the layout and various locations within the ship; we do not even know where the aliens are likely to gather, where the weapons are stored, or where food and water are located. Do you even know where the restroom is? Therefore, we must first find the control room to understand the map of the merchant ship, so that we will have the capability to fight. Do you know where the restroom is? Therefore, we must first find the control room to understand the map of the merchant ship, so that we will have the capability to fight.

Zheng Zha recalled the topic of gene locks that Chu Xuan had mentioned. He was unsure whether he had inadvertently unlocked this gene lock, but he knew he was struggling on the brink of death. The spasms and convulsions of his internal organs became increasingly severe, and blood continuously gushed from his mouth and nose. Then, his lungs began to spasm as well, and he could hardly breathe. Therefore, he could only open his mouth wide and gasp desperately.

Left! This time it is to the left

Zheng Zha approached, and there were a total of forty-six keys on the communication device. The device in front of them was marked with the number twenty-one, and among all forty-six keys, only the key marked twenty-seven was painted red

Seeing that Zheng Zha did not respond, Zhan Lan did not ask further. Instead, she suddenly smiled and said, "You killed an alien creature; let's see if there are any rewards. Hehe, I hope there isn't a reward at all."

Zhan Lan touched her forehead and said: "There are more than forty buttons in total. Assuming each button represents a room equipped with a communication device, in other words, we are located in the middle of the merchant ship, and hetushucomcom is not too far from the control room of the merchant ship.

Zheng Zha wiped off the corrosive liquid from his entire body, and at this moment, his mind was still blank. Everything that had just happened felt like a nightmare; he was fighting purely on instinct. Especially when the alien's tail pierced his thigh, he felt as if something within him had been unleashed.

As Zhan Lan turned towards the aisle, she was laughing and speaking to Zheng Zha when suddenly a long, tooth-filled tongue shot out from the other side of the aisle, piercing her shoulder in an instant. The splattered blood stained Zheng Zha's face and eyes, and for a moment, he could still hear the crisp sound of her laughter echoing in his ears, along with the words, "You must take good care of me..."

Zheng Zha hesitated and said: "What if the numbers on the communicator are unrelated to the room locations? What if all the room numbers have been scrambled, and that red twenty-seven is not the control room, but rather the security room or something else? Judging our location based solely on this seems a bit too hasty, doesn't it?"

He had no intention of getting up; instead, he swiftly drew another steel bar from behind him and struck fiercely at the alien's two legs along the ground. The force, combined with the sudden burst of internal energy, knocked the alien, which was as large as two or three men, to the ground. However, as the alien fell, it managed to stab the sharp tip of its tail deeply into his thigh. The alien truly lived up to its reputation as a creature evolved specifically for killing and survival, exhibiting an astonishingly strong combat instinct. It knocked the alien, which was as large as two or three men, to the ground, but as it fell, it still managed to stab the sharp tip of its tail deeply into his thigh. The alien truly lived up to its reputation as a creature evolved specifically for killing and survival, exhibiting an astonishingly strong combat instinct.

Zhang Jie wanted to say something else, but in the end, he fell silent. At that moment, Lingdian suddenly said coldly: "Whatever you want to do, do it quickly. I feel like there is something following us, although it is still quite distant, the sense of danger is indeed very apparent.

Snap

Zhan Lan quickly shook her head, adjusting her expression as she said: "No, we cannot. Leaving the main group already signifies danger, and we are now just a step away from the control room. We must find the control room first... I understand that you may not be feeling well, but can you hold on a little longer?"

The overlord nodded and said in halting Chinese: "Yes, it is very dangerous. I am certain that it is an alien creature"

This is not over yet. Zheng Zha began to scream wildly like an alien, his eyes devoid of any glimmer of rationality. Apart from madness, all that remained in his gaze was a sea of blood red, uncertain whether it was stained by Zhan Lan's blood or if his eyes had turned crimson.

Zhan Lan turned around and chuckled, saying: "Hehe, I have been very strong since I was little. My parents passed away on my twelfth birthday... They had a car accident while going to buy me a birthday cake. If I hadn't been strong, I wouldn't have lived to this age. Therefore, as such a good girl, you must take good care of me..."

The taste is that of the abnormal blood from Zheng Zha! Zheng Zha and the other person immediately understood the reason behind it all

Zheng Zha almost shouted: "I am running with all my might, and I cannot think of anything else. You tell me when to turn left and when to run straight ahead! Do you understand?"

Imagine for yourselves, after monkeys reach this extreme, they transform into humans. If a human were to reach such an extreme, what would they become?

Chu Xuan walked out of a room and briefly said to the other four. The remaining four looked around with tense expressions. Zhang Jie suddenly asked, "What can we do after finding the control room of the merchant ship? I think we should first find Zheng Zha and the others, as he is the most important combat force among us"

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. From Zhan Lan's perspective, Zheng Zha charged madly towards the wall, then pushed off it with an extraordinary speed. The steel wall he kicked against emitted a dull thud, and surprisingly, two deep imprints were left in the solid steel. Following this, Zheng Zha seemed to detach from the girl's dynamic vision like a cannonball, moving at a speed beyond her ability to perceive.

He saw it, the enormous steel gate slowly descending! With each step Zheng Zha took, he could leap several meters forward, but after taking a few steps, he felt a slight pain in his back. The nearest alien was now just over a meter away from him, and when its tongue shot out, it happened to strike the surface of his back, causing him to feel only a mild pain.

Zheng Zha felt utterly weak and powerless, but compared to the pain that was even more excruciating than death he had experienced before, he now felt as if he were in paradise. He bitterly smiled and said, "I really can't thank you enough. If you hadn't been there to help me breathe just now, I would have suffocated long ago. In that situation, if I had lost consciousness from suffocation... I think I might have already turned into a corpse by now."

Zheng Zha suddenly understood the trace of affection in her eyes, which represented hope for life and the future. Although he had never seen his own eyes, he knew that in several moments of despair, there must have been a flicker of that affection in his eyes. He was absolutely certain of it

Zhan Lan immediately burst into laughter, saying repeatedly, "Hmm, I knew Zheng Zha was a good man, the one most capable of accepting a lady's opinions. Hehe, then I entrust this to you, please be sure to take good care of me.

Zhan Lan no longer dared to ignore Zheng Zha's premonition this time. She hurriedly advanced in the direction she had planned. After passing through several more corridors, another large door appeared before them. Just as Zhan Lan was about to enter alone, Zheng Zha suddenly grabbed her and said: "I will go in front. Your reaction speed is really quite poor, so let me take the lead."

Ah

Suddenly, the communicator hanging on the wall rang loudly, startling the two to the point that they nearly collapsed to the ground. It was Zheng Zha who reacted the fastest; he rushed to the communicator and pressed the green-lit button.

Zheng Zha was screaming madly, as the speed around him slowed down. He could almost see every movement of the alien's limbs, and the air became thick, allowing him to leap several meters forward with the force of his previous push, diving straight towards the alien.

Zheng Zha forced a smile and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel a bit worried. Perhaps we should find a place to hide for a while..."

Zhan Lan also smiled brightly, as if the reward points this man received were her own. She laughed happily and said, "Five hundred points for one, and who knows, you might be able to kill a few more aliens. By the end of this round, you could have several thousand points... Hehe, since you say I saved your life, will you exchange some small gifts for me when you get back?"

Yes, my inference is quite correct; each important room is equipped with a communication device and a number. We have just passed Room 25. In other words, the control room of the merchant ship is located nearby

The speed of the alien is also extremely fast. Even though Zheng Zha feels that the surroundings are slowing down and the air has become thick, in this state, he can only match the speed of the alien. When the alien's enormous claw sweeps horizontally, Zheng Zha can only barely raise his arm to defend himself. With a muffled sound, the immense force knocks him to the ground, causing the entire passageway to tremble slightly, and Zheng Zha's head is struck, causing blood to flow profusely.

Ah

The neural reaction speed, exceeding that of an ordinary person by three times, saved him at that moment. Everything around him seemed to slow down; he felt as though each movement required immense strength. Even with his current physical condition, he found it strenuous, and in between movements, it felt as if his body was being torn apart. The ground, the air, and even the increasingly approaching walls all seemed to exert a pulling force, dragging his body and preventing him from moving too quickly. This phenomenon was something he had never experienced before.

We truly are still novices, thinking that having lived through a horror film makes us seasoned veterans. In reality, we are far from prepared for many things. Coming into a horror film so casually feels almost like coming to play, sigh

Zheng Zha charged forward as if he had gone mad, his speed nearly reaching its limit. The air around him once again began to feel thick and heavy. Even so, he could still sense the terrifying danger closing in behind him, and it was getting closer. Compared to the slightly smaller alien he had encountered earlier, the mature, larger alien had significantly increased its speed, making it undoubtedly faster than Zheng Zha.

Zheng Zha immediately felt overwhelmed; indeed, one should not provoke a woman. When they become anxious, they can go on at length, and just their nagging is enough to make you feel dizzy. He quickly nodded and said: "Yes, very good, no problem. I also think we should go out and search; staying here in confinement is certainly not the best option. I support your decision."

Chu Xuan furrowed his brows and said, "Alright, then we will choose the left passage. Everyone, run forward. We must quickly find the control room. If my deduction is correct... finding the control room will greatly increase our chances of survival"

He suppressed the joy in his heart and said: "A reward of 500 reward points, that's fantastic! This is almost half of the reward points one would receive after surviving a horror movie.

Zheng Zha's eyes were a deep red, and it was unclear whether it was due to his grief and anger or if it was the blood of Zhan Lan that had stained his vision. As the girl was pulled through the passage and disappeared, he shouted and charged forward. In his fervor, he exerted too much force and ended up crashing directly into the wall.