Chapter 31: First Confrontation with Chu Xuan

The surgical procedure was brutal, yet the results were guaranteed.

Qian Gu, after all, was a Dragon-Blooded Sorcerer and Arcane Mage. Having learned a vast array of spells through spell scrolls, he bypassed this parasitic trap with a simple combination of cantrips and spells, sparing the newcomers from further suffering.

Hmm...

"Ahhhhh!"

The miserable screams were enough to move one to tears. Zheng Zha and the others, unable to bear the sight, turned their backs.

Behind them, they saw the man who called himself Major Chu Xuan of the Dragon-Hidden Unit squatting beside the carcass of a Xenomorph. He poked and prodded, adjusting his glasses from time to time as a mysterious white glint flashed across the lenses, giving him the chilling aura of a cold-blooded mad scientist straight out of a sci-fi film.

"The situation is not right."

Chu Xuan stood up and surveyed the surroundings. "Theoretically, there should be three more Xenomorphs."

Three?

Zhan Lan’s mind raced, and she quickly grasped his point.

"There were twenty glass chambers in total. Excluding us, the five Xenomorphs, and the subjects Qian Gu used for his surgery, there are still three chambers that haven't been opened!"

Zheng Zha’s expression shifted, and he hurriedly looked around.

Three intact glass chambers stood in the corners of the laboratory, isolated and mostly swallowed by the shadows. To the naked eye, it was nearly impossible to see them clearly, yet an inexplicable sense of crisis was brewing.

"Time..."

Chu Xuan calculated rapidly in his mind. "No, it’s not the Xenomorphs. It is..."

*Hum!*

Bright, concentrated high-energy lasers suddenly ignited, converging from the three diagonal corners toward the center.

In an instant, darkness descended.

...

Command center of the *Auriga* United Systems warship.

One of the orderly segments of the surveillance screen suddenly went black.

Commander Perez, a white officer with a square-jawed face, frowned. "What happened? Did the monitoring in the incubation chamber malfunction?"

"Report, Commander!"

The surveillance technician shouted, "Nine unknown mutations occurred among the test subjects, killing five newborn Xenomorphs. After the preset execution protocol was initiated, all light within the spectrum inside the incubation chamber vanished!"

"Vanished?"

Commander Perez chuckled.

He was a cold, pragmatic military man. While he didn't concern himself with scientific research, that did not mean he lacked education.

"It is exactly as stated."

The technician also seemed incredulous. "The entire incubation chamber has become a dead-light zone. It is impossible to detect any visible or invisible light; the surveillance has failed completely."

Commander Perez’s brow furrowed slightly.

The people here were his longtime subordinates; they would certainly not deceive him about such matters.

In other words...

Had the light truly disappeared?

"Adjust the route," Commander Perez ordered. "Send in the war machines as well. I want those test subjects captured alive and sent to Dr. Gediman for cloning."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Incubation Chamber.

The "Light-Banishment Spell" lasted only a few seconds. In the darkness, three slightly distorted, illusory throwing knives flew out, striking the three corners and cutting off the laser emissions.

"Lasers again."

Zheng Zha and Mou Gang looked grim.

Behind Qian Gu, Kong Mingde and Li Shuaixi—having just finished their surgical extractions—supported each other. Their faces were pale, and the neat, stitched wounds on their chests were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Chu Xuan’s voice rang out from the distance.

"They are androids."

Androids?

Following the direction of his voice, they saw three "people," now severed at the waist, lying in the corners where the high-energy lasers had just erupted. Where they were broken, sparks flew, revealing complex electronic and mechanical structures beneath.

Zheng Zha mused, "So, those lasers were fired by these things?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Zheng Zha was confused. "No matter how you look at it, we are..."

He could not finish the word "human."

After all, the five veterans had all injected Dragon Blood and undergone reinforcements. He, in particular, was a standard mutant vampire; it would be a blatant lie to call himself a pure-blooded human.

Qian Gu said nothing, merely looking at Chu Xuan.

"What is your take?"

Chu Xuan pushed up his non-prescription glasses. "I believe you already have a guess."

"Two heads are better than one."

Qian Gu also pushed up his glasses. Their movements were nearly identical, especially the cold indifference in their eyes.

However, the coldness in Qian Gu’s eyes was more of a mechanical detachment.

"How much do you remember about the plot of *Alien: Resurrection*?" Chu Xuan suddenly brought up another topic.

"Not much."

"It’s been a while."

"I don't remember clearly."

Everyone shook their heads; most could not recall the details.

*Alien: Resurrection* was an old horror film from the previous century. In terms of plot, it didn't leave as deep an impression on them as *Resident Evil*.

Of course, as a classic space monster, the image of the Xenomorph was iconic enough that most of them knew of it.

"Um..."

A weak voice spoke up. Li Shuaixi’s tone was small. "I remember."

Chu Xuan’s gaze fell upon him, feeling almost like a physical weight that made the college student feel a sense of dread, causing him to hunch his shoulders.

So terrifying!

He didn't know why, but he felt an instinctive fear.

"I remember as well."

Qian Gu’s voice broke the stifling atmosphere, drawing Chu Xuan’s gaze back to him and allowing Li Shuaixi to breathe again.

Zheng Zha furrowed his brows, signaling with his eyes for Zhan Lan and the others to stand behind Qian Gu.

As for the three newcomers—Zero, Overlord, and Zhao Yingkong—they tended to hover on the fringes, watching the scene quietly.

Control.

Whether they were veterans or new reincarnators—with the exception of the naive college student Li Shuaixi—everyone had realized that Chu Xuan was competing with the veteran Qian Gu for a certain level of control.

Clearly, Qian Gu had no intention of relinquishing that power.

Control is earned step by step. From the initial warning about the parasite, to the count of the Xenomorphs, to the current discussion of the *Alien: Resurrection* plot—all of it was meant to demonstrate their worth, secure the support of the newcomers and veterans, and elevate themselves from insignificant newcomers to formal members capable of guiding the team.

Under normal circumstances, one could say Chu Xuan had succeeded.

But these were not normal circumstances.

The China Team of this cycle was not the China Team of the original story. It had one extra person—a "tactician" who had begun displaying his value as early as the *Resident Evil 1* scenario, deeply embedding his image, persona, and worth into the minds of the veterans.

*Chu Xuan, huh...*

Qian Gu lightly adjusted his enchanted glasses, which were permanently set with "Mechanical Mind"—a tool specifically prepared to compete with the likes of Chu Xuan.

He had no intention of handing everything over to Chu Xuan.

Although this "script-type strategist" had been nearly invincible since his resurrection, almost as if he were reading from a script, he was not without his pitfalls.

For example, the classic "Higher Reinforcement Useless Theory," which had once severely sabotaged Zheng Zha.

By capping the Vampire reinforcement at B-rank, Chu Xuan had deprived Zheng Zha of the A-rank Vampire Marquis, the AA-rank Vampire Prince, and the S-rank Vampire Emperor—a potential S-rank reinforcement exclusive to Zheng Zha. This had caused the "Strength" of the China Team to miss out on at least three transformative leaps in physical capability.

As for this "Intelligence" of the China Team...

Qian Gu, at this moment, truly felt no great awe.