Chapter 155: Flower

As the infected subject’s chest heaved violently, it finally regained consciousness. At this moment, it looked exceptionally agonizing, as if enduring some kind of excruciating pain.

"Squelch!"

Accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, a blood-drenched monster burst forth from the abdomen.

The chestburster.

This was the third form of the Xenomorph. After its birth, it would consume a portion of the host's body to sustain its nutritional needs, ultimately evolving into its final form.

The entire process lasted for more than ten minutes. Afterward, a deformed creature standing about 1.8 meters tall, pitch-black all over, and equipped with two rows of sharp teeth stood before Fan Li.

The Infected Xenomorph!

Compared to Xenomorphs successfully incubated by ordinary zombies—which possessed silvery-white, smooth, and elongated heads—the head of the creature before him was uneven, covered in wrinkled, ridged patterns, and it had three fingers on each hand, with a slightly shorter stature.

The Infected Xenomorph also possessed a steel-like tail. This appeared to be its innate genetic trait, capable of forcibly overriding the genes of other organisms.

Unusually, apart from the steel tail, there were two thick, long, barb-covered tentacles growing from the left and right sides of its body.

Resembling fish fins, these tentacles grew just below the Xenomorph's waist, twitching back and forth with an eerie, spine-chilling aura.

Fan Li’s eyes lit up. The creature had not辜负 (failed to live up to) his expectations; it had indeed fused with the strongest genetic traits of the infected subject.

Tentacles!

This was also the primary reason Fan Li had chosen an infected subject as a sacrifice.

During the previous battle, the tentacles controlled by the monster had caused Fan Li considerable trouble. In a one-on-one fight, those thick, viscous appendages were absolute nightmares for any enemy.

The Xenomorph possessed the ability to turn invisible and wielded a lethal bite. Now, this already terrifying creature had unexpectedly acquired binding capabilities as well. One could easily imagine that in future battles, the Xenomorph would first turn invisible, then bind its target with its tentacles, and finally deliver a fatal bite. Aside from monstrosities like the Corpse Giant, against elite-tier formidable foes or opponents of the same rank, the Xenomorph would essentially remain undefeated!

The Xenomorph had completed its incubation. At this moment, it squatted on the ground, its tail swaying behind it while the tentacles at its sides also twitched. Indeed, the habits deeply ingrained from its facehugger stage could not be forgotten even in maturity.

This was the monster he had created with his own hands!

Fan Li stepped forward and reached out to touch the Xenomorph's head. At that very moment, the previously ferocious monster actually lowered its body slightly, displaying unusual docility.

It was freezing.

It felt as though he were touching a block of ice. Fan Li managed to endure it for only a few seconds before withdrawing his hand from the uneven skull.

"Run!"

Just as Fan Li was admiring the monster of his own creation, an urgent voice suddenly echoed from the side. Fan Li frowned, blaming himself for being too focused on the Xenomorph and thus letting his guard down regarding his surroundings.

Fan Li instinctively turned his head, only to see a masked human figure, about 1.6 meters tall with long hair, darting out from the side.

The reason he could identify this person as a human was because the exposed skin retained its elasticity. Furthermore, the eyes were not clouded white or crimson, but a normal, standard black.

The figure was burdened with quite a few items; judging by the weight, it exceeded a hundred pounds—an astonishing feat of physical endurance. From the sound of the voice, the person was female.

"Run!"

The urgent cry rang out once more, sounding even more frantic. It seemed this was likely her first time witnessing a "zombie" like the Xenomorph, causing her body to tremble involuntarily. Yet, despite this, she had still stepped forward to confront the monster head-on.

Fan Li was momentarily stunned. If he hadn't misunderstood, was this person actually motioning for him to escape?

Was he standing too close to the Xenomorph, leading her to believe he was a survivor trapped and surrounded by zombies?

If he ran, what would happen to her? Was she planning to use herself as bait to lure the monster away?

Fan Li had saved quite a few people in his time, but this was the first time he was being rescued by someone else—especially someone who appeared so frail and weak.

Her body was trembling, much like a quail standing in the snow; no matter how much she tried to put on a brave front, she still couldn't mask the biting cold chill racking her frame.

The Xenomorph projected a far more terrifying visual impact than ordinary zombies. Whether it was the steel tail at its rear or the swaying tentacles at its flanks, both exerted immense psychological pressure on anyone who encountered them.

Yet, under such circumstances, she had still stepped forward.

She was either out of her mind or suffering from a ridiculous savior complex.

However, neither of those traits would allow anyone to survive this long in the apocalypse without real power.

"Awoo..."

The whistle-like creature had spotted the human. Unlike the Xenomorph’s pure beastly psychology, which favored torturing prey over devouring it, zombies would immediately grow frenzied upon catching the scent of human aura. Saliva began to drip from the corners of its mouth, and its body uncontrollably took a step forward.

This was the ultimate manifestation of a mind entirely consumed by animalistic instincts!

Regardless of whether the girl was foolish or not, her starting intentions were good. Just as Fan Li was about to issue a command to Whistle, an action from the girl made him snap his mouth shut.

He saw the survivor pull a fruit knife out of her pants pocket. A weapon of that caliber was barely capable of even piercing Whistle's skin.

Yet, astonishingly, instead of trying to fend off Whistle, she extended her arm and ruthlessly slashed a deep cut across it with the blade.

If human scent offered a moderate level of temptation to zombies, then fresh blood elevated that temptation straight to the ultimate tier.

Whistle’s saliva gathered into thick threads, dripping densely onto the ground. To a zombie, sweet, fresh plasma was more than enough to drive them into absolute madness.

"Is she attempting to use this method to let herself escape?"

This was practically a suicide trade—a life for a life.

Did this masked woman—whose voice suggested she was still quite young—truly understand what she was doing?

Fan Li frowned, nearly concluding that the woman had mental issues, when his nose suddenly twitched.

It was a fragrance!

He caught the scent of a peculiar aroma.

It defied description using the usual scents associated with everyday objects; in short, just a single sniff of it was enough to make it unforgettable.

Had he not been certain that he was entirely free of injuries, Fan Li would have almost suspected that he had been grazed by a monster during the previous fight, causing him to become infected and turn into a zombie or an otherwise transformed subject.

Otherwise, how could he possibly feel such an obsessive fascination toward human blood?

The mutations didn't stop there. Just as Fan Li was still wondering why the blood she shed emitted such an exotic fragrance, dense clusters of blossoms suddenly bloomed all around her.

Flowers?

The dripping blood transformed into vibrant, colorful flowers that clustered around the woman, placing her right in the center and making her appearance utterly mystical!

Fan Li’s pupils suddenly dilated.

Such bizarre abilities, coupled with clear human consciousness, reminded him of the encounter in the building with the mutant girl who had extra arms growing from her waist. The only difference was that unlike that failed specimen, the survivor before him had clearly succeeded!