Ch. 18 Mantis stalking the cicada...

Xuan's words were shocked the others. Humans that can alter their speciality at will and be able to survive through any situation were pushing the limit of the potential of our species.

Kris was still keeping an eye on the map but was also remaing vigilant; he was sure that the first Alien will be show up any time soon. He was feeling a chill since they went in this the direction, some of the people following behind him saw his unsteady steps but just shrug it of as his quirky nature acting up again.

Zero, who was quiet this whole time, asked: "How do you unlock the genetic constraint? With drugs or something else?" Xuan waved his hand. "It needs a substance similar to the epinephrine hormone that can only be produced by the human body. The crucial point is… it's a poison. You probably heard of stories like a mother lifting a car to save her son. This actually happened but this woman died soon afterward. Scientists found a micro amount of this substance in her blood." "Therefore, it's impossible to unlock the genetic constraint with outside help, at least we can't do it with our current technology. You can only work towards it yourself."

Kris who caught that tidbit of information file that gem along with his other memories, so he could explore that thought later.

Xuan continued "Of course we don't even have a direction right now. Anyway, I suspect that this dimension is related to genetic constraints. It might even be the creation of the first group of humans that unlocked their genetic constraints." Jie laughed. "You think ancient apes predicted the horror movies we will watch? And all those sci-fi weapons that you can exchange, you think they can predict everything?" Kris chimed in saying "You should watche planet of the ape and visit that thought again, pops." Xuan smiled indifferently. "Apes perhaps can't but what if the thing they created has grown artificial intelligence? Computers won't die, they can record our horror movies then make us experience them, until we die or break the limit to unlock the genetic constraint. Then we will be able to earn enough points to leave. What do you think of this hypothesis?"

Kris signaled the group with by rising a closed fist, which he remembered One using to signal the mercs back when they were at the hive.

Zero seeing this, suddenly said in a low voice, "Perhaps you're right but please be aware of our situation. There's a scent of blood from the left turn thirty meters ahead of us. Who will go take a look?" Zheng gritted his teeth. "My stats are the highest, so I will go." The other people cleared a path without a word. Jie took out his gun then gave everyone else a grenade.

Zheng took a deep breath, suppressing the terror he was feeling. He walked lightly towards the bend. Due to the anxiety he was feeling, for a while he could hear his heartbeat, then gradually, it seemed like he could feel the little movements in his blood vessels.This was a wonderful feeling, unexplainable but Zheng was enlightened a bit, as though he was but a step away from unlocking the genetic constraint. Unfortunately this condition didn't last long.

When he looked to the left carefully, he was appalled, and the condition disappeared. All that was left in his mind was terror. To the left the hall was filled with pieces of flesh. Bones, organs, flesh were piled up; he couldn't even make out the form of a human. Aside from the ripped clothes on the ground, no one would have believed it was once a human. Zheng held onto the wall and started to vomit. The others saw that there was no danger and ran over to him. Lan, Xiaoyi, and Shuai started to vomit along. Even Jie's lips twitched as he saw it. Zero, Kampa and Xuan crouched beside the flesh and studied them silently. Kampa picked up a few pieces of clothes, looked at Zero and said, "It's those three hooligans. The flesh of two bodies is gone." Zheng just stopped vomiting but when he heard this, he started at it again. "No, I don't think so," Xuan looked at the flesh carefully. "I have done some dissection experiments, most of this flesh are crushed bones and the dirty parts of organs. Look at this, a fragment of the shoulder blade, I've found three different ones already. So I think the Alien took away all the edible flesh." There's nothing left for Zheng and the others to vomit anymore. They could only feel their stomach twitching non-stop. At least Zheng had a better physical body, he could still move afterward, but the other four could barely stand while holding onto the wall. Xuan, Kampa, and Zero finished their discussion and walked back to the others.

As they were inspecting the bloody scene, no one noticed that Kris was no where to be scene. A while back as everyone parted to let Zheng scout ahead, the drone that was mapping the labyrith of corridors; it spoted a stage 3 alien creeping towards their area; which was then projected on Kris's HUD. Using the map he had. Sneaking back towards other corridor right before the bend, Zheng and the others were occupying.

He used all the will power he had to hold his breath and not utter a peep; while using his limited TK to guide the air around him toward the opposite direction so the alien won't smell him; basically creating a down wind effect, predators like wolves use to hunt prey. He stood there completely still and silent as a grave.

Mean while with Xuan and the others~

Xuan frowned as he looked at them. "We will leave this place first, the situation is worse than we expected. There's already a third stage Alien, and… it may still be nearby." As he finished talking, Zero and Kampa suddenly got on the ground. There was a hint of fear in their eyes, especially Zero. He said in a quick and low voice, "Something's not right, there's danger." People that lived on the edge of death tend to have a sixth sense for danger. When Zero and Kampa got on the ground, Zheng felt his heart tighten. He couldn't explain this feeling. He looked behind instinctively and there was a huge shadow. Xiaoyi was standing at the outermost of the group. He could barely stand after the vomiting. When Zheng looked behind him with a terrified expression, he forced himself to turn his head around, then he froze. There was a matured Alien, almost three meters tall, and over three meters in length with its tail. It was covered in a shiny black exoskeleton, a huge and long head that extended to its back, a mouth full of sharp teeth,  with even the tongue filled with little teeth. Xiaoyi looked at its mouth as saliva dripped off it, before he could do anything, the Alien's huge tongue penetrated his shoulder. That tongue moved so fast that even Zheng could only see a shadow. Then the Alien stabbed him with its tail in the chest, but as the alien was about to rip him apart... a flash of white light passed thru the aliens left shoulder and traced its way to its right hip. Became a blur and another line appeared on the aliens neck, as soon as the glowing lines on the aliens body dimmed; it then fell apart, revealing Kris standing behind it. When every one caught sight of his form, he was just about to shut off the light saber in his hands. At sound of the light saber shuting down, Zheng and the rest regain their sense and couldn't help but stare at Kris and the light saber in his hands. Feeling the stare filled with awe on his weapon; he quickly kept it in its holster behind him and said "What you can't have it, I already gave up my gun!" every one can't believe what just happend but his words made them realize didn't Xiaoyi just got stabbed.