The guard member, unable to dodge, had his face firmly clasped by the peculiar creature. Its hind legs dug deeply into the guard's jaw, and its tail coiled around his neck.
"Save him!" Su Xiang yelled. Several people rushed to pull the creature off, but it held on with incredible tenacity, impossible to dislodge. The guard member was clearly at death's door.
Xiao Xun swiftly brought down his blade, bisecting the creature and saving his teammate.
Looking at the two writhing halves on the ground, Xiao Xun instructed his team, "Bag them and burn them. Leave not a single trace." He then turned to the blood-streaked guard, "Are you alright?"
The guard waved his hand. "I'm fine, just feeling a bit nauseous."
"Get him a full check-up. Once he's cleared, let him rest for a few days!"
The guard protested, "Thank you, Director Xiao. I'm really alright."
Su Xiang glared at him. "That's an order, not a suggestion."
The guard immediately saluted Xiao Xun and Su Xiang. "Understood!"
After everyone else had left, Xiao Xun said to Su Xiang, "Judging by this, it really is an alien creature."
"It's so terrifying to look at. I wonder why it clung to the person's face so desperately?"
Xiao Xun shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps it likes to absorb vital energy!"
During the evening meeting, they informed each of the sectors about the official deployment and mass production of the Yuán Rén. Many had already witnessed the satellite broadcasts, so it was merely a matter of prioritization.
Which sector received the Yuán Rén first signified their earliest acceptance of protection, but also meant they would be the first to bear the expenses associated with the Yuán Rén. For instance, Yuán Rén could not consume food and could only absorb nutrients through their bodies. A single tank of nutrient solution lasted only five days, after which it needed to be replaced. Failure to do so would result in uncontrollable and unpredictable adverse reactions. The cost of one tank of nutrient solution was equivalent to the price of one hundred thousand tons of fertilizer.
Aside from the first six sectors, the latter six were quite deferential, stating they were not in a hurry to receive them. Sector Six directly stated, "We'll ask for them when the aliens invade. It'll be too late then."
"Who knows when the aliens will invade?"
"Exactly! Perhaps those are just rumors. Maybe the aliens have no intention of waging war. Why would they invade us? What makes us worth such a massive undertaking?"
Some disagreed. "If you have powerful weapons, they certainly won't dare to wage war. But if you're like lambs in a pen, won't they roast you and slice you up like lamb chops?"
Xiao Xun was extremely vexed by the group's attitude and left the meeting abruptly, a first for him. He knew that few in the conference room were the actual sector leaders, but rather their deputies or trusted subordinates. While he could leave, Su Xiang couldn't and continued to speak, claiming he had a network interruption.
Xiao Xun returned to his office, intending to check on Mu Jiahe. Although the Yuán Rén's functions were not yet fully unlocked, especially the promised divine power, they were currently just ponderous, slow-moving giants. He wondered why Kensett called them the ultimate battlefield weapons. With such funding, it would be more practical to research spacecraft and planet-destroying cannons; at least one could escape if unable to fight.
Xiao Xun returned to Saint Roman. He had promised Claire he would bring her a Bible, but he had been too preoccupied. Ordinary paper objects could not directly travel with him through dimensions.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Xun, a significant event had transpired at the base during his brief absence. The guard member injured by the bizarre creature had arrived at the infirmary. The on-duty doctor, after inquiring about the guard's condition, assumed it was merely a scratch from an unknown creature and, without conducting any examinations, prescribed some anti-inflammatory and pain medication before sending him back to his dormitory.
As soon as the guard lay down, he felt discomfort in his chest. It burned like fire, a searing pain. The excruciating agony was so intense he couldn't even cry out. He even heard his heartbeat, and a completely black monster seemed to emerge from within him.
The creature's body was encased in a dark, shiny carapace. Its head was disproportionately large compared to its body, and its mouth was filled with sharp, serrated teeth like those of a piranha. In its entirety, it resembled a mutated raptor.
The guard watched as the monster before him grew, and with all his might, he pressed the fire alarm button on the wall. Red lights flashed throughout the base, and an alarm blared in that sector. The creature then pierced the guard's throat with its tongue, which was as hard and sharp as a sword.
Facing the sliding dormitory door, the monster swept it aside with its tail. The responding guards immediately opened fire upon seeing such a creature.
Su Xiang, having just exited the meeting, looked up at the sound of the alarm. "Is there a fire somewhere?" At that moment, his communicator crackled. "There's a monster. There's a monster in the guard dormitory."
Su Xiang didn't hesitate and rushed to the control console, grabbing the microphone. "Attention everyone. All base guard personnel, please quickly arm yourselves and assemble near the dormitory. Seal off all access to and from the dormitory. All non-combat personnel, please evacuate the base in an orderly fashion and proceed to the upper levels." He then asked someone nearby, "Have you seen Director Xiao?"
"No." Su Xiang stomped his foot in frustration. He always disappeared at critical moments. "Director Xiao, if you hear this broadcast, please report to the command center immediately. Director Xiao, if you hear this broadcast, please report to the command center immediately." After that, he instructed the control room staff to switch the screen to display the guard dormitory.
The monster was a head taller than a person, and its movements were incredibly swift and ferocious. In the blink of an eye, it killed three guard members. Most importantly, long-range rifles were ineffective against it; at best, they could only slightly slow its movements.
"Go to the armory and get the anti-materiel heavy sniper rifle." Upon hearing the order, a guard member placed the anti-materiel heavy sniper rifle on the ground. One shot pierced the monster's brain, but the ejected blue fluid corroded the surrounding metal door and walls, as well as everything else it touched. This was precisely what Xiao Xun had sought and had commissioned Bolgade to research, but to no avail.
Seeing the monster eliminated, Su Xiang ordered his subordinates to conduct a thorough search of the entire base in groups of five, to prevent any escapees or stragglers. The monster's corpse and corrosive blood were then sealed and stored, awaiting Xiao Xun's return.
When Xiao Xun returned from the other world, he learned that the base had experienced an incident. He frowned at the monster, which was emitting corrosive fumes. "Collect its blood in plastic containers." A nearby researcher said, "Director Xiao, this thing corrodes even iron." "I know, but it absolutely won't corrode plastic."