Chapter 9: Xenomorphs Unleashed

The dark purple radiance flared briefly before condensing inward and vanishing. In its wake, the object it had enveloped came into Chu Xun's view.

To his shock, it wasn't a formidable summoned creature but a football-sized, oval-shaped object. Deep brown and glistening with mucus, its surface was dotted with fibrous strands and faint wisps of steam, resembling a freshly laid egg. Stranger still, its top bore a closed, flower-like aperture with four petal-like seams. Something writhed faintly within.

"This is…" Chu Xun's eyes widened as a terrifying realization struck him.

"Pathetic trick!" The girl scoffed, though her momentary surprise betrayed her. Recovering swiftly, she pivoted and lashed out with a whip-like kick, her leg slicing through the air with a sharp crack.

Too fast! Chu Xun's breath hitched. Even at full strength, he doubted he could block such a strike.

Thud!

Her foot smashed into the egg, shattering it into fragments and splattering viscous fluid. Yet within the debris, a small shadow shot toward her face like a bullet.

"Shit!" The girl threw up her arm to block, but the creature—a grotesque hybrid of insect and serpent—used its tail to rebound off her forearm, launching itself onto her face. Eight clawed limbs latched onto her skull as its whip-like tail coiled around her throat, tightening relentlessly.

Choking, she clawed at the creature, but it clung like a second skin. Then, as she gasped for air, something slithered from the beast into her mouth and down her throat.

"Gghhk—!" She tore the now-limp creature off her face and hurled it to the ground. Frantically, she jammed fingers down her throat, retching until bile burned her tongue. Nothing emerged.

"What the hell did you do?!" She wheeled on Chu Xun, face twisted with rage. "Get this thing out of me, or I'll skin you alive!"

"That 'thing' on your face was a Facehugger," Chu Xun replied coolly, a grim smile forming. "What's inside you now is its offspring—an Alien Embryo."

"Embryo…?" She paled, clutching her chest as a dull ache spread beneath her ribs.

"And soon," Chu Xun continued, "it'll reach its final stage. They call it a Chestburster. Apt name, don't you think?"

"You bastard!" She snatched the dagger from his waist and pressed it to his throat. "Fix this, or we both die!"

"If I could, I would." Chu Xun met her glare unflinching. "But compared to being your meal, a quick death sounds merciful."

"Please…" Desperation cracked her voice. She dropped the blade, tearing off her tattered clothes to reveal a gaunt, youthful body. "I'll be your slave. Do anything you want. Just let me live!"

"Live?" Chu Xun's gaze held no lust, only ice. "A fair trade. Swear loyalty, and I'll spare you."

As he spoke, the pain in her chest subsided. She collapsed in relief, tears streaking her dirt-smudged face. "Thank you, Master! I'll serve you faithfully!"

"Then antidote me. Now."

She produced a vial of murky liquid. "Mutant salamander antidote. Snakevine extract."

Chu Xun grimaced as the bitter sludge hit his tongue, numbness spreading instantly. Yet strength soon flooded his limbs—the toxin neutralized.

Standing, he eyed the groveling girl. "You fear death?"

"Everyone does—" She arched her back suggestively, exploiting every curve. "Let me show you how… grateful I am."

"Indeed." Chu Xun's voice dropped. "Did your victims beg like this before you ate them?"

Her seductive mask shattered. She lunged with the dagger—only to crumple mid-strike, a bloodcurdling scream ripping from her lips.

"Cannibals deserve worse than death." Chu Xun watched dispassionately as she convulsed. "Enjoy becoming my pet's nursery."

Her final shriek ended abruptly as her chest erupted in a spray of gore. A serpentine creature with a gleaming, eyeless head and jagged teeth burst forth—the Chestburster.

It devoured her remains with horrifying efficiency, bones crunching like twigs. Within moments, only a bloodstain remained.

What kind of system summons Xenomorphs? Chu Xun marveled as the infant alien scuttled toward him, clawing at his waist pouch.

Understanding dawned. He retrieved the primal crystal—a pulsating blue gem. The creature snatched it, shattering the stone with a crack.

Azure light erupted from its body as it began to grow…