The golden light streaked through the sky with an overwhelming force, like a divine punishment descending from above.
Meng Yao, who had just been so arrogant, now looked awkward and cornered in the face of this golden light.
She sprinted in the opposite direction of the Covenant ship, trying desperately to escape the relentless pursuit of the light in the sky.
But the golden light seemed almost alive, tracking Meng Yao automatically.
Its speed was incredible!
Yujin, who had activated a first-level gene lock and possessed the Heaven's Curse Mark, couldn't outrun it. Meng Yao wasn't doing much better.
After just a few steps, the light was nearly upon her.
Just as the golden light was about to strike Meng Yao, her body suddenly underwent a bizarre transformation.
Her arms rapidly elongated, splitting into thick, muscular tendrils.
At the tips of these tendrils were sharp blades radiating a chilling aura.
These unsettling monstrous limbs seemed to have a will of their own, flailing wildly through the air.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew with each collision between the blades and the golden light, each impact ringing with a crisp metallic sound.
The force was so great it made eardrums ache.
Up in the sky, Fuming couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.
He had originally thought he could easily win using his Golden Core cultivation and sword techniques.
But the altered abilities displayed by the Central Continent team's "captain" forced him to reconsider his opponent.
He regained his arrogant stance and muttered, "The ability of the parasite… what was it again?"
On the side of the valley, Dio Brook, drained of most of his mental energy, looked dazed.
He realized deeply that he had just narrowly escaped death.
"She's actually able to clash swords with the captain… how many horror movies has this woman survived?"
No sooner had he spoken than Dio Brook's expression turned terrified. It was as if he had seen a ghost, and he snapped his gaze toward the distant ship behind them.
Seeing the familiar spaceship preparing to take off, he finally understood the situation.
Dio Brook slammed his hand onto his thigh in frustration.
"Damn it! The ship's been stolen!"
Plunderer.
In the operating room, Zhang Jie lay sprawled on the medical table.
The effects of the anesthesia had just worn off.
He tilted his head to look at the stitched wound on his abdomen and at the terrifying creature the size of a basketball on the side table, a kunai still lodged in its body.
He knew he had survived… at least for now.
"You're awake? You're the worst one in this group in terms of competence," Yujin's voice said, making Zhang Jie turn his head.
At first, he stared in shock at Yujin's almost casual demeanor, then frowned in confusion. "What… what do you mean, worst in competence? Am I… being rude?"
Yujin patted Zhang Jie on the shoulder. "Relax, just joking."
"You… you can joke at a time like this?" Zhang Jie said, wiping the cold sweat from his face. "You've got guts. How did you even think of coming to steal the Devil Team's spaceship?"
Zhang Jie continued, still shaken. "What if… what if there were people on board? Wouldn't we be walking right into a trap?"
"See, you never imagined I could come to steal their ship. Why would they think of it?" Yujin spread his hands, speaking as if it were completely reasonable.
As they talked, Daniels approached, holding a gun. "My permissions still work on this ship. Veland Corp probably only revoked my access on the Covenant Ship."
"It wasn't the company," Yujin said, pointing at himself. "It was the woman on our side who took it away."
Daniels frowned. "Why would she do that?"
Yujin shrugged. "Probably because she had a tragic childhood. Parents dead, relatives gone, neighbors crushed by a cart… since she was little…"
Daniels listened for a moment and finally understood. This wasn't an explanation—it was a curse. She quickly interrupted. "Then let's get out of here. This planet is too dangerous. The three of us surviving is already miraculous!"
She wanted to leave the other crew members and six thousand frozen colonists behind, which didn't quite match her character from the movie.
But the circumstances were extreme.
How many dangers had the movie Daniels faced? They couldn't compare to what they faced now.
Yujin's joking expression vanished, replaced with seriousness. "You can't leave. At least, not now. You have to wait for us. I mean… considering we've survived this together, wait for us."
"W-why can't I leave?" Zhang Jie finally lost his composure.
Yujin shook his head helplessly and pointed to the dial of the Reincarnation Watch.
"Tap, tap, tap~"
Fingernails clicked sharply against the watch face. Zhang Jie frowned but still looked.
In no time, he was drenched in sweat, his eyes lifeless.
"Why?" Daniels asked, confused.
"Alright, then deduct it," Yujin spoke faster, "because we didn't complete the mission."
The tasks on the Reincarnation Watch had seemed so simple when the Central Continent team first appeared.
[Enter the Engineer Planet (Origae-6)]
[Witness the Birth of the Xenomorph]
[Protect Daniels]
The three mandatory tasks had no rewards marked and no punishments mentioned. At first, Yujin assumed this was because the farming team wasn't favored by the Lord God.
(Note: Breeding Team is changed to Farming Team)
But now, that seemingly minor rule looked glaringly cruel.
[Lead six thousand colonists to a habitable planet]
[Thirty-five crew members, survive with one, earn 100 reward points]
[Each death deducts 100 reward points from your current total]
With Meng Yao, Da Qiang, and Er Niu—the three major farmers—present, this was basically a horror movie attacking people physically, so the survival rate should have been extremely high. It looked like a reward-focused movie scenario.
But now, every crew member's death felt like a heavy stone pressing down on the Central Continent team.
When Yujin entered the Alien movie, all his reward points had already been spent.
He had stolen two Xenomorphs from Erniu and gained a thousand points, only to lose a thousand immediately after killing Erniu.
In the "best" scenario, the survivors would be Da Qiang, Meng Yao, Yujin, Zhang Jie, and Daniels—five in total.
Completing a horror movie mission granted a thousand points.
But the deducted reward points totaled two thousand.
Yujin could afford the deduction, but Zhang Jie couldn't.
Even if Yujin helped Zhang Jie through this crisis, the colonization mission wasn't complete, and neither of them could return to the Lord God Space.
Or perhaps…
They could wipe out the Devil Team entirely?
Yujin and Zhang Jie didn't dare even think about that option.
The only way they could leave this horror movie alive was to deliver six thousand colonists to a habitable planet.
Fortunately, Yujin's bold move—the "home-stealing tactic"—caught the Devil Team completely off guard.
With the Devil Team's spaceship now in their hands, they gained partial control of the situation.
After explaining everything using thirty reward points, Yujin looked at Daniels: "Did you check? How many colonists are on this ship?"
Daniels's worldview had been shaken, but she still sighed and answered, "Four thousand seven."
"Four thousand seven… we're short by thirteen hundred."
"Ah?" Zhang Jie suddenly sat up. "Where are we supposed to get over a thousand people?"
Yujin gave an answer that was almost impossible.
"Covenant!"
****
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