Chapter 2: A Xenomorph's Blood is Blood, Too!
Anyone seeing a xenomorph egg for the first time would feel, more or less, a sense of psychological discomfort.
But this wasn't Du Wa's first time. Not only was he unafraid, he even stepped forward with a smile, stroking them and feeling the thrum of life from within each one.
That's right. From the moment of their birth, all xenomorphs would establish a mental connection with him.
Normally, within the xenomorph species, only a queen is naturally born with the authority to command all of her kin. Even over a newly-birthed face-hugger, she possesses an innate, absolute control—something etched into their very genes.
"The absolute authority to rule... After my own attempts, I've found that even the Queen is beneath me."
Du Wa looked at the xenomorph beside him.
The skull of an ordinary xenomorph is generally a long, smooth dome, but this xenomorph's was a crown, signifying majesty and status.
A queen.
Within the species, only one xenomorph could possess the ability to lay eggs, and that xenomorph was the queen.
"You've worked hard, taking so long to metamorphose into a queen, and then painstakingly producing these five eggs," Du Wa said with a smile.
Xenomorphs have no gender. Once a queen is lost, or if a xenomorph finds itself alone, it will follow its genetic instincts, tap into the hidden factors within its own gene chain, and spontaneously evolve into a queen, gaining the ability to lay eggs.
Therefore, Du Wa and this xenomorph had laid low for a long time. It was only after this one successfully evolved into a queen and laid eggs that Du Wa could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Xenomorphs are beings born specifically for battle, capable of indiscriminate parasitism, and are created by seizing the most outstanding genes of their host. In theory, therefore, every single xenomorph is stronger than its host.
Five eggs would hatch five face-huggers, which would require the parasitism of five creatures to evolve into adult xenomorphs.
To be honest, for a fleeting moment, Du Wa felt a thrill at the thought of Blade. That guy was already a superhuman. If he could be captured for parasitism, the xenomorph that would burst from his chest would be immensely powerful.
But Du Wa quickly dismissed this evil thought.
"Let's catch some cats and dogs for parasitism first. At least I can build up my combat strength."
Du Wa looked toward the queen, who was quietly awaiting his command.
Frankly, compared to the various queens from the movies, this one was pitifully small and thin. He would have to purchase a large quantity of meat to help her recuperate.
And so, disaster befell the small animals in the vicinity. For several days in a row, terrifying and agile figures would appear under the cover of night. With a flash of a black shadow, a life would be lost.
At first, it was just one black shadow. As time went on, the number of these shadowy figures began to increase.
The barbaric slaughter intensified. The blood of various animals splattered across the earth, eventually congealing into mottled black stains.
This continued until a few police officers arrived, responding to a report.
"Chief, we're here. According to the caller, the wild animals in this area are disappearing in large numbers." A young officer complained, "There's endless work to do in the bustling streets of New York City, so why are we wasting precious time investigating in this godforsaken place? Just because those animal rights activists are hard to deal with?"
"Don't forget who we are." The slightly calmer, middle-aged police officer, George Stacy, observed his surroundings.
Besides, the person who filed the report wasn't one of those so-called animal rights activists at all...
"Ever since that playboy who calls himself Iron Man came back, our workload has piled up."
"Get a grip. At least it's better than being in New York City, right? Some troublesome guy is always popping up."
"Yeah, at least they're not making us deal with some stupid rich bastard flying around in armor just like him."
George clicked his tongue inwardly as he recalled news he had heard some time ago.
Some information couldn't be made public, but as someone within the system, he knew some of the inside story. He knew that a massive explosion had occurred at Stark Tower a while back, all because two men in iron suits were beating each other up.
Judging by the result, the final victor was undoubtedly Tony Stark. That meant the one who was defeated must have been the second-in-command of Stark Industries who had since vanished, Obadiah Stane.
Ever since that incident, it was as if a sensitive fuse had been lit. All sorts of cases kept appearing, putting them under unprecedented pressure.
George reined in his thoughts and began to focus on his work. He put on his gloves, took out his tools, and began to carefully collect any and all traces from the surroundings.
"It really is too quiet. It's like all the animals disappeared overnight."
"There are scattered bloodstains on the ground. Someone attacked these animals."
George frowned. Blood. The mention of it brought bad associations to mind.
They soon wouldn't have to worry about that, because someone had arrived.
"Gentlemen, what are you looking for?"
"Who's there? Let me see your hands!" The officers drew their guns alertly.
But not only did the man not stop, he advanced deliberately. In the beam of a flashlight, his open mouth revealed rows of sharp fangs.
The officers opened fire decisively. The bullets hit the pale-faced man, leaving only a few holes, but in the blink of an eye, the wounds began to heal.
Even the bullets were squeezed out by the healing flesh.
*Whoosh!*
The man moved, leaping over ten meters in a single bound and biting down on an officer's neck.
"A vampire?" The thought flashed through George's mind in an instant.
"Chief, there's more than one enemy!"
Several more pale-skinned figures emerged, scrambling to pounce on the bitten officer, tearing into him ravenously.
This gruesome scene made the officers' scalps tingle with fear. Even if they fired their guns, they couldn't inflict a fatal wound.
The lead vampire wiped his mouth, eyeing them with a mocking gaze, clearly sizing up a pack of delicious food.
"It seems we aren't the only ones who've taken an interest in this place. Why are people from the New York Police Department here? I don't recall arranging for you to have this operation," he asked.
"Pah! Since when do vampires get to command us?" George took a deep breath.
"Hmph. You know nothing of our power. If you won't say anything, so be it. I didn't come for you anyway."
The vampire licked his fangs. Compared to these ordinary people, he was here to investigate who had supplied the Daywalker with the highly acidic weapon he'd acquired in this area.
"It's clearly highly corrosive, and whether injected or detonated, it's lethal to some mixed-blood vampires... but for some reason, I could distinctly smell the scent of blood in that liquid."
As a member of the Thirteen Clans, Dennis shouldered the heavy responsibility of strengthening his clan's power. The stronghold he belonged to was wiped out by Blade, and though a large number of his people had died, it wasn't a total loss.
Whether intentionally or not, Blade hadn't deliberately hidden his tracks, which allowed Dennis to use various cameras and the motorcycle's trail to follow the clues and lock down a few areas.
Dennis was very interested in this substance that seemed to be blood.
As everyone knows, vampires obtain the energy to increase their strength from blood. If it's blood, it can be drunk.
Unfortunately, this strange blood evaporated quickly upon contact with the air, giving him no opportunity.
"Get to it. Kill this food," Dennis said with a wave of his hand.
"On Weyland Corporation's territory, killing without my permission... what are you thinking?"
A voice came from far away.
In the beam of a flashlight, Du Wa's figure was faintly visible a hundred meters away.
"That Blade... I'm at a loss for words. I asked for a few vampires, but not delivered like this."
(end of chapter)