Chapter 26: Is It a Xenomorph or a Human?

Jiang Yu resumed her investigation of the city, but it remained fruitless. By the next day, she discovered that the number of xenomorphs had replenished to roughly the same amount as when she first arrived.

This development left Jiang Yu stunned.

"System, what is going on?"

[This is normal. Host, unless you eradicate the source, these xenomorphs will never disappear.]

"Is there something in this city specifically mass-producing them?"

The system remained silent, which Jiang Yu took as confirmation.

She was utterly speechless. She had to eliminate the newly appearing xenomorphs while simultaneously hunting for the source. Before she could even clear away the corpses of the ones she had killed, new ones took their place.

Jiang Yu lost track of how long she had spent here. Each day was a repetitive cycle of slaying these creatures. Watching her system points steadily climb, she occasionally felt that this arrangement wasn't entirely bad; at least she didn't have to worry about how to accumulate points.

One day, she noticed signs of an outsider’s presence. While traveling, she found corpses that she hadn't killed, and a large number of xenomorphs had been drawn to the northern sector of the city.

Jiang Yu hurried over to see who had intruded. Upon arrival, she heard the sounds of combat from not far away.

She hid nearby to observe. When the person fighting the xenomorphs came into view, she felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity. However, grime obscured his features, and Jiang Yu couldn't immediately identify him. She decided not to interfere, fearing she might distract him mid-battle.

Only after he had finished off the last of the xenomorphs did she emerge from the shadows.

Before Jiang Yu could speak, the person spotted her, grinned, and called out, "Sister?"

Jiang Yu was bewildered. As he ran toward her, intending to give her a hug, she dodged to the side.

"Who are you?"

"Come on, Sis, how could you forget me again?"

Jiang Mu frowned at Jiang Yu. He had gone to great lengths to find her, only to be met with non-recognition.

Jiang Yu scrutinized him carefully, then reached out to wipe the grime from his face. A familiar yet distant face emerged. "Jiang Mu?"

She hadn't seen him since she left, though she had occasionally crossed paths with Jiang Yi.

"That's right. Sis, I knew you wouldn't forget me."

"Why are you here? And all by yourself?" Jiang Yu noted that he seemed to be alone.

"I wanted to find you. I didn't get to see you when you returned to the base, so I set out to look for you."

"Why look for me?"

Jiang Yu looked at him with curiosity. They didn't seem to have much of a connection, and she wondered why he would seek her out, especially since he already knew she wasn't the original owner of this body.

"I was worried you might run into danger alone. I thought I’d come and join you. I’ll follow wherever you go so we can watch each other's backs. Besides, Sis, don’t you think being on the road alone is too boring? You don't even have anyone to talk to."

"I don't think so. You should head back to where you came from. This place is no place for a human."

"I refuse."

"Suit yourself. Don't blame me if something happens."

"I promise I won't." He wasn't a child; he was capable of protecting himself.

With Jiang Mu trailing her, Jiang Yu couldn't escape his constant chatter. They continued to kill wave after wave of xenomorphs, but Jiang Yu still made no progress in her search.

One day, while Jiang Mu was fighting a xenomorph, he stepped onto a patch of ruins that suddenly gave way.

Jiang Yu didn't leave him to his fate. She dispatched the xenomorph blocking her path and rushed to save him. Fortunately, Jiang Mu managed to grab hold of a support beam in the nick of time, allowing Jiang Yu to pull him up just as she arrived.

"Phew, that was close. I almost fell."

After being pulled up, Jiang Mu stood at the edge of the hole and looked down. It was pitch black, bottomless.

The city was riddled with ruins; there wasn't a single building left intact. It was no surprise that standing on the rubble could lead to a collapse.

Just as they were about to leave, they heard a strange sound coming from below.

"Sis, did you hear that?"

Jiang Yu nodded and turned back toward the collapsed area.

"Do you think there might be xenomorphs buried down there?"

Jiang Yu found a rope and dropped it down, only to realize the hole was surprisingly deep. This was highly irregular.

Once she stopped lowering the rope, she felt a tugging motion from the other end.

"There is definitely something down there." Whether it was a xenomorph was debatable. But could anything survive down there for so long?

"Should we move this debris and see?" Jiang Mu asked, gesturing to the surrounding ruins.

"Let’s see."

Whether it was a person or a xenomorph, Jiang Yu intended to find out. If it were a living person, they would be saving a life. If it were a xenomorph, they could kill it. Even without a mission, she wouldn't let a single xenomorph go.

They began to clear the rubble bit by bit. They didn't want to descend into the hole, as they risked being trapped if it collapsed further. This was the only way to investigate.

After a long time, the scene below finally revealed itself.

It wasn't a xenomorph, but a pregnant woman.

"Sis, it’s a pregnant woman! Let’s save her quickly. I wonder how she managed to survive down there?"

Seeing who it was, Jiang Mu prepared to climb down, but Jiang Yu pulled him back.

"Sis, why are you stopping me?" Jiang Mu looked at her, confused.

"Something isn't right. Look at her condition. Does she look like someone who has been buried underground for a long time?" She didn't know how long the woman had been down there, but her complexion was better than most people at the base. How could that be possible?

Even with enough food, living in a dark, damp hole—especially for a pregnant woman—should have left her in poor health.

Jiang Mu realized this and stopped. "Then what could she be?"

She clearly looked like a living person. Could it be a xenomorph that had evolved to deceive them?

Just then, the woman below looked up at them and whispered, "Save me... please, save me..."