Chapter 260 – A Week Is Enough to Give Birth to a Xenomorph
"We're not the first explorers to visit this place."
The AI projection raised one hand, displaying an image.
In the image, a shadowy scene resembling a temple came into view, filled with artifacts that didn't match any primitive civilization. The stone walls were engraved with strange and mysterious symbols, creating a stark contrast to the high-tech, religious, cosmic civilization setting.
"The first arrivals were most likely from the Engineer civilization, which vanished long ago in the cosmic age."
The AI projection analyzed, "Thousands of years ago, due to reproductive difficulties, the Engineers searched the universe for suitable planets, which caused all kinds of trouble. Unfortunately, they never solved the issue of reproduction and ultimately disappeared into the river of history."
Compared to Krypton's resource problems, the Engineers' issue was far more troublesome.
After all, resources could be acquired by seizing and terraforming habitable planets to suit one's species.
But infertility? You'd have to ask your neighbor for a favor.
"Engineers!"
Allen suddenly realized. "Aren't they the ones who created the Xenomorphs?"
"You know of the Engineer civilization?" the AI projection asked in shock.
If Krypton hadn't been ancient enough, it might never have learned of the Engineers' existence.
Moreover, there had been a period of interaction between Krypton and them.
Traces of the Engineers' artistic style could even be found in Kryptonian culture.
Not to mention, both civilizations had attained high levels of biological and genetic technology.
The rest of the team listened intently to their conversation.
In the vast universe, intelligent species are born and die by the countless every moment—who has time to keep track of them all?
"I've seen some side material."
By "side material," Allen was probably referring to some rather unofficial content—fan-made comics and 3D videos. He often questioned the sanity of foreign netizens; to them, anything could be turned into lewd content.
That said, Allen held the belief that without thoroughly studying a backstory, one couldn't truly empathize with it. So, he'd crammed some lore on the Engineer civilization and now felt he had the authority to speak on it.
"The Engineer civilization wasn't naturally evolved. If you trace them back far enough, their origins lie in a larger species—the Elephant-Trunked People. You can see the resemblance in the design of the Engineers' space suits. That leads to the conclusion that the Engineers were experimental creations of the Elephant-Trunked People. As for their reproductive issues, it's likely due to a genetic lock. The spacesuit design resembling their creators could also be seen as a form of worship."
Allen rambled on, prompting the AI projection to fall silent, lost in contemplation over the theory's plausibility.
But with the Engineer civilization extinct, it wasn't like anyone would bother chasing down their origins.
"I can tell you where the danger lies. Whether you choose to stay or leave is up to you."
The AI projection gestured, opening a hatch and leading the group to the site of the incident.
In a dormant chamber—
All of the cryo-pod shields had been shattered without exception.
The bodies inside had dried up from fluid loss, resembling mummified corpses.
A common feature: their jaws were torn open, as if something had burst out from within.
"Wait, that's not how Xenomorphs usually do it…"
Allen studied the bodies. The scene didn't match his memory of how Xenomorphs burst out of their hosts.
"They were indeed parasitized by unknown organisms—it's just that the creatures exited through the mouth."
As the AI projection spoke, it played a recording.
One by one, Kryptonians in unconscious states had their jaws split open, and black-skinned, humanoid-like monsters crawled out. They had some resemblance to Xenomorphs…
…but the differences were obvious. The heads were shorter than typical Xenomorphs, their limbs more humanoid, and they had a full-body exoskeletal armor.
Hiss…
"Kryptonian Xenomorphs!"
Allen suddenly realized the implications. Xenomorphs fused with their host's genetic material—if they had Kryptonian genes, wouldn't they become superpowered like Superman under sunlight?
Thankfully, this planet didn't appear to receive any sunlight. That allowed for the conclusion that these Kryptonian Xenomorphs lacked Superman-like abilities.
"Why didn't you notify your homeworld?" Allen asked, puzzled.
"I can't risk Krypton falling into crisis. If I go silent, the El family's patriarch will surely issue a bounty to investigate," the AI replied truthfully.
What a sly move.
Don't let fellow Kryptonians die—just let bounty hunters do it instead.
Makes sense. Bounty hunters are profit-driven and disliked by nearly all civilized societies in the universe. No one cares about their lives.
With everything recorded, the group left the ship and returned to their own to submit the investigation results.
Before they left, the AI projection gave one final warning: "Before the danger arrives, leave this planet immediately."
Now that the investigation was over, it was time to retreat—no way they'd stick around waiting for the Kryptonian Xenomorphs to make trouble.
After stepping out of the ship—
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
They were greeted by the sight of a damaged thruster.
The engine's nozzle had been torn open and was now unusable. If they attempted to start it, it would explode, and the ship would crash on the spot.
"Who did this?!"
Allen stomped his foot in fury, shouting hysterically, "Show yourself, you bastard!"
The others rolled their eyes. There was no need to guess—obviously it was the Xenomorphs hiding on the planet.
They were trying to trap the crew by destroying the ship, setting the stage for ambush and elimination.
"Boss, I can fix it."
Yondu glanced at the ship and judged that it was repairable by salvaging parts.
For an experienced mechanic, this was a manageable task.
Without further delay, he began dismantling the ship.
Everyone quickly took up roles—some kept watch, some did the dismantling, others handled transportation.
Meanwhile, Allen entered another bounty hunters' ship—only to find corpses with gaping holes in their chests.
"This looks like a typical Xenomorph parasitism."
Kryptonians had creatures burst out of their mouths. These bounty hunters had them burst from their chests.
To confirm the difference, Allen inspected the other ships' corpses. All of them had large holes in their chests.
Thanos, standing nearby, furrowed his brow and analyzed, "Assume the Kryptonians were the first hosts. The Xenomorphs born from them could have evolved or mutated through reproduction, which would explain the difference in how the later hosts died."
"Whoa!"
Allen's eyes widened, practically sparkling with admiration. "Mr. Purple Yam, you really know your stuff."
"It's nothing. Just basic biology."
Thanos replied calmly, then added sternly, "Also, stop calling me Purple Yam. My name is Thanos."
"Sure, Mad Titan."
"..."
At that moment, Yondu rushed over in a panic to report, "Boss, bad news. The damage is way worse than I expected. It's going to be hard to fix. I'll need at least a week—some parts have to be rebuilt from scratch."
"Holy crap."
Allen leaned back theatrically and groaned, "In a week, I could go from being impregnated by a Xenomorph to finishing postpartum care."
"..."