Chapter 111: Xenomorph World 10
Looking at the jade pendant, which was a solid, translucent emerald green, Perry Yates nodded.
Truthfully, it wasn’t enough, but she figured Elara Lynch had nothing more valuable to offer right now.
However, in Perry Yates’s opinion, the most valuable thing about Elara Lynch wasn’t the jade pendant, but her status.
Elara Lynch’s status would allow her to move about the base freely.
Therefore, for the sake of the game ahead, Perry Yates didn’t mind demonstrating her worth.
Upon receiving the card, Elara Lynch eagerly fused with it.
As the card transformed into a streak of light and entered her body, Elara Lynch felt as if something was sprouting from her abdomen.
She subconsciously wanted to find out what it was.
The next second, responding to her thought, two sharp blades shot out from her waist, startling everyone else.
Elara Lynch startled herself as well.
But more than shock, what Elara Lynch felt was delight.
She could feel that the two blades were incredibly sharp. Most importantly, they had been born from her own body, and she could control them as freely as her own limbs.
After recovering from their initial shock, the others all turned to Perry Yates, their gazes fervent.
They had overheard the earlier conversation between Elara Lynch and Perry Yates. But hearing was one thing; they hadn’t actually believed her.
More importantly, The Flame God had long been deified in their minds. To them, he was no longer in the same league as ordinary people.
Perry Yates’s words, however, were tantamount to turning an ordinary person into a god, which was why they hadn’t believed her.
But now, the proof was right before their eyes: those cards really could grant people special abilities.
"Miss Lowell, we..."
Seeing the others crowd around her, Perry Yates spread her hands helplessly and shrugged. "There was only one card," she said. "There’s nothing I can do."
"Then let’s just go hunt more Xenomorphs!" one of them said excitedly.
"We could, but not every Xenomorph drops a card. It’s a matter of probability. Besides, not all cards are for fusion. Some are item cards."
At these words, the expressions of those around her fell with disappointment.
They believed Perry Yates about the cards appearing by chance. After all, they’d been fighting Xenomorphs for years, and this was the first time they had ever seen a card.
In fact, in their entire base, The Flame God was the only person with abilities. This just went to show how incredibly low the card drop rate was.
They had already completed their mission, so they decided to head back to base.
"Aren’t we going to wait for your companions?" Elara Lynch asked.
Companions?
Who were her companions?
It took Perry Yates a moment to realize Elara Lynch was talking about the other players. Waving a hand dismissively, she said, "Don’t worry about them. They’re long gone."
Perry Yates wasn’t lying. The players who had escaped from The Hive had indeed fled long ago. The only reason they hadn’t seen them was because they had all scattered in different directions.
On the way back, Elara Lynch and her team decided to make a detour to collect some supplies.
"Aren’t you worried that this delay will give the Insect Egg time to hatch?" Perry Yates asked, confused.
’She really couldn’t understand their logic. They had worked so hard to get an Insect Egg; shouldn’t they be taking it back immediately?’
At that, Elara Lynch explained, "The Insect Egg won’t hatch as long as it’s in the refrigerated container. We finished this mission quickly. If we go back right away, the base might decide the mission was too easy, and the amount of Merit Points we receive will be drastically reduced."
"So, typically, if we finish a mission too early, we’ll intentionally linger outside for a while. We either cut it close to the mission deadline or even return a few days late. That way, the system reassesses the mission’s difficulty. The harder the mission is rated, the more Merit Points we get."
After hearing Elara Lynch’s explanation, Perry Yates was at a loss for words.
’This was a clear case of bug exploitation.’
’Still, it was their business, after all. As an outsider, it was best for her not to meddle and invite trouble.’
She would just follow them wherever they went. It was a good opportunity to gather more information on the Xenomorphs anyway.
With this in mind, Perry Yates took a sketchbook and a pen from her backpack—which was, in fact, her Space Backpack.
In reality, both of these were special items.
The pen could draw images directly from the user’s mind, and the sketchbook could bring those drawings to life in three dimensions.
Perry Yates sat in the passenger seat, the pen in her hand making a constant SHH-SHH-SHH sound. Next to her, Elara Lynch, who was driving, glanced over occasionally.
"Are you gathering intel on the Xenomorphs?"
Without looking up, Perry Yates simply grunted in acknowledgment. "You can only defeat your enemies by understanding them. The spider and mantis Xenomorphs we saw today must be new breeds, right?"
"This is the first time we’ve seen them, but they can’t really be considered a new breed. After all, the Xenomorphs have been invading this world for five years, and countless variations have appeared. The spider and mantis types from today can both be classified as insectoid Xenomorphs."
"This type of Xenomorph is usually born from an insect host, thereby acquiring some of the insect’s genes and abilities. Take the scythes on that mantis Xenomorph, for example."
"So, have you figured out any of their weaknesses?" Perry Yates asked.
Elara Lynch shook her head. "These Xenomorphs are covered in incredibly tough armor. Bullets don’t even leave a scratch on them. Only large-caliber rockets can cause them any real damage."
"But after the initial rounds of bombardment, the Xenomorphs got smart. Now, whenever they detect weapons like rockets or missiles, they push the ones with the strongest defenses to the front to absorb the damage."
"Our most effective weapon right now is a new type of bullet developed by our scientists. It can easily dissolve a Xenomorph’s armor, but the raw materials for it come from the Xenomorphs themselves."
Perry Yates had heard about this weapon back at the base, of course. The bullets were extremely rare and incredibly expensive. Most squads would only bear to trade for a few rounds when embarking on a particularly dangerous mission.
Before nightfall, the group finally arrived at an abandoned gas station.
After successfully filling up all their vehicles, the group decided to rest there for the night.
"There’s a small convenience store at the gas station, but it’s a shame all the food has already been cleaned out."
Hearing her teammate’s report, a flicker of disappointment crossed Elara Lynch’s eyes.
Still, she had expected as much.