Chapter 27: Gravely Injured

Deep into the night, the streets were completely deserted.

Yet, inside the grocery store, the lights were still brightly lit. The shopkeeper anxiously peered inside, but two men in black stood guard at the entrance, blocking his way.

"Step aside."

Trapped at the door by the two men in black, the shopkeeper was filled with anger. "What happened in my store?"

"Why is Suzuki-kun lying in there?"

Inside the shop, Jin, K, and S had gathered around Suzuki's corpse, examining it closely.

His deep blue body lay lifeless, eyes tightly closed; he had already passed away.

"Not 'human'."

"It wasn't done by an 'Earthling'."

After a brief inspection, Jin reached a conclusion.

"Could it be a fellow countryman from the same star who arrived last night?" K asked. But after a moment of thought, he shook his head and denied it: "Yet they don't possess such immense strength."

"Perhaps another alien," S said coldly, leaning against a shelf of goods. "About two hours ago, there was a report that a new alien had arrived."

"New?" Jin also stood up.

Giving Jin a cold glance, S spoke on her own accord: "Right at the site where the spaceship crashed last time."

"He was a good man," K sighed helplessly.

Just then, however, the wrist-watch communicator chimed.

"An unknown alien has appeared inside a Chinese restaurant in the Lambda district! Rush to the scene immediately!"

"It's Sato's shop!" Jin looked up and said, "Let's head there right away!"

Lambda district, inside the Chinese restaurant.

On the floor, the frail Sato now lay motionless. Green blood oozed from his forehead, forming a small, glaring puddle on the ground.

Accompanied by the shattering sound of falling dishware, the female shopkeeper stared in absolute terror at the ferocious alien before her. Though she clutched a kitchen knife in her hand, her body trembled violently like a leaf in the wind.

"Ah! I'll fight you to the death!"

With a loud scream, the female shopkeeper raised the kitchen knife high, preparing to bring it crashing down upon the hideous monster's head.

However, the alien let out a low, guttural roar. Immediately following this, its elliptical head suddenly split open from the middle toward both sides, and a long, Alien-like mouth lunged forward abruptly, piercing directly through the female shopkeeper's throat.

Blood splattered everywhere, and amidst a clattering sound, the kitchen knife dropped to the floor.

"Screech—"

Accompanied by the long-drawn sound of tires scraping against the pavement, a car screeched to a halt beside the Chinese restaurant.

Following closely, Jin, S, and K hurriedly scrambled out of the car and rushed toward the Chinese restaurant.

Within their line of sight, they could see the alien slowly stepping out of the shop. Its terrifying appearance remained hidden and indistinct in the dark night, yet a thick, suffocating stench of blood emanated from its body.

K hurriedly drew his laser gun, intending to fire, but the alien stamped its foot against the ground, its figure moving like a gust of wind as it instantly materialized right in front of K. With a single sweep of its arm, it knocked the laser gun flying out of his grasp.

Immediately after, it seized K by the throat and hurled him backward. Amidst a dull thud, K slammed into the ground, rolling uncontrollably for nearly ten meters before coming to a stop.

A sharp gleam flashed in S's eyes as she threw a punch directly at the alien, only to have her fist caught tightly in its grip.

That strength felt like forged iron, making it utterly impossible for her to break free.

At that instant, the alien's head split open from the center toward both sides, and a slightly smaller tongue, lurking deep within the skull, darted outward like a venomous snake.

"Bang!"

At the critical moment of crisis, Jin shoved S away. While S's body swerved slightly to the side, Jin positioned himself directly in front of the alien, and the abruptly lunging tongue pierced straight through Jin's shoulder.

Jin felt as though his right shoulder had been struck by a massive sledgehammer; his shoulder blade seemed entirely pulverized, and blood sprayed out violently in an instant.

With no time for hesitation, Jin clenched his teeth fiercely, lifted his right foot, and kicked hard against the alien's chest. Using the reactionary force, he threw his entire body backward in a fall.

Because of this maneuver, the long, steel-like tongue was pulled free from Jin's shoulder, and S tumbled to the ground together with Jin.

The split segments of the head gradually closed back together. The alien roared excitedly, but immediately afterward, as if drawn by some attraction, its two compound eyes flashed brightly, and its figure vanished instantly from the street.

The battle that had just taken place felt as though it had never happened at all, leaving behind only the three of them sprawled in utter disarray.

S pressed her hands against Jin's shoulder, her face entirely stripped of its queen-like aloofness as she asked in a panic:

"You—are you alright?"

Jin's face was somewhat pale, but he managed to struggle to his feet, saying: "Notify headquarters. That alien specifically hunts aliens from the Alpha Centauri star system. I estimate it has already locked onto the location of its next target."

S's eyes were slightly red. If Jin hadn't shoved her out of the way just moments ago, her chest would likely have been pierced straight through by that tongue.

"K, go find the next Alpha Centauri alien. I'll take Jin to the hospital first."

Having been sent flying by that single blow earlier, K was faring poorly as well. Struggling to climb up from the ground, he prepared to contact Commander Deus.

Yet, from the end of the alley, a voice suddenly echoed.

"I am truly sorry to have caused you to suffer unprovoked injuries."

All three turned back to look, only to see a man dressed in a tailored Western suit walking out.

He looked identical to Sato and Suzuki—another alien from the Alpha Centauri star system.

"It is coming after me."

The man raised his gaze to look at Jin's injury and said, "Taking him to the hospital is useless. The tongue of a Borda alien carries a venom unique to their home world; Earth hospitals could never possess the corresponding antivenom."

S's face turned pale as she looked at Jin. "Jin..."

Then, she glared at this alien, anger surging into her eyes.

Jin gently stopped her with a gesture. "Don't be impulsive."

S hesitated, but ultimately followed Jin's words. Like a delicate young woman, she stayed close by Jin's side, cautiously supporting his arm.

Yet, whenever she turned her gaze toward Jin from time to time, her eyes were brimming with moisture, and the panic in her heart refused to be smoothed away. She did not want this man to die because of her.

Sensing S's panic, Jin smiled, patted her head, and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

He was naturally well aware of his own condition. How could someone capable of transforming into Seven X die so easily? Surely, light energy wasn't supposed to be useless.

However, there was no need to voice those words aloud.

Jin simply looked at the frail yet impeccably dressed man before him. Whenever aliens from the Alpha Centauri star system came to Earth, weren't they all engaged in the most menial of bottom-tier labor?

Yet this fellow was clad in a sharp suit, carrying an aura entirely different from ordinary people.

Thus, Jin smiled and said:

"You have a way, don't you?"

The man bowed slightly in a polite gesture, a smile blooming on his face.

"Naturally."