The sound of the engine’s roar sounded behind them.

An armored vehicle parked not far away from the drilling rig and a field researcher in a heavy protective suit jumped down with a toolbox.

“Look, Santa Claus is here.” A Celestial Marine blew a whistle and then joked in the communication channel as he watched the researcher walk to them, struggling to maintain his balance.

Santa Claus.

A nickname Celestial Marines gave to the field researchers.

The reason was that the field researcher did look like a Santa Clauses with a big belly after they wore the red protective suit. Of course, while the name was an inside joke, it did not carry any derogatory meaning.

When the researcher reached Zhang Hai, he asked calmly.

“Where is the sample?”

“Just at the front there.” Zhang Hai pointed to the direction where Koenig stood. “Be careful, we are not sure if it is dangerous.”

“We know better than you how to identify the dangers of living species.”

The researcher left in heavy steps as he moved toward the tip of the drill.

Zhang Hai nonchalantly responded and looked at the researcher moving toward the drill. He raised a middle finger in his mind.

“Captain, I feel that the frequency of its pulse seems to be getting faster.”

Zhang Hai heard what Koenig said and frowned at the message.

“You sure?”

“Uhhh, maybe?”

“Our ‘expert’ will tell us once he takes a look.” Another Marine soldier joked, but the rifle pointed to the front showed his alertness.

From MLL Island to now, the soldiers stationed here were considered the elites of Celestial Trade. Whether the opponents were humans or Martian species, they could proudly proclaim themselves as battle-tested soldiers. Due to their history of past successes, they would be extra cautious in every mission, so that this mission would not become their last mission…

The researcher stopped next to the egg. He dropped his toolbox on the ground and created a ripple of dust from the ground.

“Yo, be gentle.” Koenig, a few steps behind him, quietly reminded him. However, after the researcher glared back at him, Koenig shrugged and stopped talking.

The researcher skillfully took out some instruments from the toolbox. He first attached the two ends of the wire to the egg and then tapped on the screen around his arm.

“Its vital signal is stable… the bioelectric current is weak.”

After muttering this sentence to himself, he took out a nanoneedle from the toolbox and then inserted it into the beating egg.

For some odd reason, the instant the needle was inserted into the gg, Zhang Hai’s eyebrows quickly jumped a few times. But he ultimately resisted the urge to stop the researcher and forcibly convinced himself to believe in the choice of the expert.

Fortunately, or the researcher was indeed experienced, he smoothly extracted a test tube of green liquid from the egg.

“Highly acidic liquid. It may contain some corrosive bacteria?”

The researcher looked at the liquid in the test tube and said to himself.

Then he shook his head, stuffed the test tube back into the toolbox, and took out a razor-shaped scanner.

The scanner could simultaneously emit two kinds of strong and weak penetrating rays, scan the external structure and internal structure of the object, and form a simple three-dimensional view. The tool was a powerful enhanced version of the “ultrasound tool”. However, because of the high level of radiation and the possibility of trace amounts of radiation, the tool was only suitable for use on non-humans.

The scanner was aimed at the egg, and the researcher opened the holographic screen inside his helmet.

“Hmm… let me see what you are.”

While muttering to himself, he pressed the switch of the scanner.

The three-dimensional composition view was presented on a holographic screen, and these images were simultaneously transmitted back to TS Expedition orbiting around the synchronous orbit.

Looking at the transparent carcass that was abnormally large inside the pulsating egg, the researcher’s eyebrows were locked into a serious frown.

“What is this…”

“When can we leave here? I have a bad feeling it is not very safe here.” Looking at the researcher who was busy with the egg, Zhang Hai could not help but remind him, “If you are still uncertain about certain things, I suggest that you first spray it with a cryogen, then put it in the specimen box and bring it back to the colony’s isolation room…”

“You don’t have to teach me how to sample,” the researcher said standoffishly as he stood up. “Before we are certain about its vital signs, using cryogen may completely stop its vitality.”

“So, can we start sampling now?” Koenig asked. “I feel the same way as the captain. This stuff gives me an ominous feeling.”

“Yes,” the researcher coldly responded. Then he took a fire extinguisher-like item from the toolbox and pointed it directly at the egg.

It was the cryogen used for sampling. Unlike the injectable inhabitant necessary for the hibernation chamber, the cryogen was designed for external use.

A click of a button and the white spray covered the surface of the egg.

However, the researcher frowned.

It may be his illusion but the speed at which the egg pulsated seemed to be getting faster.

“Does low temperatures accelerate their life activities in a short period of time to generate more calories to maintain normal life activities?”

The researcher vaguely remembered this discovery as he prepared to increase the output of the cryogen.

For a moment, the egg suddenly shrank to the extreme.

Zhang Hai’s brows jumped without warning, almost out of reflex, he rushed to the side and shouted in the communication channel.

“FALL—”

BOOM!

The egg suddenly burst and green droplets splattered out like countless green arrows. The powerful hailstorm of arrows launched at the drill and the Celestial Marines nearby. The researcher closest to the egg was directly hit by the shockwave of the explosion and sent directly into the drill. Koenig not far away from him was also covered by the green droplets.

The deafening explosion echoed in the tunnel and reverberated through everyone’s eardrums. The powerful explosion was still clear and audible even on Mars where gas density was extremely low.

But the more horrible thing had yet to happen.

“AHHH!”

The researcher struggled to climb up from the ground. The part that was drenched in green liquid seemed to be on fire as white smoke appeared.

He desperately wanted to wipe off the liquid on his body, but soon his eye began to widen and hr was gradually covered in blood…

“His spacesuit is damaged. Help him quickly and put him in the vehicle! Koenig! DAMMIT!”

Zhang Hai cursed, took two quick steps, grabbed the researcher’s collar, pulled him to his side, and then took out a gel spray to repair where the spacesuit was broken.

The jelly-like gel paste was stuck to the spacesuit, repairing the damage. The bloodshot in his eyes began to disappear, but so did the color in his eyes. If it was not for the life signal detector still detecting his life activities, Zhang Hai was about to pronounce him died.

On the other side, the seriously injured Koenig was rescued by his comrades and dragged back from the edge of death.

“Take them back to the vehicle… call the command center! We have two people injured here, a researcher, and a Marine soldier! Repeat, we have two people injured here…”

However, at this moment, there was a fierce scream that came from the distance.

Cold sweat instantly covered Zhang Hai’s forehead.

He dragged the unconscious researcher in one hand and raised the rifle in his other hand as he vacated the area.

Almost at the same time, a monster that he had never seen before, crawled into the tunnel from the front side of the rig…

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