Chapter 101: What Does It Mean to Strike It Rich All at Once?

About several hours later.

Viland’s gene recombination was complete; he awoke from the biological instrument chamber, and his first reaction was to check his body for any changes.

Touching his still aged face, Viland felt a pang of disappointment.

But soon, the abundant physical strength and vigorous energy filled him with ecstatic joy—he felt as if he had aged decades backward, his body brimming with vitality!

In short, his back didn’t ache anymore, his legs didn’t feel weak, and he could climb dozens of floors without even breathing hard!

Immediately after, as if to verify he had truly been reborn, Viland hopped around the biological chamber like a monkey until Viggers could no longer bear to watch and slapped him to the ground, finally calming him down.

“I’m delighted to see you so lively, Mr. Viggers.” Alvin smiled and offered his congratulations.

“I’m sorry—I haven’t felt this sense of freedom in a very long time.” Viland looked slightly embarrassed, casting a grateful glance: “Thank you, sir. Without you, I might never have felt this youthfulness again!”

“It’s fine, Mr. Viland. I fully understand your excitement—but… I need to tell you this.” Alvin deliberately paused, building up Viland’s anticipation before continuing: “In fact, among our race, there is a serum that can restore you to a younger form—and even extend your lifespan.”

Upon hearing this, Viland was like he’d been injected with adrenaline; his eyes glowed with longing: “What do you need me to do for you, sir?”

He was a smart man, so he immediately understood.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—anything you want must be paid for!

Having experienced the taste of youth, Viland no longer wanted to grow old; he desired immortality, a youthful appearance, and a longer life!

“Regarding this matter, I will provide you with the data, Mr. Viland.”

Alvin patted his shoulder and said solemnly: “You can establish a laboratory on LV-233. When I return next time, I’ll bring you something satisfactory—hopefully, you can give me a satisfactory result in return.”

The data contained a detailed description of the “Xenomorph” species, including forms such as Facehuggers, Chestbursters, Warrior Xenomorphs, and more—comprehensive data on their appearance, traits, and abilities, along with one… concept!

The Xenomorph Queen!

Alvin’s task for Viland was to find a way on LV-233 to breed complete Xenomorphs—and if possible, to breed a “Xenomorph Queen,” that would be even better.

But unfortunately.

The Xenomorph Queen is a product of natural evolution, born from mutual consumption and competition within vast Xenomorph hives, serving a role similar to an ant queen!

Once a Xenomorph Queen exists, it means… possessing an endless army of Xenomorphs!

The next day.

Alvin bid farewell to the others and, alongside Viggers, who eagerly anticipated returning home, set course for Paradise Star.

BOOM!

The ground for kilometers around the ruin shook violently.

Then, the crust split open, revealing layer upon layer of buried metal—soon, the entire “Lord of the World” was fully revealed before the crew of Prometheus.

A colossal object three hundred meters in diameter made human spacecraft seem almost “cute” in comparison.

Soon, Lord of the World pierced through the clouds.

Under the power of its faster-than-light engine, the ship shot away like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling into the vast depths of space!

Compared to human faster-than-light engines, the Engineers’ technology was clearly superior—after brief acceleration, it could fly at hundreds of times the speed of light!

“Tsk…”

Alvin sat in the cockpit, watching the ship streak across starfields at visible speed on the holographic display, thinking to himself: “If I took this back and showed it to His Imperial Majesty, wouldn’t he award me?”

Of course, he was only imagining it.

Expecting a ship traveling hundreds of times the speed of light to change the current state of the Human Empire was pure fantasy.

After all, under favorable sub-space conditions, the Human Empire’s warships already flew nearly as fast as faster-than-light vessels—though perhaps with a bit of risk.

Moreover, the most critical issue: given the vastness of the galaxy and the enormous territory of the Human Empire, hundreds of times the speed of light… was simply inadequate.

So, while the faster-than-light engine seemed wonderful, in practical terms… it couldn’t solve the fundamental problem.

At best, it could serve as an alternative solution for nearby distances or during sub-space storms.

“I wonder what kind of tech the Necrons have that lets them move so fast through physical space…”

Alvin suddenly thought of the Necrons.

No wonder they were the masters who defeated the Old Ones and imprisoned the Star Gods sixty-five million years ago—their technology was insane, utterly ridiculous!

…

After traveling through space for half a month, Lord of the World finally arrived at “Paradise Star.”

“I… I’m finally back!”

Viggers excitedly maneuvered the ship to dock above the Ritual Plaza, beside the massive scorpion-tail-shaped mothership.

The massive scorpion-tail mothership hung inverted above the Ritual Plaza, its length estimated at several kilometers—Lord of the World looked like a speck beside it.

Too bad… this thing was just big in appearance; aside from serving as a docking bay, it had virtually no function.

Otherwise, Alvin would’ve seized it long ago.

Below, on the Ritual Plaza, a large crowd had gathered.

“If this followed the plot… now would be the perfect moment to release Black Water—surely the scene would be spectacular?”

As Alvin daydreamed, a bold idea struck him: “Wait—could I collaborate with an Inquisitor? Use Black Water to enact an Exterminatus—it would perfectly eliminate all life on the planet while preserving its value. A two-for-one deal!”

Unconsciously, his thoughts had already been deeply corrupted—but this wasn’t entirely Alvin’s fault; anyone stuck in a cesspool would get infected too!

“As agreed, the other ship is mine.”

Alvin gazed at the holographic display, where a complete, abandoned Engineer small ship lay hundreds of kilometers away, and a brilliant smile spread across his face.

He had come to Paradise Star with Viggers partly to seize the Engineers’ leftover technology, and partly for this abandoned small ship.

“Of course, I won’t break our agreement.”

Viggers didn’t care about the ship—it wasn’t considered valuable among the Engineers.

The ship’s shape differed from Lord of the World; it resembled a “key.”

Most importantly, that ship was a “battleship!”

Lord of the World, among the Engineers, was primarily used for transport and deployment—it lacked true interstellar combat or strike capabilities, so it wasn’t a real warship!

But that “battleship” was genuinely equipped with weapon arrays and possessed interstellar strike capability, primarily used for escort, reconnaissance, and target acquisition.

Gazing at the battleship on the holographic display, Alvin could barely contain his grin.

I’m working hard on my drafts, trying to hit multiple 10k-word days next month—hope you guys will subscribe, life’s been rough~