Chapter 95: Respect Personal Choice, Abandon the Savior Complex

A lethal dose of black water eroded at an astonishing rate.

In just a few minutes, Charlie had become unrecognizable as a human; his entire skull swelled, especially the forehead bone, which had grown a fleshy tumor filled with something inside.

His skin, stretched taut by the tumor, was nearly transparent.

Blood vessels and tendons were clearly visible, like a thin membrane, and within the swollen tumor, something strange seemed to be slowly writhing!

This sight was utterly chilling!

“Aaaahhhhh…”

Charlie let out a agonized scream, clutching his head—a tumor swollen to several times its normal size—staggering and swaying as if trying to approach the others.

“Save… save me…”

At this moment, Charlie looked exactly like a zombie from a movie.

His facial features, distorted by swelling, had shifted out of place, yet the terror in his eyes remained unmistakable.

He tried to beg his companions for help.

Yet even Elizabeth Shaw, who loved him deeply, couldn’t help but step backward in horror, her face filled with dread.

“No, don’t come near!”

The biologist Ford, panicked, grabbed the large canister of black water beside him and hurled it at Charlie.

Crash!

The black canister shattered, its liquid drenching Charlie’s body.

Alvin, noticing the scene, couldn’t help but twitch an eyelid, muttering under his breath: “Damn.”

Worried the amount wasn’t enough, he dumped another full canister—was this personal vengeance?

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Already saturated with black water, now externally coated with another layer, Charlie let out a piercing shriek.

“Quick, run, Shaw!” Ford yanked the dazed Elizabeth toward David and the others: “Help! Save us!”

Even Weyland, accustomed to grand scenes, was startled by the sudden turn: “Hurry, get out!”

“No, don’t leave me! Don’t abandon me!”

Though Charlie’s body had long lost its human form under the black water’s erosion, he still retained a sliver of consciousness.

“El… Elizabeth… save me… help me…” Driven purely by instinctive survival, he begged the one person he still trusted.

Seeing the tumor on Charlie’s forehead, swollen to the size of a basketball, and his pleading posture, Elizabeth’s heart twisted in agony, her eyes filled with reluctance.

“No, we can’t just leave him!” Her mind, moments ago consumed by fear, was now flooded with love; the female doctor suddenly stopped, speaking firmly to the group: “Charlie still has awareness—if we bring him back to the ship, we can save him!”

At these words, everyone froze in shock.

Especially Weyland’s gaze, as if staring at a fool: “You want to take him back onto the ship?”

Given the current situation, Charlie had been infected by an unknown virus in the alien ruin; bringing him aboard the ship would almost certainly doom everyone.

But Elizabeth, her mind clouded by love, still pleaded: “The ship has an airlock—we can disinfect him, then use the fully automated med-bay to treat Charlie. He’s still conscious—he can be saved, Mr. Weyland!”

Yet the clear-headed Weyland firmly refused: “No. He cannot board the ship.”

“Mr. Weyland!”

Elizabeth continued to argue: “We can’t abandon Charlie—it’s unfair!”

“Fair? You talk to us about fairness?” Weyland nearly laughed in anger, his voice icy as blades: “Harlowe took off his helmet on his own, got infected by the ruin’s unknown virus—it’s his own fault. Why should all of us pay for his recklessness?”

Ford chimed in quietly: “Exactly. Why should we all risk our lives because of Harlowe’s mistake?”

“But—”

Elizabeth bit her lip, still defiant: “It might not be the ruin’s fault—we all took off our helmets yesterday, didn’t we?”

“I don’t care, and I don’t want to know the reason, Dr. Shaw.”

Weyland’s tone was unyielding; from his seemingly aged, frail body erupted a terrifying aura, his voice sharp as knives: “I will not allow any incident aboard the Prometheus. As an investor, I must be responsible for every crew member’s safety!”

Any sensible person could see that Charlie Harlowe, infected by the unknown virus, had no chance of survival.

Even if there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance the automated med-bay could save Charlie, Weyland would never permit such a latent threat aboard the Prometheus!

For the sake of the Prometheus and every life on board, every hazard must be eliminated!

Yet, in the midst of the argument,

Charlie underwent another unexpected transformation.

His spine twisted in a way that defied biology, as if influenced by some internal force; his entire skeleton cracked like firecrackers.

Then, within the transparent tumor on his forehead, something soft and living writhed violently, as if trying to tear free from his skin entirely!

This horrifying sight silenced Elizabeth.

“Charlie” now crawled toward them like a creeping creature, moving with grotesque speed.

“Kill him, David!”

Weyland ordered sharply.

David drew his pulse rifle, but the mutated “Charlie” had already surpassed human speed limits.

In a single lunge, he slammed into David and sent him flying.

The force was so great it shattered David’s helmet visor and caved in his chest.

For a normal human, this blow alone would have been fatal.

“Charlie’s” next target was clearly the immobile Weyland.

“Help me, sir! Help!” Weyland screamed in terror, placing all hope on the “alien entity” beside him.

Since Weyland’s future plans depended on his survival, Alvin had no intention of letting him die; he drew his explosive rifle, aimed with armor-assisted targeting, and fired.

Bang!

A violent burst of flame erupted from the exaggerated muzzle.

The high-kinetic explosive round effortlessly tore through “Charlie,” spraying blood and flesh, and sent him flying backward.

“Elizabeth…”

The searing pain seemed to restore a sliver of sanity in “Charlie.”

But half his body had been reduced to pulp by the explosion; he could only crawl with his upper torso, his completely mutated head casting a pitiful gaze toward Elizabeth.

No wonder black water produced “Xenomorphs”—its vitality was astonishing, nearly rivaling the “mushroom” next door.

Alvin’s second shot was already aimed at the head: “But without a head, it should stop, right?”

“No, Charlie!”

Suddenly, Elizabeth—whether she’d lost her mind or not—lunged forward and blocked Alvin.

“Don’t shoot! Charlie still has awareness!”

God knows what kind of filth filled this doctor’s brain.

At this point, she still insisted Charlie could be saved.

“You can’t kill him!” Elizabeth glared at Alvin, screaming hoarsely: “Charlie is calling me—he’s still conscious! This is murder!”

“Elizabeth… Elizabeth…”

The upper half of “Charlie” struggled closer to the group.

“Fine. Then I’ll accommodate you.”

Alvin was done. Elizabeth’s stupidity was beyond comprehension.

He kicked out, slamming his foot into Elizabeth’s abdomen; the force sent her flying, landing precisely beside the “Charlie” she so desperately wanted to save:

“Dr. Shaw, I respect your choice. Since you insist on saving him… I can only wish you luck. Hope you two get along well.”

Respect personal choice, abandon the savior complex.

Since Elizabeth insisted on saving Charlie, he would show her respect.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Alvin turned to David: “Found a way yet?”

David’s eye twitched slightly; he glanced at Elizabeth, lying where she’d been thrown, feeling a faint pang of regret—but quickly shook it off: “Yes, sir. There’s a path leading inside.”

He activated the nearby control panel.

A heavy door slid open; Alvin stepped through first, followed by Weyland and the medical staff.

David glanced at the dazed Ford, frowning: “Dr. Ford, are you staying behind?”

“Huh?”

Ford looked blank: “Are we… really doing this? Isn’t it… a bit cruel?”

Hearing this, Alvin turned sharply, fixing her with a cold stare: “Shall I send you over too?”

“No, thank you!”

Ford shuddered and hurried after the others.

Her mind was perfectly clear—she had no intention of paying for someone else’s mistake, nor of dying alongside Elizabeth.

“No! Save me!!!”

At that moment, Elizabeth’s piercing scream echoed.

Ford froze, turned back—and saw “Charlie,” screaming Elizabeth’s name, crushing her beneath his weight; the creature inside his tumor had burst through his skull!

A foul, viscous substance splattered across Elizabeth’s helmet; the high-strength visor glass was corroded through by the liquid, leaving a hole.

The creature emerging from Charlie’s skull was a soft, slimy, gray eel-like thing, desperately trying to crawl through the helmet’s breach into Elizabeth’s mouth.

“Aaaahhhhh…”

Elizabeth screamed and thrashed, grabbing a nearby rock and smashing it down on “Charlie’s” head!

In this moment, what lover? What awareness? What Charlie?

All were cast aside—only the overwhelming instinct to survive remained.

His already fragile skull was crushed instantly!

Elizabeth seized the opportunity to break free, acting as if insane, swinging the rock repeatedly at Charlie.

She screamed wildly, like a madwoman: “Die! Die! Go die!!!”

Once, twice, ten times…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Until Charlie’s head was reduced to a pulp.

The strange soft-bodied creature inside met the same fate, crushed into meat paste by Elizabeth.

But the splattered fluid corroded the spacesuit.

Half of Elizabeth’s face was coated in the fluid, raw and bleeding from corrosion—terrifying to behold!

David stared at Elizabeth, who looked as if possessed by a war god, and after a long silence, spoke slowly: “Brilliant!”

If I could exchange for a day off, I’d definitely take one today—my hemorrhoids are killing me. There should be one more chapter coming, but it might be close to midnight; please bear with me, thank you.

Also, a little favor for monthly votes~