It's already been an hour since I’ve entered the Shadow Wolves' Canyon. I'm currently still lingering at the border, since one of my goals was to survive. Rushing headfirst to kill an elder of the Shadow Wolves would just be reckless—and stupid.

  Right now, I was holed up in a little cave I found on the way, barely four-square-meter of space and not even two-meter-high. However the entry was pretty small and well hidden, so to get in I had to crawl on my stomach like a worm. At least I'm sure wolves weren’t getting in here unless they suddenly learned yoga. I would use this cave to rest at night or when I was too tired. But this place was cramped, and I didn’t have anything to make a bed, rendering rest the most uncomfortable thing in the world now.

  But survival wasn’t about comfort, but about priorities. And my first problem was obvious: food.

  I let out a long sigh, my stomach already growling, and recalled the conversation I had with Isaac yesterday, before David dragged me outside.

  _ _ _

  One day ago. Operations center, inside the ship

  I barged in, cheerful as ever.

  "Isaac! I want to use your encyclopedia!"

  He didn't even flinch. He just glared at me with his usual lifeless face. He was probably a zombie in his past life.

  "I don't have any encyclopedia. Go bother someone else."

  "Humph! How can you dismiss such a beautiful girl who's talking to you!" I pouted, rolled a chair over, and parked right at his side.

  "Tell me more about the Xenomorph. I'm veeery curious!"

  He sighed, finally turning toward me.

  "There isn't much to say. It's an alien that invaded our world under... unfortunate circumstances. Cruel. Cunning. A perfect predator..." His face tightened, pained.

  "Ooh, scary. So, what can it do?"

  He lowered his head and closed his eyes. The room was silent for a moment as I eagerly waited for his answer. Then suddenly he reopened his eyes that shone with a new light, even though his expression remained deadpan. The contrast was quite comical to say the least.

  "It's absurdly strong. After devouring prey, it can absorb their abilities. To awakened, that's the ultimate dream. It is... a perfect being."

  My jaw dropped. Absorb any ability?!

  "Wait—then since I have its genes, will I be able to do the same?"

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  "I don't know. You were the first compatible human. But there will probably be side effects. Some good, some bad."

  My stomach twisted. "Uh... what kind of side effects?"

  He shrugged. "Psychological. Physical. Hard to say. For instance, maybe you can already eat anything… even metal. The Xenomorph's stomach could digest it all. But that's only a theory, so don't try unless you're desperate."

  I laughed nervously. "Yeah, not planning to chew on metal anytime soon. But will that be possible even if the gene is still dormant?"

  He answered calmly, "Yes, you won't have its main abilities yet; however, since you have grown with it, your body was modified to accept the awakening of the gene in due time, making small things like that possible."

  "Oh, that sounds cool... By the way, is the Xenomorph still aliv—"

  My inquiry was then suddenly interrupted by the smooth voice of a certain blond man.

  "Eliza. Come here, now."

  "Ugh, right now?" With a sigh, I stood up and muttered softly, "you're so annoying..." but followed him anyway.

  _ _ _

  Back in the cave

  I clicked my tongue. 'Why was I acting so childish back then?'

  Anyway, theory or not, I wasn't about to test my stomach with rocks. But raw wolf meat sounded a lot more promising. If Isaac was right, then maybe I could handle it. Maybe. I wasn't sure—but it was better than starving.

  Decision made, I crawled out of the cave, got myself dirty again, and dusted off.

  Arms up, I declared cheerfully, "Let's go!" and headed deeper inside the canyon.

  *

  An hour passed and the sun was now high up in the sky. Still no wolves. No anything. Just rocks, silence, and my patience slowly peeling away.

  Made me reconsider the fact of using the cave as my base since it is so far from action...

  But I still continued walking. Watching the scenery around could keep me entertained... or not. I'm just getting delusional at this point.

  *

  I continued like that for a whole half an hour again, but I couldn't keep this up for any longer.

  I stopped, hands on my hips.

  "This is getting boring. Where's my ambush, huh? C'mon, universe, spice things up a little."

  Silence.

  I sighed in an exaggerated manner. "Figures. Asking nicely never works."

  Then—

  Clank!

  I froze. My ears twitched. A faint sound, almost too light to trust. Then again—

  Clank! something clashing, clearer now.

  I sprinted toward the noise without hesitation, wondering about what awaited me there.

  And there it was: four humans surrounded by a dozen massive wolves. Bigger than lions but a bit smaller than bears, jaws dripping with saliva. These weren't the same little pups I fought before. These things were dangerous. Now I'm glad I didn't actually get ambushed... I chuckled inwardly.

  Anyways, should I help, or should I not?

  The humans over there seemed to be struggling to even survive... and playing the good samaritan was always annoying. However they were all wearing similar black outfits, or more like military uniform. And military was always grateful after receiving someone's help right? Yeah they'll owe me one.

  I didn't have much time to think though. They were really struggling, blades shaking, formations breaking apart. Another minute, and the wolves would overwhelm them.

  I sighed, 'Well, it can't be helped...'

  Without further hesitation, I launched myself forward. My fist crashed into the skull of the nearest wolf, the crack followed by a heavy thud.

  When I raised my head, three stunned faces and one in a daze(..?) stared back at me.

  I waved happily, returning their gaze.

  "Hello! I'm here to help kick some dog's butt, hehe!"

  And all the wolves charged immediately.

  ___ ___ ___