Strange noises rose from beneath the stone platform, as if something were gnawing at the stone slabs.

"Step back, Li Ying," Zheng Rong said.

Li Ying pulled forcefully, grabbing the golden helmet into his hand, murmuring, "Blood."

A strong sense of foreboding surged through Zheng Rong. He decisively ordered, "Everyone, leave this place! Get on the stone ship, all of you! Hurry!"

"What is that?"

"I don’t know!" Zheng Rong responded, "Don’t attack it! We might still have time to escape! Han Guomei, conduct a sonic test of the terrain outside!"

The twelve stone soldiers slowly retreated toward the coast, and Xiang Yu stood solemnly at the stern of the ship. Behind the male corpse, a mechanism seemed to prop it up, making it rise slowly like a statue.

The mercury corpse stood in the center of the coffin, with startling red blood dripping down its face as the stone ship gradually sailed away.

Laine screamed in terror, and Joseph rapidly took several photos. Zheng Rong finally realized something was wrong.

"What’s that on its back?" Zheng Rong frowned.

A shining bulge had formed on the back of the Qin Emperor's corpse, with hundreds of metallic tendrils wrapped around its face. Each tendril, resembling a metal tube, seemed to be injecting a blood-like red liquid into its body.

The tendrils of the mechanical cocoon extended further and further, spreading across the sea's surface and probing into the Mercury Sea.

The sea beneath them suddenly shook violently.

"Be careful!" Lance shouted. Everyone bent down into a half-squat to stabilize themselves.

Xiang Yu brandished the Panlong Gold Halberd, holding it in a reverse grip, taking a stance with his bow and arrow, his arm turning in alignment with his shoulder. With his head bowed, he said, "Ying Zheng, back then, your army invaded Chu, slaughtered my people of Wuzhong, and tore my grandfather apart in the marketplace. This enmity has not been forgotten for a thousand years."

"Xiang Yu, wait!" Zheng Rong said in alarm.

Xiang Yu raised his head. In the center of the distant stone platform stood the solitary mercury corpse that had slept for a millennium.

Xiang Yu waved his hand, and the Panlong Halberd spun into a golden wheel, flying toward Ying Zheng and piercing his chest.

The mercury corpse spewed bright red blood, and the tendrils on its back thrashed wildly. The halberd not only pierced the mercury corpse but also sent the parasitic cocoon attached to its back flying!

The team cried out in shock, and Joseph even forgot to take pictures. Stunned, he said, "What is that?!"

Li Ying answered, "That's an advanced composite directive device from the Maya Star machinery."

"What does it do?" Zheng Rong frowned.

Li Ying shook his head. "Repair, collect biological materials. Its other functions are still unclear. Those metal tubes have absorbed the blood of thousands from our ambushed special forces. I suspect it was planning to do something with that mercury corpse, but fortunately, it was disrupted."

In that instant, a profound fear extended through everyone's hearts.

Zheng Rong sensed something. "Is it the commander of the mechanical swarm?"

Lance spoke in a deep voice, "Do you plan to take it back for study?"

Li Ying replied, "No, that's not the point. Their actions are unified; they follow all orders from the spaceship's central command. However, this particular type of insect—or perhaps cocoon—has the ability to make its own decisions."

Zheng Rong’s voice trembled. "Does that mean... there's an alien inside?"

Li Ying tilted his head, carefully examining the metallic cocoon, and slowly said, "I don't think so."

"Let’s go back," Lance said.

"It’s trying to escape," Zheng Rong said. "If we can’t catch it, we’ve already obtained our objective this time. Let’s leave now. I have a feeling things aren’t that simple."

The metal cocoon retracted all its tendrils and slowly slithered across the stone platform before once again submerging into the water.

Meanwhile, the weaponized stone boat reached the shore.

"Between the two golden statues, there's a secret passageway leading outside..." Kim Pak-ai began mapping the labyrinth.

With a loud boom, the stone chamber quaked again.

Zheng Rong raised his staff and turned to retreat. "Xiang Yu, open the path! Get us out of here immediately!"

Thousands of tendrils gleaming with silver light burst from the water’s surface, and the entire Mercury Sea roared in an instant!

"Move now!" Zheng Rong commanded. "I’ll stay behind! Retreat!"

The Mercury Sea churned wildly, as if controlled by the cocoon’s tendrils, its liquid silver coalescing into a massive wave that rushed toward the shore. Zheng Rong pointed the Moses staff at the tidal wave, which was as massive as a building.

With a crash, the stream of mercury split into two under an invisible force, crashing toward the stone wall and collapsing it.

Lance shouted, "Get out of here quickly! The place is going to be destroyed! Damn... what on earth is that thing?!"

Laine screamed loudly, and everyone forgot to run, staring dumbfoundedly as the sticky sea surface bulged, revealing a gigantic cocoon-like monster.

"Thank goodness we destroyed the mercury corpse, otherwise we'd be facing a person right now," Li Ying said sarcastically.

Even Xiang Yu, at this moment, felt a chill run down his spine. Lance kicked away debris and shouted, "Move! Hand me the staff!"

"You can’t control it!" Zheng Rong yelled, holding up the staff while retreating. Taking advantage of the moment when the giant mercury cocoon slightly dipped, he turned as it lunged, shouting, "Run!"

The group dashed into the passageway, covering their heads as more mechanical killers surged forward. The mercury cocoon leaped fiercely, and a metal-water arrow smashed the secret passage of the tomb, sending bricks and tiles flying, accompanied by an earth-shattering crash.

Zheng Rong ran at the back of the group, taking deep breaths as he calculated the advancing mercury’s distance: thirty meters, twenty meters...

With a sudden drift, Zheng Rong elegantly turned, pointing his staff toward the passageway.

The sound of machinery was piercing, as if thousands of gears were spinning and grinding within the mercury. In an instant, the tendrils of the mercury sea froze under that point, forming an eerie cross-section.

Li Ying laughed. "Baby, let me help you."

"Move quickly!" Zheng Rong shouted. "Stop talking!"

The liquid mercury scattered, rolling back along the cave walls, and merged into the Mercury Sea. Li Ying stepped forward, lowering himself, picked up Zheng Rong, and followed the group, running.

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The helicopter blades whirred constantly, the vast plains stretching far and wide under the midday sun.

On the side of Li Mountain, a giant bulge swelled. Pressure from beneath the ground erupted like a geyser, sending thousands of tons of soil and boulders blasting into the sky.

The members of the exploration team were flung into the air by the immense force. Zheng Rong, being closest to the Mercury Sea, bore the brunt of the pressure, spitting out a mouthful of blood as the staff slipped from his hand, spinning through the air.

Xiang Yu let out a long shout, somersaulting in mid-air, stepping on flying rocks, and leveraging his position to leap back, catching Zheng Rong just in time.

Li Ying leaped across the debris and grabbed hold of the Moses staff firmly.

"Attention, those below: your movements have been exposed."

Seven military helicopters and an airborne cruiser roared as they surrounded the group.

"Boss, they're here! It's the Fourth Corps!" Gukat's voice sounded through a loudspeaker.

The cruiser cast down several ropes, accurately pulling up every individual.

"Seventy-First Army, Major General Lance, your mission is complete," a man's voice came from the loudspeaker. "Please lay down your weapons and await further instructions from the Northern Ireland Parliament of the Human Alliance."

"Zheng Rong!" Xiang Yu struggled in the net, holding Zheng Rong, whose eyes were unfocused as he looked upward, motionless.

Zheng Rong called out, "Lance!"

The military helicopters, each carrying a net, slowly flew toward the central cruiser.

"You are now safe," the voice from the high-flying ship announced over the loudspeaker. "Please remain calm. Leave the rest to us. Every scientist is under protection. Rescue team, confirm the activation of the anti-gravity shield. Prepare the magnetic field cannon."

"Warning, SS-class dangerous individual confirmed, special forces close-combat fighter, code number 002, Li Ying."

Lance stood on the net, struggling to keep upright as he slung the nuclear magnetic cannon over his back, avoiding Zheng Rong’s gaze in guilt.

"Lance—!" Zheng Rong roared, "You betrayed me! You leaked information about Li Ying to the military!"

Everyone’s eyes were blank and unfamiliar. Li Ying stared obsessively at the distant Zheng Rong, while Lance fixed his eyes on the cave entrance, saying nothing.

"Lance—!" Zheng Rong furiously grabbed the net, shouting in rage, "You bastard!"

"Secure the targets. Prepare to fire," came the emotionless order from the flagship.

"Zheng Rong!" Xiang Yu yelled, "Calm down!"

The airship extended two metal wings, deploying six rotating silver probes. Blue electric light shone from the probes, connecting them together.

"Charging complete."

From the dark entrance of the cave, three seconds later, a burst of mercury shot out, piercing the head of the airship in an instant!

Everyone screamed in terror. Li Ying roared loudly, "Zheng Rong—!"

The massive flying carrier sounded a piercing alarm. The scattered mercury reassembled, and two streams of powerful liquid shot out, snapping the carrier’s wings. It spun backward, crashing into an evading helicopter and exploding with a deafening boom!

The carrier turned into a roaring fireball, crashing to the ground. Xiang Yu drew his Zhanlu Sword from his waist, decisively slashing through the net, and plunged downward, shouting, "Release the rope!"

Zheng Rong took a deep breath, fired at another helicopter, and the grappling hook latched onto its landing gear. Xiang Yu held Zheng Rong, swinging in an arc through the air.

The mercury sea spilled over the slopes of Li Mountain, and wherever it went, the vegetation was coated in a silver layer. The giant insect cocoon reformed, aiming at the sky. The cocoon’s abdomen swelled as if preparing to fire a mercury arrow.

"Quickly retreat! Gain altitude and fire downward!" Lance shouted.

The helicopters, dragging their nets, began to ascend. Xiang Yu said, "Zheng Rong, retract the hook."

On the other side, Li Ying watched briefly, stroking the alloy net with his palm, tearing it apart, and then swooping down like a night owl spreading its wings.

"Li Ying!" Lance shouted.

Li Ying wielded the Moses staff, pointing it at the mercury cocoon. Its head split open, and the mercury solidified in mid-air at an eerie angle.

The cocoon's body shone with a dazzling silver light, revealing a smooth inner wall. Li Ying, leveraging his descent, hooked his left hand into the mercury barrier, sliding down until he steadied himself.

"Come out," Li Ying said coldly.

The mercury cocoon extended thousands of silver tendrils, tightly entangling Li Ying's body, pulling his arms and legs straight.

Struggling, Li Ying reached his hand into the center of the mercury sea, grasping something and dragging it out with gritted teeth.

His long body was nearly torn apart. Zheng Rong screamed in anguish, "No—! Don’t do it!"

Li Ying grabbed the core of the metal cocoon and pulled out its tail.

A metallic segment coiled backward, strangling Li Ying’s neck. His eyes turned an eerie red as another metal tube emitted a red light, scanning his pupils.

Li Ying trembled uncontrollably, trying to retreat, but countless pieces of data flickered in his eyes.

Xiang Yu instructed Zheng Rong, "Hold on tight."

He had Zheng Rong cling to the landing gear, raised the ancient sword with both hands, and, using the helicopter as a springboard, shot out like an arrow, flying toward the center of the Mercury Sea.

"Ahhhh—!" Xiang Yu roared.

The Zhanlu Sword, sharp beyond measure, cleaved downward along his descending path, splitting the metal cocoon in half.

With a crash, the mercury sea scattered, and its tendrils flung Li Ying into the air.

Xiang Yu landed in a crouch, looking up.

The field was silent.

Li Ying staggered to his feet, his finger bones fractured, and his palms covered in blood. He swayed unsteadily before falling down again.

Xiang Yu watched Zheng Rong for a moment before decisively turning and disappearing into the mountain forest.

————————————

The military helicopters landed, inspecting the wreckage of the carrier. Li Ying was handcuffed and escorted onto a helicopter.

The scientists were taken away one by one. Zheng Rong said, "Put me and Li Ying together."

With the carrier destroyed, Lance took over as commander, ordering, "No. Keep them separate."

Zheng Rong said coldly, "Lance, you betrayed my brother."

A shadow of near-desperate sorrow crossed Lance's resolute eyes. He whispered, "Zheng Rong, if Li Ying is innocent, I trust the Parliament will clear his name soon."

"You know!" Zheng Rong, like a madman, lunged forward to shove Lance, yelling, "You know—! Even if he’s innocent! Special forces killing their comrades is enough to get him the electric chair! Why didn't you ask for my opinion first?!"

"Lock me up with him!" Zheng Rong screamed almost hysterically. "Let me watch him face the military tribunal's electric chair with my own eyes! Let me collect his corpse!"

"I entrusted my brother to you! You didn’t even return his body! This time I won’t let Li Ying leave! Never!"

Lance was pushed back repeatedly by Zheng Rong, nearly speechless. After a long time, he said, "Give him a sedative."

Laine pressed her lips together, tears welling in her eyes.

Zheng Rong and Li Ying were forcibly loaded onto separate helicopters, Xiang Yu disappeared into the mountain slopes, and several military helicopters took off, returning to Northern Ireland.