Tomb raider: You're going to extract my alien bloodline?

Chapter 49 The Wang Family Ambush

Just as Qin Yuan stepped out of the bronze gate, before he could even take a few more breaths of the air outside—which, although not very fresh, was at least normal—a sudden change occurred!

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

Several sharp whooshing sounds came from different directions! Qin Yuan could see clearly that those were not bullets, but specially made crossbow bolts with barbs and tranquilizer pods!

Moreover, those arrows were clearly aimed at Qin Yuan, and although they avoided vital points, their sheer number showed no mercy.

"Watch out!" Zhang Qiling reacted incredibly fast. The Black Gold Ancient Blade was already unsheathed, and he stood in front of Qin Yuan, the blade transforming into a black light curtain.

Clang! Clang! Clang! After several crisp sounds, the crossbow bolts that were aimed at Qin Yuan's abdomen and limbs were knocked away.

However, the attacks came from all directions and were from tricky angles. Qin Yuan had lost too much blood inside the bronze gate, and was also facing the ultimate counterattack. Although he was unharmed in the end, he was mentally and physically exhausted, and his reaction was a beat slower.

Despite his best efforts to dodge, he was still struck by an arrow in his left shoulder and the outside of his right leg. The excruciating pain of the barbs piercing his flesh was followed by the rapid spread of the cold, numbing effects of the anesthetic.

"Damn it!" Qin Yuan groaned, kneeling on one knee, his vision blurring. Fortunately, the arrow was completely corroded upon contact with his blood, clattering to the ground. His bloodline's self-healing ability immediately began to fight the toxins and repair the wound, but this took time, and time was exactly what he needed most at that moment.

A dozen or so figures emerged from the shadows of the surrounding rocks and stone platforms, forming a fan shape around them in the open space in front of the bronze gate. In the shadows, at least a dozen more people were aiming their crossbows from a distance.

These men were dressed in uniform black combat suits, moved swiftly, had cold eyes, and carried various weapons, but they all remained silent, staring intently at them.

The leader was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with a cold and hard face and eyes like a hawk, staring intently at Qin Yuan. He lingered for a moment on Qin Yuan's bloodstained shoulder and slightly pale face, revealing a cold smile that said, "I knew it."

"Qin Yuan, nice to meet you." The middle-aged man spoke, his voice hoarse. "However, I heard that you stole the Prayer Pearl left behind by our clan's ancestor Wang Zanghai in the underwater tomb last time, and also killed our people. Now that you're in our hands, hand over the Prayer Pearl and the things you just got from behind the bronze door, and come back with us. You can suffer less."

The Wang family! Those persistent bastards have been lying in wait here, hoping to be the ones to pounce on us!

Qin Yuan cursed inwardly, his mind racing. How were they so sure he'd come out at this time? Had they timed it perfectly, or had they been monitoring him the whole time? The Prayer Pearl? They really had their eyes on that. As for what they said was behind the bronze door… did they think it was a treasure vault?

"Go back with you?" Qin Yuan forced a smile and tried to stand up, but the numbness in his legs made him stumble, and he was steadily supported by a hand that reached out from the side.

Zhang Qiling stood half a step in front of Qin Yuan, holding the Black Gold Ancient Blade, looking expressionlessly at the Wang family members who were surrounding him. The low pressure emanating from him made the first few members of the Wang family subconsciously take a small step back.

"When did the Wang family... become kidnappers?" Qin Yuan, supported by Zhang Qiling, steadied himself while secretly activating his bloodline to accelerate the metabolism of the anesthetic. He sneered, "I found the Prayer Pearl. If you're so capable, go and search the underwater tomb yourself. Or is it that you can't even get your own ancestral treasure, and can only steal it after someone else has it? As for the thing behind the door? Didn't your Wang family ancestor tell you that even looking at that thing shortens your lifespan?"

"Sharp-tongued." The middle-aged man's eyes grew even colder upon hearing this. He stopped trying to communicate and instead waved his hand, ordering, "Take him down! One team to hold Zhang Qiling off, the rest of you target Qin Yuan. Dead or alive, but his head and belongings must be brought back!"

Upon receiving the order, the surrounding Wang family squad immediately sprang into action. Six of them seamlessly split up and pounced on Zhang Qiling, attempting to separate the two. The other eight flanked from both sides, brandishing ropes with grappling hooks and throwing several pungent smoke bombs, all aimed at the seemingly weakened Qin Yuan, who was injured.

Zhang Qiling's eyes sharpened, and his black-gold ancient sword drew a fierce arc, instantly engaging the six men who rushed at him. The clash of swords and the sporadic gunshots blended together, and the six men were clearly skilled fighters, proficient in combined attacks, with long-range support from behind, managing to hold Zhang Qiling back for a moment.

Qin Yuan, on the other hand, was in danger. He was already weak from losing a lot of blood in a short period of time, and he had also been hit by two crossbow bolts with tranquilizers. In addition, there were two more people attacking him than Zhang Qiling, so he was somewhat overwhelmed.

As the grappling hooks came hurtling towards him, he struggled to dodge, swinging his blade to parry, but his movements were noticeably slowed by his injuries and the effects of the medication. With a clatter, another chain lashed his back, causing him to stumble.

"Damn it..." Qin Yuan knelt on the ground, panting heavily, his eyes filled with malice. Was he really going to be caught off guard and fall into the hands of these bastards?

Just then—

"Hiss—Gah!!!"

A sharp, high-pitched screech, filled with chilling killing intent, erupted without warning from above the cave! The sound seemed to pierce through eardrums and strike straight at the soul, causing all the Wang family members who were attacking to freeze in their tracks!

Immediately afterwards, several dark figures pounced out from all sorts of incredibly tricky angles at speeds that were almost impossible to detect with the naked eye!

These were the aliens that Qin Yuan had previously bred using the human-faced bird as a host and ordered into deep hibernation! They had been lying in wait under the "Queen's" orders, protecting Wu Xie and the others when they encountered danger.

After being repeatedly weakened by the human-faced bird, the monkey in the mouth, the nine giant centipedes, and the King of Ten Thousand Slaves, only seven remained. After sending Wu Xie and the others back, they returned to the darkness and went into hibernation, returning to dust three days later.

But at this moment, Qin Yuan, as the "Empress," was injured and bleeding. The strong smell of blood and the pheromones emitted when life was threatened acted like the highest level alarm, instantly awakening these dormant killing machines!

An alien descended from the sky, its long, powerful tail whipping away a scarred member of the Wang family who was about to fire a tranquilizer crossbow at Qin Yuan. The scarred man screamed, his chest caved in, and he flew backward, crashing into the rock wall. It was clear he was going to die.

Another one darted out from a crevice in the rocks on the side, its inner teeth shooting out and piercing through the throat of a member of the Wang family with a "plop" sound!

Several more aliens swarmed towards the flank of the Wang family squad that was besieging Zhang Qiling. With each swing of their claws, severed limbs flew up, and dark blood splattered onto the snow, a horrifying sight.

These aliens inherited some characteristics of the human-faced bird host, making them more agile in complex terrain and capable of brief gliding when swooping down from heights. Their attack methods were also more cunning and ruthless. They were the perfect killing machines, instantly tearing the Wang family's originally tight encirclement to shreds!

"A monster...a monster!!"

"What is that?!"

"Fire! Fire now!"

……