Cell Evolution System: The Rogue Queen

8

POV: Leon

"Library, 3rd Floor, Zone C." These words were branded into my brain like a searing iron mark. To go, or not to go? To go meant admitting I was a fool who couldn’t understand a textbook and was forced to seek help from a mysterious stranger. Not to go meant waiting for expulsion and being kicked out of this city like a dog.

I closed my phone and shoved it into my pocket. I stood up under the pitying or mocking gazes of my classmates and walked straight out of the classroom. But I didn't go to the library immediately. I needed an absolutely quiet place—a place that belonged only to me.

I headed to the school’s back mountain, an abandoned old training ground. The weeds there grew taller than a man, and the rusted equipment lay scattered like the skeletons of prehistoric beasts. This was the perfect hiding spot. I found a relatively clean rock, sat down, and closed my eyes.

My consciousness receded like a tide, swallowed by endless darkness. In the next heartbeat, I appeared in a completely foreign place. This was no longer the cramped, dull starter taming space. I stood at the entrance of a massive cavern. Actually, to call it a cavern was an insult; it was an entire subterranean world. The ceiling was so high it was lost in the gloom. The air was thick with a strange scent—a mix of damp earth, metallic tang, and a pungent, acid-like odor. The ground beneath my feet wasn't solid earth but a tough, slightly elastic bio-layer covered in a slick fluid.

Liquid fell from high above, creating a distant echo in the terrifyingly vast space. *Is this... my taming space?* My mind stalled for a second. I took a few steps, feeling as if I were walking on the internal organs of a colossal creature. *Are you kidding me? It's only been a few days!*

Suddenly, a low hiss—not a sound, but a pure mental pulse filled with loyalty and a desire for approval—echoed in my soul. A massive figure emerged from the darkness.

It was the Xenomorph Queen.

She was far larger than before, her body length exceeding ten meters. Her once-smooth black carapace was now covered in a thick, rough horny layer, especially at the crest and back, forming bone-like plates filled with intricate, terrifying patterns. She crouched quietly before me, her massive head lowering as she carefully rubbed the smoothest part of her crest against my leg. The movement was full of affection and loyalty.

I looked down at this terrifying creation that would make any beast tamer lose their sanity, yet I felt no threat at all. I reached out, hesitated, and finally rested my hand on her cold, hard crest. Through the mental link, the Queen’s satisfaction was almost overflowing.

*You... turned this place into your nest?* I sent a vague thought through the link. The Queen nuzzled me even harder. She slowly backed away, like a child eager to show off her masterpiece, leading me deeper into the nest.

The further in I went, the more my shock intensified. The entire underground had been hollowed out. Countless tunnels intersected like a spider's web, forming a vast, complex underground network that met military fortress standards. The walls were covered in translucent slime, and in specific "nurseries," rows of pulsating Xenomorph eggs were stuck to the walls. They were about half the height of a person, with tough leathery surfaces and something squirming inside.

*Are these... all yours?* I felt my throat go dry. The Queen sent back a firm affirmation. In the main tunnels, I saw several small Xenomorphs. They were only half a meter tall, looking more like worker ants. They lacked the Queen’s terrifying pressure and were busy moving stones or repairing walls with secretions from their mouths.

A worker caste. Responsible for nest building, hauling, and... nursing. An organized Xenomorph colony was quietly forming within my taming space.

I stopped. I needed to cool down. Everything before me far exceeded my knowledge and the world’s definition of "beast taming." If the teachers or experts saw this, their reaction wouldn't be joy, but sheer terror. They would treat me as a heretic—a monster to be purified.

*This truly is... the dark path,* I thought with a self-deprecating smile. Yet, the power of this path intoxicated me.

"Status," I whispered in my mind. A blue screen unfolded:

Beast: Xenomorph Queen

Race: ??? (Evolvable)

Level: 8 (Black Iron)

Loyalty: 100 (Absolute)

Talent: Super Gene Assimilation (Unique)

Skills: Armor-Piercing Tail (Master), Mental Link (Master), Swarm Will (Beginner), Oviposition (Newly Awakened!), Acid Spray (Newly Awakened!).

I stared at the assimilation log: Assimilated 'Swift Mantis' (Agility), 'Iron Rhino' (Strength/Defense), and... 'Ancient Species: Triceratops'!

*Triceratops? Are you kidding?* They’ve been extinct for millions of years. Where did the Queen get those genes? She’s been in this space the whole time. My eyes shifted toward the darkest part of the nest. *Could it be... that the skeleton of a Triceratops is buried beneath this space?*

The thought exploded in my mind. A portable space containing ancient remains? This wasn't just a cheat; it was a gold mine. A surge of joy made me want to laugh out loud. I had everything—unparalleled potential, an army in the making, and a hidden vault of ancient secrets. As long as I could grow, I could overturn the order of this world.

But then, reality hit me like a bucket of ice water. *Introduction to Beast Taming.* The 30% theory grade. If I failed, I’d be expelled. The contrast was absurd. I sat atop an underground kingdom but was losing my mind over a theory test. *This broken world makes no sense.*

Power or rules? I used to choose power without hesitation. But now, reality had slapped me. Without the "rules'" recognition, my "power" would be stripped away. Expelled, I’d lose my status as a tamer and my connection to this space might even collapse. Everything I owned would vanish.

The Queen sensed my distress and nuzzled me anxiously. I patted her crest, telling her I was fine, and exited the space. Consciousness returned to my body, the cool evening breeze hitting my face. I checked my phone. The three texts were still there.

"In trouble?"

"Page 78..."

"Want to pass? Library... —LC"

This time, there was no irritation. Only one thought remained: I must pass. Not for anyone else, but for the rising kingdom underground and for the dark path that belongs only to me. I stood up, dusted off my pants, and walk

ed toward the library.