American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

“How so?” Peter asked.

“In my hometown, there’s an old proverb,” Mario said, “‘A single chopstick is easy to break, but a bundle of chopsticks is hard to break.’ I think that’s the secret to your victory today.”

“Although this is a Chinese proverb,” Chen Kai said with a smile, “the principle is the same.”

“Haha, yes! Wisdom knows no borders!” Mario laughed.

After Mario left, Emily suddenly thought of a question, "Speaking of Alex, if he really can communicate with the symbiote, should we worry about him being affected by mental influences?"

“This is indeed a risk to consider,” Dr. Banner said seriously. “The symbiotes might try to control or influence the people they come into contact with.”

“We can take precautions,” Lynn thought, “such as limiting contact time, using protective equipment, and being prepared to cut off contact at any time.”

“Furthermore, my sensory abilities can monitor Alex’s mental state,” Sarah added. “If I detect anything unusual, I can issue an immediate warning.”

“There’s another problem,” Carlos asked, “what if the symbiote learns about us through Alex?”

“It’s a risk,” Lynn admitted, “but considering the potential benefits, I think it’s worth the try. Of course, we’ll make sure Alex doesn’t have access to any sensitive information.”

“I suggest starting with small-scale initial contact,” Emily proposed, “using the gentlest symbiote sample, observing the reaction before deciding whether to proceed further.”

“That’s a good suggestion,” Dr. Banner agreed. “Scientific research should proceed step by step.”

It was already past ten o'clock, and apart from their table, all the other guests in the restaurant had left.

"Shouldn't we be going?" Emma asked, glancing at the time.

“Yes, it’s getting late,” Lynn agreed, “and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

When they were about to pay, Mario insisted on not taking the money.

“I said I'd treat tonight,” he insisted. “It's my way of thanking the heroes.”

“Mario, you really don’t need it,” Lynn tried to decline.

“No, friend, let me do this little thing,” Mario interrupted. “You saved this city, including my family. This is the least I can do.”

In the end, Lynn had no choice but to accept Mario's offer, but insisted on leaving a generous tip for the waiter.

Outside the restaurant, the night breeze was cool, and there were very few pedestrians on the street.

“It was a very pleasant evening,” Emma said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a relaxed chat.”

“Yes,” Peter agreed, “sometimes we get so focused on work that we forget to enjoy life.”

“Work is about protecting the lives we want to protect,” Lynn said. “What’s the point of protecting them if we don’t even enjoy them ourselves?”

“Well said,” Dr. Banner agreed.

"So, see you tomorrow?" Chen Kai asked.

"See you tomorrow," everyone answered in unison.

Before parting, Sarah told Lynn, "I'll contact Alex first thing tomorrow morning; hopefully, it will be good news."

“Regardless of the outcome, we’ve made the right attempt,” Lynn encouraged. “That in itself is progress.”

By 8:00 AM the next morning, the FBI field office laboratory was already bustling with activity. Dr. Banner and his research team, having worked through the night, had made all the necessary preparations for the upcoming symbiote communication experiment. The entire laboratory was divided into three areas: an observation area, an experimental area, and an emergency isolation area, each equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring and security equipment.

Lynn stood in the observation area, looking through the bulletproof glass window at the containment device in the center of the experimental area. Inside was a relatively docile symbiote sample—one of the smaller individuals collected from yesterday's battle, and preliminary analysis showed it did not exhibit any obvious aggression.

"Has Sarah contacted Alex?" Lynn asked Emily, who had just entered the lab.

“We got in touch, and he’s more willing to help than we expected,” Emily replied. “Sarah said he’s very interested in this unprecedented communication challenge.”

When will he arrive?

"He should be here soon; Sarah has gone to pick him up."

Just then, the lab door opened, and Sarah walked in, followed by a man in his thirties. This was Alex Reid, whose appearance was somewhat different from Lynn's expectations—he was short, thin, with deep green eyes and slightly messy brown hair, wearing simple jeans and a plaid shirt, looking more like a university professor than a superhuman.

“Lynn, this is Alex,” Sarah introduced.

Alex approached Lynn, extending his hand. "Lynn Hall, I've heard so much about you. I've heard of your heroic deeds yesterday."

“You flatter me, Alex,” Lynn shook his hand, “thank you for your help. This experiment may carry some risks.”

“I understand the risks,” Alex nodded, “but if it helps build understanding between the two races, the risk is worth it.”

Alex's voice was calm, but Lynn could sense the unwavering determination within it.

“Before we begin, I’d like to understand the mechanisms of your abilities,” Dr. Banner approached, “This will help us design safer experimental procedures.”

“Of course,” Alex explained, “my abilities are based on emotional resonance and the transmission of intention. When I communicate with animals, I’m not ‘talking,’ but sharing emotions and images. Fear, curiosity, pain, pleasure—these basic emotions seem to be the common language of all conscious beings.”

“What about more complex concepts?” Emily asked, “like abstract ideas?”

“It needs to be translated into concrete images and emotional combinations,” Alex replied. “For example, if I wanted to convey the concept of ‘going home’ to a bird, I would send it feelings of warmth about home, as well as visual images of home.”

“Interesting,” Dr. Banner noted down this information. “So, have you ever had any experience with contact with non-terrestrial beings?”

“No, this will be the first time,” Alex admitted, “but I believe that basic life emotions should be universal. Fear is fear, no matter the planet.”

After an hour of preparation and discussion, the experiment finally began. Alex sat in a specially designed chair, facing the symbiote sample in the containment device. The entire team monitored the scene from the observation area, everyone tense and expectant.

“I’m going to begin,” Alex said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

For the first few minutes, there was no response. The symbiote in the containment device continued its calm, undisturbed movements, seemingly unaware of anything amiss.

But suddenly, the symbiote's movements changed. It stopped its random wriggling and began to pulsate rhythmically, like a heartbeat.

“There’s a response,” Sarah reported anxiously. “I can sense the change in energy fluctuations.”

Alex's expression changed, from focused to surprised, and then to deep sadness. "Alex, are you alright?" Lynn asked through the communicator.

“I…I felt immense pain,” Alex’s voice trembled, “and fear, a deep, profound fear.”

What kind of fear?

“The fear of death, the fear of loneliness,” Alex continued, “but also longing. The longing to live, the longing for home.”

The symbiote's pulses became more intense, and the containment device's monitoring equipment showed that its activity level was rising sharply.

“It’s trying to establish a deeper connection with me,” Alex reported. “I can sense that it wants to convey more information.”

“Be careful, don’t let it get into your consciousness,” Emily warned.

“I’ll be careful,” Alex assured him, then refocused.

For the next ten minutes, an eerie silence fell over the laboratory. Only the hum of the machines and the occasional soft sigh from Alex could be heard.

Suddenly, Alex opened his eyes, a look of shock on his face.

"Stop the experiment," Lynn ordered immediately.

Alex stood up, a little unsteady, and Emily immediately went to support him.

“I need to sit down,” Alex said. “I’ve got too much information.”

They helped Alex to the lounge and poured him a glass of water.

"Are you alright?" Lynn asked with concern.

“Physically I’m fine,” Alex replied, “but mentally… I need time to process all this.”

"What have you learned?" Dr. Banner asked eagerly.

Alex took a deep breath and began to recount the astonishing information he had gleaned from the communication.

“First of all, this symbiote has a name; it calls itself ‘Zeta,’” Alex began. “It comes from a planet called ‘Krindal,’ about a thousand light-years from Earth.”

“A thousand light-years,” Peter exclaimed. “How did they get to Earth?”

“That’s the shocking part,” Alex continued, “Zeta showed me the fate of their planet. There was an interstellar war that lasted for hundreds of years, not a war within their own race, but a war against another expanding alien race.”

"What kind of alien race?" Lynn asked.

“Zeta calls them ‘devourers,’ a type of mechanized creature that specializes in destroying other civilizations and absorbing their resources,” Alex’s voice grew heavy. “The result of the war was that Klindal became a desolate world, its atmosphere polluted, its land poisoned, utterly uninhabitable.”

This information silenced everyone.

“So how did they escape?” Emily asked.

“That’s what makes the symbiotic race special,” Alex explained. “They don’t need spaceships or complex technology. They can enter a dormant state and drift through the universe using solar winds and interstellar dust.”

“How long have you been drifting?” Sarah asked.

“Zeta isn’t sure of the exact time, but based on its memory, it should be several thousand years,” Alex replied. “They drift through space, occasionally encountering asteroids or comets, gaining a little energy, and then continuing their drift.”

“Thousands of years of drifting,” Dr. Banner said incredulously, “this will to survive is truly admirable.”

“Yes, but that also explains their longing for Earth,” Alex continued. “For creatures that have drifted alone in space for thousands of years, Earth is like paradise. Abundant life, a suitable environment, and plentiful energy.”

"So what are their real intentions?" Lynn asked the most crucial question.

Alex's expression became complicated. "That's the problem. There are serious disagreements within them."

What kind of disagreement?

“Zeta told me that there are roughly three factions within the symbiote race,” Alex explained in detail. “The first faction is the ‘Harmony Faction,’ who desire peaceful coexistence with humans, like a true symbiotic relationship, where both parties benefit rather than control each other.”

“That sounds good,” Peter said.

“The second faction is the ‘Adaptation Faction,’” Alex continued. “They don’t oppose coexisting with humans, but they hope to modify humans to make them more suitable for fusion with symbiotes, which essentially means evolving humans into a more advanced form.”

“This is essentially tantamount to changing the very nature of humanity,” Emily said worriedly.

“Yes, and the third faction is the ‘Dominion,’ like Knorr we encountered,” Alex’s voice turned serious, “They believe that humans are inferior beings who should be completely controlled or replaced.”

"So what are the proportions of these three factions?" Lynn asked.

“Zeta estimates that the Harmonists make up about 30%, the Adaptists 40%, and the Dominators 30%,” Alex replied. “But the problem is that while the Dominators aren’t the most numerous, they are the most organized, and they are more willing to use violence.”

This information made everyone fall into deep thought.

“There’s worse news,” Alex continued, “Zeta told me that the symbiote population in New York is only a small fraction of the global symbiote population.”

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked nervously.

“Over the past fifty years, symbiotes have dispersed across the globe,” Alex explained, “primarily concentrated in large cities, but some are also hidden in remote areas. Zeta estimates there may be thousands of individual symbiotes worldwide.”

“Thousands?” Dr. Banner exclaimed in shock. “That’s a much larger scale than we imagined.”

“Moreover, they have been observing and learning from human societies,” Alex added, “gathering information and waiting for the right moment. Yesterday’s events were actually a turning point.”

"What kind of turning point?" Emily asked.

“Knorr’s death sent a signal to all symbiotes,” Alex explained. “Humans are more powerful and organized than they imagined. This makes the Harmonists more inclined to seek cooperation, but it also makes the Dominators more radical.”

"In other words, the situation could be polarized," Lynn analyzed.

“Correct. Zeta is worried about a potential conflict within the symbiotes,” Alex nodded, “a war between friendly and aggressive symbiotes, and humanity will be drawn into it.” (End of Chapter)