Well, the wattpad app is still being uncooperative. Seems like with every update, it becomes even more dysfunctional! Because that's how updates are supposed to work! Good going, Wattpad. You're doing great.

(That was sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell.)

But anyway. Working our way into the factory, we finally get to see what it is that they're making...

That's right, this big factory is producing those big alien grunts that shoot bees at us!

I really do appreciate how much work Black Mesa puts into showing you this. In Half-Life, I wasn't really sure of what was going on, or even really that I was in a factory until much later. But Black Mesa, they put it right there in your face.

One thing that's not explained, though, in HL or BM, is what exactly the grunts are. Like, we know they're manufactured, but are they genetically modified vortigaunts? Or are they test tube babies, created entirely from scratch for the explicit purpose of fighting, and the only reason they bear resemblance to the vortigaunts is because it's the vorts that are making them? Are they even actually related to the vortigaunts at all? None of this is ever really answered, and I don't know.

We also get to see this room where hivehands are produced. Because we need more bee guns.

We also get to see grunts being transported through big pneumatic tubes! I wanna ride in a big pneumatic tube...

But Gordon Freeman never gets the chance. Oh well, I guess you get to do that in Portal 2 as Chell, so I'll just have to be satisfied with that.

But anyway. After a bit more running around and pressing buttons-

Things start exploding! Guess that means that's where we should start heading, so now we get to run around on these tubes of green liquid that stick out of the fleshwalls.

Here's an up close of one of the in-progress grunts.

Can't find a way forward? Easy! Just blow open a grating with an explosive barrel and jump into the green liquid filled tube!

No, it doesn't count as riding in a pneumatic tube. Pneumatic is air, not green mystery fluid.

Anyway, after a short green mystery fluid tube ride, we get dumped into-

One of the big tanks with a bunch of in-progress alien grunts in it! It... can't be healthy for you to be swimming in that, Gordon.

So, we'll just climb out and run around some more and--

Y'see, Gordon? This is why you don't go hitting buttons when you have no idea what they do! You got a bunch of innocent vortigaunts killed! And not only that, but now there are a bunch of super painful lasers blocking the way that wouldn't have been there otherwise! Nice going, Freeman!

This looks like some sort of boss battle chamber. This looks really like some sort of boss battle chamber.

But it's not. You just walk straight through it, no problem. Which really surprised me.

A bit more crawling through flesh caves, and we find... more factory. What a surprise.

But on the approach, you meet a handful of well-prepared alien grunts, for your first time engaging them in real combat in Xen. And boy oh boy have they changed. On Earth, they were kinda tanky. You know, charging at you, kinda slow and clumsy, but with the health and firepower (space-bee power?) to make up for it. Well, they still have the health and firepower, but now, in their homeworld with lower gravity, they move a lot different. They're fast, and agile, and they actively dodge your shots. They're so much more powerful and it came as a big surprise to me. I admit I died here... several times lol.

But my recommendation for fighting them? Get up close and personal, and give 'em a few good shotgun blasts point blank to the chest. That takes care of them pretty well.

A bit of factory climbing later, and we're introduced to a new mechanic!

These big green crystals? They give you infinite gluon gun ammo! Infinite laser cannon ammo!! Infinite ammo for the most powerful weapon in the game!! Infinite ammo for the weapon that vaporizes almost any enemy in just a few seconds!!!

Needless to say,

When the controllers showed up and started shooting fireballs at me,

And this big door opened and more alien grunts came running out at me, I had some fun with this. Good luck stopping Gordon and his infinite ammo gluon gun!

And that's all for this part! I'll leave you off here with this ominously green glowing room. (Nothing happens in it. I just think it looks cool.)