Chapter 51
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Chapter 51: "The Devourer"
The innocent Ji Yongxing, the victim Wang Xiao, the investigator Zhuang Mian, and the innocent victim and investigator El stood less than ten meters away from the flesh blob in the basement.
The four devotees had gathered here, uncertain whether it was mere coincidence or the hand of fate.
In any case, the boss battle had begun.
Though it initially resembled a gathering of superheroes, the illusion shattered quickly, and soon the four were being chased frantically by the flesh blob.
Hanging upside down in the elevator shaft, the “Paster” Lin Qingliu observed the scene before him and couldn’t help but sigh softly.
He wasn’t planning to intervene just yet, but the others displayed absolutely no coordination.
This was understandable; while their abilities were not without offensive potential, to the thick-skinned and resilient flesh blob, their efforts felt like mere tickling.
In the lobby on the first floor, more and more surviving researchers gathered.
At least fifty of them witnessed a flesh blob plummeting from above.
To buy enough time for his "little lambs" to engage in the boss battle, Lin Qingliu’s tall, slender figure materialized instantly at the elevator entrance.
He clapped his hands to draw the attention of those around him, projecting an air of authority as if he were the most commanding presence there.
As the researchers gathered to hear his insights, a sharp, soul-piercing snap echoed in their ears.
“Snap!”
The oddly dressed, peculiar figure simply snapped his fingers to demand silence, then explained his status as a member of the direct superpowered group under headquarters. He informed them that the superpowered individuals had taken control of the battle, assuring them there was no need to worry, though they were not permitted to leave at will.
The researchers finally exhaled in relief, beginning to converse with their familiar colleagues.
In reality, nearly a hundred researchers now drooled, their eyelids heavy, resembling a scene of deep slumber.
Group lucid dreaming!
Lin Qingliu nodded with satisfaction, his body gradually sinking into the ground as he continued to observe the battle below.
—
Zhuang Mian raised her hand and fired a shot, obliterating one of the flesh blob’s eyes. As bodily fluids and tissue splattered, a new eye quickly emerged on the creature’s surface.
It seemed this monstrosity possessed an endless supply of organs; no matter how the four damaged it, their efforts had little effect.
El had already extracted seven or eight hearts from the monster’s body using his skill, “Approximate Exchange,” yet the creature appeared entirely unharmed, its massive form rolling and relentlessly pressing down on them.
By now, the devotees had witnessed the flesh blob’s gruesome feats firsthand. Faced with such overwhelming power, they had no capacity for direct confrontation.
After five relentless minutes of pursuit, the inevitable horror unfolded.
The flesh blob pinned Wang Xiao’s foot, and their skins fused together.
Realizing it had captured its target, the flesh blob sprouted seven or eight hands and feet, resembling jellyfish tentacles, which coiled tightly around Wang Xiao.
In mere moments, the entire lower leg of Wang Xiao had been devoured by the blob.
The young, robust man’s face twisted in distress.
He felt as though he were sinking into quicksand; every struggle only dragged him deeper.
Suddenly, several beams of white light flashed, and three or four of the arms gripping Wang Xiao were swapped to El’s side.
The severed limbs, now free from the flesh blob, writhed on the ground like fish out of water, desperately grasping at anything within reach.
“Find a way!”
El shouted once more, feeling his abilities straining under the pressure.
He wasn’t sure why he shouted, but he knew that Wang Xiao, who was half-swallowed, Zhuang Mian, a graduate of the Security Academy, and even the seemingly refined young man had all read far more books than he had.
To El, being well-read meant intelligence, and intelligence meant the ability to come up with solutions.
At that moment, survival had become the top priority for the four of them. Though they hadn’t discussed it in detail, they had a rough understanding of each other’s abilities.
Hearing the shout, Ji Yongxing refocused his attention on his eyes.
This time, he used Wang Xiao as his observation target, attempting to pierce through the flesh blob’s skin with his vision.
The immense mental strain caused the young researcher’s brow to furrow slightly. A few seconds later, he shouted:
“Below the third leg on the right side is its brain!”
As if he had seen something, he added in a quieter tone,
“One of them…
“Anyway, it’s the largest one. We need to attack that spot and give it a concussion.”
When fully activated, Ji Yongxing’s ability granted him a partial x-ray vision. He could see that inside the flesh blob were several large brains, but one stood out as the largest and most active.
His intuition told him that striking that spot could break the monster’s defenses!
Zhuang Mian bit her lip, sensing that they had reached a critical juncture.
Since acquiring her ability through "Dream Illusion," she had only used it twice.
But there was no time to hesitate. Zhuang Mian sprinted forward, entering the range of her power.
As she ran, she aimed at the brain location Ji Yongxing had mentioned and fired three shots, hoping to briefly incapacitate the monster.
Just before several monstrous hands could seize her, she stopped less than a meter from the flesh blob, closed her eyes, and extended her hand.
“Chaos,” she activated.
The hands that had been reaching for Zhuang Mian from all angles suddenly seemed to lose their target, freezing mid-air before slowly dropping.
Even the arms that had detached from the blob ceased their aimless flailing and thrashing, plunging the basement into an eerie silence.
The flesh blob boss fell into a sleep-like state, and its consumption of Wang Xiao slowed.
But this didn’t seem like a good thing…
“I—I can’t feel my legs!”
Wang Xiao stammered, unsure how to articulate his panic, but he still reported his condition to his two unfamiliar teammates.
Zhuang Mian couldn’t keep the flesh blob in this dormant state forever. If the three of them didn’t come up with a solution soon, death was inevitable.
Ji Yongxing felt his brain growing warm. The boy, often hailed as a genius, found himself at a loss for ideas. Something still felt unclear to him.
To clear his thoughts, he shouted,
“Why does Zhao Kai need to eat you?!”
“Because he wants my regenerative ability!”
“Was this ability taken from you?”
Ji Yongxing glanced at the flesh blob, nearly five meters in radius, then at Wang Xiao, who was almost entirely consumed, and felt the world had taken a surreal turn.
It was all upside down—the ability had rebelled!
In a flash of inspiration, a brilliant idea struck Ji Yongxing:
“Eat it!”
He shouted again:
“He wants to eat you, so why can’t you eat it? The ability is yours to begin with; there’s no reason for you to lose!”
