TFOF Ch37

The closer they got to the shelter, the more thoroughly the area had been “cleansed” of monsters.

On both sides of the road, bullet shells and scorched marks from burning were visible on the buildings, and some areas had directly turned into rubble—an unsightly mix of concrete chunks and steel rebar, leaving no doubt that explosions had taken place there. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, undercut by the faint stench unique to scorched flesh and blood.

The silence was absolute.

Only the crunch of shattered cement and glass shards underfoot marked the trio’s passage.

There was a substantial amount of debris here, and they had to tread carefully to avoid stepping on exposed rebar or the sharp edges of broken metal signs. Likely because of this, conversation between the three was minimal, and they moved in silence, each seemingly focused on finding a path…completely unaware of a creature with blood-red eyes, staring fixatedly at them from a gap in a nearby abandoned building.

The creature resembled a beetle.

Its spine and ribcage, which should have been covered by skin, were fully exposed, forming bony plates over its soft internal organs. New limbs had sprouted from its armpits and waist, with palms covered in fine, pitch-black bristles. These adaptations allowed it to cling tightly to the underside of concrete slabs, while its flattened form let it slip easily into crevices inaccessible to humans. This gave it clear advantages in hunting and avoiding predators. However, after a long ordeal of bombardment and slaughter, even this creature hadn’t encountered prey for a while; now, it was nearly insane with hunger.

The monster directed all its senses toward the humans passing through its hunting range.

It picked up a scent that made it shudder with fear.

That was the scent of an exceptionally powerful monster.

And this monster had evenly spread its pheromones over the person beside it, but even so, that person’s sweet scent was still palpable.

The sweetness drifting on the breeze made the beetle monster salivate, its hunger mounting to an unbearable level.

Instinct warned it that approaching those three “humans” would spell danger, yet the greed in its monstrous blood drove it to silently edge closer, tailing them.

Naturally, out of caution, the beetle monster refrained from directly attacking the two walking in front.

Ravenous and desperate, it set its sights on the third member of the group—the individual at the back of the formation, the one no one seemed to pay much attention to.

It extended its venomous maw, waiting for its target to pass right beneath its hiding spot.

At that moment, it would have easily pierced the top of the man’s skull and greedily sucked out the warm, soft, protein-rich brain matter encased in its fragile shell.

However, just as it was about to touch the man’s head, a slender hand suddenly reached out and grabbed its mouthparts. The beetle monster was then yanked directly off the wall and thrown to the ground.

The monster let out a shrill scream.

It frantically flailed its five or six arms, trying to flip itself over to escape, but a heavy foot pressed down on the bony plate of its abdomen, pinning it in place.

Then, as it attempted to attack the intruder with its slender mouthparts…

Squelch—

With a wet, thick tearing sound, the monster’s soft, juicy organs were pulled directly from its body along with its mouthparts.

As soon as the bright red organs hit the ground, they scattered rapidly as if they had minds of their own, attempting to flee into the shadows.

However, they were soon pursued by countless thin, crimson, snake-like tendrils, which slithered swiftly after them, capturing and devouring each piece one by one.

The monster, now an empty shell, lay belly-up on the ground, gradually losing all signs of movement.

…

“Ahhh, what the hell is that?!”

Only then did Xiao Tianming grasp what had happened.

Turning to see the grotesque creature on the ground, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Especially when he caught sight of a tear in the fabric near his shoulder. His face instantly drained of color.

“Damn, that thing was targeting me, wasn’t it? And its saliva even dripped on me?! Ugh, why are these monsters so spineless? Why does every single one we encounter drool over me and no one else?!”

Xiao Tianming clutched his head in despair.

Qi Wu shot him a cold glance. “If you’re so tired of the small monsters, you’re free to go on your own.”

Xiao Tianming immediately fell silent.

“I-I’m just saying… You’re so powerful, any monster that tries to get close to Xie would be killed before it even showed its face. But for me, every time it’s almost fatal before you step in. We’ve been through thick and thin together; isn’t there a bit of camaraderie here…?”

Halfway through his rant, Xiao Tianming stopped.

He tilted his head, staring at Qi Wu’s pitch-black eyes, and suddenly had an epiphany. “Wait, did you… do that on purpose?”

Qi Wu cast him a disdainful glance. “Tch.”

A chill ran down Xiao Tianming’s spine, and goosebumps popped up all over his skin.

So it was revenge.

Ever since he had accidentally interrupted these two students’ tender moment, Xiao Tianming had sensed that his status in this little group was plummeting.

Of course, Xie Xishu didn’t seem to mind his minor slip-up too much, since Xie was genuinely kind-hearted. But Qi Wu… Well, it seemed that he’d refrained from burying him alive only for Xie’s sake.

*

Recalling the way Qi Wu had looked at him, Xiao Tianming shivered and quickly decided to tread more carefully. He sheepishly tried to smooth things over: “B-But really, it’s my bad! Sure, I attract the little monsters, but you guys keep the big ones away, so I’m still grateful to be here with you…”

His forced laugh was more pitiful than cheerful.

Qi Wu ignored him.

He turned away and quickly walked over to a silent, thin figure standing nearby.

“All clear… Let’s go…”

The wind shifted, and Xiao Tianming overheard Qi Wu’s gentle murmur to Xie Xishu.

*

“Okay,” Xie replied, smiling as Qi Wu dealt with Xiao Tianming’s latest crisis with evident impatience.

But as soon as Xie took a step, his vision suddenly blacked out, and he almost collapsed from a sudden wave of exhaustion.

“Xie Xishu—”

Qi Wu swiftly reached out and grabbed Xie’s shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

After regaining his balance, Xie rubbed his forehead and quickly shook off the dizziness.

“I’m fine,” he replied reflexively, only to receive a sharp glare from Qi Wu.

“You nearly collapsed, and you say you’re fine? Who do you think you’re fooling…”

Xie couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“I really am fine,” he said.

Once the dizziness passed, he felt perfectly normal. Judging by his own assessment, it was probably just low blood sugar.

Yet Qi Wu looked ready to sound the alarm.

Not only did he halt their journey, but he promptly set up camp on the spot.

“I’ll go get you something to replenish your strength.”

Qi Wu motioned for Xie to sit down, then drew his blade—before Xie could even react, he’d cleanly sliced off several of his own tendrils.

Xiao Tianming sucked in a breath at the sight.

The next moment defied all his expectations—Qi Wu’s wounds didn’t bleed; instead, thin, red tissue sprouted from the stumps as the tendrils detached, sealing the wound immediately.

The fallen tendrils wriggled like living snakes, their movements quick and agile, each dotted with tiny eyes whose irises and shapes matched Qi Wu’s.

“I’ll take a quick look around the area. I’ll be back soon.”

Qi Wu gently brushed Xie’s pale cheek, lowering his voice.

“I’ll be back soon…”

Meeting Xie Xishu’s disapproving gaze, Qi Wu repeated himself.

Then, he tilted his head slightly, glancing at the tendrils lying at his feet out of the corner of his eye.

“They… they’re pretty much like me now. If there’s any danger, you can just throw them out.”

Seeing how serious Qi Wu was, Xie Xishu hesitated for a moment before nodding.

…

These tendrils, able to separate directly from Qi Wu’s body and move independently, were likely the ultimate product of Qi Wu’s most recent transformation.

Much like the headless woman from before, Qi Wu could now detach parts of his body at will, creating a sort of “clone” of himself. He could share thoughts and sensations with these clones, and the separated entities had a limited amount of independent consciousness.

Whether in battle or, as now, in everyday situations, these little entities were undeniably useful—their only drawback being that they seemed rather creepy and revolting to outsiders.

Once the sound of Qi Wu’s footsteps faded away, the tendrils that had been slithering near Xie Xishu’s feet suddenly reared up as if they’d heard a piper’s tune, like venomous snakes raising their heads. The tendrils’ severed ends had sprouted circular, tooth-filled mouths, and they now ignored everything else, winding themselves around Xie Xishu’s legs. Climbing all the way up, they eventually snuggled into Xie Xishu’s arms, as if seeking warmth like some kind of small animal.

“C-careful?!”

Watching the aggressive, untamed behavior of those things, Xiao Tianming’s teeth chattered as he couldn’t help but call out a warning.

In truth, not only Xiao Tianming but even Xie Xishu hadn’t fully adjusted to these new “companions.” As the weight pressed down on his chest, he reflexively lifted his hands, leaning back slightly.

It was a classic defensive posture.

Sensing Xie Xishu’s reluctance, the tendrils paused.

They rested on his knees, swaying for a moment, then slowly drooped down as if they were worn-out springs.

Xie Xishu looked down at the tendrils, meeting their densely-packed, moist, yet gentle eyes. After a few seconds of hesitation, he mumbled a reply to Xiao Tianming, “… It’s fine. They won’t hurt me.”

At the same time, he slowly lowered his hands.

After a brief hesitation, he extended a finger and gently stroked the back of one of the tendrils’ necks (if they even had such a thing).

Hissss…

A thin, sharp whine escaped from the little creature’s gaping mouth.

They began to tremble uncontrollably, and their already damp bodies became coated in even more sticky fluid.

Then, as if in a rush, they all clamored to coil around Xie Xishu’s fingers.

Support me on Ko-fi

Join my Discord