Chapter 26

"Rustle—"

At that very moment, a subtle, skittering sound emerged from the lush shrubbery beneath the balcony.

Qi Wu finally snapped out of his daze, casting his gaze toward the shadows at his feet. The sound that had just brushed past his ears seemed like nothing more than the night wind stirring the treetops. Yet, to Qi Wu, the suppressed, low-pitched growls and ragged gasps of a monster in the dark were as clear and jarring as a thunderclap.

Qi Wu lowered his head to peer into the darkness.

A grayish-white shadow was writhing and slithering beneath the dense foliage. Its movements were swift, yet precise, soft, and fluid, much like a true reptile. In fact, it now appeared entirely like a mutated, deformed, and oversized reptile. Its entire body was a dull, grayish-white hue. As it crawled, its limbs remained pressed tightly against the ground, its neck stretched unnaturally long, while its head had degenerated into a small, flattened shape—as if someone had maliciously crushed it between two massive glass plates.

The head was now permanently fixed in that grotesque state. Its facial features were completely distorted, embedded flat upon the disc-shaped skull; its nose had become two rows of slender, deep pores, and its eyes were rolled back to show only the whites. Its mouth had shifted to the opposite side of its body.

As it approached, the monster constantly secreted fresh slime. That slime left a glittering, damp trail across the chaotic layer of fallen leaves in the shrubbery... A腥膻 (gamey/fishy) stench, unique to the creature, began to permeate the air.

*

Qi Wu’s pupils contracted into tiny pinpricks.

He stared coldly at the monster on the ground, his previously mercurial expression instantly freezing into a beast-like bloodlust and ferocity. The monster’s instincts began to surge and roil within him.

Even disregarding that tyrannical monster instinct, the human part of Qi Wu’s body was currently in a state of extreme agitation. He had clearly sealed Xie Xishu’s bedroom tightly, and the boy himself was saturated with Qi Wu’s own scent. Yet, for reasons unknown, all night long, low-level monsters that should have avoided this place like the plague had been flocking here like moths to a flame, repeatedly attempting to draw near. Each one of them, through their slime, saliva, and the odors they emitted, made their extreme craving for Xie Xishu unmistakably clear.

This was a direct challenge to Qi Wu’s status.

*Xie Xishu...*
*He is clearly my possession.*

Qi Wu bared his teeth, his long tongue darting out to flicker in the air. Immediately after, several tentacles drooped slowly from his split palms, hanging limply against the thick layer of fallen leaves in the garden like dead snakes.

The white crawling monster in the lead stopped abruptly about ten meters from the villa. It lifted its flattened head, sniffing the air for a long while. The strange, clicking sounds in the monster’s throat became more frequent; its instincts were issuing a warning, cautioning it of the undeniable danger lurking in the darkness. However, the temptation so close at hand made it impossible to turn away.

*So fragrant...*

Within the monster’s chaotic mind, nothing remained but that irresistible, sweet scent.

*I love it.*
*I love it so much.*
*I want to get closer. I want to press against it. I want to...*

The next second, the monster’s thoughts were interrupted by a wave of sharp pain.

Qi Wu’s tentacles lunged directly onto the white creature’s neck, winding around it with force. The monster suddenly threw its head back in the night; its dying instinct forced an uncontrollable scream, but the sound was choked off at the tip of its tongue.

Qi Wu had already maneuvered his tentacles to burrow directly into the monster’s brain. He began to devour the腥臭 (fetid) and scalding brains in large gulps. Even a creature with immense vitality could not endure such devouring for long. Its body twitched for a moment before slowly turning limp and dangling.

Thick slime, mixed with blood plasma, dripped continuously along Qi Wu’s tentacles.

A few minutes later, Qi Wu dragged the now-drained white creature up onto the balcony steps. He reached out, grabbed the creature’s flimsy, hollow skin, and examined it carefully in the dim moonlight.

Qi Wu focused his observation on the distorted facial features. A few seconds later, his brow furrowed. Cracks opened across his body, revealing teeth better suited for tearing and chewing—he saw no traits of his own family or friends on the creature. Bored, he opened his "mouth" and hastily devoured the remains in a few quick bites.

It was strange; before this, by hunting other monsters, Qi Wu could maintain a feeling of satiety for a long time. But he didn't know when it started—he found that even when he was full, he felt increasingly empty, increasingly famished.

He knew very well that what he truly wanted to eat was something else. A being that was sweeter, more fragrant, and completely defenseless against him—

But the small shred of humanity he had left would never allow him to succumb to that beastly craving.

Thus, the only thing Qi Wu could do now was to keep devouring, to keep incorporating more monsters into his own body. In truth, even Qi Wu did not quite understand why he could so calmly consume the corpses of creatures that were his own kind not long ago. Yet, deep down, his intuition kept warning him that he had to do this.

He had to force himself to remain in a state of fullness. Only then could he hold back.

Hold back...

Suddenly, Qi Wu’s movements ceased.

He caught a whiff of that familiar, intoxicating scent. Xie Xishu’s fragrance was wafting from the tightly shut bedroom behind him, spreading continuously through the night. Qi Wu turned his head abruptly; through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the bedroom, he could clearly see the boy inside.

Just like a short while ago, Xie Xishu’s body was sunk into the center of the large bed,