Master of the Starry Sky

The second grenade inflicted merely superficial wounds upon the octopus monster. Moments earlier, with a fierce inhalation, it had retracted its entire rear orifice into its abdomen, while its skirt-like muscular body contracted tightly, shielding its vital core.

Sun'er shivered violently, scrambled to her feet, and mustered all her strength to dash up the slope.

The octopus monster flipped fiercely, slamming down its four tentacles simultaneously, shattering a vast swath of ground beneath. Its grotesque eyes rolled with deadly intent, fixating unwaveringly on Lizhui.

Now, its foremost nemesis had shifted from Shao Yao Yao to Lizhui. The severing of one tentacle was a bitter blow, but the destruction of its feeding apparatus was akin to losing half its life—after all, all sustenance and survival hinged upon that very orifice.

At that moment, Jie Donghao slowly regained consciousness, groggy and attempting to rise, only to be ensnared by a tentacle. The octopus, acting on instinct, attempted to shove him downward but recoiled instantly in pain upon touching its own wound, springing up with a furious leap.

Enraged to the core, the octopus monster lashed its tentacle fiercely, slamming Jie Donghao violently against the cave ceiling. With a swift recoil, it struck him down again onto the ground, leaving him a mangled mass of flesh.

Sun'er reached halfway, retrieving a bow and arrows from the discarded backpack. She ignited a burning stick and hurled it fiercely toward the beast.

Illuminated by the fiery glow, she drew the bowstring taut and released an arrow that pierced the monster's flesh, penetrating only three inches.

With a primal roar, Sun'er unleashed three more arrows in rapid succession. Though all found their mark, the creature seemed unfazed, continuing to ensnare the other two teammates, crushing them into pulp as well.

"Get up here! Don't go looking for death!" Lizhui bellowed.

Though arrows could not kill the monster, they served to enrage it. Yet the creature refrained from attacking; once wounded, it desperately needed to feed. But with its feeding orifice shattered, how could it nourish itself?

Sensing the metallic scent of blood pooling around, the monster cunningly pressed its nostrils against the corpses, sucking at the blood with its nose.

"Hand me the rifle, Yao Yao! All of you, get into the small cavern!" Lizhui commanded, pointing at Yongzi.

Reluctantly, Yao Yao handed over the revolver to Lizhui, then hoisted Yongzi onto her back and crawled into the narrow cave.

Lizhui tied five backpacks together with a rope, forming a makeshift chain, as Sun'er emerged.

"Yongzi! Yongzi! What happened to you?"

Yongzi forced a faint smile, blood streaming unceasingly from the corner of his mouth. His survival owed not only to his sturdy bones but also to his instinctive curling of the body and shielding limbs when ensnared.

Still, the tentacle's grip had torn his flesh, damaged his muscles and bones, and injured his internal organs. Without urgent treatment, death was inevitable.

Lizhui urged Sun'er to carry Yongzi into the small cave while he hoisted the rifle and, dragging the linked backpacks, prepared to follow.

Feng Sun'er stood tall at 179 cm, weighing 61 kilograms, while Huzi, though shorter at 169 cm, weighed a hefty 92 kilograms. The passage was barely wide enough for two people side by side, steep, and slick with flowing water—a task far from ordinary.

She secured Huzi to her back with a climbing harness, hung her backpack across her chest, clenched a flashlight between her teeth, and with the aid of an ice axe, painstakingly climbed over ten meters. Upon entering the cavern, she was confronted by a colossal serpent, upright and unnervingly bearing a human head.

Instinctively, Feng Sun'er let out a piercing scream, abandoning her flashlight and ice axe, executing a backward roll, and instinctively plunging into the water to flee—only to collide headfirst with Lì Zhuī.

"Don't panic! She's not a monster!" Lì Zhuī hastily helped her to her feet, explaining as he spoke.

"She clearly has a serpent's body! How can she not be a monster?" Sun'er protested, struggling to break free but found herself immobilized.

"Let me go! Who exactly are you?" she demanded.

"She is a genetically modified human, and I am… I am one as well."

Lì Zhuī had intended to claim he was a hybrid, but reconsidered, deciding it wiser to keep some truths veiled.

"So, you're allied with that octopus beast?" she pressed.

"Nonsense! The octopus is a genetically modified animal, while we are genetically enhanced humans. That distinction is as vast as that between man and ghost."

"What kind of genes are you modified with?"

"Newt—our greatest advantage lies in rapid bodily regeneration."

Reassured by this explanation, Sun'er relaxed somewhat but still hesitated to proceed. Growing weary of her resistance, Lì Zhuī seized the harness and hoisted them both up, carrying them together.

The small cavern widened at no more than three meters, extending about ten meters in length. The flattest section naturally served as a makeshift sanctuary for the wounded. At the cavern's end yawned a vast fissure, from which a stream flowed—possibly an exit, or perhaps a spring.

After administering some medicine to Huzi, Sun'er took the initiative to assess Yongzi's injuries. "This gentleman is suffering internal bleeding. If surgery isn't performed within twenty-four hours, I fear…"

Lì Zhuī nodded thoughtfully. "I believe that fissure leads to the surface, but first I must regain my strength. Also, I have a notion—if we can capture that octopus beast and extract its blood, perhaps our two comrades could drink it and be healed."

"Brother, that sounds rather fantastical," Sun'er chuckled. She hadn't expected this genetically modified elder to indulge in such mystical tales.

Lì Zhuī smiled calmly. "Our Earth's ancestors have long used animals as medicine—octopuses among them. Besides, this octopus creature possesses extraordinary vitality, making it a potent tonic to replenish blood and invigorate qi."

From beneath his vest, he withdrew a sticky, nearly translucent mass veined with crimson strands of octopus flesh, cleaving it in two with a dagger.

Squatting down, Lì Zhuī gently pried open Yongzi's jaw, grasping a palm-sized portion. With a slight pressure, it dissolved into viscous liquid that he poured into Yongzi's mouth.

He offered the other piece to Sun'er, who hesitated, unwilling to accept. After all, the creature bore human genes; the thought of consuming its flesh conjured images of carrion in her mind.

"Brother, give it to me," Huzi murmured, struggling to extend his hand.

Lizhui beheld a deformed palm, its metacarpals unusually short, each finger possessing but a single phalanx.

Huzi forced the octopus flesh into his mouth; the act of chewing stirred his wounded innards, blood once more trickling down the corner of his lips.

Yet, wearing a faint smile, he swallowed the morsel as if unaffected.

Silently cheering, Lizhui moved to the other side and sat down. He unpacked a can of meat for Yaoyao, while he himself subsisted on compressed biscuits. He made no effort to invite Sun'er, guessing she lacked appetite.

The humanoid salamanders, sensing the scent of meat yet denied a share, grumbled in discontent. Yaoyao flicked her python tail and cracked an invisible whip; the salamanders promptly darted into the water, only to return moments later.

One large salamander, emboldened by Lizhui's affection, clambered onto his thigh, swaying coquettishly.

Lizhui broke off a piece of biscuit and offered it; the creature chewed twice before unexpectedly spitting it all over his face.

With a swift grip on its nape, he tossed it into the stream. "If you want meat, fetch it yourself!"

Grinning mischievously at Sun'er, Lizhui noted how the salamanders swiftly encircled her.

A chill of goosebumps rose on Sun'er's skin, yet she concealed her unease. "No canned food, but I have a box of chocolate."

Before she finished, Lizhui darted over, snatched the chocolate without even peeling the foil, and stuffed it into his mouth.

His haste was not born of craving, but because chocolate, once ingested, converted to energy far more efficiently than raw beef.

Having devoured a full kilogram, Lizhui was invigorated, somersaulted deftly, and plunged into the creek.

Yaoyao, having finished her can, leaned against the rock to recuperate. Thus, within the cavern, save for the disgruntled murmurs of the salamanders, only the sound of flowing water remained.

As the octopus flesh settled in Huzi's stomach, a profound reaction stirred within him—a wave of icy relief that gradually transformed into a comforting warmth, coursing through his vital organs.

Mayong experienced the same, though his grievous wounds blunted the effect.

Huzi raised two stubby fingers, forming a triumphant V.

Sun'er, ecstatic, exclaimed, "Brother! You were right! This octopus meat truly is a miraculous remedy! We must get more!"

Lizhui shook his head with a wry smile. "The octopus beast is recovering swiftly. Prepare for battle."

Rising from the creek, strategy already forming in his mind.

Below, the octopus creature soaked in the pool, disturbed by the mingling scent of Lizhui's blood and sweat, growing restless. Yet its regenerative pace remained largely undeterred.

With a speed visible to the naked eye, it first mended the fissure in its maw, yet showed no haste to regrow its teeth—understanding, mysteriously, that even new teeth require days to harden.

It then concentrated its energies on evolving its tentacles. The limb previously shattered by She Yaoyao had already regrown thicker, longer, and more robust than before.

Now, it intended to evolve this tentacle into the primary arm, while the two adjacent tentacles steadily atrophied, their cells undergoing autolysis to nourish the dominant limb.

In this cavernous realm, day and night blurred indistinctly, yet time marched on, ushering in the stroke of midnight on July 3rd.

As if summoned by a pre-set alarm, the octopus beast surged from the pool, its primary arm coiling around a massive iron cudgel. It strode with rhythmic purpose, like a lord on inspection, reentering the subterranean expanse.

Confident in its rare gift—the ability to evolve after each fierce battle—it withheld its assault, driven instead by hunger. How to feed without teeth? Yet, it had a method.

Reversing the cudgel like a mortar pestle, it pulverized a corpse with a few crushing blows, then, assuming a wide stance, it pressed its toothless maw to the remains and s*ck*d in a rush of matter in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing behind.

It repeated this grim ritual with three bodies, consuming them wholly and commencing the conversion into vital energy.

Suddenly, its two nostrils dilated to several times their size and emitted a piercing, whistle-like wail.

Simultaneously, it unleashed a burst of power, sprinting up the cavern slope like a tempest. With a mighty crash, the iron cudgel struck the tunnel entrance, which collapsed under the impact like a bomb blast, toppling several square meters.

The evolved primary tentacle wielded the cudgel to smash, while the two regressed limbs clawed away, swiftly widening the narrow passage into a tunnel.

Perhaps influenced by its human genetic infusion, the octopus beast's thirst for vengeance burned with unparalleled ferocity. Previously, within the underground laboratory, it had relentlessly battered through even thick steel walls.

Within moments, it breached the small cavern, now deserted. It sniffed a distinctly familiar scent, pressing its head against the rocks—there, traces of its bodily fluids mingled with fragments of flesh.

Seemingly comprehending the situation, it emitted a guttural hiss through its nostrils and wildly slammed its iron cudgel in fury.

Suddenly, it convulsed as if struck by electricity, then retreated with haste!

But it was too late—amidst a series of grenade detonations, the cavern's ceiling collapsed entirely, burying the creature beneath the rubble.