Lily's screams could be heard from afar; she kept yelling Feng's name, terrified that he would abandon her and leave alone. Allen and Sanchez were in the same car with her, but their abilities did no damage to the monster; they could only keep changing lanes to try and shake it off, unfortunately colliding with a building and plummeting from mid-air.
"Shit, they've fallen!" Feng gritted his teeth and immediately turned the car around to head for the crash site.
The car rolled several times on the ground, its hood, rear, and engine damaged to varying degrees. But fortunately, the monster was also thrown out, giving Lily and the others a few seconds to catch their breath. They kicked open the deformed doors and ran out of the cockpit, rushing crazily towards Feng who had come to assist them.
The monster had tough skin, able to withstand cannon fire; how could it not handle such a minor collision? With a powerful thrust of its hind legs, it leaped at Feng's flying car, its sharp horns flipping the vehicle over. Feng and An hugged Cassio and Qi Ze respectively, jumping out of the car, and William also escaped in time.
They were in a terrible state, though they didn't show it on their faces, they knew deep down that in front of this high-level monster, none of them stood a chance of survival. Lily no longer cared about her "dignity" or "arrogance," she ran to Feng and clung to his arm.
"I'll hold it back, you guys look around for an undamaged flying car. If you find one, bring it over to pick us up immediately. I have no confidence in defeating this monster; our only option is to run, do you understand?" Feng wasn't just lacking confidence in victory; he didn't even have a chance of survival.
"Brother, I'm coming too." An immediately followed.
"Hurry and find a car nearby!" Seeing someone volunteer to be cannon fodder, Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't care about Feng and An's lives, she dragged Allen and Sanchez away.
"Qi, you go find a car too, I'll go up and help them!" Cassio rushed forward without a word, but quickly came back, handing the jar to Qi Ze. Qi Ze crossed his arms and said casually, "Why are you going up to help them? Are you going to buff the monster's HP and MP? That's really kind of you!"
Cassio blushed with embarrassment. He hesitated when he saw that the monster wasn't paying attention to Feng and An, but instead jumped up and shot towards him like a cannonball. Its eyes flashed with a glint of intelligence, indicating that it had completely rid itself of the virus's influence, regained consciousness, and with its high level and keen senses, naturally detected something extraordinary about Cassio and Qi Ze. In fact, it had been tracking this group for some time, targeting these two people specifically.
"Oh my God! It's coming at us! Run!" Cassio was startled and grabbed Qi Ze, fleeing at top speed, soon catching up with Lily and the others.
Lily looked back and was greatly alarmed. Without thinking, she tried to grab Qi Ze, hoping that while the monster was devouring him, she could buy herself some time to escape. Qi Ze was a cultivator after all, even if his combat skills weren't high, he wouldn't be caught off guard by a healing ability user. He sidestepped to avoid her, but didn't expect Cassio to slow down and wait for him, so he was caught by Lily.
"You devil! You're going to hell!" Even at this moment, Cassio still tightly held onto the meatball, never considering throwing it away, nor daring to put it in his Interspatial Button. The meatball was alive, and would die once inside the Interspatial Button unless Qi Ze was willing to store it in his special Interspatial Button. He cursed a woman so viciously for the first time in his life, knowing that his fate was likely grim, he closed his eyes and threw himself towards the monster, tossing the jar to Qi Ze and shouting loudly, "Qi, please avenge me!"
Qi Ze flicked his fingers, removing the restrictions on the jar. At the same time, Cassio was fiercely scratched by the monster, nearly having his heart dug out. Fortunately, Feng and An arrived in time to block the second fatal attack. The jar rolled on the ground, and the meatball, which had been trapped for several days, immediately crawled out, many small tentacles extending from under its body, swaying as if dancing in the wind, or sniffing the surrounding air.
"Eat it!" Qi Ze pointed his finger, and the meatball, still savoring its newfound freedom, immediately pounced on the monster. Feng was fighting the monster, while An carried Cassio out of the fray and handed him over to William, who had come to assist.
They waved at Qi Ze frequently, seemingly urging him to leave quickly, but Qi Ze stood still, calm and composed.
"What are you waiting for, run!" William went to pull him, but heard a strange screeching sound behind him. Looking back, he was stunned. The little monster that Cassio had been hugging all day had somehow climbed out of the jar and pounced on the monster, tiny tentacles like spider webs wrapping it up tightly.
The monster, obstructed in its vision, couldn't launch an attack and could only stop to tear at the bindings. Its thick tail slapped the ground anxiously, but it didn't dare to poke the small meatball, afraid of hurting itself. Thanks to this disturbance, Feng, who was almost unable to resist, managed to break free and retreat hastily.
Everyone watched, dumbfounded, never expecting that at this critical moment, this meatball would play such a huge role. But this wasn't the end of it; when its delicate tentacles were torn off, they turned into even smaller meatballs, quickly burrowing into the monster's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. They couldn't pierce its tough skin yet, but their ability to find every crevice was innate, and they quickly hollowed out the monster's belly, leaving only a layer of skin.
The monster, roaring furiously just a moment ago, now stood motionless. The meatball that had entangled it jumped off the ground, using its tentacles to caress the bone spines at the end of its tail, draining the venom inside.
"What, what happened?" William stuttered.
"I'll go check." Feng was about to walk over, but saw the monster begin to shrivel, shrink, and collapse from the head down. Within half a minute, it had turned into a soft, limp sack. The sack shook up and down, as if something wanted to come out of it.
"Has this monster mutated again?" William's face was ashen.
The meatball holding the monster's tail quickly crawled over, all its tentacles quivering as if under great threat. The sack finally tore open a hole, and a larger meatball emerged from inside, opening its bloody jaws to bite at its own kind. The two meatballs immediately tangled together, rolling around on the ground, eventually merging into one whole, lazily crawling to Qi Ze's side and pointing a tentacle at the jar, then at Cassio.
Qi Ze was pleased with its performance, picking up the jar, dripping blood into it, and stuffing the meatball, which had expanded several times in size, inside. He handed it to Cassio, saying, "It likes you holding it."
Cassio was severely injured, unable to even lift his arm, but reflexively took the jar, mumbling dreamily, "Qi, you were right, the little meatball really saved my life!"
Feng, An, and William had already run to the monster's side, using a steel pipe to pick up the empty sack and shake it. Aside from the bone tail and two sharp horns, this monster weighed nothing; its internal organs had been completely devoured by the meatball.
"Incredible! Unbelievably incredible!" William exclaimed!
"I seem to have discovered an even more terrifying threat! Did you see that, An? This meatball is completely indestructible; it can split and then merge again. Its growth rate is fast, and its evolution rate is even faster. Its killing and appetite desires far surpass those of these infected beings! If it proliferates on this planet, it will ultimately become the top of the food chain!" Feng was a soldier, thinking further ahead than ordinary people.
What he could think of, Cassio could certainly also think of. But having taken care of the meatball for so long, and having just been saved by it, he couldn't develop a feeling of disgust, even if he initially felt a bit repulsed by the meatball's appearance, he had gradually gotten used to it and found it pleasing through constant feeding.
"Qi, if we take the meatball to the biological center for identification, it will surely be rated as the most threatening species in the Black Eye Galaxy, bar none. You must have known this all along, right?" He looked at the meatball rubbing its stomach with small tentacles, his face full of bitter smiles.
"I naturally know, don't worry, I can control it." Qi Ze waved his hand, "Let's go, find a place to heal your wounds."
William couldn't help shivering when he heard the two men's conversation. He couldn't imagine the scene of these meatballs running rampant, devouring all living things; it was much more terrifying than the infected beings. Feng and An slowly walked over, their expressions complex. They hadn't decided what to do yet. There was no doubt that the danger level of this meatball was much higher than that of the infected beings, but they couldn't just throw it away. That would make it completely uncontrollable, causing an even greater disaster.
To kill a meatball that could infinitely split was much harder than killing an infected being.
"Let's go, continue on our way." In the end, Feng said nothing, but his gaze towards Cassio and Qi Ze now carried a hint of caution and awe. These two were indeed as he had guessed, very unusual in origin.
An and William had found a flying car on the roadside and were trying to unlock the control system.
"Feng, take us with you!" Lily, Allen, and Sanchez came out of hiding. They noticed something was wrong behind them and looked back to see the monster being restrained by the meatball. They hid in a flying car to observe the situation, deciphering the driving program as they watched. If the meatball won, they would stay; if the meatball lost, they would leave in the flying car. It was a well-thought-out plan.
"It was you who pushed me, wasn't it? Where did you get the confidence that we'd take you with us?" Cassio laughed coldly.
"You were scratched by the infected, I can save you! Without me, you would have turned into a monster!" Lily was unafraid.
The disgusted Feng hesitated for a moment, but Qi Ze waved his hand, saying, "Don't bother with them."
"But Cassie's injury..." Cassio was known as Cassie.
"The meatball can treat it." Qi Ze was the first to board the flying car driven by An and William. Cassio, who had developed blind trust in Qi Ze, thought nothing of following him with the jar in his arms. Though Feng was somewhat skeptical, he didn't object. He had grown tired of Lily and the others, and this time he saw their vicious true colors. Someone who could push their teammate out as cannon fodder at a critical moment, taking them along was no different than taking a ticking time bomb.
"Wait for us! Feng, Feng!" Lily chased after them anxiously, but could only watch helplessly as the flying car flew further and further away. If she had known that the little monster could deal with the infected, she would never have left the group and run away, nor would she have attacked the little monster's ugly appearance with vicious words.
"Why did they leave? You're a healing ability user, and Cassie is seriously injured." Allen was surprised.
"It's obvious, they must want to give me a lesson, forcing me to apologize!" Lily urged, "Sanchez, hurry up, we must catch up to them. See? That infected being has evolved to level five, even a 3S-grade martial artist couldn't cope, but that little monster reduced it to a hollow shell. With the little monster, we're safe!"
"But you just..." Sanchez hesitated.
"I just panicked and made a mistake, it wasn't intentional. I don't believe they really don't need treatment. Cassie is angry with me, I'll apologize to him later, and everything will be fine. I can guarantee their safety, so they definitely won't really abandon me." Lily said confidently.
Allen and Sanchez also thought this made sense. Feng and the others were just posturing; they wouldn't drive away a healing ability user, they weren't crazy. Besides, Cassie's situation was extremely critical; if he wasn't treated, he would turn into a monster in an hour.
As they spoke, Sanchez finally unlocked the driving program and started the engine. The three hurriedly chased after them.
Infected beings were more active at night than during the day. Feng naturally wouldn't choose to travel overnight. He parked the flying car on the roof of a villa and was about to go down to explore the way when he saw Lily and the others catch up.
"Damn, they're like ghosts that won't leave!" William muttered under his breath.
"Hey, you guys leave now!" An jumped out of the car to chase them away.
"This isn't your house, if you can live here, we can too." Allen showed his thug-like face.
Feng opened the back door of the car and helped the severely injured Cassio out. He didn't bother to look at those three people, let alone negotiate with them. Since they wanted to stay, let them stay; he wouldn't protect them anymore.
Qi Ze removed the restrictions on the jar's mouth and instructed, "Go clear the area."
The meatball immediately crawled out, sliding down Cassio's long legs to the ground. Many tentacles extended from under its plump body, rustling over to the staircase, one tentacle wrapping around the banister and slowly descending to the lower levels. At first glance, it looked like a giant spider.
"It listens to you very well." Feng felt slightly reassured. If this monster could be tamed, that would be the best possible outcome.
Lily walked to Cassio's side, intending to apologize and treat his wound, but heard a series of muffled bangs from downstairs. Everyone immediately held their breath and hid in the corner to avoid danger. After about five minutes, the noise downstairs finally subsided. A short while later, a small tentacle slowly rose from the staircase, beckoning to Qi Ze and Cassio.
"Let's go down." Qi Ze stepped forward first, Cassio immediately following. Feng offered several times to carry the large jar for him, but was refused each time.
"No no no, I really can carry it." Cassio was actually about to faint, but he still didn't dare to let go of the jar. This was the meatball's nest, holding the meatball meant holding security; he wouldn't let go!
They descended the stairs, constantly seeing limp, empty sacks sprawled on the floor. By the time they reached the living room, they counted seven in total, and two of them were actually level-five evolvers. If it weren't for the meatball, they might have been dead.
"Have you noticed? The closer we get to the safe base, the more infected beings there are. The road ahead will only be more dangerous." Feng shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Why are we still going to the base then? Isn't it safer to stay in the abandoned city?" An wondered.
"The safe base has a protective barrier that can repel infected beings; there are more supplies and land there, allowing self-sufficiency. Once I send you there, I won't have to worry about you for the rest of your life, although life will be a bit isolated, possibly never stepping out of the protective barrier again. But that's nothing, you're a homebody anyway." Feng patted his brother's head.
Lily and the others wore expressions of longing. They knew without thinking how difficult it would be to break through the layers of infected beings to enter the safe base. But now, they had the meatball!
Speak of the devil, the meatball that had just eaten seven monsters squeezed out of the kitchen. Yes, squeezed, not crawled. Now, it was several times larger than before, less a meatball and more a mountain of flesh. Feng and An, who were in mourning, were momentarily blank-faced when they saw it, their mouths wide open, unable to close for a long time.
William backed up a few steps in fright, horrified, "My God! Why, why is it growing so fast!"
The meatball waddled over to Qi Ze, making gurgling noises, then crawled towards the jar in Cassio's hand. Cassio waved his hands repeatedly, as if begging it not to flatten him, but was surprised to find that it actually crawled inside, completely, and the jar remained the same weight, not increasing at all.
"What's the principle here? Qi, did you see that, Qi?" Cassio's worldview was slowly collapsing.
Lily and the others were also trembling with fear. They vaguely sensed that this little monster, no, big monster, was a more terrifying existence than the infected beings.
"What's the fuss about?" Qi Ze went outside the courtyard to set up an array.
Seeing that Qi Ze was somewhat impatient, Cassio immediately shut his mouth. After a moment of silence, he reached into the jar, lifting one of the meatball's tentacles and sincerely said, "Thank you for saving me, let's be friends. How about I call you Ball-Ball from now on?"
The meatball, which had shrunk back to its original size, made a series of gurgling sounds, it was unclear what it was saying. Cassio habitually placed his hand against the jar, starting to input dark elements, but in the next second, he cried out in pain. Veins popped out on his skin surface, his pupils dilated, and the scratches on his chest oozed black pus, which was beginning to fester.
Feng hurriedly moved to snatch the large jar from him, anxious, "Why are you still holding it with such injuries? Put the jar down quickly, let me check your condition."
"No, nobody is going to take my Ball-Ball away." Cassio was terrified, afraid of death, and more afraid of turning into an infected being, so he wouldn't leave his guardian god for anything.
"Feng, move aside, I'll treat him." Lily volunteered.
"No, get the hell away from me!" Cassio glared at her with hatred, then yelled, "Qi, Qi, your decoy is about to die!"
What does decoy mean? Everyone was speculating when Qi Ze walked in calmly, holding his forehead and saying, "Can you yell any louder? I really want to take off your pants and see if you're a man or a woman." Before he finished speaking, a flat tentacle stretched out of the jar, covering Cassio's wound, absorbing the pus and toxins, then secreting many sticky fluids with regenerative functions.
The wounds that went down to the bone healed visibly at a visible speed. Within a few seconds, Cassio's chest was as smooth as new, not even leaving a pink scar.
This little monster's abilities stunned everyone again, and also left Lily pale-faced. If it were her, it would take her several days just to expel the toxins from Cassio's body, let alone fully heal him. No wonder Qi never gave her a proper look from start to finish; he simply didn't need her. Who was the burden, who was the waste? The answer was self-evident.
Finished! These two words simultaneously surfaced in Lily, Allen, and Sanchez's minds. They had offended Cassio and Qi to death, and had no value to be exploited; it was unlikely that these people would take them along! Even if they shamelessly followed, when encountering infected beings, these people wouldn't be willing to help, and they would only face certain death ahead.
"Cassie, I'm sorry! I was wrong! I was in such a panic at the time, I didn't know what I was doing." Lily burst into tears. Allen and Sanchez wore extremely awkward expressions. Compared to Lily, they now preferred to follow Qi and Cassie, but it seemed they had messed things up from the start.
Cassio automatically filtered out Lily's voice, hugging the large jar and praising joyfully, "Ball-Ball, you're amazing! You're the cutest creature in the world! Are you hungry? I'll feed you all my abilities!" As he spoke, he continuously poured dark elements into the jar.
The meatball chirped twice, apparently quite satisfied. Qi Ze looked at it, involuntarily thinking of Yan Junyu, worry, anxiety, and fear flashing across his eyes.
Only now did Feng realize that Cassie was a dark ability user, and quickly understood why he wanted to hide it. He approached Qi Ze and said, "What's this creature called? It can regenerate, split, merge, devour, heal, evolve... it has no weaknesses! If you can't completely tame it, the consequences will be very serious."
Qi Ze reined in his emotions and said nonchalantly, "You don't need to worry about that. Given the current situation in your country, one more monster doesn't matter, nor does one less."
Feng, "..."
Cassio didn't speak, only silently hugged his guardian god tighter. An and William were very obedient; they went out for a round, picking up many limbs of infected beings for Ball-Ball, ingratiating themselves, "Qi, we'll help you raise the little monster too. If these aren't enough to eat, we'll go out and pick up more later."
Qi Ze accepted their kindness, and his expression softened. Feng hesitated for a moment, then went out to collect food for Ball-Ball. No matter what, their current safety depended entirely on Ball-Ball's protection; they still had to serve it well.
Whenever Qi Ze fed the meatball with the remains of infected beings, Lily would stand up and attack him with the most vicious language, calling him a pervert, demon, lunatic, etc. But now, she didn't dare say a word, hiding in the kitchen, regretting it beyond measure.