As Huai Shi made his move, a crimson glow burst forth from his mouth. A glob of molten, lava-like, red-hot iron phlegm shot into the Giant Serpent's throat.
Poison? You're joking if you're talking about poison to me, whose lungs are over eight hundred degrees at room temperature! One glob, outstanding results.
The Giant Snake struggled and hissed miserably, but it was in vain. With Huai Shi's pushing and prodding, she had thoroughly swallowed the entire mouthful of molten iron.
Immediately after, she began to tremble violently from the intense internal heat, convulsing until at last, she stiffened. After letting out a final, terrible shriek, she fell to the ground.
Completely motionless.
Dead as a doornail. Though it'll take a while for her to cool down.
"Tasty fruit, wasn't it!" Huai Shi disdainfully raised his paw and wiped the corner of his mouth. Then he saw Fu Yi's disgusted look.
"That spitting of yours was so gross…"
"As long as it works!"
Huai Shi's nose twitched. He caught the scent of roasted meat and involuntarily glanced down, then quickly looked away again. His nose twitched again, unable to resist. He was hungry.
"...You're not planning on eating what you spat out, are you!" Fu Yi's eye twitched; the White Weasel felt like her entire worldview was about to shatter.
"Actually, it's not that bad. It's not like I find my own stuff disgusting." Huai Shi guiltily looked away.
"…"
Fu Yi rolled her eyes and flew into the sky. I can't even bear to watch anymore.
Then Huai Shi, seeing no one else was around, gorged himself.
「One hour later.」
A satiated Huai Shi and Fu Yi hit the road again.
But inside the basket, Fu Yi couldn't help but look back at what Huai Shi was dragging behind him with his tail… It was a section of the Giant Snake's spine, resembling a huge log.
Nine segments in total.
It must have been the hardest part of the Giant Snake. After being covered with Huai Shi's cooled metallic saliva, it had turned into an uneven, spiky iron rod.
"Why are you dragging that with you?"
"It's good material. It'd be a pity to throw it away," Huai Shi said after a moment's thought. "Tonight, when we rest, I'll find a way to recycle it."
"…"
Fu Yi glanced at him. This guy is planning some new mischief, isn't he? Oh well, let him be.
Fu Yi suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
「. . .」
"Ah, Melly has been killed."
In the sky not far away, a Golden Eagle broke through the clouds and landed in the camp.
About a dozen Rat-men were busily setting up a temporary encampment, while several Giant Beasts were stooping to stoke the campfires.
Hearing his words, the Red Fox sitting in the middle of the camp simply nodded indifferently.
"After the failure of her Hybrid fusion, it's a good thing someone gave her a release. It seems that cross-species evolution is much harder than we thought; it's not something that can be solved just by a double inheritance Metamorphosis."
The massive Red Fox pondered, then looked up at the Golden Eagle. "Remember to send a message to the other research groups. Tell them to be alert and promptly destroy any failed Metamorphosis subjects—if they get parasitized by something born from the Witch's Night, they could turn into something truly terrible."
The Golden Eagle nodded in agreement.
"The edge of the Country of Mist is already this dangerous. Shall we still venture deeper?" asked the Snow Leopard, who looked as if carved from crystal. "I feel the danger level of the Illusion Forest is too high."
"Why don't we go underground? I've heard the ecosystem there is different from ours. Perhaps we'll find new research topics," proposed the Red Fox.
"That works." Several of the other beasts nodded. "Our projects have been stagnant for so long; it's time we moved on."
"Then, before we leave, shall we finish that evolution hypothesis project? Whose turn is it this time?"
"I'll take care of it myself," the Red Fox sighed. "It's a pity we couldn't recruit that young man named Huai Shi. He had quite the potential."
"Hey, luring people into being experimental subjects is bad karma," a Rat-man looked up and said. "He's a Military Officer, after all. If he comes to London to pound you, no one will plead your cause."
"Forget it, forget it." The Red Fox shivered and quickly shook its head.
"But why didn't Dr. Mei greet me?" The Golden Eagle scratched its chin with a talon. Did I offend her somehow?
The Snow Leopard suddenly interjected, "Speaking of which, isn't she about to marry Carter? Why would she be with a young Military Officer?"
The Giant Beasts exchanged glances, then the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
Their gazes all suddenly filled with pity.
It was as if they saw a green glow hovering over their colleague's head.
"That's probably love!" a passing Rat-man declared, shaking its head sagely and letting out a sigh filled with the weariness of ages.