Chapter 136: Chapter 137: Salvaging Ships from the Warp
The survivors frantically looted the ant-cattle cans.
The man who had first opened one huddled in a corner, ready to savor the rare "delicacy."
He scooped out a piece of the meat and brought it to his mouth.
But then, the ant-cattle meat began to wriggle.
Startled by the sudden mutation, the man froze.
Panicked, he tried to throw the meat away, only to find his hand stuck to it.
A sharp pain followed.
Something was burrowing into his hand!
Writhing in agony, the man screamed:
"Help me!"
He looked toward Tis, his eyes full of regret and desperation, pleading for her help.
But before Tis could react, parasites burst violently from the meat.
Splurt!
The parasites' sharp mandibles pierced through the man's eyes and throat, gnawing hungrily at his flesh.
His blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the storage warehouse.
More parasites emerged from the ant-cattle meat, scuttling in search of new victims.
Several others were attacked, their cries of pain joining the chaos.
The sight terrified the rest of the survivors. Screaming, they abandoned the cans and ran to Tis, seeking her protection.
A woman's scream cut through the chaos.
The same spiteful woman who had earlier opened a can now found herself entangled by parasites.
They crawled into her mouth and burst out from her eyes, consuming her body with savage ferocity.
"Tis, save me! Please!"
The woman collapsed to her knees, begging for salvation.
But it was too late.
Tis, her gaze tinged with sorrow, shook her head slightly. There was no saving her now.
The woman died in torment and regret.
The horror didn't end there.
After feasting on flesh, the parasites turned their attention to the crowd, slithering toward them with deadly intent.
Tis's expression hardened. She slashed her hand with a blade, drawing blood, and activated the rotating saw on her mechanical arm.
She intended to use her blood to draw the parasites away, preventing further casualties.
Bearded Saylor, clutching a knife, followed close behind her.
The parasites noticed Tis and launched themselves at her.
With skill and precision, she cut down the parasites mid-air with her saw, while Saylor handled those that got past her.
Together with a few brave survivors, they managed to eradicate every parasite.
The survivors carefully cleaned the warehouse, sealing the corpses and remaining meat into steel containers to prevent further incidents.
No one dared speak of eating the ant-cattle meat again.
They stayed as far away from the cans as possible, as though the parasites might emerge at any moment.
The incident left a heavy mark on the survivors.
In total, just two cans of ant-cattle meat had resulted in six deaths.
Had more cans been opened, the parasites would have wiped them all out.
Despair settled over the group once more, with some sobbing quietly.
"Miss Tis," Saylor asked hesitantly, "do you think we'll survive?
The distress signal has been sent. They'll come for us, right?"
All eyes turned to Tis, hoping for a reassuring answer.
She leaned against the door, silent.
She didn't have an answer.
The starport had been abandoned for five years, with no resupply or rescue.
Would the powerful figures on the surface bother to save them?
Perhaps they had already lost their value as people worth saving...