Chapter 231 – Worms
The genetic monster had been slashed by Tu Ran, causing its vitality to plummet. Shen Yunhe and Le Qin skillfully aimed at its wound and shot. The genetic monster was quickly beaten down, collapsing on the ground with pitiful groans. Thick, blackened blood flowed continuously from its severed neck.
The foul-smelling blood gushed out as if it would dissolve the creature’s entire body.
In fact, it was melting. All of its limbs that were similar to a human’s, but more numerous, dissolved into the pool of blood. In the end, only two arms and two legs remained—the way it had been before its mutation.
But it was already dead.
Tu Ran took photos of the scene and sent them to the other two teams. She then turned and headed upstairs, while reminding them through the earpiece, “There are more than three genetic monsters. Stay alert.”
Upon reaching the first floor, she regrouped with Min Tao and Xiao Di. Tu Ran intended to check the second and third floors, as Ding Naiqing still hadn’t responded to her.
The injured Zhao Shan had already been carried out and was being loaded onto the helicopter. His injuries were severe, and they needed to hurry to the medical department for treatment.
At that moment, the sound of gunfire and chaotic footsteps echoed from the deck outside the first floor.
Tu Ran immediately rushed outside. A nearly three-meter-tall genetic monster with a catfish-like mouth and whiskers was tearing Zhao Shan away from the two pioneers who were escorting him.
Perhaps Zhao Shan’s blood had attracted it.
Its entire body was wet, as though it had just emerged from the sea.
Zero’s voice confirmed her suspicion: “It was hiding at the bottom of the ship. When you landed from the helicopter, the deck was empty. It probably dragged those people into the sea. Also, no one has used the lifeboats to escape since the incident, which could be due to this reason.”
This marine genetic monster had appeared in the surveillance footage taken by Zero. It was one of the three genetic monsters, lurking on the surface of the sea. Anyone who had attempted to escape by jumping into the water had likely ended up in its belly.
As the genetic monster tried to seize Zhao Shan’s body, the pioneers and guards aboard the helicopter opened fire on it.
The bullets had little effect, as its soft body absorbed them entirely. Its catfish-like whiskers, as thick as a human thigh, coiled tightly around Zhao Shan’s neck and tugged hard. Zhao Shan, already unconscious from severe blood loss, rolled his eyes back as his body was yanked.
Tu Ran drew the long blade from her back in one swift motion, her cold gaze fixed on the genetic monster near the edge of the deck. “Tell them to stop shooting.”
Zero complied, and the gunfire from the helicopter ceased. At that moment, Tu Ran darted forward.
Each slash of her blade struck vital points, every move carrying immense power. Under the rising sun, her blade flashed brilliantly as it danced through the air.
At first, the genetic monster’s body could still withstand her strikes. Its soft white flesh, worm-like in texture, would cave in where the blade struck, engulfing the edge and dissolving the force of her attacks.
However, Tu Ran pressed on, slashing relentlessly from all angles at a speed so fast that the human eye could barely follow. Just as one wound appeared, another formed before the first could heal.
Finally, under the barrage of deep cuts, the genetic monster’s body reached its limit. Its pale flesh swelled, and the skin became translucent, revealing the organs and blood vessels underneath.
Sensing danger, Tu Ran quickly turned to retreat.
But it was too late.
The genetic monster self-destructed.
Thick, white chunks of its flesh flew everywhere, and Tu Ran, unable to dodge in time, was drenched from head to toe, her body coated in a layer of what resembled expired mayonnaise.
Aside from her, Zhao Shan and the two pioneers escorting him were also caught in the explosion.
“Ugh!”
Tu Ran was the first to succumb, dropping to her knees and dry-heaving.
The air purification system in their helmets couldn’t block out the stench from the chunks of flesh.
Zhao Shan, who had been on the verge of fainting, finally passed out completely from the overwhelming smell, while the other two struggled to hold their breath, their faces turning red.
Even more horrifying, the chunks of flesh weren’t just meat—there were small white worms wriggling within.
Tu Ran couldn’t take it anymore. She turned and sprinted toward the ocean. Amid Le Qin’s startled cry, she dove into the water with a splash.
Her combat suit was fully sealed and waterproof, and the moment she hit the water, the powerful current washed the worms away.
Tu Ran didn’t surface right away. Instead, she swam against the current, letting the seawater cleanse her for a while longer.
“Are you alright?” Zero asked with a hint of sympathy.
He also hated those little worms. They often crawled into the crevices of his body without him noticing, chewing on his circuits and breeding a whole swarm inside him, forcing him to undergo regular maintenance.
Plus, they were hard to clean out. Sometimes their corpses remained inside him, and although they no longer harmed him, the thought of being filled with the dead bodies of another species gave him chills.
Of course, that was an exaggeration—he didn’t have skin, so he couldn’t get goosebumps. But he figured the sensation was the same, considering he had once been human.
“Not great. I think I need a change of clothes,” Tu Ran said as she repeatedly dunked her head into the water and then came back up for air.
“I’ve already informed the pioneer’s logistics department. Your clothes will be delivered to the hotel,” Zero replied.
Tu Ran nodded. Just then, Ding Naiqing’s voice came through the earpiece. For the first time since the mission started, he spoke up on his own. “We’ve found Papara, but he seems to have some sort of mental issue. So far, we haven’t found any other survivors. Two genetic monsters suddenly attacked us, and they’re both incredibly strong. We need backup.”
Tu Ran immediately instructed the others on the deck to go support Ding Naiqing, while she swam toward the ship’s boarding ladder. Grabbing hold with both hands and feet, she began to climb up.
On the deck, the two pioneers who were in a similarly miserable state as Tu Ran fought the urge to vomit as they secured the unconscious Zhao Shan to the stretcher. Once they ensured the bindings were tight, the helicopter lifted the stretcher into the air.
Throughout the entire process, Zhao Shan was never pulled into the helicopter but was suspended below it, being transported midair to the medical department.
Task complete, the two pioneers followed Tu Ran’s lead and jumped into the sea to wash off the wriggling white worms still clinging to their bodies.
When Tu Ran climbed back onto the deck, she was greeted by the sight of sticky chunks of flesh that hadn’t been cleaned up yet. Upon closer inspection, she noticed tiny maggots writhing within the remains.
Waves occasionally crashed against the deck, scattering the worms and washing them into the ocean.
“When are the researchers arriving? If they’re much later, the deck will be completely cleaned by the waves,” Tu Ran remarked as she pulled a transparent test tube from her pocket. Crouching down, she began to collect some of the worms.
Pioneers frequently collected samples of soil, water, and air while exploring the Threshold, so everyone was equipped with various types of collection tools.
Tu Ran filled the tube with seven or eight worms and a small chunk of the flesh. She then sealed the tube, tightening the stopper firmly to ensure none of the worms could escape.
