Hunting Season (Part 2)

This was the second time Mr. Liang had seen the illusion of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster. Although he was still just as shocked, he no longer felt the same way he had the first time, where he was completely dumbfounded, overwhelmed by fear, and caught in a flood of memories. Instead, it was more like a re-baptism, allowing him to more clearly recognize and confront his fears.

This time, he was even able to carefully distinguish the various details of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Giant, as well as the surrounding environment. He could also pay attention to the expressions and states of the natives in the distance and try to contact his many drones to explore the surroundings.

As expected, all the drone's onboard cameras lost their feeds, and most of them also lost contact.

However, seeing the native kneeling on the ground, stunned, mouth agape, gazing at the sky, one could guess the extent of his shock and fear.

Mr. Liang could understand it. Anyone—even a human, a "Blood-feeding Creature"—would be terrified if they suddenly saw a creature with eight arms, eight eyes, and an enormous size appear before them like a mountain. Their cognition would be in a state of brief confusion and panic.

This is especially true for indigenous tribes who live on the Africa savanna.

Mr. Liang didn't know was that the scene the native man kneeling on the ground was seeing was vastly different from what he was seeing.

In the eyes of the native man, the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster that appeared was many times larger than what Mr. Liang had seen. From his perspective, half of the sky was occupied by the monster, and each eye looked down on the earth like a hazy sun. Its body almost filled the space between heaven and earth, so much so that the entire space looked somewhat distorted and deformed.

Accompanied by the rhythmic, heart-pounding drumbeats and the distant, ethereal humming, the entire world, the whole landscape, and the whole scene possessed an indescribable grandeur and sacredness, causing the native man to unknowingly burst into tears.

He discovered and experienced his deepest fears, fears stemming from changes in his body, from the unknown mystery, from a nameless bloodlust, from the exclusion by his tribe, and from the uncertainty of the future.

He had stumbled upon a peculiar scent and traces by chance, and then followed them, trekking for two days and two nights without sleep or rest. It wasn't for hunting, but simply an instinctive pursuit, hoping to find someone of his kind or to learn the root of what had happened to him.

Then, by sheer coincidence, he witnessed Xiang Kun and his group hunting down the "little lion."

As he approached using his camouflage, the lion cub was already running away. He was truly shocked by the cub's running speed—a speed he knew he could never catch.

Then, the little lion's roars that affected the pride of beasts and birds, its complete "darkening," its ability to spew black mist, its faster escape, and its transformation of fur and body shape to blend into the pride all made him tremble with fear and amaze him.

Of course, what puzzled him even more was what the little lion was trying to deal with with all that.

He also saw the bald, Asian man next to the jeep in the distance, but the bald man hadn't done anything, and he was so far away, so why was the little lion maneuvering so wildly, fighting against thin air?

What is it afraid of?

Then the bald man finally moved, took out something that was unclear, and got into a throwing stance.

Then he saw that the thing that looked like meat or something was thrown out, moving in a very strange way, its speed constantly increasing, heading straight for the little lion.

But halfway through the flight, the thing suddenly disappeared, and the next instant, the little lion was blown to pieces.

He was utterly terrified. Although he had lived in a tribe since childhood, he had seen firearms, cars, and airplanes before, but while those things were powerful, they were not as bizarre and incomprehensible as this.

How could that flying, meat-like thing have vanished without a sound halfway through its flight, and how could it have blown the little lion in the distance to pieces like that?

Then he saw a strange humanoid figure suddenly appear next to the half-lion cub. Its wings could be folded into its back, and its strange skin texture and facial features resembled those monsters that served demons in legends.

Could it be... that piece of meat that the bald man just threw has transformed into this monster? And it's the one that blew the little lion up like that?

How can throwing a piece of meat at someone conjure up such a terrifying monster? What kind of being is this bald guy?

The thought sent a chill down his spine, almost causing him to lose his ability to maintain his disguise.

So when the bald man drove up to the half-lion statue in his jeep and suddenly stared intently at his spot, he felt his heart stop and didn't even dare to breathe.

We've been discovered?!

When he saw the bald man produce a piece of meat from somewhere and pose as if to throw it, he didn't hesitate any longer. He immediately dropped his pretense and adopted a posture of submission and surrender.

He knew he couldn't escape, and he had no chance of winning in a fight either. That terrifying humanoid monster was still standing next to the bald, oriental man. If he threw another piece of flesh and it conjured up a new one... He was a little worried about these monsters that were created from flesh. He would have to kill or eat something to get back once they appeared.

Then, he heard the powerful and beautiful drumbeats and humming. He looked up in confusion and saw a paper airplane flying towards him. Then the sky suddenly darkened, and he saw a sight that directly impacted his senses and soul, a sight he had never seen before.

After the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster disappeared and everything returned to calm, the native man looked around blankly. The bald man and his monster followers were nowhere to be seen. Only a paper airplane at his feet told him that what had just happened was real.

He carefully held the paper airplane in his hands, stood up from the ground, raised it above his head, and observed the strange circles on the paper in the sunlight, his heart filled with excitement.

He was no longer confused.

Xiang Kun drove the jeep, carrying the "Mutated Little Lion" that Mr. Liang had bound with alloy netting and thrown into the back seat, across the grassland.

Although Xiang Kun also deployed and converted some "Super-Linked Object" in Africa, the distribution area was mainly in cities or human settlements. Therefore, the "Mutated Little Lion" was only discovered by Alice and recorded in the "Mutated Creature" database after it infiltrated the wildlife conservation camp of an NGO.

The indigenous man was probably far removed from urban and town life and hadn't been exposed to newer electronic devices or industrial products recently, so he wasn't in Alice's database records, Xiang Kun was unaware of his existence before.

After discovering him nearby, Xiang Kun determined that he had no intention of attacking. The solution was simple: for this "human Mutated Creature" of unknown origin, just use the fear projection of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving to verify it.

If someone is truly a ruthless and murderous individual like Guo Tianxiang, John, or Joel, there will be a very clear reaction. At that point, whether we let them fend for themselves or take them out, we will be able to make a judgment.

If he were a normal person who hadn't done anything wrong, Xiang Kun wouldn't do anything to him and would just let him be. Of course, if this were in China, he would definitely have Alice monitor him to prevent him from consuming human blood or doing anything else "wrong." He might even have Old He and Mr. Liang examine him to see if he was qualified to become a "researcher."

Judging from the native's reaction to the eight-armed, eight-eyed illusion and the projection of fear, he shouldn't be a particularly wicked person. Therefore, Xiang Kun took Mr. Liang and left directly.

Xiang Kun is no longer worried about his identity being exposed. With Alice around, any information that wants to be spread on a large scale will be restricted and he will know about it in advance.

Not only the internet, but any form of information dissemination that relies on electronic devices is under Alice's control and within the "Super-Sensing Item System".

To be honest, Xiang Kun is actually somewhat hypocritical.

The indigenous man, needless to say, must have killed many wild animals, whether for survival, for blood, or simply to demonstrate his strength. As for the "Mutated Little Lion," it used various methods to lure and kill humans, which, from the lion's perspective, was roughly the same as the indigenous man's actions. However, in Xiang Kun's judgment system, the "Mutated Little Lion" was labeled "killable," while the indigenous man was labeled "to be observed."

Ultimately, it's just like what Xiang Kun said when he was educating Alice —the root of everything lies in one's position; whichever side one's position is on determines one's perspective.

Although he and Mr. Liang are essentially "Mutated Creature," and although one still looks like a human while the other is no longer human at all, they are both firmly loyal to the human side.

So for them, eating other "Mutated Creature" is fine, but eating humans is not. As for certain so-called "human Mutated Creature," they are no longer considered human when they eat humans.

Although they had never discussed these values, Xiang Kun and Mr. Liang were of one mind.

Xiang Kun drove his Jeep to a scenic little hill and stopped. Looking at the sunset in the distance, he turned to Mr. Liang, who was invisible, and said, "Let's take care of it here."

"Why here?" Mr. Liang's deep, hoarse voice rang out.

"The scenery here is nice, with a wide view. I can enjoy the view while you sleep," Xiang Kun said half-jokingly.

Of course, Xiang Kun chose this place for Mr. Liang to drink blood not because of the scenery, but because this area is one of the few places in the wild already covered by "Super-Linked Object"—this is one of the "seed sources" and "bridgeheads" of the Little Radish on the Africa savanna. The vegetation in this two to three square kilometers area consists of many of the Little Radish's "sperms," mixed among normal grasses and trees, making them difficult to spot. When the Little Radish breaks through its growth limit, it can quickly expand to the entire Africa grasslands and jungles based on these "bridgeheads."

Now, with the addition of the large number of "Super-Linked Object Tungsten Steel Spheres" scattered by Xiang Kun, this area is enough to form a safe zone under the control of Xiang Kun and Alice. They can detect any creature entering this area in advance and have the ability to call upon the "Super-Sensing Item System" for assistance.

Here, Xiang Kun can ensure that Mr. Liang's blood-drinking and phased transformation are foolproof, and when necessary, he can even influence the weather on a large scale.

"Want a bite too?" Mr. Liang said to Xiang Kun jokingly after he revealed himself, dragging the "Mutated Little Lion" from the back seat to the ground.

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "Never mind, it doesn't look very appetizing anyway. Thank you for your trouble."

The "Mutated Little Lion," whose body had largely recovered, clearly understood the meaning and intention of their conversation. It struggled desperately within the alloy net, letting out a piercing cry like a human baby.

However, what it didn't know was that this imitation of the voice would only make Mr. Xiang Kun and Mr. Liang more disgusted and more murderous, because they knew very well what it meant for it to use such methods.

A day later, after leaving the grasslands of Kampania, Mr. Xiang Kun and Mr. Liang traveled by plane, then cargo ship, then plane again, then fishing boat, and finally arrived at a sea area in the Bay of Bengal in the northern Indian Ocean.

Standing on the deck of the fishing boat, looking at the azure sea below, Mr. Liang asked with some confusion, "This place is quite close to Myanmar. We could have come here first and then gone to Africa, couldn't we?"

Xiang Kun shook his head. "There's an order to it. We have to go to Africa first, then come here."

Mr. Liang immediately understood that if he first devoured the "Blood-feeding Creature" in the water, then the lion in Africa would no longer be able to help him with his phased transformation. How could Xiang Kun have been able to make such in-depth calculations about the degree of his own phased transformation back then? This not only required an understanding of his situation, but also an extremely thorough understanding of the situation of the "Blood-feeding Creature" in Africa and the seabed here.

At Xiang Kun's request, Mr. Liang equipped himself with "Biological Component" for underwater survival and movement, and jumped into the water with Xiang Kun.

Although he had already witnessed Xiang Kun's various incomprehensible supernatural abilities, Mr. Liang was still somewhat astonished to see Xiang Kun Mr. Liang naked, plunge into the water, and swim freely without needing to breathe, as if he were a creature naturally living underwater. He simply couldn't understand how Xiang Kun could have evolved to this extent in just over a year. What puzzled him most was how Xiang Kun could maintain a normal human appearance while possessing so many unique characteristics and abilities.

As for the hundreds of tungsten steel beads of various sizes and specifications that accompanied Xiang Kun as they moved through the water, Mr. Liang was not surprised at all.

Xiang Kun asked him to construct a cognitive system based on the phenomena he observed and his own perceptions, but he found that not only could he not construct a system, but his original cognitive system was almost destroyed. On the contrary, Xiang Kun said that his "High-Dimensional Factor theory" made a lot of sense.

In the water, Mr. Liang followed closely behind Xiang Kun. He had thought that with the support of his special "Biological Component," he should be able to swim very fast, but he was surprised to find that he was far behind Xiang Kun. Xiang Kun seemed to move very quickly in the water without any movement, as if the water was carrying him.

At first, Mr. Liang could keep up, but soon he couldn't keep up. At this moment, he suddenly felt the water around him come alive, and it actually helped him swim, as if countless hands were passing the baton in the water, carrying him continuously in the Xiang Kun was moving.

Xiang Kun isn't swimming, he's controlling the water!?

This discovery shocked Mr. Liang even more.

But he didn't have time to carefully experience Xiang Kun's ability to control water. As Xiang Kun dived deeper into the water, he saw a huge creature through the "Biological Component helmet" with its dim night vision.