Ghost Jellyfish

Feng Ling walked over and reached out to touch it.

You obtained the Card "Ghost Jellyfish."

Ghost Jellyfish: after its body comes into contact with a large amount of water, it tends to become transparent. It has six tentacles lined with stinging cells, with an average length of ten meters. They possess excellent piercing power and concealment.

Information about the Card appeared in Feng Ling's mind.

A surge of exhilaration filled her chest.

All three Xenomorphs had been dealt with.

Though there had been a few twists along the way, leaving her looking rather bedraggled now...

Feng Ling covered the wounds on her body and narrowed her eyes at the burning villa in the distance. There should still be two Cards inside, but unfortunately, she could not get them for the moment. The fire was too intense.

She slowly walked out of the villa.

Once she calmed down, the pain from the wounds all over her body seemed to multiply. Blood streamed from the left leg that had been pierced through by tentacles.

Feng Ling made her way step by step to the Small Truck. The Emergency Medical Kit she had prepared beforehand was inside.

The little girl was there too. Like a stray dog, she crouched miserably beside the wheel, wearing an edgy Skull Mask.

"Get lost." Feng Ling frowned.

She did not feel like killing it right now.

But if it insisted on coming near her, she would not mind killing a Fourth One tonight.

The little girl jolted and hurriedly stepped aside, yet she did not leave. She stood trembling in the middle of the road, watching Feng Ling.

Feng Ling took the medical kit from the truck, found the Disinfectant, and poured it directly over her wounds.

The stuff was extremely irritating. Every Muscle in her body tensed, and her mood worsened considerably.

Fortunately, new text messages appeared in her mind, temporarily distracting her.

"Ghost Jellyfish" has been digested.

The deck has grown. Corruption Value: 7%.

The skill Mother's Scourge has been upgraded. You now possess two arms within your body, which can rapidly transform into sharp Bone Blades. High-speed movement and transparency traits have also been added.

Hmm?

Feng Ling froze for a moment.

She had not expected the new Card to bring no new skill, but instead enhance her existing Bone Blade.

No wonder new skills needed to be renamed. It was probably because after every Card was digested, the skill would undergo changes based on the traits of the main Card.

"Um..." the little girl at her side began softly. "Would you... would you consider cooperating with me...?"

Feng Ling looked up at her.

Had water gotten into this Xenomorph's brain? How could it have such a laughable idea?

Feng Ling looked at her coldly. "You're a Xenomorph."

—Humans and Xenomorphs were two opposing factions locked in a fight to the death. How could they cooperate?

The little girl gathered her courage and said, "I can help you..."

That amused Feng Ling. Squinting, she asked, "Oh? How?"

"You're a Hidden Boss... Players will come to subjugate you. I-I'm a Player. I can warn you in advance, and I can spread false information among the Players to help conceal your whereabouts..."

The little girl took a deep breath, raised her voice slightly, and continued, "For example, if Players form a team on the Forum to subjugate a Boss, I can tell you when I see it so you can prepare. Only Players can see the Player Forum, and it has lots of information about Bosses. Don't you want to know? Even if you don't, you'll need the Recovery Potions from the Shop eventually, right? The hemostatic methods in your world can't help you at all in battle. A Recovery Potion can take effect in as little as five seconds! I know you might not believe me... Actually, I-I just want to do my tasks properly and earn Points... I've never killed anyone. If you don't believe me, I can make a contract with you. I have the Demon Contract skill. It's more real and effective than any legal document!"

She rattled off a whole lot.

Feng Ling automatically picked out several intriguing keywords in her mind: Player Forum, subjugating Bosses, Shop, tasks, Points, Demon Contract...

This Demon Contract did not sound like a good thing no matter how she heard it.

"Demons never lie!" Afraid that Feng Ling would misunderstand, the girl explained, "I can lay out the terms for you to see. Once you read them, you'll know how sincere I am!"

A flash of light appeared.

A glowing prompt window appeared before Feng Ling, reading:

An injured Demon has sent you a contract invitation: As long as you provide her with protection, she is willing to pay you 50 ml of Recovery Potion daily as compensation. Once the contract is formed, neither party may go back on it. Confirm?

After giving it a quick read, Feng Ling took out a roll of bandages from the medical kit and wrapped her wounds.

"I'm not interested in protecting Xenomorphs."

What wishful thinking. She could barely kill them fast enough—how could she possibly protect one?

The little girl's face went pale. After standing there blankly for a moment, she pleaded with Feng Ling again. "Then... then can I stay by your side? Uh... you don't have to protect me. Just let me stay beside you... Is that okay?"

Feng Ling finished wrapping the bandage, tied a knot, and said blandly, "You're quite clever."

The girl's face lit up. "You agree?"

As long as she stayed by Feng Ling's side, Players would naturally prioritize attacking the Hidden Boss whenever they encountered them. That way, her goal of obtaining protection would be achieved.

"There's no rush about the contract. I have a few questions first," Feng Ling said.

"Okay." The girl was highly cooperative.

"The Cards..." Feng Ling glanced toward the villa. "You came out of there just now. You saw them, didn't you?"

The girl nodded hard. "Yes, I saw them."

"Did you take them?" Feng Ling asked.

The little girl froze slightly. "N-no..."

Feng Ling looked straight into the girl's eyes and said slowly, "You could take their Cards, become stronger, then launch a sneak attack on me while I'm injured. Then the Cards and the Points would all be yours—why didn't you do that? Were you too scared?"

The girl's body trembled. She had never seen a human like Feng Ling, one who casually spoke of letting her take the opportunity to ambush her... What did that mean? Was she warning her?

"M-my main Card is rather special. It's difficult to find compatible Cards. Digesting Cards carelessly will contaminate the deck," the girl answered cautiously.

Feng Ling fell silent at that.

The little girl watched her without daring to breathe.

After a long time—perhaps two minutes, perhaps three—Feng Ling finally spoke. "Get in."

The little girl froze, then joy appeared on her face. "Th-thank you!"

She hurriedly climbed into the truck's cargo compartment.

Feng Ling knocked on the side of the compartment and said, "Sit in the front passenger seat."

"Oh, okay, okay..." The little girl crawled back out, went around to the other side of the truck, opened the door, and got in.

She obediently fastened her seatbelt, then turned around. Two skull-like eyes streaked with tears gazed at Feng Ling hopefully.

Feng Ling said nothing. She got into the truck and started the engine.

—When she was unsure whether someone posed a threat, she preferred keeping them where she could watch them rather than leaving them in the compartment behind her.