Chapter 114: The Human Skin Drum (18)

"The white paste we applied is actually the raw material for creating the 'gestation sac.' And you all are the nutrients within that sac, used to cultivate Xenomorphs."

"Xenomorphs?"

"Yes. The various monsters you saw this morning and yesterday."

"These are all Xenomorphs. They are how the 'Mother of Gestation' obtains nutrients. She has placed a curse upon us, forcing us to obey her commands. If you truly cannot swallow this bitterness, then go and cause trouble for the Mother! After all, we are merely her servants; we must unconditionally comply with whatever she demands of us!"

The one explaining this to Tang Mu was a burly, ferocious-looking man in his forties or fifties. When he spoke of the Mother of Gestation, he ground his teeth; he clearly harbored a deep hatred for her.

"I see," Tang Mu said, waving her hand. The red threads that had been restraining the specters were retracted. "So, how do we resolve this matter of the gestation sac?"

"There is no way to resolve it," another young man added. "Once the material is ground and baptized by moonlight, it immediately begins to cultivate every living thing it can. Now, your entire building is encased within the gestation sac... it will only take a few minutes for everyone to mutate."

That included Boss Wang and the receptionist.

The moment the young man finished speaking, a strange fragrance filled the building. It smelled exactly like ripe autumn rice, but ten times more potent than any harvest.

"The alienation has begun!"

Even the specters wore expressions of terror and panic.

"Run! If you don't leave now, it will be too late!"

As their words faded, the sound of violent pounding erupted from every room.

"Ahhh!" Those who had not yet mutated watched as their companions' bodies were bloated and distorted by an unknown force. Paralyzed by fear, they couldn't even stand, let alone open their doors to flee into the hallway.

Those who moved quickly were so panicked that they failed to close their doors behind them, allowing the specters inside to rush out. Those who didn't make it were shredded by giant-headed monsters, long-armed creatures, man-eating vines, and various other mutated horrors.

Because these mutated creatures had lost their human capacity for critical thought, those who had already finished off their roommates could only mechanically slam against doors, unable to figure out how to turn the locks to chase the survivors in the hallway.

"Damn it! How is this mutation even working? Is it tiered based on individual physical conditions?"

The one cursing was the chubby man who had been grumbling about someone patting his shoulder too hard when they stepped off the tour bus. He had scavenged an axe from somewhere and was hacking wildly at a man-eating vine that kept extending its tendrils from a doorway.

But the vines grew too fast. Even when the man chopped off a section, new ones sprouted instantly from the stump, attempting to strangle him.

"Dammit to hell!" The man kept hacking, but the thick, sticky green slime splashing from the severed vines coated his hands, making the axe handle so slippery he could barely hold his weapon.

Seeing Tang Mu and the specters in the hallway, he threw his useless weapon aside and screamed at them, "What are you standing there for? Help me close the door!"

Tang Mu ignored him. "No need. Forget it. Run to the first floor."

With that, she disregarded him entirely. She shattered a glass window and, using the red thread anchored to a fire hydrant, slid down from the fourth floor to the first in a flash.

The chubby man, fearing the twelve-meter drop due to his weight, hesitated as he looked at the thin, spider-silk-like red thread.

"Is this thing even sturdy?" he yelled down to Tang Mu.

"If you don't think it's sturdy, take the stairs," Tang Mu replied, not wanting to shout too loudly. She hadn't taken the red thread with her, anyway. Whether he chose to slide down that "spider silk" was not her concern.

The man looked back at the man-eating vines encroaching toward him—especially the small, foot-long blossoms budding from the vines, which reeked and featured disgusting, mottled red patterns and iron-sharp teeth. His terror peaked.

Falling meant an instant end, but being caught by those vines meant suffering the agony of being chewed and shredded by a dozen razor-sharp maws.

"Ah, screw it... if I die, I die! But if I survive, I'm going to kill you people!"

After much hesitation, he decided to slide down.

As it turned out, Tang Mu’s red thread was incredibly durable. Even with his two-hundred-plus-pound weight, it didn't snap. However, the friction left his hands, feet, and rear in agony; deep, bleeding lacerations appeared on his wrists and ankles within seconds.

"Damn, that stings! Hey, didn't your hands and wrists get cut when you slid down?"

Tang Mu didn't answer. She was watching the front door.

Qiao Yuan, the vice president of the A-Yu Association, had naturally made it down safely. But the others weren't as lucky. Qi Yangbo, for instance, had been transformed into a water-sac monster. Only Ge Wenqian, Zhu Ya'an, Lu Zhengqing, and An Xiaoying had escaped.

Ge Wenqian was a mess. She had been in the shower and was still in her pajamas, drawing strange looks from others. Fueled by embarrassment and rage, she directed her anger at Tang Mu.

"You left without telling me! Now look, I didn't even know there were monsters in the hallway!"