"It seems you don't understand the principle of 'Don't chase a cornered enemy.'" This was the first thing the head said to Lin Sanjiu as it slowly rose from the mound of flesh.
1
The words were clear, the voice smooth, sounding nothing like it came from a duoluozhong. But the head that spoke was another story: bald on top, with large, bloated features and a wide face, it was impossible to discern any human gender from its expression.
Below the head lay layers upon layers of stomachs and thighs, with random hands and feet jutting out between the folds. Each slight movement of the fleshbound made these limbs tremble as if they were waving. A few of the victim heads at the base rolled their eyes downward, focusing on the unconscious mastermind lying on the floor.
Despite his severe corrosive injuries and blood-covered face, the mastermind had been well-protected by the fleshbound. As long as they could move him to another exhibit platform and reconnect his nerve lines, his consciousness trapped in the fleshbound might still return to his body safely.
"Since you were free to leave, why force me into a corner?" The fleshbound slid sideways like a giant mass of flesh-colored jelly, its head fixed on Lin Sanjiu. "Since you refuse to let things end here, don't blame me for defending myself."
"Oh, so all the things you did were our fault for pushing you?" Lin Sanjiu felt a chill spreading in her gut, a familiar fear born from cowardice. But deep within, a burning rage flared, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a while. That fire soaked her voice with sarcasm. "Do you need me to apologize to you?"
The bloated head fell silent for half a second, then sighed like a living person.
Lin Sanjiu was done with talking.
Almost simultaneously, they both moved: she lunged toward the fleshbound, pushing off with her feet; the massive mound of flesh unfurled into a wave of flesh-colored tendrils, but instead of heading toward Lin Sanjiu, it shot past her periphery, straight for Bee Sting Venom to her rear left.
By the time Lin Sanjiu realized its target, it was too late to turn back and protect Bee Sting Venom. Her best option was to keep attacking, forcing the fleshbound to abandon its assault on Bee Sting Venom and turn back to face her.
However, she underestimated the fleshbound's flexibility.
Even though the display plaque had mentioned the fleshbound's exceptional flexibility, and she was mentally prepared, she was still stunned by its actual movement. Despite its huge, bulky mass — an ideal target — her punches repeatedly missed. Each time she swung, the fleshbound rapidly elongated and shrank back, moving faster than she could strike and recoil.
In a blink, it stretched thin like a piece of chewing gum being pulled apart and slipped away from Lin Sanjiu. One end rushed toward Bee Sting Venom, while the other lashed out, striking its own human body and knocking it ten meters away from Lin Sanjiu's feet. Its movements defied physical constraints, unnervingly swift and agile.
Before Lin Sanjiu could react, the fleshbound disappeared from her sight, the mastermind's body had been flung far away, and the space around her was empty. Behind her, Bee Sting Venom screamed, "Stay away!"
Lin Sanjiu twisted around and flung her hand back. A small tornado roared toward the fleshbound. It wasn't the best idea, but it was the only move she could make in the moment. The tornado's power was immense, and despite her best efforts to restrain it, several ceiling lights burst, plunging the exhibition hall into a windy, dim chaos where vision blurred.
The fleshbound didn't dare take the hit head-on and collapsed to the floor — a true "collapse," as if a small mountain had crumbled into a landslide of flesh-colored sludge. Lin Sanjiu shouted, "Run farther!" At this critical moment, Bee Sting Venom stumbled into the hallway, escaping with her life. Lin Sanjiu didn't chase after the fleshbound. Instead, she turned in the opposite direction and charged forward.
Her target was clear: the mastermind's body still lay on the ground.
"You won't touch my body." The dominant head suddenly dangled from the ceiling, its thin, sheet-like mass trailing down like a giant flesh blanket. While dodging the tornado, it had slithered up the wall and spread across the ceiling. Now, with no resistance to slow it, the fleshbound swiftly pursued Lin Sanjiu, its voice dripping with resentment. "If you'd just obediently died, none of this would be happening!"
1
Both Lin Sanjiu and the duoluozhong reached the unconscious man's body at almost the same time.
As Lin Sanjiu bent to grab his vest, even without looking up, she felt the thin mass of the fleshbound plunging from the ceiling to trap her, sealing off every escape route. There was no time to flee; she'd be immediately wrapped up in the fleshbound's center. ᚱÅℕỐＢЁṥ
In desperation, she activated [Mosaic Censorship] and struck back — but hit nothing.
"I'm sick of that move, and I'm tired of watching it," the fleshbound sneered as a shadow surged downward, sweeping up the man's body and pulling it swiftly to the ceiling. The moment it realized Lin Sanjiu wouldn't run, it switched direction and retracted its body, securing the mastermind once again.
Seconds later, the experience hall returned to its original tense scene. The mastermind's body lay at the fleshbound's feet, and Lin Sanjiu faced it in a standoff. Despite several exchanges, neither side had gained the upper hand, though the lights were shattered.
"I know you well by now," the dominant head said, hovering atop the trembling mound of flesh. In the dimness, its details were obscured, making it slightly less grotesque than before. "Your primary evolved ability doesn't seem suited for combat, your Higher Consciousness is almost depleted, and tornadoes are useless in tight spaces. All you have left is close combat, and your most dangerous weapons are those two hands... But it's a shame. As a human, your hands can only cover so much. Even if you blow apart a chunk of me, I'm not afraid... I can just absorb someone and regenerate. You really don't have any more tricks left, do you? Tell me, am I wrong?"
No.
It was right; the fleshbound was too fast and too agile. Even her vortex couldn't keep up when it constantly changed direction.
She knew her combat strength far surpassed this duoluozhong, but what was the use if she couldn't land a hit? It was like being trapped in quicksand. Strength meant nothing when there was no way to apply it.