The outline pieced together from countless metal parts was clearly defined, yet the flesh had not decayed like that of most of its kind. It extended its damp, cold, and slimy tentacles, tightly binding the human’s ankles and dragging her into the endless deep sea. 

The suckers were attached with metal sheets, clinging to her ankles and calves, piercing into her soft skin. Blood was the best lubricant, further igniting the creature’s appetite. The remaining tentacles clung tightly to the low wall, the force causing the already fragile concrete to crumble in succession, screams piercing the night sky, buried beneath the rumbling sounds.

The human body appeared so small and fragile before it. She desperately grasped at everything within reach, striking at the monster that was dragging her toward death. Stones hit the mechanical body, producing a sharp metallic clink.

Chen Ci stopped fifteen meters from the shore. He fished out two bullets he had discovered the day before from his coat pocket, quickly loading them into the magazine, holding the gun with both hands. He raised it, aimed, and pulled the trigger; it only took a second. 

But all he heard was a dull click. The bullets, which had been sitting in a drawer for who knows how long, had long since dampened and misfired, which was only to be expected. Chen Ci’s expression didn’t change at all; he immediately ejected the bullet, reloaded, and aimed again. The misfired bullet fell out, hitting the ground and creating a small dirt pit.

Bang—! The gunshot exploded, the fifteen-meter distance vanished in an instant, and the bullet accurately pierced through the squid’s eye, the immense impact shredding the surrounding tissue and organs, ultimately exiting from the back of its head. 

The force that was dragging the human into the deep sea momentarily halted. Mental energy invaded the poorly developed nervous system of the mollusk, seeking a way to suppress its extreme predatory desire. The next moment, a wave of pain from a heavy blow washed over its body, and all the tentacles flailed wildly, the instinctive reaction finally overshadowing its appetite.

Chen Ci focused his mind, ready to continue invading the squid’s thoughts, when a figure suddenly burst out from his side like a whirlwind. Fu Tianhe, wielding a crowbar, leaped down from the low wall, skillfully dodging the wildly thrashing tentacles, and raised both arms to stab fiercely at the base of the squid’s two long tentacles!

The tentacles that had tightly bound the ankles finally loosened. “Run!” Fu Tianhe shouted loudly, stepping on the tentacle that still wanted to grab its prey, aiming the crowbar at the mouth in the center of the ten tentacles, and stabbing fiercely!

Clang—! The tremendous force traveled through the crowbar, even causing Fu Tianhe’s arms to go numb. Inside that grotesque mouth, the squid’s oral membrane had completely mechanized! The ten tentacles bloomed like flowers, then suddenly tightened, attempting to wrap Fu Tianhe entirely within!

The powerful tentacles were covered with countless metal parts; if they wrapped around him, he would surely be turned into a sieve in an instant. But Fu Tianhe did not dodge. He remained in place, his muscles taut to the point of almost tearing his clothes, and with a roar, he forced the crowbar through that layer of mechanical oral membrane, driving it straight into the squid’s massive head!

The more than one-meter-long crowbar was fully inserted, piercing through the squid’s digestive tract, breaking through the organ sacs, scraping against its metal skeletal structure, producing a harsh scraping sound. 

Intense pain engulfed the squid’s entire consciousness, and Chen Ci, who had intended to help Fu Tianhe, immediately withdrew his mental energy. Fu Tianhe took two steps back, scooping up the girl who was struggling and unable to get up, carrying her away from the danger zone.

Fu Tianhe reached Chen Ci’s side, placing the girl behind the low wall. She was a Beta girl, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with messy short hair, dirty clothes, and a lonely injured ankle, looking almost malnourished. She bit her lip tightly, refusing to let out a sound of pain, her lips dry and cracked, with deep fissures even bleeding.

Chen Ci crouched down to check her leg’s wounds; the squid’s metal plates had left more than a dozen long cuts, continuously bleeding, and due to her violent struggles, they were contaminated with sand and gravel. “We need to clean this up first.” Chen Ci glanced at her hands, which were almost ground raw, the palms a blur.

Fu Tianhe nodded, bending down to pick up the searchlight that had been thrown aside in the chaos, returning to the now motionless squid. That blow had been too fierce; the physical force had destroyed most of the squid’s biological tissue, preventing it from retreating back into the ocean.

The light illuminated the chaotic battlefield, and Fu Tianhe suddenly realized just how perilous it had been. Various rubble was scattered everywhere, and a moment’s inattention could lead to a twisted ankle. If one fell, it would be a dead end.

The highly mechanized exoskeleton firmly protected the squid’s interior, with only the eye that Chen Ci had shot through exposed. If he hadn’t forced his way through the oral membrane, it was hard to say who would have won.

Fu Tianhe returned to the tentacles, reaching into the mouth to grab the end of the crowbar, stepping on the squid’s head, and forcefully pulling it out. The squid merely twitched, the ends of its tentacles struggling but unable to mount an effective resistance.

At the moment the crowbar was completely withdrawn, blue blood and black ink gushed from the wound, almost pouring out and soaking a large area of the ground below, the stench becoming even stronger. The crowbar was covered in various slimes, and Fu Tianhe grimaced in disgust. He walked to the edge of the sea to rinse it off before returning to Chen Ci’s side with the clean crowbar.

The squid’s head and torso measured about two meters long, which was quite a large size. Its level of mechanization was high, and Fu Tianhe planned to come back after dawn to see if there were any useful parts. “Let’s go; I’ll take you to treat your wounds.”

He crouched down, and with Chen Ci’s help, he carried the girl on his back, while Chen Ci held the crowbar and searchlight, and the three of them headed back to the tent. Their small camp stood intact in its place. Chen Ci took a bottle to purify seawater, while Fu Tianhe placed the girl on a stone slab to sit, going to help Chen Ci.

The two of them returned with three bottles of water, and Chen Ci handed one to the girl, signaling her to drink a bit first. The girl was clearly extremely thirsty, gulping down more than half a bottle in one go. She licked her lips, and the small scabs cracked open again, blood flowing out.

“What’s your name?” Chen Ci asked her. 

The girl’s voice was hoarse as she timidly replied, “Matchstick.” 

That didn’t sound like a real name. “You must be a scavenger from around here,” Fu Tianhe said, not surprised. People in the Underground City were divided into different classes, and those who could only live in the coastal area were likely extremely poor, casually naming themselves after the objects around them was normal.

Matchstick hummed in agreement. She carefully looked at Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe, sincerely saying, “Thank you.” 

“It’s nothing; let’s treat your wounds first.” Fu Tianhe took out a small medical kit, while Chen Ci used clean water to wash the sand and dirt from Matchstick’s wounds. Afterward, Chen Ci dried them with cotton balls, applied iodine and powder, and confirmed that the bleeding was slowly stopping before wrapping them with bandages.

This was the first time Chen Ci had treated anyone’s wounds. Although he had never done it before, his mind was clear, and he managed to do it quite well. Fu Tianhe sat beside them, talking with Matchstick to learn about what had happened.

The abandoned outskirts were located below the recycling station, often filled with discarded waste that had fallen from the recycling station. The corpses of the original creatures carried a lot of mechanical parts, making this area a favorite spot for scavengers. Matchstick was one of them; she belonged to a nearby settlement and regularly scavenged. As night fell, she hurried back to the camp but got lost.

Night would not slow down for her sake; the last rays of sunset sank below the horizon, and the boundless darkness completely surrounded her. Matchstick had brought a flashlight, but the twine broke at the thinnest points, and misfortune sought out the unfortunate; the battery lasted only twenty minutes before dying.

More terrifying than the darkness was the fear of the unknown. Matchstick tried to stay as far away from the coast as possible, hoping to find a relatively intact building, at least somewhere to survive the night, but she kicked something soft.

The rest was unnecessary to say. She was ensnared by the squid’s tentacles, and in the darkness, no one knew when it had crawled ashore. The squid was pulling Matchstick back into the sea to enjoy this delicious meal. If Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe hadn’t arrived, the girl named Matchstick would have vanished from the world without anyone noticing.

Chen Ci listened quietly, and now that Matchstick had finally drunk some water, her voice was much clearer. He couldn’t quite understand why she had to struggle so hard; the resources in Cinnabar should be enough to sustain all the humans living there. Matchstick could clearly go to the main area and find a suitable job instead of scavenging in the most dangerous coastal areas.

But Chen Ci remained silent; who was he to judge? “Are you hungry? You should eat something,” Fu Tianhe said, going to get their food. It was a bit troublesome to start a fire and cook at this hour, so he opened a can for Matchstick.

Having been hungry all day and escaping from the squid, Matchstick was already starving. She devoured the food, and Chen Ci sat across from her, timely handing over the water bottle. 

It was now one in the morning. After she finished a can, Fu Tianhe said, “You should go rest in the tent for a bit. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take you to the camp.” 

Matchstick nodded, expressing her gratitude again, “Thank you.” 

Matchstick was dirty, and they didn’t have any spare clothes for her, so she had to wear what she had for now. Fu Tianhe specifically packed up his sleeping bag for her to rest in. 

Matchstick felt very embarrassed; not only had she eaten the food of her saviors, but she was also taking up their resting space. “It’s fine; we’re just traveling. We can always return to the city tomorrow,” Fu Tianhe reassured her. 

Once everything was tidied up, he stood up and said, “Come on.” 

Matchstick hesitated for a moment but still crawled into the tent. She was simply too tired and exhausted; she was already so thin that she was malnourished, and after such a heart-pounding experience, she felt dizzy just standing. 

Chen Ci also entered the tent, shifting his sleeping bag to lean against the middle position, asking Fu Tianhe, “What about you?” 

The tent was small, but Matchstick was so petite that when she lay down, she only took up a thin edge, and the three of them could still fit. 

Fu Tianhe simply said, “You two rest first.” 

Chen Ci didn’t care much about gender distinctions, but Fu Tianhe did. As an Alpha and a man, it was one thing to sleep next to Chen Ci, given their familiarity. But Matchstick was a girl they had just rescued; if he lay down in the space Chen Ci had vacated, it would be a rather inappropriate act. 

Fu Tianhe had no intention of sleeping. He decided to let the tent be for Chen Ci and Matchstick; after all, there were only a little over four hours left until dawn. He could just take a nap outside. 

Chen Ci stared at him for a few seconds, nodded, and silently returned to the tent. Fu Tianhe sat on the stone slab in front of the tent. 

The searchlight was turned off, and the surroundings returned to silence. The moon looked like it had been bitten, missing a piece, and the stars were bright; tomorrow should be a sunny day without clouds. 

Fu Tianhe raised his hand to touch his right eye; the crowbar was right beside him. He hadn’t yet mastered the skill of falling asleep while sitting, so he planned to daze for a while to pass the time. 

Not long after, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind him. Fu Tianhe was taken aback and turned to look, seeing a figure crawling out of the tent. 

Chen Ci had already put on his coat. He pulled the tent tight from the outside, ensuring that Matchstick, who could fall asleep in a second, could rest well, and quietly sat down beside Fu Tianhe. 

“Not going to sleep?” Fu Tianhe asked. 

Chen Ci simply shook his head, not saying a word. He tightened his coat, seeming a bit cold, and curled his body slightly.