—

A carrion beetle crawled into a pit, and in the pit lay a corpse with a swollen abdomen, inside were numerous carrion beetles.

The chewing sounds were very faint, but due to their density, they could still be heard clearly. Gurgle, chirp, sticky and creepy, sending shivers down one’s spine.

The carrion beetle bit open the skin of the corpse, crawled into the abdomen, preparing to feed.

However, after just taking a small bite, it stood motionless in place, a strange thought suddenly occurring in its head—

Feeding on carrion served only to sustain basic survival needs. To become stronger, one had to consume higher-energy substances.

From this very moment, the carrion beetle learned to contemplate, creating a fundamental difference between itself and its kin.

If it were a bit smarter, it might have known this as evolution.

Its large, dark eyes glared ominously at the surrounding carrion beetles. Some of them ate abundantly, grew robust, and had glossy, tough exoskeletons. Engaging in combat with them would surely result in injury to itself. Shifting its gaze, it quickly targeted a newly hatched, small carrion beetle.

It used its tentacles to continuously tap the still feeble prey.

The small carrion beetle was unaware of the imminent danger. It also used its tentacles to tap the larger carrion beetle.

Suddenly, the larger carrion beetle lunged, its sharp mouthpiece viciously biting off the small carrion beetle’s head, chewing it into pieces, and swallowing it.

The surrounding carrion beetles lacked cognitive abilities and were oblivious to the significance of this unexpected event. They continued gnawing on the corpses, unconcerned about this aberrant member.

A day and night passed, and the rotting corpse still lay in the pit, not entirely consumed by the swarming carrion beetles. A fist-sized carrion beetle crawled out from the abdomen of the corpse, its blade-like mouthpieces rubbing against each other, emitting a teeth-grinding crunch.

Its kin had vanished, and it had transformed into a colossal creature.

To become even larger, it needed more energy!

A pink figure flashed through its mind— that was the best food! Find it! Kill it! Consume it!

The carrion beetle immediately crawled back to the rock from the previous day. Its evolved, more acute sense of smell confirmed that it had been deceived! That pink furry ball was indeed hidden within the rock!

Its sharp mouthpiece fiercely bit the small protrusion on the rock, forcibly pulling it away.

A hole revealed itself, emanating the distinct scent of the pink furry ball. The carrion beetle excitedly wiggled its tentacles, unhesitatingly extending its mouthpiece into the hole, devouring what lay inside.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle— the sound of corrosive toxins echoed, and black smoke emitted from the carrion beetle’s head.

The next second, the carrion beetle fell from the rock, its belly opening up, sixteen legs, each tipped with sharp hooks, desperately clawing at the air, tortured by excruciating pain. Its blade-like mouthpiece had dissolved, and a significant portion of its head was missing.

It had been ambushed!

Unprecedented anger and pain made the carrion beetle emit a piercing scream.

Struggling for an unknown duration, it finally regained its strength, laboriously flipping its body. It staggered and crawled toward the depths of the forest.

That cunning prey had outsmarted it!

—

The pink furry ball had been lying flat for a day and night. The ants, centipedes, earwigs, and countless other insects it had consumed provided much more energy than the Venus flytrap’s venom. The pink furry ball had grown plumper, the area of the flattened pancake had increased, and it caught even more insects.

This was a positive cycle. If nothing unexpected happened, the pink furry ball could continue lying there, waiting for food to come to it.

However, it was born with a strong sense of danger. Its body suddenly shivered, followed by a chill spreading through every cell. The pink furry ball immediately retracted its flattened body, swiftly crawling away.

It couldn’t stay here any longer; otherwise, something bad would happen. For some reason, it could sense the approach of carrion beetles.

It hadn’t walked far when a gigantic carrion beetle arrived at the place where it had originally been lying, using its tentacles to continually sniff the residual scent.

Run!

The carrion beetle squealed frantically, driven to madness.

The pink furry ball shifted to a new spot and lay flat. Before long, the eerie sensation returned, and it hastily moved, carrying half of an earwig within its folds.

Once again, the carrion beetle arrived at the place where it had been lying, its tentacles shaking eagerly, and sharp claws fiercely scratching the ground.

Run again!

The pink furry ball lay flat for a while, consumed some insects, sensed the approach of the carrion beetle, and promptly shifted to another location to continue lying flat. Unbeknownst to itself, it traversed the enigmatic, mist-shrouded forest.

The pursuing carrion beetle always arrived after it had left, emitting frustrated screeches. Each missed opportunity seemed to make the venomous insect’s temper more erratic. Perhaps one day, the two archenemies would encounter each other in a decisive battle to the death.

On this day, the pink furry ball climbed a tall tree, preparing to rest for a while.

Under the tree, the sound of snapping twigs echoed, and two unfamiliar creatures slowly entered the pink furry ball’s field of view. They were exceptionally large, unlike any insects it had encountered.

The pink furry ball’s perception of danger surged to its peak!

Quiet! It must not be discovered!

Clutching onto a leaf, it pressed it against its oversized head, its black eyeballs staring wide open, fixedly gazing below without blinking.

With each step, these two creatures would crush many insects! If it had been lying under the tree, it would have been flattened by now! They were formidable!

What on earth were these creatures?

…Could they be eaten?