Chapter 53: Mark

"Tentacles?" Lu Mian was stunned for a second before remembering how to define the thing that bound that mass of flesh and blood.

He had read all kinds of novels written by Aurora and seen all the illustrations. He not only remembered every cliché plot point but also understood many things he couldn't usually come into contact with, such as monster tentacles.

Seven or eight deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes entangled that mass of flesh and blood and dragged it toward the ruins of the building on the side.

A figure walked out from the place obscured by messy stones.

"He" looked like a human, shirtless and barefoot, wearing a pair of black trousers.

And unlike a human, he had no head. Only a section of the neck remained, and the cross-section was covered with sharp teeth in the posture of a vortex. Within the gaps of the teeth, bright red skin was clearly visible.

This was as if some human had used a strange mouthpart to replace their head and half a neck, making Lu Mian, the "head-cutting expert," shake his head repeatedly, unable to find a place to start.

Those seven or eight deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes extended from the edge of the monster's "mouthpart." They quickly dragged that mass of flesh and blood to in front of him and lifted it up.

The "mouthpart" at the monster's neck opened up, like a blooming morning glory.

Those sharp white teeth bit that mass of flesh and blood and swallowed it directly in the posture of a snake eating its prey.

Lu Mian, who saw this scene, sneered silently:

"I thought you all could survive without eating. Turns out you still need to eat..."

He then fell into deep thought:

"There should be the most monsters in this ruin, and the things that can be eaten must be very few...

"In other words, some monsters feed on other monsters, just like that, or everyone is a hunter and also prey...

"If I encounter a monster I can't beat, is it possible to lure it to other monsters, let them hunt each other and hurt each other, and then I'll come down to pick up the bargain at the end?

"Theoretically feasible, but it looks very dangerous. Who knows if the monsters will join forces to kill me first..."

As his thoughts turned, Lu Mian saw the chest cavity of the monster that used its "mouthpart" as a head and neck begin to bulge and contract, as if it were undergoing intense digestion.

This attracted Lu Mian's attention and also made him discover something unusual on the monster's shirtless upper body.

On its left chest, right chest, and below the neck, there was a black thing similar to a seal mark.

"This..." Lu Mian's pupils dilated involuntarily, wanting to see it more clearly.

He had seen similar things on the parish priest!

That was the black mark revealed after the parish priest's body expanded and tore his clothes at the end of the Lent festival!

After careful identification, Lu Mian confirmed that the three seal-like black things on the monster belonged to the same type of thing as the parish priest's:

They were all composed of unique characters and strange symbols, as if connecting to another world that was difficult to describe.

The difference was that the parish priest had at least eleven or twelve on him, while this monster only had three.

"What is the function of this black mark? A brand left by some hidden existence? The greater the quantity, the greater the gift received?" Lu Mian observed, both confused and bewildered.

He tried hard to memorize the characters and symbols that made up one of the marks, but because these were all things he didn't recognize, he really couldn't remember them for a while, and he didn't bring paper and pen, so he couldn't copy them.

The monster finally finished digesting that mass of flesh and blood. It moved its arms and flicked the seven or eight deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes next to its "mouthpart."

The mark below its neck glowed slightly, and its chest cavity emitted a buzzing resonance sound.

This sound became louder and louder, just like an air current raging in a beehive, going in and out of one empty hole after another.

The morning glory-like "mouthpart" opened, and the buzzing sound became more and more obvious.

Lu Mian felt very irritable listening to it, wishing he could beat that monster up:

Do you know how ugly this sound is?

Amidst the surging blood and energy, Lu Mian only felt a burst of anger rush from his heart to his brain.

He suddenly became impulsive, carrying the hunting rifle, bypassed the stones that obscured his figure, and jumped down from the semi-collapsed roof.

Bang!

Lu Mian landed on the ground, looking at the monster's vortex-shaped, blood-red "mouthpart" full of sharp teeth, and it looked at him.

Lu Mian, who was originally going to angrily scold the other party for being a male pig, instantly returned to calm, having a kind of bewilderment and helplessness of a spectator being forced to jump onto the stage.

That monster's blood-red mouthpart aimed at him and no longer made a sound.

"Can I say, sorry, it's a misunderstanding?" Lu Mian muttered in a low voice.

He suspected that the noise just now was problematic, actually making him lose his reason, jump out of the hiding spot, and attempt to launch an attack!

But the matter had already happened, and apologizing certainly wouldn't have any effect. He currently only had two choices: fight or flee.

And based on Lu Mian's experience, in this kind of situation, trying to run away directly would likely fail. The other party was not only completely undamaged but also ready, raising those seven or eight tentacles.

Therefore, if he really wanted to run away, he had to fight a round first and find an opportunity before saying anything!

Without hesitation, as soon as Lu Mian regained his reason, he raised the hunting rifle he had already loaded with lead bullets.

Bang!

The monster clearly hadn't expected the enemy to be so decisive and fast, and lacked understanding of the existence of the hunting rifle, failing to make any dodge, and was blasted directly on the body by multiple lead pellets that burst open.

"Ah!"

Its vortex-shaped, blood-red "mouthpart" full of sharp teeth opened instinctively, letting out a cry full of pain. Its chest became bloody and blurry in many places, including the place where the black mark on the right side was located.

But that black mark seemed to be carved into the blood and flesh, still clearly visible, not much affected by the state of the wound.

Lu Mian couldn't care about appreciating the prey's scream. As soon as he finished shooting, he immediately changed his position and reached into the cloth bag at his waist to take out new lead bullets.

Just as he was re-aiming at the target, the black mark on the monster's left chest emitted a faint light.

That humanoid creature whose head and half a neck had turned into a giant "mouthpart" disappeared instantly.

It just lost its trace in front of Lu Mian like that!

Ran away? Invisibility? Lu Mian sought answers from the various novels written by Aurora and the mystical knowledge she had taught him.

He hurriedly looked left and right, but that monster seemed to have really disappeared into thin air.

This scene and difficulty he had never faced before made Lu Mian feel a bit panicked for a moment, wanting to take the opportunity to leave this place, and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Suddenly, his ankles tightened, and his whole body lost balance, being turned upside down.

Those deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes appeared in the air. They were entangling Lu Mian's legs, lifting him into mid-air.

The monster also revealed its trace; it was not far from Lu Mian's side.

At this time, the black mark on its right chest was glowing, and the vortex-shaped "mouthpart" full of white sharp teeth was stretched to the limit, revealing the blood-red interior, seemingly wanting to use the tentacles to swallow Lu Mian in one gulp.

An indescribable fishy stench sprayed out from inside the "mouthpart," making Lu Mian, who was hanging upside down in mid-air, feel a bit dizzy.

And what entered his eyes was the blood-red oral skin and countless white sharp teeth.

His heart moved, and before a tentacle could entangle his arm, he aimed the hunting rifle at the monster's "mouthpart" while hanging upside down.

Bang!

The monster let out another scream, flesh and blood flying inside the "mouthpart," lead black everywhere.

It forcefully threw Lu Mian out, its body quickly became transparent, and it disappeared again.

Lu Mian landed on the ground with a thud, rolled several times before standing up again, and concentrated his spirit to find the target's trace.

The next second, his nose twitched, only feeling a certain bloody scent quickly approaching him.

Unable to care about what this actually meant, he swooped out, swooping in the opposite direction.

Where he had originally stood, deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes drilled out of the air, but they didn't entangle anything.

Three or four meters away from them, the monster revealed its figure, the vortex-shaped "mouthpart" wide open, as if waiting for food.

Lu Mian hurriedly loaded the hunting rifle with lead bullets, but the black mark on the monster's left chest lit up, and it disappeared from his line of sight again.

Invisibility, it really is invisibility! Lu Mian made a judgment instantly.

And combining the encounter just now, he believed that this kind of invisibility couldn't cover up the scent, and it would fail as soon as it entered an attack state.

After figuring it out, Lu Mian felt steady in his heart and mocked himself secretly:

"What kind of invisibility is it if you can't even hide the scent?"

And capturing various traces was the strong suit of a "Hunter."

No longer panicked by the encounter battle, Lu Mian, who had gained quite a bit of confidence, calmed down and observed the surroundings while wandering.

Soon, he saw the footprints left by the monster and smelled the bloody scent and the original stench on it.

Relying on these traces, he avoided the monster's attacks time and time again in advance and blasted the other party with the hunting rifle time and time again.

But that monster seemed to have no vital points, and after being shot many times, it was only a bit weaker.

Seeing that the lead bullets were about to run out, Lu Mian's thoughts turned rapidly, thinking about what to do.

It was only a matter of seconds before he had the answer:

On the way here, he hadn't forgotten to observe the environment and discovered several natural traps that could be utilized, and one of them was just right for dealing with this monster now.

Seeing two shallow footprints appear abruptly not far away, Lu Mian turned his body and ran wildly.

The deep black tentacles covered in meat membranes missed again.

Lu Mian ran and stopped, sometimes looking back to observe, ensuring that the monster wouldn't give up the chase, and based on this, made dodges to the attacks in advance.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The "noise" emitted from the monster's chest cavity entered Lu Mian's ears again, making him feel a burst of annoyance. His anger became extremely vigorous, wishing he could stop running immediately and turn around to give that guy a few axe blows.

Fortunately, he remembered that the purpose of his wild run was to kill that guy, and it wasn't a real escape in the current sense. The anger and annoyance couldn't change his plan, only making him more capable of action.

Thump thump thump!

Lu Mian finally saw that semi-collapsed building.

He rushed in directly, arrived at the edge on the other side, and then stopped there, pretending to be in an ambush.

Not long after, shallow footprints appeared in the semi-collapsed house, and the stench and bloody scent got closer and closer to Lu Mian.

Lu Mian estimated the distance of the tentacles, retreated two steps forcefully, raised the axe he had already pulled out, and chopped at a stone pillar that was about to crack.

Immediately after, he kicked the stone pillar forcefully and rolled backward.

The semi-collapsed house, which was already in a fragile balance, could no longer support itself and collapsed with a bang.

Clatter, a large amount of heavy stones fell, completely filling the internal space that could originally allow people to pass through.

The monster that was hiding there and ready to go suddenly let out a fierce scream.

Its scream lasted less than a second before it stopped abruptly.

PS: Thanks to Xing Zhou Lan and book friend 20230108160739852 for the Silver Alliance reward.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 54 =====