Chapter 115: The X-4 Serum

"——————!!"

A piercing shriek tore through the night sky. The moment Faren severed the "heart," vast quantities of blood gushed out from the ruptured conduits like water from a burst pipe, spreading a thick, nauseating stench. The tentacles, which had been writhing with vitality just moments before, suddenly went still. Those wrapped around Faren began to shrivel and wither at a visible rate, turning into something akin to a desiccated mummy from the Sahara; in the blink of an eye, they were reduced to nothing more than a fragile, papery husk. Faren shifted his body slightly, and the brittle tentacles shattered like potato chips, crumbling into dust that drifted to the ground and vanished in the wind.

Hmm? This scene felt vaguely familiar.

Watching the tentacle monster wither and turn into a pile of ash, Faren narrowed his eyes. Now that he thought about it, he had indeed seen this somewhere before... and it seemed to have been quite recently.

Perhaps that thing could provide an answer.

With this in mind, Faren turned and walked toward the heart.

"Thump-thump... thump-thump..."

The massive heart was now one-third submerged in blood, beating rapidly. Blood continued to seep from the jagged opening. Faren observed that the heart's originally vibrant red surface was rapidly turning dull and decaying, cracking like moldy orange peel. Disgusting wounds formed by cysts and fungi began to fester, a sight too grotesque to endure.

(What a fragile monster.)

Having transformed back into a black cat perched on Faren's shoulder, Deline flicked her tail and added, "Things that mutate suddenly are always like this. Immense power isn't something just any stray dog or cat can acquire so easily."

Compared to Deline, Faren was not particularly surprised by this level of mutation. Every mutation has its limits. Generally, mutants in the wasteland are forced to change due to external factors like their environment. If it were that type of mutant, it would be quite difficult to deal with. Just like the elite energy-absorbing monsters or the Hulks he had encountered before—even one or two of those were annoying enough because they understood their own strength and knew how to fight. Moreover, their long-term mutation ensured their bodies gradually adapted to that power. While the Hulks or mutants he had met previously possessed great strength, they would never become as useless as this tentacle monster the moment their core was removed.

Of course, if this mutant tentacle monster had been given more time, it might have consolidated its foundation and become stronger and more troublesome. Unfortunately, reality does not deal in "ifs."

Thinking this, Faren sighed with mock "regret." However, contrary to the expression on his face, his scalpel moved with swift precision, slicing through the outer membrane of the heart and cutting it wide open.

"Squelch..."

With a sound like a leaking balloon, the bloated heart instantly deflated. The outer membrane peeled back, revealing the core hidden within. Seeing what was inside, Faren let out a low whistle, and even Deline widened her eyes in curiosity.

Before them lay a completely naked, bloated man. His limbs had completely melted and fused with the outer membrane. His torso had become ugly and bizarre; whatever factors were at play, his skin looked like expired, low-quality butter, turned into viscous, disgusting white clumps. Through the gap, Faren could even see that the inside of his body was hollow; the organs that should have been there were nowhere to be found. However, judging by the soft, vascular skin "growing" from the man's lower spine, it seemed those organs had been relocated elsewhere.

"Weak and aching waist, a feeling of being hollowed out... this is definitely kidney deficiency..."

Holding the scalpel, Faren let out a long sigh, then looked at the man with a smile.

"I’ve heard that the direction of a mutant's mutation is determined by their own subconscious. Could it be you have a penchant for this? Truly hard to believe... to have such leisure on the battlefield; it seems some people are not to be underestimated..."

"Ah... ah...!!"

Hearing Faren's voice, the man lifted his head, which was equally disfigured to the point where his facial features had been completely erased. He stared at Faren with wide, dead eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could only emit cries like a newborn infant.

"Intelligence regression due to over-mutation? Or did you lose the ability to speak for some other reason?"

Muttering to himself, Faren raised the scalpel, ignored the mouth oozing filthy blood, pried it open, and began a careful examination.

"Hmm... nothing apparent here... I suppose I'll have to cut open the skull..."

As he whispered to himself, Faren's eyes grew brighter. Looking at the ugly, twisted human body before him, he couldn't help but lick his lips. Then, Faren raised his right hand, gripping the scalpel, and pressed it against the man's cranium as if caressing a lover. Feeling the cold touch of the blade, the man’s eyes widened in terror. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but the only sounds he could produce were "ya-ya." Noticing the man's reaction, Faren looked down at him and offered a slight smile.

"Don't be impatient... relax, it won't hurt much..."

"Ahhh... ah...!!!"

A shrill scream pierced the air, startling the three sisters waiting in the distance.

".........Commander, what is he doing..."

Clutching her teddy bear tightly, Kurona curled into a ball, looking toward the bottom of the pit with unease and worry. After Faren removed the heart of the mutant tentacle monster, those tentacles had been completely neutralized. The three sisters no longer needed to act as bait, but even so, they dared only stay in the vehicle, watching from afar. Hearing the scream, both Chris and Kurona wore expressions of confusion. Only Eluka turned pale, as if recalling something, and stumbled back a few steps.

"That... Chris? Kurona? Let's go back to the vehicle..."

"Why?"

Hearing Eluka, Chris turned her head and looked at her, questioning. Not just Chris, but Kurona also poked her head out, her large eyes blinking with curiosity as she looked at Eluka. Facing their questions, Eluka managed a smile that looked worse than crying.

"That... the Commander is conducting his research... let's go clean up the battlefield now... there are still many spoils of war waiting for us to process..."

"I see..."

Whether they instinctively sensed something, Chris and Kurona exchanged a glance and did not pursue the matter further. They nodded and returned to the vehicle. Only then did Eluka let out a long breath of relief. She glanced at the center of the pit with lingering fear, quickly averted her eyes, and turned to leave.

"Whew..."

Faren let out a satisfied breath, flicking the scalpel in his hand to clear off the filth. Before him, the man's skull had been opened, revealing the brain inside. Unlike a normal human brain, this one was swollen and enlarged, and the sulci on its surface were filled with a pitch-black, filthy substance. It looked as if...

"Water on the brain, or rather, sewage. No wonder it turned out like this."

Faren took the scalpel, gently wiped the surface of the cerebral cortex, and then flicked it upward. As he did, the black, filthy liquid clung to the blade. Whether it was an illusion or not, when Faren looked closely, he could almost see the black filth squirming like insects...

(Master, there seems to be something on his neck.)

"Oh?"

Hearing Deline, Faren shifted his gaze downward to the man's neck, then reached out and flicked with his scalpel. With a flash of silver, a syringe popped out from the wound in the man's neck and landed securely in Faren's hand.

"Hmm... this thing looks really familiar..."

Although the syringe was empty, Faren didn't need to investigate its contents to know what had been inside—because stuck to the side of the syringe was a label: [X-4].

(Master, have you seen this before?)

"Yes, in the Federation's secret laboratory back then, I saw something similar."

Facing Deline's question, Faren shrugged and gave his answer, then carefully examined the syringe. The X-3 serum at the base hadn't been completed because of his interference. But after that, the unfinished product had indeed shown the power to turn people into monsters. So, should this be considered the finished product? No, with so many flaws, it should be considered an experimental prototype...

It seems the waters here run truly deep.

"I have a feeling things are getting more and more interesting."

As he spoke, Faren casually tossed the syringe aside, then reached out toward the dying man.

"But for now, I’ll collect my reward first... Collection mode... activated."