Eaten Ch.57

Chapter 57: “Out to find food”

“Parasitized? What the hell does that mean?”

Du Yaoyuan shot up from the ground in fright.

Dou Lu looked puzzled. “Like a parasite in the body?”

Shen She quietly leaned closer to Du Yaoyuan. “Maybe it’s like a horsehair worm — your body becomes its incubator, and when it matures, it’ll crawl out of your seven orifices in bundles. But the host… dies in the process.”

Du Yaoyuan’s other eye began to tear up. “Shut the hell up!”

Then he roared furiously in Wu Heng’s direction, “Wu Heng, hurry up and dig that thing out of me!”

Xie Chongyi said, “Can it even be taken out?”

Everyone turned to look at Wu Heng. He pushed himself up from the floor. “I’ll take a look.”

The young man crouched down in front of the blood-covered boy.

Du Yaoyuan leaned forward on his own. “Hurry up and look, quick, it’s killing me!”

The blood was warm, carrying a faint, inexplicable fragrance.

Wu Heng took a deep breath. Before he could make a move, Du Yaoyuan suddenly clutched his eye and let out a scream of pain.

Wu Heng swiftly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him close. Like Xie Chongyi before, he pressed his palm over Du Yaoyuan’s left eye—but unlike Xie Chongyi, Wu Heng was the plant’s mother body.

Where no one could see, an extremely thin vine sprouted from his palm, trembling as it slipped into Du Yaoyuan’s eye socket.

The tip of the vine hiding behind the eyeball responded to the mother plant’s pull—once they touched, Wu Heng hooked it in an instant. His hand drew back sharply, dragging the thing out.

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Du Yaoyuan dropped to his knees, letting out a heart-rending scream.

The onlookers all gasped sharply—not only because half of Du Yaoyuan’s eyeball had been dragged out of its socket, but because that piece of vine had already taken root inside his eye.

White tendrils clung tightly to the surface of his eyeball, wrapping around it like sticky threads.

Du Yaoyuan’s screams were agonizing. Wu Heng could only pull back his hand. “If you don’t mind losing sight in your left eye forever, I can keep going.”

Du Yaoyuan gritted his teeth through the pain for a long while before managing to speak. “Bullshit, of course I mind!”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.” Wu Heng glanced at Xie Chongyi, and to show he wasn’t lying, he continued, “Symbiotic organisms—plants or animals—retain some degree of self-awareness. If you haven’t severed the connection, it’ll still respond to my control. But the one that burrowed into your eye is a detached fragment.”

Xue Shen thought it over. “So what you mean is, there’s now a plant inside Du Yaoyuan’s body that’s the same as the one in yours.”

Lin Mengzhi studied it closely. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Wu Heng pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

“Not necessarily.” Xue Shen crouched down, rolled up his sleeves, and pried open Du Yaoyuan’s eyelid. “Parasitism is never good. It means the organism still has its own independent body, consciousness, and thought system. Which means it could mature at any moment—and turn on its host.”

“Then isn’t that exactly like the horsehair worm thing Shen She just mentioned?” Dou Lu exclaimed, remembering the white, web-like roots wrapped around Du Yaoyuan’s eyeball. Her legs went weak.

Du Yaoyuan’s lips were pale. “When am I going to die?”

Lin Mengzhi bent over and said lightly, “You probably still have enough time to go outside and dig yourself a grave.”

Du Yaoyuan had no energy left to bicker. He looked desperately at Wu Heng. “Think of something! Please!”

“I’m thinking,” Wu Heng said calmly, eyelids lowered, voice unhurried.

“I don’t see it at all!” Du Yaoyuan shouted, furious at himself for never understanding what kind of person Wu Heng really was. He was convinced the other wanted him dead—he couldn’t see even a trace of intent to save him.

Wu Heng looked at Du Yaoyuan’s faintly green left eye. Inside, the poppy seedling was still tiny—so small it could barely be called a sprout, fragile and weak.

Xie Chongyi crouched in front of Du Yaoyuan. “It’s just a parasite. Take good care of it. Who knows—maybe when it grows up, it’ll even recognize you as its mother.”

“Mother? What mother?” Du Yaoyuan was dazed. “Me? Be a mother? No way, Class Monitor, take it—take it away!”

“I already have one,” Xie Chongyi replied. “That pot of soil is mine.”

“What soil?”

Xue Shen suddenly realized, “The one he took from the stick insect nest earlier—he brought a pot of soil with him.”

“You knew all along?!” Du Yaoyuan was utterly shocked—and right after him, Lin Mengzhi.

Everyone else turned to stare at Xie Chongyi in disbelief, except for Lin Mengzhi, who looked straight at Wu Heng instead. He pointed subtly at Xie Chongyi, his eyes wordlessly asking: ‘When did you two get together?’

“You’re so capable—why didn’t you say anything sooner?!” Du Yaoyuan snapped bitterly at Wu Heng.

Wu Heng looked baffled. “Why would I say anything?”

Xue Shen stood up. “First, wipe the blood off your face. Good or bad, we’ll know in a couple of days.”

Ruan Silian found a cotton short-sleeve shirt from the wardrobe and carefully wiped Du Yaoyuan’s face clean. Watching his expression, she asked gently, “Does it… not hurt as much now?”

“It… actually doesn’t hurt,” Du Yaoyuan said, touching his eye. The pain was gone—but the fear was worse.

Dou Lu muttered under her breath, “Seems like it’s adapting pretty well to its new environment.”

“Shut up!” Du Yaoyuan broke down, nearly hysterical.

“When the time comes, let Dr. Chen take a look at you,” Xue Shen said as he returned to his seat. “Lin Mengzhi, you’re fire-type. What’s your current attack range?”

Lin Mengzhi blinked, not quite understanding the question.

“How much destructive power do you have?” Xue Shen rephrased.

“Uh… not that much, I guess.” Lin Mengzhi suddenly felt like he was back in a middle school classroom being called on by a teacher. Sitting up straight on the floor, he explained, “The area’s around twenty to thirty square meters? But the larger the area, the weaker the attack.”

“Do you have any defensive ability?”

“Uh, no.”

“Can your flames take on different weapon forms?”

“I don’t think so.”

Xue Shen lifted his eyes, gaze complicated, then lowered his head to write something in his notebook. “I’ll give you 8 points.”

Lin Mengzhi rubbed his hands together, looking pleased. “That’s not bad.” He looked around the group with a happy grin.

Wu Heng couldn’t bear to watch.

“Out of 200,” Xue Shen added.

Before Lin Mengzhi’s expression could fully collapse, Xue Shen looked at him sharply. “As per our agreement, you need to raise your ability to grade D. The improvement criteria are: one, the intensity and forms of your flames; and two, developing defensive capability. Focus on those two first.”

Lin Mengzhi flushed with embarrassment. “You think you’re that strong?”

“Wanna try me?” Xue Shen set down his pen, lifted his palm upward, and a crystal-clear droplet of water appeared above it.

Lin Mengzhi flung a fireball straight at him.

The droplet quivered once, then abruptly expanded into a fan shape, wrapping the fireball completely. With a sharp sizzle, the flame vanished into a puff of steam, leaving the floor damp and glistening.

Xue Shen picked up his pen again and changed the 8 to a 6. “When we first met, we fought once. You couldn’t beat me then either.”

Lin Mengzhi sprawled dramatically on the floor in frustration—right under Wu Heng’s pitying gaze.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped.

Wu Heng crouched down, posture gentle and patient. “Do you remember what the old village chief said yesterday about that pack of wolves? The ones that were fire-type.”

Lin Mengzhi blinked. “You mean… but we can’t beat them, right?”

“That’s true.” Wu Heng nodded.

He fell silent and turned his attention to the next person Xue Shen wanted to question—he was even more curious about these people than Xue Shen was.

Dou Lu.

Xue Shen gave a genuine smile. “Magnetic powers can do so many things. What can you do now?”

She thought for a moment and said, “I can sense the magnetic field and intensity of energy, pinch and burst low-level energy cores, control metal—seems that’s about it.”

“How many people can you injure at once?”

“Four or five, no more than six. The lower their levels, the more I can hit.”

“If you meet someone higher-level than you, you’re helpless, right? Try pinching Old Xie’s energy core.”

Dou Lu glanced at Xie Chongyi, closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, then opened them suddenly. “Very strong. I can sense his energy, but I can’t hurt him.”

Xue Shen lowered his head and took notes. “That won’t do either. You’re the same as Lin Mengzhi—having a power but not knowing how to use it. Objectively, if you learn to use your ability properly you should be someone on par with Old Xie; after all, we live inside a huge magnetic field.

Your goal now should be to add defensive skills—like turning magnetism into a shield—and to increase your offensive techniques, not to stubbornly focus only on energy cores. If you only do that, when you encounter someone higher-level you’ll just stand there and take it.

Use the magnetic fields around you, purify that magnetism into a physical form, and make it your weapon. Your problem is similar to Lin Mengzhi’s—talk to each other privately.”

Dou Lu was drenched in sweat. “O… okay,” she said weakly.

Xue Shen gave her the same score—6 points—then turned his gaze to Du Yaoyuan.

“Your defense is zero, your reaction speed is terrible, and you can’t even metallize your own body. Your goals are the same as Lin Mengzhi’s and Dou Lu’s. I suggest the three of you form a study group.”

Du Yaoyuan was utterly dejected, replying in a feeble voice, “Got it…”

“Shen She,” Xue Shen continued, “your voice can hypnotize people—you’re already aware of that.” He paused for a moment, pen moving back and forth on Shen She’s page. “But if you don’t improve your defensive ability soon, you’ll get hurt easily, since your attack power is on the weaker side.”

“Focus on protecting yourself first—then we’ll talk about the rest.”

Since Shen She was Xue Qi’s close friend, Xue Shen looked at him almost like a younger brother. Having someone reliable by Xue Qi’s side gave him peace of mind, too.

Shen She nodded. “Got it, bro.”

Xue Shen turned to Shen Ping’an. “I won’t go over yours again. If you have any questions, ask Wu Heng—he probably knows your condition best right now.”

“And as for that bird…”

X lifted its head high, glaring down at everyone else in the room with open disdain.

Wu Heng said calmly, “It doesn’t have any abilities. It can only get bigger.”

X stood up.

On its page, Xue Shen wrote: 1 point.

The lowest score in the room.

X suddenly strode forward, knocking over everyone near it. With a body nearly five meters tall, it moved with shocking speed and precision. It lunged from behind Xue Shen, pinning him to the ground with one massive claw, a deep, throaty gugugu rumble reverberating from its throat.

Xue Shen stayed calm, turning his head slightly to inspect the sharp talons pressed into the floor beside his waist. “Those are raptor claws,” he observed evenly. “You’ve mutated.”

Realizing that the giant bird wasn’t actually trying to harm him—just venting its dissatisfaction—Xue Shen shifted under its claw, rolling over so it had to lower its head.

Its beak was hard and razor-sharp, glossy black and curved like a hook. The feathers around its neck overlapped like layers of armor, and its entire body was covered in thick, dense plumage—a cold gray sheen, with only a single tuft of long, vivid red feathers at the tail.

Parrots’ claws and beaks, though sharp, were comparatively blunt—nothing like the natural weapons of raptors. Birds of prey, such as eagles or vultures, needed talons and hooked beaks to seize and tear through flesh, while most parrots lived on seeds and plants.

“You’ve started eating meat now, haven’t you?” Xue Shen asked carefully.

X nodded, then realized what it had done and immediately glared down at him with fierce indignation.

“How much does it eat per day?” Xue Shen turned toward Wu Heng.

Still seated on the floor, Wu Heng thought for a moment. “Over a hundred jin, probably.”

“And I think it didn’t eat yesterday,” he added.

When Xue Shen looked back, a drop of drool fell from the bird’s beak right onto his face.

“…” He pressed a hand against the scaled talons pinning him. “Good bird. Let me up—and go drool on your owner instead.”

X hopped away obediently, then bounded over to Wu Heng, wrapping its wings around him to keep him warm.

Xue Shen got up from the ground, picked up his notebook, and said, “Xue Qi’s my responsibility. I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause trouble for anyone.”

At that moment, a gentle voice spoke up from behind him.

“Same here. I don’t have any abilities, but I promise I won’t be a burden. I can cook and do laundry for everyone. And if I ever cause trouble in the future… you can leave me behind anytime.”

She looked so delicate and frail — after all this time, she’d grown thinner than when Wu Heng first met her. Yet her gaze was steadier than most people’s.

“Ah, don’t start talking like that,” Dou Lu said, tugging her back down. “Don’t worry, sister — I’ve got your back for life.”

“Is it still snowing outside?” Ruan Silian glanced toward the door.

“It is,” Lin Mengzhi yawned and burrowed under X’s belly, “but the sky’s about to get light.”

Du Yaoyuan was freezing all over. He huddled on the floor under a cotton quilt he’d taken from one of the rooms. “It’s all that idiot Ying Liuquan’s fault. What kind of teacher acts like that? Useless enough already, and he’s still dragging us down.”

“I miss home.”

“I heard the noodles in Nansu are really famous. We can go try them later.”

“You think we’re on a sightseeing trip or something?”

“When will the apocalypse be over?”

“Teacher, I think the apocalypse is only just beginning.”

“By the way… can you guys actually still fall asleep?”

Xue Shen, who was crouched in the corner scribbling notes and planning out strategies, lifted his head. “It’s not even five yet. You can sleep a bit longer. If you really can’t, go outside the village and see if you can find some food. We took a lot of their grain yesterday — we should repay them somehow.”

Du Yaoyuan flopped back down. “Sounds so pretentious. I’m sleeping.”

Lin Mengzhi crawled out from under X’s wing. “I’m not sleeping. I’ll look around the house for anything useful, then check the empty homes in the village too.”

“Great idea!!!” Dou Lu bounced to her feet. “There are still tons of houses outside the fence we haven’t checked!”

“It might be dangerous,” Shen She reminded the three who had suddenly gotten so excited.

Du Yaoyuan had a reckless, “there’s a chance I’ll be dead tomorrow so might as well get drunk today” kind of bravado. He looked at Dou Lu. “I’m not afraid of dying — are you?”

“I am,” she answered.

Wu Heng, half-asleep, watched three blurred figures darting about. Dou Lu emerged from the kitchen carrying a chainsaw; she used her power to start it — vrrr — and the sound made X give a little shudder.

They emptied several wardrobes in the house and, like looters, piled the things they found onto the open space in the middle of the first floor.

“Does this count as stealing?” someone asked.

Wu Heng fell asleep to their chattering. The plants in his space had grown quite a bit: two pale yellow new leaves had pushed out between the stipules and stems, and near the roots two tiny seedlings about two centimeters high had appeared.

He and the poppy both desperately needed food — the more, the better.

—

The village only provided one meal a day. If you wanted to eat more, you had to find it yourself. Almost no villager would risk leaving the village; they’d rather go hungry and wait for that single pot of porridge at night.

When dawn came, Ying Liuquan woke up. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened the night before; he cried and apologized to everyone. Most people thought he hadn’t meant it — awakening powers can be uncontrollable; the teacher probably didn’t know what he was doing, so they forgave him. Only Du Yaoyuan and Ji Zelan voiced slight complaints: Du Yaoyuan’s displeasure was written all over his face, while Ji Zelan’s impatience flashed for only a few seconds.

Xue Shen remained his usual calm self. “Teacher,” he said, “your first priority now isn’t apologizing — it’s seriously thinking about how to use your power.”

He spoke earnestly. “Teacher, it’s time you grew up.”

Wu Heng was starving.

He opened the door, and the wind rushed in immediately. A shiver ran through him, his tense face full of hesitation — should he go out or not?

“A’Heng, let’s go out of the village,” Lin Mengzhi said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “I can’t wait to get stronger.”

He didn’t seem to feel the cold, only wearing a brown leather jacket that gave off the air of a middle-aged man.

Wu Heng couldn’t help but envy fire-type ability users.

X flew onto Wu Heng’s shoulder — it was nearly starving too.

“Wait for me,” Wu Heng said, turning back inside.

He rummaged through the messy pile of clothes on the floor, picked out a pink scarf, a camouflage ushanka with faux fur, and pulled on an oversized black down jacket.

When he passed by Xie Chongyi, the latter almost didn’t recognize him.

“Where are you going?” Xie Chongyi called out.

Wu Heng’s lower face was wrapped in the scarf, revealing only a pair of bright, dark eyes. The pink color softened the gloom in his expression. “Out to find food.”

Lin Mengzhi poked his head in from outside.

“We’re about to head out soon — why are you looking for food now?” Xie Chongyi said evenly.

Xue Shen, bundled up thickly, came over at an easy pace. “Didn’t we just agree to wait until the roads clear up a bit before leaving?”

Wu Heng gave Xie Chongyi a puzzled look. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring them back safely. And if I find food, I’ll bring some back for everyone.”

He didn’t need Xie Chongyi’s reminder to know that already — he would never let everyone go hungry.

Especially not Xie Chongyi.

—————————————————————

Author’s Note:

Wu Heng: I’m a foodie.

Xie Chongyi: Husband.

So… which one of us misunderstood?

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