Chapter 1923: Self-Dismemberment

In contrast, the Marr Brothers had seen far too little of Professor Fu's methods.

Especially since, despite being attacked twice, Professor Fu had strolled through the entire ordeal as if taking a walk in the park, without lifting a single finger.

Under these circumstances, there was a high probability they wouldn't recognize an old acquaintance.

It was truly a case of meeting without recognizing each other.

With a touch of lament, Fu Qian was in no rush to speak. He simply watched the scene unfold quietly.

His duties as an operations advisor were already fulfilled; now it was time to hand the stage over to the frontline personnel.

"I'm not stupid enough to get burned to ash!"

Though it seemed the Marr Brothers still had the best sense of stage presence.

Faced with the complaints coming from his stomach, Malka didn't hesitate. Even though he looked a bit disheveled, he shot back a sarcastic retort the moment he steadied himself.

The situation was quite clear. The reason only he was discovered—and why Malfu had subsequently fled onto his stomach—was because Old Man Stoss's previous follow-up strike had landed solidly.

As a result, Malfu, whose body had been smashed to pieces once again, had no choice but to parasitize him.

"Don't worry, it will just happen a little later."

Of course, while Malka didn't mind exposing his own weakness, the first to exchange lines with him this time still wasn't his twin brother, but Excellency Stoss.

The entity appearing before him might have been somewhat bizarre, but the old man clearly had no intention of stalling to observe. He responded directly and domineeringly.

At the same time, the deadly attack that had claimed a head earlier reappeared. This time, three launched at once, tracing eerie arcs around his body.

"Care to share your purpose for appearing here?"

...

The old man had clearly figured out right away why a meat bomb had suddenly fallen from the sky.

The operations advisor's casual suggestion had seemingly brought a new turning point to the situation.

The instability of this ship affected not only their own people but the attackers as well. Unable to remain unaffected, they could no longer keep hiding so perfectly.

Even so, Su Gao's hunting intuition remained astonishing. The numerous Transcendent criminals she had executed had truly not died unjustly.

As for now, killing this guy was one thing, but it was hard to say how much that would actually help the situation. Therefore, Stoss opted for intimidation right off the bat to gather more information.

"Heh heh..."

"Hehehe..."

Unfortunately, the brutal killing moves and the fearsome reputation of the Night Watchers still failed to force the two desperadoes into submission.

Amidst laughter that could only be described as grunting and giggling, the Marr Brothers' attitude was displayed perfectly.

Not only that, but their already rotund body swelled once more in the next moment, as if taking an exaggeratedly deep breath.

And not with just one mouth, either.

On the exposed surface of that body, the layered folds of skin unfurled along with the transformation.

But it didn't turn into a smoother inflated ball. Instead, one fist-sized hole after another opened up within those folds, looking exactly like dozens or even hundreds of mouths inhaling all at once.

"Excellency."

Faced with this scene that could trigger sudden trypophobia, Old Man Stoss didn't hold back in the slightest.

The three swirling points of light froze in place the next moment as he stepped forward—only to be stopped by an outstretched arm.

"To deal with this kind of guy, I suggest letting the young people handle it."

Professor Fu, having just made a contribution, smiled as he intercepted the Tier 2 who was about to lash out for the third time, once again offering his treacherous advice.

...

"Su Gao, I'll leave it to you then."

Naturally, he didn't think the "young people" referred to Fu Qian himself. Stopped once again, Stoss was briefly taken aback before seemingly realizing something, actually gesturing toward Su Gao.

The latter vanished from her spot without a sound, clearly having been prepared for this all along.

She completely ignored the fact that the thing's Rank had climbed even higher than when it had first appeared.

Slash—

It happened in the blink of an eye. Amidst a flash of blood-red light, a hideous gash bloomed on that body.

Classmate Su Gao had no intention of beating around the bush; she opted for the most vicious and precise destruction possible.

Its head, somewhat miniature compared to its body, was nearly lopped off by a single sword strike.

Though what defied common sense here was that the bloody light emanated from the sword, not the wound.

The targeted countermeasure that had appeared on her weapon the last time she cut someone had now intensified significantly.

The blood-red hue was thick as liquid, and as it surged, it faintly coalesced into sharp, jagged shapes. Just looking at it induced a phantom physical pain.

And this ferocious weapon didn't betray its appearance. Wherever it passed, even on that inhuman body, the wounds it left behind were ghastly and terrifying.

Yet even so, not a single drop of blood flowed out.

Instead, a yellowish, viscous fluid poured out from within the body in surging waves.

Even someone as decisive as Su Gao couldn't find a chance to deliver a second strike.

Because almost simultaneously, a yellow-green "tongue" lashed out from the wound, sweeping its surroundings like lightning.

And there were more.

Before Su Gao could find a chance to attack again, long tongues shot out one after another, creating a 360-degree encirclement with no blind spots.

It wasn't too hard to see that, aside from the wound, they were also emerging from those "mouths."

...

Worthy of being biological brothers, this move gave off a strong sense of déjà vu.

Unlike the others, Fu Qian felt an extra touch of awe upon seeing this.

Aside from looking a bit more disgusting, it was still somewhat similar to Marco's killer move.

Perhaps there was a difference in skill level, but it felt like these brothers' abilities belonged to the same lineage.

However, simply calling it the flesh system didn't seem quite appropriate; perhaps it should be called the Carrion system?

After all, aside from looking disgusting, it smelled disgusting too.

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were filled with a stench so potent that a single whiff felt like it could rot one's brain, and clouds of the same color were emitting from those long tongues.

"A very intense rotting stench. Be careful not to let it stick to you."

Old Man Stoss's voice rang out as well; great minds think alike.

It wasn't just a warning. At the same time, a bizarre barrier pieced itself together in front of him, shielding everyone.

"Its state is very peculiar. It doesn't seem to just be launching a counterattack."

Next came Su Gao's voice. She had directly abandoned any further attacks even before the warning was given, swiftly retreating instead.

Boom—

Before Old Man Stoss could evaluate her statement, a violent shockwave erupted.

At the exact moment the filthy long tongues shot out in all directions, that body, expanded to its absolute limit, exploded with a thunderous bang. Its contents wreaked havoc everywhere, faintly giving the illusion of a self-dismemberment.

Fortunately, the old man's tortoiseshell-like barrier was incredibly sturdy. It held firm against the impact until the aftershocks gradually subsided.

"Did they appear here to lure us into attacking this ship?"

The moment he casually dispelled the barrier, Stoss looked toward the operations advisor, his expression solemn as he sought confirmation.