Chapter 069: The Parasitic Core Worm

Li Tianque stared at Wu Miaoran in astonishment, his voice trembling as he spoke:
“You’re saying that hulking brute is actually Yang Tianshu?”
“Of course. Take a look for yourself!”
By the light of the flashlight, Li Tianque gazed in the direction of the monstrous creature.
This time, he saw clearly: the massive figure indeed resembled a teenage boy, though his body was far too large, and his face was as broad as a giant sundial.
Despite his size, the giant retained distinctly human features—limbs, facial features, all intact.
The brute bared his teeth, glaring menacingly in their direction. His muscles had split and swelled to grotesque proportions, layered atop one another like segments of pomelo fruit. Saliva streamed from his gaping mouth, an utterly revolting sight.
Looking at this terrifying giant, Li Tianque couldn’t help but recall the titans from the anime “Attack on Titan”—only this one was even more monstrous and dreadful.
The giant seemed to be muttering something, but the words were indistinct and didn’t sound human at all.
“This guy was just a middle schooler? How did he get so huge?” Li Tianque exclaimed in horror.
Wu Miaoran, a strange excitement gleaming in her eyes, replied unhurriedly:
“According to the information Duan Xiaoyu just sent over, this poor child has been parasitized by a nuclear worm.
The worm is called the Demon Orchid—a parasitic nuclear worm. It can infest mountains and humans alike, spreading its malignant roots deep within the earth to draw out nuclear elements.
Once it matures, all living creatures within a fifty-meter radius begin to mutate after three days, and the longer the exposure, the more severe the transformation.
If a person comes into direct contact with the Demon Orchid’s roots, their skeleton is rapidly infused with nuclear material, causing their bones to grow at an unnatural rate, though gradually they begin to petrify as well.
If the exposure continues, the person will slowly turn to stone, the malignant roots inside thickening further. Once certain conditions are met, the Demon Orchid will abandon its current host for a new one, searching for an appropriate petrified body as its next home.
It then uses the new host to move to higher ground, hiding once more.
Since this thing chose Yang Tianshu as its host, it’s probably preparing to transfer again!”
As Wu Miaoran explained, the giant youth lunged toward them.
Whether enraged by the flashlight’s beam or simply driven by a mindless urge to kill, its speed was terrifying.
Li Tianque’s face burned and itched unbearably. He barely registered Wu Miaoran’s words, overwhelmed by pain that left him unable to stand. He stumbled and crawled, gasping:

“Help me… it’s too itchy… I’m going mad!”
Li Tianque clawed frantically at his own face, tearing it open until blood oozed down his cheeks, the sensation so bizarre it felt as if he were weeping.
“Hold on a little longer, let me deal with this thing first!” Wu Miaoran called.
Li Tianque dragged himself across the ground, unable to endure the torment any longer.
His nostrils filled with the stench of death, his mind clouded, ears ringing with ghostly wails, his stomach churning with nausea as he scratched and clawed in agony.
If he could, he would have ended it all right then and there.
Torn between pain and hatred, Li Tianque seethed with rage, wishing Wu Liangjin could die a second time so he could tear him limb from limb himself—curse that wretch, curse him a thousand times over…
While Li Tianque writhed in misery, the giant youth finally reached Wu Miaoran.
The creature uttered an incomprehensible phrase and lunged, both hands reaching out to crush her.
The giant’s presence was overwhelming and monstrous.
Yet Wu Miaoran showed not a trace of fear. Only the small plush doll in her arms quivered, muttering timidly in a trembling voice.
The giant howled and struck, the force of his attack whipping the air. His hands closed in, poised to squeeze the life out of Wu Miaoran in the next instant.
The doll in her arms shrank in terror, beginning to whimper, burrowing deeper against Wu Miaoran’s chest in fright.
Wu Miaoran continued to stroke the plush creature gently and whispered:
“Prisoner of Dread, isn’t this fellow terrifying?”
The Prisoner of Dread responded with a nervous hiss, clearly agreeing.
At that critical moment, as the giant’s hands were about to crush her, Wu Miaoran did something utterly unexpected.
She suddenly raised the quivering plush doll high, aiming it directly at the oncoming giant.
The giant’s bloody maw gaped, his bloodshot eyes blazing like fireballs in the flashlight’s glare, his visage as terrifying as a demon risen straight from hell.

The doll, raised high by Wu Miaoran, instinctively opened its tightly shut eyes. Upon seeing the monstrous giant, it fluffed up in terror and let out an ear-splitting scream.
In that instant, streams of violet light swirled around the plush doll, quickly coalescing into a single glowing orb, which hovered beside it.
The transformation was instantaneous. In the blink of an eye, the violet glow burst apart, revealing a tiny cage. The cage snapped open, and in that same instant, the giant youth shrank and was swept inside.
The Prisoner of Dread wailed loudly, its cries accompanied by ripples of electronic static through the air.
Wu Miaoran hurriedly cradled the little one, stroking its furry head to soothe it:
“There, there, the bad guy’s locked away now. You’re safe!”
After a few moments, the Prisoner of Dread finally calmed down, the fur on its body settling, and the small floating cage beside it shrank further still, becoming no bigger than a keychain.
Wu Miaoran took the tiny cage in her hand, grinning as she poked it with her finger and teased:
“So fierce, are you? Why don’t you try biting me now?”
The shrunken giant inside the cage was clearly enraged, leaping about in a futile attempt to bite Wu Miaoran’s hand, but his teeth were now so minuscule as to be ridiculous—he was scarcely bigger than a common pill bug.
After playing for a bit, Wu Miaoran put the miniature cage away in her pocket.
Only then did she notice Li Tianque writhing on the ground, his face covered in blood, with wisps of strange black vapor rising from his wounds.
Wu Miaoran looked down at him in surprise. Li Tianque’s expression was twisted in terror, his face ashen, hands still raking at his own flesh in a frenzy.
“Hey, hey, calm down! Stop scratching!” Wu Miaoran pinned his arms, trying to restrain him.
But Li Tianque was beyond reason, his hands moving of their own accord. Helpless, Wu Miaoran pressed her weight down on him, choking back the stench emanating from his face, and retrieved a strange vial adorned with the image of a slumbering demon.
A pink mist sprayed over Li Tianque, and at last, he lost consciousness…