Her Tentacles 21

Chapter 21: The Industrial Park

Screeeech—

The grating sound of the bench scraping against the floor made both Lin Jingshu and Hao Guangjing, who were in the middle of their verbal duel, cast surprised glances over, as if puzzled by her sudden outburst after being silent for so long.

But Shu Yao had no time to pay attention to their expressions. All her attention was on the person outside the restaurant. After she stood up, the street scene outside the window was empty again.

But Shu Yao was sure she hadn’t seen wrong.

It was Lin Ran.

Even though she didn’t know why the other woman had appeared here, or if she could figure out what was happening inside through the panoramic window, being caught by her current girlfriend in the same room with her ex and her arranged blind date was, by any measure, not a good look.

She hastily picked up her umbrella and bag, her light-colored eyes looking at Hao Guangjing, and recited the rejection she had been repeatedly refining and revising in her phone’s notepad:

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have a chance to explain earlier, Mr. Hao. I didn’t know about Uncle Zhou’s arrangement before I came tonight. I personally have no intention of going on a blind date. I’m very sorry for wasting your time. I will explain this to Uncle Zhou. I will pay for dinner. Goodbye.”

Hao Guangjing listened in stunned silence to the longest speech she had made since they met.

Lin Jingshu’s eyebrows twitched. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, her gaze lazily glancing at the phone she was clutching, as if she really wanted to take it and compare the specific content on it.

But in the end, she restrained herself. Only when Shu Yao turned to leave did she stand up, flicked her index and middle fingers at Hao Guangjing near her temple, like a triumphant person leaving:

“Since Her Highness doesn’t want to play anymore, I won’t keep you company either.”

She pulled open the door of the private room and strode out briskly, thinking that she would, as always, walk to Shu Yao’s side. However, before that, she saw her jogging toward the restaurant entrance—

The gentle, light green knit dress was like a swaying willow branch.

And the willow branch was folded into another’s embrace.

The short red top was so dazzling, and this red-and-green combination, which Lin Jingshu had always considered vulgar, now snuggled together, was strangely harmonious.

So harmonious that it stung her eyes.

…

“Lin Ran!”

Shu Yao strode out of the restaurant. Although she knew she shouldn’t be too intimate in public, because of the ordeal of the blind date, she couldn’t help but reach out and gently hug her girlfriend.

A smile bloomed on her face. She took a deep breath, and only then did she feel that she had gotten rid of the unpleasant smell of that small room. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she asked, “How did you know I was here?”

Lin Ran’s deep black eyes looked at the person who had rushed toward her.

Although her hunger hadn’t subsided, a strange sense of pleasure welled up in her heart.

The person in her arms, unaware of the fate that awaited her, quickly composed herself, her toes pulling back, wanting to return to her usual posture when talking to her girlfriend. Who knew that a force from behind her waist would unceremoniously push her back—

She fell into Lin Ran’s arms again.

“!”

Just as a blush was about to appear on Shu Yao’s face, she was interrupted by a mocking voice from behind. “No wonder you looked down on that blind date just now, and refused to get back together with me. So you’ve found a girlfriend who can live off her looks.”

Her face immediately turned from red to white.

It was only then that Lin Ran turned her attention to the little tail following Shu Yao.

She had originally just regarded this “ex who was suspected of having received pretty jars from Shu Yao” as kitchen waste that could be casually crushed. But now, she couldn’t help but lift her chin slightly.

This scent is…?

The scent that flooded her nose made her pupils dilate slightly.

A fine, needle-point of silver appeared in the center of her eye.

The predator, already in a state of hunger, followed her instincts and took a step toward Lin Jingshu, even willing to let go of the possession that was enclosed in her scent.

But her wrist was immediately grabbed by the person in her arms.

Her light hair was slightly curled, like a calyx framing her innocent face. Her pupils, which were so light-colored that they usually appeared indifferent, were now filled with nervousness and worry. “Don’t mind her.”

Shu Yao knew that Lin Jingshu was deliberately provoking her, but after the incident at the fruit tea shop, she realized that she knew nothing about this childhood friend who later became her girlfriend for four years.

Although Shu Yao didn’t understand why she had been so decisive in breaking up and was now resorting to unscrupulous means to pester her, she remembered that the school Lin Jingshu had attended in high school had a bad reputation, and in that school, neither boys nor girls dared to provoke her easily.

Lin Ran, who had studied hard since she was a child, got into the best medical school, and had worked hard in her career to this day, was the last person who should encounter someone like Lin Jingshu.

“Let’s go,” she said, stepping between the two of them, and suggested to Lin Ran, “I haven’t had dinner yet. What do you want to eat? I’ll go back and make it for you, okay?”

What Lin Ran wanted to eat, of course, was the human who was stained with that strange fragrance.

She didn’t move, and even leisurely studied the girlfriend who had her back to her, on guard against the other person.

…Is she protecting me?

When the thought arose, relying on the fact that Lin Jingshu had been locked onto and couldn’t escape her hunting range, Lin Ran’s eyes moved, and she focused back on Shu Yao.

Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to pull her away, but Lin Jingshu, who had been watching their interaction, at this moment, her gaze went over her shoulder and directly challenged the person behind her:

“When did you two get together?”

“It probably wasn’t while Yaoyao was with me, so it must have been recently… I hate people like you who are full of that elite socialite vibe. She’s just with you to spite me, you know?”

…

I’m going to go crazy, ahhhhh!

Shu Yao’s mind let out a sharp, explosive sound.

She had never encountered such a showdown between a current and a former partner. Seeing the two of them now exuding a dangerous aura, as if they were about to go to a secluded alley nearby to talk privately, she, helpless, could only clutch her phone and start messaging her friend who always created miracles in such moments.

“Jin, help, help! Wuwu, Lin Ran is going to get beaten up…”

She hastily and messily tapped on her phone’s keyboard, and even accidentally initiated a voice call.

By the time she realized the call had been connected and a voice came from the other end, Shu Yao panicked and looked at the screen again. But she had no time for that, and hastily put the phone to her ear:

“Jin…”

Bang!

A booming sound like rebar hitting something came from the receiver.

Shu Yao was stunned. Amidst the series of sounds of things falling and giant objects colliding, she spoke again. “Jin? Are you okay? Where are you?”

The answer was the sound of a broken bellows, as if the owner of the phone’s lungs were about to burst. They were running and panting violently.

It seemed the person on the other end had also just unconsciously answered the call.

Before Shu Yao could figure it out, the call ended with a “beep beep,” hanging up automatically. She stared at her phone screen, overcome by an unprecedentedly bad feeling.

Soon, an automatically sent SOS message confirmed her premonition.

Shu Yao stared at the red message, her face pale.

“Lin Ran.”

She looked up and said to her girlfriend, who was about to follow Lin Jingshu into the nearby alley, “My good friend, Situ Jin, she seems to be in very dangerous trouble. Are you willing to come with me to find her?”

As she spoke.

Lin Jingshu, who had already walked into the shadows and was facing her, her expression changed.

The three of them were silent for a while.

Even the dust motes in the sunlight seemed to be suspended.

In the silence, thinking of the recent dangerous social cases, Shu Yao seemed to have figured something out. She smiled with relief, turned and went alone toward the taxi stand on the opposite side of the road, but she heard footsteps following her, step by step, firm and steady.

When she turned back in the sunset, that faint sea salt scent had returned to her side.

Only Lin Jingshu stood in the dim, old alley. Although she had also heard her words, not only did she not ask a single question, but under her gaze now, her face turned ugly, and she retreated deeper into the shadows.

Shu Yao said nothing.

But Lin Jingshu knew that she had lost, lost completely.

A little over ten minutes later.

The taxi driver, one foot on the gas and one on the brake, skillfully weaved the small car through the congested national highway during the evening rush hour. In the back seat, Shu Yao put down her phone, rubbed her temples, and took out a business card from her bag, poking the corner of the person next to her’s clothes.

Because the address Situ Jin had sent was in the suburbs, it looked particularly remote, and she didn’t know the situation at the scene at all, so she could only lean in and whisper in Lin Ran’s ear:

“I encountered that strange thing at school again earlier. This is the business card the special department gave me. Should I call them now?”

Lin Ran was lost in thought.

She was thinking about that kitchen waste that was stained with a strange fragrance earlier. When she got closer, she could tell that it wasn’t its own scent, but one it had picked up from being with a creature that had this scent for a long time—

Strange.

She had confirmed that this city was now filled with that disgusting green slime monster group. Because they had brought their conflict with humans to the forefront, other parasite species had fled Nancheng. Lin Ran was both annoyed and couldn’t completely ignore it, lest all the prey in her hunting ground run away.

She had killed many of them before, and without exception, they were all inferior products that had eaten humans but had not integrated the delicious fragrance.

Now, where did this delicious creature, which had a similar scent to them and had not been discovered by her, come from?

Disturbed by the breath Shu Yao blew into her ear, her thoughts paused, and she glanced at the business card.

She had some impression of this department. Occasionally, when she was too conspicuous in her pursuit of prey, these guys would follow her scent like hounds.

“No.”

She refused without hesitation and analyzed in a gentle voice, “You don’t even know if your friend encountered those things. If you call now, you won’t be able to describe the scene, and they might not come.”

Shu Yao thought she had a point.

However, she had been worried and had pulled her girlfriend into the car without thinking. Now, the two of them were going over completely unprepared. Whether the danger Situ Jin was in came from humans or monsters, it seemed… a bit like serving themselves up on a platter.

It was one thing for her to come for her friend, but Lin Ran couldn’t be in danger.

Thinking this, Shu Yao stuffed the business card into her hand and looked up again to whisper a reminder, “When we get there, after we get out of the car, you first check the situation nearby. If something is wrong, you quickly call the police or this business card. If you encounter danger, don’t mind anyone else, just run to a safe place…”

As she spoke, Shu Yao couldn’t help but think of Lin Jingshu again.

In fact, her demands on human nature were not that high.

Even if Lin Ran had decided not to come with her today, or if she had abandoned her without hesitation in the face of danger later, she would not have been too disappointed.

As long as… as long as she didn’t kick her when she was down, like Lin Jingshu.

…

“We’re here.”

The driver’s words pulled Shu Yao back to her senses.

She was about to open the door to get out, but found that they were surrounded by tall weeds. In the background of the setting sun and the darkening sky, the wind blew with a lonely and desolate feeling.

She felt that the location was wrong, and the driver spoke again in his broken Mandarin, “The car can only go this far. The ground over there is all gravel, can’t drive over it. That closed Blue Sky Industrial Park is right in front. You can just walk a few steps there yourselves…”

“Hey, you two girls, what are you doing in this place at night?” As he handed her the QR code, he cast a probing gaze at her through the rearview mirror.

Shu Yao lowered her head. Lin Ran met his gaze calmly.

Her black, satin-like hair, and her eyes that seemed to absorb even light, and her skin that was as white as porcelain in the approaching night, suddenly made the driver shiver.

He shut his mouth, as quiet as a chicken.

And Shu Yao, oblivious, paid and got out of the car, only to see the car’s tires smoking as it reversed at high speed.

She then quickly walked toward the area of unfinished buildings that looked like ghosts, praying that Situ Jin would be lucky and not encounter any danger before she arrived.

The abandoned industrial park was deserted, with gravel and weeds everywhere. The roads that had been originally built were now completely unrecognizable. Shu Yao ran a few steps and began to pant.

Until she approached the cluster of black buildings that were only rebar and cement, and even seemed to have been through a fire. She rested her hands on her knees, and with one glance, she didn’t see her friend among the floors without railings. She managed to catch her breath and called out:

“Jin—”

“Shh.”

Lin Ran stood leisurely by her side, not a drop of sweat on her hair, and slowly raised a finger to her lips.

Shu Yao was startled by her cool finger. Before she could think, she saw her close her eyes and slowly say, “Listen.”

Listen?

Listen to what?

She straightened up in a daze, wanting to tell Lin Ran that the most important thing now was to find Situ Jin, but Lin Ran’s expression was so calm and focused that she unconsciously followed her instructions and pricked up her ears.

Rustle, rustle…

Gloop, gloop…

As twilight fell and the sky grew darker in the suburbs, a strange, approaching sound came with the wind, giving Shu Yao the illusion of having fallen into some kind of insect nest.

The next second.

Countless writhing green liquids emerged from the dark floors. They slowly overflowed to the edges, like soap bubbles in a bathtub, and gradually flowed over the entire building. In a short while, all the unfinished buildings in Shu Yao’s line of sight were covered in this layer of green, translucent slime.

The green seemed to contaminate her eyes, making her feel that the sky and the ground had all turned this color.

【Princess, Her Highness…】

【Are you Her Highness?】

【Kill, kill the princess…】

Tens of thousands of faint voices condensed into a chaotic and heavy sound, like an iron hammer hitting her mind, making her consciousness blur, and she stood there woodenly, her expression gradually dissipating.

Just as Shu Yao’s thoughts were being affected by the murmurs of this vast and fragmented monster group, Lin Ran, standing next to her, narrowed her eyes slightly. Her mercury-silver pupils slowly opened, and a higher-dimensional pressure spread out toward the slowly approaching monster group.

The dark aura of the abyss descended upon the entire abandoned industrial park.

The writhing slime monsters were momentarily deterred by this dangerous aura, cowering and only daring to gurgle out more bubbles, flowing down the cement walls, but none of them dared to cross the line.

…She smelled it.

That sweet, tempting, repeatedly marinated prey scent was hidden here.

She followed the source of the scent and took a step forward. Her tentacles, hidden in the shadows, danced wildly with excitement, but at this moment, she stopped again.

Then, she suddenly turned to the side and grabbed Shu Yao’s wrist.

The person standing there dazedly was pulled into a stumble. In the emptiness where the voices invading her head had somehow quieted down, she looked at her in a daze. “…Lin Ran?”

The dark-haired woman pointed at the silent monster group, which was only crouching inside the building, staring at them. “Your friend doesn’t seem to be here. Do you want to check the other side?”

Shu Yao: “!”

She opened her mouth, having forgotten the plan she had just told her. Now, she could only let her pull her along, stepping over gravel and grass, all the way around to the west side of the industrial park. It was a long time before she realized that none of the monsters behind them had followed.

Just then, in the last building in the park, on the edge of about the fourth or fifth floor, a thin figure in a snow-white dress stood with her back to them. As soon as Shu Yao saw her, she immediately called out, “Jin!”

The overly quiet building echoed her voice.

The lingering sound reverberated, more than three times.

Sure enough, the sound reached the listener, who slowly turned around.

Half of her dress fluttered in the wind, but it revealed a face that was unfamiliar to Shu Yao. The reason she said unfamiliar was because she had only seen half of this face, and on the other half, translucent, with fine fluorescence, like stardust gathered on them, translucent leaves were writhing.

—How did this person, who had been with Lin Jingshu before, end up here, looking like this?

These translucent leaves, which looked like they were sprinkled with starlight, would have been called beautiful even if they were growing on a caterpillar by the roadside. But now, growing on a human face, like breathing scales, or translucent granulation tissue, they only instilled a hair-raising fear.

Shu Yao’s throat felt as if it were being choked, and she couldn’t make a sound.

…

But Lin Ran, standing next to her, her expression gradually became pleased as she repeatedly sized up the monster on the high-rise building, which was about to merge perfectly with a human—

So it was a sea hare.

A hermaphroditic, yet preferring to act in pairs, low-level creature.

But after coming ashore, their state was incomparable to when they had lived in the deep sea. After gaining the powerful ability to devour and decompose their bodies, they seemed to have also sacrificed the ability to freely switch genders for reproduction.

The ones that had been rampaging in the city and devouring humans, including the ones guarding the entrance to the industrial park just now, were all just countless body parts separated from the male sea hare. And all the energy from the humans they had eaten had been supplied to the female sea hare in this woman’s body.

【You.】

Lin Ran rarely took the initiative to converse with her food, and said in an appreciative tone: 【You look delicious.】