The sensation of death is peculiar. The instant Daniel fired, I didn't realize I was about to be hit. The next second, I felt a sudden weakness, a blackness before my eyes, followed by an eternal, selfless, silent darkness.

My companions were consumed by sorrow at my passing, and for a moment, no one paid attention to Daniel's purpose with the "Zanbaga."

Fatty's eyes were red-rimmed, and Han Yu couldn't stop the tears.

Rou Yi simply collapsed on my corpse, wailing, not caring whether I smelled bad or was dirty.

A strange, rustling sound, both eerie and unsettling, came from the corner where Daniel was hiding.

Fatty gradually regained his composure. He didn't know what Daniel was up to, but it certainly wasn't good. If the monster recovered, none of them would stand a chance.

It wasn't that Fatty was heartless; he had simply witnessed too many scenes of life and death. He'd lost count of how many comrades had bravely sacrificed themselves on missions during his military career. There were countless instances where hesitation led to a comrade's death, so there was no time to waste.

The hidden ventilation shaft leading to the outside was nearby; they needed to act quickly.

Fatty pulled Rou Yi up, telling her that the priority was to leave immediately. Then, he hoisted my corpse onto his shoulder, determined to carry me out of this gloomy, terrifying underground palace.

With Rou Yi and Han Yu following, Fatty carried me in the direction of the wind. They arrived at a stone wall riddled with countless holes, from which the wind was blowing.

However, these holes were dozens of meters up the rock face. Without tools and with the rock face so steep, there was no way to climb or gain a foothold.

Fatty discovered a hole close to the ground, but fate was cruel. A large rock, dislodged from the wall by an earthquake, had fallen in front of it, blocking the opening.

Although there were gaps between the edge of the rock and the outer rim of the hole, and they could feel the constant flow of air, even the slender Han Yu couldn't squeeze through the few centimeters of space.

Fatty tried with all his might to move the boulder blocking their path to freedom, but it wouldn't budge.

Freedom was right before their eyes, yet unattainable. Nothing could be more despairing.

Fatty looked at Rou Yi and Han Yu with a dejected expression and said guiltily, "Maybe there's another way out..."

Even he felt that missing this opportunity meant their chances of survival were slim.

Just as they were at their wit's end, Fatty and the others heard a rustling sound behind them. They turned around.

There, walking towards them, was Daniel—or rather, a fused monster.

Daniel was severed at the chest, leaving only his upper body and one complete right arm. Below the chest was the "Zanbaga's" oval lower body, supported by the "Zanbaga's" legs. On Daniel's neck was the "Zanbaga's" revolting head. Black tendrils, extending from the "Zanbaga's" black fragments, were embedded in Daniel's body at the points where the limbs were joined.

A blank, empty look appeared on Daniel's face, much like those Shen Min sealed in the walls. He unconsciously repeated a single word in a muffled voice: "Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice..."

None of the three—Fatty, Rou Yi, or Han Yu—questioned where Daniel's lower body had gone, because the fused monster was holding a severed leg and feeding it into the "Zanbaga's" maw.

Daniel had actually fed himself to the monster. Had he gone mad?!

This scene terrified Rou Yi and Han Yu, and they couldn't help but scream at the top of their lungs. The horrific sight deeply shocked them, and they trembled violently.

The "Zanbaga" seemed to merely suck on the severed leg before the reverse teeth in its maw scraped the flesh and skin into its mouth, instantly turning the leg into a bloody bone.

They would rather kill themselves than become the monster's meal.

Rou Yi sobbed, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault... it's all my fault..." Han Yu couldn't think of any way to solve their current predicament. She patted Rou Yi on the shoulder, signaling her not to blame herself too much.

However, Fatty wasn't one to sit and wait for death, even if there was little chance of winning. He slowly drew his military knife...

The fused monster didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill Fatty and the others, instead choosing to torture them slowly, like a cat toying with a mouse before eating it. Their fear seemed to satisfy some inner need.

The monster drew closer, Daniel's lifeless eyes staring at them, mumbling, "Offerings, offerings, offerings..."

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