Lu Zong and Ma Xing exchanged a glance; perhaps being around each other for too long had muddied their vocabulary. Yet, using that particular word to express the situation, while perhaps not precisely accurate, was undeniably the most vivid descriptor possible. This organized, premeditated action suggested they had severely underestimated these jars. They looked closely at the jars, but suddenly Ge Mei clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at Zhi Xiong, her face turning a frightening shade of purple, trembling so violently she couldn't utter a word.

Lu Zong noticed Ge Mei’s strange reaction and realized she must have spotted something amiss. He quickly followed the direction of her gaze toward Ma Xiong. The moment his eyes landed on Ma Xiong, he too began to tremble uncontrollably, covering his mouth, his fear palpable.

The most terrified, however, was Ma Xiong. From the expressions on the other two, he knew something deeply unsettling had occurred. He had felt a momentary weight settle on his shoulder earlier, but dismissed it as nothing dangerous until he saw their astonished looks, which finally triggered a sense of true peril. He started to turn his head, but Lu Zong forcefully grabbed and held it steady. Lu Zong hissed softly, "Don't turn around. I'll save you. Absolutely do not turn."

Zhi Xiong’s face was ashen with fright. He quickly whispered, "What is it, Lu Zong? What did you see?"

Lu Zong didn't answer. "Don't move, and don't speak. Don't even breathe so heavily. I'm coming to save you now. Remember, under no circumstances are you to speak." With that, he circled behind Ma Xiong, looked at Ma Xiong's shaking body, and slapped his backside: "Damn it, freeze, or I'll give that big butt another swat."

Ma Xiong could only offer a bitter smile internally: I don't want to move either, but this is an unconditioned reflex. Of course, I'll tremble when I’m scared. I don't want this either. But speaking now was impractical; he could only stand there stiffly, trying to ascertain the truth with his peripheral vision. Yet, his eyes couldn't swivel a full 360 degrees; all he could see was what was directly in front of him, while the real threat remained entirely hidden.

His curiosity intensified. Lu Zong’s secretive actions baffled him. What exactly had he seen? Ge Mei was already shaking uncontrollably in front of him, confirming that something terrifying was indeed attached to him.

Lu Zong remained silent behind him. Ma Xiong finally couldn't bear the suspense and tilted his head up to look.

But the look cost him dearly; he nearly screamed aloud. Above his head, a jar-like skull was positioning itself, apparently intending to use its cranial cavity to cover his entire head. Looking closer, he recognized it—it was that very same jar, and it looked disturbingly like Ge Mei’s favorite chamber pot. Now, it was brazenly suspended over him, immediately filling him with a sense of deflated heroism, a desperate urge to bolt away.

However, the object’s four tentacles had already tightly wrapped around his hair. He offered a wry internal laugh; this creature was clever, knowing exactly how to use his hair as an anchor. If he struggled now, he risked losing his hair, so he abandoned the escape plan. Resisting might only provoke the entity further, ensuring a terrible outcome. He resolved to stay still and await Lu Zong’s rescue.

He waited, genuinely curious as to how Lu Zong would manage this rescue, holding his breath below the threat.

Finally, he felt a puff of warm air brush across his nose, followed by Lu Zong’s voice: "Ma Xiong, I’m going to snip off its tentacles in a moment, and then you duck down and run fast. Don't let that thing clamp onto your head. Are you ready?"

Ma Xiong was about to nod when he sensed the skull above him beginning to move. He refrained from nodding, instead whispering softly, "Understood. Go ahead, hurry up, for heaven's sake."

Lu Zong commanded, "Okay, I'll count one, two, three—everyone moves together." He started counting, "One, two, three..." With a yelp, Ma Xiong swiftly ducked beneath the hovering head. The tentacles were severed instantly, falling to the ground where they thrashed violently, much like eels pulled from the water. Fortunately, Ma Xiong had moved quickly, or the severed parts might have tumbled inside his clothes. Seeing he was unharmed, Ma Xiong clutched his chest, exclaiming, "That was terrifying! Nearly scared me to death."

The four severed tentacles oozed large quantities of thick, milky-white fluid onto the ground, slowly spreading as the appendages squirmed and bounced desperately. After a long while, the wriggling subsided, and the pieces began to burrow into the earth, soon boring four deep, seemingly bottomless holes into the hard ground.

All four stared in stunned silence at the holes the tentacles had created. It was Ge Mei who suddenly shrieked, "Oh no! Where is the jar? Where is it now?" A shockwave ran through the nerves of the other two; they had been so focused on the severed tentacles that they had completely forgotten about the main body! Where had the tentacles’ source fled?

The three scanned the center of the room again, finding no trace of the jar. The spot where it had been previously resting still held exactly sixteen jars; not one was missing. Ge Mei pleaded delicately, "Brother, I think we should leave quickly. These things are far too dangerous. I’ve lived here so long and never noticed this horror, and I even used it as a chamber pot! The thought alone makes me sick. Let’s go, we shouldn't stay here a second longer." She was the first to move toward the entrance, preparing to leave.

But the moment her hand brushed the curtain across the doorway, she snatched it back with a sharp scream. Lu Zong painfully squeezed his eyes shut. No way, another scream. Since arriving at this tent, Ge Mei must have shrieked countless times, and every shriek preceded a terrifying, life-threatening danger. Today was certainly cursed luck. However, his brief moment of complaint vanished quickly as he prepared to re-engage in battle—for the continuation of life, for the progress of society, and for the future improvement of the human genome, damn it all, he would fight.

He looked resolutely at Ge Mei and asked, "Ge Mei, what is it? Why the alarm? Is something wrong?"

Ge Mei was too frightened to speak, panting heavily a few times before she could finally manage the words, "That curtain... it's strange... the curtain, it actually..."

Their gazes naturally drifted to the opposite doorway, but as far as they could observe, nothing seemed amiss. So, Ma Xiong decided to step forward to investigate. He walked up cautiously. Ge Mei watched him with terrified eyes but did not try to stop him. Lu Zong held his breath, watching Ma Xiong tensely, terrified that he might truly encounter danger. Ma Xiong, of course, felt the most pressure, being on the front line; if danger struck, he would be the first to face it.

But upon reaching the door, he detected no peril. He smiled and turned back, "Ge Mei, I think you're letting fear make you neurotic. There's clearly nothing here, haha. You must be overthinking it."

Ge Mei retorted sharply, "How can you call me neurotic when you don't know what I felt? If I told you, I guarantee it would scare you senseless."

Ma Xiong pressed quickly, "Tell me then! What exactly did you encounter? Could it possibly be more terrifying than that jar?"

Ge Mei nodded. "Yes, yes. If you two hadn't been here, I would have been scared out of my wits. Do you know, the moment my hand touched the curtain, I suddenly felt... outside the curtain..." At this point, Ge Mei trailed off, casting another anxious glance at the curtain before letting out a deep, shaky breath.

Lu Zong urged, "What did you feel? Hurry up and say it! This isn't the time for suspense." Ge Mei, seeing Lu Zong’s stubborn temper flaring up again, decided not to savor the moment and confessed frankly, "The second my hand touched the curtain, I felt hands outside... following my hand as it slid, and finally, they grasped mine... Whoosh... it scared me to death. If I hadn't pulled back so fast, my hand might have been badly injured right now." She held out her fair, delicate hands for Lu Zong and Ma Xiong to see.

Lu Zong squinted, examining them closely. He noticed nothing amiss. "There's nothing there. Not a scratch. It must have been your imagination."

Ma Xiong saw Lu Zong looking down so intently at Ge Mei's hands and immediately deduced that the young rogue was trying to take advantage of Ge Mei again. He chuckled inwardly and chided, "Lu Zong, you're molesting her again!"

Lu Zong, hearing that Ma Xiong had read his thoughts, quickly raised his head, his face flushed. "There really isn't anything there, Ma Xing! What you said was too much. Don't you know I'm near-sighted?"

But Ma Xiong disagreed. "I don't think Ge Mei was mistaken. Let me see." With that, he bent down, his head lower than Lu Zong's had been, nearly touching Ge Mei's hands. Lu Zong immediately stepped forward. "What are you doing? Are you near-sighted too?"

Ma Xiong countered, "Since you couldn't see anything strange about her hands, what's the point of me looking? I'll ask: did she sense any strange odor from the contact? That might be residue from that creature."

Lu Zong instantly regretted not thinking of that himself. But before he could fully process his mistake, a sharp slap echoed. He looked up to see five distinct handprints perfectly imprinted across Ma Xiong's cheek. They were a striking mix of red and white, quite a sight.

Then followed Ge Mei’s sharp, chilling voice: "If you dare act like a hooligan in front of me again, I’ll kill you!"