“Damn it!” Yan Xin’s face turned pale. “This meal was too nourishing. The child wants to devour its parent!”
Li Xuan broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately pulled out a submachine gun from his bag, moved closer to Fang Xingzhou, and gritted his teeth. “In the worst-case scenario, if things escalate to a point none of us want to see, you’ll have to decide—save the mother or the child!”
Fang Xingzhou’s expression darkened at these words.
Only a small stump remained of the tentacle Lu Jianchuan had lost, dripping blood onto the floor. His regenerative abilities were clearly affected by the pregnant sac, and a new tentacle was slow to grow back.
Having just devoured an A-level special item, Lu Jianchuan was slow to react. He tilted his head slightly, confused, while everyone else was on edge. “What do you mean, save the mother or the child?”
Fang Xingzhou’s expression grew even grimmer.
The pregnant sac began to sway rhythmically again, lurching toward another tentacle. Numerous mouthparts emerged from its surface, all wide open and razor-sharp, biting into the second tentacle. Digestive fluids dripped from the mouthparts, mixing with the blood on the floor.
Lu Jianchuan gasped in pain and slapped the sac with his other tentacles, but the blows were weak and ineffective. He could only scold in a feeble voice, “That hurts!”
His brain matter turned a pale greenish-white. Even after being bitten off, the tentacle could still move, engaging in a fierce battle with the sac.
Unfortunately, the baby, having absorbed the “printer” that perfectly matched its divine power, had gone completely berserk.
It was desperately craving more power. Its underdeveloped brain was overwhelmed by its divine nature, and a single tentacle was no match for it.
The second tentacle was also devoured.
Li Xuan was already preparing to call for backup, but Fang Xingzhou stopped him. He turned and walked into the kitchen, pulling out the largest cleaver in the house.
This move stunned everyone in the room, including the monsters.
The moment Lu Jianchuan saw his lover holding the cleaver, his brain matter began to boil. He wanted to retreat, but his massive body, weighed down by the frenzied sac, couldn’t move an inch.
His vocal cord trembled nervously, “Zhou Zhou, what are you doing? Don’t panic. I think the baby has reached the critical point of birth and is just absorbing the last bit of power. So, it’s fine if it eats part of me… really…”
A third tentacle was swallowed by the sac. At this rate, within half an hour, only a brain would remain—or perhaps not even that.
And even if the egg was born by devouring its parent, no one could guarantee it would be in a rational state after birth. What awaited them could very well be a dead end—
Fang Xingzhou stared intently at their child, his knuckles white as he gripped the cleaver.
The black veins on the sac writhed, and the mouthparts grew denser. With a soft crack, the fourth tentacle was also reduced to prey, ground into pulp.
They were at a life-or-death juncture, but Lu Jianchuan’s attention was entirely on the cleaver. His dozens of eyes widened in fear as he watched Fang Xingzhou stride toward him, holding the cleaver. He struggled to retreat, “Darling, calm down! Don’t hurt yourself!”
Yan Xin: “Dr. Fang, calm down!!! What are you planning to do with that cleaver?!”
Fang Xingzhou grabbed the fifth tentacle that the sac was about to devour.
The embryo, with half-human blood, briefly regained its humanity as its father approached—but only for half a second.
Its instincts quickly took over again. It wanted to devour, absorb power, grow stronger, break free from its parent, and be reborn…
The mouthparts bit down on the tentacle.
Clang.
Its teeth hit cold, hard stainless steel.
Fang Xingzhou shoved the cleaver into the mouthparts, twisting the blade with practiced precision, as if removing rotten flesh during surgery. He pried the mouthparts off the sac.
The mouthparts fell to the floor, trailing long, tentacle-like tendrils that writhed frantically at Fang Xingzhou’s feet.
The living room fell silent. Even Lu Jianchuan was stunned, his body rigid, his dozens of eyes twisted in disbelief at what his wife was doing.
After removing the first set of mouthparts, Fang Xingzhou didn’t stop. He pried off five or six more, leaving dark holes in the sac that opened and closed angrily but didn’t dare harm the human father.
Once all the mouthparts were removed, he paused briefly, glancing at Lu Jianchuan. His gaze fell on the bleeding stumps of the tentacles, and a vein throbbed at his temple.
Lu Jianchuan had a very bad feeling: “Zhou Zhou, you…”
Fang Xingzhou gripped his lover’s tentacle reassuringly, took a deep breath, and then swung the cleaver directly at the sac!
Lu Jianchuan: “!”
Yan Xin practically jumped and screamed: “Ahhh!!! You’re a surgeon, not an obstetrician!!!”
Li Xuan shouted: “Calm down!!! It’s clearly not fully developed yet and could easily be affected by contamination. You can’t perform a C-section now!!”
The sac looked semi-transparent, but the blade sank deeper than expected. Fang Xingzhou remained calm yet frantic, pushing the blade further until it reached the nutrient fluid. He twisted the handle, prying open a gap in the thick flesh, catching a glimpse of the white eggshell through the fluid.
This was his first direct contact with the child.
He asked coldly, “Are the tentacles delicious, baby?”
The blade continued to press deeper, even grazing the edge of the eggshell. A few more centimeters, and it might actually crack the shell.
“I can cut you out,” he added, “if you want to be born now.”
The egg was completely stunned.
A timid eye appeared on the eggshell, peeking at its father.
Without the sac in the way, the father’s presence was clearer than ever—cold yet gentle, fragile yet strong.
It also caught the sweet scent emanating from Fang Xingzhou’s skin…
The human part of its will regained control, but its divine instincts refused to let go of this perfect opportunity for rebirth.
The father and child are connected. Fang Xingzhou vaguely sensed something. He lifted Lu Jianchuan’s tentacle and used the sharp teeth in its mouthparts to make a long, deep cut on his wrist and palm.
Blood gushed out, the sweet scent instantly triggering memories of many unpleasant scenes for Lu Jianchuan. His remaining twelve tentacles went wild, and his vocal cord barked, “Xingzhou!”
“Shh…” Fang Xingzhou turned his head to kiss the large monster.
He aimed his bleeding hand at the gap he had pried open, letting the blood flow directly into the sac.
The moment the blood touched the white eggshell, it was absorbed completely.
The egg began to tremble uncontrollably, as if tasting its first sip of milk in the womb. Its humanity surged, overpowering its divine instincts with another kind of instinct.
It’s father’s blood was sweet.
So sweet that it made the egg forget all its inflated desires.
The mouthparts on the sac retracted one by one, and the black veins gradually disappeared. The bright red color returned to a healthy pink.
It frantically sucked on its father’s fresh blood, even instinctively moving closer to the blade—
Until Lu Jianchuan couldn’t take it anymore and wrapped his lover’s hand with his tentacles, tightly covering the wound.
The cleaver was still embedded in the sac. Without the blood, the egg instinctively prepared to leave the sac but froze when it touched the blade, as if realizing its current predicament.
A second eye appeared, glancing at the furious parent and then at the displeased father.
Finally, it remembered what it had just done. After a few seconds of stunned silence, it sulkily retreated little by little into the depths of the gestational sac.
Fang Xingzhou’s wound healed quickly, but he had cut an artery and lost a significant amount of blood in a short time. His face was inevitably pale.
Once he confirmed the egg had calmed down, he sighed in relief and pulled out the cleaver.
Lu Jianchuan, however, didn’t immediately repair the sac. Instead, he spoke seriously, “Let’s cut it out. I just absorbed A0125 and still have some power left. Maybe I can suppress its rampage after birth.”
Fang Xingzhou sighed, understanding the implication, and played along, “…If this keeps up, we’ll have to cut it out.”
The father and parent performed a duet, and the egg began to tremble again—this time out of fear.
It quickly hid in the deepest part of the sac, growing a thick layer of flesh around the eggshell to protect itself.
Fang Xingzhou and Lu Jianchuan exchanged a glance.
Fang Xingzhou gently hugged the brain matter, kissing the nearest eye, and whispered, “Don’t be angry.”
Lu Jianchuan lifted his tentacle grudgingly, repairing the gap in the sac.
Fang Xingzhou finally relaxed his tense shoulders. He turned around, holding the blood-stained cleaver, and saw Yan Xin and Li Xuan staring in shock, their mouths opening and closing as they struggled to find the right words to express their feelings.
“You…” Yan Xin managed to say, “I thought… you were really going to perform a C-section right then and there…”
Fang Xingzhou: “Sorry for worrying you.”
Li Xuan silently stuffed the submachine gun back into his bag, feeling both deeply shaken and oddly relieved.
After all, this was the family of an A+ special item. Hmm, when you think about it that way, the earlier madness seemed almost reasonable.
He forced a laugh: “We’re ashamed we couldn’t help much.”
Lu Jianchuan, using the remaining power, regenerated the four lost tentacles and slowly, clumsily crawled to the kitchen. He wrapped his lover’s injured hand with his tentacles, sniffing it carefully and repeatedly, clearly unhappy.
Fang Xingzhou patted the tentacle: “It’s New Year’s Eve. Cheer up, Deer.”
Lu Jianchuan’s brain matter rippled, the grooves forming various shapes. After a few seconds of silence, not wanting the egg to grow spoiled, he forced a calm tone and changed the subject: “…What’s cooking? It smells good.”
“New Year’s Eve stewed chicken,” Fang Xingzhou said. “Dr. Yan, Officer Li, stay for dinner. I prepared enough for everyone. Thank you for delivering the food today.”
The two, still shaken, replied: “You’re too kind. Let us help you cook.”
Soon, a lavish New Year’s Eve feast was served—the most nerve-wracking one Yan Xin and Li Xuan had ever experienced.
Lu Jianchuan, exhausted from the day’s events, seemed particularly listless. He stayed on the ceiling during the meal, occasionally extending a tentacle to enthusiastically serve dishes.
Halfway through the meal, he couldn’t hold on any longer. His vocal cord tapped his two colleagues and said, “Take your time. I need to rest.”
With that, he slowly crawled across the ceiling, his massive pregnant sac resembling a queen bee’s abdomen, making everyone nervous.
Fang Xingzhou, worried about Lu Jianchuan’s condition, didn’t eat much either. The three of them were preoccupied, and most of the meal was left uneaten.
As they left, Yan Xin suggested again: “Come to the Institute for the delivery.”
Fang Xingzhou, who had been worried about this, frowned: “Deer wants to give birth at home… I’ll try to talk him into it.”
Li Xuan patted his shoulder, summing up his thoughts in one sentence: “Dr. Fang, you’ve been through a lot.”
Fang Xingzhou smiled.
After seeing them off, Fang Xingzhou immediately went to the bedroom. He found Lu Jianchuan coiled on the bed, his tentacles tightly wrapped around the sac, breathing steadily. Even the sound of firecrackers outside couldn’t rouse his interest.
“Deer?” he called softly.
No response.
The large monster was asleep.
Fang Xingzhou exhaled deeply, washed up quickly, turned off the lights, and climbed into bed quietly. He hugged one of the tentacles and slept with the father and child.
Feeling his lover’s presence, Lu Jianchuan wrapped him in his arms, pressing him close to the sac. His brain matter unconsciously kissed Fang Xingzhou’s forehead.
Fang Xingzhou closed his eyes, listening to the increasingly intensifying firecrackers outside and the excited countdown of the neighbor’s children.
Ten, nine, eight, seven…
The egg in the sac timidly pressed against its father, seeking forgiveness.
Three, two, one…
Lu Jianchuan briefly woke from his dream, nuzzling Fang Xingzhou’s cheek and mumbling, “Happy New Year, darling.”
Fang Xingzhou stroked the large monster and the small one, saying, “Happy New Year.”
He nestled into Lu Jianchuan’s embrace and fell into an uneasy sleep.
That night, he had a long, long dream.
In the dream, the little monster was still hiding in the darkness, its many crimson eyes weeping from night till morning.
…
After the near-premature birth on New Year’s Eve, the egg remained well-behaved for a long time.
But even so, Lu Jianchuan’s pregnancy became increasingly difficult.
The massive sac was almost draining him dry. The Institute kept delivering food to Xiangxing Street, but it still wasn’t enough to satisfy the two monsters.
Fortunately… they were always fortunate.
Every time Lu Jianchuan was so hungry he considered devouring himself, some clueless prey would stumble onto Xiangxing Street, often injured and defenseless, as if someone was delivering meals to their doorstep. They didn’t even need to go hunting.
Thanks to the Institute’s deliveries and the occasional lucky snacks, Lu Jianchuan made it through the entire spring. The sac grew so large that even moving became difficult, but there was still no sign of birth.
Every morning, Fang Xingzhou would wake up and wonder: Will today be the day?
Every night, Fang Xingzhou would go to bed and wonder again: Surely tomorrow will be the day?
The anxiety grew day by day, but the belly remained unchanged. Fang Xingzhou felt like he was going mad. On a stormy early summer night, he sat up and stared at the sac, demanding of the egg inside, “When do you plan to be born?”
The egg was now terrified of its father. Hearing Fang Xingzhou’s displeased tone, it immediately hid in the deepest part of the sac, playing dead.
Fang Xingzhou: “…”
Lu Jianchuan was also having trouble sleeping. With great difficulty, he turned over, his eighteen tentacles trembling as they supported the massive belly. His dozens of eyes reflected his lover’s face as he said hoarsely, “Darling, my belly feels awful.”
Fang Xingzhou was also suffering.
He took a deep breath and said quietly, “Nineteen months and ten days, Deer. Even Nezha is about to be born.”
Lu Jianchuan wrapped his tentacles around Fang Xingzhou’s waist, his brain matter pressing against his forehead. “I can vaguely sense that it needs a powerful source of energy as a medium to complete the final stage of development before birth.”
“On New Year’s Eve, it absorbed A0125, which perfectly matched its energy. It did reach the critical point of birth, but it was still a bit short. Its development wasn’t complete, so it couldn’t resist the contamination.” His vocal cord let out a regretful sigh.
Fang Xingzhou looked at him and said seriously, “If the ‘medium’ you’re talking about is yourself, I’d rather not have this child.”
Lu Jianchuan: “Of course not! I was just, uh, thinking out loud. Really.”
Seeing Fang Xingzhou’s furrowed brow, he gently rubbed his lover’s forehead with a tentacle tip, smoothing out the wrinkles.
“The spiritual energy in this world is too thin. Relying on the Institute’s deliveries and the occasional prey that shows up, it’s almost impossible to nurture a new deity… I’ve been trying to think of a solution, darling. Don’t worry, we’ll find a way.”
The two fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Fang Xingzhou gripped the tip of his tentacle, pursed his lips, and as if making a decision, said very softly, “I have an idea, but it might not be fair to Officer Li and Dr. Yan.”
Lu Jianchuan’s dozens of eyes lit up as he looked at his lover: “What is it?”
Fang Xingzhou: “Let’s rob the Institute.”
So the child is a god of fortune? That’s interesting 😯
Thanks for the chapter <333