"SLASH!" A blinding pain cut through the void that Lin Zhou's mind was trapped in. This pain rippled throughout Lin Zhou's entire being, but it was silenced by an almost comforting feeling afterwards.
After that feeling, Lin Zhou could slightly feel some sensations. This was the sense of touch that he had lost last, when he had been completely locked inside the darkness of his mind. There was a slimy sensation on his hands and legs, which made Lin Zhou feel a natural aversion. He was a history student, not a biology student after all.
As those sensations grew stronger, Lin Zhou could smell an awful stench, as well as hear the familiar noises of the factory. There was a slight relief that came over him. Even though he wanted to escape the factory, he did not want to land into an even worse environment.
As Lin Zhou waited, he could feel that the environment he was in was shaking. The tremors caused him to slide out onto a cold, metallic feeling ground, which he assumed was the factory floor. The moment he slid out, he could see brief flashes of light.
"I can see now!" This was absolutely crucial to Lin Zhou. The loss of sight was what made him lose hope earlier, but the moment he regained it, he perked up in a heart beat. Colours appeared in his sphere of vision, and he could begin to see what was happening around him now.
It was just that... he was even shorter than even his child form. Lin Zhou could not care less however, since just living was enough. If he lived, it was best not to dwell on unnecessary things and focus on the important aspects.
"I should check my surroundings... am I still in the factory or some unknown place?" Lin Zhou tried to turn his head to the right, but when he did, his whole body rotated with him.
"That's not right! What happened to me?" A sense of urgency struck Lin Zhou. His whole body rotated again as he looked down. He could only see the metallic floor of the factory, which was covered with pools of blood, instead of the body he had expected to see.
"But, I can still feel all my limbs... phantom limb syndrome? Then, what exactly am I now?" Lin Zhou tried to imagine himself walking to an empty spot that was not stained with blood. Surprisingly, his body actually slid towards that area, leaving a blood trail.
"So, what do I look like now?" Without the blood in the way, Lin Zhou could see his body clearly now. "I... what?"
He was a misshapen blob-like shaped creature that vaguely resembled a human head, that was entirely red, with veins popping out. Lin Zhou was also now quite small in stature, equivalent to around the size of a cat.
That was not really bothersome to Lin Zhou, since as an avid fantasy comic reader, he had seen some gruesome scenes, which had toughened him somewhat.
"Flesh tendrils?" That's right, what really unnerved Lin Zhou was where his eye sockets was supposed to be. Instead from seeing from a pair of eyes, he was seeing through fleshy tentacles instead, which was covered in white scales.
"Shouldn't things be only seen through eyes? When could tendrils see colours and shapes?" Lin Zhou was puzzled, but he silently accepted it as it was. He had already seen a whip turning into a snake, so his mind had already adapted to the weirdness inside this place.
"So do I have to live my life like this now? Is there any way to turn myself back to normal?" Lin Zhou was anxious. Living in a body that was fundamentally unfamiliar to him, he did not even know whether if he needed to eat or drink. If he was lucky, he didn't need to. If he was unlucky, he didn't know how the hell he was going to satisfy his urges.
"I should hide myself first, right? Maybe the person who 'freed' me just now wants to finish the job." Lin Zhou tilted his body upwards, so he could see past the floor.
According to the flesh tendrils, the entire floor had been vacated, and the factory had entirely stopped. However, Lin Zhou could hear small footsteps echoing from above that was getting louder. The children were moving down the stairs.
Tilting his body entirely upwards, he could now see the children were moving down. They were already down to the third floor, and they were lead by the teenager that had punched Lin Zhou just now.
Everything looked fine, except for a slightly grey glow emitting from the teenager. This grey glow had an attractive quality to it, as if it smelt like something delicious. The smell of roasted chicken wings. Yes, that was the smell of the grey glow.
"Chicken wings, chicken wings!" Lin Zhou did not know why he was so hungry. Did he require food to regrow? He controlled the unending hunger, but... the chicken wings were calling out to me.
It took all the willpower in him to still himself. Lin Zhou was like a drug addict, craving the food that was in front of him. His entire body was shivering intensely, and he felt that the cells in this body was practically revolting against him, calling for food.
"Ohhh, who cares if I! Give in!" All sorts of conflicting thoughts went through Lin Zhou's mind. The desire of his body and the control of the mind was clashing. That clash lasted for only a few seconds before both of them agreed simultaneously to come up with a compromise.
"Chicken wing, one bite!" Just one bite of the succulent chicken wings and that will be it. The children had already reached the first floor.
Sullivan scratched his hand. Huxley and him was worried about nothing. That creature did not put up much of a resistance, had a poor mobility, and was easily finished by an Ice Sword. He had wasted his time being cooped up in that tight, stuffy bunker.
"Did I grow a rash? It's so itchy." It was now his leg that was itching. Sullivan extended his hand and scratched it furiously. The itch did not go away, but instead grew somewhat stronger.
"So, so itchy!" The itch was growing around his body at a rapid pace now. Scratch, scratch, scratch! "Why does it keep growing? Why? Why?"
Sullivan's skin started peeling off, but he still continued scratching. "Is it this layer here? If I scratch it off, will I be freed?" The children were filled with dread. First Orange had become a monster, but now even Sullivan was showing signs of abnormal behaviour.
"Ohh, ohh, I feel great. Greater than I've ever felt." Sullivan scratched more parts of his body, while the light in his eyes continued to fade. Blood was pouring all over the stairs that led to the second floor.
"So pleasurable, so delightful. Chicken wings, chicken wings." Sullivan shivered with pleasure as his fingernails began to tear, as he had already cut all the way to the bone. The light in his eyes finally gave way, and his lips became blue.
A new, determined look entered Sullivan's eyes, replacing the bored look that had previously been there. Shaking, he slowly lifted himself to his feet, licking his lips.
"Chicken wings."