“Beep!”
The sound was like a summons straight from hell, sending chills down their spines.
Ye Li and Duoduo tensed up completely, not daring to make a sound.
Duoduo was so frightened that she buried her little head in Ye Li’s chest, clamping her hands tightly over her mouth with her eyes squeezed shut.
Outside, they heard the cell door slide open with a swoosh, followed by heavy footsteps stepping inside.
Thud... thud... thud...
The footsteps stopped and started intermittently.
Every so often, the scrape of the metal bunk bed moving and the sound of tearing fabric drifted through the air.
That Abomination was searching for them!
Ye Li’s gaze turned icy as she gripped the wooden leg of the chair.
Soon, the footsteps drew closer to the bathroom step by step, finally halting right outside the door curtain.
The military-green waterproof curtain did not reach all the way to the floor. In the gap beneath, a pair of combat-booted feet abruptly came into view.
Then the curtain shifted. Something sharp scraped slowly across the fabric, tracing a line all the way to the edge.
Two massive, pitch-black fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws curled around the edge of the curtain, hooking into the fabric...
The next second, the curtain was violently ripped aside with a rustle, and a colossal, hideous Abomination burst into their sight.
The creature was abhorrent beyond belief. Its lower body still bore some semblance of a human, but its torso was grotesquely swollen and deformed. Its skin was pitch-black and cracked all over, resembling a layer of dry, gnarly tree bark.
Its head was swollen to twice the size of an ordinary human’s, and its blood-red eyes stared hungrily at the delectable prey before it.
A massive, bloody maw tore across its face from ear to ear, bristling with dense rows of serrated fangs that were still smeared with bits of crimson flesh. It sneered down at Ye Li and the girl, thick, rancid drool dripping continuously from between its teeth...
Even someone as fearless as Ye Li couldn't help but feel an involuntary chill run down her spine.
This thing was revolting and hideous to an infuriating degree!
Peril was right before them.
Ye Li’s thoughts spun rapidly as she formulated a plan.
From the shredded uniform clinging to the Abomination, she could tell it used to be a guard. It seemed to have retained its memories from before mutating, which explained how it knew how to use an access card.
And right now, that very card hung conspicuously around its neck.
Just as Ye Li was calculating the odds of snatching the card, the Abomination could no longer restrain its ravenous hunger and attacked.
Its grotesque maw split wide open, and a long, fleshy tongue as thick as an adult arm shot out from beneath its throat. Like a viper striking from its burrow, it whipped toward Ye Li with a piercing whoosh.
Ye Li’s reflexes were sharp; she jerked her head to the side.
The tongue grazed past her cheek by a hair, leaving a stinging welt of blood before smacking into the tiled wall behind her with a sharp crack.
The blow landed with such staggering force that it pulverized the tile, leaving a dented crater.
Catching this from the corner of her eye, Ye Li’s face darkened.
Space in the bathroom was severely cramped, and the Abomination’s tongue was terrifyingly agile. Dodging inside here was virtually impossible, especially while holding a child.
She had to find a way out!
Having missed its strike, the monster whipped its tongue around, lashing toward her again.
Anticipating the attack, Ye Li waited until the fleshy tongue closed in, then raised the wooden chair with all her might and slammed it down, pinning the grotesque slab of meat against the wall.
She poured everything into the blow, smashing the wooden chair to pieces.
The Abomination wailed in pain, retracting its wounded tongue in a flash.
The agony stripped away whatever patience it had left. Its crimson eyes glared with fury as it ripped down the curtain with a swipe of its claw and stepped into the bathroom, determined to seize its prey, gnaw on their bones, and tear them apart to devour them.
With the bathroom so confined, the massive Abomination had to duck and hunch its back, forcing its way in with awkward, hindered movements.
Watching the approaching monster, an idea flashed through Ye Li’s mind.
Gripping a broken chair leg in hand, she scooped up Duoduo and rolled across the floor.
Tumbling straight beneath the Abomination, she swiftly shoved the child forward between its splayed legs and shouted, “Run!”
The tiny girl was pushed out of the bathroom, tumbling and bumping against the corridor wall outside.
Her arm hurt terribly from the impact, but Duoduo gritted her teeth and didn't cry. Obediently scrambling to her feet, she bolted toward the exit.
However, having thrown herself directly into danger, Ye Li was caught by the monster’s gruesome hand. Five razor-sharp talons sank deep into her left shoulder, hoisting her completely off the ground.
Seeing that fang-lined maw lunging straight for her throat, Ye Li clenched her teeth against the searing agony. Her eyes turned ruthless in a heartbeat. Raising the jagged chair leg in her hand, she plunged it violently into the monster’s blood-red eye.
“Aaaargh—!”
The Abomination threw its head back with an agonizing shriek, reflexively releasing its grip.
As she fell, Ye Li moved with blinding speed, ripping the access card from around the monster’s chest.
Ignoring the searing pain, she scrambled on all fours through its legs and bolted out of the bathroom.
Outside, Duoduo had already reached the corridor and was waiting anxiously. Seeing her sister run out, she waved her little hands in frantic relief.
Gazing at the exit just steps away, warmth surged behind Ye Li’s eyes.
As long as they got out, swiped the card, and shut the door to trap the Abomination inside the cell, they would be saved.
Yet, as brilliant as the plan was, reality proved cruel.
Just as Ye Li reached the doorway, a sudden, piercing whoosh tore through the air behind her.
A long fleshy tongue whipped out, wrapping firmly around her neck from behind.
Before being dragged away, Ye Li quickly reached up and gripped the doorframe with both hands.
Yet the creature’s strength was overwhelming. She felt as though her neck was about to snap, making it impossible to advance even half an inch.
Looking out at Duoduo in the hallway—her little face pale with fright, frantically reaching out to pull her—Ye Li closed her eyes in helpless resignation and steeled her resolve.
She suddenly released one hand and pressed the access card against the scanner inside the door.
As a crisp electronic beep rang out, Ye Li let go with her other hand.
The moment she was dragged backward by the tongue, she gathered all her strength and hurled the access card out the door...
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