Chapter Thirteen: Mutant Beasts

He only knew about this hidden existence because of the warnings from the future, but what puzzled Shen An was how these people knew what was about to happen here. This question lingered in his mind.

As he was pondering, Shen An spotted a strange creature—it was a two-headed cobra. He had often seen snakes before, but never one with two heads. Yet another mutated creature, just like the wolf from before, and now this snake.

Shen An watched the snake, about a meter long, slithering through the underbrush, exuding a faint, fragrant aroma—the scent produced by elemental oxygen. While he was observing, he suddenly saw another creature: a wild boar.

The boar seemed to be in considerable distress. It was massive, weighing about five hundred jin, and was repeatedly ramming its head against a tree. Shen An, unhurried, climbed up a tree to watch.

From his perch, he curiously observed the scene as the boar howled in pain, visibly suffering. Sitting on the branch, his legs swinging, Shen An watched as a small horn began to grow from the boar’s head.

He stared in disbelief at the sight before him. The boar finally stopped battering the tree, the pain apparently gone. Now sporting a horn, the boar waddled over to a large boulder, lay down, and began to snore.

Shen An wondered if he could store this mutated boar in his spatial space. Unfortunately, his devouring ability seemed ineffective against living things.

“Can it only swallow dead objects?” he mused, testing his power on a wooden stick lying on the ground. Instantly, the stick vanished into the space.

Shaking his head, Shen An gave up on the idea of swallowing the boar. However—

A pained, desperate howl echoed through the forest as Shen An put down the boar he had just struck dead, then devoured it into his space. With this mutated boar and the wolf from earlier, he had enough meat to last for some time.

By the time he returned to the city, night had already fallen. Shen An took a shower and changed his clothes before heading out. After a long day, he was famished.

On the street, he noticed a newly opened restaurant—remarkably, it was a fast-food place called “One Bite Gourmet.” The glass wall bore a colorful sign explaining that for ninety-eight yuan per person, one could eat anything on the menu. The pictures of all kinds of dishes made Shen An’s hunger intensify.

He pushed open the door and was greeted by a chorus of young women, “Welcome!” The place was bustling, nearly every seat occupied. Spotting a middle-aged man just leaving, Shen An took his place.

With his tray, he grabbed some seafood, various cuts of meat—beef, lamb—and sat down to eat. Since it was all-you-can-eat, he certainly wasn’t going to be shy.

Ever since he had absorbed elemental oxygen and gained the devouring ability, Shen An’s appetite had grown to astounding proportions. Now, even the most famous big eaters would pale in comparison.

As he was eating, a young woman’s voice drifted to his ear. “How about it? I picked this place specially, Zhou Zhou. You should eat more—you’re so thin.”

“Is this event really just about eating? I’m a singing streamer, you know.”

“Of course! It’s an official event, and with your popularity, Zhou Zhou, you’ll definitely come in first.”

“But all I can do is sing…”

The voice sounded very familiar to Shen An, and curiosity made him glance over.

Right across from him, at a nearby table, sat two beautiful young women. The one facing him was none other than Zhou Zhou, the streamer he had followed for so long.

He froze. When Zhou Zhou noticed him looking, Shen An’s face flushed red.

Zhou Zhou had just looked up, only to find a young man at the next table staring at her intently. When she met his gaze, he quickly looked down, his cheeks burning.

“Hm?” her companion asked, “What are you looking at, Zhou Zhou?”

“Nothing, hehe,” Zhou Zhou replied with a giggle.

Her laughter immediately sent her livestream chat into a frenzy—she was still live. Zhou Zhou had been officially invited to participate in a food show, and the entire process was being streamed. The event itself was scheduled for the next day, but Zhou Zhou and another young woman had arrived early to warm up.

Over a million viewers were watching her sweet, natural smile, and countless fans were smitten. The stream’s chat exploded in red scrolling comments.

The girl sitting beside Zhou Zhou teased, “What are you looking at that made you smile so sweetly?”

Just as Zhou Zhou was about to shake her head, her companion turned the streaming phone around and aimed it at the seats behind them. On camera appeared a young man with well-proportioned features and a handsome face. His clothes weren’t branded, but they fit him perfectly. Moreover, after days of training and absorbing elemental oxygen, Shen An now carried a subtle, alluring scent.

The girl paused for just a second, and the chat erupted again.

“No way, was Zhou Zhou just looking at him?”

“Who is that guy? Why is he sitting across from her?”

Questions, accusations, and a barrage of jealous comments flooded the stream.

Meanwhile, face burning, Shen An kept his head down, fiddling with his phone—he was actually watching Zhou Zhou’s livestream at that very moment. The stream’s content was right there on his screen, and when the camera turned in his direction, some sharp-eyed viewers immediately noticed.

The comments surged once more.

“Look, Zhou Zhou, that guy’s watching your stream!”

Her friend handed Zhou Zhou the phone, and she glanced at the scrolling chat.

“Really?” she asked, looking up at Shen An again.

For a streamer, running into a fan watching their live broadcast in real life was a point of pride. Zhou Zhou was delighted. She stood up, just in time to see Shen An hurriedly closing his screen. Her curiosity was piqued.

“Are you watching my livestream?” she asked.

Shen An hadn’t enabled the chat earlier; now he regretted it. As soon as he did, the screen filled with messages—all about him. He hadn’t expected any of this.

And now, with that familiar voice ringing in his ears, there was no way for Shen An to pretend he hadn’t heard.