Cutting Open the Belly for the Core?

The two fish were still thrashing desperately, trying to leap over the pheasant corpses that towered before them like mountains. Their golden scales shimmered beautifully in the sunlight.

When Tu Ran approached, the two fish startled and struggled even harder.

A two-legged beast who could easily take down seven or eight pheasant monsters would have no trouble crushing them.

Tu Ran drew her pistol and aimed at one of them, her finger on the trigger.

"Don't! Please don't kill us!"

Tu Ran: "?"

Was she hallucinating?

Did she just hear human speech?!

"We'll give you anything you want. Just don't kill us!"

The two fish spoke again, confirming she hadn't imagined it.

The world is full of wonders.

Once again, Tu Ran witnessed the diversity of alien species.

"I want your abilities," Tu Ran said bluntly.

"Anything else, please. Our inner cores are precious to us," the two fish said pitifully.

Tu Ran raised her pistol.

The two fish thought: Indeed, the weak have no diplomacy.

"Don't shoot! We'll give them to you! We'll give them to you!"

Tu Ran lowered her pistol.

Tu Ran thought: Indeed, the gun is the more effective tool.

"Since you two... two fish can both talk, doesn't that mean you have two inner cores?" Tu Ran stared at them.

"No," one of the fish wagged its tail and spoke with great pride. "We Henggong fish are born able to speak—not just your two-legged beast language, but the languages of all species."

"Inner cores are so precious that out of all the tens of thousands of Henggong fish, only two exist. If I lose mine, I'll no longer be the center of attention."

"Which two fish?"

"One is me, and the other is my brother."

Tu Ran glanced at the little goldfish beside it. "Then who is it?"

"It's my mate."

The two fish began nuzzling each other's heads affectionately, oblivious to anything else.

Tu Ran: ...

Even fish have mates.

And they were flaunting their affection right in front of her.

Tu Ran showed no mercy: "Hurry up and cough up the inner core."

She was like a robber.

A robber who tore apart lovebirds, no less.

The two fish were startled by her loud voice.

The male protectively shielded the female behind him.

"Just wait a moment, I need to get in the mood."

Tu Ran was puzzled. "Get in the mood for what?"

"Get in the mood so I can pull it out for you."

Tu Ran: ...

She wanted to cut open his belly and take the core.

"I'm feeling it now, I'm feeling it now." The male Henggong fish wagged its tail rapidly.

Amidst the shimmering reflections, a white, glowing pearl dropped out.

The female Henggong fish caught it with her head and wagged her tail as she offered it to Tu Ran.

Tu Ran didn't know whether to take it or not.

Why did she have to witness the whole process of this inner core being produced?!

How was she supposed to swallow it after that?!

"Take it! This is one of only two inner cores in the entire Henggong fish family—priceless. Eat it and you'll be able to understand our speech." The male Henggong fish wagged its tail.

Tu Ran mentally steeled herself.

She'd come this far; it was just eating a bead. What was so hard to accept about that?

Tu Ran bent down and took the bead from the female Henggong fish's head.

The bead was very clean—probably washed clean by the current—and had no odd smell.

The two fish wagged their tails in perfect sync, watching the two-legged beast towering over them, following her movements.

Tu Ran had already brought the bead to her lips, but still couldn't bring herself to take the next step.

*I've eaten pig intestines before!* she mentally chanted.

*And pig intestines have held shit!*

*This bead is cleaner than pig intestines!*

*This bead is more nutritious than pig intestines!*

*This bead—*

Tu Ran mustered her courage, tilted her head back, and tossed it straight down her throat.

The inner core dissolved into a stream of energy and vanished without a trace.

Tu Ran opened her eyes.

Her mouth had never touched the inner core, which indirectly meant she hadn't eaten that excretion—inner core!

Yes, she hadn't eaten it.

Tu Ran fooled herself.

The two fish saw she'd swallowed it and said, "Can you let us go now, two-legged beast?"

Tu Ran glanced at the pile of pheasant monster corpses and moved them aside one by one.

The stream flowed freely again, and the two fish swam away merrily along the current.

Tu Ran remembered how narrow the stream got downstream and wondered how those two fish of such size would get through.

That was none of her business. She turned and walked back to the pheasant monsters.

The plump pheasant monster was still obediently lying there.

One of its legs had been shot by Tu Ran, so it couldn't walk away even if it wanted to. As for flying, its body was too heavy; it couldn't get off the ground.

Since it couldn't escape anyway, it might as well just lie there.

"Are you hungry?" Tu Ran looked down at it from above.

"Hungry," the pheasant monster said.

Now, Tu Ran could understand its language.

"My stomach's already shriveled up." It patted its belly with its wing.

Tu Ran glanced at its belly, which was nearly as round as a ball.

Did the word "shriveled" really fit here?

"I can give you lots of good food," Tu Ran said. "You help me find your leader and cooperate with me in taking its inner core."

"Willing?" Tu Ran toyed with her pistol.

The pheasant monster: ...

It felt a naked threat.

"I'm willing," it said.

Tu Ran curled the corner of her mouth. "That's the right choice. From now on, your name is Fatty."

"Fat... fatty?" The pheasant monster repeated the name. "Fatty, Fatty, Fatty!"

It loved the name.

Tu Ran gave it a strange look, wondering what was so exciting about a name.

"You call me Fatty, so what should I call you?" Fatty wagged its tail, asking happily.

Tu Ran crouched down to examine the wound on its leg. Hearing this, she said, "Call me Boss."

"Boss?" Fatty cocked its head. "Does Boss mean leader?"

"Something like that," Tu Ran said expressionlessly.

She was carefully examining its wound.

The bullet had passed clean through its fleshy drumstick, leaving a scorched hole that was still bleeding.

And this creature hadn't made a single sound. Impressive.

But now Tu Ran had a headache. She shouldn't have shot it in the leg.

Now she had to deal with the consequences.

"Then Fatty has two bosses now," Fatty said, counting the feathers on its wing as it muttered. "The leader is my boss, and the two-legged beast is also my boss."

It really could talk.

Tu Ran couldn't be bothered with it. She pulled a medicine kit from her backpack and cleaned the wound herself.

She applied ointment and wrapped it with bandages.

When she was done, she stood up. "Can you sit up now?"

Fatty propped itself up with its wings on the ground on both sides and sat up.

It could sit up.

Since only its leg was injured, it had been able to sit up all along.

"Try standing up," Tu Ran said.

Fatty braced itself on the ground with its uninjured leg and tried to stand.

It tried several times but couldn't get up.

One leg wasn't enough to support its massive body.

"Don't you have wings?" Tu Ran suddenly realized. "Why don't you fly?"

Fatty: Really, always bringing up the one thing it didn't want to discuss.

"I... I can't fly." It blinked shyly.