In the narrow cabin passage, Diluc's red hair burned like a flame in the darkness.
He held the Black Rock Slasher in one hand. The blade glowed dark red under the emergency light. Fire elements flowed along its edge, burning the surrounding air and causing it to distort slightly.
Swish!
Three monster tentacles lashed out from different angles, dripping mucus onto the floor. The corrosive slime hissed as it ate into the metal, leaving scorched, bubbling marks.
BOOM!!
The first tentacle swept across like a giant whip, tearing through the cabin walls—more than ten centimeters thick—as easily as if they were paper.
Diluc leaped upward, tapping the bulkhead with his toes. He flipped midair and slashed down with his Black Rock Blade.
Shhhhh!
Wrapped in black-and-red flames, the blade sliced cleanly through the creature's blue-gray hide. Fire surged into the wound the instant it opened.
ROAR—!
The monster unleashed a high-pitched shriek, and a raging fire erupted from the severed end.
Another tentacle seized the opportunity, striking from behind. Its valve-like maw gaped wide, a half-chewed human arm dangling between rows of jagged teeth.
Puff!
Without even turning his head, Diluc swung his sword. The blazing blade sheared off the tentacle's tip with surgical precision. The burning stump hit the ground, thrashing wildly.
Puff… puff…
Above, a writhing tentacle peeled open its bloodied maw and lunged from the ceiling—a blind spot!
But Diluc had anticipated it. He leaned back and slashed upward in a crescent arc.
Swish…
The blade split most of the tentacle clean in two. Undigested human remains spilled out like a grotesque rainstorm.
The victims still clung to fragments of consciousness—their exposed nerves and viscera twitching in the air, their faces corroded and riddled with holes, twisted in silent agony.
A flicker of pity crossed Diluc's eyes. He sighed softly:
"Rest in peace. May the wind god protect you."
He clenched his left fist. Surging fire coalesced into a massive firebird that spread its wings and dove upon the suffering remains.
Hula—!
Scorching flames engulfed everything, flooding the passage with daylight-bright intensity. The monsters shrieked and retreated into the shadows, leaving behind only charred bulkheads and drifting ash.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side…
BANG!!
The emergency light in the elevator flickered. Harry Osborn slammed his fist into the metal wall, his knuckles split and bleeding.
"I should've stayed! I never should've left him alone…"
His voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.
Gwen Stacy huddled in a corner, tears streaming down her face. Peter Parker pressed his lips into a thin line, while Kate stared at the floor display—the elevator had just reached the seventh floor.
Suddenly, a loud creak of tearing metal echoed from above, and the entire car lurched violently!
"Those ugly bastards are back—hold on tight!"
Peter hit the emergency stop button.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP—!
Amid the shrill, jarring alarm, the elevator jolted to a halt—then began to fall.
Peter Parker jumped up without hesitation and kicked the elevator door hard with both feet—
"Boom!!"
Under his tremendous force, the two alloy doors twisted and crumpled like sheets of paper, tore free, and shot across the corridor like cannonballs, embedding themselves deep into the cabin wall dozens of meters away.
The four people inside the elevator stood stunned.
"Stop daydreaming! Get out—now!"
Peter Parker yanked Gwen Stacy to her feet and shouted to the others.
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, a thick stench of blood and decay hit them like a physical blow.
The entire corridor looked as if it had been fed through a meat grinder. Radiating splatters of blood coated the walls, and intestine-like cables dangled from the ceiling, tangled with strands of black thread that resembled human hair.
Broken bones, clumps of fat, and half-dissolved organs were spread across the floor like a grotesque carpet. Every step sank into the mess with a sickening "crunch" that set teeth on edge and stomachs churning.
"Ugh—!"
Gwen Stacy turned pale, doubled over, and retched.
Kate swallowed hard, fighting down her nausea. Her eyes swept the hellish scene—then locked onto a corner.
"There's a gun over there!"
Not far down the corridor, beside a body clad in a crew uniform, lay a silver M1911 pistol.
Harry Osborn sprinted over, snatched it up, and expertly checked the weapon—the magazine was fully loaded with 15 rounds. He also found two spare magazines on the corpse.
"Harry, can you use it?" Peter asked, voice tight with tension.
Harry racked the slide to chamber a round and replied coolly, "I've been training with firearms since I was ten. Using this thing is easier than using a spoon."
After a quick discussion, they agreed: Harry was the only one among them with professional, systematic shooting experience. The pistol naturally went to him.
"The elevator's unsafe now," Peter said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Looks like we'll have to take the stairs to the twelfth floor."
No one objected. The group moved forward along the gore-slicked corridor, each step squelching through sticky, shredded flesh.
Peter led the way, gripping a steel pipe. Harry followed close behind, pistol raised, flanking Gwen Stacy and Kate in the center.
The moment they rounded the corner, Peter's hair stood on end.
"Careful!!"
He yanked the others back just in time.
"Boom—!!"
The ceiling exploded inward, and a tentacle as thick as a barrel crashed down, spraying viscous mucus.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Harry fired instantly—but the bullets burst against the creature's hide in bursts of green slurry. The monster barely flinched. Unharmed and now enraged, it lunged at Harry, jaws gaping wide.
"Get out of here!"
Peter swung the steel pipe with all his might, slamming it into the side of the tentacle like a home run.
"Crack—!"
The pipe bent on impact, but the blow sent the creature flying, smashing through half the wall.
Before they could catch their breath, the ceiling cracked again—and three more tentacles dropped down, blocking their escape.
"You go! I'll cover you!"
Peter snatched another steel pipe, spun it once in his palm, and roared without looking back.
"What a joke! We're not leaving you—we die together!"
Harry raised his pistol, aiming squarely at the monster, voice raw with fury.
Peter didn't answer. In one swift motion, he spun and kicked Harry backward into the adjacent corridor—then shoved Gwen and Kate in after him and slammed the fire door shut, locking it from the outside.
Harry pounded on the reinforced metal, but it didn't budge.
"Peter! You bastard! Open this door!!"
Through the narrow glass window, Harry saw Peter turn and give them a thumbs-up—then—
Three tentacles struck at once.
Peter flipped backward midair, hurling the steel pipe like a spear. It impaled one tentacle, pinning it to the wall.
The other two lashed in from either side. He dropped into a slide, and the tentacles collided overhead, their corrosive mucus sizzling the tips of his hair.
Peter wiped blood from his cheek and crooked a finger at the monsters.
"Come on, you ugly freaks!"
"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—!"
The enraged creatures shrieked—and from the darkness, more tentacles began to crawl forth...
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