The body of Shiller remained unchanged like a cat, still resembling a feline appearance. However, he now had multiple tails. To be precise, it was one original tail and several tentacles, which, due to being attached with the tail, looked somewhat like a Nine-tailed Fox.
These tentacles could stretch very long, and most importantly, they could grasp and curl like human hands with great strength, equivalent to that of a well-trained adult spear thrower. Furthermore, without muscle restrictions, they could throw in various ways, allowing for a spiral jump to impale a spear into a wall.
Of course, with such capabilities, there's no need to throw spears like a primitive person anymore. With these all-purpose hands, there are definitely more things one can do than just hurling spears.
The other cats also woke up, receiving the same information, but Little Superman could not unpack anything, Peter could not sift through the pile of swears to find information, and basically, only Shiller and Constantine understood it.
Constantine came over and nudged Shiller, saying, "Nyarla isn't that generous. If he's willing to bestow so much power, it indicates the opponent is formidable."
Shiller smiled and said, "Investing in me will be his most worthwhile business."
The few cats noticed the peculiarity with the tails, and Little Superman was quite excited, waving the tentacle tails around as he began picking things up from the ground, tossing them across to the bushes, whether stones or branches.
Peter wanted to get used to the extra tentacles, yet they actually had no weight and weren't detectable when not in use. But once used, they operated with precision, almost serving as a perfect auxiliary organ in feline form.
Peter was also excited and said, "Finally, I have hands! What should I make? A Spider Silk Launcher? Or a Flintlock Gun?"
"Better start with fire." Constantine was more composed. He said, "Everything here is unfamiliar. It's best to explore in the sequence of human development to avoid any mishaps."
Peter quickly calmed down, acknowledging that even if he wanted to make weapons here, suitable gunpowder materials might not be available, and even if similar materials were found, without testing, they might backfire. It has to be approached step-by-step, but at least there's hope now.
"You two make fire, and Clark and I will go hunting," Shiller said.
The cats agreed with this arrangement, mainly because the worse Shiller's condition, the better he performed. Although he was hungry now, physical discomfort could still trigger great strength. And Little Superman's strength largely depended on his level of excitement; once excited, he would secrete excess adrenaline, forgetting hunger and improving his physical condition.
Both climbed up the tree lightly, preparing to seek revenge on the leopard. Since they hadn't made weapons yet, they wrapped their tails around a sharp branch, while Little Superman also prepared some stones.
They silently advanced, climbing up to the tree top, continuing forward without making a sound, quickly reaching the leopard's territory. When the leopard lay on a branch, nothing appeared unusual, but beneath its abdomen, there was a large mouth ready to swallow prey whole upon being bitten.
From a distance, even the shadow of the leopard appeared blurry. Shiller gathered all his strength to stab the spear forward. A howl echoed, followed by Little Superman hurling a stone with maximum force, after which silence resumed across the opposite side.
The pair cautiously approached, finding that the spear Shiller threw had almost pierced through the leopard's abdominal mouth completely, while the stone had struck its head perfectly, likely knocking it out.
Little Superman let out a sigh of relief and was about to bite, but Shiller quickly stopped him.
Little Superman, somewhat nervous, said, "Isn't it okay to eat now?"
"Don't you want it cooked?" Shiller asked, "We can light a fire now and bring it back to roast—wouldn't it be more savory?"
Finally realizing, Little Superman understood that by the time they returned, the fire should have been lit. Eating it cooked certainly beats eating raw. Though cats can eat raw meat, given the current widespread pollution, raw meat might carry a strange taste; better to eat it cooked.
The two cats dragged their prey back, moving it was considerably easier with the tentacles, carrying it between them. As they neared the camp, their keen feline senses detected a hint of a bloody smell.
Shiller immediately halted the movement, and the pair carefully set the prey down, crawling through the bushes toward the camp. They hadn't yet reached it before spotting a large bloodstain, surrounded by an unsettling dark energy and an indistinct terrifying aura.
"Tindalos Hound." Shiller's tone dropped cold. While they were out hunting, something attacked the camp, clearly not a creature from the Primitive Jungle.
The reason Shiller is so certain is because there are no signs of fighting on the ground. The cats already have tentacles, and the mice aren't helpless either. Those contaminated creatures would need to exert some effort to raid the camp, but there are no traces of battle here, suggesting that their attackers might not be tangible creatures.
Shiller's heart sank. While ordinary Tindalos Hounds aren't considered truly powerful Outer Gods, with some humans even escaping their pursuit, the cats are in bad shape. Having been without food for a long period, they're somewhat weak, and being ambushed, they might have already been taken away.
Once in the folded timeline, it's impossible to return. Shiller slowly clenched his claws, but he didn't rush to use his trump card and instead approached cautiously to examine the situation.
Soon he realized the situation might not be as severe as he imagined because there were traces of blood left behind. This indicated that there could have been some combat, just not on the ground. If they were snatched away instantly, there wouldn't be any traces at all.
Shiller followed the direction of the blood but didn't find the injured companions; the traces disappeared. It could be that they were trying to evade the hounds, and if they fled, which direction would they run?
Shiller didn't know which direction Constantine would run, but if Peter were leading, he would surely head to the cube, because Tony Stark was there. Regardless, Shiller believes Iron Man would protect them.
"Let's eat first," Shiller said. "There's no time for barbecue; just eat directly, and once finished, we need to hurry on our way."
Little Superman didn't ask further and started devouring the food hungrily. The taste was indeed not good, but cats have a strong tolerance for strange flavors, and both were extremely hungry, so they gobbled up a large amount, finally filling their stomachs.
With no time to rest, they immediately advanced toward the cube's direction, but the journey was still challenging. Although the cats were stronger, the creatures had also become more powerful. Smaller animals were manageable, but the previously mountain-like, gigantic dinosaurs, herds of cattle, and all sorts of terrifying large insects were all contaminated versions; Shiller and Little Superman were chased around relentlessly.
After walking the entire day without getting far, Shiller sighed and said, "This isn't working. We're too small in size; it's difficult to cover such a distance alone. Let's find a vehicle."
Checking the time, Shiller anticipated the Pteranodon should arrive soon, so he and Little Superman climbed onto the canopy to wait in advance. Facing the steel Pteranodon this time, they weren't helpless; they stood on the treetop waiting for the massive creature to descend.
The Pteranodon didn't see them and didn't intend to stop, but perhaps because it approached a water source, it flew low, within the range of their tentacles. When a Pteranodon swept over the canopy, the two cat eyes acted swiftly, using their tentacles to coil around its claws, leveraging its strength to pull themselves up and climb onto the Pteranodon's back, wrapping around its neck to gaze at the scenery from above.
If the Pteranodon were a regular creature, it would surely have started a spinning washing machine mode to shake off the foreign objects on its back. But this thing was purely mechanical, lacking any sensory system for skin, and with its power being very robust at the moment, the cats' weight didn't matter to it, so it showed no reaction whatsoever.
The Pteranodon flew to the waterside, continuing to grab the largest prey, while the two cats clung tightly to its neck, watching the wailing crocodiles below as Little Superman wiped his sweat.
Following the Pteranodon's flight back, they soon arrived over the cube; as it landed, the two cats timed their jump, tumbling upon landing, but fortunately, the tentacles served as a buffer, leaving them unscathed if slightly disheveled.
Shiller inspected the area; the cube was now intact, with the feeding system still operational, and the delivery port functioning normally. The Pteranodon they had just ridden had thrown the crocodile into it.
This roof terrace had no entrance, other than the food delivery port, they couldn't enter otherwise, so they had to go. The two cats stood in front of the deep pipeline, glancing inside; if unsurprising, once inside, besides metal components, they'd see the red fungi.
At this point, Shiller pondered a question: if these fungi, never subjected to Outer God contamination, consumed so much polluted food, could they really stay sane?
Shiller began to realize this might be Misisha's conspiracy. He possibly sensed Yog's allies were deliberately nurturing the red fungi, so he devised a way to contaminate the food, aiming to ruin the suspected Yog allies' plan, Iron Man's scheme.
As for whether Iron Man's nerves were contaminated, Shiller wasn't optimistic, but now entering was unavoidable, and the two cats climbed into the feeding pipeline.
Their tentacles weren't just for grasping; they were sticky, allowing them to adhere to walls and move downward. As the saying goes, Nyarlathotep always produces top-notch creations; he truly understands humans' needs, providing highly practical Strength.
The two cats inched downward not because they couldn't faster, but because things could drop from above anytime, possibly colliding somewhere; they had to be careful to avoid them. At such a moment, a bird fell down, struggling to fly back up, forcing the cats to climb up a bit to dodge its flapping wings.
Although the passage was spacious, the creatures captured by the Pteranodon were injured, their bodies mostly pierced by sharp metal talons, devoid of any resistance, falling down after a few flaps.
Slowly, the cats climbed to the bottom of the passage, feeling their way with tentacles onto the room's ceiling. Upon descending, they didn't see any red mycelium, but instead, were met by a black ocean.