While the lizard demon was still unaddressed, the frogman had already caused trouble. Beneath the dim light of the lantern, the cold gleam of the scalpel's reflection triggered his deepest and most terrifying memories. In an instant, the frogman convulsed violently, his body going completely rigid.
Three minutes later, his body began to relax but then trembled uncontrollably, the shaking growing more intense with each passing second. Another spasm followed, one more severe than the last.
Within less than a minute, he had curled into a tight ball, foaming at the mouth, his eyes wide open but unblinking. Linghu Min, seeing this, quickly called for Sun'er to inject a sedative.
The frogman's spasms eased for only a few minutes, but soon, the shaking began anew, stronger than before.
"He's going through withdrawal," Linghu Min observed, though even the sedative proved ineffective, leaving her at a loss.
"I have a solution! But it requires you to act, boss," Sun'er said with a grin.
Li Zhui understood and took the syringe, stepping into the small cave.
The octopus creature, seeing him, immediately panicked, attempting desperately to squeeze through the crack. However, its seven tentacles were tightly bound by steel chains, fixed to a steel stake, rendering escape impossible.
Watching the creature struggle, Li Zhui couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He turned to leave, tearing off both legs of the mutated lizard, before returning to the cave.
He tossed the lizard legs beneath the octopus creature. The moment it caught the scent of blood, it became frenzied, eagerly devouring the legs.
Seizing the opportunity as it ate, Li Zhui swiftly inserted the needle, drawing a vial of blood.
Though Linghu Min was personally hesitant about such folk remedies, she remained silent and made no objections. However, even after the injection, the frogman showed no signs of improvement.
"Big sis, use my blood instead," Li Zhui suggested.
He wasn't certain of the effectiveness, but he felt an instinctive sense that his blood, which the octopus craved so intensely, must have some special properties.
Linghu Min let out a wry smile but said nothing. She then used a sterile syringe to draw a vial of blood from Li Zhui's vein and injected it into the frogman.
To their astonishment, mere seconds later, the frogman's spasms began to subside. After thirty seconds, the convulsions completely ceased. A minute later, the frogman had returned to his normal state.
He flipped over, rising to his knees before Li Zhui. "Boss… let… me… follow you…" he begged once again.
"Come, open your palm," Li Zhui said with a smile.
The frogman, like a well-behaved child, extended his hand. It was then that Li Zhui noticed that each of his fingers was embedded with a steel claw.
"Who did this to your hands?"
"He... did!" the frogman spat, glaring at Zhai Zhongren with gritted teeth.
Bound tightly with ropes, Zhai Zhongren's face drained of color. In a panic, he quickly bowed his head in submission. "It's not my fault! It was my tribe's demand! Please, don't kill me! I am a Huazhu person! I'm a Huazhu person!"
Watching him cower, Jia Xiaokang's fury boiled over. He stormed forward and kicked him square in the chin.
"Do you even have a name?" Li Zhui continued his questioning.
While the lizard demon remained unresolved, another disturbance arose—the frogman. Under the dim light of the lantern, the scalpel's gleaming reflection triggered his most horrific memories. In an instant, the frogman convulsed violently, his body stiffening completely.
Three minutes later, his body began to relax, only to tremble uncontrollably, the shaking intensifying with each passing second. Another spasm followed, more intense than the last.
Within less than a minute, he had curled into a tight ball, foaming at the mouth, his eyes wide open, but unable to blink. Linghu Min, witnessing this, immediately ordered Sun'er to inject a sedative.
The frogman's spasms subsided briefly, but soon, the shaking resumed, stronger than before.
"He's going through withdrawal," Linghu Min observed, though even the sedative proved ineffective, leaving her helpless.
"I have a solution! But it requires your help, boss," Sun'er grinned.
Li Zhui understood, took the syringe, and entered the small cave.
The octopus creature, seeing him, panicked immediately, desperately trying to slip through the crack. But its seven tentacles were tightly bound by steel chains, secured to a steel stake—escape was impossible.
Witnessing its struggles, Li Zhui felt a twinge of guilt. He turned to leave, tearing off both legs of the mutated lizard, before returning to the cave.
He tossed the lizard legs beneath the octopus creature. Upon catching the scent of blood, it became frenzied, eagerly devouring the legs.
Taking advantage of the moment, Li Zhui swiftly inserted the needle, drawing a vial of blood.
Although Linghu Min was personally reluctant about such folk remedies, she made no objections. However, even after the injection, the frogman showed no signs of improvement.
"Big sis, use my blood instead," Li Zhui suggested.
He wasn't sure if it would work, but he instinctively felt that his blood, which the octopus craved so intensely, must possess some special properties.
Linghu Min gave a wry smile but said nothing. She then used a sterile syringe to draw a vial of blood from Li Zhui's vein and injected it into the frogman.
To their astonishment, mere seconds later, the frogman's spasms began to subside. After thirty seconds, the convulsions completely ceased. A minute later, the frogman returned to his normal state.
He flipped over, rising to his knees before Li Zhui. "Boss… let… me… follow you…" he begged again.
"Come, open your palm," Li Zhui said with a smile.
The frogman, like a well-behaved child, extended his hand. It was then that Li Zhui noticed that each of his fingers was embedded with a steel claw.
"Who did this to your hands?"
"He... did!" the frogman spat, glaring at Zhai Zhongren with gritted teeth.
Bound tightly with ropes, Zhai Zhongren's face drained of color. In a panic, he quickly bowed his head in submission. "It's not my fault! It was my tribe's demand! Please, don't kill me! I am a Huazhu person! I'm a Huazhu person!"
Watching him cower, Jia Xiaokang's fury boiled over. He stormed forward and kicked him square in the chin.
"Do you even have a name?" Li Zhui continued his questioning.
Forget it, let him sleep comfortably first. The water currents constantly draw away heat, keeping the temperature here consistently below ten degrees. In the delightful coolness, his eyelids grew heavy, and he quickly drifted into a peaceful slumber.
Linghu Min, however, remained tirelessly at work. She first attempted to communicate with Yao Yao, and after obtaining her consent, conducted a thorough physical examination.
When they were in the core area of the research institute, Shen Jilan had already performed a cosmetic procedure on Yao Yao, removing the serpent skin from her head and replacing it with artificial skin. Over the past few days, her body had successfully integrated with the synthetic skin, but her hair stubbornly refused to grow. Linghu Min promised that, should an opportunity arise, she would transplant natural scalp tissue for her.
After comforting Yao Yao, Linghu Min approached Frog Har. Afraid and unwilling to remain with him, the other injured had been relocated to the platform, leaving only the helpless Zhai Zhongren, who was forced to share company with Frog Har.
To demonstrate her trust in Frog Har, Li Zhui had specifically ordered that he not be locked or bound. However, for safety's sake, Yao Yao was stationed outside the cave entrance, with explicit instructions to wear three layers of masks, her gas mask hanging ready at her side.
In terms of combat ability, Yao Yao was naturally far superior to Frog Har, but his overpowering stench was a different matter altogether!
"I'll help you with the sores, just don't move. Nod if you understand," Linghu Min said gently, gazing at Frog Har.
His large eyes spun around in confusion, as if he didn't understand. Linghu Min, patient as ever, repeated herself several times before he finally nodded, tears of murky water welling up and spilling down his cheeks.
Frog Har was no superhuman. He had suffered severe skin ulcers from a bacterial infection since childhood, causing him to be abandoned by his family.
From the age of five, he had lived on his own, surviving by consuming snails, earthworms, and even rats and snakes. Later, he was captured by the pest control agency and sent to the CZR3857 research institute, where he was used as an explosive test subject and injected with a mutated rabies virus.
In the end, he survived the explosive test, becoming the sole survivor of the experiment. During his long rehabilitation, genetically modified frog tissue was transplanted onto his limbs, turning him into a hybrid of mutations.
Linghu Min opened the medical kit, dipped a cotton swab in disinfectant, and carefully began wiping the abscesses on Frog Har's head. The creature's scalp was completely hairless, with boils the size of dumplings, or even larger, festering across his skin.
Once she finished with his head, she used a syringe to extract the pus, collecting it in an empty mineral water bottle. Then, she dipped another cotton swab in antiseptic and wiped down the drained abscesses.
After finishing his head, she continued downwards, methodically treating each area with the same precision.
It seemed that while Li Zhui was reluctant to be a savior, she was willing to shoulder that responsibility.