The view from four meters up made Fang Chang feel a little uneasy, but that feeling was quickly replaced by others: an itchy back, a strange sensation in his rear, burning feet, and a body that felt strangely light.

What was happening?

Fang Chang wondered in alarm why his eye level had changed so drastically. He tried to reach out and touch his body, only to feel something as hard as armor. And it wasn’t the sensation of two hands—it came from four.

Fang Chang looked down at his four hands and froze.

That wasn’t all. His feet felt different somehow, as if… he didn’t have toes…

He lifted a leg to take a look. Yep, a hoof—and it was on fire.

Right on cue, three tails appeared too. The itch on his back came from the keen touch of eight tentacles. Their bodies were so sensitive they could detect the composition of the air.

Fang Chang looked in horror at Li Zirong beside him, who couldn’t hide her feverish grin. Fear surged uncontrollably within him. He’d never imagined he could turn into a monster like this. And Li Zirong’s gaze had a piercing quality, as if it could dissect his entire body.

Tears blurred his vision. His lower lip quivered, and a voice as heavenly as a singer’s rang out.

“What did you do to me?”

As soon as he spoke, he clapped a hand over his mouth in alarm. The voice he’d just heard was neither male nor female, and had an enchanting, fairy-like quality.

Tears of fear slid down his cheeks and fell to the ground. A layer of frost immediately formed within a one-foot radius.

Li Zirong forced herself to steady her emotions and put on an admiring expression. “Whoa! You’re really powerful!”

Fang Chang covered his mouth and cautiously tried to speak. The same fairy-like voice came out. “I… Why did I turn into this?”

Li Zirong said smugly, “Didn’t you say you wanted great power? So I attached parts from otherworldly beasts I’d collected across many worlds to your body. After all that cultivation, your virus evolved and fused with those beast parts, giving you their abilities. If you don’t believe me, check your character stats. The system won’t lie to you.”

Fang Chang opened his character stats to check for himself. The four-digit numbers made him forget his fear, and the various abilities listed under his enhancements left him utterly amazed.

Li Zirong was amazing. She’d managed to modify him into something this powerful.

This body was basically that of a demon monster!

His fear vanished as soon as he realized how much stronger he’d become. When he looked at Li Zirong again, he even felt a strange sense of gratitude.

He happily stomped a foot. The demon’s hoof unleashed its power on its own. The ground shook, flames roared to life all around him, and half the hoof sank into the earth.

Ice crystals shot from Li Zirong’s mech and quickly put out the flames. She slowly returned to her earlier, gentle manner and advised him, “Careful. You’ve only just gained this power. It’ll be hard to control.”

Fang Chang immediately took care. He pulled his hoof free, crouched on the ground, and didn’t move a muscle.

But even crouching, his huge body stood two meters tall. Only a research maniac like Li Zirong could face him so calmly.

“See? This power was worth it, right?”

Fang Chang tested out his fairy-like voice and shook his head. “It was worth it.”

“Then are you grateful to me?”

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Then it’s time for you to fulfill your promise.”

Fang Chang patted his chest. Even the force of his hand triggered his own shield, and sparks flew from his chest. “Tell me, where’s the Corpse-Bloom?”

“Don’t rush to finish the task just yet.” Li Zirong raised a hand, taking control of the conversation. “I need to confirm something. Are you still craving blood food?”

Fang Chang blinked and carefully checked his feelings. He no longer wanted to eat Li Zirong, and there was no longer any stream of blood-food prompts in his mind. He couldn’t help exclaiming, “It’s really gone! Senior, you’re amazing!”

Li Zirong tapped the armor plate on her leg absentmindedly as she thought. “The virus must have changed. With the Mother Nest’s consciousness at its center, it now completely obeys Fang Chang, so his craving for blood food disappeared. Or maybe it’s something else. We often hear about high-level zombies attacking cities, but nobody’s ever seen a zombie Mother Nest eat anyone. Maybe Fang Chang lost his craving for blood food because he became a Mother Nest mutant?”

Once she’d figured out the cause and effect, she came back to herself and saw Fang Chang watching her expectantly.

Li Zirong was a little curious. “What is it?”

Fang Chang grinned. His face was hard to read now; overall, it looked like a stiff faceplate. “Heh heh heh. Senior, you’re so powerful. I don’t really understand how my body’s put together. You should be able to do something about that, right?”

Li Zirong didn’t catch his meaning. Thinking something might have gone wrong with her experiment, she cautiously asked, “Is something wrong?”

Fang Chang shifted his hips awkwardly. “I mean, how am I supposed to turn human when I’m this huge? The monsters and demons in novels and TV shows can all turn human. Sure, they get weaker in a fight, but at least they can blend into human society. I used to be a little person, and I’m not used to being this big. And once I finish the task and return to the Present World, how am I supposed to face anyone looking like this?”

“Huh?”

After hearing him go on like that, Li Zirong was dumbfounded.

Had she added some kind of human transformation ability?

She didn’t think so.

Fang Chang suddenly had a bad feeling. “Senior, you do know how I can transform, right?”

Li Zirong blinked, unable to think of a solution. So she decided to be honest. “Transform…? You don’t have that function at all. How are you supposed to transform?”

Fang Chang paused, then laughed. “Come on, Senior, you’re joking! Sure, this body’s powerful, but how am I supposed to show my face like this? You’re so capable, you must’ve thought of everything. Tell me already—how do I turn back into a human?”

“It’s true that I’m capable, but what does that have to do with thinking of everything?” Li Zirong said, looking a little innocent. “Besides, you only said you wanted to get stronger. You never said you wanted a human body. How was I supposed to know?”

Fang Chang stared at her in disbelief. “Senior!”

“Yes? I’m here.”

“How am I supposed to show my face?”

“But aren’t you really strong now?”

“But how am I supposed to show my face looking like this?”

Li Zirong knew there was no way she could talk her way out of this. She’d only thought about making Fang Chang stronger. And stronger he was—but he’d also turned into a monster.

To be fair, if someone had turned her into a demon monster like this, she would’ve adapted to her new body’s strength first, then beaten the person who modified her to death with a 99-hit combo.

Fang Chang’s reaction was unexpectedly mild.

That gave her an overwhelming sense of guilt. She had to make it up to Fang Chang—no question. After all, he’d provided her with such excellent experimental material, and she’d have more use for him in the future!

“I get it. You want a human body, right?”