It seemed as if someone was singing.

But the song was unclear, distant and vague, filled with sorrow and melancholy. It was impossible to tell if it was humming or some ancient language, yet it involuntarily sent a wave of coldness through the listener.

It stirred the fear hidden deep within Huai Shi's bloodline.

Once again, he recalled the terrifying scene, as if the sky was falling and the earth sundering, and the dreadful imagery of all creation being buried within the Thunderfire.

It was a Disaster.

The final Disaster.

The Doomsday of all things was approaching. Everything would be destroyed. Just as the Holy Spirit and the Prophet had foretold, everything in the world would turn to Ashes, wailing amidst lava and fire.

Doom was coming, Huai Shi. Doom was on its way, closely following your footsteps, hiding in the shadow behind you. It pressed in, relentless, offering not a moment's respite.

When Huai Shi opened his eyes, it was already dawn.

Under the ruthless sunlight, all things were parched, yet the chill in his marrow hadn't dissipated. If I were human, I'd probably be drenched in a cold sweat right now, wouldn't I?

"Did you hear it too?" Fu Yi, her composure regained, looked at him. "I heard someone screaming, all night long, telling me to run away quickly."

Huai Shi fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "I heard someone singing, but the meaning was probably much the same as what you heard."

"What should we do then?" Fu Yi asked, bewildered.

"What else can we do? Run, Fu Yi."

Huai Shi rose from the ground and looked around, finally noticing something amiss: today's sun was excessively scorching. Even Huai Shi, with his current physique, felt traces of heat.

Fu Yi had already cast an Illusion Layer above her head to refract the light.

The nearby lake had visibly shrunk, and steam rose from its surface, making the air feel like a sauna.

"Water first," Huai Shi said, walking to the lakeside. He lowered his head and began gulping it down again. "Once we've had enough to drink, we'll set off."

As he swallowed in large gulps, steam rose in wisps from beneath his scales. This gave him a slippery sensation—it could have been sweat or something else. Fu Yi even managed to identify some toxic substances within it.

This creature's evolution is heading in an increasingly bizarre direction, he thought.

Able to eat anything, digest anything, and even detoxify simply by drinking water, without even needing to relieve himself—this is almost too convenient, isn't it?

Though Fu Yi desperately wanted to complain, she still followed Huai Shi's instructions. She drank plenty of water and even fashioned water containers from the outer shells of large nuts found on the grassland. These she strung together with dried grass ropes and hung on Huai Shi's back as a reserve supply.

Though it wasn't even a single gulp for Huai Shi, it was enough to last her two or three days.

"Should we stock up on some meat as well?" Huai Shi asked.

"Are you planning to hang cured sausages on your back? Neither of us has the right kind of hands for that..."

Fu Yi shook her head. "Let's just go. But the problem is... where do we go?"

"Just head in the opposite direction from where we came."

Huai Shi looked up at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Beyond them, dark thunderclouds gathered, and faint lightning danced over the land that had already transformed into a Hell, dealing cruel lashes.

Time was limited; they had to continue inward.

If my guess is right, Huai Shi thought, this land will eventually suffer the same fate, won't it?

He took one last look, then turned and walked towards the world beyond the grasslands.

Behind him, a line of deep footprints was left on the grassland, stretching towards the unknown horizon.

The grueling trek lasted at least five days. If Fu Yi hadn't possessed an accessory similar to a compass, Huai Shi would have almost certainly lost his way.

This grassland was unexpectedly vast, so vast it defied Huai Shi's imagination.

Along the way, Huai Shi found many traces of Relic Bones. Some lay exposed on the earth, free for the taking. There were Gold ones, black iron ones, and even coral ones. However, Huai Shi had yet to encounter a Relic Bone colossal enough to compare to the one he had assimilated.

So, he simply ate them all.

Believe it or not, they were crunchy like roasted corn and had an intoxicating peppery flavor.

Then, visibly, he grew two sizes larger again.

According to Fu Yi's analysis, the metal content in his bones had increased again, now reaching thirty percent. It seemed to be some kind of alloy secreted directly from his marrow—a phenomenon that defied all scientific explanation.

More importantly, amidst Huai Shi's endless consumption, his internal organs seemed on the verge of another Metamorphosis. An organ similar to a bird's crop was developing in his throat. This was possibly why Huai Shi had been spitting sparks more frequently these past few days.

Furthermore, a new, dense structure had grown between his skin and scales. The scales at the tip of his long tail had all shed, leaving a bulging spot. The frequent itching sensations there these past few days made Huai Shi exceedingly uncomfortable.

And the days grew hotter and hotter.

The heat made Huai Shi's heart pound with anxiety.

Everything seemed to be steaming. Large swathes of grassland withered, revealing the cracked yellow earth beneath. Water sources became so rare they were as precious as miracles.

If Huai Shi couldn't last several days on a single drink, he would have likely died of thirst by now.

And just yesterday, they finally encountered other Explorers who had completed their Metamorphosis.

Separated by a two-meter-wide creek, their meeting was unexpected.

Actually, Fu Yi had informed Huai Shi earlier, but the group of mice was clearly startled by the sight of a massive Giant Beast near the water source.

Those rats—every single one of them—were Explorers.

Yes, all of them. And they were all manifestations of the *same* Explorer.

Huai Shi couldn't fathom how it had evolved into such a state, but this appeared to be the form it had deliberately sought. This group of rats—comprising old and young, male and female—had even begun to walk upright. They had grown to the size of children, and their hands had developed ten fingers.

They could now use rudimentary tools.

However, their dozen or so stone Long Spears and longbows were a joke in the face of Huai Shi's sheer size.

Luckily, Huai Shi had just finished consuming a mammoth and two tons of mineral-rich open-pit ore. He was only about eighty percent full and had no intention of starting a fight.

They coexisted peacefully.

After drinking their fill, they each went their separate ways.

Since then, Huai Shi hadn't seen a single water source.

Animals that had succumbed to the heat lay everywhere, their bodies mummified. Those that survived had become more ferocious and bizarre. A moment of carelessness, and Huai Shi suffered greatly from parasites that burrowed into his stomach.

They troubled him for quite some time.

Then, the parasites were completely digested by his radioactive stomach acid.

The terrifying drought and scorching heat lasted until the seventh night when, suddenly, the suffocatingly hot and humid air vanished.

In its place came an unbearable, extreme cold.

Ice-cold winds blew from the depths of the grassland. In an instant, a vast cold swept over, freezing the earth. The sky was cloudless, yet dull thunder rumbled as countless palm-sized snowflakes and hailstones rained down.

After one night, the terrible cold had transformed the depths of the grassland into a perilous, desolate land.

Fu Yi looked up, gazing in the direction they had come from, and couldn't help shivering. I doubt anyone could survive in a place like that.

The terrifying cold became too much even for her. She had fashioned a basket to hang from Huai Shi's neck. Huddled inside, she relied on his furnace-like body heat for warmth, yet she still trembled uncontrollably.

"What on earth is happening?"

"Probably Doomsday," Huai Shi replied calmly, withdrawing his gaze. He continued his unhurried trek through the snow.

Heavy hailstones kept falling from the sky, striking his carapace and scales, producing the distinctive, low clang of metal.

Above the clouds, suddenly, an immense eagle burst through, accompanied by a piercing cry, and swooped down. It then stopped abruptly, perching on a tree branch beside Huai Shi.

"Hmm? There are two of you?"

The giant eagle, its feathers as radiant as gold, scrutinized the astonished pair. "Which of you is a friend from the Astronomical Society?"

Huai Shi glanced down at Fu Yi hanging below his neck. Fu Yi, understanding, climbed out of the basket and hid between the scales on the back of Huai Shi's head.

"That would be me."

The ferocious Wolf Beast raised its head and asked indifferently, "What is it?"

"Hmm? Let me see... Yes, indeed, a First-Class Military Officer. Impressive, brother! Which department are you from?" The Golden Eagle clicked its tongue in admiration. "Judging by your size, you must have undergone a second Metamorphosis, right? Your survivability is terrifying."

"My display shows he's a Scholar from the Astronomical Society, registered name: Color of Stars," Fu Yi whispered in his ear.

Great, Huai Shi thought with a mental eye-roll. Another GM account. No need to say more.

He curled his lip and asked bluntly, "So, what's up, bro?"

"Want to team up?"

The Golden Eagle spoke in a friendly tone. "The Country of Mist ahead isn't a place for a Lone Wolf like you. A few friends of mine from the technical department have formed a team. Interested in joining?"

Huai Shi was somewhat tempted, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head. "No thanks, I'm busy carrying my 'little sister' to a higher rank."

"Alright then."

The Golden Eagle showed no surprise at this response. It just nodded and said, "We've set up a camp about ninety kilometers east of here. Some friends who underwent group evolution have already started crafting tools. If you're interested, you're welcome to join us anytime. We're all tech geeks, not really skilled in combat. If you're willing to join, you'd perfectly cover our weak spot."

After a pause, it added a word of caution, "Consuming Explorers allows one to accumulate a significant amount of Metamorphosis energy. If you're traveling alone, remember to be cautious of those who deliberately hunt other Explorers. Also, there's an individual who's lost control not far from here. Try not to get entangled with them."

It gave them a meaningful look, then spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Huai Shi gazed enviously at its receding figure, feeling a pang of jealousy. Why don't I have wings? he mused.

"Do you even have a basic understanding of aerodynamics?" Fu Yi rolled her eyes. "With your current tonnage, what besides a jet engine could possibly get you airborne?"

"It's just like a fighter jet's vectoring nozzles! I've had those before!"

Fu Yi scoffed, "Yeah, right. Keep dreaming."

"Tsk, fine, don't believe me then."

Huai Shi continued forward.

In the midst of the blizzard, he finally saw the out-of-control individual the Golden Eagle had mentioned. He froze, sucking in a sharp breath. Should we try to go around it? he wondered.

"Too late..." Fu Yi sighed.

In that instant, a palpable, chilling killing intent surged forth, hot on their heels.