I had just thrown our dead head into the sea when I quickly picked up my binoculars to observe the company's movements.
No one had anticipated that these things would grow murderous tentacles, and the company's men were startled.
One person, who seemed to be the leader, signaled to them. Then, several strong men cautiously used daggers to sever all the extended tentacles.
The severed tentacles did not cease their writhing upon detachment from the parent body, instead thrashing on the ground, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.
Those standing nearby were bewildered. At this critical moment, the leader decisively drew a long dagger from his boot and tossed each severed tentacle into the sea. He then forcefully pried open the box.
By then, the box containing the dead head had been completely forced open. All the disgusting tentacles had grown from the dead head's hollow eyes.
Even more unsettling was that as the tentacles grew, the previously expressionless dead head now wore a strange smile!
If one were to shine a flashlight closely, they would find the interior of the dead head filled with embryos of various sizes, on the verge of bursting.
As the box was opened by the company's men, the repulsive tentacles seemed to react, contorting and reaching towards the other company members, as if searching for a host.
Witnessing this, the leader decisively ordered his subordinates to retrieve flamethrowers and subject these abominations to humane destruction.
I observed everything happening on the company's ship, and when I saw them pull out flamethrowers, I couldn't help but be shocked!
Damn it, these guys were so well-prepared, even having flamethrowers. Were they here for a war?!
It wasn't until the company's men had burned all the tentacles to ashes with their flamethrowers that the farce on their ship came to an end.
After witnessing all this, a faint suspicion began to form in my mind.
Rather than intending to harm, the tentacles that the dead head had extended seemed to be preparing to absorb bodily nutrients to bear its own fruit.
Those disgusting tentacles were far from its ultimate goal!
Since both our ships were now devoid of dead heads, my theory could not be immediately verified.
But the thought of it was enough to make one's scalp crawl. If the process itself was so bizarre, how terrifying must the final fruit be, capable of taking a life!
I still felt a chill of fear thinking about it. After all, if I hadn't been so decisive in throwing our dead head overboard, it was debatable whether we would still be alive.
As for why the company brought the dead head on board, I suspected they had some data on it but not complete information, and thus intended to study it.
If they had known beforehand that the dead head would grow these repulsive tentacles, they would certainly not have simply placed it in a box.
As my thoughts drifted further, the other ship began to move again. I quickly cleared my mind of all extraneous thoughts and rowed to continue following them.
We continued onward, but gradually, I could no longer clearly see the company's ship.
This was not because they had suddenly increased their speed, but because, at some point, a thin layer of mist had risen over the sea!
Initially, I paid no mind to this mist, but as time went on, it thickened. This made me anxious, and I quickened my rowing speed.
I knew that our voyage was already fraught with peril. If we lost sight of the company's ship, there was a high probability that we would become lost on the vast ocean!
Damn it, why did something have to go wrong at this moment!
I paddled furiously, but the mist grew denser. In an instant, I could no longer see the company's ship at all.
What was worse, my visibility was less than ten meters. All around me, forward, backward, left, and right, was enveloped in a dense, white fog.
Our small boat felt like an isolated island suspended on the sea. Who knew what dangers lurked within the thick, white mist, ready to drag us into the abyss at the slightest misstep.
Where should we go?
I felt a sense of bewilderment. Despite having endured so much danger and become resilient, in this moment, facing the power of nature, I could only feel my own helplessness.
"Sister, what should we do?"
Seeing that we had lost our direction, Qi Xinxin, frightened, hid in Qi Qiaoqiao's embrace.
"It's okay, you still have your strange uncle."
Qi Qiaoqiao hugged Qi Xinxin, whispering words of comfort in her ear, but her own face showed a hint of confusion.
I tried my best to calm myself. In such dire straits, one could not afford to panic, or the only outcome would be death.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but as the white mist ascended, I suddenly heard singing in the distance...