Chapter 15 The Fool Has Nothing (15)

Chapter 15 Fools Have Nothing (Part Fifteen)

Number Six had no choice but to relent. Seeing the Homoform stubbornly guarding its food, a surge of wild impulse welled up from the depths of its mind.

It wanted to toss the human high into the air and catch him with its body, to wrap him up entirely and cradle him in its mouth, to squeeze him fiercely, poke his cheeks, and watch him struggle in irritation...

Did this fit humanity’s definition of a "cute" reaction?

Number Six didn’t know.

By the afternoon, the workload grew even heavier. The verdict for "disregarding superiors and employing improper rescue methods" was swiftly handed down. A group of cleaners, including Xu Jiu, received varying degrees of meal suspensions as punishment. As the "prime culprit" behind the entire incident, Xu Jiu was penalized the most severely—he lost four meal rations.

This meant that tonight and the entirety of the next day, he would have to work hungry.

In the past, this would have been a cruel punishment. Missing meals might not seem like much, but for low-ranking workers burdened with exhausting and tedious labor, it was like cutting their lives short.

But now?

Xu Jiu held the disciplinary notice: "Huh. Fine."

If they wouldn’t let him eat, then so be it. If this place denied him food, there were other ways to eat.

Number Six didn’t get it. When it had still been a unified whole, it had devoured many human lives and memories, yet it still didn’t understand human rules and barriers. It hissed softly into Xu Jiu’s ear, "But you did nothing wrong!"

Xu Jiu sighed. "Exactly because I did nothing."

That was why the punishment was limited to meal suspensions rather than confinement or something even harsher.

Number Six fumed.

In truth, all the Homoforms were lying low. Through human memories, they knew that the organization studying them was a vast institution, and the polar station was merely one of its branches. To prevent humans from seeking reinforcements from their headquarters or resorting to more extreme self-destructive measures, the Homoforms continued their operations in secret, turning open slaughter into quiet infiltration.

Number Six, too, waited silently. Once this steel fortress was cut off, unable to transmit even a shred of truth to the outside world, its doom would come. But unlike the other Homoforms, among all the humans it regarded as prey, it only cared about Xu Jiu.

"By the way, I haven’t told you yet," Xu Jiu whispered to Number Six in private. "Earlier..."

He recounted his encounter with the disguised jellyfish in detail—its appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Finally, he scratched his head, troubled. "It probably realized I saw through it. Could that cause trouble? And I just don’t get it—how did everyone else miss it?"

Watching Xu Jiu worry, Number Six knew exactly where his ability to detect other Homoforms came from. Xu Jiu had lived alongside it for a long time now. The biological spores it shed, the fluids and pheromones it secreted—all of them had slowly but irreversibly altered him, sharpening his senses to recognize creatures of its kind more swiftly and keenly.

But this was something Number Six would never tell him.

Human minds weren’t that tough. What if it frightened Xu Jiu?

So instead, it simply held him, awkwardly comforting him. "It’s fine. I’ll protect you. Don’t be afraid."

It would keep an eye on that dangerously close interloper. But when could they finally leave this place? It fumed.

When could it build a nest to share with Xu Jiu? When could they escape all this chaotic noise, these vulgar humans, this tangled environment, and claim a territory truly worthy of being called peaceful, tranquil, and abundant?

Seething with frustration, Number Six successfully infiltrated the kitchen of the neighboring sector. It devoured nearly half of the stored supplies and brought back a huge haul for Xu Jiu: half a brightly colored cured ham, a jar of premium mozzarella cheese balls, a box of tender pigeon meat pies, loads of chocolate, stacks of finger cookies, and an entire bag of fresh citrus.

Of course, that last bag of citrus was the most precious. Deep in the Antarctic, a bag of oranges with vibrant green leaves and dewy skin was worth a fortune—usually reserved only for senior researchers.

Xu Jiu was overjoyed, nearly letting out a loud scream.

"Oranges!" The moment he saw those golden, sun-bright fruits, his mouth watered till his jaw hurt. "Good heavens, how many years has it been since I last had an orange?"

He cradled one in his hands, greedily inhaling its fragrance, feeling brand new.

Seeing him so elated, Number Six also grinned, revealing an undulating smile.

“Eat,” it said. “Eat.”

Xu Jiu gazed at the citrus with delight but slowly hesitated.

“Can't,” he said, looking at Number Six. “Oranges have too strong a scent. If it lingers on my hands, people will notice.”

This was true. Not just cleaners—low-level employees all had noses keener than a hound's. After years of tasteless rations, any foreign smell on a colleague could be instantly detected. Xu Jiu had this ability too.

Number Six said, “Let me peel it. Don’t worry.”

As it spoke, it bent down, pressing against Xu Jiu's back, and gently enveloped an orange with its oral arms. Amid faint dissolving sounds, the peel rapidly melted away, leaving a perfectly intact fruit resting on its iridescent, slick skin.

That night, Xu Jiu ate the sweet oranges, tentatively tasted the salty cold-cut ham, and found the cheese balls like chalky milk-flavored rubber—not tasty, but novel. He enjoyed the feeling of trying new things. The pigeon meat pie was excellent, absolutely delicious. Number Six even taught him to dip finger biscuits in melted chocolate because “that’s how humans do it.”

The room was cramped and shabby, with terrible soundproofing—little more than four bare walls. The ceiling, exposed with pipes, hung a childishly drawn-looking ceiling light. At night, when the power was cut, only dim emergency cold light illuminated the floor.

Yet here, in this icy wasteland and the prison even colder, he and Number Six pressed close—Number Six coiled on the ground, Xu Jiu sitting atop it—secretly sharing food that wasn’t theirs.

They had to be quiet. Every word exchanged, every opinion shared, or every happy laugh had to be murmured against each other’s ears to prevent the sounds from reaching the neighboring rooms.

It felt like a dream. Xu Jiu was dizzy, speechless.

Such a scene had only ever existed in his fantasies.

His short yet interminable school days had almost become the foundation shaping his entire life. Back then, the most common celebration among students was birthday parties. Teachers endlessly favored the exceptionally bright students. Outstanding pupils could boldly commandeer half the evening for celebration as a reward, and teachers would report to the grade leader to allocate a small budget for gifts, streamers, and birthday cakes for these top students.

At these parties, candlelight illuminated the protagonist’s face, casting a rosy glow of happiness. Teachers and friends would gather around, singing birthday songs loudly, decked out in rainbow party hats, then crowning them with confetti, applause, and praise... NPCs like Xu Jiu could only watch enviously from the corners, becoming just background extras in the protagonists’ shining youth.

"Will I ever have such an opportunity?" he had once asked himself. No more loneliness, no more being unseen and unimportant—would he ever have many friends to hug, laugh with, and celebrate birthdays together?

Now, this wish had come true, though slightly different from his childhood imagination: he didn’t have many friends, just one. And this friend wasn’t human but a dangerous, deviant man-eater… a fiend in human guise.

Moreover, he had long forgotten his own birthday.

“I’m luckier than the protagonists…” Xu Jiu murmured with a smile, his eyes glistening with joy. “My friend is better than theirs.”

Number Six lowered its head, confused, studying its host. It didn’t understand why he suddenly experienced such intense emotions. It could only hug the human tightly in consolation.

But… friend?

Did the host think of it as his "friend"?

In human terms, a friend was a kindred spirit, someone who gets you. Such "friends" were impossible for Number Six in the past—its kind were all lone wanderers. So, did this definition accurately describe its relationship with the host?

After pondering for a while, Number Six mentally dismissed the idea.

Hmm… not entirely accurate.

It scratched its head in confusion.

The answer to this question would require further searching.

·

The next morning, Xu Jiu spent twice as long rinsing his mouth and washing his face, ensuring no trace of scent lingered on him. He had to act like a pitiful weakling who had starved for nearly ten hours. Only then would the superiors, satisfied with his compliance, let him off. Mobius had no use for stubborn rebels.

“Troublesome,” Number Six grumbled in his ear. “Eliminate scent. I help.”

"You help? How can you help?" Xu Jiu asked.

Behind him, Number Six's body split open down the middle with a wet, dripping sound.

It unfurled a massive fissure, large enough to engulf Xu Jiu from head to toe. Cobalt-blue tendrils stretched out, crisscrossing into fine threads, revealing the gelatinous, sticky buds that extended deep into its interior. They resembled thousands of interlocking molars, grinding and writhing.

Xu Jiu: "..."

"Swallow you," Number Six suggested innocently, with a strangely eager tone. "Suck you up, then spit you back out. No trace."

Xu Jiu: "......"

Wordlessly, Xu Jiu grabbed a citrus fruit and stuffed it inside.

"Suck on this instead," he said earnestly before turning back to carefully brush his teeth and rinse.

Number Six grumbled as it sealed its fissure, clearly annoyed.

That day, Xu Jiu worked while Number Six trailed behind him, acting as both an observer of the outside world and a dutiful auxiliary limb. Xu Jiu, meanwhile, flawlessly played the role of a "hungry but too afraid of more punishment, thus working as hard as possible" laborer.

The new supervisor didn’t give him much trouble, but as evening approached and the shift ended, Xu Jiu was still detained, made to work late until the cafeteria shut—only then was his punishment deemed complete.

Xu Jiu shrugged. Once the workday ended, the building emptied, leaving him alone to wander the darkened hall. Fortunately, with Number Six around, he wasn’t afraid at all.

"He wants to harm you," Number Six hissed in his ear. "I see it."

Xu Jiu paused. "Really?"

"Humans never mean well," Number Six muttered darkly, blithely ignoring that Xu Jiu was also human. "Find an opening to kill him."

Xu Jiu sighed. "Even if he wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t use such a roundabout method. He’d just make up a reason to—"

Before he could finish, Number Six’s form suddenly expanded, surrounding him completely!

"...Number Six?!" Xu Jiu startled, unsure what was happening. He only heard muffled thumps, like blades plunging into rubber.

"You protect him."

A chilling voice murmured through the dimly lit hall.

Xu Jiu’s vision gradually cleared. Through the tangle of Number Six’s hanging tendrils, he could distinctly see a figure slowly emerging from behind a marble pillar.

Or perhaps, it wasn’t a human shadow at all.

The closer it stepped, the taller its form grew. It elongated like taffy, its shadow thinning in the sunset. By the time it reached Xu Jiu, it had completely shed its human disguise, baring its monstrous shape openly.

Standing over three meters tall, its limbs were as slender as a mantis’s, yet far more unnervingly pliant than the rigid lines of an insect. A waterfall of long hair cascaded down its back—each lock a writhing knot of translucent tentacles.

"You protect him," it repeated. "I never thought a piece of myself would shield a human."

"Back off!" Number Six snarled, its words sharp with menace. "Or do you want to be shattered again?"

Author's Note:

Xu Jiu: *continues walking because his job keeps him busy*

Another jellyfish: *suddenly jumps out, hissing, delivering a moral condemnation* How dare you tempt me with your impudent touch, throwing me off! I’ll still silence you! *prepares to kill*

Xu Jiu: *startled, trips* Ugh! *accidentally kisses the other jellyfish again while falling*

Other jellyfish: *stops hissing, mortified at the violation, flees in tears*