System: Infinite Evolution into Qilin Bloodline

The fat man looked unusually solemn at this moment.

He slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on the trunk of the ancient banyan tree, where an ominous aura was quietly spreading.

Moonlight pierced through the sparse clouds, barely illuminating part of the tree trunk, but enough for the fat man to see the chilling scene—a blood-red liquid with a strong, fishy smell was slowly seeping from deep within the trunk, winding down the mottled bark, and finally dripping onto the damp ground with a "plop, plop" sound, like some kind of ominous premonition.

This sudden strange phenomenon made the fat man's heart tighten.

He tried to recall everything he had seen during the day, attempting to find a clue from the fragments of his memory, but apart from the boundless fog and the arduous trek through the dense forest, his mind was blank.

The fat man knew that this could not be explained by natural phenomena, and an unknown fear began to spread in his heart.

"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?"

The fat man muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly.

He looked around, and the rainforest in the night seemed even more sinister and terrifying, as if countless eyes were watching them from the darkness.

The fat man took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil, but the sweet, metallic scent clung to him relentlessly, making it impossible for him to shake it off.

Left with no other choice, the fat man decided to investigate the matter himself.

He gritted his teeth, walked to the tree trunk, grabbed it with both hands, and began to climb the huge banyan tree.

The rough, uneven surface of the tree trunk provided some friction for his climb, but the slippery surface of the rain made every step dangerous.

The fat man carefully searched for a foothold and moved upwards step by step.

As the altitude increased, the fat man's breathing became rapid.

He dared not look down, but only looked up at the treetops, where it was still pitch black and he could not see anything clearly.

But the crimson liquid seemed to grow clearer and clearer, tracing eerie arcs in the air before finally disappearing into the vast darkness of the night.

The fat man secretly vowed that he would climb to that height no matter what, to see for himself.

However, fate did not seem to let him off easily.

Just as the fat man was about to touch the source of the liquid, his foot slipped, and he instantly lost his balance.

He cried out in surprise, waving his hands wildly in the air, trying to grab something to steady himself.

But it was all too late. His body plummeted to the ground like a boulder, accompanied by a deafening roar and a cloud of dust.

"what--!"

The fat man let out a pig-like wail, a sound that echoed through the rainforest, filled with despair and pain.

Zhang Hao, Wu Tianzhen, and Zhang Qilin, who had already fallen asleep, were startled awake by the sudden noise. They sat up abruptly, their faces filled with confusion and worry.

They quickly exchanged a glance, and then rushed towards the fat man without prior arrangement.

"Fatty! What's wrong with you?"

Zhang Hao's voice rang out in the night sky, carrying a hint of anxiety and concern.

He ran to the fat man's side and saw him lying on the ground groaning in pain, his body covered with abrasions and bruises.

Zhang Hao quickly helped the fat man up and let him rest against a large rock.

"I...I'm fine...I just...I just tripped and fell..."

The fat man spoke with difficulty, his voice weak and trembling.

He tried to hide his pain and fear, but his bloodshot eyes betrayed him.

Wu Tianzhen and Zhang Qilin also gathered around. Looking at the fat man's disheveled appearance, they were filled with worry and doubt.

They looked up at the banyan tree and saw that the blood-red liquid on the trunk was still flowing continuously, as if telling some unknown secret.

"What exactly is going on?"

Wu Tianzhen asked with a frown, his voice full of confusion and bewilderment.

"We don't know either."

Zhang Hao shook his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the tree trunk and the fat man, trying to find some clues.

"Fatty, did you see something?"

Zhang Qilin squatted down and looked at the fat man expressionlessly, asking him a question.

The fat man took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

Then, he slowly began to recount what had just happened.

When he mentioned the blood-red liquid, Zhang Hao, Wu Tianzhen, and Zhang Qilin all showed expressions of shock.

They realized that the rainforest was far more complex and dangerous than they had imagined.

"I'll go up and see what's going on!"

Zhang Hao knew that if they didn't figure out the source of the crimson liquid, none of them would be able to get a peaceful rest tonight.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hao leaped up, grabbed the trunk of the banyan tree, and flipped himself up onto the tree. He repeated this several times until he reached the spot where the liquid was seeping out.

Zhang Hao carefully observed his surroundings and soon discovered that the red liquid seeping from the tree trunk came from a large bulge behind the trunk.

The bulge, like a monster from an ancient legend, lies quietly behind the tree trunk, completely out of place with the surrounding natural environment.

Its size was so large that it dwarfed a small truck, and the red fleshy lines covering its surface seemed to wriggle slowly like a living thing.

These fleshy lines are neither plant fibers nor animal hair; they possess an indescribable vitality that sends chills down one's spine.

Zhang Hao slowly stretched out his hands and challenged the fleshy lines wrapped around the bulge.

On his first attempt, he tried to pull the fleshy threads with brute force, but found that they were much tougher than they looked, as if they were woven from countless tiny living organisms, both soft and tough, and difficult to shake.

The fleshy thread struggled in his hand, emitting a faint but clearly audible hissing sound, like some kind of creature whispering.

Zhang Hao soon discovered that these fleshy threads were far more powerful than he had imagined. Once torn, they would immediately split in two, becoming two fleshy threads that continued to wrap around the bulge.

He observed carefully and soon noticed that the bulge wrapped in fleshy threads was shrinking at a visible rate.

If it shrinks at this rate, its original size before shrinking would be unimaginable.

Zhang Hao didn't have time to think. He stretched out his hands, grabbed a handful of fleshy threads, and then pulled with absolute force. With a "rip," the fleshy threads broke apart. Before they could separate, he grabbed another handful of fleshy threads and tore them apart.

With the help of his absolute strength and speed, Zhang Hao quickly tore a slit in the meat bun.

He looked through the opening and was immediately shocked!

"Holy crap, what is this?!"