In that instant, the burly man thought he, too, was infected by the Wuyou Net, otherwise, how could he be having hallucinations?
But the next moment, the sharp pain from his wrist unmistakably reminded him that the scene before his eyes was no illusion but reality.
And his reaction couldn’t be considered slow. Instead of panicking to break free, he directly issued a command through his divine sense.
Swish swish!
The fierce sound of breaking air was heard, and the giant octopus monster waiting outside the door shot out several tentacles, penetrating the control room’s door, aiming straight at Zhao Ya on the operating table.
But Zhao Ya was unmoved, flipping over from the bed to land behind the burly man.
The tentacles swiftly changed direction, skillfully bypassing the burly man to attack Zhao Ya from behind once more.
In that critical moment, Zhao Ya reached into the silver box, grabbed a surgical scalpel, and with a quick swipe, severed several of the tentacle tips, which fell to the ground.
Yet this did not stop the octopus monster’s assault; rather, it only enraged it further.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A more concentrated sound of breaking the air followed as over a dozen tentacles completely shattered the control room’s door and began to thrash wildly in the confined space.
But Zhao Ya ignored them.
He placed the knife at the throat of the burly man and said coldly.
"Order your subordinates to stop."
The burly man chuckled slightly, "Do you think that’s possible...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a plop, and blood splattered out.
Zhao Ya acted without hesitation, executing the move immediately.
The strange thing was, even with his throat slashed, the burly man showed no fear; instead, he wore a cold smile.
At the same time, the tentacles that had deliberately avoided the burly man’s body suddenly showed no restraint and pierced through his body, striking at Zhao Ya from behind.
Zhao Ya’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he abandoned his plan to hold the burly man hostage and leapt away to dodge the attack.
But this was just the beginning.
These tentacles intertwined and intersected within the control room, quickly forming an impenetrable large net.
Even with Zhao Ya’s astonishing Lightweight Body Technique, the space available to move was becoming increasingly limited.
"Hehehehe!" A strange laughter suddenly came from within the control room.
Then the burly man’s image appeared on the gigantic water screen.
He looked down at Zhao Ya, clicking his tongue in admiration, "It seems I underestimated you despite raising my evaluation several times."
"To be able to break free from the control of the Wuyou Net, you have truly surprised me."
Zhao Ya did not respond, as if he were already deeply entrenched in the continuous attacks and had no time to spare.
Watching this scene, the expression on the burly man’s face became increasingly smug.
The stronger Zhao Ya appeared now, the more attractive he became to him.
So even if this avatar was destroyed, he felt no regret.
"Stop struggling. You can’t possibly be a match for this octopus monster. Why not just accept your fate?"
"Instead of fighting like a cornered animal, acknowledge reality. If you surrender now, I might even consider preserving your consciousness and granting you a body to become my servant. How about that?"
The burly man tirelessly persuaded, as if this were a great favor.
And this was also a kind of psychological warfare.
The goal was to weaken Zhao Ya’s will to fight as much as possible, and if he could make him surrender willingly, it would be even better. If not, then at least end the battle quickly.
After all, in the eyes of the burly man, Zhao Ya’s body no longer belonged to him but to himself.
So he was heartbroken by every bit of damage it sustained.
Zhao Ya still did not make a sound, continually dodging the near-ubiquitous tentacle attacks with nimble maneuvers.
"Kid, I know you’re not convinced. After all, achieving what you have in this confined small world is indeed something to be proud of."
"But being unconvinced is useless because you have no idea what the outside world is like or what it means to be a disciple of the Wuyou Longevity Palace."
"You think offering your body and foundation to me and then becoming a servant is unfair for you, but do you know how many people want this opportunity and can’t get it?"
The burly man hadn’t given up, persistently trying to persuade him.
But only the flashing knife light responded to him.
"How about this: I won’t make you my servant. Instead, I’ll promote you to the head guard of this Black Ship, enjoying the treatment of an outer disciple of the Wuyou Longevity Palace. If you serve me for fifty years, I’ll set you free. How about that?"
"This is my greatest concession. If you’re still not satisfied, don’t blame me for being unkind," the burly man said coldly, his face full of condescending arrogance.
But at this moment, Zhao Ya, who had remained silent, suddenly took a leap, swinging his knife in the air, slicing all the tentacles blocking his path, and charged toward the console.
On the water screen, the burly man’s expression seemed slightly stiff.
"What do you plan to do? I’m telling you, this is a transmission screen; I’m not even here..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhao Ya swung his knife.
The massive water screen in front of him was split in half, and only then did Zhao Ya slowly utter two words.
"Noisy!"
With the water screen broken, the burly man’s image naturally disappeared.
At the same time, the tentacles, like a frenzy, crazily attacked Zhao Ya, trying to block his progress.
But Zhao Ya was unmoved. His knife continued to swing, blocking the tentacle attacks while kicking out.
With a crack, the water screen finally shattered, revealing a small secret chamber behind it.
Zhao Ya kicked open the chamber door and rushed inside.
Once inside, the tentacles of the octopus monster waved outside but dared not enter.
The chamber was simply furnished with no furniture or other essentials for human living.
The only thing present was a giant egg-like structure placed in the center.
Zhao Ya strode forward, placing the knife on the giant egg, and said coldly, "I’ll count to three. If you don’t open it yourself, I’ll help you open it."
"No, no, no!"
Before Zhao Ya even started counting, a panicked voice came from within the giant egg, and then the eggshell slowly opened.
Inside was something resembling a nutrient pod, with a creature lying on the bed with pale skin, a bulging stomach, but extraordinarily slender limbs.
This creature had no hair whatsoever, and its shiny head was the most striking feature other than the large stomach.
Upon seeing Zhao Ya, it couldn’t help but smile ingratiatingly.
"Master..."