Chapter 54

"Any creature has the right to evolve. It's completely normal to seek new food sources in order to survive or enhance oneself."

Randy wouldn't feel sadness or seek revenge just because the food was a fellow being.

"If you like eating, keep eating."

Randy casually dragged a corpse from above in front of the rat-man.

Then he made an inviting gesture with a friendly face.

At first, the rat-man thought this was a test and kept shaking its head.

"Eat it, or I'll... kill you."

Randy wanted to say "eat yours," but he felt too nauseated to say it.

The creature was truly disgusting.

Under the threat, the rat-man finally started eating, dragging itself over to the corpse. It sniffed it first, then looked at Randy's expression, and finally began to gnaw on the small girl's body.

The clown had preserved the body with some skill. Even though many years had passed, the corpse had not decayed, retaining the freshest meat.

The rat-man ate with gusto, devouring large pieces of meat, and its wounds slowly healed.

By the end, it licked the bones clean and still seemed unsatisfied.

Randy noticed that after the rat-man finished eating the little girl, its aura had grown slightly stronger.

"Continue eating."

Randy dragged a few more corpses and threw them in front of the rat-man. It no longer hesitated and ate one after another. Its body grew larger and larger, and after eating ten people, it transformed back from a human form to a more beastly shape. Its waist and thighs became particularly sturdy, its forelimbs more compact, its claws sharper, and its tail grew barbs.

Its eyes also seemed more intelligent.

But it still did not dare to show any signs of rebellion; the stronger it became, the more it sensed the danger.

After the rat-man had finished the tenth corpse, Randy stopped dragging more, estimating that the amount was sufficient. Any more would be a waste of nutrients.

He watched the rat-man silently and then formed a seed in his palm.

"Here, eat this. It will help you digest."

The rat-man hesitated.

"Eat it."

Randy threw the seed in front of the rat-man, showing no emotion.

The rat-man extended its tongue and took the seed, but it played a trick by not swallowing it immediately. Instead, it continuously secreted acid and let some drip onto the ground, seemingly trying to corrode the seed.

Randy was shocked: "You really eat it?"

In the next moment, the rat-man felt a fatal threat, its pupils dilated in shock.

Its remaining fur stood on end, and it leaped away, turning to flee. It let out a terrified scream, but as it began to run, its body lost balance and fell to the ground. Its flesh began to twitch uncontrollably and then rapidly withered.

A slender branch grew from its mouth, quickly forming a bud, and eventually blossomed into a red lotus.

The rat-man's body had become nothing but a dry, skeletal husk.

Everyone has the right to become stronger. It's normal to use monsters as materials to enhance oneself.

Randy wouldn't become merciful just because of power; that would simply be foolish.

He stepped forward and picked the flower.

The flower contained one of the rat-man's random abilities.

Since the rat-man was the source of the seed, the flower's bloom represented its ability, and the ten corpses were the nutrients that accelerated its growth.

Randy had the rat-man eat the corpses mainly for testing purposes, and he got the desired result.

Monsters absorb nutrients faster than plants, which is why the flower bloomed so quickly.

In the future, before killing monsters, it might be better to bring them here to eat their fill. This way, the flower would mature faster, and they might even feel grateful for being filled up.

Of course, the quick blooming this time was also due to the rat-man's weak strength, which required less nutrient and thus matured faster.

Randy considered using Pennywise as a test case.

If this guy were used as a material, it would probably take several dozen corpses and about a week to bloom.

He would deal with Pennywise when he found it and make sure it cooperated well.

"Be kind to me: you get good fruit;

Be unkind to me: you still get good fruit!"

Randy thought no more and made a cut on his body, then inserted the lotus into the wound. The wound healed rapidly, absorbing all the nutrients and abilities of the lotus.

The lotus quickly withered, but the energy contained within rooted itself in Randy's body, merging slowly.

The ability he gained was just a regular grafting ability, which was quite normal in the plant world.

Randy opened his eyes, feeling that his senses had become much sharper, seeing better in the dark. Other than that, there didn't seem to be any other enhancements.

"Actually, that's not right."

Randy felt that his changes should be more than this.

He approached the pool of acid, blocking all emotions, and retracted all his bodily protection. He tentatively extended a finger.

At a certain distance, he felt a hint of danger, which intensified as he moved closer.

"I've gained the rat-man's vigilance and sense of danger."

Perhaps in the future, the idiom "unseen arrows" would no longer apply to him.

It had some use but not much, since there was no one in the town who could truly pose a threat to him, not even Carrie.

Even if he were to take a bullet, with his current physical strength, the injuries would be limited, and removing the bullet would heal him immediately.

Randy was more focused on Pennywise's abilities.

"Pennywise's methods are more comprehensive and powerful, with transformations, insight into others' fears, telekinesis, teleportation, and memory alteration, among many other abilities. Given this guy's size and the enhancements over the years, it should be enough to make two seeds bloom, right?"

"Moreover, there's also this guy's hundred-year accumulation! That's ready-made nourishment!"

Randy was pleased, feeling that America was truly a good place, with great prospects.

However, since the clown wasn't here, Randy thought there was no need to stay and guard this place.

What if this guy was also someone who only passed by without stopping?

Moreover, according to his previous patterns, the clown would most likely start crazily capturing children again.

Randy considered this and then casually scattered a common seed in a corner as a marker, preparing to find his way out.

The clown had its own psychological shadows, particularly Beverly and the others.

It should be today when Beverly and her group would definitely come back. Without a doubt, the clown would make an appearance to scare them for fun. Randy just needed to stake out near the restaurant where the group gathered.

"Also, I need to plant sensing seeds around Beverly and Mike."

Randy remembered Beverly's address as 14 Lantern Bridge Street.

He looked up at the sky, realizing he was right in the West City District.