Chapter 1: Reborn as a Spine Worm, Beginning with a Devouring Evolution System

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Chapter 1: Reborn as a Spinal Parasite, Beginning with the Devouring Evolution System

“Ah!”

Luo Ke jolted upright, panic-stricken as he looked around.

He remembered accidentally plunging from a cliff on Mount Emei. By all rights, he should have been smashed to pieces by now. So why was he in a cramped room made of iron plates?

Could some powerful expert have rescued him?

When he lowered his head and saw the nameplate glowing green on his chest, his entire body shuddered. The number “4048” stood out starkly.

“Where is this?”

Luo Ke rose and stared at the figure in the shattered mirror, letting out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he was still himself: a face that was handsome in a slightly shabby way, broad shoulders and back, a solid chest, and eight-pack abs—all still intact.

This was not a transmigration of his soul. His entire body had crossed over!

But why did looking at that handsome face feel so strangely unsettling, as though something were missing?

The instant the thought surfaced, an itchy numbness spread across the back of Luo Ke’s neck. Then came the horrifying sound of flesh ripping apart. Under his horrified gaze, his head drooped as if his neck had broken.

“Zzz… zzz…”

As his vision shifted downward and darkness swallowed him, another, far stranger yet clearer field of sight emerged. When he saw the reflection, Luo Ke was dumbfounded, his heart thrown into turmoil.

From the cervical vertebrae at the back of his neck all the way down to his tailbone, his body had split open symmetrically, exposing his living flesh and organs. A grotesque spine writhed and waved its body, baring its claws.

Countless pairs of sharp limbs jutted out like spider legs.

At the very top was a tiny, absurdly adorable head, while two long feelers sensed the changes in the air.

“A spinal… spinal parasite…”

I’ve crossed into the world of Spirit Cage—and turned into a spinal parasite living inside my own skin!

Good grief. I’m parasitizing myself?

Strictly speaking, he was now a symbiotic organism composed of a human and a spinal parasite, belonging to a half-human species. The spinal parasite was the dominant life-form, but it could not completely separate itself from its human shape.

The sight before him was so horrifying and grotesque that Luo Ke hurriedly crawled back into his body and reclaimed control of himself.

He sat on the bed for a long while, unable to calm down. His emotions were a tangled mess, while several waves of “Fruit Super Sweet” seemed to be introducing themselves inside his mind.

“Ding! System loading…”

What was destined to come eventually would never be absent. Luo Ke’s heart eased somewhat.

“Loading complete. Installation complete. Initiating…”

“The host has acquired the All-Heavens Devouring Evolution System. The personal interface is now available.”

“Open it!”

[Personal Interface]

World: Spirit Cage
Species: Mutated Spinal Parasite [0/100]
Abilities: Self-Healing, External Bone Blades
Main Quest: There is one and only one—devour and evolve until you reach your species’ limit.

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Side Quest: Save Ran Bing. (An additional reward may be claimed after the transmigration ends. The host may choose whether to complete this quest; the system will never force the host to do so.)

“Note: A species can be altered through devouring. Once the evolution value reaches its maximum, evolution will occur. Abilities are also acquired through devouring and are closely related to the creatures consumed.”

“Note: When the host exists in human form, no traits of the spinal parasite will be visible, and Devourers will identify the host as a target for attack.”

The personal interface was simple to the extreme, but Luo Ke found that reassuring. Fortunately, there were none of those headache-inducing, overly complicated statistics or flashy main and side quests.

Put simply, this system was all about devouring madly, evolving madly, crushing everything in its path, and growing stronger every step of the way.

As for what he wanted to do, or whether he would alter the worlds of the heavens, the system did not care in the slightest!

Of course, if he wanted additional rewards, he would have plenty to keep him busy.

Bang, bang!

Just as he was preparing to test his abilities, someone knocked on the door.

“4048, get up and get to work. Follow Captain Mark down to collect supplies.” The person outside left as soon as he had spoken.

Luo Ke silently put on his clothes and stepped outside. He needed to determine which point in the story he had arrived at so that he could try to prevent as many tragedies as possible.

After all, before falling to his death in his previous life, he had just finished watching the special episode. As a die-hard fan of Spirit Cage, he had always been deeply troubled by the deaths of Ran Bing and so many veteran soldiers, as well as the helplessness surrounding the ending of the first season.

Those people all deserved to be saved.

“Hey, where are we going to collect supplies later?” Luo Ke asked one of the Dustfolk traveling with him.

“Apparently, the ruins of the R-49 interstellar spacecraft. I heard there’s nothing but an endless wasteland below,” several Dustfolk replied.

Luo Ke froze.

Wasn’t that where the dream had begun?

Suddenly, several familiar faces caught the corner of his eye.

“Come back safely, you two!” A girl with long braids waved at two young men. Her voice was lively and cheerful. If he remembered correctly, she was 4277.

Following her gaze, Luo Ke saw 4068 and 4079.

Luo Ke’s feelings toward 4068 were complicated.

There was no doubt that 4068 was a contradictory and multifaceted character—a small fry unwilling to submit to oppression, an insignificant creature torn between fate and himself, constantly yearning to prove his worth. Someone like that would cause trouble sooner or later, provided he stayed alive.

But Luo Ke did not pay him much attention. Since he knew the entire story from beginning to end, many things could be changed!

Only after watching the final chapter had he understood that the reason the first swarm of spinal parasites and the Devourers appeared was not merely because 4068 had pried open a watch. Penny’s emotional awakening had also caused the Source of Life to emit a far more intense fragrance.

In short, if he wanted to survive relatively safely in this apocalyptic world, he had to become an emotionless killer!

Not long afterward, he spotted the protagonists from a distance—and the romance of every man alive: the Heavy Lifter mecha.

He followed everyone into a transport vehicle. The lifting platform slowly descended, and the convoy moved across the boundless wasteland. Not a single Devourer could be seen.

“Everyone, move quickly when the time comes. Dustfolk, don’t screw things up like last time!” Donnie shouted with a frown.

Behind him, Penny kept stealing glances at his back, her eyes filled with deeply hidden affection.

But through Luo Ke’s eyes, an intense golden light radiated from Penny’s body. A pheromone so enticing that it made his mouth water continuously stimulated his mind.

Good grief. With a scent like that, no wonder the Devourers couldn’t resist it. Even Luo Ke was barely able to hold himself back. It was practically strong enough to perfume the air for miles.

“What are you staring at, kid? Why do you look so pleased?” Old 0609, the history-book enthusiast, sidled over with a lecherous grin and whispered, “Well, well. 4048, are you staring at that person’s rear end and fantasizing?”

Luo Ke’s mouth twitched. “It’s called cultivating one’s aesthetic sensibilities and stimulating dopamine secretion!”

0609 raised an eyebrow. “Well, look at you, even knowing about dopamine. Be honest—how many forbidden books are you hiding?”

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“Those in the rear, keep up! Jeff, Corey, take the second squad to the entrance of Sector B and prepare to provide support,” Mark ordered. “The rest of you, follow me into the spacecraft ruins.”

Luo Ke silently lingered at the back of the group as he stepped into the darkness.

Grayness, silence, decay, and despair filled the place. When countless mounds of flesh and soil appeared before him, Luo Ke swallowed hard.

What was he thinking, crossing over in such a hurry? He did not even understand his cheat-system abilities yet, and he had already walked deep into enemy territory.

As for taking the initiative to stop the team and warning them that danger lay ahead—who would believe him? The green badge on his chest was hardly persuasive.

Who would have thought that Luo Ke, once a full-year premium subscriber in his previous life, would one day end up as one of the Dustfolk?

The team began scavenging all kinds of supplies from the ruins. Then a tremendous rumbling echoed through the structure, and Luo Ke realized that the passage they had entered through had probably collapsed.

That meant the main storyline was about to begin.

Danger was closing in!

Forced to search for another exit, the group wandered on for an unknown length of time. Eventually, the protagonists opened a hatch. The first thing they saw was a mound of flesh kneeling in the corner.

“Let the Dustfolk come in and carry the supplies. And remind them that the Dustfolk are people too.” Mark’s voice gradually faded into the distance.

Seeing 4068 and the others about to enter through the hatch, Luo Ke rushed in ahead of them with several others.

4068 curled his lips, then had no choice but to follow Mark and the rest.

As long as that watch never appeared, many of the later foreshadowed events would simply vanish.

Luo Ke glanced at the small mountain of accumulated flesh and soil, then took several steps backward. Countless spinal parasites could be hidden inside. Better to be cautious!

“Hurry up and move the supplies! What are you standing around for?” Donnie urged.

“Hey, watch your tone.” Penny nudged Donnie with her elbow and pouted.

Hiss—

“Did you hear something?” one of the Dustfolk asked shakily.

“I not only heard it—I saw it.” Luo Ke pointed at the Dustfolk’s shoulder, then immediately retreated to the doorway, conveniently placing Penny behind him.

He was not a bad person, but neither was he some selfless saint. He simply followed his own conscience: if someone could be saved in time, he would save them. To speak from the heart, he truly wanted to see everyone living happy lives on the surface.

“AAAAAAH!”

The spinal parasite covered the Dustfolk’s face. Its limbs pierced through flesh, and blood mixed with crimson素 poured out in a violent spray.

Dense masses of centipede-like creatures crawled forth, devouring anyone they could reach!

“It’s the spinal parasites—” Donnie shouted, pulling the trigger in a blind panic.

“Why are you still shooting? What the hell are you doing? Run, or do you want to punch your own wife to death?”

Smack!

Luo Ke strode forward and slapped Donnie across the face. Already affected by the crimson素, Donnie reeled, and Luo Ke followed with a punch that knocked him unconscious.

He hoisted Donnie onto his shoulder, seized the dazed Penny with his left hand, and sprinted desperately toward Mark.

Mark was the protagonist. There was no reason not to take advantage of his plot armor.

And judging by Luo Ke’s current strength, he could probably kill a bull with a single punch!

End of Chapter