Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 6199 - 5210: Soul Ideal Homeland (67)

The cats instantly bristled. Actually, in the American Comic World, such monsters capable of shape-shifting are not uncommon. Peter has dealt with Sandman, and Little Superman has seen Clayface. However, the one before them was distinctly different. This entity didn’t transform itself into some liquid first; it truly melted from the inside out.

First, the skin peeled away, followed by muscle and fat, then bone and internal organs. It didn’t just mimic the human race’s exterior but also replicated the intricate internal structures precisely, so when reverting to its original form, the whole process seemed like a horrifying dissection.

This is why, when comics and animations create these shape-shifting villains, they can’t be too realistic. When Sandman transforms, a whirlwind of sand sweeps across, and the transformation is done. Clayface and Venom are similar. If they were to carefully illustrate every layer of how skin and muscle shifted during the transformation, it could directly be changed into a horror comic.

Fortunately, none of the three were the type to scream at horror scenes, not even Little Superman. Little Superman wasn’t afraid of gory scenes; although the sight before them was bizarre, it wasn’t enough to make him scream. Peter was even more experienced. Thus, the three cats slowly backed away, apologizing, "Sorry to disturb you."

However, they didn’t go up but crouched in the corner of the lower deck cabin.

Peter said, "No wonder he dared to come to the South Pole without bringing anything."

"I said no human race could do such a reckless thing," Little Superman shook his head. "What do we do next? Find a way to kill it, or go back and notify the human race?"

"We can’t kill it," Shiller asserted. Although his view just now was limited, he could guess what that thing was.

Speaking of Shuggos, many may not have heard of them, but when it comes to Slime, most people find it familiar. These monsters are so classic, frequently appearing in various games and film works. The prototype of Slime is actually the Shuggos.

Or rather, the first creature created as a sort of viscous, amorphous, mimicry-capable monster was the Shuggos. Every similar monster created in later generations drew inspiration from it, including Slime and Marvel’s Symbiont.

This type of monster has a very powerful skill, which is mimicry. Shuggos can also mimic humans, especially among them, the Origin Shuggos can be considered the strongest and smartest of this species. They can perfectly mimic humans and blend into human society without any flaws.

This is because their mimicry is not just a simple imitation of appearance but can perfectly replicate the human body structure. This cellular level of mimicry is almost impossible to detect, even Nya might not be able to see through it at a glance.

Thinking of this, Shiller realized that Nya very likely came for the Shuggos, though it was unclear what aspect of this mysterious creature intrigued him.

Reck’s appearance here is by no means coincidental. He has a reason to return to the South Pole, and it doesn’t necessarily relate to humans but certainly relates to Nya. Otherwise, there’s no need for him to risk exposure and mingle in the supply ship to reach the South Pole as quickly as possible.

The hidden motives behind this Antarctic scientific expedition are gradually becoming clear. Nya might have been eyeing the Shuggos all along; there’s something about this creature he wants to know. He knows the Shuggos are in Antarctica, but for some reason, he couldn’t come personally, so he used the NDP Foundation to organize a scientific expedition to explore the South Pole.

As an Origin Shuggos, Reck doesn’t want Nya to uncover his secrets, so he infiltrates the expedition, blending with the supply ship to reach Antarctica, intending to thwart Nya’s investigation.

Shiller also thought that Reck possesses transformation ability. Even if he is disqualified from participating in the expedition due to unauthorized dissection, he could kill a member within the expedition and assume their identity.

Shiller guessed that he didn’t take this route because Miskatonic University harbors too many secrets. Whether it’s Professor Dale or Frank, they are closely connected with Dr. Henry, who ruthlessly resolved the Dunwich Horror Incident. Dr. Henry is the world’s greatest White Wizard. Acting within the school is too risky.

More importantly, the NDP Foundation stayed at the school before the expedition departed. Acting there might get Reck detected by Nya, and then Nya wouldn’t need to go to Antarctica but could directly capture him for research, which is an idiotic move leading to self-destruction.

In the original storyline, Reck dissected the Ancient One, leading to the annihilation of his team. However, whether in the novel or the later adapted comics, it was described only as a field full of dissected awful corpses, without explicitly stating whose corpses they were. Thus, Reck might not have died; he simply returned to the mountains.

The pile of bodies left behind included both the team’s members and the Ancient Ones. Reck’s goal was to kill those Ancient Ones and thus fabricate a plausible reason for his death.

From this perspective, it’s highly likely that some Ancient Ones have been influenced by Nya. After all, from Shiller’s contact with the Ancient Ones, they don’t seem that irritable, and their temperament is quite good.

Although Reck dissected the Ancient One, which would certainly anger them, they wouldn’t necessarily turn around and dissect humans, and they even performed detailed dissections, separating the skin, bones, and internal organs, which requires some skill.

More importantly, when the Ancient Ones first awakened, they were very hungry, eating anything they could get, even plastic packaging; it makes no sense for them to simply leave their slaughtered companions in place after their wake. Humans, in the eyes of the Ancient Ones, would be crispy like chicken meat; if they’ve already disassembled them so thoroughly, why not just eat them?

So the whole thing might be like this: Reck noticed Nya’s probing intentions, joined the research expedition to the South Pole, discovered that some Ancient Ones had been awakened by Nya, becoming Nya’s followers, continuously trying to uncover the secrets of Shuggos, leading Reck to kill them along with team members and fake his own death to escape.

Shiller recalled the scene of the sailors’ deaths; they were stabbed to death, the shape of the fatal wounds matching the tentacles of the Ancient Ones, and there were more than thirty sailors but only a dozen bodies, some were missing. The professors thought they might have been lost in the snow and died elsewhere, but now it seems more likely that they were eaten by those Ancient Ones who were Nya’s followers.

The situation is becoming increasingly complicated. Reck representing Shuggos, the Ancient Ones corrupted by Nya, the true Ancient Ones, and humans, each with their own interests, all wanting to gain something from the land of the South Pole.

The cats naturally side with the human race. However, humans turn out to be in the best situation among these forces. On one hand, they know nothing and thus have less pressure; on the other hand, all other entities look down on them—be it Reck or Nya, none think humans are capable of participating in their struggle.

Shiller gradually forms a plan, but it still needs refinement. At that moment, some sounds come from within the room. Shiller makes a bold decision, tiptoes to the door, and takes a look inside.

Reck is transforming back into a human shape, but this time it’s not his own image, but Professor Atwood. Shiller immediately realizes that Shuggos intends to target Professor Atwood.

As expected, since the incident of the illegal experiment was exposed, Reck was suspended and visibly has no future; continuing with such a status would be inconvenient, so it’s time to find a new identity.

The other professors are huddled together at the South Pole base, each being extraordinary. Professor Atwood is relatively older, and crucially, he’s now isolated. As dusk approaches, their team clearly won’t return today and can only make do on the ship overnight—tonight is the best opportunity to act.

Shiller retreats to a corner, and the three cats return to the upper deck. Sure enough, Professor Atwood tells the students: "Having traveled all the way, let’s take a rest tonight and go back tomorrow. There are fresh tomatoes among the supplies; later we’ll cook a rich tomato stew. You’ll love my cooking."

The students cheer. Professor Atwood is in charge of logistics and takes care of internal affairs at the base, occasionally cooking—his culinary skills are excellent, taking good care of everyone, and the students like him a lot.

Seeing the cats approach, Atwood grabs Shiller, who’s at the forefront, petted his head, saying: "You’ve worked hard, cats. No need to catch mice tonight; I’ll make you some sausages and the freshest little fish. The previous Captain even caught a seal; it’s time to replenish some fats."

Shiller meows and rubs against him. Atwood places him on his shoulder, directing students to settle in the cabin, while he goes back to his separate room on the ship, bringing the cats in.

He takes several pillows from other rooms, wraps them with his scarf, preparing nests for the cats, unwilling to place them on the floor. Cleared a small table in the room and placed the cat nests on top.

Shiller jumps onto the nest closest to the bed, using his paws to knead a pit in the pillow, curled up on it, clearly planning to sleep there tonight. Little Superman and Peter also settle into their nests, but Peter still asks: "Aren’t we going to do something tonight?"

"There will be a chance," Shiller says, "Get some rest first, then have a good meal; we might face a tough battle tonight."

Hearing this, Little Superman and Peter quickly fall asleep because they know that the only enemy on the ship now is that shape-shifting monster, and it looks difficult to deal with. If they really need to fight him, they must be well-fed and recuperated.

Shiller is awakened by the fragrance of the soup; he grips the pillow with his front paws and stretches his body backward forcefully. Previously, he didn’t understand why cats stretch like this, but now he realizes it’s really comfortable. It’s a pity Dr. Henry isn’t here; he used to hold cats under their armpits, stretching them into long shapes—not only not painful but very soothing. It’s no surprise that cats always side with humans—humans are the best helpers for a cat’s comfortable life.