"Meow."
An orange cat leapt onto the table, abruptly interrupting the tense exchange between Li Jie and Loki. Its sudden appearance caused Loki to sneeze violently, covering his nose with his hand as he stumbled backward. "Where did this cat come from? I'm allergic to cat fur! Get it away quickly!"
Li Jie's attention was immediately drawn to the gem dangling from the cat's collar. The crystal emitted a faint, spiritual glow, swirling as if it contained a fragment of condensed interstellar space. The sight alone sent a shiver down Li Jie's spine. He recognized the energy signature instantly—it resembled the aura of a creature both terrifying and immensely powerful.
"Loki, did you notice where it came from?" Li Jie asked, eyes fixed on the feline.
"How would I know?" Loki replied, glancing around the room nervously. "It could be from the door… the window… or maybe even the ventilation duct."
Loki's gaze darted to the closed door and windows, then along the ceiling and ventilation shafts. Finally, he exclaimed in disbelief, "Where did this little thing come from?"
Li Jie leaned closer, his tone low and serious. "Loki, have you ever heard of a creature in this world that can devour everything? Nothing is safe from it."
Loki blinked. "Of course I've heard of them. They're called Flerkens… and they look like cats. You're not trying to say that this little thing in front of me is one of them, are you?"
Li Jie nodded silently, confirming his worst fear.
"Open… open what?" Loki stammered, staring at the orange cat pacing back and forth on the table with a strangely stiff, deliberate gait.
"Clatter!"
The cat knocked over a cup, shattering it against the floor. Loki jumped back in alarm, coughing awkwardly as he steadied himself. After a brief, nervous laugh, he muttered, "Something has suddenly come up, so I won't bother you any longer. Oh… and I hope you like the gift I sent you." He hugged the wall as he backed toward the door.
"Meow."
The cat opened its mouth wide, and dozens of writhing tentacles shot out toward Loki with terrifying speed. Instinctively, Loki swung his scepter to strike them, but the tentacles wrapped around it effortlessly and dragged it into the cat's mouth, swallowing it in a single gulp. The orange feline then licked its lips with a satisfied expression, seemingly eager for more.
Li Jie's stomach dropped. The scepter had been huge, yet the cat had swallowed it whole, and its size hadn't changed at all. There was no longer any doubt: this small, adorable creature was in fact the most dangerous being in the universe—the Flerken.
"What… what should we do?" Loki cried, frozen in place, his eyes wide with panic.
Li Jie's mind raced. The Cosmic Cube—his only chance—was in his hands. "Cosmic Cube! Quickly! Use it to get that thing out of here!" he shouted, the words almost a command directed at the creature itself.
The Flerken's mouth opened once more, and countless tentacles shot out in every direction. Li Jie had no choice. With a swift motion, he hurled the Cosmic Cube across the room, hoping to distract the devouring beast.
Loki could only stare, his jaw dropping. "My God… that thing actually swallowed the Tesseract too!"
The orange cat's tentacles whipped violently, forcing Li Jie to step back. He immediately created a teleportation portal, intending to escape. But before he could even enter, the cat was already blocking the exit.
"Meow!"
A paw lashed out, catching Li Jie off-guard. The claws raked across his neck, slicing a deep gash. Blood spattered across the floor.
Li Jie stumbled and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Despite his immortality, the wound inflicted by the Flerken was beyond immediate repair. The Dionysus Factor that usually healed his injuries was temporarily powerless against such an extraordinary attack.
Everything happened in an instant. The Devouring Beast advanced with terrifying speed, and Li Jie, for all his power and skill, could not escape the onslaught.
He lay there, struggling to rise, his vision fading as the feline towered over him, its tentacles writhing like living shadows. His last thought was disbelief—unwillingness to accept the suddenness of death before a creature so small yet so overwhelmingly powerful.
Li Jie died unwillingly, succumbing to the Flerken's assault, the sudden appearance of this cosmic predator leaving even Loki and the assembled heroes frozen in horror.
The orange cat, now confirmed as a Flerken, purred innocently, its gem gleaming, as if nothing had occurred at all.
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