Days passed since Zinc submerged the last Chaurus egg in the Chaurus poison mix of the previous 38 failed experiments. Having been soaked in the poison day and night, the eggshell had been worn away until only a transparent membrane was left. If not for the mix of nutrients and poison supporting from within the egg, the membrane would have collapsed on itself. Zinc glanced at the rotect jar by the table once more. It was about time for him to cook it. Through cooking, the egg will solidify and the poison will seep into the egg faster, thus speeding up the process and completing the formation of the material.

Zinc reached over and started unscrewing the cap off. As he peered into the poisonous mix, he saw something strange. The fetus...it's moving? No, that can't be. The poison would have killed it by now. It must have been just the movement of the poison fluids playing a trick on him. Zinc pulled out another rotect jar and transferred the poison into it. After all of the poison had been transferred, Zinc took out the egg and was preparing to move it into a large pot when suddenly, the egg jiggled slightly.

Peering through the transparent membrane, Zinc saw something astonishing. The fetus...it looked like a centipede rather than like a Chaurus...a mutation! But other than that, the fetus was moving...it was alive! In his surprise at this unprecedented miracle, Zinc accidentally dropped the egg. As he tried to reach over and grab onto it, the egg burst open and the runt-like newborn slithered out, completely unharmed. From the size of the centipede, Zinc could tell that it was male. The doctor squatted down and held his hand towards the centipede. As if acknowledging its parent, the centipede slithered over and curled about in the doctor's hand.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hey there, little fellow. What should I call you? Hmm, how about...Arsenic...or Nic for short. That's settled...but what do you eat? Bugs?"

Suddenly, as Zinc approached the table with Nic in his hand, the centipede leaped through the air and landed in the rotect jar filled with Chaurus poison. Zinc was about to retrieve the centipede out of fear that it would perish under the intensity of the poison when he began to see the contents in the jar disappear. The poisonous fluids were being consumed by the centipede! Amazing! The centipede actually eats poison! What a wonderful discovery!

Zinc stared at the empty jar and the satisfied-looking centipede and muttered in amazement. With a delighted smile, he couldn't help but feel that the days ahead will be very interesting.