Chapter 400 - 372: Changes at Night
"These bugs aren’t very smart. I wouldn’t recommend trying to domesticate them unless you have a dedicated building for it," Zhao Pu said, shaking his head. "Even if you managed to tame a queen, the common drones aren’t intelligent enough. They act on instinct, so they could easily harm someone. Imagine if our Home was just crawling with bugs..."
He didn’t have to finish. Everyone understood the implication.
"Leader, do any of your pets have abilities that counter these bugs?" Cao Biansheng asked, his curiosity piqued.
Qin Ziwen considered his pets. ’Based on their abilities, only the Beaked Eagle and Little White Dragon could put up much of a fight against the black beetles. The Beaked Eagle could control air currents to send them flying, but the low cavern ceilings mean they couldn’t be killed by the fall. Little White Dragon’s Frost Touch could freeze them, but it’s still developing and its power is limited. It could handle a few, but a large swarm would overwhelm it. What we really need is an Extraordinary with a wide-area fire or heat ability. That would be the perfect counter for these black beetles.’
Qin Ziwu said, "Actually, a single bug isn’t that tough. Any adult can kill one easily. The problem is their sheer numbers."
"It’s getting late. Everyone, head back and get some rest," Qin Ziwen said, dismissing the group. "Get yourselves into top shape. We’ll continue our survey with Insight tomorrow."
...
As everyone gradually returned to their Homes, the Gated Community fell silent, save for the patrolling teams. Most residents were already fast asleep.
Once the humans fell silent, the mysterious world of the underground caverns began to stir with life.
From the depths of caves, the crevices between rocks, and the subterranean grottoes, underground creatures emerged and began to stir.
Deep within a subterranean lake to the south of the Gated Community, an undercurrent churned as something began to awaken.
At the head of a patrol team, a short, stout man rubbed his ear and glanced around nervously.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him from the shadows.
"Gao Da Zhuang, what are you fidgeting for? Get bitten by a bug or something?" Jiang Shan, walking behind him, poked him in the lower back through his down jacket.
"No, Cap," Gao Da Zhuang said, looking around. "Don’t you guys feel it? Like something’s watching us from the shadows."
Zhao Xiao, who was second to last in line, scoffed. "What’s there to see? We’ve walked this path three times already. It’s nothing but rock. If there were anything here, it would’ve eaten you first."
"Shut your mouths! Don’t you know not to jinx us?!" cursed Yang Lu from the rear of the formation. He was already on edge being at the very back, and these sons of bitches spouting nonsense were making him constantly look over his shoulder.
Uncharacteristically, Jiang Shan remained silent, his expression unreadable as he scanned the surroundings.
"What’s wrong, Cap?" Hu Luosheng asked, noticing his movements.
"It’s nothing... Just be on your guard," Jiang Shan said, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
’I feel it too,’ he thought. ’Something is definitely watching us. Gao Da Zhuang wasn’t just imagining things.’
At Jiang Shan’s words, the other four men fell silent.
"Something’s ahead!" Gao Da Zhuang stopped in his tracks. In the light of his torch, he saw a long, slender black shape emerging from around a bend in the cavern, hugging the wall as it moved.
"A snake?" Hu Luosheng tightened his grip on his Long Spear.
In the flickering torchlight, they could see the creature had alternating black and red rings patterning its back.
"No, it has legs. Looks like a millipede."
"This millipede is fucking huge," Yang Lu spat. "All the insects in these caverns are like they’ve been pumped full of hormones. Their volume has increased by tens of thousands of times."
"Uh, Yang, isn’t tens of thousands of times a bit of an exaggeration?" Hu Luosheng said. "The longest centipede we saw yesterday was only five or six meters."
Yang Lu rolled his eyes. "Did you fail elementary school math? I’m talking about volume, not length. Tell me, what’s the formula for volume?"
"Length times width times height..." Hu Luosheng answered automatically.
"You do the math."
"Are you two nuts? Who the hell does math problems at a time like this? The millipede’s coming at us!" Gao Da Zhuang cursed, then thrust his Long Spear at the approaching creature.
The spear struck the millipede right on the head.
The millipede faltered for a moment. The spearhead slid off its crown, striking the ground beside it and sending up a shower of sparks.
"This millipede is incredibly strong!" Gao Da Zhuang was shocked. ’I’m sure of it. As my spear came down, an even greater force knocked it aside.’
"Let me," Jiang Shan said, stepping forward. He brought his two-pronged fork down, pinning the millipede’s head.
An instant later, his expression changed.
An irresistible, immense force traveled up from the other end of the fork. The millipede was even stronger than him.
And he possessed a Five Stars Extreme Physique.
"Watch out!" The words were barely out of his mouth when the millipede, having been attacked, began to move its countless legs, charging at the five men.
The five men spread out into a combat formation to meet the millipede’s charge.
Suddenly, a black shadow dropped from above!
It instantly enveloped the millipede!
Its body was covered in a black-and-white pattern, and its slender, elegant legs, like steel needles, pinned the millipede firmly to the ground.
When they got a clear look at the black shadow’s true form, the five men felt their scalps crawl and the hairs on their arms stand on end.
"This..."
"What is that."
"My trypophobia is acting up."
"It looks a little like a spider, a little like a centipede, and even a cricket... What the hell is this thing? It’s hideous."
"If I’m not mistaken, that’s a house centipede," Yang Lu said, swallowing hard. "I seem to recall they’re beneficial insects... It won’t eat us, right...?"
The millipede pinned under the house centipede had been pierced through. Green blood oozed from its wounds.
The two antennae on the house centipede’s head, each nearly half a meter long, twitched slightly. That, combined with its forest of segmented legs, made the five men slowly back away.
The house centipede seemed to pay them no mind, its attention focused entirely on the millipede.
A faint wisp of smoke rose from the millipede’s wounds.
Jiang Shan caught a whiff and immediately felt dizzy.
"Move!"
Jiang Shan kept his eyes forward, pulling the others back with him. On the way, Gao Da Zhuang clutched his nose; he’d accidentally inhaled some of the millipede’s stench and still felt light-headed.
"Cap, look at the wall," Gao Da Zhuang said, tugging on Jiang Shan’s arm.
Jiang Shan followed Gao Da Zhuang’s pointing finger, and his pupils constricted.
On the cavern wall, a dozen meters away, clung another house centipede, nearly identical to the first. This one, however, was even larger—a full size bigger. With its legs spread, it spanned over four meters, looking like a small car plastered against the rock.
The five men held their breath, tiptoeing carefully around the creature as they made their way back to the Gated Community.
"Should we report this to the leadership? They’re all asleep," Gao Da Zhuang asked.
Jiang Shan took a moment to compose himself, then said in a grave tone, "We have to. These bugs are more active at night. We can’t take any chances. We need to report this immediately."
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