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Chapter 22: The Kill 

 

Chu Muge was about to become a pincushion. 

 

Her foot was firmly glued by the translucent liquid, stuck as if she'd stepped in superglue. There was no time to even consider removing her shoe. Gritting her teeth, she gripped her Tang Dao tightly, ready to slash away the stabbing appendages as they descended upon her. 

 

She wouldn’t be able to fend them all off, there were too many, coming at her from every direction. All she could manage was to shield her vital areas from the onslaught. 

 

At the moment... she wasn’t strong enough. 

 

Those potent serums she’d seen in her inherited memories weren’t developed yet. Even if she wanted to inject herself and gain an edge, she’d first have to survive long enough to get her hands on them. 

 

Just as the sharp bone spikes were about to impale her, they suddenly froze midair. 

 

The moment of stunned silence lasted but an instant. Chu Muge reacted quickly, severing the appendages below her with a clean slash. Then, without hesitation, she yanked off her glued black boots and leaped down to the ground. 

 

Luckily, she was wearing mid-calf socks, sparing her the indignity of stepping barefoot on the grotesque, fleshy floor. 

 

Gu Yao’s pale gray eyes were fixed on the Queen’s massive, central eye. Black threads extended from the creature, and she tugged on them with sheer force, engaging in an intense game of tug-of-war. 

 

She was no match for the Queen’s strength, but she managed to buy a brief moment of respite. 

 

The creature’s movements had stalled earlier because of her efforts. 

 

The black threads snapped back into the Queen’s body as it let out an ear-piercing shriek. Slowly, it began to lumber toward Gu Yao, its body writhing with renewed aggression. 

 

Its flailing appendages gave it an air of frenzied madness. 

 

“Wow.” Bai Moxue, standing with her back to Gu Yao, continued to fire ice spikes at the breach in the fleshy wall. Her tone was indifferent. “Looks like you’re not very good at using that ability yet.” 

 

Gu Yao shot her a blank stare. 

 

I’m doing amazing, thank you very much! 

 

They were doomed. 

 

The car had reached a dead end. 

 

Bai Caixie grimly realized the nightmare scenario he’d dreaded had come true. 

 

Behind them, the insect swarm was closing in. The ominous buzzing was so close it made his scalp crawl. 

 

But that wasn’t the worst part. 

 

Ahead of them, another wave of insects emerged, their dark carapaces blending into an oppressive black fog as they surged toward the car. 

 

Big dog could no longer fire his air cannon. They were at the end of their rope. 

 

Bai Caixie clenched his jaw and glanced at his younger sister sitting beside him. 

 

He spoke softly, “Didn’t I tell you not to come?” 

 

Before Bai Caiwei could respond, he continued in a half-joking tone, “How about you jump out now? I’ll try to keep driving a little longer to draw them away.” 

 

He noticed her reddening eyes and stole a glance at the rapidly approaching swarm through the windshield. His words came faster. 

 

“If you jump, I’ll honk the horn to get their attention. If we’re lucky and they don’t notice you, they’ll all come after me. And if that happens, even if you break a leg, you better run for it…” 

 

The girl choked on a sob, cutting him off. “What about you?” 

 

Bai Caixie didn’t reply. 

 

The car’s speed dipped slightly, he really was trying to give her a chance to jump. 

 

Bai Caiwei glared at him. “If I jump, I’ll be half-dead from the fall! And what if the bugs see me and come after me instead of you? Then what?” 

 

Bai Caixie let out a snort of laughter, his hand casually steering the wheel with one hand. “Then that’s fine, I’ll run for it.” 

 

The girl laughed through her tears, and then the laughter turned into sobs again. 

 

After all, she was still just a student. 

 

“Brother... I’m not scared…” Her voice trembled as she spoke. 

 

Not scared? No one would believe that. 

 

Bai Caixie certainly didn’t. He knew his sister’s courage had always been small. He still didn’t understand how she’d managed to come along on this trip. 

 

Once, their parents protected them. Now, Bai Caiwei only had him. He couldn't let her down. 

 

Bai Caixie forced his fractured right hand to move, wincing as he did so. His fingers slowly brushed over and curled around the trembling hand of his sister, offering her some comfort. 

 

His voice was calm, stripped of the usual teasing tone. "I'm here." 

 

With that, Bai Caixie turned his gaze back to the insect swarm closing in ahead. 

 

"Don't worry. We're not going to die," he said. 

 

"R-really?" 

 

"Really~" 

 

His sister sniffled. "Then... make a pinky promise." 

 

Bai Caixie smiled faintly. His pinky finger quivered but eventually hooked onto hers. 

 

They used to do this all the time as kids. 

 

Pinky promise, no changes for a hundred years. 

 

At the same time, Bai Caixie slammed the gas pedal to the floor. 

 

If they’re going to die, they might as well crash through the swarm first. 

 

Inside the hive. 

 

With every lumbering step the Queen took, clear, viscous fluid dripped from its massive body, leaving a slimy trail. It looked like an oversized slug. 

 

But Chu Muge wasn't going to let it advance any further. 

 

Now that she had a grasp on its attack patterns and abilities, her movements had become sharp and decisive. 

 

Avoiding the bloated flesh of the Queen entirely, she used its jointed appendages as stepping stones. Blood-red eyes blazing with fury, she leapt forward like a cannonball, aiming directly at the Queen’s massive eye. 

 

Her Tang Dao was ready. 

 

She plunged it in. 

 

A wet, piercing sound followed. 

 

The Queen shrieked in agony. Its appendages trembled, and its massive, bloated body began to sway uncontrollably. 

 

The blade was sharp. It pierced through the eye and buried itself deep into the brain concealed behind it. 

 

Chu Muge yanked the blade free. 

 

Green blood spurted out from the ruptured eye, spraying everywhere. 

 

The Queen's body writhed and twisted. 

 

Green fluid splashed in every direction, painting its once-white, bloated form a sickly green. 

 

As the brain inside was destroyed, the surrounding insects became frenzied, their chaotic flying turning into panicked collisions. 

 

Boom! 

 

The Queen’s seven- to eight-meter-long body collapsed to the ground like an overcooked noodle, limp and lifeless. 

 

Full throttle. 

 

The car roared like a beast, its engine’s growl almost as deafening as the buzzing swarm. 

 

Bai Caixie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, bracing himself for the inevitable collision. 

 

But the anticipated crash never came. 

 

Puzzled, he opened his eyes and glanced ahead. 

 

The swarm before him had descended into utter chaos. 

 

The insects flew aimlessly, colliding with one another midair. Some crashed to the ground, their bodies limp. 

 

In mere minutes, the pursuing swarm behind them and the horde ahead all lost their vitality. One by one, they fell, their legs curling inward, their compound eyes losing their luster as if death had struck them suddenly. 

 

The city streets were now littered with insect corpses, a sprawling, blackened carpet that stretched as far as the eye could see. 

 

It was both an impressive and revolting sight. 

 

Bai Caixie stared blankly, his hands slack on the wheel. The car had come to a stop without him realizing it. 

 

Where hordes of insects once converged, now only piles of blackened carcasses remained, forming small, dark mounds. 

 

Moments later, Bai Caixie snapped out of it. He let out an exhilarated laugh, turning to his still-dazed sister. 

 

"See?! I told you! We’re alive! HAHAHAHA! Pinky promise! We’re alive!" 

 

He laughed like a madman, relief and joy bursting from him. 

 

From the passenger seat, his sister stared at him, then broke into a grin. Her face lit up as she clapped her hands in childlike glee. 

 

Her brother might be a fool. 

 

But he was also her hero. 

 

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