Tl-ed by Wei

Edited by LD

***

Although it was 3pm in the afternoon, densely packed clouds blotted out the sun’s rays as though god had placed a veil over the land.

"Ah, don't come over! Stay away!"

A janitor exclaimed. His body shook like a fallen leaf drifting along the wind and his face paled immensely.

This old man was a cautious and conscientious worker who had dedicated his entire life to Xijiang University. He had recently turned 61 and planned to retire six months later with the wishes of living a content life: planting some little flowers; and drinking tea while teasing his grandchildren.

However...

Life does not always turn out the way you expect. Out of nowhere, a monster appeared before him.

It was a flaming-red beetle!

He had seen quite a few beetles in his life. He had also trampled on an innumerable amount of them beneath his feet.

However, he did not think he would be able to treat the one which had just appeared before him in the same manner... and why was that so?

That was because this beetle was almost the size of a large bull. It would not be weird to state that it resembled those Volkswagen Beetle cars he’d seen in advertisements!

In his line of sight, this particular oddity had strange patterns riddled all over its flaming red carapace. It also had six long and narrow insect legs that were comparable to large water pipes, each measuring more than two meters. Additionally, on its head, there was a long tapered horn that radiated a chilling light.

The most frightening part was its eyes - staring into them made his scalp tingle.

That pair of eyes made the creature seem strangely humane as they shone with intellect!

The janitor could feel the overwhelming emotions exuding from its eyes alone and this was what scared him the most. Its eyes were filled with hatred, disgust and bloodlust!

They shone with a strange luster, like the headlights of a vehicle!

It felt as though the roles had been reversed; the hunter had become the hunted. Was this what the insects felt when they met humans?

The beetle uttered a low yet piercing screech and as its jaws moved, viscous liquid dripped from its fangs, leaving a grotesque green trail on the grass. This caused the ground to sizzle and emit a wisp of smoke. That alone showed the level of toxicity and corrosiveness of the liquid.

"I- I need to flee..." The janitor uttered in a voice which only he could hear. His heart drummed against his ribcage as though it was trying to break free but his legs remained rooted to the ground. How could he escape when he could not even command his limbs?

Staring at the approaching beetle, his back had long since been soaked with his cold sweat!

The scent of the beetle got stronger as it neared but before he could even process his thoughts, a sharp pain traveled through his ankles!

"Argh! My legs!"

He slumped to the ground and nearly passed out from the sharp pain spreading from both legs. Looking through squinted eyes, his heart turned cold as his ankles had already been disconnected from his legs!

Crunch! Crunch!

The beetle gnawed away at his feet, including the shoes. Even though it smelled bad, the beetle still chewed on as though the feet were a delicacy and in no more than two seconds, they had been devoured completely!

What followed after was simply a slaughter... The janitor was eaten piece by piece, starting from where it left off. First, the legs, then came the abdomen and finally, the head, until everything had been reduced to a meaty paste in its stomach!

All that remained was a puddle of crimson as well as pieces of mangled flesh and rags strewn sporadically across the ground.

A human adult was completely devoured in less than 30 seconds and digested by the giant insect.

Li Jiayu's classmates and the other classes, who bore witness to the cruelty, watched on with apprehension. Their faces were as pale as paper and some keeled over from their churning stomachs, puking all over the floor!

Little did they know, this old janitor was not the only victim. Simultaneously in other areas on the campus, students who had been rushing to their dormitory, couples and much more were dragged into the mess as well...

The number of deaths that had occurred in the history of Xijiang University was insignificant compared to this death toll that was increasing with every second.

In a blink of an eye, over twenty lives had been lost and numbers were still increasing by the second. The insects seemed to have appeared from thin air, multiplying rapidly in waves.

Although the beetle was the size of a bull, the power contained within its body could never be compared with a mere bull. It would be akin to claiming a mouse could easily topple over an elephant. Not to mention, with hundreds of these bull-sized insects threatening students, it was not at all inferior to a professionally trained armed force...

The students remained huddled against the walls of the classroom and a somber atmosphere lingered over their heads as they felt an impending doom arriving...

If it was a massacre, they would at least be buried. However, if their adversaries were these monsters, they would be chewed slowly to their deaths, experiencing excruciating pain until their very last breaths!

They could not help shuddering as they pictured the gruesome scenes of their deaths!

"Insects... Insects... How can there be so many of these terrible insects?!"

"They feast on humans. The couple that died, I recognized them... The guy was from my hometown while the woman was my close friend... How could this happen to them?!"

"It's impossible! The largest beetles in the world are the Longhorn beetles but they only measure up to 18 centimeters... Even if a gene mutation occurred or a genetic modification was done on them, they could not have grown more than half their size!"

Voices of unease exploded in the classrooms: there were screams; there were denials; some even brought out scientific analysis, and the girls who wet themselves earlier did it again...

"The environment on Earth would not allow for such existences... They came from the World of Insects..." Li Jiayu stared calmly upon the beetles rolling on the ground. His eyes shot out with a piercing light, his killing intent leaking little by little...

"World of Insects...?"

Gao Xiang pondered over his words for a moment before speaking, "I recall you saying the Earth's turbulence resulted in dimensional rifts leading to the insect invasion? Similar to the crimson crowned beetle, there would be more in the future, including other civilizations from various worlds and planes...."

The more he racked his brains over it, the more frightened Gao Xiang felt!

If what Li Jiayu said was true, without electricity or modern weaponry, how was humanity supposed to stand up against these monsters?

Fight them head-on?

How is that even remotely possible? It's simply unthinkable. Perhaps, suicide would be the easier way out of this pit of trouble!

"Indeed, my skills haven't regressed..."

Li Jiayu wielded the fire axe. Although not as skilled as the masters, every strike sliced the air with whirring sounds trailing behind. Fast, decisive and accurate; everything was fine!

In the past, Li Jiayu had often been forced to fight his way out of sullied waters. Whether it be axes, hammers, bricks, knives, chairs or pipes, he had utilized his environment to the fullest!

Later on, Li Jiayu had joined a Demon Hunter's group and picked up some fighting techniques and knowledge for armed combat. Although he hadn't been the best, he might not be weaker than trained soldiers...

Seemingly satisfied with the axe, he smiled. "Insects aren't the only invaders. There are still other worlds such as the abyss..."