"What's that sound over there?"
"Someone probably ran into the door and broke the glass. It's so dark; you'd think they'd be more careful."
"Whose phone still works? Mine's completely dead."
"Same here."
"Mine too... Anyone got a charger?"
"Charger? The power's out! What good will that do? Does anyone have a power bank?"
Despite the confusion, the crowd remained relatively calm, assuming the hotel was experiencing a sudden power outage. Their conversations, while concerned, retained a lighthearted tone.
"This isn't right," Pei Tiancheng muttered, pressing the power button on his phone repeatedly with no response. His frown deepened. "How is it that everyone's phones died at the same time as the power outage?"
From the darkness, Ye Chenglin's voice called out, "Forget the phones. We don't know how long this outage will last. We should leave the hotel now. The elevators are probably down, so let's take the stairs... Does anyone have a lighter?"
Pei Youguang quickly responded, "I've got one." He pulled out a sleek, brand-name kerosene lighter.
Flick
A small flame sparked to life, casting flickering shadows across the darkened hall.
The sudden light brought a collective sigh of relief. Even in a crowd, darkness stirs a primal fear. The fragile flame seemed to push back the oppressive shadows, offering a fleeting sense of security.
"Everyone, gather here," Ye Chenglin commanded, clapping his hands. "Follow the light, and stay together. Let's move slowly, no rushing, and watch your step."
The guests complied, drawn to the lighter's glow, clustering around it like moths to a flame.
"What a way to end the night, huh? Just when things were getting good, there is a power outage. What is with this hotel?"
"It might not be the hotel. Could be an area-wide blackout."
"I actually find this kind of thing thrilling, don't you? Feels like we're in a suspense movie—like something dangerous could happen any second, haha."
The atmosphere remained oddly upbeat, with most treating the situation more like an adventure than a problem. The combination of safety in numbers and the strangeness of the blackout fueled their excitement rather than fear.
"Hey, why don't we go check out that haunted suite now? It'd be even spookier in the dark!" someone from Ye Chenglin's group suggested.
"Are you insane? No way! It's way too creepy without the lights. I'm not going in there..." a girl protested softly.
"What's to be scared of? There are so many of us. Even if a ghost did show up, it wouldn't know who to grab first. Plus, we've got Master Pei here to protect us. He's a martial arts expert, right?" the guy teased casually.
Pei Tiancheng smiled, ready to make a light-hearted reply, when a faint rustling sound caught his attention. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a shadow dart across the room.
"What the hell!" he shouted.
Everyone jumped, startled by his outburst.
"Master Pei, what's wrong?" someone asked, alarmed.
"Are you trying to scare us? I've got a weak heart, don't mess around!" another complained.
Pei Tiancheng squinted, trying to focus on the darkened corner. In the faint glow of the lighter, it was difficult to make out what he had seen.
"Maybe... I imagined it," he said, his voice uncertain.
But before he could process further—
Whoosh!
A dark figure darted past, and in the blink of an eye, the man who had suggested visiting the haunted suite disappeared.
"Ying Yang!?"
"Where did he go? What the hell just happened!?"
"Don't joke around, man!"
A blood-curdling scream suddenly pierced the silence, shrill and filled with unimaginable pain.
"No, no, no, what's going on?! Aaaaahhh!"
"That's Ying Yang's voice!"
The group erupted into panic. Several martial arts disciples, including Li Zhaoquan and Zhang Daqing, rushed to the front, their expressions grim.
"Everyone, stay together! Don't move around!" Zhang Daqing ordered, trying to maintain control.
"Did anyone see what happened?" another disciple demanded urgently.
"No! It's too dark! There's only that one lighter! I couldn't see anything, just... some shadow!"
"Does anyone else have a lighter? Light them up!"
A few guests hurriedly lit their lighters, casting more flickering flames across the hall. Slowly, the dim light revealed a grotesque scene—and what they saw made their blood run cold.
"Oh my god... What is that?!"
In the far corner lay a mangled corpse, its body riddled with bite marks. The face had been chewed away, but the blood-stained clothes revealed it to be Ying Yang.
Above the body crouched a monstrous figure.
The creature was nearly two meters tall and pitch-black, its form a horrifying amalgamation of human and insect. Its feet resembled a human's, but its arms had been replaced by six sickle-like appendages, each lined with jagged barbs. Its head, vaguely human, was dominated by massive compound eyes and twitching antennae, while its mouth was an insectoid maw, chewing on a bloody chunk of flesh.
The creature's back was covered by a set of thin, cockroach-like wings, and its lower body resembled that of an insect, with two long, needle-sharp tail hairs twitching menacingly.
A wave of terror swept through the room, even the martial artists couldn't suppress their instinctive revulsion at the sight of the abomination.
Insects were already a source of primal fear, and this grotesque fusion of man and cockroach was something beyond comprehension.
Screams erupted as the crowd surged back, pressing themselves against the walls in a desperate attempt to get away.
"What the hell is that thing? A biotech experiment gone wrong? Or is it from the borderlands?" Zhang Daqing muttered, horrified.
"I don't know," Li Zhaoquan responded, swallowing nervously. "Should we fight it?"
"Fight it? Are you crazy? I'm terrified of bugs—I don't even want to touch it!" one of the disciples exclaimed, his face pale.
Several guests, overwhelmed with panic, bolted for the door, desperate to escape.
"Stop! Don't move!" Zhang Daqing shouted, but they didn't listen.
The cockroach-man's antennae twitched. It had sensed the movement.
Bang!
In an instant, the creature shot forward, black lightning streaking across the hall. The fleeing man didn't even have time to scream before he was sliced clean in half, his body crumpling in a pool of blood.
The crowd froze in horror as the cockroach-man loomed over the two halves of its victim, its insect legs dripping with gore.
"How the hell do we fight this thing?!" a disciple cried out in disbelief.
In the dim light, the creature's wings spread wide, nearly three meters across, casting a menacing shadow over the room.
With a deafening buzz, it launched itself into the air, diving toward the crowd like a predator zeroing in on its next meal.
"Master Pei, help us!!" someone screamed.
Pei Tiancheng clenched his fists, stepping forward with a shout of defiance. He delivered a powerful punch to the monster.
Bang!
The impact sent the cockroach-man flying across the room, crashing into a table.
For a moment, hope flickered in the crowd.
But before they could cheer, the creature rose from the wreckage, unscathed. It crouched, ready to strike again.
Pei Tiancheng's instincts screamed danger. "Run!!" he yelled, diving to the side.
Barely a second later, the creature lunged, moving so fast it sliced through several bystanders, their bodies falling in halves to the ground.
Screams erupted again as the crowd scattered in terror.
Among the chaos, Xue Jing's eyes narrowed, a flicker of black fire burning in his gaze.
"I see now..." he thought. "It uses hydraulic pressure like an insect, this explains its sudden bursts of speed and strength."
His fists clenched. "But it's not invincible."
As the cockroach-man sized up its next target, Xue Jing stepped forward, moving with calculated calm.
"Brother Jing?!"
Gasps of disbelief echoed as Xue Jing walked straight into the creature's path.
"What is he doing? Is he insane?!"
Ignoring the panic around him, Xue Jing stood his ground, his gaze locked on the creature.
Bang!
The floor cracked as the cockroach-man lunged toward him.
Xue Jing's focus sharpened. His dynamic vision, enhanced by his training, allowed him to track the creature's lightning-fast movements.
"Twin Speed, Twin Power, all systems go!"
With a burst of acceleration, Xue Jing pivoted and delivered a devastating kick.
Boom!!
The cockroach-man was blasted backward, slamming into the wall with a thunderous impact. A crater formed as the creature's body embedded into the concrete.
"Queeek—"
A garbled sound escaped the monster as it spat out dark green blood, its compound eyes dimming momentarily.
The crowd, who had been on the verge of panic, fell silent. All eyes were on Xue Jing, who had just sent the seemingly unstoppable creature flying.
Xue Jing stood still, his posture relaxed, his expression calm. He glanced at the creature stuck in the wall and spoke with icy indifference.
"You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier," he said, his voice carrying through the silence
He then gestured casually at the creature. "Now... it's your turn to entertain me."