The Beginning of a New Nightmare
In the room, Juzi used her Hearing talent and was completely engrossed. She was listening to Mifen, who was with Yuto Saito. Juzi was shocked to hear Mifen call him "Master," and her coquettish tone gave Juzi some wild ideas. She imagined Yuto Saito was a fan of role-playing. As she listened, she became more and more excited. This was her favorite part.
At midnight, a new round of chaos began. In the heart of the Kunlun Mountains, a dazzling blue light shot out from a nine-story demon tower, buried underground. A swarm of blue fire ladybugs emerged from the fissure.
In a mountain village near the eastern Kunlun Mountains, four men were huddled together.
A man with a flat top haircut said, "Captain, there's another earthquake. We need to get out of here quickly."
A muscular man replied, "The nearby shelters are all full. Where are we supposed to go?"
A tall, thin man said, "We need to find a place with stronger buildings. It looks like this village was attacked by something, and the villagers all ran away."
The muscular man, the team's captain, looked at a little man with an injured leg. "Yiming is a member of our team. We won't abandon him. If you're worried about what might happen, you can leave now."
The flat-headed man and the tall, thin man fell silent.
The little man, Yiming, whose leg was wrapped in bandages, said, "Captain, my leg is broken. Don't worry about me; you guys should go."
The muscular man replied, "Yiming, don't worry. We'll find a safer place tomorrow."
The four men were originally mountain climbers who had banded together when the apocalypse began. Their original team had 12 people, but eight of them, who were anxious to see their families, had already left. The little man had been injured, and they had tried to call for help, but the lines were always busy. Many places across the country were under attack by zombies and monsters, and countless people were losing their lives. Those with enough food stayed home, while those without had to venture out, often with tragic results.
Yiming's injured leg severely slowed them down, so they had to make a simple stretcher to carry him.
The tall, thin man complained, "I told you we shouldn't have gone so far, but you wouldn't listen." Their trip into the mysterious Kunlun Mountains, known as the "ancestor of all mountains," had taken several days. The little man's injury had made their return even slower. Fortunately, they had managed to avoid the mountain's monsters on their way back.
However, luck would not be on their side forever. A dozen of the fire ladybugs were now approaching their location.
The flat-headed man looked out the window. "Look, what's that? A blue light."
The muscular man and the tall, thin man looked at each other, stunned as the fire ladybugs got closer.
"They're just glowing bugs!" the flat-headed man said.
The tall, thin man asked, "Are they mutated fireflies?"
The muscular man said, "It's possible. Everyone, be careful."
A fire ladybug flew in and landed on the tall, thin man's shoulder. He laughed. "This blue firefly is beautiful." As he reached out to touch it, he suddenly felt sick. The next second, the man burst into flames, screaming in agony.
The other three were terrified. The flat-headed man saw more fire ladybugs flying in and quickly turned to escape through the back door.
The muscular man looked at the little man. "Yiming, I'll carry you out!"
The little man yelled, "Captain, hurry! Those bugs set people on fire! Leave me behind!"
The muscular man crouched down to pick him up, but Yiming saw a fire ladybug about to land on the captain's head. He reached out to swat it away. The moment his hand touched the ladybug, he too was engulfed in flames.
The muscular man stumbled back in fear, watching two of his teammates die. He was filled with guilt, believing that if they hadn't entered the Kunlun Mountains, they would have gotten out long ago. A fire ladybug then landed on his shoulder, and the next second, he also became a burning man.
The flat-headed man who escaped didn't get far. He was targeted by another group of fire ladybugs and also became a man on fire, dying with a profound sense of regret.
These fire ladybugs were fourth-order monsters. If a person with a constitution below 100 was attacked, they would instantly burst into flames. Humans with a combat power of less than four stars stood no chance against them.
The fire ladybugs scattered and flew toward the city lights.
In a residential building, a couple was sharing a cigarette.
The tattooed woman asked, "Brother Cha, our food will only last three months. What are we going to do after that?"
Brother Cha smiled maliciously. "Don't think so much about it. We'll deal with it later." He then hugged her.
Just then, the tattooed woman saw three blue fire ladybugs flying in. Her eyes widened. "Brother Cha, look! What are those things?"
Brother Cha had left a small opening in the window for air. He glanced back and said calmly, "Just some little bugs. Don't be scared."
One of the fire ladybugs landed on his shoulder. Brother Cha instantly became a man on fire. The tattooed woman, terrified, kicked him away, feeling a searing heat on her feet.
Another fire ladybug flew toward her. Panicked, she grabbed a cup from a nearby table and tried to swat it. She hit the bug, but the cup shattered in her hand. The tattooed woman screamed. The ladybug flew into her mouth, and the next second, she too was engulfed in flames. The fire spread throughout the room.
Next door, an elderly couple lived. "Wife, why is there a fire next door? I'm going to go see what's happening."
"Don't go out, old man! It's too dangerous."
"I'll just check and come right back."
As soon as the old man opened the door, a fire ladybug flew in. He instantly burst into flames. His wife watched in horror, heartbroken. "Old man! I told you not to go out, but you never listen! If you don't have the ability, don't pretend you do!"