Bai Ci threw her entire weight into her hands, driving the tip of the blade deep into the creature's body.
Squelch!
The blade sank deep into the insect queen's abdomen, sending a geyser of black fluid spraying all over Bai Ci.
The queen let out a shrill, agonizing buzz, her body thrashing violently. Bai Ci held her grip on the knife, refusing to let go as she ripped the wound in the abdomen wider. Black fluid poured out in a steady stream, soaking the ground around them.
Completely enraged, it let out another shrill screech.
Several guard bugs lunged frantically toward Bai Ci. Their strength surged to terrifying levels, and investigator Chen was on the verge of losing his grip on them.
Bai Ci felt a tearing pain on her back, but she refused to let go. Instead, she threw her weight onto the short knife, driving it further down until it completely pierced through the queen's body and emerged from the other side of its abdomen.
The queen's thrashes grew weaker, and the buzzing of its wings gradually quieted down. Finally, it stopped trembling altogether. The eggs in its abdomen spilled onto the ground, and its massive body went completely limp, devoid of any signs of life.
The crisis was finally over.
The moment the queen died, the surrounding black bugs and guard bugs froze instantly, as if someone had hit a pause button. Then, their bodies began to slowly melt, dissolving into puddles of dark liquid that spread across the floor.
The fluttering and buzzing in the underground passage vanished without a trace, leaving only Bai Ci's heavy breathing and the faint, ragged gasps of investigator Chen behind her.
The stench of blood and the scent of sandalwood in the air were also slowly dissipating. Everything was finally turning around.
Bai Ci felt the ring's temperature gradually cooling down.
The system's description of the ring was very clear: it was meant to defend against low-tier spiritual entity attacks. Since the bugs could be blocked by it, they obviously weren't ordinary biological insects, which explained why they dissolved in such a bizarre, systemic manner.
Bai Ci slowly pulled out the short knife, scrambled down from the queen's corpse, and rushed to investigator Chen's side.
“Captain Chen, how are you?” Bai Ci quickly knelt down, carefully avoiding the wounds on his back. She gently helped him up, letting him lean against her, and pressed her hands firmly against his wounds to stop the bleeding.
Investigator Chen's back was a bloody mess, the wounds horrific and deep. His face was as pale as paper, his lips completely bloodless. Though his breathing was faint, he managed to stay conscious.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Bai Ci, a weak smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice was barely a whisper. “I'm fine... still breathing. We... we succeeded...”
“Yes, we succeeded,” Bai Ci said, nodding vigorously. “The queen is dead, and it's all over. Hang in there. I'm going to get you out of here right now and find a doctor.”
Investigator Chen didn't object. Leaning his weight onto her shoulder for support, he said in a weak but clear voice, “Thank you, Miss Bai. By the way, my name is Chen Quan. Quan as in spring. I never got the chance to introduce myself properly.”
“Chen Quan,” Bai Ci repeated softly, nodding. “I'll remember. Chen Quan, let's get out of here. You're going to be fine.”
She carefully supported Chen Quan, helping him limp step by step toward the entrance of the underground passage.
Chen Quan was heavy, and nearly all of his weight leaned on Bai Ci. The wounds on his back flared with sharp pain with every step, making him knit his brows, but he didn't utter a single complaint. He simply gripped Bai Ci's hand tightly, struggling to keep moving forward with her.
The self-reproach and heavy burden in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a sense of relief and peace.
The insect swarm along their path had completely vanished, leaving only puddles of mysterious liquid on the ground. Only a faint scent of sandalwood and dampness lingered in the air.
Supporting each other, the two slowly made their way out of the underground passage. When the sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon them, Bai Ci finally let out a long sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing at last.
In the courtyard, two investigators in hazmat suits were rushing over anxiously. When they saw Bai Ci and Chen Quan emerge, their faces lit up with relief and surprise.
“Captain Chen! Miss Bai! Thank goodness you're alright!” one of the investigators said excitedly, his voice thick with relief.
Bai Ci looked up and saw that the bugs in the courtyard had completely vanished. Not far away, Lin Wenyu was limping toward them. Her body was wrapped in bandages and she looked exhausted, but she still waved at them with a smile, clearly safe and sound.
Lin Wenyu walked over to Bai Ci and Chen Quan. Looking at Chen Quan, who was now being supported by the investigators, she grinned, her eyes filled with relief. “I knew you guys could do it. My running speed is pretty good, right? Otherwise, I'd be lying flat waiting for you to carry me out.”
Handed over to his colleagues, Chen Quan leaned heavily against an investigator. His face was still pale, but a faint smile touched his lips as he nodded at Lin Wenyu. “It was all thanks to you, Miss Lin. If you hadn't volunteered to lure the swarm away, we wouldn't have found the queen so easily, let alone resolved the crisis so quickly.”
He paused, then turned to Bai Ci, his eyes filled with gratitude. “And Miss Bai, you killed the queen with your own hands. You saved everyone in this area.”
Bai Ci shook her head, her gaze drifting toward the far side of the courtyard. “It wasn't just me,” she said quietly. “It was a group effort. It's just... so many people didn't make it.”
As she spoke, the horrific scenes in the corridors flashed through her mind—the residents who had been devoured by the swarm. She didn't consider herself a saint, but facing such a tragic sight, basic human empathy still tugged at her, leaving a bitter ache in her chest.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps echoed nearby. The Bureau of Investigation's reinforcements had arrived. They had been stationed outside the containment barrier, on high alert for the catastrophic consequences if the barrier failed. Fortunately, as far as the insect swarm event itself was concerned, this was the best possible outcome.
Escorted in their custody was a hunched figure—Old Man Li, also known as Li Mingxuan.
At this moment, he had lost all the cloudy-eyed dullness of his scavenger persona. His back was bent even lower, his messy hair stuck to his forehead, and his face was a deathly gray, as if he had aged decades overnight. He needed to be supported by investigators just to walk, finally looking like the fragile old man he actually was.
“Captain Chen, great work. You resolved the incident perfectly. We've apprehended Li Mingxuan,” an investigator said, stopping to push Li Mingxuan, who was in special handcuffs, forward.
“We found him in a hidden corner near the breakwater. He was curled up there, his bodily functions rapidly failing, and he didn't even have the strength to resist. It seems that with the queen's death, the Dew of Rebirth he consumed has lost its effect.”
Rate on N.U.
