Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Xiao Qian raised his head, his gaze locked on the faint light in the dark corner.
His heart pounded wildly.
He saw Xiao Huai’s figure.
Yet a strange mixture of hope and fear surged through him.
He hoped because the figure belonged to someone familiar. He feared because he could not see clearly.
Against the light, he could not tell what condition Xiao Huai was in.
And an enormous insect swarm followed behind that figure!
There was a fish in the deep sea called an anglerfish. A luminous organ on its head served to lure other fish close enough to catch.
What if Xiao Huai was already dead… and had become bait designed to deceive and capture the players?
Fear and hope intertwined in his heart, forming a complicated whirlpool of emotion.
Nothing could have happened to Xiao Huai. Absolutely nothing.
A player behind him screamed first.
“Aaaah! Run! Hurry, run! Don’t just stand there!”
Xiao Qian remained where he was and glared at them. “Run? Where can we go? Haven’t you noticed this was already the final area?”
They had followed Ling Chen all the way to this field of enormous boulders, with caves in every direction. Now the sound of moving insects came from every single cave.
Only one hour remained. Ordinarily, the players needed roughly three hours to escape a single insect swarm.
After each swarm passed, they merely had to deal with a few insects launching scattered ambushes.
But now swarms surrounded them on every side.
Ling Chen had not helped them much, but neither did he possess the power to summon this many swarms and exterminate every player.
He could only attract swarms by destroying insect eggs and releasing their scent.
But there were no eggs nearby for him to crush.
Ling Chen’s reaction when he sat up showed that even he had not known about this swarm.
In that case…
Could it be you?
Xiao Huai.
Xiao Qian clenched both fists. Whether this was a final stand or the return of an old friend, he needed only a light to reveal the truth.
A handful of marbles appeared in his palm. He slammed them into the ground, and dazzling radiance illuminated the entire space.
At that instant, everyone froze, uncertain whether to flee or stay.
They were completely dumbfounded.
Throughout their twenty-four hours in this instance, they had seen countless types of insects, but never anything like the one before them.
That insect was smiling.
It… no, she?
She wore an ornate red crown. The beautiful face of a woman was attached to a one-meter length of white bone.
Beneath that bone was an insect body as massive as a shark.
Countless hands grew from the torso, each complete with human fingernails.
Like any beauty-loving woman, she had different patterns painted on every nail, as if she had received a manicure.
Ling Chen’s pupils widened slightly. This creature was undoubtedly the insect queen of the instance.
In principle, the System had designed the game.
The System should have known that if the insect queen joined the swarm’s hunt for food, not one player would survive.
Even as a special fourth-floor instance, surely it still had to leave a few players alive.
Ling Chen stepped down from the boulder and studied the insects surrounding the insect queen. Every one belonged to the insect race’s elite.
What was this? Had she brought an entire elite force to besiege them?
Players could never be important enough for the insect race’s elites to eliminate personally.
Unless the players were not their target.
Unless it was him.
At that instant, the swarm seemed to receive an order and released a piercing howl. The noise forced the players to cover their ears and retreat in pain.
Only Xiao Qian remained motionless.
He saw it.
He saw everything clearly.
Xiao Huai stopped in place. The insect queen looked at him indulgently, then lowered her head to let him climb atop it.
Xiao Huai raised his head and leaped nimbly onto her crown.
At that moment, Ling Chen saw the pink gem in Xiao Huai’s hand.
That gem?!
It was the world core mentioned in the rules.
The entire swarm guarded that source of energy. The energy core sustained the survival of their whole race.
The power of an entire planet was sufficient to contend with a god.
But why was that energy source in Xiao Huai’s hand now?
Seated atop the insect queen, Xiao Huai looked coldly down over the entire scene. His gaze finally settled on Ling Chen.
He laughed softly and moved his lips, seemingly saying,
“Commander, are you well?”
Ling Chen froze. A moment later, the corners of his mouth rose wildly beyond his control. Though his gaze remained calm, overwhelming delight and excitement hid beneath his violet eyes.
Xiao Huai’s move had exceeded every one of his expectations.
He was pleasantly surprised. The little fellow had actually survived.
And he had brought Ling Chen such an enormous surprise.
The marbles’ light gradually faded.
The insect queen gave a low call, and countless fireflies flew in from every direction, illuminating the area once more.
A contest between the insect race and a god was about to begin.
The insect queen was the strategist of the entire insect race.
They had only one target: Ling Chen.
He could no longer stand by and watch. Now he had to truly fight.
He burst into wild laughter and covered his eyes with one well-defined hand. “Xiao Huai, you have certainly caught my attention. But do you think I’m afraid of these insects?”
Xiao Huai said nothing.
Ling Chen continued, “Just as you said, no small number of the insect race have died by my hand. I don’t know how you persuaded them to fight for you, but since you’ve done this, you should consider how it will end.”
“How this ends?” Xiao Huai raised a brow and lightly patted the insect queen’s head. Understanding, she lowered him to the ground.
“The only possible ending is death. But Commander, isn’t boredom what you hate most?”
He walked toward Ling Chen one step at a time, and Ling Chen’s heartbeat quickened as he drew closer.
Xiao Huai’s injuries had nearly healed. Cold light glittered in his eyes, while the faint smile on his lips made his red gaze appear even more wicked.
Xiao Huai said, “Why don’t we play a game of Go? If I win, you’ll grant my request. If I lose, I’ll give you this.”
He held up the pink gem.
The excitement in Ling Chen’s eyes deepened.
The energy core was an item even gods could use, and it was rare even to them.
It was more than worthy as a wager.
The System imposed too many rules on gods. Obtaining anything they wanted was never easy.
Xiao Huai seemed to read the emotion in his eyes. He raised a hand, and a Soul Contract appeared in his palm.
“This protects us both, doesn’t it?”
Ling Chen could barely conceal the excitement in his eyes. He extended a hand. “You know I’ve always been friendly.”
Xiao Huai glanced at his hand, then slowly reached out and hooked his knuckle against it.
A laugh escaped Ling Chen’s nose. He closed his hand firmly around Xiao Huai’s.
“I look forward to our game.”
Xiao Huai pulled his hand free, then leaned slightly closer. Not a trace of fear showed in his eyes, which were devastatingly beautiful beneath his thick lashes.
“Then let us wait and see, Commander.”