บท 22: Chapter 19: Rampage of Giant Insect_1
The entire classroom was buzzing with excitement. They had only ever dissected dead ones; this was the first time a live one had been brought in.
A group of them eagerly went to the lab. "Musashi, what are you so excited about? Going to duel the bug?" Marlon teased.
"If I had the chance, I'd love to give it a shot."
"You're out of your mind, Zuo Xiaotang, where do you think you're going!" Marlon grabbed Zuo Xiaotang who was trying to sneak away. His chubby face all twisted up, "I find the thing disgusting, it's terrifying enough dead, let alone alive. Forget it."
"Xiaotang, you're part of the Mecha division, everyone else might be afraid, but not you, you have to go!" Li Hao joined in, with the three of them dragged the reluctant Zuo Xiaotang towards the lab. Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong trailing behind, laughing at the sight of someone like Zuo being in the Mecha division; he must be a genius. However, Zuo Xiaotang's soft nature really needed some toughening up, no matter how good his skills are, they'd be useless on the battlefield.
Inside the lab, there was a Razor Bug in a cage ten meters high, half-dead, lying on the ground. The cage was surrounded by bulletproof glass. It seemed like the bug wouldn't hold on much longer. Everyone crowded around the glass to get a good look. A few even flexed their biceps in excitement, their muscles would be a mere toothpick for the Razor Bug if it had any strength left.
"Its claws are incredibly sharp, with barbs that Mechas can't fully withstand. There have been few survivors on the battlefield so far, and it seems this creature has developed quite an appetite for humans…" Njinsk began an on-the-spot lecture, and the once excited crowd started feeling a bit nauseous. "Look closely, these are collected at a great sacrifice from the EMP data on the bug's movement habits. The more attentive you are to this, the better your chances of survival."
But, going to the battlefield was still a distant reality for the students. The Solar System was peaceful and Kepler was far away.
Li Hao observed the Razor Bug in the middle of the crowd. He had dissected one during his first year and the anatomy was identical to the bugs in his dreams, but this was his first encounter with a live one.
The nearly dead Razor Bug seemed stimulated by the crowd's gaze and slowly raised its head. Its four enormous compound eyes opened, taking in everything in its surroundings. Suddenly it noticed something, and all four eyes focused on one spot.
"Don't assume it only has four eyes. Each eye is filled with sensory cells and each compound eye is made up of more than twenty thousand individual eyes. It has a genuine 360-degree field of vision. Even in the dense jungles of Kepler, as long as you enter its range, there's no chance of hiding. Any luck you think you have is nonexistent. Once it locks its sight on you, the sensation of being watched by countless bugs will strike terror in you. If your mental fortitude isn't strong enough, it can cause a mental breakdown…"
At that moment, Li Hao sat unmoving, the bug had locked onto him. The Razor Bug began to struggle to its feet, its previously weakened state suddenly giving way to a frenzied attack on the cage. The alloy cage that was supposed to contain it began to fracture after several violent hits, then it started charging the bulletproof glass.
An alarm started ringing throughout the lab and cold nitrogen gas began to fill the room from the vents. The bug's resistance to sedative gases was too strong, low temperatures were the only thing that could suppress it. But clearly, they had miscalculated this time, as the bug attacked the glass with renewed vigor.
"Scatter, everybody out!" Njinsk shouted, sensing the bug's murderous intent.
Panic ensured in the lab, but before anyone could react, the glass shattered, and the Razor Bug burst forth. People were knocked down and many were injured by the glass shards. At that moment, two figures charged forward, Ye Tong and Zhou Naiyi threw a nearby table at the bug, but its claw swung and slashed right through it. Then it charged at Zhou Naiyi, its four giant eyes wide open, suddenly paralyzing her with its gaze.
Zhou Naiyi was surrounded by countless eyes, as if in a nightmare. She lost consciousness.
Whoosh...
A figure darted out. Li Hao held Zhou Naiyi, evading the Razor Bug's fatal blow. But the Razor Bug was now in front of them, its giant razor coming down.
The entire lab filled with screams. Suddenly, the Razor Bug seemed to lose its strength. Its eyes were fixed on its prey before it finally collapsed. Its sharp maw oozed a puddle of green liquid, followed by its body cracking open, seeping more green liquid…
Only then did Njinsk breathe a sigh of relief, his face extremely pale. It was pure luck that this Razor Bug had been severely injured. He surveyed the shredded alloy beams and the shattered bulletproof glass, wondering how such a catastrophe could've occurred.
Their evaluation stated that the bug barely had breath left when it got here, why would it suddenly go berserk? Why hadn't the chilled nitrogen gas worked?
Ignoring the commotion around him, Li Hao immediately laid Zhou Naiyi down, compressing her chest, and performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few attempts, Zhou Naiyi's breathing gradually returned to normal.
A normal person without the protection of a Mecha could have their breath taken away by the gaze of the bug, not to mention being mentally suppressed. He knew the feeling all too well.
Soon, the school's medical staff arrived. Their response was quick, but they were lucky this time...
The lab was still being sterilized and several injured students were being treated. Thankfully, the Razor Bug had exhausted its last bit of strength against the bulletproof glass. Otherwise, there would have been no survivors.
Long Danni watched the surveillance footage with a grave expression, surrounded by Professor Njinsk and other experts on the giant insects.
"Professor Njinsk, did we check this giant insect when it came in?" This kind of oversight was absolutely unacceptable. Had Tianjing Mecha become so absurd? This infuriated Long Danni.
"Principal, we did conduct meticulous inspections, and the laboratory has a double-layered defense system in place; we also prepared low-temperature nitrogen to deal with any anomalies. But this situation is indeed strange. This giant insect seemed to be stimulated by something unknown to us. Its body exploded with incredible force, seemingly shot by an attack we don't understand. This really unnerves me, but also piques my curiosity," Njinsk said. "Principal, this has never happened before. At least, none of the data we've received from the front lines mentioned such an unusual situation."
"Roll back the footage. Was it stimulated by something?"
Over a dozen people in the room stared at the screen. The insect, on the verge of death, suddenly became restless at a certain moment.
"Listen, can you determine where the insect was focusing, Professor Njinsk?" asked Long Danni, pointing to the screen all of a sudden.
Njinsk was also taken aback. The razor-sharp insect had a definite target... and it was ... Li Hao!
It was clear that the target of the insect was Li Hao. It smashed the tempered glass and charged towards him, but its path was disrupted by a table thrown by Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong. The two girls had made a swift reaction. Although their interference was lacking in attacking power, it disrupted the insect and evidently, it had weakened considerably.
Then there was Zhou Naiyi, standing still, awaiting death. Everyone present knew this was the "nightmare" state brought on by facing a giant insect, a form of psychic suppression that some soldiers on the front lines had experienced.
But then, Li Hao darted over and in the nick of time, saved Zhou Naiyi. Just when everyone thought they were going to die, the razor-sharp insect perished.
Long Danni noticed a detail. The giant insect partially obscured the visual field, but through the cracks, it seemed like Li Hao was facing it head-on.
At the very least, he wasn't affected by the giant insect. Was it a coincidence, or was the insect already exhausted?
"Professor Njinsk, please follow up on this matter. The students need an explanation. The priority is to take good care of the injured," she said.
"Yes, Principal."
After the others left the principal's office, a few minutes later, Long Danni dialed a call. "Get Li Hao here."
Long Danni sat quietly. People who had lived through wars did not get perturbed easily. They handled situations as they came, but this was clearly not a lab oversight. There were factors she didn't understand at play.
Li Hao, from the Solar System Junior Class, should they make use of him?
Even someone in Long Danni's position had to think carefully about this.
While waiting, Long Danni played the video again. She had been to Kepler and knew well that without the protection of the Mecha, gigantic insects were nothing less than demons to humans. The fear and scattered fleeing of students were normal reactions. Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong had showcased courage and strategy, which pleased Long Danni. Despite the stifling suppression caused by the insect, Ye Tong was unaffected, and though Zhou Naiyi fell slightly short, it was understandable. After all, Ye Tong was amongst the few who had the "Golden Zone."
Li Hao's agility in saving Zhou Naiyi was commendable, but he didn't face the insect directly ... No, wait!
She had made a habitual mistake. The insect's compound eyes were focused on...
She replayed the video in slow motion, and suddenly Long Danni stood up.
All of the insect's eyes were fixated on Li Hao. Seen from another perspective, though Li Hao was rushing towards Zhou Naiyi, for a split second, he was looking directly at the razor-sharp insect.
The video paused, and on the screen, a frozen image showed Li Hao staring blankly at the insect, while all its eyes were firmly locked onto him.
Once he safely rolled away with Zhou Naiyi, he was out of the insect's line of attack. Usually, Li Hao should have carried Zhou Naiyi and tried to escape, but instead of running, he chose to look back at the insect again, even though its sight was obstructed.
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