Chapter 46: The Legion of Insects

Following the coordinates on the map, the group discovered the villa hidden deep within the mountain forest.

“This is the place we’re looking for? Just this ramshackle house?” Lin Xiaofeng complained as he eyed the dilapidated building before them.

“Something’s off about this structure. It doesn’t fit the surroundings. Let’s go inside and see for ourselves,” Zhang Xingmin replied, his words both a consolation for Lin Xiaofeng and muttered to himself.

“Big Min’s right. There shouldn’t be any man-made constructions this deep in the mountains. Judging by its age, this building must have been considered luxurious at the time. Built in a place like this, it’s certainly suspicious,” Zhao Nana agreed, her unease growing.

Brother Long glanced at them, lifted his Thunder Shield, and went to ram the door. The others just talked without taking action, so this was the perfect chance for him to prove himself and salvage his reputation.

The decrepit door was surprisingly sturdy; Brother Long failed to break it open on his first attempt, a testament to the villa’s quality. If such a solid building had been abandoned, then there had to be something more to it. Their curiosity about the place grew ever stronger.

Knowing the three teammates were watching him, Yang Dalong readied himself. After his initial setback, he gathered his strength and slammed into the door again. At last, the door gave way, and Yang Dalong stumbled inside, losing his balance.

“Careful!” The three shouted as soon as the door opened, glimpsing something amiss inside, and hurriedly warned Brother Long. But it was too late; he had already entered the domain of whatever lurked within.

Yang Dalong heard the warnings from Big Min, Xiaofeng, and Nana but paid them little mind. As he dusted himself off and tried to get up, he heard a sound behind him. At that moment, he finally understood the true meaning behind their urgent “Careful.” Trouble had struck again.

A rustling noise came from behind. Yang Dalong dared not turn around and tried to back out quietly. But the small creatures had already crawled beneath his feet. Some were as tiny as grains of rice, others the size of mice, and the largest as big as garbage bins. The sight of these insects was repulsive, and for some reason Yang Dalong immediately felt itchy all over, as if they were crawling on his skin.

“Help!” Brother Long called out to his teammates outside.

Quick as lightning, Zhang Xingmin swung his Longevity Lock, wrapped it around Brother Long’s waist, and pulled him to safety.

Once he landed safely, Brother Long exhaled deeply and patted Zhang Xingmin on the shoulder. “Thanks, brother!”

“Turn around and take a look,” Zhang Xingmin urged.

On his cue, Brother Long turned back. Now he finally saw the state of the house: the floor was swarming with insects of all sizes—a true horror for anyone with a fear of clusters. The mass of bugs was now advancing toward them.

“Damn, what do we do! There’s too many to fight! Should we set them on fire?” Brother Long was genuinely frightened. Even the hat he’d dropped moments ago had vanished without a trace.

“No, that would start a forest fire!” Lin Xiaofeng countered.

“What then? If they get to us, we’re dead! I don’t want to be eaten alive by bugs!” Brother Long braced himself. He’d rather burn to death than be consumed by insects.

“They seem to have stopped!” Zhao Nana, standing guard, noticed the bugs halting at the edge of the reflected light and breathed a little easier.

Zhang Xingmin, Lin Xiaofeng, and Yang Dalong saw it too—the insects were afraid of the light.

“Come on, keep biting me!” Brother Long taunted the insect horde, putting on a bravado.

Of course, the insect horde couldn’t understand, nor would they advance even if they could. Once night fell, their prey would have nowhere to hide.

The Falcon Squad knew the situation was growing more dangerous as afternoon wore on; waiting only made things worse. They needed a solution fast. They tried activating their portable searchlights, cranking up the intensity. It worked somewhat—the insects avoided the illuminated areas.

But their equipment wasn’t powerful enough to carve a path through the swarm. This discovery offered little help; they needed another way to deal with the horde.

“Usually, there should be a power switch near the entrance. I see this villa has a solar power system, so it might still work. Why don’t we try to turn on the lights?” Zhao Nana suggested.

“No! That’s too risky! The house looks old and neglected, the power system might not even function. Even if it does, what if the lights are broken? If someone goes in, it could be even more dangerous,” Zhang Xingmin objected strongly.

“So what’s your plan? Either way, we’re dead. It’s just a game anyway. Cover me with your lights and I’ll charge at them,” Brother Long said, raising his Thunder Shield and preparing to rush forward.

Zhang Xingmin quickly grabbed him and asked Lin Xiaofeng, “Can your gun shoot rubber bullets?”

Lin Xiaofeng nodded.

“Let’s check the location and type of the switch, see if we can hit it with a bullet to turn on the lights,” Zhang Xingmin suggested.

Lin Xiaofeng agreed. Zhao Nana and Brother Long waited while the two searched for a suitable angle around the villa. After two circuits, they picked a window near the door. The angle wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.

Lin Xiaofeng aimed at the switch and fired. The glass shattered, but the switch remained intact. He fired several more shots. This time he hit it, but the light only flickered without coming on.

“Try again!” Big Min whispered, not daring to speak loudly for fear of distracting Lin Xiaofeng.

Lin Xiaofeng was fully focused, not hearing Zhang Xingmin at all. He fired once more, and this time succeeded. The main light in the first-floor hall lit up, and the insect horde began retreating from the illuminated areas.

The hall was now clear, and the swarm blocking the entrance was no longer a threat. The four quickly stepped inside, turning on every light they could find. Two bulbs were broken, so they replaced them with spares.

Watching the swarm retreat like a receding tide, the group felt a surge of relief. But their joy faded quickly as they took in the villa’s interior.

At first glance, everything seemed intact, but a closer look revealed otherwise. All they could see were items made of metal, ceramics, and glass—there was no wooden furniture anywhere. It was unclear whether the bugs had devoured it all, or if none had ever been provided. Perhaps the dampness of the forest was to blame; iron and copper had rusted, giving everything a shabby appearance.

Most horrifying of all was the floor. If you looked down, you’d immediately spot human skeletons—just bones, with no clues as to how long they’d been dead. The bones were so weathered that a gentle nudge with a foot would break them.

“No telling how long it’s been since anyone lived here,” Zhang Xingmin remarked, gazing at the empty hall.

“Yeah, even the door locks are rusted. The hall is deserted; I doubt we’ll find any useful clues. Should we check elsewhere?” Brother Long proposed.

“How about the second floor? Should we split up to save time?” Zhang Xingmin suggested.

The other three nodded in agreement.

“Nana, can you go alone? It’ll be dark soon, won’t you be scared?” Zhang Xingmin asked, concerned.

“I’ll be fine! We’ve got lights—just turn them all on. Worry more about Brother Long! Don’t let him end up crying upstairs!” Zhao Nana teased.

“I’m not afraid of heights!” Brother Long protested, his pride wounded.

Zhao Nana ignored him and headed upstairs. The other three followed.

The villa didn’t look large from the outside, but inside it was quite spacious. With the four splitting up, it would still take some time to search every room. More importantly, once separated, they couldn’t assist each other promptly, so they agreed to grab anything useful and regroup without delay.

Zhang Xingmin chose a direction at random, pushed open a door, found nothing, and continued on. He stopped before a tightly sealed room, secured with a heavy lock. Instinct told him that there were secrets hidden here. He had to find a way in...