Chapter 6

As the distant gunfire grew more intense, even the demonstrators knew something was wrong. Wu Ming quickly ran to Li Xia, opened the car door, and pulled her out.

"Ask no questions, follow me now!" Wu Ming said directly. At this moment, Li Xia knew something major must have happened, and she nodded in a daze, asking nothing. She had never seen Wu Ming with such a serious expression before, and from her understanding of him, something huge must have occurred.

The gunfire grew louder, and the distant screams of people could be heard, the sounds getting closer, as if Death itself was approaching.

Wu Ming knew it must be the 'Insect People,' the hosts of parasitic beetles. He didn't know about other cities, but in Yucheng, at least four out of the six fallen cards were 'Parasitic Beetle' cards. In his previous life, Wu Ming had hidden in a public shelter set up by the government, where he heard news of these terrifying insect people every day.

They had speeds comparable to world-class sprinters, were immune to pain, and possessed strength several times that of an average person. They knew only how to kill, and the transformation from host to insect person took only a dozen seconds. They were the most efficient and terrifying killers in the world.

The most critical factor was speed. Wu Ming knew that the nearest impact site was only three kilometers from People's Square. At the speed of the insect people, they could reach here in less than ten minutes.

So they had to act immediately.

However, a small problem arose. The taxi driver, seeing Wu Ming pull Li Xia away, thought they were being harassed and got out of the car to stop Wu Ming. Fortunately, Li Xia's explanation defused the conflict.

"Wu Ming, this is Brother Guo, my neighbor. Brother Guo, this is my colleague Wu Ming!" Li Xia introduced them briefly. Wu Ming nodded, and at that moment, another round of gunfire echoed from a distance. The crowd gathered around finally realized something was amiss, and some of the onlookers began to leave.

Brother Guo was also startled and cursed, "What the hell is going on in the middle of the night!"

"Say nothing, let's go, we can't stay here!" Wu Ming urged. He had a reason for his urgency. He remembered that ten hours after the disaster, the area around People's Square, covering three impact sites and extending about seven to eight kilometers, would be completely overrun by the insect people. Over a hundred thousand people in the occupied area would be almost entirely wiped out, so they couldn't stay here.

However, at this moment, something unexpected happened. According to his estimate, the insect people would take at least ten minutes or longer to reach here, and they should have had plenty of time to leave. But suddenly, a large truck sped towards them.

The truck was like a mad beast, crashing through everything in its path at an incredible speed. Cars were sent flying, and people who couldn't get out of the way were crushed under the wheels, their bodies mangled. After crashing into a police car, the truck finally flipped over and stopped on a stone pillar in the center of People's Square.

The scene erupted in chaos. The truck had crushed and killed at least dozens of people, and the sight was extremely bloody. When the truck finally stopped, people noticed several figures lying on it. One of the truck's doors was missing, and the windshield was covered in blood. A person, covered in blood, was slumped in the driver's seat, convulsing.

The next moment, the driver, who was likely the truck's driver, suddenly sprang up, crawling in a way no human could. His eyes were grayish-white, his chin torn, and he had a pair of sharp, bony fangs.

"Damn!"

Wu Ming, who had absorbed primordial energy, had excellent eyesight. From his position, which was only a hundred meters away, he saw the terrifying scene clearly.

"Run!" Wu Ming felt his hair stand on end and immediately pulled Li Xia to run. At that moment, the driver, now an insect person, and the others who had been on the truck began a bloody massacre of the surrounding crowd.

An old man holding a banner stared in shock as an insect person pounced on him, biting through his throat before he could react. A young man, who had just turned and run a dozen meters, was grabbed by an insect person and had a huge gash torn in his abdomen, his intestines spilling out.

Blood, screams, and panicked crowds formed a scene that would be unforgettable for a lifetime.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden slaughter. Those who reacted quickly fled, while the slower ones were quickly pounced upon and killed by the insect people.

At this moment, several armed police officers arrived and began shooting at the terrifying insect people. However, bullets posed little threat to the insect people. Even when their bodies were pierced, their movements were unaffected. One insect person's head was shot through, but it continued to fight. If Wu Ming were there, he would tell the police to aim for the insect people's throats and below, where the parasitic beetles resided. Alternatively, shooting the insect people's hearts could immobilize the host, though it wouldn't kill the insect, it would be somewhat useful.

Unfortunately, the panicked police officers didn't know this, and the result was their tragic deaths. Although Wu Ming was tempted by the equipment left behind by the police, his life was more important at the moment.

There were only a few insect people here, but with the rapid reproduction of parasitic beetles, more larvae would soon be born. When the larvae arrived, the bodies on the ground would quickly transform into insect people with enhanced combat abilities.

As they ran, Wu Ming looked back and saw that Li Xia's neighbor, Brother Guo, had also abandoned his car and was following behind, his face filled with terror, clearly having never seen such a bloody scene.

At that moment, a woman ran and screamed, her shrill voice drawing the attention of an insect person. The insect person immediately roared and charged towards her. Coincidentally, the woman was running in the same direction as Wu Ming and Li Xia.

Seeing the insect person charging over, people panicked and fled even more frantically, trying to avoid it. However, with so many people, the crowd was too congested, and some were pushed to the ground, screaming in pain.

In the chaos, Li Xia was pushed to the side. Wu Ming, whose physical condition had been enhanced by absorbing primordial energy, managed to stay upright but stopped. The scene was too chaotic, and people were running in all directions, some hiding in side alleys, others rushing into nearby stores. Li Xia, likely terrified by the insect person, also ran into a convenience store.

Everyone hoped the terrifying insect person would chase someone else, but it didn't. After killing a few people, the insect person immediately followed into the convenience store.

Wu Ming, standing a dozen meters away, cursed and immediately took out the Tang sword wrapped in cloth from his back, gripping the hilt and rushing in.

Wu Ming knew his current actions were extremely risky. He was not an Awakened, nor did he have a card. Even if he encountered a lone first-stage insect person, his chances of survival would be less than fifty percent. However, he couldn't leave Li Xia behind, and in his original plan, hunting insect people was also a priority.

The reason was simple: parasitic beetles contained trace amounts of primordial energy, which could help him awaken sooner. Additionally, the beetles had many valuable items, such as their hard shells and large insect teeth, which would be important resources in the future and should be collected from the start.

The convenience store was only about 200 square meters. Due to the recent frenzy of purchases by citizens, the shelves were mostly empty, and some areas were completely bare. The people who had fled into the store were scattered, and two bodies lay on the ground, clearly killed by the insect person. The insect person was currently pouncing on a third victim.

Wu Ming scanned the area but didn't see Li Xia. However, the insect person noticed him and, after killing the person under it, turned around, hunched over.