Chapter 7

Although it wasn't the first time he had faced a Bugman, Wu Ming couldn't help but feel a wave of nausea when he saw the creature. The skin in some areas had been torn by the parasitic beetle forcing its way into the human body, making it look bloody and mangled. The parasitic beetle had attached itself between the throat and chest, controlling the central nervous system. This made the corpse act like a 'Gundam,' driven by these parasites, so even destroying the Bugman's head was useless, as the parasite had already taken the place of the brain once it had parasitized the host.

Therefore, to kill a Bugman, one could only attack the parasitic beetle inside.

Wu Ming was now less than two meters away from the Bugman. He slowly drew his Tang knife, bent his knees, and assumed a posture ready to spring into action at any moment.

The Bugman's greatest weapon was the pair of sharp, fang-like teeth that protruded from its mouth. These were part of the parasitic beetle's body, extremely hard, and could easily pierce human skin, muscle, and even bone. Additionally, the Bugman's speed and strength far exceeded those of a normal person. Even Wu Ming, who had been somewhat strengthened by yuan qi, was no match for it.

However, Wu Ming had a sharp Tang knife in his hand, and most importantly, he had three years of practical combat experience in the new world. This made him calm and composed, unlike others who were terrified and only knew how to dodge, offering no resistance.

Still, Wu Ming was tense, gripping the hilt tightly, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He hadn't had time to put on the armor in his backpack, meaning he had no defensive equipment. If the Bugman attacked him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the Bugman's movements, Wu Ming continuously recalled information about the creature. The Bugman in front of him was only in its first form and had not yet developed any defensive shell, so it was just as defenseless as he was.

As long as he could stab the parasitic beetle inside the Bugman, he could kill it.

The next moment, the Bugman moved, letting out a terrifying screech as it lunged forward. It was incredibly fast, reaching Wu Ming in the blink of an eye.

"Kill!" Wu Ming shouted, suddenly sidestepping and thrusting the Tang knife forward with both hands.

He felt a tremendous resistance through the hilt, nearly losing his grip, but he held on tightly. Almost simultaneously, a powerful force collided with him, and the Bugman slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

The two of them crashed to the floor, Wu Ming barely having time to adjust to the impact and dizziness. He saw the Bugman's disgusting mouth opening to bite him and quickly turned his head to avoid it.

There was a loud "slap" as the Bugman's sharp teeth, grazing Wu Ming's ear, hit the floor with a sharp sound. Seizing this opportunity, Wu Ming, seemingly drawing strength from nowhere, extended his arm and grabbed the Bugman's neck.

They were now lying on a broken shelf, locked in a tight embrace. Wu Ming used all his strength, his arm squeezing the Bugman's neck, which made a creaking sound. After a moment of struggling, the Bugman finally stopped moving.

Even so, Wu Ming did not relax his grip, even hearing the sound of the Bugman's spine breaking. He continued to hold on.

The people hiding in the supermarket, seeing no movement for a long time, cautiously peeked out. Wu Ming then pushed the motionless Bugman away and got up from the ground.

The Bugman was dead, its neck twisted at an odd angle, its head and body forming a right angle, clearly indicating a broken neck. However, this was not the cause of death. The fatal injury was the Tang knife embedded in the Bugman's neck, the blade piercing through and leaving green blood, indicating it had stabbed the parasitic beetle inside.

"Is it dead?" a fashionably dressed woman asked, trembling as she poked her head out from behind a shelf. But Wu Ming had no time to answer her. He kicked the Bugman's corpse away, pulled out the Tang knife, stepped on the corpse, and grabbed the Bugman's sharp teeth, pulling them out with force.

Wu Ming, strengthened by yuan qi, was much stronger than a normal person. With full strength, he was equivalent to two people working together, and he managed to pull out a bloody, mangled object from the Bugman's throat.

Seeing this, the fashionably dressed woman screamed and fled the supermarket, and others, reacting similarly, ran away as if they had seen a ghost, leaving Wu Ming bewildered.

"Wu Ming, you... what are you doing?" Li Xia, the only one who hadn't run, asked, her face pale and her voice trembling.

Only then did Wu Ming realize that the scene of him extracting the parasite from the corpse was indeed frightening. However, it was necessary to remove the parasite quickly after it died to prevent the loss of yuan qi. Moreover, Wu Ming was experienced in such tasks in the new world.

There was no time to explain to Li Xia, so he found a plastic bag and placed the parasitic beetle's corpse inside.

"Don't ask, let's go. If another one comes, we're both done for!" Wu Ming's words reminded Li Xia that there were still such monsters outside, and this was not a place to talk. She immediately followed Wu Ming out.

Li Xia's neighbor had disappeared, and Wu Ming, leading Li Xia, quickly ran through four streets before hiding in a corner to rest.

In the distance, they could still hear the faint screams of people and increasingly dense gunfire.

Wu Ming was fine, but Li Xia was panting heavily, unable to speak. Wu Ming knew she needed to rest. Looking around and seeing no one, he took out the parasitic beetle's corpse and began to dissect it.

The beetle's shell could be used to make low-grade armor, and its sharp teeth could be used to make weapons, both excellent materials. The residual yuan qi in the beetle's corpse could be collected with a yuan qi collector, providing at least a small amount of yuan qi.

After five minutes, Wu Ming packed the useful parts of the shell and teeth, leaving the broken corpse behind. He checked his yuan qi collector, which had collected one-fifth of its capacity.

"Wu Ming, are you hurt?" Li Xia, who seemed to have recovered some strength, asked. As an office worker, she was exhausted from running two kilometers.

Wu Ming then noticed that his arm and face were scratched, likely from the struggle with the Bugman. His chest also hurt, and if not for his yuan qi-enhanced body, the Bugman's impact would have broken several of his ribs.

Recalling the fight, Wu Ming felt a sense of relief. Killing the Bugman had been at least half luck. If he had been a bit careless, the outcome could have been different.

Li Xia looked at Wu Ming with a puzzled expression. Although she was just a company receptionist, she was a smart woman. She had noticed something strange about Wu Ming when he suddenly quit his job. In such a terrifying situation, most people would be lucky not to be scared out of their wits, but Wu Ming had dared to fight the monster, killed it, and even pulled out the strange parasite from the corpse.

How much courage did that take?

Moreover, how did Wu Ming know there was a parasite inside the corpse?

Li Xia had too many questions and finally couldn't help but ask, but Wu Ming didn't answer. It wasn't the time to explain.

At that moment, a loud explosion echoed in the distance. They turned to see a towering flame rising several streets away, and in the flames, they could vaguely make out a massive, indistinct figure.