Brainless Village
The man silently ate the whole bowl of bugs. His mouth was covered with sticky liquid that hung like saliva. He spat on the ground, then folded the bowls on the table and put them back in the cupboard.
After finishing breakfast, Chen Nuan smiled and stood up with the man. They looked up with a solemn attitude. Huo Chi thought they were going to make the sign of the cross on their chests devoutly, but he thought that the people here probably didn't believe in Jesus.
Jiang Ziyao and the other man also stood up. The man seemed to be about to go out, so he and Chen Nuan quickly turned around and started walking.
With a bang, the door closed.
They walked very quickly and Jiang Ziyao only saw two hurried backs, leaving him no chance to react.
There was no sound, and the house fell into dead silence. Huo Chi finally relaxed a little after being mute for half an hour. He could finally speak: "Brother Jiang, what should we do now? Should we follow them or stay here first?"
Jiang Ziyao shook his head, his eyes darkened and he looked sharply towards the door.
Huo Chi swallowed the words he wanted to continue saying. He lowered his footsteps and walked to the door next to Jiang Ziyao.
Jiang Ziyao's hand was on the door handle, and Huo Chi tilted his head to listen. There was no other movement outside. When he looked up again, Jiang Ziyao was already frowning.
Just now, the man and Chen Nuan walked very fast, just like when they were chasing Bian Chengsi. Does this mean that there are survivors nearby, or that Bian Chengsi has escaped?
If neither of these two is true, then there is another possibility. They are just putting on an act and setting a trap for Jiang Ziyao and the others.
Jiang Ziyao was more inclined to the latter because he heard a dull buzzing sound through the door, which was the sound of breath coming from the nostrils. He pulled the door open suddenly, and as he expected, they were greeted by two gloomy faces.
Chen Nuan and the man were both standing at the door, their backs to the light, facing him gloomily. It seemed as if there were sharp knives in their dry fingers, ready to stab six big holes in the man in the next moment.
The man was only separated from them by a door from the beginning to the end. Huo Chi felt a chill on his back and swallowed a breath with forced calmness. He was not sure if he had been exposed, so he could only stare at the other person with vigilance.
The man took a step forward with his eyes wide open, and the shadow cast by his sturdy body covered the two of them.
This distance is not safe. Is he going to take action?
Huo Chi's first thought was to retreat and keep a distance, but Jiang Ziyao reached out and grabbed him. His palm was a little cold, and Huo Chi's right hand was still a little painful and numb. Now was not a good time to fight.
Jiang Ziyao signaled him not to move, so Huo Chi relaxed and stood where he was.
The man's fierce face was pressed in front of him. The skin on his face was very tight, and the bulging blood vessels looked like crawling insects. Jiang Ziyao also looked at him coldly, but said in a calm but angry voice: "Aren't you going to leave?"
Jiang Ziyao had been listening carefully since they went out. The sound of footsteps that did not go far away reminded him, so he quickly opened the door. According to the known information, the man and Chen Nuan were going out to do something. He didn't know what they were doing specifically, but this must be something that people of the same kind need to do. Otherwise, they will become targets of pursuit.
If they had come out a little later, the men would have broken in and torn them to pieces, but Jiang Ziyao did not give them the opportunity and instead threw the question back.
Jiang Ziyao repeated: "Why not leave?"
Chen Nuan, who was originally sneering, suddenly changed her expression. Her facial features twitched with anger and she was gritting her teeth.
The man was frightened for a moment because of Jiang Ziyao's words. The gauze he was wearing swelled up and his face became absurd and weird. The insects were sucking his brain. This was a warning and punishment. There was some pain on his face. Similarly, he did not move forward.
People in the house came out one after another. They were probably going somewhere. Chen Nuan and the man did not confront Jiang Ziyao and the others anymore. Instead, they turned around and followed the large group. All the people who could move in the village gathered together. They walked at the same pace and wore beehive hats on their heads. The gauze covered the parasitic insects on their necks, making them look like ordinary people with dull looks.
Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi mingled with the villagers. They followed Chen Nuan and walked a short distance when they saw a circle of round stones. The villagers stopped and looked up. The layout here was very ancient, with a large dead tree at the top. The buildings seemed to be very old. If there hadn't been a doomsday, this might have been a special tourist attraction.
A figure appeared at the highest point, and a sound was heard, similar to the sound of a flute, which was played very strangely.
The villagers began to stand forward in an orderly manner. The stone in the center looked like an altar, with a wooden frame on it. It was very large and could tie a person horizontally. Under the frame were headless human bones arranged in a circle. There were about ten bodies.
Chen Nuan walked up two steps, and the man stood at the bottom. The higher you go, the fewer people there are. There is a rule for standing there. Jiang Ziyao looked around and found a total of five floors...
Huo Chi nudged him with his arm, but he didn't respond.
"Brother Jiang." Huo Chi called out again in a low voice. Jiang Ziyao was surprised at his boldness.
The villagers around them had already stood in place. Their expressions were changing, and their bulging eyes were staring at them. They had to find their own positions immediately, and Huo Chi pointed in a direction: "There are words."
Character?
Jiang Ziyao looked over and saw that there were actually words engraved on the stone slab.
There are two positions in total, which are new words.
The mark carved on the stone is quite obvious, indicating that it was not carved long ago.
Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi stood at the location where the words were engraved. The effect was remarkable. The villagers' expressions became numb like puppets, and their attention was diverted.
The person who carved the words was obviously helping them. This person knew of their existence and was very familiar with the rules here.
Is it Chen Nuan?
Jiang Ziyao glanced at Chen Nuan, but the latter's eyes were cold, empty and sinister. Was this still the same Chen Nuan from last night? Was there a twin? Or was she just acting?
The person at the top of the viaduct walked down a step playing a flute. It was a very long square flute made of a human's third rib.
The villagers began to kowtow. The people at the edge were passing a human skull in their hands. Mosquito-like buzzing sounds came out of their mouths, which were uglier than the ancient language of sacrifice. This behavior looked a bit like the flag-raising ceremony at the opening ceremony of a school, with Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi just filling in the numbers.
Jiang Ziyao could only use his peripheral vision to observe the situation around him. There was a blood-stained cloth tied to the dead tree. The people on the high places were bent over. He lowered his head as if the weight on his neck was a thousand pounds. He hunched his back and slowly walked down to the bottom.
Soon after, the skull was passed to Jiang Ziyao. The previous person handed it to him so quickly that Jiang Ziyao almost dropped it. The skull was very large, weighing about five kilograms. Its only advantage was that it had no smell.
He held the man's head above his own head, while Huo Chi stood up and knelt, and then stood up again. His heart rate rose and fell with Jiang Ziyao's movements.
Jiang Ziyao maintained the raised posture, with a pair of feet beside him. He could not move unless the people around him moved. Even if a face suddenly came close to his face, his hands did not shake.
The man's face was small and thin, just skin and bones. He looked at him suddenly and sniffed around him. The man's face was as white as a newly painted wall, and his dark eyes were rolling around. Jiang Ziyao heard the sound of the man sniffing and immediately held his breath.
The bugs on the man's neck were wriggling, and Huo Chi's heartbeat was pounding nervously.
Jiang Ziyao remained expressionless. The man bared his teeth in anger and stretched out his hand. Jiang Ziyao returned the skull to him. After the solemn handover ceremony was completed, the man finally left. He and Huo Chi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The infected people here still had human behavior. They were holding a sacrifice, and after it was over, the villagers began to disperse and divided into several teams. Jiang Ziyao counted the pattern and found that there were six people in a group. He and Huo Chi could just follow behind the men, but they were staggered from Chen Nuan. Huo Chi was a little happy, after all, he didn't like being stared at by this gloomy woman.
They left the house and went to the woods. Jiang Ziyao smelled the so-called empty fragrance, which was like the smell of peach blossoms but was made from corpse oil. It made people feel dizzy. There were no signs of digging on the ground. The man would stop from time to time, and Jiang Ziyao found that the larvae on his neck moved.
The man bared his teeth and turned his head to change direction. It seemed to be a way of communicating, telling them to avoid the trap. Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi were making small movements behind them, silently marking the ground with their feet when they paused.
Their task during the day is to make traps by stuffing dry grass into headless corpses with their brains sucked out. The head is just a piece of human skin. The insects' skills in this regard are better than those of making human skin drums. They stick their mouth needles into the corpses, causing the skulls to rot together, and they have superbly preserved a complete piece of human skin.
The man sitting opposite seemed to be getting more and more excited. His mouth suddenly opened into an almost crazy laugh. He was not the only one who did the same. The other three infected people did the same. A sneering laugh came out of their mouths, carrying a foul smell.
These guys had a bit of bad breath, and Jiang Ziyao wanted to block his sense of smell. After a while, the men's attention completely shifted from Mu Mu to Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi.
They stared at Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi while cutting wood. The veins on their arms were bulging. The sickles seemed to be cutting into people's bodies, removing bones and chopping them into pieces.
Jiang Ziyao even suspected that they were thinking about how to pierce this thing into their bodies.
Something had affected them. After slowly understanding the rules here, Jiang Ziyao adapted quickly. He thought it must be time.
The closer it gets to dusk, the less they look like humans. Dusk is the beginning of hunting, and as soon as the sun starts to set, they will probably pounce like wild beasts.
Although the infected people in front of him had not taken any action yet, they had already become excited and impatient enough. Having eight eyeballs stuck on him was really creepy. Jiang Ziyao was even worried that their eyes would burst out at any time.
Escape now? Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi exchanged glances silently.
But Jiang Ziyao shook his head and rejected the suggestion. Leaving now was not in line with the behavior of this village. Their wood had not been cut yet, so they could only wait.
Huo Chi had no choice but to speed up his movements until the sun above his head showed signs of setting. The men in front of him dropped their sickles and stood up, carrying sharpened wood.
Jiang Ziyao swallowed, and the man stood in front of him.
Saliva flowed from the men's mouths. Their expressions were no longer like machines. Their eyes were wide open and as ferocious as in horror movies. However, he did not open his mouth to bite him directly. Instead, he passed by Jiang Ziyao and they stood in the same formation as when they came.
The infected people's smiles became more and more sinister. They laughed loudly and moved towards the house excitedly and happily. At this time, the sunset had completely emerged.
Bang——!
Their hands loosened as they were holding the wood, and the wood fell down. They turned their heads suddenly, and their hands also supported themselves on the ground, turning into crawling monsters, saliva flowing from their mouths, but the prey behind them disappeared.
Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi had already entered a small path halfway. There were traces of people walking on the grass, and there was a stone left on it, which also had new words engraved on it. He didn't think that this mysterious mark was a coincidence. Someone was intentionally guiding them, so he naturally couldn't miss this opportunity.
The safety of the cabinet was now in doubt, and there was also a great risk in entering the cabinet before dusk, so they chose this unknown path.
They felt something was wrong when they looked at the sky above their heads. The incense was still lingering in their bodies. Huo Chi's strength soon ran out. Jiang Ziyao pulled him back, and Huo Chi was gasping for breath.
After running all the way, Huo Chi couldn't stand it anymore: "Brother Jiang, why don't you go first? I'll go accompany that kid."
Jiang Ziyao almost wanted to slap him, but he saved the energy to raise his hand and just glared at Huo Chi.
Huo Chi couldn't figure it out either: "Brother Jiang, aren't you affected by the incense?"
Jiang Ziyao also felt strange. He shook his head and said, "I felt a little dizzy at first, but then I didn't feel anything."
Huo Chi was almost dragged forward by Jiang Ziyao. The breath they exhaled would become a weather vane, and the infected people would definitely chase after them. There was a very obvious road under their feet, but the final destination was a large bush.
Jiang Ziyao heard roars. Having survived the apocalypse for so long, he could conclude that they were made by zombies. The wind blew their human scent over. He turned around and two zombies rushed towards him through the bushes. He immediately picked up a shovel and hit one of the zombies on the head.
A zombie fell down, and he took the shovel and smashed its head.
Huo Chi stepped forward and kicked the other one away. He straightened up and leaned against Jiang Ziyao's back.
Chi——!
The other shovel was directly inserted into the zombie's head. This shovel was a little special. The hardness could change. It could float in the water and could be used as a sharp knife. Jiang Ziyao's movements were swift and precise. They all endured for a long time, and the zombies' heads all exploded.
Huo Chi was a little annoyed that he couldn't use his superpowers.
There are still zombies near the village. Jiang Ziyao feels that they are not completely passive. His shovel can still be used. Could it be that other tools will not be affected?
There was another rustling sound coming from the woods behind. Someone was approaching. Was it an infected person or a zombie?
Jiang Ziyao frowned, and when the footsteps became clearer, he put the shovel back.
Huo Chi glared at him fiercely.
The person who came was exactly Chen Nuan whom Jiang Ziyao had guessed.
Chen Nuan's thin figure passed through the dim light, her face lit up in the dim yellow color. It was getting dark, she squinted her eyes, raised the crossbow in her hand and aimed at the nearest figure, and strode towards them.
"It's us."
Jiang Ziyao spoke.
After hearing Jiang Ziyao's voice, she put down her crossbow temporarily, with a smile on her face: "I'm so happy to see that you are not dead."
Chen Nuan glanced at the headless zombies under their feet. She pinched her nose and said, "Not bad. How did you do it?"
She was the only one who might have left a mark here. Although Jiang Ziyao didn't understand why she was full of hostility during the day, at least Chen Nuan in front of him now, even if she was still smiling, didn't give people a gloomy look. She looked like a human being.
"Hey! Are you a human?"
Huo Chi was skeptical. He didn't think Chen Nuan's words were a compliment. He shouted, "Are you kidding us?"
"Playing tricks on you?" Chen Nuan raised her eyebrows, but her tone was still sharp, and even sounded a little malicious: "Without my help, how long do you think you can survive? I advise you to recognize your situation."
"Heh, you looked like you were going to eat us this morning, forcing us to eat bugs."
Huo Chi sneered: "Is there anyone who cooperates like you?"
“Eating bugs?”
Chen Nuan's tone also sounded a little surprised. She smiled easily: "Okay, it looks like we have something to talk about tonight."
She called out, "Follow me, it's not safe here."
Chen Nuan walked straight past Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi. Huo Chi followed her questioningly. They were brought to the side of a stone wall where there was a low stone cave, which was a very secret place.
"Go in."
Chen Nuan said quickly.
The space inside was quite large, more than enough for three people. Huo Chi sat down on the ground and took a break.
Jiang Ziyao saw Chen Nuan bending down and piling dry grass at the entrance of the cave. He walked closer and saw some fresh plants mixed in the grass with a distinct smell. It was mint, which he remembered was a practical plant that could repel mosquitoes.
"Are the mosquito repellent methods still useful in reality?"
Jiang Ziyao asked.
"Of course." Chen Nuan replied, she was very sure: "I have personally tested it and it works."
Jiang Ziyao smiled rarely, this was good news that could come in handy.
Chen Nuan covered the grass and walked into the cave: "The mint will cover the smell here, so they won't find you."
She was about to say something, but she found Jiang Ziyao standing beside her intentionally. She frowned: "Why are you sticking to me? I don't have what you want."
They were quite close to each other, and as soon as she opened her mouth, Jiang Ziyao quickly distanced himself from her.
Huo Chi immediately said, "Don't try to touch me like that!"
"I just want to confirm one thing."
Jiang Ziyao was very frank. He lowered his voice and said, "You have a special smell. I have also smelled it on those infected people."
He raised his eyebrows and his eyes turned cold: "So, in fact, you are also infected."
Chen Nuan paused for a moment, but she did not deny: "Yes."
"You--!" Huo Chi stood up suddenly, looking very angry.
"What? You still discriminate against the infected?"
Chen Nuan didn't take it seriously. She didn't hide it anymore and simply rolled up her sleeves, showing her ugliest appearance in front of them. The skin on her arms was arched in an arc, and it was impossible to see what was inside. What was being nurtured by the flesh and blood on her arms?
"But you don't have to be afraid. I'm not completely an infected person."
"Because I killed it."
Jiang Ziyao saw it clearly. There was also an obvious scar on her arm. The larvae inside were different from those of others and did not move at all.
"Then what's wrong with you?" Huo Chi frowned. He didn't trust the woman's explanation much.
"People who are parasitized by larvae are all soldiers of the insect mother. Even if I kill the parasites, I will still be affected." Chen Nuan sneered: "Don't laugh when I say this. After all, the Chen family is a joke today."
"That happened a year ago... It's still as ridiculous as it sounds when I talk about it now."
Chen Nuan shook her head self-deprecatingly: "You all know what the doomsday outbreak was like. It was a summer vacation, and the mutation happened so suddenly that the Lijia Village next door was wiped out that day. We in the Chen family were lucky because only one person was infected at the time. Although he bit someone, he was quickly brought under control. There are many people in our village who do farm work, they are strong and have quick reactions, and there are not many mutated people nearby, so we survived by chance."
Huo Chi continued: "And then you met aliens?"
“Alien?” Chen Nuan laughed: “Another new word. I have been out of touch with the outside world for two years…”
She was lost in memories, with some emotion on her face. "Those infected with the virus were locked up together. We watched our former friends and family turn into monsters. That year was very difficult. Monsters appeared more and more frequently, and more and more people died. There was no life, only anxiety about survival. The existing medicine in society could not save them. The elderly and men who had a say in the village believed that this was God's will and that God was punishing them. We had to pray for his forgiveness."
Chen Nuan's eyes turned contemptuous: "Guess what they did later?"
"Sacrifice."
Jiang Ziyao said that he saw many masks and special whips on the walls of the house where they were hiding, and there were bones of various animals in the corners. The sacrificial activities had a profound impact on this village.
"Smart." Chen Nuan nodded: "One night, they unanimously decided to hold a grand sacrifice. The men selected suitable targets among the women, and they chose me."
Jiang Ziyao saw a special calmness in her: "Originally, I was supposed to be tied to the altar, but my mother took my place. They lit torches and blew bone flutes at night, hoping to pray for God's help."
"Crazy!" Huo Chi couldn't help but complain: "Making such a big noise at night, aren't you looking for death?"
“Yes.” Chen Nuan lowered her eyes and smiled faintly: “They have survived the apocalypse for more than a year but still don’t understand this principle, so… their death is not pitiful at all, but because of their actions, the entire village was destroyed, and the monsters nearby were attracted here. Later, someone told me that they are called zombies.”
"That night, I was tied to one side, watching the zombies break into the village. The screams filled my ears, but they still knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Now the source has also been drawn here. The insect mother suddenly appeared. That's when I realized that it wasn't just humans that had mutated. Its body was at least half a meter long. I watched it drill into my mother's neck and cover her entire back along the skin and flesh. She became different. She broke free from the ropes and tore the zombie's head apart."
Jiang Ziyao asked: "It didn't attack anyone?"
"Yes, because it came here in need of a breeding ground to lay its eggs." Chen Nuan replied: "The river water is no longer suitable for any living creature to survive, so it set its sights on humans. The Chen family thought my mother was gifted by heaven, and they regarded the monster as a god, thankful that they had been blessed by God. As you can imagine, it successfully laid its eggs on people, sucked out their brains and controlled their bodies. No one escaped, including me."
She stroked the scar on her arm, the pain she felt at the time still etched in her mind: "I was the last person to be infected, the larvae burrowed into my arm, but God left me a way out. I woke up, became an Inhuman, successfully killed the larvae, and regained my sanity."
Huo Chi took a deep breath and said, "Can alien species reproduce?"
“Not really.”
"The eggs laid by the insect queen can only survive for a month and a half after hatching." Chen Nuan explained: "It lays eggs every month. It becomes weak and needs to suck human brains to maintain its physical strength. Those insects are not its children, but just props for it to control people. It is very smart and will use humans to kill more people."
"It has never discovered that you have independent consciousness?"
Jiang Ziyao asked.
"The Worm Queen cannot control everyone all the time. Dusk is her hunting ground." Chen Nuan said: "People in the daytime will retain their human habits, but at night they will forget that they are human and completely turn into animals."
"They turn into animals at night, so they won't go through people's closets." Jiang Ziyao understood: "So the closet is a safe place at night."
Chen Nuan looked at Jiang Ziyao and smiled: "Yes."
"I am glad to cooperate with smart people. At least you live longer than those aliens before."
"But I have a question for you."
"You have absolute control over this place, so you should have a chance to escape." Jiang Ziyao said, "We want to stay alive, so what do you want?"
Chen Nuan's face darkened, her eyes were cold, and she said with hatred: "Kill the insect mother!"
"This is my home. I want to take back the place that belongs to me. As long as the insect mother dies, its larvae will also die. This is the most direct and effective method."
"To deal with the Insect Queen..." Huo Chi snorted coldly: "Do you have a way?" He urged: "If you have one, just say it!"
"I have fantasized about killing it many times." Chen Nuan sneered: "The worm mother will choose the hotbed for laying its eggs in advance. Now your friends are the sacrifices. When the time comes, the worm mother will appear. It will separate from the old body it parasitized and parasitize on the sacrifice. This period of time is the only chance to kill it."
Huo Chi said: "Won't its insect bodyguards protect it? There are many infected people here. It's not easy to kill it."
"So I need you to give me some time. When the insect mother leaves the body, its control will also weaken." Chen Nuan spoke with the crossbow in her hand: "When the time comes, I will shoot through its head."
"Empty fragrance will affect supernatural powers."
Jiang Ziyao said: "We don't have enough weapons."
"But time will reduce the influence of Kong Xiang. You have one chance to make a move." Chen Nuan replied: "Do you want to gamble?"
"Or you can just quietly watch the show and see how that unfortunate guy is used as food and thrown into the insect pit with his insect eggs."
Huo Chi frowned slightly: "You want to threaten us?"
"Threat?" Chen Nuan said calmly, "I don't like beating around the bush. The interests should be laid out, right?"
Jiang Ziyao said: "The infected person took my man away. How is he now?"
Chen Nuan replied: "You can rest assured about this. The dishes prepared for the Insect Mother will be displayed intact on the day of the sacrifice."
"That kid is so unlucky that he has to interact closely with that mother bug." Huo Chi pursed his lips. Chen Nuan had made it clear that since Bian Chengsi could still be saved, they naturally couldn't abandon him so heartlessly.
Jiang Ziyao asked decisively: "Sacrificial ceremony time."
Chen Nuan replied: "Tomorrow evening, we don't have any extra time."
"Tomorrow morning you will go straight back to that house. When the sacrifice begins, you can blend in with the infected."
Jiang Ziyao agreed: "Okay, we will do as you say."
Chen Nuan said: "By the way, I have something I need you to do."
Huo Chi: "You say."
"There is a bell in the drawer under the cupboard. Bring it with you when you perform the sacrifice."
Jiang Ziyao hesitated for a while: "I'm afraid I can't agree to this. With that man here, we may not have a chance. We won't take any risks."
"He won't affect you anymore." Chen Nuan said. Her face suddenly showed some sadness. She sighed, "His time has come. He will become a headless corpse tomorrow morning. I will also find a way not to affect you. That thing is useful. You must get it."
Jiang Ziyao now had no reason to refuse: "I understand."
Chen Nuan threw the cloth hanging from her waist into his hands: "Be prepared, we only have one chance."
Jiang Ziyao opened the cloth ball, and inside were two large pancakes, which had been baked for a long time, and felt a little cold and hard. Huo Chi was stunned, they hadn't eaten for a while, and seeing this man eating in front of him made his stomach growl.
"You're welcome." Chen Nuan waved and left the cave. She couldn't leave for too long at night. The infected could convey information. The insect queen was calling, and she didn't want to arouse suspicion.
Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi spent a night in the cave. They could finally sleep peacefully. Now their living standards had been lowered again and again. Having a spacious place to lie down was a good thing. Although the pancake was a bit dry, it was baked with oil and water and was edible. The only problem was that the entrance of the cave was a bit close to the water. In their sleep, they could hear the rapid roars of Jiang Feng and the infected people.
When they opened their eyes again, it was already bright outside. The cave was a little damp and they felt a little cold when they stood up. Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi woke up at the same time. Without the sun, they couldn't tell the time and there was little wind. It should have been a nice and cool day.
Huo Chi stretched lazily. Saving the prisoners by performing sacrifice sounded like a great plan. Everything they did now was worth posting on WeChat Moments as a souvenir. It was a pity that he had almost forgotten the taste of entertainment.
"Is the wound healed?" Jiang Ziyao said. He turned around and saw Huo Chi excitedly removing the cloth strip on his palm.
"Of course, I have thick skin and will heal quickly."
Huo Chi couldn't wait any longer, he tore off the cloth strips completely at once, and the blood had already solidified.
Jiang Ziyao also leaned over to take a look. Huo Chi raised his hand. The flesh on his palm was scabby. He squeezed it hard and was able to get used to it. Jiang Ziyao was relieved: "It's almost healed."
Huo Chi waved his fists, eager to try, with a look of joy on his face: "So what if I don't have superpowers? I can smash their heads with my fists. I'll beat them up if they come."
"I know you're strong." Jiang Ziyao smiled and said, "Let's go. You'll have time to do some physical work later."
"Aren't you going back to that room now?"
Jiang Ziyao shook his head.
"Let's do something else first, like...get some insurance."
He must first find a way out for himself and determine in advance the direction to leave after rescuing Bian Chengsi. He threw a few conspicuous stones on the ground to ensure that he could stay away from the village and not get lost halfway.
Then he carried a shovel and took Huo Chi to the river, drew a circle on the ground, and started digging. The soil was originally very hard, but with a special shovel, it became easy.
Huo Chi was puzzled by his actions and asked, "Why are you digging this?"
"Get some mud." Jiang Ziyao replied and started digging with a shovel.
The soil turned over by his shovel will soon return to its original state in nature, and if water and soil are mixed together, it will soon become mud.
"You do it." Seeing that the soil on the ground had changed, Jiang Ziyao handed the shovel to Huo Chi and asked him to take over, while he went to divert water and thin the mud.
Together they dug a large pit, which looked deep and wide enough to bury at least three people.
"Put the mud directly on your body."
Jiang Ziyao's hands had turned khaki.
Huo Chi: "Do you want to apply it all over your body?"
"right."
"Mud can repel insects. Since the mosquitoes' habits are still there, this must be effective."
Huo Chi was happy.
"Shit, isn't this layered armor?"
Jiang Ziyao thought he was talking too much, so he silently reached out and scooped up the mud and threw it on his body, a bit like spreading cream on a cake base, except that the mud smell was a bit strong. The stronger the smell, the happier he was. Whether it was dirty or smelly, these were no longer worth mentioning in the face of survival.
Jiang Ziyao had limited movements and couldn't reach every part of his body. He turned around and asked Huo Chi for help. Huo Chi stared at him for a while and suddenly grinned: "Brother Jiang, I actually have a more efficient way."
Jiang Ziyao knew from the sound of his voice that he had no good ideas, but he hadn't said the words of refusal yet.
"Brother Jiang——!" Huo Chi shouted and leaped over.
Jiang Ziyao had no time to stop it.
"Ho Chi—you!"
Huo Chi's body was pressed on his back. His feet were too slippery, and Jiang Ziyao lost balance and fell directly into the mud pit. Huo Chi was even bolder and held him in his arms and rolled over and over in the mud.
Huo Chi kept laughing, and after a while, they had successfully turned into loaches whose faces could not be seen.
“Brother Jiang, don’t be angry. I’ll help you wipe your face again.”
Huo Chi pulled Jiang Ziyao out of the mud pit with a smile on his face, and of course he did not let go of his hair and face.
Jiang Ziyao didn't say anything. He spat out the mud around his mouth, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed on his face. Huo Chi reached out and wiped off the excess mud on Jiang Ziyao's nose. He was amused by the shape of the mud man.
"Keep your voice down."
Jiang Ziyao threw a smear of mud on Huo Chi's face.
Even laughing out loud became a luxury. Huo Chi didn't dare keep his mouth closed all the time. He was afraid that the mud on his mouth would stick together and it would be difficult to open it later. After too long, they might turn into stone sculptures.
"Step a little further back. It's better to leave more footprints." Jiang Ziyao was as cautious as possible. He stomped his feet and deliberately left a trail of footprints on the way into the village. The morning's sacrificial activities seemed to have ended. Several teams of villagers passed by them. Two people closed their eyes and stood quietly. The infected people would stare at them when they approached, but would walk away with disgust.
Huo Chi chuckled as the infected left. Now that they were safe, at least during the day, they blatantly returned to the house they had stayed in before.
There was no one inside and it looked very empty. In fact, the house was very simple, with few furniture and no signs of life. Jiang Ziyao squatted down and opened the drawer of the cupboard. When he pulled it, he felt a large weight. It was filled to the brim with many things, from as small as a rubber band, a rattle, and a ball to the largest thing being a boxed photo album.
The cover of the album is a family of three. This is Chen Nuan’s home. Judging from her figure, the man who appeared before is her father. However, his face in the normal photo is blurred, with only traces of finger touches.
"Where's the bell she was talking about?"
Huo Chi searched the drawer inside and out.
Since Chen Nuan had reported the location, it must be correct. Jiang Ziyao reached out and picked up the most decorative photo album in the middle. He lifted it up and shook it. Sure enough, the sound of a bell was heard from inside.
"It's hidden quite deep, is it such a treasure?"
Huo Chi watched Jiang Ziyao open the photo album. The album was very heavy and filled with photos. Because there was no room for them, all the photos popped out when he opened it, and the white photos flew all over the floor.
Huo Chi clicked his tongue and picked up the photos one by one. He glanced at them and saw that they were all photos of Chen Nuan. This photo frame probably contained her growth photos, from infancy to adulthood, graduation photos, travel photos... It seemed that she once had a happy family and enjoyed love.
Huo Chi suddenly laughed out loud: "I didn't mean to spy on her privacy, but Brother Jiang, look at this picture of her crying so stupidly, she's almost swallowing her snot bubbles and tears."
Jiang Ziyao took a glance and saw that Huo Chi was holding a photo of the girl when she was one or two years old. The photo had gray fingerprints because of his muddy hands.
“It’s dirty.”
He pointed.
“…”
Huo Chi turned it over and saw that it was indeed true. He was silent for a while: "She shouldn't care about this, right?"
"Put it away and don't move it."
Jiang Ziyao had already taken out a string of bells from the hollowed-out center of the photo frame and tied them with red ropes. The bells were not big, there were five of them in total, a bit like the bells that accompanied babies, nothing special about them.
"But what use does she have for it?"
Huo Chi guessed: "She is not trying to use this to awaken her mother's maternal instinct, is she? But after all, she is her relative. She speaks so beautifully, but will she really do it when the time comes?"
"We don't care about other things, but no matter what..." Jiang Ziyao put the bell into his pocket and said with certainty: "Today, the insect mother must die."
When the worm queen is peeling off the parasite, the safest way to kill it is to pierce the parasite's brain.
The laying of eggs by the worm mother is an extremely important matter. The infected people have been waiting near the altar in advance. Chen Nuan is also there, but she is still in the stage of being controlled by the worm mother. Jiang Ziyao did not take the initiative to approach her. Their eyes are all on the sacrifice.
As dusk approached, the infected began to become impatient, their hands shook violently and their movements were strange.
A woman appeared. She was very thin and her clothes could no longer hold her up. She walked up to the highest point of the altar. When one looked at her face clearly, one could be sure that she was Chen Nuan's mother because her bone structure was surprisingly similar to Chen Nuan's.
The infected people knelt on the ground, bent their backs, and respectfully greeted their common mother.
Bian Chengsi also appeared. He was tied up and carried to a high platform and placed in the center of the altar, no different from barbecued fat. The hemp rope was tied tightly around his body. Chen's mother was very close to him. Bian Chengsi angrily tried to spit in her face but failed. At this time, the bone flute had been blown.
It seemed as if there were thousands of mosquitoes buzzing in their ears.
Jiang Ziyao and Huo Chi moved forward calmly. Mother Chen opened her arms and a sharp thorn seemed to extend from her palm. It was her mouthpart, which would soon pierce into Bian Chengsi's body.
Seeing that Chen's mother was about to have a close contact with Bian Chengsi, Huo Chi was ready to rescue Bian Chengsi, but Jiang Ziyao asked him to wait a moment.
"He can't be that bad."
Jiang Ziyao said.
In response to Jiang Ziyao's words, when Chen's mother's hand touched Bian Chengsi's forehead, boom——!
There was a loud bang and a bolt of thunder exploded from the high platform.
Not knowing whether Jiang Ziyao and the others were dead or alive, Bian Chengsi would naturally not allow himself to be slaughtered. After two days of confinement, he finally saw the light of day again. He straightened his body, and the hemp rope made grooves on his flesh. With a thunderous sound, the electric current almost penetrated the rope that bound him.
The moment he broke free from the platform, he immediately moved his legs, but Bian Chengsi's body was too stiff and his legs could not support himself, so he rolled down the stairs.
Chen's mother's expression suddenly became terrifying. She opened her mouth and the people below raised their heads. They were extremely angry. They crawled on the ground with their hands and feet and jumped towards Bian Chengsi.
Huo Chi took a step forward and rushed forward. He opened his palms and shot out fire, which burned a small area around Bian Chengsi.
Bian Chengsi was stunned for a moment. He only saw two unrecognizable clay figures rushing towards him. However, he quickly recognized them and his eyes widened: "Brother Jiang? Are you okay?"
"Of course we are fine." Huo Chi laughed dryly: "How about you? Are you still alive? Didn't the fucking bug lay eggs in you?"
"What are you talking about?" Bian Chengsi frowned. He felt like vomiting after hearing this: "So disgusting."
"Okay, it seems that you are still a pure virgin, then I feel relieved." Huo Chi helped Bian Chengsi up and wanted to rush to the outer circle, but the number of infected people was too large, like endless cockroaches, blocking all their ways.
The smell of mud no longer has any effect, and the infected now only obey the orders of the insect queen.
Huo Chi could still hold back a little, and he shouted in the other direction: "Chen Nuan! It's your turn to do something!"
Dusk has arrived, and the infected are in an attacking state, with their mouths wide open and drooling. It is time for Chen Nuan to return to normal.
Chen Nuan didn't respond to the first call.
"Chen Nuan!" Huo Chi called out for the second time.
"She probably won't agree." Jiang Ziyao whispered. He stared at Chen Nuan. She just stood there motionless in the distance, with her head down so that her expression couldn't even be seen clearly. She was like a mindless puppet.
"What the hell!" Huo Chi was annoyed: "What is she doing?"
Bian Chengsi rubbed his numb calf and asked, "Who is Chen Nuan?"
"The partner who ran away halfway."
Huo Chi said unhappily.
Jiang Ziyao turned his head, looked at Chen's mother and said coldly: "I will buy you some time and try my best to kill it."
After he finished speaking, he swung his hand and the shovel was swung out, like a red spear. The smooth cut surface did not have a dazzling cold light, but was gray instead. However, the weapon in his hand was sharper than any iron tool. One shovel could smash a person's head.
His proactive action would undoubtedly be seen as a provocation, and the infected person closest to him moved his limbs, trying to bite off his hand.
Jiang Ziyao frowned, looking at the pairs of bloodthirsty eyes shooting at him. He was very calm. He rubbed shoulders with the foul-smelling teeth at close range and cut off a neck with his backhand. The only thing that made him feel strange was that the infected did not defend their queen restlessly, but seemed silent instead.
Huo Chi and Bian Chengsi were already close to Chen's mother. They stepped over the stairs and moved to her side.
Huo Chi yelled, "Little devil, stop messing around!"
"I know!"
Bian Chengsi propped up his weak hands and tried his best to exert his special abilities to the fullest.
"Attack the head--!"
The explosion of Wangu Lei and Huo Chi's raging fire mixed together to form a loud explosion. Smoke enveloped the surroundings. Huo Chi put down his clenched hands and exhaled a breath of foul air. The strength of the two men suddenly decreased and they almost fell down.
A figure fell down, and when the smoke cleared, only a headless corpse was left. Chen's mother fell to the bottom of the altar. Her head was blown into a knot. Her body struggled twice like a headless dragonfly, and then there was no response. The sight was disgusting.
ha--!
Huo Chi wanted to laugh out loud when he saw this, but when he turned around, the eyes around him were staring at this place. The infected person was not dead yet, and the curve of his lips that had just been raised was frozen on his face.
"She's not dead?"
Huo Chi was shocked.
"No." Jiang Ziyao shook his head: "She is dead, but she is not the insect mother. She is just a scapegoat."
He raised the bloody shovel, turned his head and pointed at Chen Nuan, and said calmly: "The real insect mother is actually you."
Chen Nuan moved.
She slowly raised her head, with a sarcastic and smug smile on her face, covered with a dark shadow. The infected obeyed her control and became more excited.
Chen Nuan spoke, her hand caressing her abdomen. She smiled, her voice sharp and gentle: "My child needs enough warm beds."
Huo Chi was stunned.
He immediately cursed: "Fuck you, dream on!"
As soon as he finished cursing, the infected couldn't wait to start their hunt. It was dark, and looming shadows suddenly pressed down. It seemed as if their bodies could blend into the night, and they found their targets through their sense of smell.
A strong wind blew over and Huo Chi immediately dodged. The infected people were very fast, and because of Kong Xiang, Huo Chi and Bian Chengsi's reaction speed slowed down.
"I can't do anything again." Bian Chengsi said helplessly: "They are very strong, you definitely don't want to be caught by them, I swear!"
"I'm ready to fight them." Huo Chi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly: "I won't hold Brother Jiang back!"
"I don't know either." Bian Chengsi also said.
Huo Chi took a big step and grabbed the collar of the man who was rushing towards him. He raised his arm and threw the man heavily to the ground, then punched him down. He heard a hoarse, strange cry.
Do infected people feel pain?
Before Huo Chi could throw his second punch, someone opened his mouth and bit him. He kicked the opponent in the abdomen and roared to give himself courage and momentum.
"Huo Chi——!" Bian Chengsi shouted.
A dark shadow suddenly appeared behind Huo Chi, and Huo Chi was busy dealing with the situation in front of him and had no time to turn around.
At this moment, a shovel fell from the sky and directly cut the neck of the infected person who tried to launch a sneak attack into two pieces. Huo Chi took the opportunity to smash the other head with his fist, one punch after another, until the nearest infected person could no longer get up and his head was smashed into a rotten watermelon.
"That's enough. No more fighting. We admit defeat." Jiang Ziyao spoke coldly with a gloomy face, interrupting the actions of Huo Chi and Bian Chengsi.
His shovel was firmly stuck in the corpse. He didn't move, but put his hands in his trouser legs. This was not the right action for a counterattack.
Jiang Ziyao raised his chin: "Aren't you going to lay eggs? Then come on."
"Ah?" Bian Chengsi was stunned by this sentence.
Huo Chi actually raised his hands in surrender.
With a firm look in his eyes, he said quietly, "I believe in Brother Jiang."
The infected did not take the opportunity to tear them to pieces. They narrowed the encirclement and focused on the queen bee laying eggs. Chen Nuan stood in the center. She was very satisfied with Jiang Ziyao's decision to give up struggling.
Chen Nuan walked up to Jiang Ziyao, her arm already on his shoulder. The two were very close to each other. She opened her mouth and tentacles that looked like petals and spikes emerged from it.
"You - fuck! What do you want to do!" Huo Chi's face suddenly changed. Bian Chengsi pulled him back in time before he turned into an angry bull: "Wait...you have to trust Brother Jiang."
“…”
Huo Chi couldn't calm down.
A wide shadow suddenly covered Chen Nuan's back, and a pair of thin wings emerged from her skin. The insect queen began to peel off Chen Nuan's body, and it wanted to stick its mouthparts into Jiang Ziyao's body.
"Chen Nuan!" Jiang Ziyao suddenly called out, and he smiled: "You really did deceive us all. I really admire you. If I were you, I would never take such a risk like you."
"But you should be thankful that the person you met was me."
He suddenly took out a bell from his pants and rang it next to Chen Nuan's ear: "Chen Nuan, as the owner of this body, you should wake up."
To Chen Nuan, the sound of the bell is like a lullaby sung by her mother. This is the peace bell her mother made when she was six years old. Her mother has a pair of beautiful hands. She would gently stroke her cheek and knit new clothes for her.
She originally had a harmonious and happy family. She could not forget that bloody night when her parents took the initiative to run towards their monster daughter.
Her mother would still hug her, kiss her cheeks, and cry for her, but she could only watch her body rob them of their lives. She had to endure the nausea brought by the insects every moment. She was looking forward to, planning, and waiting for an opportunity when a perceptive person would help her sound the voice of revenge.
The insect mother who was trying to peel off from Chen Nuan's body stopped. Chen Nuan's arms fell from Jiang Ziyao. When she raised her head again, her eyes suddenly became clear and bright, and she regained control of her body.
The sound of the bell seemed to cast a spell of shock, and the infected people turned into stiff wood.
"The Worm Queen has always been on me." Chen Nuan said, "I was the one who was sent to the altar. My mother wanted to save me, but she failed. It killed the person I loved the most, thinking that it could control me forever, but it was wrong."
"I will kill it. To succeed, I have to lie to it. Only by letting it think it is in control will its weakness be exposed."
Jiang Ziyao and the others looked at her quietly.
"My name is Chen Nuan." Chen Nuan had a relieved smile on her face. The person who spoke tonight might be Chen Nuan's truest self. She was a very beautiful girl with delicate features and a bright smile. "Let me introduce myself to you again. I'm an engineering student at Tianhai City College, majoring in civil engineering. I'm already a junior. I was going to go abroad to develop my career in construction. I thought I would be successful in my career and be filial to my parents, but unfortunately I will never have the chance again. I'm very happy to meet you."
"Then...goodbye."
Jiang Ziyao watched her suddenly raise her right hand and pierce the crossbow into her brain cleanly and neatly.
She would kill the Worm Queen and herself.
The sound of flesh being pierced is louder than anything else.
Bright red blood was splattering, and the thin wings behind her were trembling violently, but the Insect Queen was ultimately defeated. Her body fell to the ground, and she died with a smile on her face.
All the people surrounding Jiang Ziyao fell down with their eyes wide open. The infected people were like fallen dead grass, and the parasitic insects turned into ashes.
Chen Nuan stayed in her hometown forever.
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