And let's not even talk about electrocuting that huge snake. Ten thousand volts might not even be enough to finish it off. Don't go trying to take her life directly.
"Don't come up with crazy ideas. Tomorrow, when we go up the mountain again, everyone should test if their ability has improved. If they all got stronger, that would be perfect," Ling Jiang said with anticipation.
The mutated chickens were delicious. Ignoring the less important parts, one chicken alone was enough. But meals like this weren't daily. Almost everyone ate two or three chickens before stopping. With over two hundred chickens for forty people, there were still dozens left, just enough to last them until they returned to the base.
However, perhaps because the smell of roasted chicken was too strong, barely had the late-night meal ended when the watchers noticed groups of large insects swarming toward them.
Yes, large insects—the many-legged monsters Lan Jin had feared after encountering one before.
Hearing the sound, she felt goosebumps before anyone even said a word. "Something's wrong. What is that sound?"
Before she could finish, someone shouted, "Large insects! Many of them are running toward us very fast."
Lan Jin immediately jumped. But that wasn't the main issue. She had to stop them from advancing. She didn't want to see those disgusting things right after eating. Even a full stomach wouldn't prevent nausea.
Ling Jiang instinctively stepped in front of Lan Jin. She raised an ice wall as the shadows of the insects appeared, trying to block them.
But they forgot—the insects could climb walls. The ice wall did nothing. The creatures quickly crawled over it.
Watching the insects stand almost upright on the ice wall and slowly curve their bodies downward, Lan Jin's goosebumps stood on end. She cried, "Oh my god, they're still coming! Why is my vision so sharp? I can see them clearly! This is terrifying, too terrifying!"
Huang Jinghe said helplessly, "Don't be afraid, Sister Lan. Ten thousand volts, one strike, all gone."
"I'm not Pikachu! Quick, block them, they're coming. Ah, they're coming!"
Lan Jin pulled Huang Jinghe close, trying to use him as a shield, but his water ability was useless against the insects. "Sister Lan," he said helplessly.
The most exasperated, however, was Lao Gao. Seeing Lan Jin's fear, he immediately used his fire ability. Feeling the sudden heat, the insects temporarily stopped moving.
Ling Jiang hid behind Lao Gao, using her ice ability to freeze the remaining insects into blocks of ice one by one.
After finishing, Ling Jiang's legs went weak. She was terrified of these things. Her attempt to test if her ability had improved had failed. Fear had reduced her combat effectiveness. It was almost comical.
Lao Gao stifled a laugh. "Is that enough? Do we really need to be this scared? Sister Lan, finish them with electricity."
"Ah, I can't look!"
"Ten o'clock direction, aim straight!" Lao Gao commanded.
Lan Jin could still see the ten o'clock direction. She closed her eyes and unleashed her electricity in that direction. Nervous as she was, the output wasn't fully controlled. It felt like her ability had genuinely upgraded. The warmth of a single strike not only killed all the insects in that area, but also created a large hole in the thick ice.
Brother Zhang, unaware of the upgrade, said, "Women's potential is truly unlimited. If you used that power on the big snake, we probably wouldn't have survived with so many injuries."
Of course, he wasn't blaming Lan Jin. But no one knew how thick the ice was. Another strike like that could be disastrous.
"Stop staring, get moving! Are we waiting for me?"
Brother Zhang's team reacted a step late. They grabbed their guns and fired, one insect per shot, quickly wiping out the remaining insects.
Even for men, the creatures were horrifying. Their appearance was truly strange. Just one glance was enough to make anyone shiver.
The insects were gone, but sleep was impossible. Lan Jin's legs went weak, and she sank to the ground. "In my life, I've been most afraid of these things. Before mutation, I ran at the sight. Now it's even worse."
But there was more. The insects were not just one type. After this batch was cleared, more swarmed toward them.
These new insects were also mutated. They hadn't grown much in size, entirely black, resembling cockroaches—maybe they were cockroaches, but it was too dark to see clearly. They ran in swarms toward them.
Everyone instinctively thought Lan Jin would be afraid, believing women were naturally scared of cockroaches. But surprisingly, Lan Jin showed no fear at all.
However, since the insects were small, her lightning ability was useful, but many still crawled elsewhere. She didn't like insects climbing on her, so she both released her ability and retreated step by step.
Watching Lan Jin, everyone was speechless.
Women truly are amazing creatures.
But focusing entirely on Lan Jin proved to be a fatal mistake.
The cockroach-like insects were extremely fast. Before anyone realized, they had crawled onto them.
Soon, someone in the team shouted in pain, "Ah, it hurts! The insect bit me, it hurts so much!"
When they exposed the wound, everyone was horrified. The bite wasn't just a surface scratch. The insect had dug deep, then crawled inside the person's body.
The injured area, once the insect disappeared inside, revealed stark white bone