"They were not killed here."
Yan Cijin looked around.
"Dragged?"
"Yes."
Bai Li pointed toward the ceiling.
There were deep grooves running along the panels.
Something had pulled the victims upward.
Yan Cijin slowly raised her head.
A pair of pale eyes opened inside the darkness above them.
She immediately stepped back.
The ceiling exploded.
A huge creature dropped down.
It had six limbs and a body covered in patches of thick gray armor. Its mouth split wider than a human jaw should allow, and inside were several rows of short teeth. Two smaller limbs extended from its shoulders, ending in hooked claws.
Level two.
But clearly stronger than the ones below.
Bai Li barely moved as it attacked.
She waited until the last moment.
The creature swung.
She slipped past the claw and struck its side.
The impact bent one armored plate inward.
Yan Cijin attacked from the opposite direction.
Her weapon struck the joint between two plates.
The creature shrieked.
