Broodmother

A scream suddenly pierced the silent night.

"Enemy, enemy attack!" A soldier's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed a giant beetle burst from the ground, clamping its jaws onto a comrade's lower body.

"Not good! Bugs are here! Enemy attack!" The brief calm shattered, and panic spread like wildfire. People scattered in all directions, shouting in fear.

The sound of battle erupted, chaos engulfing the scene. Two giant corpse beetles, their gray exoskeletons oozing with a sickly yellow fluid—the decayed remains of their victims—emerged from the soil.

It was clear.

The death toll at the school far exceeded what was visible. Many had been dragged underground, buried alive as fodder for these vile creatures.

It was unimaginable—the despair and terror those people must have felt as they were pulled beneath the earth. Among the victims were renowned professors, kind teachers, the school's most beautiful girls, and the gentle boys secretly admired by many. Now, their bodies lay buried, fermenting underground, becoming sustenance for these filthy monsters.

The air was thick with resentment.

An entire school, teachers and students alike, reduced to nothing more than food for the corpse beetles.

The crowd was frantic, and before they could even react, seven or eight people had already been torn apart. Unlike ordinary civilians, however, the bloodied soldiers quickly regained their composure, their fear giving way to determination. They regrouped and charged at the insects.

"These bugs want to kill us! We can't let them through! Attack!" A soldier roared, gripping his machine gun and pulling the trigger.

For the corpse beetles, it had been a long time since they had encountered so many living humans. They howled and roared, rushing headlong into the crowd, eager to feast.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A violent blast rang out as bullets struck the bronze corpse beetle's exoskeleton, producing only a faint clink. Most of the rounds bounced off, with only a few finding their mark in the joints—but these had little effect.

The giant corpse beetle turned its gaze to a nearby soldier, accelerating as it lunged toward him.

At this moment, the beetle charged with the force of a thunderbolt. Just one look at its ferocious, bloodthirsty aura was enough to terrify any ordinary person. The foul fluid dripping from its body was like a herald of death. In the blink of an eye, the soldier's neck was severed.

Unlike deformed beasts, giant corpse beetles had a distinct advantage: their defense.

Their exoskeleton.

Before they evolved, their bodies were relatively soft, but once they reached bronze-level, their exoskeletons hardened to an impenetrable degree.

Bullets.

These deadly weapons from the era of peace were now rendered useless against the giant corpse beetles.

To deal with such creatures, one would need powerful rockets or artillery.

Otherwise...

Even hundreds of bullets would barely scratch these insects.

However, precisely because of this, the exoskeletons of giant corpse beetles were of immense value. Some blacksmiths could forge them into excellent armor, making such equipment highly sought after.

The arrival of monsters brought not only death but also business opportunities. Some professionals made their living traveling between cities, trading these rare materials.

"No!"

"This monster isn't afraid of bullets!"

"What do we do?!"

Desperate cries filled the air, even some soldiers showing signs of hopelessness. When their last resort failed, they had no idea how to fight back.

The Vine Warlock stepped forward, scattering a few seeds into the ground with a wave of his hand.

Creeping Vine!

Suddenly, a green vine shot out of the earth.

It was as thick as a baby's arm, stretching nearly five meters long. It halted the giant corpse beetle's advance, buying the group precious time to escape, though it wouldn't hold for long.

The Vine Warlock's face was pale, drained from the effort of controlling the vine, yet he continued to push his limits.

The giant corpse beetle snarled, feeling the vine tightening around its body. From its spine to its neck, its flesh flushed a deep red, and its body began to twist under the strain. The pain was immense.

A glint of madness flickered in the giant corpse beetle's eyes.

It roared, the sound like a banshee's wail from the depths of hell, piercing and relentless.

The giant corpse beetle thrashed wildly, loosening the vine's grip. The Vine Warlock, now ghostly pale, could do little to hold it back. It wouldn't be long before the monster broke free.

What should he do?

The Vine Warlock gritted his teeth, his gums bleeding from the strain.

Whoosh!

A dark green blood sprayed as the giant corpse beetle's eye was pierced.

The giant corpse beetle thrashed violently, the pain in its eye blinding it to its surroundings. It tried to flee, but in the next moment, another arrow descended from the sky.

A well-placed strike.

Once again, it struck the eye.

The vine restrained the giant corpse beetle's movements, while the dark elf, hidden in the shadows, loosed her arrows. Just two shots were enough to shatter the creature's last defenses.

Now, the dark elf's graceful form seemed more like a scythe of death, glowing with a sinister light.

Boom!

A dull thud as the giant corpse beetle collapsed!

A perfect collaboration.

If not for the Vine Warlock, the dark elf could not have so deftly slain the giant corpse beetle. Yet, there was a price—the Vine Warlock was completely spent. As the corpse beetle fell, he too collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Regroup! Corpse beetles are enraged creatures, and the larvae on the playground have already noticed us... but their carapaces are weak; bullets can kill them."

Chen Feng's voice, cold as ice, cut through the chaos, reaching the crowd. Though the ordinary people were in disarray, the soldiers quickly composed themselves and reformed their ranks.

Of the two bronze-level corpse beetles, one was dead, the other wounded. The second one had been feasting when it heard its companion's death cry. It saw the two arrows lodged in its comrade's eye sockets and understood that death was near.

Amidst the carnage, the two-meter-tall giant corpse beetle charged forward, its monstrous face twisted in rage. With a flick of its mandibles, it tore a woman apart, its eyes filled with nothing but bloodlust.

No one could stop this relentless charge.

"In ... te ..."

However, just as the situation seemed most dire, a sharp, shrill cry pierced the air. A massive, rotting creature appeared, shocking the survivors. They could only wonder how this monster had come to be.

The Dretch.

Years of devouring corpses had allowed countless parasitic insects to hatch and fester within its body. Over time, these parasites merged together, and pustules the size of chestnuts swelled on the Dretch's face, occasionally bursting to release wriggling maggots.

Rotten flesh and decay.

The most repulsive creature from the abyss now stood before them.

The giant corpse beetle took a step forward, ready to launch a fierce attack, but was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful sense of impending doom. Its blood boiled, its breathing halted.

Tentacles.

After devouring the tentacle monster, the Dretch had gained some of its abilities.

A tentacle coiled around the giant corpse beetle's head, intent on crushing it.

But the giant corpse beetle was not as easy to kill as it seemed. It sought an opening to counterattack, deftly dodging the Dretch's blows. With a shake of its mandibles and a deep breath, it lunged at the Dretch.

Intertwined.

For now, neither side could gain the upper hand.

"Chen Feng..."

Some onlookers still didn't understand what was happening, but Feng Zhiyong, who had been by Chen Feng's side the entire time, saw clearly. It was Chen Feng who had summoned the monster before them.

Feng Zhiyong stared at Chen Feng, his gaze frozen in that moment. The scene was surreal.

The sky was a murky gray, a cold wind rustling Chen Feng's hair. His hands pressed firmly against the ground, the faint scent of sulfur and flame lingering in the air.

If that creature was a demon, then what was Chen Feng?

Feng Zhiyong swallowed hard. He, who had once ruled J City as an ordinary man, now felt a creeping fear in his heart.

It stood to reason that with one corpse beetle dead and the other wounded, the Dark Elf and the Dretch could easily finish the job. Yet Chen Feng's expression remained grim.

His eyes were cold, dark pupils tinged with a faint red glow, like a bull staring down a matador's red cape. The killing intent radiated from him.

"Giant corpse beetles are communal creatures. Typically, there are 40 to 60 of them in a nest…"

"Corpse beetles are low in intelligence, but the Broodmother is different—she's a greedy and cunning insect who birthed and controls the entire colony…"

"Broodmother?"

A gleam of understanding flashed in Chen Feng's eyes. The corpse beetles had been altering the environment, and such organized behavior could only be explained by her command.

"The Broodmother controls the entire colony. If she truly exists, this battle is far from over…"

The ground began to shake!

As if responding to Chen Feng's thoughts, a violent tremor shook the surroundings.

In an instant, the ground split open, and a deep crack, nearly three meters wide, appeared in the center of the playground.

What's happening?

Everyone turned their shocked gazes toward the crack.

Rumble!

A massive insect leg suddenly emerged from the center of the fissure. The leg was as thick as a stone pillar, strong and imposing. In the midst of a stench that could only be described as overwhelming, it thrust itself into the open air…