Chapter 2: Shennie

Li Cheng had only seen this suffocation-first-aid technique, called a cricothyrotomy, in TV dramas and books, never practiced it on a living being.

The crude, clumsy movements just now might cause mediastinal emphysema, laryngeal edema, vocal cord damage, or wound infection—but compared to direct asphyxiation and death, all these were acceptable.

“Gurgle, gurgle.”

The bee-shaped monster was still sucking the blood of the second victim; from the victim’s withered state, this feeding was nearly over.

There was little time left, but fortunately, with oxygen restored, Li Cheng’s strength had increased significantly compared to earlier.

He slashed fiercely at the spiderweb on his left hand, then at the silk on his cheeks.

Finally, he yanked hard, broke free, lifted the bicycle lying beside him, and pedaled with all his strength.

Only then did Li Cheng notice the change in the sky.

A magnificent rift pierced the night sky, and millions of brilliant stars—purple, red, or green—glowed within it.

Buzzzzz—

No time to think; the sound of membranous wings flapping followed close behind—the bee-shaped monster had stopped feeding and was chasing him, moving at terrifying speed. Clearly, it had no intention of letting its prey escape.

The distance between them shrank rapidly; Li Cheng clenched his teeth, leaned forward, and rode straight down the embankment into the water, vanishing beneath the surface.

The bee-shaped monster circled the water’s surface several times, then dove in, its tail spike piercing Li Cheng’s left shoulder.

Blood spread in the cold river water; Li Cheng endured the searing pain, rolled over, kicked the riverbed, used his body weight to pin the monster underwater, grabbed a stone from the bottom, and smashed it into its head.

Though the bee-monster was strong, it weighed less than a human and was severely disadvantaged underwater. Two of the three blood-amber orbs on its forehead were shattered by the stone, falling onto Li Cheng’s hand and instantly fusing with his skin.

Buzz!

The bee-monster erupted in violent membrane-wing vibrations, broke free from Li Cheng’s grip, rose from the water, and flew back into the high sky to circle again. Its waterproof brown-yellow fur glowed conspicuously under the starlight.

Bang—

A heavy bullet from an extreme distance pierced the monster’s abdomen, blowing it apart midair; yellowish-brown fluid and pooled blood sprayed everywhere.

Li Cheng was suddenly startled and instinctively sank deeper into the water.

Seconds later, a Hummer bearing the English logo “PROMETHEUS LABS” roared toward them from the direction of the gunshot.

The door opened, and several fully armed personnel leapt out; the last to exit was a blond, blue-eyed man in a suit, carrying an absurdly shaped anti-materiel sniper rifle.

“Sir,”

One armed operative scanned the half-dead bee-monster beneath the tree with a detector and reported to the suited man: “Confirmed—it’s a low-level insect experiment that escaped from the Killing Ground. It carries a fragment of the Insect Lord’s Shennie. Anomaly fluctuation index: 31.”

“Understood.”

The suited man nodded, scanned the surroundings, his gaze lingering briefly on the bicycle tracks and bloodstains on the ground, and the residual spiderwebs on the wall; his brow furrowed. “Two Shennie fragments are missing.”

Just as he took a step toward the canal, headlights flared on a distant bridge—three black armored vehicles sped toward them.

“The Special Affairs Bureau arrived this fast?”

The suited man narrowed his eyes and signaled his men to clean up the scene—especially the blood on the ground.

The three armored vehicles screeched to a halt by the roadside; a group of men and women in black suits stepped out. They efficiently took control of the scene, donned gloves, collected the monster’s shredded flesh and blood, and lowered the two desiccated victims from the wall.

The Prometheus team was treated as if they didn’t exist.

“Miss Tang Wenwei, long time no see.”

The blond man greeted, “According to Special Affairs Bureau regulations, in the Shadow Realm, whoever kills an experiment specimen owns its corpse.”

“That applies only when no fatalities occurred.”

The short-haired woman named Tang Wenwei replied coldly, without mercy: “There are victims here. The Special Affairs Bureau has the right to seize all anomaly-related objects connected to the case—including the experiment specimen’s corpse.”

Special Affairs Bureau? Shadow Realm? Experiment specimen?

Li Cheng, submerged entirely underwater, heard these terms and was utterly baffled.

He vaguely sensed the black-suited men calling themselves the Special Affairs Bureau were likely an official organization; he hesitated whether to climb out of the water and declare himself an ordinary civilian.

“Miss Tang, this man is still alive!”

One Special Affairs Bureau agent suddenly shouted.

All eyes turned—there, lying on the ground, the second victim, nearly indistinguishable from a mummy, was gasping for breath.

Special Affairs Bureau personnel rushed forward, injected an unknown liquid into him via syringe, and placed a simple respirator over his nose and mouth to assist his breathing.

As the suspected nutrient solution entered his body, his skin gradually plumped up, and he regained the strength to speak.

“W-where am I? Who are you?” He struggled to stand with help, his gaze darting nervously.

“Do you remember your name? Your home address?” the Special Affairs Bureau agent asked, taking his photo with a phone and comparing it to resident databases.

“I—I’m Tan Tao, a ride-share driver,”

Amid the strange stares of those around him, his speech slowed further, as if desperately trying to recall.

His forehead skin split open, revealing clusters of compound eyes; his lower jaw split sideways, sprouting chelicerae.

Swish!

His shirt tore open along his spine, revealing a pair of membranous wings—but he seemed unaware, muttering to himself: “I live in SJ District. My wife and kids are waiting for me at home. I have to get back.”

“Understood, Mr. Tan. We’ll help you.”

Tang Wenwei maintained a gentle smile, then in a flash, drew her pistol from her side and shot him squarely in the forehead.

Brains splattered; the insect-mutated corpse collapsed backward. Those around him stepped aside automatically, showing no shock or anger.

“Infected by the Insect Lord? A swift death is a mercy.”

Tang Wenwei sighed softly, turning to the blond Prometheus man. “Mr. August, do you have anything else?”

“Nothing.”

August shrugged, his gaze drifting over the canal’s surface. “Still, to show Prometheus’s friendship with the Special Affairs Bureau, we’ll maintain the Shadow Realm’s presence here. No objection?”

“Do as you please.”

Tang Wenwei paid it no mind, continuing to direct her subordinates in clearing the scene.

“.”

Underwater, Li Cheng’s mind replayed only Tang Wenwei’s gunshot.

【Anyone infected by the Insect Lord dies swiftly—and that is mercy.】

He’d just been pierced in the shoulder by the bee-monster—was that infection? If so, would he be shot in the head the moment he surfaced?

His thoughts churned chaotically; he held his breath, pushed the bicycle, and moved silently beneath the water.

Until he could barely hold on, he cautiously raised the straw above the surface, sucked in a breath of air, then dove again.

After walking for what felt like hours, the armored vehicles finally vanished from view.

Li Cheng surfaced, crawled ashore, and collapsed under the bridge’s overpass, coughing violently.

The city’s lights had come back on; the stars overhead had vanished, as if the entire scene had been a dream.

“Puke—”

He vomited a large mouthful of murky blood mixed with gastric fluid; his hands, propping him up, trembled uncontrollably.

The scent of blood attracted nearby ant colonies; countless ants swarmed over him, licking his blood, some even crawling onto his hands.

Can’t collapse here. Must get home.

Faint, foggy consciousness drove his body upright. He brushed the ants off his hands, wobbled to his feet, lifted the bicycle, and pedaled toward his aunt’s house.

His body burned hot; his soaked clothes slowly steamed. When Li Cheng took the elevator upstairs and reached the door, his clothes and backpack were completely dry.

With his last shred of awareness, he slipped on slippers, closed the security door, staggered into his bedroom, and collapsed into bed.

(End of Chapter)