by N. Heller
"Yes, of course, you can. Just tell me the location." Harry's voice died down for a few seconds before he spoke again, "Okay, I'll spray now."
The moment the sentence was carried away by the wind, a smile found its way to Number 46's lips.
"Ha! They are desperate," He then cleared his throat and concealed the crack of his voice when he was too excited. Then, he turned to the people behind him and explained to them nicely, "This is the only way they have now... After all, every minute counts. Frankly, I would do the same as well even if that means I could only have another 12 hours to live."
"Will everything be okay? Won't there be a hiccup?" Number 47 asked, with exaggerated nonchalance. His level of vitality was rock-bottom now, so he was the one worried the most.
"Nothing bad will happen at this moment," Number 46 smiled after he thought for a while, "I have put myself in their shoe, and I can't think of any way to shatter the stoppage. All in all, we can't attack nor defend ourselves against the bug bite through any offensive measures."
Just as the moment Number 46 finished talking, a "tzz" sounded from the sky above the soil bridge where Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 resided. Then, a mist appeared and fell onto the ground behind the low wall.
"Great."
When the smell of the pesticide grew stronger in the air, both Lin Sanjiu and Number 46 muttered something under their breath.
Chapter 437 - Lin Sanjiu's Last Chance
After the pesticide had been sprayed, the beetle naturally chose to bite someone from Number 46's gang. Strangely, it made the most baffling choice and bit Number 47 for the third time. If they did not know that they were in a pocket dimension, everyone would assume that the beetle had some personal grudge against Number 47.
Since the beetle bit him three times, Number 47 had already lost nine months of vitality now. It was almost a miracle that he was still breathing. No one could tell from Number 47's complexion if he wanted to say anything. His lips quivered a few times, they were as pale as a whitewashed wall.
"Cold," he muttered several times before he crooked his head and fainted.
As Number 45 was collaborating with him, she couldn't help being affected. The moment he lost consciousness, Number 45 immediately pressed herself against the low wall of the bridge and held both her knees tightly.
Number 48 threw a glance at the other two people.
"Is this really okay?" Number 48 approached Number 46 and asked him quietly. Number 46 did not answer him but instead stuck his nose out and tried to sniff the air as hard as he could.
The smell of the pesticide had already disappeared without a trace, probably because twelve hours had passed. He could only smell a trace of an earthy scent in the breeze. When he tried to recall the moment when the smell of the pesticide dissipated, he could not remember a thing—
He tried his best to recall the last time he caught a whiff of that smell, but his memory seemed inaccurate. The smell came and went, it lasted for a while and disappeared for a period of time...
Number 46 hated this feeling of uncertainty.
"The pesticide on their side should have lost it effectiveness by now. We will just have to see which side the beetle chooses for the 13th turn," he muttered to himself as he eyed the soil bridge on the other side. He tapped his fingers on the edges of the low wall subconsciously. There was no one of the low walls on the other soil bridge as Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 were already lying on the ground.
As Number 48 had been around Number 43 for some time, he knew that that finger tapping was a tic of his when he was contemplating. Number 48 couldn't help feeling nervous.
"What will happen the next turn?"
"Since the beetle bit us this time, for the next turn, he will come to us first," Number 46 looked around, "We will have to wait before we can execute our strategy to cancel our opponents' chance to speak."
Number 48 nodded without saying a word.
"Don't worry," Number 46 suddenly turned around and assured him kindly, "No matter what happens, I will do my best to keep you safe.
"Okay, alright. Thank you." Number 48 answered fearfully, "As you know, I'm…"
"Of course," Number 46 tidied his fringe and smiled at him, "Just sit down and rest."
Number 48 quickly backed away and sat down.
Half a day's time wasn't exactly long or short. While the two groups were tormented by anxiety as they waited for the sound of the beetle's wings signaling its arrival for the 13th time, it was late and the sky was turning dark. If they calculated the number of hours, they would have figured that it was around three to four hours late.
The people on both soil bridges noticed this. When the beetle landed on the low wall of the soil bridge on Number 46's side, both groups were so startled that they were rendered speechless.
Compared to the previous time they saw it, the beetle's size had nearly grown by two times.
It had many additional transparent layers of peripheral wings under its bright and shiny forewings. The markings on its wings were like a human face. Somehow, there was now a thick fuzz all over its legs. The insect's wooly fuzz bristled in the air releasing an 'insect's stench' which assaulted their noses.
"Hey, why are all of you looking at me like that?" the beetle chuckled happily, "Ahem, it's a little embarrassing… Yes, because I received sufficient nutrition from you guys, I grew a little. How is it? Am I beautiful?"
"This bugger can actually grow larger?"
Before that thought even faded from everyone's mind, they heard the beetle speaking again, "Since I've become bigger, I need more food. Even though I feel somewhat apologetic, I need to bite a person five times before I become sated."
Based on all their body conditions, Number 46 and Number 48 were the only two people who could probably withstand that the beetle's next feeding as they had been bitten the least number of times. The beetle would most likely seal the fate of the next person that it chose.
"Number 47 already fainted?" the beetle rubbed its forelegs together as he looked around. "Well, I have no choice but to cancel his opportunity to speak. Who's next?"
Number 45 quickly threw a glance at Number 46. Even though she had some disagreements with him, she could only place her hopes on him. She even pointed in the direction of Lin Sanjiu's group.
"Let me be next," Number 46 took a step forward. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a voice from the other soil bridge, the person spared no effort trying to convey her message, " Mr. Beetle, you looked great after you've grown."
"Thank you!" the beetle's eyes lit up. He immediately turned around and waved its feet cheerfully at Lin Sanjiu. Somehow, Lin Sanjiu was hanging over the low wall on her group's soil bridge. Her face was pallid, and she was wearing long-sleeve hoodie probably because she felt cold after losing her vitality.
"Even if you praise me, your speaking privileges and Number 46 for this turn would be revoked."
"What is she doing!" Number 46's expression eyes burned with pent-up anger and some perplexity. His gaze shifted between Number 48 and Number 45. Then, he simply decided to call them over.
The only other person on Lin Sanjiu's side was Number 43, so they only had one more chance to stop them from speaking. In the end, Number 46's group had one more member and that was enough.
As what Number 46 had anticipated, his opponents used both their chances to disrupt their chance to speak. In the end, Number 45 still had the opportunity to speak to the beetle for one minute. As she repeated every word Number 46 said while he stood beside her, it was actually no different from when he spoke.
Why did his opponent do such a seemingly meaningless action?
Number 46 watched as the beetle headed for the other soil bridge, buzzing. As he exhaled, his suspicion about the situation grew. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to contemplate about his doubts because the large beetle buzzed as it turned back and flew toward them again. The three people in the group were stupefied.
"Erm, I'm sorry," it held it 'chin' with i
ts foreleg. "After giving it another thought, I think it is better if I ate from your side… Yes, Number 46, could you come over."
Even if the Statue of Liberty appeared singing and dancing in front of him now, Number 46's could not be more shocked. He didn't move closer to the insect but instead took multiple steps backward. Sweat poured from his forehead as he sputtered, "What? Didn't you hear us— Over there—"
The humongous beetle shot in towards him at an unbelievable speed even before he could finish his sentence. It was so quick that he only caught a glimpse of it moving. When the beetle returned back to its original position, Number 46 had already fallen on the ground with a 'thud'.
"Even though your leaves are quite crispy, you taste comparatively normal," the beetle smacked his lips almost ruefully. He looked at Number 45 and Number 47, his spherical eyes blinked, "But, thanks anyway!"
Number 48 ran over to help Number 46 up only after hearing the buzzing sound of the beetle's wings disappearing into the night.
"What...what happened…" He asked helplessly, "Why did the beetle return to bite us?"
Even though Number 46 lost five months of vitality in one go, he was still holding up. He had only been bitten once previously, and he managed to absorb more nutrients from the ground. After recuperating for such a long time, he managed to recoup about 80% of what he lost previously. As a result, his current condition was like Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 despite receiving such serious damage.
Number 46 leaned on the low wall for support. After his dizziness passed, the first thing Number 46 did was to take a deep breath with his nose, even before answering.
Somehow, the smell of pesticide in the air grew stronger again without them noticing.
"Damn it!" Number 46 cursed softly. He didn't even have the strength to slam his fist on the ground. "I figured it out!"
"Wha-what happened?"
"That woman is quite quick-witted. They canceled their own chance to speak to speed things up so that I wouldn't have the chance to find out what's wrong…" Number 46 didn't give much explanation with his statement so Number 48 was even more confused. Ignoring him, Number 46 tried his best to raise his voice, "Harry!"
"What's the matter?" A booming voice came from above.
"I have a question," Number 46's voice was so weak now that the people on the other soil bridge probably couldn't hear him even if he did not intentionally lower the volume of his voice. "When you spray your pesticide, where do you usually aim?"
"I would usually spray them directly on your soft shoots."
After Harry answered, Number 46 clearly heard Lin Sanjiu's voice from the other soil bridge. "Oh no, we have been discovered!" At that moment, the veins on his forehead throbbed.
"But, Number 49 and Number 43 didn't spray the pesticide on their bodies right?" Even though Number 46 asked that question, he sounded almost certain from the tone of his voice. "Did they spray the pesticide on a piece of clothing or something like a human body?"
This time, Harry took quite some time before he answered, "It is not their clothing."
Number 46 let out a bitter laugh.
"Just as I thought," he turned around and spoke to Number 45 and Number 48 who had gathered around him. "It doesn't matter what they sprayed that pesticide on. They sprayed it on some item which they could store… Maybe, they have some special storage device which can 'freeze time'. After they store that item, it retains the smell of the pesticide. Every time the beetle visits them, they take it out… With this, it would become a long-lasting bug repellent."
When Number 45 heard the words 'special storage device' and 'freeze time', she was visibly perplexed. Number 46 narrowed his eyes and shot a sidelong glance at her after he noticed her reaction. Number 48 slammed the palm on the ground, "They could actually think of such a strategy!"
After a while, he suddenly sighed, "I've heard of such Special Items before. They are very rare. I've never even touched such a valuable item before, how did they get their hands on that, though…?"
"We don't have to consider these details," Number 46 waved his arm. Before he could finish his gesture, he placed his hand down because he didn't have enough energy. "Now that we know their strategy, it would be much easier to think of a right countermeasure against them."
"What should we do?"
"Just leave it to me. They will not try to disrupt our chance to speak next turn because they know that their strategy has already been discovered. It is useless for them to try to cancel our chances." Number 46 leaned on the low wall, panting after he finished that long sentence without stopping.
"Can we really last till the end of the germination phase?" Number 45 asked hesitantly as she looked at Number 46 doubtfully. "The beetle will bite five times now."
Number 46 did not even look at her once.
"You don't have to hide Number 44's corpse anymore," he sneered. "Eat as much as you can. If you regain more vitality, it will be beneficial to all of us."
At that very moment, the complex feelings that Number 45 had was visible to all.
"You, what are you saying—"
"You really don't have to continue pretending in this dire situation. I will be honest with you," Number 46's expression turned icy. His amiable facade quickly melted away revealing his vicious nature. "The two people in the other group and Number 47 will probably die after one attack from the beetle. However, even after they die, the beetle will still come another three times during the germination stage. I will not survive another round of biting, so I will try my best not to get bitten. Believe me, since I said that, I have full confidence in myself. This means that you will need to be bitten twice. If you understand what I said, scram! Go over there and stuff your mouth with as much human flesh as you can swallow!"
Number 45 leaped up at once without saying a single word. In the end, she turned around and strode over to the end of the soil bridge. She crouched down and started digging. Gradually, several dismembered pieces of human flesh were exposed.
Number 48 was taken aback but the turn of events. He did not expect that one of the people in his group was actually a duoluozhong. Furthermore, he didn't expect that Number 46 would keep it a secret even after figuring that out much earlier.
"What should we do now?" he turned to asked Number 46 after some time.
"We will rest now," Number 46 answered as he closed his eyes.
On the 14th turn, the beetle visited them after 12 hours. Number 46 opened his eyes the moment he heard the beetle's wings.
"You bit me previously because you smelled the residue from the pesticide on the other side, right?" Number 46 said to the large beetle before him and smiled. "Let me tell you something. They sprayed the pesticide on their clothes just to scare you away. If you don't believe me, you can sniff their heads carefully when you go over to their side. You can check if their heads smell of pesticide. If you follow our arrangement, you could definitely eat more. What do you say about that?"
The beetle stared at him for some time.
After a few seconds, he announced cheerfully, "Ok! I want to bite Number 49 next!"
Chapter 438 - The First Unexpected Casualty
The large two-story tall beetle towered over Lin Sanjiu and slowly lowered its body. As his target, Lin Sanjiu felt that this scene was enough to give her nightmares for the next few days. This time, Number 43 spoke to the beetle before she did. Even as her own speaking time trickled away, she knew very well that the beetle did not listen to a word she said.
Lin Sanjiu did not know whether the beetle could actually smell. It stuck out one of its furry legs and waved it near the side of one of her ears, stirring up a breeze. After that, she heard sniffing sounds coming from the insect's flat humanoid face.
"So, Number 46 was right," the beetle withdrew his leg. He rubbed his legs together and spoke with a disappointed tone. "Oh, I didn't expect you to come up with such a tactic to avoid meeting me."
"I am sad," the beetle uttered as he placed two of his legs in front of
its 'c.h.e.s.t'. "You are the first seedling I bit, after all. I thought there was a special connection between us."
Lin Sanjiu tossed a rare sidelong glance at the beetle. Her throat felt dry as she spoke, "If you want me dead, I would need to think of a way to survive. What is wrong with that?"
"Ah— Missy, you misunderstood." Unexpectedly, the beetle suddenly laughed out, "I'm not sad because you lied. I am sad because a beautiful lady like yourself will soon disappear from this farm."
The moment she heard this, Lin Sanjiu's body reacted instinctively before her mind even processed her current situation. She leaped backward immediately. But, the beetle's bite was inevitable. Rip. The beetle tore off one of her sleeves as it lunged at Lin Sanjiu. The torn fabric fell to the ground.
Next, everyone looking saw with their own eyes as the beetle bit into Lin Sanjiu's arm. Number 43 let out a loud cry. Witnessing the first possible casualty in this germination phase, Number 46 and his gang forgot to celebrate their victory. There were a few gasps. When Lin Sanjiu fell heavily to the ground, it also struck a chord in everyone's heart.
"Huh…"
The beetle stood upright. Its eyes drifted toward the ground near the low wall. It eyed Lin Sanjiu for some time.
"What else is it trying to do?" Number 48 asked. He was stunned and his voice was so loud that even Number 43 could hear him clearly.
The beetle moved all its legs a few time. It opened its mouth as if it was about to say something—
Everyone, including Number 47 who had just regained consciousness, flexed their necks and perked their ears to listen to what it was about to say. The body of the beetle, which was the size of a small building, suddenly started rocking to and fro.
Boom! The beetle suddenly fell on its back without any warning. As its body landed, it stirred up a huge cloud of dirt. For a moment, the mixture of soil and dust in the air was so thick that Lin Sanjiu and Number 43 couldn't even open their mouths. The soil bridge shook violently for a few times as if it was about to break from the impact. Number 43, who escaped from the beetle, tried to maintain his balance but he tripped and fell in the end.