Missing

Insect.

Locust.

The bizarre locusts captured by Zhuerban.

At this very moment, in the open space of the western airport of Comora in the White Mist World, it was aimlessly crashing, flying, and crawling around inside an enchanted and reinforced plastic bag.

He didn't die.

It was not killed by the rules that traverse the world and annihilate all life.

Kang De walked over and asked, "How is it?"

Horus sheathed his cannon. "No aggressiveness, no purpose, just existing."

The locust swarms in Zhuerban are well-organized and respond to external stimuli. When they find food, they return to their underground nests; when there is no food, they gnaw on metal and cement. Clearly, this group may have a social division of labor, with the locusts on the surface of Zhuerban shouldering tasks that must be completed.

Even after being caught and put in the bag by Kang De, they kept trying their best to gnaw and tear at the plastic bag, never stopping... And now, they are bumping around like headless flies.

Kang De nodded and said, "Let's observe this carefully."

Horus said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, these insects are few in number and will not escape my snipe."

Kang De smiled and said, "No need, this is my territory."

He lifted his toes and gently tapped the ground. His spiritual energy spread along the earth to the plastic bag. In an instant, the sturdy yet flexible bag ruptured, and locusts buzzed out, flying in all directions.

Kang De reached out and beckoned.

The void, transparent yet existent space twists into an ever-changing Rubik's Cube. Locusts that flew upwards fly downwards, while those that flew outwards crowd together inwards. Space changes arbitrarily in an unpredictable and incomprehensible state, with countless facets and countless paths. Direction loses its meaning, and all seemingly unpredictable and infinite paths will ultimately have only one end: Kang De's will.

Kang De stretched out his other hand and swept it outwards. One of the locusts, which had been trapped in the ever-changing space, successfully flew out of the spatial labyrinth that could drive intelligent beings mad.

But they fell into another chaotic trap.

It flapped its wings and tried to fly, but to Horus, the locust remained in place, even though it appeared to be moving... but it was actually trapped by space.

The Transformers felt a strange sense of awe. Such power, though applied to a tiny locust, allowed them to glimpse the immense magnitude of that power.

It murmured, "Father, you are slowly becoming a god in this world."

Such power, even in a world of swords and magic, would be enough to be called godlike.

Kang De calmly replied, "Besides making me throw stones better, it has no other use for the time being."

Unfortunately, this effect is limited to this desolate White Mist World.

"Well, at least it has some new use," Kang De added. "At least this ability makes me less disgusted by these insects..."

When facing these things on Earth, it's still disgusting because there are so many of them that they're impossible to kill completely, and they'll even smear your face with them. Ordinary methods simply can't deal with these things.

But in the White Mist World, it's a different story. Even if hundreds of billions of locusts appeared together, they wouldn't be able to get close to him. Kang De could easily compress a swarm of locusts weighing hundreds of thousands of tons into a size that looks only the size of a football, and then let it fall from the ground all the way to the depths of the sky.

With a wave of his hand, the locust flew to Horus; the Iron Son was still unable to move.

Can you tell anything from this?

Horus's eyes gleamed with an invisible light. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Shortwave rays cannot penetrate it... This is illogical; living beings shouldn't have such a high density."

Kang De said slowly, "It wasn't a living thing to begin with... was it?"

Whether they are living beings from another world or Earth, all of them are instantly annihilated upon arriving in the White Mist World, with the exception of Kang De and Horus.

The reason for this is unclear: whether Horus is a mechanical life form with Man of Steel, or whether it was born from the activation of the White Mist Element by Kang De's Power of the Fire Thief, is currently unknown due to the lack of another sample for comparison.

But now, there is a third case.

These locusts.

Kang De spread his left index and middle fingers outwards, and the locust suddenly broke in half, releasing silvery liquid that floated in the air and, under the influence of gravity, transformed into small, silvery-gray spheres.

He examined it closely and found that it was not composed of tiny, intricate gears, levers, and metal components as he had imagined. Instead, it looked like a living thing, with wet, irregularly shaped internal organs and cavities. As for whether it conformed to biological laws, that was beyond his scope.

He wasn't an entomologist, and he didn't know how to conduct research and experiments.

"Huh?"

Horus, who was standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, then said, "Father, please give me one alive."

Kang De waved his hand, and another small white locust flew to Horus's side. The Iron Son pinched it in his hand, squeezed it with two fingers, and with a "pop," it burst open.

Disgusting!

That's so inconsiderate.

After I use a book to launch a devastating attack, swatting cockroaches or other insects, I just leave it there unattended, as if nothing happened and the book just fell there by accident.

Then a housekeeper will naturally come to clean up.

Horus not only crushed it, but also twirled it, his eyes gleaming eerily.

Kang De asked, "What's wrong?"

"These liquids... are mixtures formed by powdery inorganic substances soaking in a viscous liquid of unknown composition, including metal oxides and metal shavings."

Kang De thought for a moment, "Is that all? Aren't there inorganic substances like calcium carbonate and silicon dioxide?"

Horus said, "No, that's all."

Kang De gave Horus two more, and crushed them again.

That remains the case.

"They were gnawing on the streetlights before," Kang De said. "It's not surprising that they had these things in their bellies, but the question is, were they digesting these metals and getting energy from them?"

It's bizarre just thinking about it.

"How can a living organism obtain energy from metallic iron? Especially such a small organism." Horus shook his head. "I don't think this is their food. They might just be collecting rather than eating. What they can collect isn't just food, but also materials. Social insects exhibit this behavior."

At this point, Iron Son paused for a moment, then said, "Father, you can try it."

Kang De nodded, then separated some locusts, compared their weights using spatial means, and jumped out five that were clearly "half-full," then reached out and grabbed them.

A chunk of cement crumbled from the ground, a piece of reinforced concrete flew from the wall, and a steel plate cracked from the iron gate, all placed before these silver-gray locusts. In Zhuerban, these insects covered every inch of buildings, vehicles, and streetlights, yet now they were oblivious to these things right before their eyes.

Kang De then offered him another piece of pork, which he also showed no interest in.

They were just flying aimlessly, not knowing what they were looking for.

Horus said, "Perhaps, Father, they don't even eat meat. In Zhuerban, taking the pork you threw out back underground is just collecting it."

Kang De asked, "Then where does the energy for their activity come from?"

Iron Son said in a deep voice, "Perhaps, it's beyond our imagination."

Kang De stared at the still buzzing locusts. If these things were manufactured rather than hatched, they were truly ingenious and lifelike. To be able to survive in the White Mist World, not feeding on metal or cement, nor eating flesh and blood, where did they get their energy from, and what was their purpose...? The mist grew thicker, and the answers behind it became increasingly unsettling.

He paused for a moment, then said, "I hope that human scientists will make more discoveries."

Ultimately, neither he nor his Iron Son are professionals.

But that will take time.

The France warships will immediately head to Cape Verde, an archipelago nation in western Africa, where a military attaché from the China embassy will be waiting. After receiving the samples, they will immediately proceed to Djibouti.

Then, they boarded military aircraft from the Djibouti logistics base and flew directly to a biological research institute somewhere in the west.

This will take at least seven or eight hours.

"It's better to save some time," Kang De said. "I'll send these over first."

Although it was clearly stated beforehand that live animals could not be carried during teleportation, it would be somewhat unreasonable to bring back half a bag of lively locusts now, and it might cause some minor trouble.

But we can't worry about that now.

Faced with this unknown, mysterious, and troublesome enemy, seven or eight hours are incredibly precious.

He divided the swarm of locusts in two and put one of them into a bag.

They then brought another iron box, covered the locusts inside, and sealed it securely.

Horus asked, "Father, what about these?"

Kang De opened the portal and stepped into the dark chamber. "Preparedness is key."

He darted back to his apartment complex, then dashed through the streets again, and was back in China.

It was already dark; the time was past 10 p. m.

Kang De made the call, and Qin Mengjin answered immediately, "Mr. Kang De."

"I'm home," Kang De said. "Have someone come up to fetch me and bring my suitcase."

The liaison officer immediately said, "The bug... is it dead? A dead one is fine, I'll get it right away..."

"Alive."

"Huh?" Qin Mengjin said in surprise, "Didn't you say..."

"Yes, they didn't die." Kang De paused, then said quietly, "Perhaps they aren't the kind of living beings we understand."

The liaison officer took a full three seconds to process those words.

"Please wait a moment, they will be upstairs in five minutes."

Have you settled in here?

"No, wait in the underground parking lot."

Kang De hung up the phone, drew back the curtains, and peeked out.

He and Xiaoman were neighbors, their bedrooms were separated by a wall, but Xiaoman's room had a balcony, so they could see each other through the window. However, sometimes they would still lie in bed and play childish games like knocking on the wall.

The light was still on, Kang De thought for a moment, then decided not to disturb her.

He stood up and walked to the living room. Three minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. He received a message on his phone, Kang De opened the door. Two men in sportswear and cotton hats stood outside, looking like guys who went for a night run, but their eyes were serious and focused, unlike ordinary people.

The guy behind was carrying a heavy box. When the person in front saw Kang De, he saluted and took out a handwritten card that matched the identification code sent by Qin Mengjin.

The photos match up.

After Kang De nodded and stepped aside, the two entered the room and whispered, "Mr. Kant, we are here on a mission. You don't need to explain anything to me. According to discipline, I will not ask you anything."

Kang De reached for the box, placed it on the shoe cabinet, opened it, put the plastic bag inside, closed it, and with a gentle tap, the plastic bag inside shattered and disintegrated.

"Tell your superior that the contents might damage the crate. Be prepared to cover it with a larger crate at any time. Do not open the crate until you are absolutely certain. That's all you need to say."

The two showed no surprise or curiosity, whether out of loyalty and focus or simply indifference, it was hard to tell.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"No, that's all. I've already explained everything over the phone."

Then the two comrades took their leave, and Kang De saw them off into the corridor. The man gave a friendly gesture, indicating that they didn't need to see him off any further. "Goodbye, Mr. Kant."

Just then, the door next to them clicked open.

These two kind-looking comrades, like startled rabbits, instinctively reached for their clothes, Kang De placed his hands on their shoulders, stopping them from drawing their guns.

Xiaoman cautiously peeked out.

"Don't get agitated, this is my friend," Kang De said. "He knows about me."

The two breathed a sigh of relief, but still said, "I'm sorry, but I still need to report."

Kang De glared and said, "What are you doing out here? What if you're a bad guy?"

Xiaoman snorted, "Didn't I see you?"

Kang De shook his head, not taking the matter to heart. Xiaoman in the know, and Uncle Wang would definitely report it. There would only be benefits and no harm. Being protected by the state was better than being ignorant and attracting malice. So he didn't care about the reports these two rulers mentioned.

He looked at Xiaoman, who had a look of eager curiosity. "These two are comrades who serve the people."

"Oh." Xiaoman looked at the two curiously and whispered, "The Dragon Group?"

Kang De tapped Xiaoman's forehead and gave her a nudge. "Alright, stop with this joke."

The two comrades were very perceptive and took their leave without notice.

Xiaoman closed her own door, pushed Kang De back to his house, and asked with a curious look, "What's wrong? What's wrong? You even brought a box. Did you give some blueprints to the government?"

What kind of blueprints?

Kang De shrugged and said, "Just some trinkets."

Kang De didn't want Xiaoman to know too much. After all, the disappearance of an entire city's inhabitants... it was best not to let her worry about such things.

Xiaoman's expression changed slightly, and she nodded. "I understand, I understand."

Kang De glanced at her sideways. "So, it's this late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'm not sleeping!" Xiaoman huffed. "Come on, stay with me tonight to cultivate immortality."

"Dual cultivation, huh?"

"Pooh."

Looking into the girl's expectant eyes, Kang De hesitated for a moment.

Xiaoman immediately picked up on this emotion. "Is something important?"

Kang De thought for a moment, then sent a message to the King: "Are trucks and supplies needed now?"

The reply came quickly, "Not for now, my brother. It's already night, and our truck drivers have been working hard all day and are very tired. Driving at night is dangerous. We are currently taking stock of the citizens arriving today, selecting those with experience driving large vehicles, and ensuring they get plenty of rest and nutrition. There is no shortage of supplies for the time being, so you don't need to worry too much."

Kang De thought for a moment and replied, "Alright, keep a close eye on the locusts' movements, and notify me immediately if there are any problems."

"Don't worry, buddy, you should get some rest."

Kang De was relieved. Now he had to be careful with the locust swarms, but he didn't need to manually monitor them nearby. Although the optical satellites in the sky were being interfered with, the interference patterns were still a means of location.

He doesn't need to fight alone in this world.

There's no need to rush into becoming a lone hero who saves the world.

He put his phone away and smiled at Xiaoman, "Okay, it's been a while since I've played like this."

Uncle Wang wasn't home, Papa Kang's Mama Kang were far away in Africa. For Kang De and Xiaoman, the days when neither set of parents was around were like a dream, like a holiday.

On days like these, I would buy delicious food and drinks in advance, then turn on all the lights in the room at night, leave snacks scattered all over the floor, open several bottles of cola, turn on the TV and computer, and do whatever I wanted, play whatever I wanted... I can rarely recapture that kind of fun now.

Then let's cultivate immortality!

Grab some snacks, prepare a midnight treat in the oven, pour in some sugary soda, and then play a battle game.

First the Switch, then the PS4, then mobile games— Kang De has been enhanced in every way, his reaction speed greatly improved, making Xiaoman scream with delight in victory. Finally, bored to the extreme, he sat in front of the TV, watching boring TV programs and complaining about the stupid logic of melodramatic soap operas.

Xiaoman, still half-asleep, snuggled up to him.

Half-asleep, she said, "How wonderful it would be if every day were like this. When will you come back...?"

Kang De was filled with mixed emotions, and finally whispered, "On the way."

Xiaoman laughed and playfully hit him, then slowly fell asleep.

Kang De hesitated for a moment, then gently put his arm around her shoulder, continuing to watch the boring TV series. The separations, deaths, and reunions of men and women on the screen were just a passing fad.

Most importantly, the sound of the sleeping girl beside him brought him a sense of peace.

It wasn't until dawn that the buzzing of his phone brought him back to reality.

"Hello?" Kang De asked, "Any results from the anatomical studies?"

"Not yet," Qin Mengjin's voice was grave. "But something even more serious has happened. It wasn't until dawn today in Gambia that they discovered a large number of people had gone missing overnight from towns near Zhuerban."

Kang De's expression suddenly changed. "The locusts are moving?"

"That's the most frightening part. Satellite data shows that the locust swarms around Zhuerban have not migrated on a large scale."

"So..."

"It probably crawled out of the ground."

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PS1: Update... Damn, it suddenly started raining, and we've had a few more confirmed cases here. Holy crap, the epidemic is gradually stabilizing across the province, but here it's going against the grain...