The mother sensed a threat, and the insect eggs were induced to hatch. The corpses lying outside sat bolt upright, undergoing the same mutation as Chef.
Likewise, adult insects of varying sizes crawled out of their mouths.
"Were they born inside their bodies? Then did the eggs act as parasites after being swallowed by mistake?"
The parasitized corpses lunged at Fan Daoyi, brandishing sharp claws, disgusting mucus dripping from their mouths and the antennae atop their heads twitching.
These parasitized corpses knew only to attack Fan Daoyi. Though their movements were somewhat stiff, they were far from slow.
Watching the constantly swaying antennae, Fan Daoyi had an idea. Gripping the top of his bamboo staff, he drew a long sword from it and slashed. In an instant, an insect's antennae were severed. Its eyes immediately went blank, and it lost its target, spinning in place.
"Parasitized humans receive information through their antennae." Fan Daoyi changed positions again, returning to the mother's side. "Then how do you issue your commands?"
The mother sensed Fan Daoyi approaching and began to squirm uneasily.
Just then, the enormous "nest" smashed down. The powerful impact made the surrounding ground tremble, and the pit encasing it cracked apart under the immense force, revealing what lay inside.
The enormous "nest" had actually been formed by adult insects tightly intertwined and joined together.
The "nest" began to show aggression, repeatedly swinging limbs made of adult insects at Fan Daoyi, each sweep whipping up a fierce gust. Relying on Teleportation, Fan Daoyi kept changing positions around the mother, darting through the gaps between attacks.
The squirming adult insects wrapped themselves around the mother. The mother's intelligence perceived Fan Daoyi's intention and immediately changed its orders. The adult insects entwined around it took flight one after another, swarming toward Fan Daoyi like a cloud of locusts.
Fan Daoyi had no desire to fight. All that killing was terribly tiring. So he flickered away and used Teleportation to instantly appear near the cold storage room door. He even thoughtfully shut the door tight for the mother before returning to the main dining area.
Fan Daoyi's sudden appearance gave He Piaojian a terrible fright. He gave a start and patted his chest. "Dao Yi, why do you always come and go like a ghost?"
Fan Daoyi looked at the remains on the floor. Clearly, He Piaojian had also realized that the adult insects communicated through their antennae and had broken them all off. As for the parasitized people, each had been pinned to the wall with several small chopsticks.
Now, aside from the people who had transformed into insects and the mother, the two of them were all who remained in the hot pot restaurant.
He Piaojian turned his hands and formed a seal, chanting under his breath, "Heaven and earth stretch vast and boundless, the four seas lie wide and gray. The eight trigrams unfold and forge a wall between realms. Swiftly, swiftly, as the law commands—open."
A faint golden radiance spread through the air, drifting slowly like a thin veil as it gradually covered the hot pot restaurant.
He Piaojian had deployed the Barrier to stop the adult insects from escaping. At that, Fan Daoyi asked, puzzled, "What if those people are carrying insect eggs? Is it really all right to just let them out?"
He Piaojian explained, "I took a look during the short time you were gone. The ones who mutated had mostly eaten from the clear broth hot pot. Those eggs couldn't survive in the spicy hot pot, so they couldn't parasitize anyone."
He Piaojian suddenly thought of something. "Speaking of which, Dao Yi, didn't you eat any insect eggs?"
"I did," Fan Daoyi answered honestly. "But maybe I chewed them too finely, so they couldn't survive either. They were like popping beads, and they tasted pretty good."
He Piaojian gave him a suspicious once-over, then looked away and continued, "So what did you go off to do just now?"
"I found the mother. It's in the cold storage room. You can try dealing with it."
"The mother is in this hot pot restaurant?" He Piaojian said wearily. "Ah, what kind of rotten luck is this? I just finished a mission and wanted a meal, and now I've run into this."
Bang, bang, bang! Loud impacts rang out one after another, and the entire cold storage room door shook, as though it might be smashed open at any moment.
"The cold storage room door won't hold the mother for long." Fan Daoyi's expression was grave.
He Piaojian picked up another handful of chopsticks and headed toward the sound.
Soon, he came rushing back out. "This isn't right! I thought there was only the mother. Why are there so many adult insects around it too?"
The scythe on an adult insect's arm was about to strike He Piaojian. At that critical moment, Fan Daoyi darted forward and took He Piaojian out of the attack's reach.
He Piaojian used the momentum to leap and flip, flinging all the chopsticks out while airborne. These were not parasitized people, so the chopsticks pierced straight through the adult insects' fatal points without the slightest restraint. He then seized the chance to skirt around the swarm and approach the mother.
Seeing He Piaojian charge toward it, the mother let out a piercing cry, and the surrounding adult insects immediately closed in on him. He Piaojian nimbly dodged their attacks while searching for the mother's weak point.
"Dao Yi!" the surrounded He Piaojian shouted.
Fan Daoyi picked a spot, came to He Piaojian's side, and placed a hand on his shoulder, sending him near the mother's abdomen.
Chopsticks slipped out from inside He Piaojian's sleeve, and he raised his hand and stabbed at the mother's abdomen. The chopsticks struck their target precisely. The mother let out a painful roar, and its body began to tremble violently. The surrounding adult insects grew even more frenzied, attacking more fiercely.
"He Piaojian, attack the cyst on its tail!" Fan Daoyi warned.
Hearing this, He Piaojian immediately looked toward the mother's tail and indeed spotted an abnormal cyst. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned, several more chopsticks appearing in his hand, and hurled them at the cyst with all his strength.
The chopsticks sliced through the air, flying toward their target like lightning. Just as they were about to hit the cyst, the mother seemed to sense the danger and sent an order for the adult insects to defend it.
The antennae atop the adult insects' heads twitched as they prepared to block He Piaojian's attack. Fan Daoyi was faster still. The sword in his hand flashed with cold light, severing their antennae and cutting off the information.
The adult insects that had lost their antennae immediately fell into confusion.
The chopsticks pierced the cyst without obstruction, and the mother let out an even more shrill cry. Its aura gradually weakened, and its struggles grew smaller and smaller. At last, the mother crashed to the ground.
With the mother's death, the adult insects born because of it also began to die one after another.
The humans parasitized after accidentally swallowing insect eggs suddenly felt nauseated and wanted to vomit. After bouts of vomiting, insects coated in thick, dark-green fluid left their bodies, and the people returned to normal.
Before long, they recovered enough to communicate normally. He Piaojian took out his payment QR code and held it out to them. "Everyone, you don't mind paying a little for my trouble, do you?"
Seeing the insect remains and corpse fluids all over the floor, they felt afraid and were glad to still be alive, so they would not be stingy with the money.
Hearing the payment notifications broadcast by his phone, He Piaojian's smile grew ever brighter.
Fan Daoyi was half-crouched beside the mother's corpse. He Piaojian peered over curiously. "Dao Yi, is there another problem?"
Hearing He Piaojian's question, Fan Daoyi recalled the texture of the larvae and insect eggs in his mind.
"They're tasty. You can eat them," Fan Daoyi said calmly. "Want to try?"
When a strange, crooked idea appeared, given the way He Piaojian's mind worked...
Naturally...
"Sure!" he readily agreed.