Hu Bayi couldn't bear to watch the soldier burn alive, so he forced down his grief, drew his dagger, and plunged it into the man's heart.
But suddenly, more blue ladybugs flew out of the crack and swarmed toward them. Another soldier was struck by a dozen of them and instantly burned to a pile of cinders. He had time to let out only half a scream before the other soldiers could do nothing but open fire.
But the gunshots only caused even more blue ladybugs to pour out of the crack and attack them.
Their commotion also triggered an avalanche. In the end, Hu Bayi was the only one who survived.
"When I woke up, I was lying in the infirmary at the military outpost, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. It took more than half a year for my injuries to heal. The entire team that had gone into the ice mountain with me perished. I was the only one who made it out."
"I'll never forget my brothers, my comrades, burning alive before my eyes."
"Their anguished faces, trying not to scream, have haunted me ever since."
Hu Bayi's voice choked with emotion. His eyes were full of sorrow, and tears had begun to fall. He wiped them away, pressed his right hand to his forehead, and crouched down in pain. "You'll understand what it's like to kill your own comrades..."
"Whenever I close my eyes, I see countless familiar faces smiling at me, along with those ladybugs filling the sky with blue flames..."
Fatty stared at Hu Bayi, feeling awful.
He often cursed Hu Bayi for having lost his temper from serving in the army, never knowing how much suffering he had endured or how much he carried inside. After going through so much, a person became steady and reserved, and seemed to lose his temper.
Fatty sighed. As Hu Bayi's sworn brother, he hadn't been much of one.
He crouched down and patted Hu Bayi on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Old Hu, let the past stay in the past. You have to face the future bravely. Your comrades wouldn't want to see you suffer like this."
Hu Ming, who had been silent for a long time, sighed. "Old Hu, don't try to run from the past. You can't go on like this for the rest of your life, unable to sleep at night.
"You have to face it. It's just the Kunlun Ice Mountain, right? Let's go take it on. You should go back and pay your respects to your comrades' spirits, too. Maybe they're waiting there to see you again!"
Hu Ming knew that Hu Bayi's troubles came from a deep-seated wound. He dreamed about it every night. If he went to the Kunlun Ice Mountain, there was no doubt that most of that burden would lift.
But after hearing Hu Bayi's story, Hu Ming had hesitated for a long time. After all, the Kunlun Ice Mountain was full of taboos.
With their small group, who knew how many of them would make it back safely? But in the end, Hu Ming still decided to go.
His cousin couldn't go on living like this forever. So they would take this opportunity to go.
Hu Bayi was silent for a moment, then agreed. "Mingzi, you're right. I'll go."
Seeing this, Fatty said, "If Old Hu's going, then I'm going with you, brother."
At that moment, Hu Ming called out to Yang Xueli, Professor Chen, and the others standing by the workshop entrance. "Have you heard enough?"
Yang Xueli, Professor Chen, Hao Aiguo, and the others had arrived some time ago and had listened to Hu Bayi's entire story. They were all deeply shaken.
They hadn't expected Mr. Hu to have such a strange and harrowing past. It seemed he'd suffered quite a bit.
Yang Xueli looked at Hu Bayi sympathetically, then turned to Hu Ming. "Mr. Hu Ming, do you recognize this kind of insect? We may encounter them on our trip to the Kunlun Ice Mountain. Please give us a detailed explanation."
Hu Ming didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked Yang Xueli and the others to return to the private room first.
"Please, have a seat." Yang Xueli sat at one side of the table. Books and maps were spread across its surface, and the maps had clearly been marked up. They must have been studying them and planning their route.
"Mr. Hu, does this ladybug look familiar?" As she spoke, Yang Xueli lifted a book from the table and pulled out a black-and-white photograph from beneath it, handing it to Hu Bayi.
Hu Bayi took the photograph. It showed a blue insect, its body wreathed in a faint blue flame and its wings spread. Its stance, appearance, and tiny, fingernail-sized body were exactly like the ladybug from the Kunlun Ice Mountain.
Hu Bayi's expression darkened. "That's it."
Professor Chen and the others exchanged glances. It was true, then—the information Yang Xueli's father had collected was genuine. Such terrifying insects really existed in this world.
"Miss Yang, where did you get this photograph?" Hu Bayi asked, looking at her in surprise. This American woman was more mysterious than she seemed. She even had a photograph of a blue ladybug. She clearly wasn't as simple as she appeared.
"It was taken in 1965 by a British explorer named Peter, when he entered the Kunlun Ice Mountain. He called this insect a 'fire-spitting bug.'"
Yang Xueli spoke with focus. Everyone was discussing the insects they might encounter, and they couldn't afford to be careless. She took the photograph and handed it to Hu Ming. Professor Chen had told her that Hu Ming's knowledge was on par with his own, so she wanted to see whether Hu Ming recognized the insect.
Hu Ming looked at the photograph and smiled. "Peter certainly knew how to come up with names!"
Hu Ming took out a cigarette and lit it, then looked at everyone. "Some people call this fire-spitting insect a fire ladybug. Its real name is Dapu Ghost Worm."
The others' eyes lit up when they heard that Hu Ming knew what the insect was.
Hu Ming glanced at them and continued, "The Dapu Ghost Worm is a demon insect used by the Demon Country. In Tibetan, 'Dapu' means 'demon insect.'
"These strange, transparent little ladybugs resemble seven-spotted ladybugs. They're completely transparent and a little smaller than a fingernail. They're used to protect the corpses in the tombs of the Demon Country.
"They have two forms: Immeasurable Karmic Fire and Naiqiong Divine Ice. These are two evil forces that can destroy the souls of ordinary people. They can affect not only living things but also other objects.
"One form, Immeasurable Karmic Fire, is more common: the Blue Flame Ladybug. Its entire body looks like transparent red crystal, and its wings are crystal clear. Through its transparent shell, you can faintly see its translucent organs, with what looks like flames flickering inside.
"It gives off blue flames. If even a little of one touches you, it can't be put out, and you'll be burned to ashes in an instant. Its only weakness is water. This is the common fire ladybug.
"The other form, Naiqiong Divine Ice, is silver-white all over, like a tiny, glittering ice crystal. Anyone it touches will instantly freeze solid, then shatter into icy dust. Its weakness is fire.
"Of course, whether it's the fire insect or the ice insect, if you attack it in any way other than exploiting its weakness, you'll only make the ghost worms multiply."
Hu Ming paused, then added, "But judging from what Old Hu just said, it must have been the fire ladybugs. They're afraid of water, so we just need to find a way to splash them with it."
Hearing this, Hu Bayi felt a little relieved. At least there was a way to deal with them. But then another thought struck him, and he asked anxiously, "What about snow? How does it fare against snow?"
Hu Bayi had suddenly remembered that water was the fire ladybugs' weakness, and snowmelt was water too. In theory, the fire ladybugs should be afraid of snow. Surely even packed snow could be used against them?
Hu Ming was taken aback. "Those insects can all fly, so it'll be hard to hit them with snowballs. But we can burrow into the snow."
Before you continue