Fire Ladybug -- Dapu Ghost Worm

Hu Bayi couldn't bear to watch the soldier burn alive, so he forced himself to suppress his grief, drew his saber, and plunged it fiercely into the soldier's heart.

www..co

M

But from that crack, a lot of blue ladybugs suddenly flew out, pouncing on them. Another soldier was hit by over a dozen blue ladybugs and instantly burned into a pile of charcoal ash, only managing to let out half a scream. The other soldiers could only open fire.

But the sound of gunfire only caused even more blue ladybugs to pour out from the crack, attacking them.

Their commotion also triggered an avalanche. In the end, only Hu Bayi survived.

"When I woke up, I was in the hospital at the supply station, my body wrapped in bandages. It took me over half a year for my injuries to heal. The team that entered the ice mountain with me, except for me, all sacrificed their lives."

"I will never forget my brothers, my comrades, the scene of them burning alive right before my eyes."

"Their pained expressions, unable to cry out, are still seared into my mind."

Hu Bayi's voice choked up, his eyes filled with sorrow. Tears were already rolling down his face. He wiped his tears, placed his right hand on his forehead, and painfully crouched down. "You will also know the feeling of killing your own comrades..."

"When I close my eyes, countless familiar faces smile at me, and those sky full of blue-flame ladybugs..."

Fatty stared blankly at Hu Bayi, his heart feeling heavy.

He often scolded Hu Bayi in front of him for being too soft-hearted after his time in the army, but he never knew he had gone through so much pain and carried so many burdens. When you've experienced too much, people become calm and reserved, seemingly without temper.

Fatty sighed. He felt he wasn't a good enough brother.

He squatted down and patted Hu Bayi's shoulder to comfort him. "Old Hu, let the past be the past. You need to bravely face the future again. Your comrades wouldn't want you to be so miserable."

Hu Ming, who had been silent for a long time, sighed. "Old Hu, don't try to hide from the past. You can't live like this forever, losing sleep every night. You should face it. Isn't it just Kunlun Ice Mountain? Let's go for it. You should go back and see the heroic spirits of your comrades. Perhaps they are waiting there to see you!"

Hu Ming knew that Hu Bayi's problem was a psychological one, causing him to have nightmares every night. If he went to Kunlun Ice Mountain, this mental block could be resolved by seventy to eighty percent.

However, after hearing Hu Bayi's words just now, Hu Ming hesitated for a long time. After all, there were too many taboos on Kunlun Ice Mountain.

With just their group, he didn't know how many would return safely. But in the end, Hu Ming still decided to go. He couldn't let his cousin live like this forever, so he decided to take this opportunity to go.

Hu Bayi was silent for a moment, then agreed. "Mingzi, you're right. I'll go."

Fatty saw this and said, "Since Old Hu is going, I'll go with you, brother."

At this moment, Hu Ming turned to Yang Xueli and Professor Chen by the workshop entrance. "Have you heard enough?"

Yang Xueli, Professor Chen, Hao Aiguo, and the others had arrived long ago and had heard Hu Bayi's story. They were all shocked. They never expected Mr. Hu to have such a mysterious and complex experience, but it seemed a bit pitiful.

Yang Xueli showed sympathy as she looked at Hu Bayi, then turned to Hu Ming. "Mr. Hu Ming, do you recognize these insects? We might encounter them when we go to Kunlun Ice Mountain. Please introduce them to us in detail."

Hu Ming didn't rush to answer. Instead, he asked Yang Xueli and the others to return to the private room to discuss.

"Please sit down, the three of you." Yang Xueli sat on one side of the table. Books and maps were spread out on the table, and the map showed signs of being marked. It was clear they had been studying the map and planning their route.

"Mr. Hu, does this ladybug look familiar?" Yang Xueli said as she lifted a book from the table and pulled out a black and white photograph from underneath, handing it to Hu Bayi.

Hu Bayi took the photo and looked at it. It was a picture of a blue insect, emitting a faint blue flame all over its body. Its wings were spread, and its posture, appearance, and fingernail-sized body were exactly like the ladybugs in Kunlun Ice Mountain.

Hu Bayi's expression turned grim. "That's right, it's them."

Professor Chen and the others exchanged glances. As expected, the information collected by Yang Xueli's father was accurate. Such terrifying insects did exist in this world.

"Miss Yang, this photo of yours?" Hu Bayi looked at Yang Xueli with some surprise. This American girl was quite mysterious. She even had a photo of blue ladybugs. It seemed she wasn't as simple as she appeared on the surface.

"It was taken by a British explorer named Peter in 1965 when he entered Kunlun Ice Mountain. That explorer named this insect the Fire-spitting Insect."

Yang Xueli said earnestly. Everyone was discussing the insects they might encounter, and it was not something to be taken lightly. She took the photo back and handed it to Hu Ming. She had heard from Professor Chen that Hu Ming's knowledge was no less than his, so she wanted to see if Hu Ming knew about this insect.

Hu Ming looked at the photo and smiled. "That Peter really knew how to name things!"

Hu Ming took out a cigarette, lit it, and then looked at everyone. "Some people call these fire-spitting insects Fire Ladybugs, but their real name is Dapu Ghost Worm."

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard that Hu Ming actually knew about this insect.

Hu Ming glanced at the crowd and continued, "Dapu Ghost Worm, a demonic insect used by the Demon Kingdom. Dapu means 'demonic insect' in Tibetan."

"This is a strange-looking, transparent small ladybug, similar in appearance to a seven-spotted ladybug. It's completely transparent and smaller than a fingernail. They are used in the tombs of the Demon Kingdom to protect corpses."

"And they have two forms: 'Immeasurable Karmic Fire' and 'Naiqiong Divine Ice.' These are two evil powers that can shatter a person's soul. Besides affecting living things, they can also affect other objects."

"One form, 'Immeasurable Karmic Fire,' is more common. It's a blue flame ladybug, its entire body like red transparent crystal, with crystal-clear wings. Through its transparent shell, you can vaguely see its semi-transparent internal organs, within which flames seem to flow. It emits blue flames, and if a person comes into contact with even a little, it's impossible to extinguish, and they will be instantly burned to ashes. Its only weakness is water. This is what we commonly call the Fire Ladybug."

"The other form, 'Naiqiong Divine Ice,' is entirely silvery-white, like a tiny, sparkling ice crystal. It can instantly freeze anyone it touches into frost, then shatter them into ice dust. Its weakness is fire."

"Of course, whether it's a fire bug or an ice bug, besides destroying them with their respective weaknesses, using any other method of attack will only cause the ghost worms to multiply."

Hu Ming paused here and then said, "However, hearing what Old Hu just said, it should only be the Fire Ladybugs! Fire Ladybugs are afraid of water, so we just need to find a way to splash them with water."

Hearing this, Hu Bayi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was a way to deal with them. Hu Bayi snapped back to attention and asked in panic.

"What about snow? What about snow?"

Suddenly, Hu Bayi thought that since water was the nemesis of the Fire Ladybugs, melted snow was also water. Logically, Fire Ladybugs should also be afraid of snow, and even accumulated snow should be able to deal with them?

Hu Ming was taken aback. "These insects can fly, so it's not easy to hit them with snowballs. However, we can burrow into the snow."