Juvenile Form

The pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with a fishy stench, making the overly sharp-nosed Zhou Diao exceptionally irritable.

He kicked over a dead Bug Monster and cursed, "Fucking disgusting. Maggots growing inside corpses were weird enough, and now these black hard-shelled bugs are popping out too. Just how many bugs are in this damn hole?!"

Feng Ling crouched before a Bug Monster and studied it carefully.

The front half of this Big Worm's body resembled a Centipede's, with a pair of extremely strong, sharp mandibles and segmented, Centipede-like back plates. It did not have as many legs as a Centipede, only twelve in total, arranged in two rows.

The rear half of its body dragged a long, flat abdomen. Its abdomen was slightly darker in color, covered in a thin shell that was relatively soft. There were also two small hooks at the end of its abdomen, which helped it cling more securely while climbing rock walls.

She had also seen this hook-like structure on the white maggots.

Feng Ling said thoughtfully, "The white ones are probably Juvenile Forms. These bluish-black ones that have grown back plates are Adult Forms after metamorphosis. Who knows how many are still in the cave? We need to hurry. Monsters have to be killed while they're still Juvenile Forms, or they'll be pretty troublesome once they grow up."

Seeing Huangfu Miaomiao's strange expression from the corner of her eye, Feng Ling raised a brow and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Huangfu Miaomiao jumped in fright and hurriedly shook her head. "Nothing, nothing!"

Huangfu Miaomiao was always a bundle of nerves, so Feng Ling did not think much of it. She turned to Zhou Diao and asked, "Vice Captain, what do we do now?"

"We really need to wipe out the Juvenile Forms early, but there are too many entrances here. We'll definitely get lost if we wander around." Zhou Diao rummaged through Qin Liang's backpack and pulled out a black square box, grumbling, "We had no idea the cave would be this complicated when we came down. Good thing Lao Su prepared this beforehand."

"What is that?" Feng Ling asked curiously.

"The most advanced Cave Detector."

Zhou Diao kicked aside several bug corpses to clear an area, set the black square box steadily on the ground, then opened its lid.

Inside was a pull-out LCD display about the size of an ordinary A4 sheet, with complicated buttons of various colors beneath it.

"Why didn't the scientists make the controls simpler when they designed this thing?" Zhou Diao pressed a few buttons irritably, but the instrument showed no response.

Qin Liang quietly reminded him from the side, "You need to activate the little flying box underneath first."

Zhou Diao suddenly understood, slapped his forehead, and launched into another flurry of fierce operations.

A metal object less than ten centimeters in diameter popped out from inside the box, shaped remarkably like a ladybug.

This Metal Ladybug had propellers on its underside. After activating, it slowly rose into the air, not flying very high as it buzzed and hovered beside Feng Ling's knee.

Then, the miniature scanner on top emitted a green laser and began scanning the cave in circles.

"Done." Zhou Diao let out a breath. "Qin Liang, watch the display. Everyone else, keep up your guard."

Feng Ling bent down for a closer look. The display was divided into two halves. The upper half showed a 3D image of the cave's interior, while the lower half displayed streams of data she could not understand.

Qin Liang specifically explained to her, "While scanning, the Detector can record real-time data such as the temperature and humidity inside the environment. It can also detect living organisms, helping the user gain a more comprehensive understanding of the cave."

"Fancy." Feng Ling stood and asked Zhou Diao, "How much does this thing cost?"

Zhou Diao snorted and shot her a proud glance. "It's not for sale within the Supervision Bureau. There is no price."

Feng Ling felt a little disappointed upon hearing that.

In the past, she never would have given this kind of advanced technology a second thought. But her savings had just exceeded a million, so naturally, her heart was easily stirred.

The ladybug Detector flew farther and farther away. After randomly entering one of the cave openings, it vanished from sight, while the image data on the display continued streaming back.

"Vice Captain, more than half our ammunition has been used. Do we need to return for supplies?" Xiao Li asked Zhou Diao.

Zhou Diao thought for a moment and said, "Once the Detector finishes mapping, you can go back to the vehicles and get supplies."

The Special Forces had traveled light for this operation, and over half the ammunition they had brought had already been expended. If another bug attack came, they would likely face the dilemma of insufficient firepower.

After considering this, Zhou Diao looked toward the two men hiding in the corner and said to Xiao Li, "When you head out, take these two guys with you."

Xiao Li answered, "Understood."

In the corner, Brother Chao's expression kept shifting unpredictably, as though he wanted to say something.

Fang Ye, beside him, wore an expression of joy and gratitude. He was clearly eager to leave this place.

Brother Chao suddenly spoke in a sinister voice. "You're not getting back."

Everyone looked over.

Zhou Diao ignored Brother Chao outright and asked Fang Ye, "What's wrong with your buddy? Is he mentally unstable or something?"

Fang Ye looked embarrassed, his eyes evasive as well. He lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone.

At that moment, Brother Chao sneered again. "You're no match for it."

Brother Chao made Zhou Diao laugh in anger. He walked over and asked, "Really? Then who is this 'it' you're talking about? Call it out, and let's have a little contest."

Brother Chao said nothing. He merely raised his head and looked toward the top of the cave.

Seeing this, Zhou Diao also looked up suspiciously.

Although burning sticks and other items provided illumination, the upper reaches of the cave remained dim and unclear. Several pitch-black openings were scattered above everyone's heads, exuding a deep and eerie aura.

Zhou Diao had killed many Xenomorphs, including Contaminants, so he was somewhat unconvinced at this moment.

He heard the familiar sound of bugs crawling and tried to identify which opening it came from, but all the openings here connected with one another, making it impossible to tell.

He tried to rely on his sense of smell again, but the cave was filled with a heavy fishy stench, and he could not pick up any other scent.

The sound drew closer and closer.

Scrape...

Scrape...

Everyone's hearts rose into their throats. They gripped their weapons tight and stared vigilantly at those openings.

At last, they saw a human face appear in the largest opening—

A rotting green human face.

It had decayed beyond recognition, like a melting wax figure. When it opened its mouth, even its teeth fell out and dropped to the ground.

But Brother Chao became excited at the sight. He ran forward on his own initiative to pledge his loyalty. "I brought you the people you wanted. Look, they all have Cards! As long as you keep me alive, I can bring you even more people!"

Thud.

The face fell down, and the head covered in rotting flesh rolled away with a rumble.

Brother Chao was struck squarely by it and froze with his head tilted back.

In his field of vision, enormous mandibles opened like a claw-machine grabber dropping from high above, suddenly closing in! His vision went black in an instant!

Zhou Diao cried out in alarm, "Fire!"

The Special Forces members fired at once!

But the Bug Monster was unbelievably fast. The instant it bit down on Brother Chao's head, it withdrew into the opening, and every bullet struck Brother Chao instead!

His body hung from the opening above. Blood gushed from his bullet-riddled body, and two seconds later, it fell.

His neck had been completely severed. The headless corpse collapsed to the ground, spraying blood.

Brother Chao's voice echoed through the cave—

"Damn it... You killed... my children... Hiss... you all... deserve to die..."