Chapter 157: Giant Bugs

Shi Ji was feeling quite puzzled now. Why did it seem like everywhere he went, he encountered monsters? 

This never happened before.

At the same spot in the center of the square where the earlier explosion had occurred, another anomaly had emerged from the crater. This one looked much better than the last, with an exoskeleton and armor-like skin. It seemed to be modeled after some kind of insect. From a distance, it appeared huge—around four or five meters tall.

One wasn’t enough, though. 

After that first one crawled out, several more identical anomalies followed. Finally, the ground shook even harder, and wide cracks appeared around the pit. A much larger monster leaped out from the depths.

Well, that was enough introduction for the anomalies. Despite such a “luxurious” lineup, Shi Ji didn’t even bother looking at them. He was still busy fiddling with his safe.

The square was already deserted, in ruins. Apart from the five anomalies, Shi Ji was the only person left standing there.

At this point, the monsters noticed Shi Ji and closed in on him.

Shi Ji remained calm. As the anomalies got closer, he glanced around to see if there were any other heroes nearby to lend him a hand.

“Probably no one left, huh,” he muttered, looking around at the chaos.

He stood up, but he was still clutching the safe. 

That money inside? It was far too important to him.

As he rose, a sleek, silver-white longsword appeared in his hand. Judging by the way the light gleamed off it, the blade was razor-sharp.

Shi Ji gave the monsters a scornful look and said impatiently, “If you’re gonna fight, hurry up. Can’t you see I’m busy here?”

The lead anomaly stared disdainfully at Shi Ji before swinging a claw down at him with lightning speed.

Shi Ji didn’t move. He faced the attack head-on. He was too lazy to dodge. He simply raised his sword.

Clang!

The anomaly’s attack was easily deflected.

The monster was surprised. What it thought was a powerful strike had been effortlessly blocked. 

This kid…

Both claws then swung toward Shi Ji in a rapid flurry, so fast that to the naked eye. It looked like countless claws were raining down on him. The sheer force of the attack sent shockwaves through the air, causing powerful gusts of wind. However…

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of impact echoed continuously. 

Despite the onslaught, Shi Ji easily parried every strike. He stood in the exact same spot, not even budging an inch. Every attack the anomaly threw at him was blocked.

He looked at the creature with even more disdain, his grip on the longsword tightening slightly. 

The creature felt the increased pressure. It couldn’t believe how difficult this human was to deal with. In the midst of its thoughts, it suddenly realized that its body was immobilized, a strange sensation spreading throughout. 

!!!

Just as it reacted, its entire body froze, unable to move. Then everything went black.

With a swift motion, Shi Ji moved around the creature. His sword sliced through the air. He then advanced toward the other creatures while they were still in shock at what had just happened. His figure flickered like a phantom. He dashed around them, striking in one smooth, continuous motion. 

When he stopped, the creatures behind him were already motionless, and only the largest one stood in front of him.

Shi Ji raised his head and looked at the big bug.

“I’ll give you a chance to say your last words.”

The giant bug was stunned for a moment. Then, it threw its head back and laughed wildly, its voice arrogant and full of disdain.

“Haha… interesting, interesting!”

“Okay, time’s up.”

***

The smaller bugs were likely at the demon level, and the bigger one was probably nether.

Being considerate, Shi Ji had left their bodies intact. Now, all of them stood like statues, frozen in place. 

As soon as his sword dissolved into starlight, Shi Ji received a message from Lin Xinyan.

“Shi Ji, where are you right now? According to the latest update from the Star Alliance, there’s a Nether level creature and a few Demon level ones in your area. I’m heading over now. Be careful.”

Shi Ji turned to glance at the “statues” behind him and said, “Oh, it’s already dealt with. You don’t need to come.”

“Huh? Dealt with? I just got the notification.”

“Yep, I just finished.”

“I don’t even know what to say anymore. You’re faster than the alerts. Alright, take care of yourself.”

“You should be careful, too. Don’t always worry about me. If you run into something you can’t handle, call me. Don’t try to do it all yourself.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, Shi Ji returned to figuring out how to open the safe. But then he noticed a simple piece of paper on the ground. He picked it up and saw that it was the business card of that C-level hero, Regular A. Despite how simple and crude it was, Shi Ji decided to keep it. He didn’t mind holding onto the contact of a reliable hero.

Shi Ji originally planned to extract the money from the safe without damaging it, since it wasn’t his property. But after multiple failed attempts, he lost his temper and accidentally split the safe in half with his sword.

Accidentally?

Though the safe wasn’t that big, it was still supposed to hold some money. But after all his effort, seeing just over four thousand in cash left Shi Ji stunned.

Naturally, he felt a bit dejected, but the disappointment didn’t last long. After all, he had turned fifty yuan into four thousand, which was still a big win.

While this quick-cash approach worked, Shi Ji knew it wasn’t sustainable. His focus quickly returned to earning credits through the academy, which provided a more reliable income.

As for the missing portion of the five thousand, Shi Ji considered the broken safe collateral and didn’t dwell on it further. Before leaving the square, he even swung by the nearby food street to grab a snack, celebrating his little victory.

***

A few minutes after Shi Ji left, the heroes who had received the news and rushed to the square finally arrived.

When they saw the motionless creatures, frozen like statues, they were shocked. Some even thought the creatures were pretending to be dead. To be safe, a cannon star constitution hero stepped forward and blasted the creatures with long-range artillery, reducing several aberrants to a pulp.

Everyone widened their eyes in shock. They assumed that the Cannon Rank hero was simply powerful enough to easily kill the monsters. Even the Cannon Rank hero himself found it unbelievable, wondering when his firepower had become so powerful.

That day marked the beginning of a high frequency of anomaly appearances.

All across the city, various anomalies appeared in different locations. Their levels ranged from the human rank to the nether rank. Among them, the human rank anomalies were the most numerous, followed by the demon rank, and two nether rank monsters appeared.

Of the two nether rank aberrants, one was killed by a B rank Star cannon hero, while the other died under strange circumstances. Based on the scene, it seemed to have been trapped underground and suffocated. 

A nether rank anomaly suffocating to death? 

No matter how you think about it, something seemed off.

That day, the Star Alliance in Yinshuang City issued the highest directive. The city entered a full state of alert to deal with the disasters brought by the anomalies. If necessary, an emergency plan would be initiated, and all citizens would evacuate to shelters.