"Xiao Ge, do you agree with me?"
Zhang Qiming asked as he rummaged through the skeletons, not even pausing his search.
"Why so silent? Don’t like what I said?"

Xiao Ge kept his head down, silent as ever. Zhang Qiming shrugged and continued his treasure hunt. Whether he could claim the perfect reward depended on the loot he could gather.

“It’s bugs!”
Zhang Jiuri’s shout echoed from deep within the cave.

“Not good!”
Xiao Ge and Zhang Qiming immediately extinguished their lamps and rushed toward the sound.

When they arrived at the deepest chamber, Zhang Haike and the others were already there, examining the area for any anomalies. Zhang Nian, frustrated by the commotion, spat on the ground.

“What the hell are you screaming about? There’s nothing here! You scared us for nothing!”

Zhang Jiuri ignored him, pointing at his shadow on the wall with a trembling voice.
“Look! My shadow… why is it on the wall?”

Zhang Nian scoffed and pointed at his own shadow.
“Where else should it be, genius? On your face?”

Before he could finish his sentence, his shadow detached from the wall and flew straight at his face!

The terrifying scene left everyone paralyzed with fear. Shadows, detaching and flying—this was beyond explanation!

“No, that’s not a shadow—it’s bugs!”
Zhang Haike was the first to notice the truth. He swung his torch toward Zhang Nian’s "shadow," and under the light, the others saw it clearly: Zhang Nian’s shadow was a swarm of black flying insects!

Then came another horrifying twist. These bugs didn’t scatter like ordinary insects when faced with fire. Instead, they regrouped with uncanny coordination, attacking again as soon as the torch dimmed.

Zhang Haike and Zhang Nian couldn’t dodge in time. The insects swarmed over the exposed skin on their arms and legs, their bites like that of ravenous piranhas.
“These bugs are intelligent! They must have caused those skeletons!” Zhang Haixing shouted angrily, swinging her torch to drive the bugs away. Her arm was already bloodied from the relentless bites.

Grabbing Zhang Haike, she yelled, “We have to run!”

“But the Heaven Staff is right there!”
Zhang Jiuri pointed to the clan leader’s remains, anxiety lacing his voice. This was the artifact that Xiaoge had been searching for—it was so close, but now the bugs stood in their way.

“I’ll get it!”
Zhang Qiming dashed forward at lightning speed, faster than the bugs could react. Without hesitation, he grabbed the Heaven Staff and tossed it to Xiao Ge.

“…”
The Heaven Staff was a symbol of power—whoever held it would become the next clan leader. Yet Zhang Qiming showed no desire to keep it for himself, causing a subtle ripple of emotion in Xiao Ge’s normally stoic heart.

As soon as Xiao Ge held the staff, the bugs seemed to redirect their focus entirely, swarming toward Zhang Qiming instead.

“My blood suppresses them,” Zhang Qiming muttered as he smeared his blade with his own blood.

Xiao Ge instinctively reached for his dagger to do the same, but Zhang Qiming stopped him with a sharp glare.
“No! You’re anemic. Losing too much blood could kill you.”

For the first time, Xiao Ge felt something foreign—a flicker of care.

“Is now the time for sentimentality? You can cry later once we’re safe!”
Zhang Qiming joked, but Xiao Ge merely nodded, his expression unreadable.

“Damn it! Why are there more of these bugs?!”
Zhang Haixing swung her torch desperately, but the insects came in endless waves, each attack fiercer than the last.

“Retreat!”
Xiao Ge’s command was firm, and everyone bolted for the exit.

Back at the entrance, Zhang Haike and the others quickly sealed the tunnel with the same crates they had removed earlier. Zhang Haixing heaved a sigh of relief.
“We were this close to ending up like those skeletons pushing boxes,” she muttered.

Still catching their breath, they heard a faint banging behind them. The bugs were ramming against the crates, trying to break free.

“Let’s move! This place is too dangerous. We can’t handle these bugs!” Zhang Haike urged.

“These bugs are smart,” Zhang Qiming said grimly. “They’re likely sacrificing some of their own to pile on my blood, rendering it ineffective.”

As if to confirm his theory, tiny insects began slipping through the cracks of the crates.

“Run!”
Smearing more of his blood on the crates to buy time, Zhang Qiming led the group back through the winding river path.

Soon, they reached the ominous black ship, its fractured hull looming ahead. Xiao Ge pointed to a faint light in the distance.
“That’s the exit I used years ago. If we can reach it, we’ll be safe.”

But just as hope flickered, a new danger emerged. The clay jars embedded in the ground began to crack open silently, and the air filled with a deafening buzz.

“What the hell? Those jars were sealing the bugs!”
Zhang Nian exclaimed, his face pale. He had tried to tamper with one earlier, only to be stopped by Zhang Qiming. Now, he realized how close he had been to unleashing disaster.

From the jars, countless insects poured out like a black tide. The sheer volume dwarfed anything they had seen before, and the swarm darkened the air like a storm cloud.

“This old clan leader really didn’t leave us a way to live!”
Zhang Qiming cursed, staring at the relentless swarm. Beneath the ship, a massive chasm had opened, revealing a labyrinth of tunnels teeming with insects.

The black cloud of bugs surged forward, unstoppable and suffocating, like a flood intent on consuming everything in its path.