236: Purple Beetle

Looking at that Space Rift, Qin Shi felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

This Space Rift was so large that not only could ordinary bugs pass through faster, but even Gold Beetles nearly five meters tall could easily cross.

Although no matter how many Scythe Beetles and Silver Beetles came, it seemed they were only providing them with experience.

But there were too many bugs, and they couldn’t kill them all.

And who could guarantee that the Gold Beetle was the strongest combat power in the Insect World?

Once bugs stronger than Gold Beetles, and similar in size, came through this Space Rift, it would be another great disaster for Blue Star.

Relying on the Gold Beetles, Qin Shi and his companions approached the Space Rift.

Qin Shi extended his left hand and gently touched the glowing portal.

A tremor rose in his heart, but the All Things Entry Refresh System did not issue a warning of danger.

He turned his head and said to the two women, “You two stay here, I’m going over to take a look.”

The two women opened their mouths, wanting to persuade him not to take risks, but in the end, they only said, “Be careful, and come back quickly if anything goes wrong.”

Qin Shi thought for a moment, then took out the Stealth Formation and activated it before stepping into the Space Rift.

After passing through the Space Rift, what appeared before him was a seaside.

To his left were endless mountains, and to his right was the sea.

Bugs continuously ran from the mountains towards this Space Rift.

Qin Shi quickened his pace and rushed towards the direction from which the bugs were coming.

After walking for more than half an hour, crossing a tall mountain, a small basin appeared before his eyes.

However, the scene before him made his heart pound faster and his hair stand on end.

This basin, tens of square kilometers in size, was entirely filled with bugs.

At a glance, he spotted eight Gold Beetles shimmering with golden light.

He also discovered several types of bugs he had never seen before.

There were those completely black, over twenty meters long, and as thick as a bucket, capable of burrowing into the ground.

There were also fleshy ones, nearly two meters wide, but only seven or eight meters long.

And there were queen bugs, like a beehive, continuously producing smaller bugs.

Qin Shi concentrated and continued to observe the Insect Valley below.

Suddenly, a purple figure appeared in his line of sight.

It was a bug leaner and smaller than a Gold Beetle, but its entire carapace had turned purple.

There were also barbs growing on its carapace, and its head had a helmet-like horny layer.

Name: Purple Armor Bug

Description: The monarch among the swarm, Platinum Realm Six-star, proficient in Metal-elemental energy attacks, capable of leading the swarm, fearful of Fire-elemental attacks, its head is its weakness.

Perhaps sensing Qin Shi’s gaze, that Purple Armor Bug looked up towards Qin Shi.

Instantly, Qin Shi felt as if he had been targeted by a prehistoric beast, a chill ran through him, and his heart seemed to stop for a second.

Even with the existence of the Stealth Formation, the other party should not be able to see him, but he felt as if he had already been exposed to the other party's gaze.

Qin Shi bit his tongue hard, only then managing to recover from the other party’s Deterrence.

Then, he used two consecutive blinks to leave his original position, and without looking back, he rushed towards the Space Rift.

Just after Qin Shi blinked away, a purple figure suddenly appeared on the hilltop where he had just been.

The Purple Armor Bug sniffed with a puzzled expression, scanning its surroundings, but found no abnormalities.

After Qin Shi returned to Blue Star through the Space Rift, his heart was still pounding wildly.

He looked up and said with a wry smile, “There’s a Platinum Six-star Purple Armor Bug on the other side. From now on, even if we want to kill bugs, we should try to stay far away from this Space Rift.”

Hearing this, both women showed shocked expressions.

An Qian asked with some concern, “How big is that Purple Armor Bug? Can it pass through the Space Rift?”

Qin Shi frowned and said, “It’s a little smaller than a Gold Beetle. By its size, it should be able to pass through the Space Rift, but I don’t know the exact situation. In short, we need to be prepared to face it.”

He paused and then said, “While it hasn’t come to our Blue Star yet, we should speed up our leveling.”

The three, heavy-hearted, turned and left Liu Hua County, continuing to kill bugs outside.

At dusk.

Qin Shi finally accumulated enough crystals to level up to the peak of Platinum Nine-star.

Just as he returned to Hope City, preparing to absorb the crystals, Zhang Cheng came to find him.

“Shi Lei, there’s something I think I should tell you. Something strange has appeared in the city these past two or three days.”

“Strange?” Qin Shi asked, “What strange thing?”

Zhang Cheng deliberated his words, “Many bizarre cases have appeared in the city.”

“Some of those people had all their blood and flesh sucked dry, and some were even gnawed on for most of their bodies. We suspect they were harmed by zombies.”

“But despite our full search, we haven’t been able to find the zombie hiding in the city.”

Hearing this, Qin Shi’s heart sank, and Duan Tianhe’s face immediately appeared in his mind.

Did he really misjudge him?

He said with a cold face, “Are those bodies still there? Take me to see them.”

Zhang Cheng quickly led Qin Shi to a morgue.

Lifting the white cloth covering the body, a shriveled corpse appeared before the two of them.

There were also bite marks on the corpse’s neck, suspected to be left by a zombie, and the corpse’s blood was almost completely drained.

Then he looked at the remaining few bodies, which indeed looked very much like they had been gnawed by zombies.

The only suspicious point was the few bodies that had their blood sucked dry but remained intact.

Zombies eat people; there’s no such thing as only drinking blood without eating flesh.

Zhang Cheng frowned and said, “Logically speaking, if a zombie really infiltrated our Hope City, it would only attack all living beings around it without any concealment, and it wouldn’t be able to hide. But besides discovering over a hundred murdered bodies, we haven’t found any trace of that zombie.”

Qin Shi said in a deep voice, “If it really was a zombie, then this zombie must be an intelligent zombie with self-control.”

“Are you talking about the Zombie King?” Zhang Cheng suddenly realized, “But why would this Zombie King hide in our Hope City?”

Qin Shi instructed, “Arrange for a thorough investigation of all suspicious places in the city. I’m going out for a bit.”

The only suspect he could think of was Duan Tianhe, but since there was no conclusion yet, it was not good to tell Zhang Cheng directly.

Leaving the morgue, Qin Shi walked straight to Duan Tianhe’s residence.

Duan Tianhe lived in a community not far from the City Lord’s Mansion.

Building E, Room 2018.

When the door was opened, Duan Tianhe was having dinner with his girlfriend.

“Boss, have you eaten? Why don’t you have some more?” Duan Tianhe warmly greeted Qin Shi and invited him to sit at the dining table.

Yang Jie even went back to the kitchen to get a bowl and chopsticks.

Rice, a serving of boiled fish, a soup made from an unknown exotic beast, and a plate of stir-fried bok choy.

With Duan Tianhe’s strength, these foods were not difficult to obtain; the only difficult thing to get was the bok choy.

Qin Shi ate while carefully observing Duan Tianhe.

Duan Tianhe and his girlfriend ate with great relish, showing no abnormalities.

Qin Shi suddenly asked, “Tianhe, you only eat these dishes, you don’t drink human blood, doesn’t it bother you at all?”