Chapter 113 Losing a Child, A Single Mother Loses Thousands of Children

Chapter 113: Grieving Single Mother Loses Over a Thousand Children

Zhao Lan didn’t recognize the woman, but then again, she hadn’t paid much attention to the soldiers in their team. Besides, everyone had been wearing the same attire before—either military uniforms or protective gear—so failing to recognize her was understandable.

Moreover, even if this woman wasn’t part of their exploration team, she was likely a soldier from one of the earlier groups that had entered City 25. In any case, they had to try to save her.

The branches of the giant tree were thick enough for all three to climb easily. Once they were up, they realized the branches formed a sprawling, maze-like network.

After figuring out the direction, Zhao Lan took the lead. The three of them crawled forward slowly, like insects crawling on the tree.

"Help me..."

The woman’s voice grew fainter, and Zhao Lan instinctively sped up.

Before climbing, Zhao Lan had been worried about potential dangers above, but once they were up, they found no threats. The journey was smooth, except for the occasional glowing insect passing by—none of which attacked them.

After some time crawling, they finally reached the area near the woman.

Two enormous branches lay ahead—too thick for two adults to encircle. One branch grew horizontally, and the woman lay upon it. The other branch extended vertically, intersecting with the horizontal one and blocking part of her body.

When the three got closer, they froze at what lay behind the branches.

"What is that?" Da Ya’s widened eyes filled with fear as she stared at the sight before her.

Behind the two enormous branches was a massive, tumor-like structure the size of a house. It was a sickly, dark yellow hue, and most unsettling was that it wasn’t solid—instead, it was made up of countless hexagonal holes clustered together.

Each hole was large enough for a person to crawl into. Inside, it was pitch-black, but faint movements could be glimpsed deep within.

The sheer number of hexagons overwhelmed them, enough to trigger trypophobia in anyone.

The three of them hardly dared to breathe in the face of such a thing. "There… there aren’t monsters inside, right?" Da Ya whispered, her voice shaking.

Zhao Lan’s face was tense, and for a moment, she couldn’t find words of encouragement.

Just as they hesitated, the woman’s cries for help came again. "Help me… please… I’m here…"

Her desperate cries were heartbreaking. All three of them had vowed to protect the city and its people—how could they just stand by?

"I think it’ll be fine," Miao Yuanjin said. "She’s been screaming this long without anything happening. If we’re careful, we’ll probably be fine too."

Zhao Lan also nodded. "Once we get her, we won’t have to backtrack. Da Ya and I can make an ice ramp, and we can slide straight down."

After agreeing on the plan, they carefully edged around the obstructing branch and crawled toward the source of the cries.

"Help me…"

Finally, they got past the trunk.

Before them lay the most complete side of the house-sized tumor-like growth, firmly attached to the tree like some monstrous growth.

The woman was there—her lower half swallowed by one of the hexagonal holes, with only her upper half exposed.

She was completely naked, her pale skin stark against the dark wood. Her figure was curvy yet toned, her long black hair splayed out, and her strikingly beautiful face turned toward them with a pleading expression.

Though they couldn’t see what was inside the hole, they could faintly make out her lower half twitching strangely. Exchanging uneasy glances, they guessed that something was inside—saving her wouldn’t be easy.

"Help…"

The woman reached out with slender arms toward them.

"Let’s get her out first," Zhao Lan decided. She turned to Da Ya. "We’ll pull her out. Yuanjin, keep watch."

"Understood," Miao Yuanjin replied solemnly.

Zhao Lan and Da Ya slowly stood up. The branch was wide enough that they could carefully stand upright.

They approached the woman cautiously, each grabbing one of her arms, and yanked with all their strength.

Despite her seemingly slender frame, the woman wouldn’t budge.

Da Ya even staggered from the strain, and Zhao Lan quickly steadied her. "Careful. On the count of three, we pull together."

"Okay!" Da Ya braced herself.

"Ready," Zhao Lan said, positioning herself. "One, two, three—now!"

This time, their combined strength finally freed the woman.

Miao Yuanjin watched from a short distance away. As Zhao Lan and Da Ya pulled, the woman’s slender waist emerged first. Noticing her lack of clothing, Miao Yuanjin assumed she was naked and thought about how they could find something for her to wear.

But then she froze.

Below the woman’s waist wasn’t the toned legs of a soldier—but a massive, white, segmented bulk.

It was so large that it plugged the hole entirely.

At first, Miao Yuanjin thought a monster had devoured the woman’s lower half. But as Zhao Lan and Da Ya kept pulling, more of the monstrous shape was revealed, and Miao Yuanjin’s mouth hung open in shock.

The woman’s lower body was a gigantic, worm-like appendage—easily four or five times wider than her upper half. It was white, segmented, and writhing, with stubby, twitching limbs on either side.

It looked as if… a beautiful woman had grown the lower body of a monstrous insect.

At first glance, it seemed like the woman had been swallowed by a giant worm. But Miao Yuanjin quickly realized the truth—the two halves were seamlessly connected, with no signs of a mouth or bite marks. The enormous white tail pulsed rhythmically, its stubby limbs twitching unnaturally.

"Let go!" Miao Yuanjin screamed. "She’s not human!"

Zhao Lan and Da Ya, too focused on pulling, hadn’t noticed the woman’s true form. At Miao Yuanjin’s shout, they instinctively stopped and looked down.

The moment they saw the woman’s body, both shuddered violently. Da Ya shrieked, "What the hell is that?!"

They tried to wrench their hands free, but the woman’s pale, slender arms clung to them like glue.

"Ahhh!!!"

Da Ya screamed in terror, instinctively trying to run. As she jerked backward, the woman’s body was dragged out further—revealing something even more horrifying.

On the woman’s enormous, three-meter-long lower body lay a man.

His clothes were tattered, but the remnants matched their own military uniforms—he was a soldier. The man had been pressed against the woman’s insectoid half, hidden inside the hexagonal hole. Now, as the woman was pulled free, he too emerged.

The three of them froze at the sight.

Then they realized the man was still alive—his body twitching. Just as Zhao Lan thought he might still be saved, they witnessed something that shattered their sanity.

The soldier’s body was fused with the end of the woman’s insectoid tail. He lay sprawled across it, moving in sync with its grotesque undulations.

His eyes were bloodshot, his mouth gaping open as drool dripped from it. He had clearly lost his mind, emitting strange, guttural noises.

The sight was so horrifying that by the time the three of them processed it, they felt as if their very souls had been shaken.

Especially Zhao Lan and Da Ya, who were still being held by the woman's hands. The two struggled frantically, trying to break free from her grip.

At that moment, the soldier clinging to the worm-like body suddenly let out an uncontrollable, maddened howl, and the woman's worm-like body contracted violently. Then the soldier emitted a blood-curdling shriek before his lower body tore apart, gouts of blood gushing along with intestines and other internal organs.

The soldier's body became tattered, lifeless, and slid off the woman's worm-like form, no longer fused to it.

"Ahhh!!!" Da Ya wailed in terror, thrashing wildly to escape the woman's grasp.

Zhao Lan kept her cool. She lowered her head and whispered an incantation. Soon, a thick layer of ice formed over the woman's body, particularly her arms.

The woman's arms stiffened from the freezing cold, allowing Zhao Lan and Da Ya to take their chance and struggle free from her grip.

But soon, they heard the sound of cracking ice.

In less than half a minute, the woman broke free—Zhao Lan's Divine Skill had virtually no effect on her.

"Ah..." The woman opened her blood-red lips and let out an eerie cry, her liquid, hypnotic eyes filled with longing as she stared at Zhao Lan and the others.

Following her strange cry, a shadowy form swiftly crawled out from the hexagonal hole behind her.

When the three focused their gaze, they saw yet another soldier.

The soldier, having emerged from the hexagonal hole, had blood-red eyes and a gaping mouth as he frenziedly clambered onto the woman's worm-like body, merging with its tail end—just like the previous man.

Before the trio could even process this grotesque spectacle, they heard more growls from the hexagonal hole.

Several men crowded at the exit, their eyes bloodshot as they desperately tried to push their way out. Upon seeing that the one ahead had already latched onto the worm-like body, they let out disappointed moans before reluctantly retreating back into the hole.

"Is this...?" Miao Yuanjin felt her sanity crumbling. How could humans... with a monster...

After Zhao Lan and Da Ya broke free from the woman's arms, she reached out for them again. Zhao Lan recoiled in horror. "Run... run!"

Seeing the three about to flee, the woman's expression twisted in anguish.

Her hands began to wander and stroke her own body, and soon her chest swelled before secreting a white, viscous fluid.

An indescribably sweet fragrance filled the air.

It was a scent the three had never experienced before—so intoxicating it seemed to seep into their very beings.

Desire... overwhelming desire...

Their mouths instantly watered uncontrollably as their eyes locked onto the woman's chest, riveted to the white, gelatinous secretion. It was as if it were the most precious thing in the world, something they craved so desperately they wanted to lunge for it immediately and devour it. Their bodies suddenly felt incomplete, as though only that white secretion could fill the void.

And it wasn’t just them—the entire bulbous mass trembled faintly.

From the densely packed hexagonal holes, resembling pores, pale, bloated grubs wriggled halfway out.

Those plump, worm-like things yearned for the white secretion just as intensely but couldn’t break free from the holes, managing only to protrude halfway. Thus, the exposed halves of their bodies twisted and squirmed wildly.

The sight was so disturbing that Miao Yuanjin shook off the consuming hunger.

Gasping for breath as she clung to the tree trunk, she looked up to see Zhao Lan and Da Ya already shambling forward toward the woman.

Meanwhile, the woman lay on the trunk, arms outstretched, gazing at Zhao Lan and the others with identical craving.

No... this can't happen...

Miao Yuanjin didn’t even have time to stand. Still on her knees, she clasped her hands together and began chanting.

A beam of radiant glow descended, enveloping Zhao Lan and Da Ya.

A faint purple glow immediately washed over their bodies. Zhao Lan staggered slightly before her eyes cleared. She looked down to see her hand inches away from the woman’s.

Cold sweat broke out across her skin in an instant. She staggered back, dragging Da Ya back with her.

"Holy shit!" Da Ya came to with a start, trembling with belated terror.

Miao Yuanjin, maintaining the holy light, shouted at them, "Get over here!"

The three fled to a relatively safe distance, all panting heavily as they clung to the tree trunk.

Da Ya stared fearfully toward the bloated monstrosity, her voice shaking as she asked, "What in God's name is that thing?"

Zhao Lan clutched at her chest and whispered, "It's... some kind of insect."

"But it speaks human language..." Miao Yuanjin breathed, incredulous. "And its upper half looks exactly like a person."

"Were those soldiers lured there like we were?" Da Ya glanced down at the mutilated remains on the ground below.

Zhao Lan mused, "It seems the monster attracts people. For men... they mate, then die afterward and get discarded. As for women..."

Da Ya recalled the monster’s hungry gaze. "...Probably eaten."

"Thank goodness Yuan Jin was here." Zhao Lan quailed at the idea. "Without her, we wouldn’t have resisted the lure. Who knows what would’ve..."

She didn’t finish, but they all knew the consequences.

"And those disgusting things?" Miao Yuanjin remembered the fat larvae wriggling from the hexagonal holes. "Larvae?"

"Most likely." Zhao Lan squinted thoughtfully. "I’ve read about an Old Era insect called ants. They have some parallels—a queen reproduces, but ants don’t live in trees, and their nests are different..."

"Enough about what this thing is!" Da Ya just wanted to run. "Let’s go find the star."

The three turned on the trunk, ready to leave.

But then they saw the mangled corpse below, rooting them to the spot.

The memory of the frenzied soldiers crawling from the holes flashed before them. Zhao Lan murmured, "Who knows how many more will be lured? They might not be as lucky as us to escape."

Miao Yuanjin balled and unballed her hands.

Finally, she set her jaw. "Let’s go back and kill that thing!"

"What?!" Da Ya went white. "How? Even Zhao Lan’s Divine Skill didn’t work."

"No," Zhao Lan said. "The skill might not affect the monster, but that doesn’t mean the larvae are immune. If those things grow into adults... I don’t even want to imagine this place becoming a no-man's land."

A heavy silence fell before Miao Yuanjin drove her fist into the bark. "Let’s go!"

Zhao Lan nodded firmly. Seeing their resolve, Da Ya clenched her jaw. "You can’t maximize your Divine Skill without me. I’m coming too!"

They exchanged glances, determination flaring in their gazes.

The three climbed back, stopping at the maximum range of Zhao Lan’s Divine Skill.

Dread still held them—that thing was too unnatural. Never had they imagined a pollutant that was half-human, half-insect... and could speak.

They stopped at that spot, and Zhao Lan patted Da Ya's shoulder. "Let's get started."

Da Ya’s expression turned serious, clasping her hands together.

A tiny dark cloud formed above her head, then drifted unsteadily forward before finally hovering above the bulbous growth.

"Splatter..."

The cloud trembled slightly before unleashing a heavy downpour.

The rain drenched the bulbous growth, quickly soaking it through. Some of the hexagonal holes filled with water.

Seeing it was sufficiently drenched, Zhao Lan stood up, clasped her hands together with a grave expression.

"Snap..."

"Snap, snap..."

A layer of frost rapidly formed on the surface of the bulbous growth, growing thicker until it encased the entire thing.

The woman outside stiffened, staring blankly at her巢穴.

The frost thickened, and Zhao Lan exerted all her strength. Soon, the entire bulbous growth was frozen solid, turning into a massive block of ice.

Countless larvae were trapped inside, as were the few crazed soldiers hiding in the hexagonal holes.

"Perfect!" Miao Yuanjin exclaimed excitedly, staring at the giant ice block. "Well done!"

Zhao Lan also smiled, gasping for breath. Earlier, she had already expended much of her energy freezing ice blocks to climb the tree. Now, freezing something so large had drained her even further—her reserves were nearly exhausted.

"Screeeeeech!!!!"

A piercing shriek suddenly rang out from ahead.

"Thud!"

A mutilated corpse fell from the tree trunk.

Da Ya went pale with terror. "It's furious... Run!"

Under the trio's gaze, the woman who had been lying or crouching on the trunk suddenly raised her entire upper body. Despite the distance, she spotted them immediately. Her once bright, beautiful eyes suddenly split open, enlarging several times over.

Now, half her face was dominated by those enormous eyes, their pupils vanishing as they transformed into compound eyes made of countless tiny lenses.

In an instant, the once-beautiful woman had morphed into a grotesque, multi-eyed monster.

Lurching forward on the trunk with her hands, she began crawling toward Zhao Lan and the others. She wasn’t fast, but she wasn't exactly slow either. Her slender arms dragged along her body and the massive lower insectoid half, managing only ten meters a minute.

Seeing this, Da Ya relaxed.

She knelt on the trunk, wearing a relieved smile. "Great, she's so slow—she’ll never catch us, period."

The moment she said it, the crawling woman suddenly curved her body like a bow, emitting a shrill, alien shriek.

"What's that?" Miao Yuanjin gaped in disbelief.

The crawling woman's body tensed, her face twisted in agony as she screeched. Then, something bulged on her back, rising higher and higher—as if sprouting a hunchback or a small mountain on her spine.

"Pop..."

With a soft sound, under the trio's stunned gazes, two pairs of wings burst from the woman's back.

Two sets of glassy wings!

"Holy—" The three of them were dumbfounded.

"It can fly?!" Miao Yuanjin's scalp crawled. She immediately turned and grabbed the other two. "Run, run! It's going to catch up!"

Da Ya wanted to run too, but her legs felt soft.

Zhao Lan pressed a hand on Miao Yuanjin's shoulder. "Relax."

Miao Yuanjin was frantic. "How can I not worry?! It's about to fly over and avenge its babies!"

"Chill out," Zhao Lan said calmly. "Her wings aren't that big. Based on aerodynamics, they can't support her huge frame in flight."

Miao Yuanjin: "..."

Da Ya: "..."

Both stared at Zhao Lan as if she’d grown a second head.

Just as Zhao Lan had predicted, after the wings emerged, the woman fluttered them wildly—but all it did was lift her upper body slightly. Her enormous lower half remained rooted to the trunk.

"Pfft!" The sight made Miao Yuanjin burst into laughter. Embarrassed by her earlier panic, she shouted at the woman from afar, "Oh, you can fly now? Well? Bring it! I'm right here waiting for you!"

The woman tried again but realized she was grounded. Then, her body began writhing grotesquely, and she let out another shriek of frustration.

"What now?" Da Ya squinted. "What's it trying to do?"

Zhao Lan shook her head blankly. "Beats me. Some insect behavior is just plain weird..."

No sooner had she spoken than the woman's cries abruptly stopped. Then, under the trio's mortified gazes—she flew.

She had ripped her upper half free from her lower half... To take flight, she had abandoned her massive, cumbersome insectoid lower body.

"Move it..." Zhao Lan's voice was faint. Right now, she really wanted to yell for help herself...