Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Ye Mo nimbly leaped from building to building with practiced ease, like a cat.

His objective was clear. He stopped at the station and blended into the crowd. Security for the route from the central district to the station wasn't strict, and no ticket was required.

When the train stopped in Chris's neighborhood, only Ye Mo stood up.

A woman holding a large bag by the door stopped him. "Check again to see if you're getting off at the wrong place. This is the last train."

Someone sitting in front turned to look at Ye Mo and reminded him, "This area was just classified as a danger zone this morning."

Danger zones were areas adjacent to sectors already occupied by the Insect Tide. These zones typically had some insectoid incursions but hadn't reached the density of fully occupied sectors. However, without timely and effective intervention, the insectoids would soon overwhelm them completely.

Ye Mo paused, obediently checking the station name displayed inside the car again. "This is it. I need to get off here."

The driver, who had been anxiously scanning the surroundings, urged without turning his head, "We need to depart. The train can't stay here long."

No one else in the car spoke up.

Ye Mo hurriedly grunted in acknowledgment and stepped out. When he looked back, the train was already slowly pulling away. Through the glass, he saw almost everyone on board looking in his direction.

The platform outside was eerily empty, almost deserted. Sensing something was wrong, Ye Mo started to run.

The streets were completely deserted, not a soul in sight.

Ye Mo pulled up his hood and walked cautiously down the middle of the street, alert and watchful.

His hand slowly drifted to his stomach. He was getting a bit hungry.

He wanted to eat.

Ye Mo thought.

...

"That was Grath's broken sword! I didn't even get to hold it for a moment before you had it sent back to the Grath Imperial Capital."

The woman beside him snorted. "You should ask Grath if they'd agree first. If the analysis on the StarNet is correct, that's the Young Master's relic. You could do that, but only if you don't want your hands anymore."

"I heard the personal swords of the other Masters are also displayed in the Grath palace. Grath has never let anyone else see them. Don't look at me, I haven't seen them either, I've only heard. So, we're probably the first to document what a Grath's sword looks like after losing its master."

A companion chimed in, "And also the first to do so and still be alive and well."

"Do you all remember we're here to investigate the Insect Tide?"

Someone pushed the door open, interrupting their chat. The newcomer looked serious. "Emergency notification. A King Insect has fully matured. The entire junkyard sector has fallen. They're swarming out, launching an attack towards the residential areas."

Everyone in the room stood up. "What do we do?"

The newcomer scanned the room and commanded, "Board the starship. The itinerary remains unchanged. We'll start the live stream, then decide whether to leave based on the situation. If anyone wants to withdraw, speak up now. We'll arrange for you to evacuate with the planet's garrison forces."

The owner of this junk planet was a minor nation with limited strength. Now that a King Insect had fully matured, they planned to evacuate.

Everyone acknowledged and quickly packed their equipment, rushing towards the boarding passage. They had rehearsed this scenario many times.

They were boarding a small starship, equipped with minimal weaponry.

They opened the hatch and set up their equipment near the entrance.

A young man handed the equipment up. His companion reached out a hand to pull him up, but the young man hesitated, seeming conflicted. The companion, used to this, withdrew his hand.

"You can still change your mind. Go find them, leave with them. Once the starship launches, there's no turning back."

The other hesitated for a moment, then finally climbed down the ladder. "Safe travels."

His companion, busy securing the equipment, waved at him.

The starship powered up and ascended.

The live stream began. Simultaneously, countless followers of the channel received notifications and flooded into the stream.

The person controlling the camera followed protocol, first aiming the lens at the sky.

"Please be mindful of your comments. This is not entertainment. This is not a sensationalist stream for attention. Please watch with reverence and respect for life. What they are experiencing now is what our ancestors once faced."

"We are not a volunteer organization. We do not accept aid, and we refuse to rescue anyone we encounter."

"However, if anyone is willing to provide support or assistance, the coordinates are on our homepage. Upon arrival, contact our logistics staff. We will provide you with more detailed information, including the possible location of the King Insect."

"The live stream is prohibited for minors. Third-party viewing and rebroadcast functions are disabled. Good. The live stream officially begins!"

The camera was repositioned correctly. The view inside the stream switched from the empty sky to the ground below.

The ground still showed the chaotic, haphazard buildings and the distant mountains of junk.

The starship began to slowly descend, and the image in the lens became much clearer. He zoomed in. The lens now showed crowds of people moving through the streets.

"The area we're in is temporarily a safe zone, around the central district. As you can see, the streets are packed with people. They've evacuated from the occupied or danger zones. For there to be so many survivors, they must have gotten out early. The central district is off-limits. The garrison forces there haven't evacuated yet, but I estimate once they leave, it will be taken over."

The starship continued forward. Many people looked up at the starship flying overhead. A mother even lifted her child high, shouting something. They hadn't deployed audio equipment, so there was no sound at all.

The camera lingered on her for a few seconds before moving away.

"I remember a documentary called 'Destruction and Rebirth,' right? Located in the Drift Star Region, one of the few resource planets, occupied by insectoids, gradually being consumed. The residents couldn't leave. No nation was willing to accept so many people from the Drift Star Region. The outcome seemed almost certain."

"But there was a twist. The film crew revisited recently and found the carcass of a King Insect near the insectoid nest. The place has recovered now. No one knows why. Many say a Grath fleet passed through. Others say an S-class mercenary did a good deed. But regardless, the result was excellent."

He said softly, "To save a planet like this, you just need to kill the King Insect."

"Alright, we're heading towards the danger zone now. These areas in the lens are already empty. We'll continue forward to take a look over the occupied sector."

Only then did he find time to glance at the comments.

"If anyone wants to help, contact us. We can provide transport services. Military academies or forces might need training exercises."

"Difficult. Normally, maybe. But it's the Insect Tide season now. S-class individuals are important national strategic resources. They're all being kept by their own countries, guarding crucial locations."

"S-class individuals are hard to find. Aid supplies might come, which can be airdropped later."

"Wait, I see someone. Right on the main street."

Then more comments appeared, pointing out the person.

The staff member was also taken aback. The shot was a wide view, but against the vast emptiness, even a small movement stood out starkly.

"Zoom in and take a look."

The lens zoomed in. There was indeed a person on the street, seemingly young, wearing a hoodie with the hood up.

"He looks pretty young, and his clothes are nice. Is he separated from his family? That's so worrying."

The moment the camera landed on him, he stopped. With a flick of his wrist, a dagger materialized. He flipped it, the blade pressed against his arm, and scanned the area.

The chat erupted with 'wows.'

"So hardcore. Even as a military academy student, I'm not that hardcore."

"I was wrong. I shouldn't underestimate someone who survived in the Drift Star Sector."

"Did he notice he was being filmed? That's crazy sharp. I thought this kind of thing only happened in movies."

Then the guy on camera stopped. He looked up, zeroed in on the camera. The shot was from the side, yet he precisely looked toward it. No one would believe it was a coincidence.

He had on a hoodie, the hood pulled low, hiding his eyes and half his face.

He glanced at the starship, seemed to decide it wasn't a threat, then quickly looked away and continued walking.

The staff had just received more detailed information.

"This place is right next to the landfill. It was just designated a danger zone this morning. But because it's too close and lacks protective walls, they began pulling people out days ago. There shouldn't be anyone left now."

"Only saw the lower half of his face, but he still looks really handsome."

"Is he looking for something?"

"He seems so young. I know you're not professional rescuers and said from the start you wouldn't rescue anyone, but could you take him to a safe area?"

The staff communicated with the flight crew over the headset. "Follow him for now."

Ye Mo glanced at the starship and continued forward. He was getting very close to Chris's building.

Chris likely wasn't here, but Ye Mo kept going, soon reaching the building's entrance. When he tried to open the door, he found it locked.

Ye Mo looked up, his gaze settling on the window where Chris and the others had been. His mental energy naturally extended toward it. No one was there now; Chris and the others were gone.

Ye Mo's understanding of mental energy was still very vague, usually used subconsciously or instinctively.

He should leave, Ye Mo decided.

But then his eyes shifted to a window on a higher floor. The instant Ye Mo looked, the curtain by the window moved ever so slightly.

Was someone still there?

Ye Mo watched a little longer and saw a small head peek out from the side again. Ye Mo knew that this small head was the only person left in the entire building.

The staff watched as Ye Mo stopped by the door.

"The door is probably locked. The residents likely wanted to protect the belongings they couldn't take. We probably can't save him. Small starships like this are strictly prohibited from landing here. Hopefully, he'll realize quickly and evacuate to a safe area."

"Since there's no one else, he should leave, right?"

"What's he doing? He's starting to scale the building. That's so dangerous. I'm scared he'll fall."

"He's climbing so fast. That's incredible. He could compete in parkour or extreme sports."

Ye Mo stepped onto a water pipe. The pipe, rusted and weakened, crumbled slightly under his weight, sending debris falling.

He quickly reached the window.

The number of viewers in the livestream had reached a crazy number and was still rising.

The shot was from above, very clear. They saw Ye Mo smash the glass, then rip open the metal grating and throw it down. He gripped the window's upper edge with one hand, leaning his upper body slightly into the window.

When he reappeared in the frame, he was holding a little girl.

The chat exploded.

"He just ripped it open? That was metal, right? Is this a survival skill from the Drift Star Sector? I hope our country considers accepting them. Even if their mental energy levels are average, we really need talents like this."

"Oh my god, there's a little girl inside. Did he come back specifically for her? Is she his sister?"

"He's holding a child now. How will he get down? One slip and they could fall."

But Ye Mo didn't go down. He glanced at the ground below and continued upward. Carrying a child, he could only use one hand, so his pace slowed.

The staff realized they might have captured the most valuable footage of this shoot.

"But why is he going up? He can't get down from the top; he'll just be trapped on the roof."

"I wonder if he has parents. I'd like to adopt him."

"I hope rescue organizations can help this child. I feel many would want to adopt him. I hope they conduct strict background checks to find a responsible family."

During every Insect Tide, rescue organizations provide aid, relocating people from here to other planets in the Drift Star Sector, prioritizing women and children. A few lucky children even get adopted.

When Ye Mo's hand touched the rooftop wall, everyone in the livestream breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Mo first placed the little girl down, then climbed over the railing himself.

Once over, he looked into the distance.

The little head glanced at Ye Mo, then also looked in the same direction. "When are we going to find my mom and dad?"

Ye Mo looked down at her. "Not now."

The little head nodded, not pressing further. The two of them gazed into the distance.

After a while, the little head suddenly spoke up. "What's that over there?"

In the direction they were looking, a moving black tide was visible in the distance.

"Those are insects."

The little head let out a confused 'oh.' "I don't like insects."

"They're coming quickly."

Ye Mo touched his stomach. He seemed even hungrier now, wanting to eat. He stared at the dark mass of insects in the distance.

A strange thought entered his mind: Those aren't useful. The one hiding underground is more worth... devouring.

Ye Mo froze for a moment. Coming back to his senses, he frowned and said, "Devour..."

Then a fragment appeared before his eyes: the interior of some debris. Ye Mo saw himself from a third-person perspective—a scene recorded by his mental energy. He was pinned under some steel wreckage, motionless, pale, covered in wounds that were no longer bleeding. His right hand still tightly gripped a broken sword.

No breath, no heartbeat. This body had died. But the mental energy hadn't dissipated. It still surrounded him, layer upon layer, dense and heavy. Without Ye Mo's consciousness, it moved spontaneously.

The wounds on Ye Mo's body slowly healed, returning to a smooth, fair state. Internal injuries were repaired. Finally, his heart began to beat again.

Ye Mo's face was no longer deathly pale.

His long-dead body had completely revived.

But the psychic energy seemed utterly exhausted; most of it returned to the psychic domain, while the remaining strands clung to Ye Mo, gradually ceasing their movement.

A white creature slowly crawled up from below. It climbed onto Ye Mo's foot, then continued up his body. Like a python constricting its prey, it coiled around him.

The psychic energy didn't move while the King Insect acted.

Only when the King Insect touched Ye Mo's skin did it react.

Ye Mo *saw* it clearly: his originally quiet, drifting psychic energy became incredibly active in that instant, surging forward to "devour" it.

The memory ended there. Ye Mo snapped back to reality, the wind rousing him further.

The dark line of the Insect Tide in the distance was creeping closer.

He jumped onto the parapet. With the movement, the hood of his sweatshirt slipped from his head. The wind was strong at that height, whipping his hair wildly.