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墨書 Inktalez
Around five or six o'clock, my phone rang. I picked it up to see that it was the Detective Captain calling. I knew that their ambush operation that night must have made some progress. Yan Junde stood up with a swift motion as soon as he heard the ringtone.
"Any updates?" I asked quickly.
The Detective Captain's voice came through. "Yesterday, a Volkswagen tried to run a checkpoint on the old national highway. Local police pursued and surrounded it at an abandoned factory. The area is quite large, and we suspect they might use Insect Eaters to harm us, so we’re waiting for the SWAT team to arrive fully equipped."
After hanging up, the Detective Captain sent us the address. The members of the Special Investigation Team perked up and rushed to the scene. By the time we arrived, police cars were already parked all around the abandoned factory. The Detective Captain was negotiating with local law enforcement on how to proceed with the arrest.
As we arrived, members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team also reached the site, dressed in specialized gear that left no gaps for any Insect Eaters to penetrate their clothing. The Detective Captain said, "We’ve surrounded the factory; there’s no way anyone can escape now. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team will lead the way, and we’ll follow behind with torches. I doubt there are any insects that aren’t afraid of fire."
The Detective Captain's plan seemed feasible; it appeared to be the best approach at this point. Officers on-site began preparing torches, making about ten of them. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team didn’t need them, so a group of ten from the Special Investigation Team along with the Detective Captain formed a strike team.
We suited up in long pants and shirts, securing our cuffs and pant legs, wearing leather gloves and gas masks, even covering the back of our heads with soft metal sheets—fully armed for the task. From what we could tell, Insect Eaters wouldn’t chew through our clothing; we had taken ample protective measures.
The strike team split into two groups: one entered through the Main Entrance of the factory while the other flanked around to enter through a side door.
The Detective Captain glanced at my weapon and asked, "I’ve been meaning to ask you—why haven’t I seen you use a gun this whole time? Is a knife easier to handle?"
I smiled but didn’t respond; I couldn’t handle a gun. Just holding one made me think of past events that caused me to tremble uncontrollably, losing all basic cognitive function. The Detective Captain patted my shoulder and said, "We move in one minute—stay alert."
At the side door, Yan Junde gently felt around it before pushing against it softly and whispered to us, "The side door is locked from inside; I know where the lock is located. Once I fire my weapon, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team will go in first, and we’ll follow right after. Everyone needs to be cautious and ready to adapt."
We leaned against the wall outside the side door as time slowly ticked away. I raised my hand to signal for action as we approached one minute. Clenching my fist tightly, Yan Junde immediately pulled back his gun's slide and fired several shots at the side door before delivering a powerful kick.
The side door flew open, and members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team rushed in without hesitation.
We followed closely behind them into the chaos. Amidst the commotion, we heard sounds coming from the Main Entrance; it seemed that the Detective Captain had also led his team inside. Upon entering the factory, we spotted someone standing on the second floor holding a black canister. Then we heard a buzzing sound surrounding us—like bees flapping their wings.
In the sunlight, we could see translucent insects flying around, slightly smaller than bees. One could imagine how powerful an ant would be if it were half the size of a bee; this was exactly how formidable these Insect Eaters were at that moment. I shouted urgently, "Wave your torches! Don’t let those insects land on you!"
But as I spoke, several insects landed on my clothing; I could feel their desperate attempts to burrow inside. Thankfully, we had all worn gas masks beforehand; otherwise, given their strength, it seemed they could easily penetrate human skin.
I hurriedly waved the torch, only to hear a series of crackling sounds accompanied by a foul odor. It was the smell of burnt Insect Eaters. The members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team began to charge forward, and those Insect Eaters struck against their specialized suits like hail.
"Move up!" I shouted while swinging the torch. "That jar is the key!"
My voice was muffled, drowned out by the incessant buzzing around us, as if we had walked into a beehive. The team at the side entrance merged with the group at the Main Entrance, all rushing toward the second floor. The person we were after was clutching a black jar, dodging back and forth on the second floor.
"Put down what you're holding immediately and stop resisting, or we will open fire!" shouted the Detective Captain.
The person remained silent. Suddenly, a scream pierced through the chaos. I turned to see that one of our team members had not secured his gas mask properly; there was a significant gap between it and his soft skin at the back, and those insects seized the opportunity to burrow inside his mask.
Within minutes, a swarm of insects seemed to receive a signal and began to crowd into his mask. The team member dropped his weapon in panic, desperately trying to pull off his gas mask. When it fell away, we were all stunned—his face was completely devoid of skin, and both eyes had been gnawed clean. He opened his mouth wide in a silent scream; those Insect Eaters had already invaded his throat, severing his vocal cords!
We finally understood how horrific things had been in the elevator and at the hotel. They had wanted to cry for help but could not produce even a whisper, dying in despair. I lunged forward, using my torch to drive away those insects, but it was too late. Although they feared fire, they had already entered his body—there was nothing we could do!
"Fire!" I yelled. "The jar!"
Everyone was still lost in grief over our teammate's death and did not respond. But two people turned around—Detective Captain and Yan Junde—both firing their weapons almost simultaneously. With two sharp cracks, I saw the jar in that person's hand shatter first, followed by him collapsing to the ground.
At that moment, gunfire erupted around us; he fell just in time to avoid being hit. "Captain Shao told you to control the Killer, not to kill it!" Detective Captain shouted. "Calm down!" With that, he charged ahead.
Just then, we saw something enormous burst out from the jar—certainly a giant among insects. Unlike the smaller Insect Eaters that were translucent, this creature was pitch black with chewing mouthparts that revealed razor-sharp teeth.
This must be the key to controlling those Insect Eaters! At that moment, Detective Captain was right in its path. As everyone noticed him running toward us, the creature flapped its wings and flew straight at him. From such a distance, I distinctly heard a thud followed by the sound of plastic cracking on Detective Captain's gas mask; no one expected this giant insect's strike to be so powerful.
Detective Captain realized how formidable this creature was and quickly raised the torch in his other hand. However, this black insect moved with incredible speed, dodging the torch and landing on Detective Captain's hand instead. Instantly, it tore open a large gash on his hand; even his leather glove couldn't withstand its bite.
The smaller insects caught wind of blood and swarmed toward Detective Captain's hand.
"Pull your hand into your sleeve! Hurry up and secure it!" I shouted urgently.
At that moment, Detective Captain could no longer care about his torch or gun; he dropped them both and quickly tucked his hand into his sleeve.
Yan Junde held his pistol, yet he struggled to find an opportunity to fire! The distance between the insect and Detective Captain was alarmingly close. Even if Yan Junde was a sharpshooter, at such proximity, the mere pressure of the air could slice Detective Captain's neck. The insect flew up again, crashing into Detective Captain's gas mask, the sound of cracking resonating in everyone's ears.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and then suddenly opened them wide. As the insect took flight once more, the dagger in my hand was already launched. The speed of the dagger was naturally slower than that of a bullet, but it wouldn’t create a shockwave. In a split second, the dagger struck the insect's body, embedding itself into the wall on the side of the second floor.
The insect was pinned to the wall, its limbs still writhing; it seemed it wasn’t dead yet. Detective Captain rushed forward a few steps and delivered a kick to the dagger, completely severing the insect in two. He followed up with two more kicks, turning the Black Beetle into a pulp.
At that moment, without the control of the large insect, the swarming Insect Eaters immediately lost their direction, as if an army had lost its commander. I shouted in alarm; sure enough, at that moment, the defenseless Mushi Master became the target of these Insect Eaters. Countless insects surged into his body, and he instantly became drenched in blood.
“Akubale... Silk Spider,” he uttered his last words.
Seeing this, I quickly said, “He can no longer speak; death is only a matter of time. While these insects are still inside him, we must burn him! Otherwise, if these uncontrollable insects escape, the consequences will be unimaginable!”
Everyone nodded in understanding of the threat posed by these insects and immediately threw their torches onto the corpse. Instantly, a foul stench wafted through the air. Since we wore gas masks to protect against insect attacks rather than for filtration purposes, our filters weren’t equipped; everyone could clearly smell that horrid odor.
“Does anyone know what he was saying?” I asked.
The Young Man had gone hunting in the mountains with his grandfather and unexpectedly encountered Mouse Burning Incense and Wild Cat Worships at the Temple—statues made from human corpses. Upon returning home late at night, his own Biological Mother chased him with "people," because his grandfather had committed unspeakable acts against her!
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