Chapter 36: The Giant Corpse

Evening.

It had been five hours since they had left the main force, and the team was walking farther and farther without any delay.

As the number of people increased, the efficiency of transporting supplies greatly improved. Along the way, they swept through three large supermarkets, so everyone was loaded with daily necessities and food.

Chen Feng remained quiet throughout the journey.

There were no monsters worthy of his action. Occasionally, groups of bugs appeared on the road, but the soldiers with guns fired and the bugs turned into corpses.

During this period, the bugs were thriving. In their original world, there were no such delicious food. Emerging from crevices, these bugs pounced on humans with no mercy, regarding pregnant women and children simply as food.

Unlike other monsters, the bugs had astonishing reproductive capabilities. With abundant food, in just a few days, two sulfuric acid bugs could multiply into dozens.

"Bang!"

Groups of bugs fell to the ground.

In the current situation, firearms still had a certain killing power, especially against fragile creatures like sulfuric acid bugs. If targeted accurately, a single shot could end their lives.

However...

As the monsters evolved, the effectiveness of firearms would diminish.

In the future, the strength of a force would ultimately be judged by the quantity and quality of professionals.

...

Night fell.

Today they couldn't get back to the east bridge, so Feng Zhiyong prepared to rest for the night before returning.

After circling through the Economic Development Zone, the number of survivors being gathered kept increasing. In order to ensure the safety of these people, they needed to find a spacious place to rest.

The First High School.

J City's prestigious institution, in the past, was a high school that many students dreamed of attending. It had a strong faculty and a good school spirit. To study here, countless families had scrambled.

And now...

At the moment when the apocalypse came, there were still many students at the school. These pride and joy in the eyes of their parents, the future flowers carrying countless hopes for their families, directly suffered the cruelest treatment.

The moment they opened the school gate, the scene on the playground came into everyone's sight, and a strong smell of blood hit them at the same time.

Some people's legs went weak, and they sat directly on the ground. Some even vomited on the ground because the scene in front of them was too horrifying. Having witnessed too much killing in the past seven days, they might have been terrified by the scene in peaceful times.

Several hundred mutilated corpses lay scattered on the playground, and there were some dark figures constantly gnawing on the flesh of the bodies.

These monsters were about half a meter long, the size of a three or four-year-old child.

Chen Feng's expression became more solemn. He took a few steps forward and looked at the creatures all over the playground, frowning and saying, "Giant corpse nibblers?"

Giant corpse nibblers.

They had thick insect armor, fiendish mandibles, and mouths like petals that could easily penetrate the flesh of their prey.

Giant corpse nibblers, a kind of scavenging creature, liked to gather in dark and damp places. During the breeding season, they would burrow into the bodies of live people, then wrap their eggs around the host's body, using the host's blood to nurture the next generation. When the nibblers matured from larvae, they would devour the host's flesh and blood and quickly grow into adults.

These creatures liked foul smells and putrefaction. Their method of hoarding food was unique. After killing their prey, they would deliberately store it for a while, waiting for the flesh to completely putrefy before they feasted on this rare delicacy.

Disgusting creatures.

But that's not the most difficult problem.

More deadly is that the giant corpse nibblers are social creatures, much like ants and bees. Usually, a group is controlled by a single nibbler.

Most giant corpse nibblers lived in groups of 40 to 60.

Nest.

This place was actually occupied by giant corpse nibblers, and those bodies on the playground were deliberately preserved food for them.

"Damn!"

Chen Feng cursed under his breath.

They had just wanted to find a simple place to stay, and who would have thought they would encounter a whole nest of giant corpse nibblers. These creatures had low defensive power but had the ability to burrow underground. Once they launched a surprise attack from below, it would be a disaster for the survivors.

Chen Feng approached Feng Zhiyong and said in a low voice, "We have to leave here..."

"Giant corpse beetles, a kind of social creature. It looks like this is a medium-sized insect nest, with around 50 of them..."

"These bugs are good at burrowing underground. Apart from these guys on the surface, no one knows how many more are hiding underground. Once they launch an attack, the survivors won't stand a chance!"

"Giant corpse beetles?"

Feng Zhiyong furrowed his brow, obviously hearing this name for the first time. Moreover, what puzzled him even more was where Chen Feng got this information from.

However, seeing the serious expression on Chen Feng's face, he understood that the other party was not joking. In fact, when he saw the densely packed corpse beetles on the playground, he had already begun to have some misgivings.

Feng Zhiyong made a quick decision and directly gave up on this place, retreating slowly.

Chen Feng carefully observed the surroundings, while also paying close attention to the movements underground, muttering to himself, "The nest of giant corpse beetles. It looks like some monsters have already been prepared to take up residence here. The soil on the playground has been disturbed, and they are clearly transforming the environment here..."

This is a very common phenomenon.

Similar to bugs, some skeletons and dark creatures, in order to build an environment suitable for their own habitation, might even engage in a ritual sacrifice of thousands of people.

The burial ground.

These creatures deprived the land that originally belonged to humans and then imprinted it with their own label.

The survivors were terrified by everything in front of them. Upon hearing Feng Zhiyong's orders, some people panicked even more, and the crowd erupted into chaos. Countless people ran backward, trying to escape this terrifying environment.

Chen Feng's face was stern, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.

Giant corpse beetles can sense footsteps, and such a panicked stampede surely must have already awakened some underground creatures.

Preparations must be made in advance.

Chen Feng placed his hands on the ground, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"Hiss..."

Suddenly, a strange sound came from the ground, and two grotesque insects burrowed out. One of them bit directly into a man's waist, spraying a large amount of blood. The man was bitten in two and died a violent death.

Bronze-level corpse beetles?

And not just one!

Chen Feng's pupils contracted. His premonition was correct – a fierce battle was surely to follow!