Chapter 13: It’s about to rain

Apartment Building No. 5 (13)

Jiang Gao walked out of the room with a calm expression.

Without a sound, she pulled down her sleeve to cover the entwined tentacles.

Luo Chenyi maintained a proper distance, refraining from peeking inside.

“Can we depart now?”

Jiang Gao nodded vaguely, then after a moment asked, “Have you found the eggs?”

“No,” Luo Chenyi replied.

“It’s fine, let’s leave first.”

Jiang Gao hummed softly.

She was almost certain that what she had eaten were indeed eggs.

“You said earlier, how important are the eggs?”

Originally with his back to Jiang Gao, Luo Chenyi turned his head upon hearing her question, his dark blue eyes meeting hers.

“The eggs aren’t just the foundation of the insect nest, they’re also crucial specimens for organizational research.”

“Jiang Gao, you’re quite curious.”

Jiang Gao said nothing.

Jiang Nuan rubbed her now-settled hunger in her stomach, silently agreeing with the importance.

Passing by their mother’s room, Jiang Gao stopped, tilting her head toward the closed door.

“Are you coming with me?”

Silence filled the room.

Tu Qing opened her mouth slightly and whispered an explanation, “Jiang Xi… the corrupted ones won’t leave the nest on their own… they only follow the queen.”

Jiang Gao stood still for a moment, shifting her gaze toward Tu Qing and Luo Chenyi. “Let’s go.”

Luo Chenyi said, “When we clear the insect nest in Apartment Building No. 5 later, we’ll try to take out all the corrupted ones.”

“I understand.” Jiang Gao’s expression was cold and unreadable, making it impossible to tell if she was upset.

The three of them entered the corridor without speaking.

The door closed softly behind them as Jiang Gao completely left home.

A loud crash came from above, as if something heavy had collapsed and fallen from the ceiling.

Xiao Qing patted her chest softly and murmured, “That moth has quite the temper.”

Luo Chenyi said, “We should evacuate quickly.”

Jiang Gao silently followed behind the two, passing by the neighboring apartment.

The noise that had bothered her for three days flashed through her mind, and her footsteps involuntarily halted.

She tilted her head to look at the apartment’s door number.

523.

Jiang Gao said, “Team Leader Luo, could you help me with something?”

Under their questioning gazes, Jiang Gao pointed to 523 and said, “Kick it open.”

Xiao Qing hesitated, “Huh?”

Luo Chenyi stepped forward.

Bang!

The door panel crashed open under the force of the impact.

A pungent stench of blood mixed with moldy dust rushed out.

Xiao Qing brushed away the flying dust.

As light poured in, her eyes caught a flash of golden-yellow fur.

Jiang Gao stepped into 523 with an expressionless face.

Beneath her feet were darkened bloodstains.

As dust billowed, two rotting corpses came into view.

One male, one female, tightly embraced and collapsed beneath the living room sofa, their teeth deeply embedded in each other’s throats.

A terrifying bark sounded.

Xiao Qing was startled but quickly followed, only to realize that the golden-yellow figure was a dog.

The yellow dog was as thin as a stick, ribs clearly visible, yet it stared with clear eyes and bared its teeth at the two corpses in front of it.

Jiang Gao stood towering above, locked in a stalemate with the fierce dog.

This was the same dog that had repeatedly woken her from sleep.

Luo Chenyi’s gaze settled on a torn bag of dog food nearby.

It had been ripped open, and the dog had already eaten all the food.

Perhaps there hadn’t been much left to begin with; it had been hungry for a long time.

Yet despite that, it hadn’t eaten its owners’ bodies.

Xiao Qing asked, “Is it… corrupted?”

Within the insect nest, all creatures might mutate into corrupted beings.

“No.” Luo Chenyi was also somewhat surprised.

But animals with high mental values were not uncommon; even those with awakened abilities existed.

“Will you come with us?” Jiang Gao’s dark eyes lowered as she spoke to the nasty creature before her.

“If you don’t want to starve to death.”

The yellow dog watched her warily, teeth bared.

Another heavy thud came from above.

The three of them swayed slightly, as if hearing some enraged roar.

Xiao Qing muttered, “Is it really necessary to take the flashlight?”

Jiang Gao replied, “Is it really necessary to take the eggs?”

The queen insect in Apartment Building No. 5 was stingy to the extreme, probably furiously searching for them now.

Jiang Gao crouched down, coming to eye level with the fierce dog, negotiating: “Do you want revenge?”

“You don’t have that power yet.”

“You can only take revenge if you’re alive. You should understand that.”

The dog retreated two steps. “Damn it…”

“The choice is yours.” Jiang Gao’s voice was calm as she stood and turned away.

A dog that had survived this long inside the nest was no lucky animal.

It never barked during resting hours and possessed intelligence far beyond an ordinary dog.

There might even be a possibility of awakened abilities.

Xiao Qing couldn’t bear to leave the loyal dog behind.

One more day in the nest meant double the danger, so she coaxed, “Your owner wouldn’t want you to just die here…”

She sighed and then hurried after the two ahead.

The three of them entered the elevator at their fastest pace.

None of them immediately pressed the close door button.

They all knew what they were waiting for.

Until the elevator doors began to close on their own, slowly shutting.

“Woof!”

Just as the elevator doors were about to close completely, a flash of golden-yellow leapt inside.

Xiao Qing widened her eyes, her voice wavering, “Wait—”

Jiang Gao’s slender fingers quickly pressed the open door button.

The yellow dog darted in nimbly.

The elevator doors closed and began to descend.

Xiao Qing smiled happily, bending slightly and reaching out a hand: “Good dog, good dog.”

Jiang Gao crossed her arms.

“It’s not a good dog.”

Luo Chenyi looked at Jiang Gao, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Jiang Gao coldly pronounced with complete seriousness, “It’s a vicious dog guilty of many crimes.”

“Huh?” Xiao Qing hurried to her feet, fearing the skinny dog might suddenly snap at her. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It disturbs people’s sleep.”

“…”

Tu Qing was momentarily speechless.

The dog’s tail, which had been hanging down, gradually lifted and wagged.

Luo Chenyi’s eyes twitched subtly as a faint smile crossed his lips.

But the smile quickly faded.

The three humans and one dog stepped out of the elevator, their eyes catching the nearby main entrance, which should have brought a sense of relief.

A gust of wind blew unexpectedly, carrying scattered glimmers of light.

The entrance, once so close, suddenly vanished before their eyes.

The corridor twisted sharply, and sticky liquid spread underfoot, writhing like intestines stretching forward.

Xiao Qing looked at the seemingly endless path ahead, her voice tense: “The queen is coming…”

Jiang Gao turned off her flashlight. “Let’s go.”

The dog barked softly, running to the front of the group, then turned back to look deeply at Jiang Gao before sprinting ahead.

“So confident?” Jiang Gao raised a slender brow, taking long strides to follow.

The three followed the dog’s tail running down the long, twisting corridor.

The queen’s foul stench flooded their noses.

They didn’t know how long they’d run before Jiang Gao seemed to catch another scent — like an overflowing trash bin long uncleaned.

Continuing forward, the unpleasant smell gradually faded, replaced by fresh air flowing with the wind.

After an unknown amount of time, the flashlight’s beam flickered on the path ahead.

The dog’s golden tail was like a dandelion puff, and suddenly, the scene before them dimmed.

Looking up, the sky above was cloaked in dense clouds.

Xiao Qing exclaimed happily, “We’re out!”

Jiang Nuan instinctively ran a few steps forward before slowing to a stop.

She stood still, looking up at the sky.

The clouds roiled above like ink spilled across the horizon.

Not far away, a car’s headlights flicked on.

Soon, two more vehicles turned on their lights.

People got out and waved toward them.

Xiao Qing enthusiastically waved back.

Luo Chenyi quietly approached Jiang Gao’s side, his voice gentle: “It’s going to rain.”

Several cars emptied their occupants who surrounded them.

Two displayed credentials from the Special Management Bureau, and another was from the Green Shield.

The Green Shield leader had short, curly golden hair, a high bridge nose, deep eye sockets, and light-colored irises, appearing to carry foreign bloodline.

He hooked Luo Chenyi’s foot with one hand, fingers gripping until white.

“You scared me to death!”

“What happened at the insect nest in Apartment Building No. 5? How did you get in? Are you hurt?”

He pressed down hard on Luo Chenyi’s head and quietly asked, “Your powers… didn’t go berserk, did they?”

Luo Chenyi instinctively looked toward Jiang Gao. “No.”

Guan Zi Fei paused, sharply following Luo Chenyi’s scattered attention.

At the same time, the Special Management Bureau began formally questioning Jiang Gao.

“What is your name?”

“Jiang Xi.”

“Age?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Ms. Jiang, I understand the memories might be frightening, but could you please try to tell me how you entered here?”

Jiang Xi hesitated. “…I don’t know.”

Tu Qing stepped forward gently but firmly: “Ms. Jiang lost her memory inside the insect nest. It’s inappropriate to question her about it before an examination.”

The interrogator’s face was serious. “Understood.”

“Ms. Jiang, please come with us.”

“No.” Jiang Gao pressed her brow. Although temporarily without a place to go, she didn’t want to be led away like a captured animal.

“Team Leader Zhao, wait a moment.” A man’s voice cut in.

Zhao Jiandong frowned, turning coldly toward Guan Zi Fei approaching them. “Captain Guan.”

Guan Zi Fei smiled broadly. “Ms. Jiang, it’s better to come back with Green Shield.”

At these words, several subordinates around him grew stern.

Zhao Jiandong’s face hardened like iron.

“Captain Guan, even if you’re officially recognized by the state, you’re still just a volunteer organization.”

The implication was clear: Don’t overstep.

Guan Zi Fei smiled slyly and good-naturedly responded, “That’s true, but… from what I know, insect nests have been breaking out frequently lately. You guys have no more places to house people.”

Zhao Jiandong was silent.

Jiang Gao didn’t know why they were fighting over her.

The fact they were meant she held some kind of value.

The feeling was unpleasant.

Faced with the tense situation, Xiao Qing was helpless.

She belonged to the Special Management Bureau’s intelligence department and theoretically should side with them.

But when Jiang Gao’s gaze landed on her, Xiao Qing quietly whispered, “An examination is necessary. You can choose who to go with.”

Jiang Gao’s eyes swept over the two tense groups before resting on Luo Chenyi… on the bitten and torn hem of his clothes.

The skinny yellow dog nuzzled Luo Chenyi’s hem, wagging its tail hard under Jiang Gao’s gaze and letting out soft whimpers.

A flash of lightning split the sky, followed by rumbling thunder.

Rain was imminent.

Jiang Nuan looked up and spoke to the two groups still arguing about her fate.

“I’m going with Green Shield.”

Zhao Jiandong was stunned, glancing at Luo Chenyi standing by Jiang Gao’s side before looking seriously at Jiang Gao.

“Ms. Jiang, we mean no harm.”

“We respect your choice.”

Guan Zi Fei reined in his smile and extended his hand. “Ms. Jiang, thank you for trusting us.”

“You must believe that he and I are both selfless and just.”