Chapter 19

"What's wrong? Wu Ying, we have to go." There were too many infected. They had no fighting power and couldn't help—they'd only slow everyone down.

"But... but that insectoid seems to—"

Huo Lin was frantic. Seeing Li Ge get hit and fall, she grabbed Wu Ying and pulled her toward the side.

"Lin Lin!"

Wu Ying was yanked up, her body suddenly exposed from behind the wall. In almost an instant, she felt herself locked onto. She turned her head hastily, only to see the insectoid's head twist to follow her, its limbs lifting off the ground as it prepared to lunge at her.

Cold, greedy eyes; drool dripping from its mouth; skin that had already deformed, seeping with blood; festering flesh clinging together... The insectoid's form slowly grew larger in Wu Ying's vision.

Everyone cried out in alarm, equally caught off guard by the creature's ability to leap with such force. But no one would have guessed that this insectoid was targeting Wu Ying specifically.

Li Ge's companion quickly hurled a rock, striking the insectoid and sending flecks of blood scattering as it bounced to another tree.

Huo Lin paused for a step but immediately sped up again, trying to drag Wu Ying away.

"Lin Lin, wait—that insectoid seems to be chasing me."

"What?"

Wu Ying felt it draw closer still. She couldn't control herself; the instinct to survive made her desperate to know where the insectoid was.

"Ah—!"

She screamed. The insectoid leaped again in an instant, flying straight at her. An overwhelming wave of terror drowned Wu Ying, and she jerked backward, barely dodging it.

But it was right there, within arm's reach.

Wu Ying's heart pounded at an incredible rate. She held her breath and, with herself as the center, her mental power exploded outward like a violent storm.

A faint green glow shimmered in the air. The small tree in front of Wu Ying grew at a terrifying speed. Within mere seconds, a sapling became a towering tree, its branches piercing through the house and impaling the insectoid that had just landed on its crown.

The newly differentiated insectoid had strong infectivity but fragile skin. It hung in a hunched posture, branches puncturing through its body and sprouting new shoots above. Beneath the lush green canopy, red blood dripped steadily.

With overwhelming vitality, it stood as the most striking landmark in the area.

Huo Lin, having witnessed everything, stared blankly at the scene before her. A tree that had been only human-height had suddenly cast shade over the sky. Before she could even steady her emotions, Wu Ying's body crumpled to the ground.

She lunged forward and caught her. Huo Lin recalled what Wu Ying had said earlier—that the insectoid was chasing her. It seemed to be true. And Wu Ying had spurred a tree to grow in mere seconds.

This... defied all logic.

Li Ge fought his way over as he moved. The infected had lost their commander and become sluggish. None of them knew what had happened either—the insectoid had leaped too fast for them to react.

"What now?"

The group was dazed, but their long-awaited rescue finally arrived. Several soldiers rushed over with guns and were equally stunned to see the insectoid on the tree.

Hardly any of the students on the ground were standing properly—one girl was lying down, her condition unknown. The situation was urgent, so rescue operations began immediately, including dealing with the insectoid skewered on the tree.

Boska Star was located deep within the Federation, and almost no one would have thought the insect race could strike here. And yet, by some fluke, an insectoid had escaped while being transported to the Capital Star.

A short-range space jump had brought it from a space station several light-years away to suddenly appear here. Its infectivity was powerful, quickly causing panic. When the guard forces discovered it, they didn't even know if there were more insectoids—all they could find were those who had become neither human nor ghost, the infected.

Some of them still retained consciousness, and no one was willing to shoot them outright. From figuring out the infection's characteristics, organizing rescue and evacuation, holding meetings to discuss suppression methods, to finally locating Wu Ying's group—it hadn't been as easy as one might think.

Fortunately, the fugitive insectoid was ultimately captured.

The arriving military unit quickly subdued the barely-alive insectoid, and the accompanying research team began treating it. Yes—until they understood the new differentiation traits of the insect race, it couldn't be allowed to die.

Wu Ying slept for a day and a night. When she woke, Huo Lin had already been scolded twice. The base's instructors and teachers each came to collect their students. Wu Ying looked at the fierce-faced instructor before her and silently shrank back.

So now—not only had they been caught skipping training, but they'd also run into an insectoid ambush. She was doomed.

The instructor stared at her, suppressing his anger again and again. He tried to convince himself that the student was injured and he needed to be gentler. But before he could finish his mental preparation, Teacher Bart burst out cursing.

"I told you to protect yourselves, not to run out of the base! Who gave you permission, huh?! You even dared to climb the wall—I think you're all itching for a rebellion!"

Teacher Bart was spirited and loud, and he scolded her for over ten minutes by the side of Wu Ying's hospital bed. By the time he stopped, Wu Ying felt her ears ringing.

"Teacher, my head hurts."

Lying in bed, Wu Ying's face was pale and sickly. Bart looked at her—she was even whiter than the sheets. Overusing her mental power like that; it was a blessing from the heavens that she hadn't turned herself into an idiot.

"Reflect on what you've done. We're leaving now—rest well."

Teacher Bart dragged the instructor away, and the room finally fell quiet. Only then did Wu Ying have time to take in her surroundings. It seemed to be a hospital; a soothing fragrance lingered in the air. She didn't know what had happened afterward.

The last image she had was of a tree suddenly growing huge in front of her. And that insectoid—just thinking about it now sent chills down her spine.

Huo Lin knocked and entered, looking at Wu Ying with worry. She told her everything she knew. They had been the last ones to deal with that insectoid, and after their physical examinations, they'd been dragged off to write statements and reports.

They'd recounted what they knew verbally and then written it down again. Huo Lin's report had ended up the longest—though she hadn't faced the insectoid directly, she had the clearest record of Wu Ying's reactions.

Huo Lin didn't know if this would cause Wu Ying trouble, but she had to do it. The education she'd received for years didn't allow her to lie.

Hearing this, Wu Ying was a bit surprised. Well, so be it. Even she couldn't explain what had happened.

"Mm, I understand. Honestly, I don't know either. If someone asks me, I can only tell them the truth."

Wu Ying smiled nonchalantly, her face pale. Huo Lin felt ashamed. It was she who had invited Wu Ying out of the base. If not for meeting her, Wu Ying would have been safe and sound at the base without suffering any of this.

"Don't worry. I told the instructors that this trip was my idea, and all the supplies were provided by me. You were just dragged into it."

"There's no such thing as being dragged in. You didn't force me."

She'd wanted to go herself—that was the main thing. Wu Ying didn't know what punishment the base would hand down, but she wasn't afraid. She was just a student, a College of Plant Science student famously deemed the most hopeless. Short of being sentenced to prison, there was nothing that could truly worry her.

She didn't remember that violating military training regulations could incur criminal penalties, so she didn't care.

"Get some rest. When you're better, you'll need to report and write a statement too. Don't worry—you'll have someone else with you. Luo Meng, Li Ge's friend—he's also injured, in the room next to yours. You two can probably do it together. I'll ask him to look out for you."

"Thanks, Lin Lin, but no need to go to that trouble. I can manage."

"It's no trouble at all. I'll talk to Li Ge. Now get some sleep—your face is scary pale."

In the afternoon, a doctor came to take her to the treatment room. Her mental power had been injured, so she needed special restorative medication and equipment.

When she entered the treatment room, there was another person inside—a boy with a shy face who seemed easily embarrassed. He looked somewhat familiar. Wu Ying took a closer look at him, and sensing her gaze, he immediately turned to look back at her.

The doctor in front of him scolded him to stay still. His ears turned red. When the doctor got up to set up the equipment, he turned back to Wu Ying and said softly, "My name is Luo Meng. I'm Li Ge's friend."

Ah, so it was him—the one she'd be reporting together with.

Wu Ying gave him a friendly smile. The doctor was scanning her with an instrument, directing her to turn around. The two of them didn't have much time for awkward small talk. The doctor's expression was grave as he reviewed the data again and again, then finally pushed them both into two boxes.

Wu Ying looked at the darkness around her. A second ago, she'd been thinking, "Why didn't they explain what this is for?"—and the next second, she plunged directly into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Her mind sank like a sponge, unresisting as it drifted down to the depths of the ocean floor—soothing and cool.

When she woke, her surroundings were bright. She lifted her numb hand and rotated it stiffly. A voice suddenly sounded beside her. "What's wrong with your hand?"

Luo Meng saw her mechanically rotating her wrist and felt puzzled. Could the treatment have a side effect where the hand stops working? He'd also suffered mental power damage, and he didn't have this symptom.

"My hand's a bit numb... probably nothing serious?"

Wu Ying said hesitantly, feeling the numbness in her hand begin to gradually fade.

"Oh, that's good." Luo Meng turned away, then suddenly remembered something and pointed at the table beside her. "The doctor said we have radiation on us, so we need to stay in the treatment room for two hours. Oh, and your Light Brain kept buzzing earlier—it's probably your family trying to reach you."

Their personal belongings had been brought over from the base. After all, when something happens, students still need to inform their families. Since they had to file reports, by the time the items were delivered, the two of them were already in the treatment room. The doctors had placed the Light Brains on the bedside tables before leaving.

Wu Ying immediately grabbed her Light Brain and, sure enough, saw Asher's name.

He'd called her five times in a row. Heaven knew how worried he must have been.

At that thought, Wu Ying felt a little happy. She eagerly called him back. The connection was picked up after only a few rings, and Asher's calm, restrained voice came through.

Wu Ying excitedly wanted to call out to him, but she suddenly stopped herself. She remembered there was someone else beside her. Given Asher's fame, the thought of the person next to her asking what was going on made her cringe with embarrassment.