Volume One: The Apocalypse Arrives — Chapter 39: Annihilating the Insect Swarm, Energy Cores

It was not until three more giant dragonflies emerged from the forest and swooped toward the rear of the migration caravan that Xiang Chenguang finally ended his torture of the gnoll.

Two spinning coins sliced across the gnoll’s neck in a crisscross pattern. Despite being on the verge of death, the creature collapsed to the ground without spurting much blood after its carotid arteries were severed. Beneath it, the ground was soaked with a vast amount of blood; in the roadside drainage ditch, the gnoll’s dark red life force flowed for four or five meters.

The four coins used to flay the gnoll remained as bright and pristine as new, having maintained such high-speed rotation that not a single stain of blood touched their surfaces. After returning to his side like swallows to a nest, they circled him twice, accelerated again, and streaked through the air once more. With a flash of silver, the heads of the three giant dragonflies that had just reached the space above him were severed in mid-air, their bodies and heads falling separately to the ground.

In the rear defensive line, under the guidance of Xiang Dongliang, two middle-aged women took on the role of makeshift nurses. They pulled clothing from a suitcase stuffed in one of the vehicles and tightly bound the area around the wounds of a team member whose leg had been pierced, stopping the gushing blood. Afterward, Xiang Dongliang instructed the women to fashion a simple sling from more clothing, securing the injured man's fractured left arm against his chest. He then returned to the defensive line, carrying the injured member's iron shield in his right hand.

Because Xiang Chenguang was blocking the front, the insect swarm could only bypass him to attack the migration caravan from the sides, and every flying monster was shot down by the four streams of light orbiting him. Coupled with the fact that the gnoll—which had appeared so fierce and exerted such immense pressure on everyone—had been toyed with and killed without any ability to fight back, the group’s anxiety slowly began to settle.

Furthermore, the guard team included the likes of "Butcher" Wei, a madman clad in earthen armor who never bothered to defend, only attacking with frantic intensity. As a result, although the insect swarm's assault seemed ferocious, not a single monster managed to break through the front and rear defensive lines to harm the migrating civilians.

After Xiang Dongliang returned to the line with the shield, the group’s morale was significantly bolstered, and their defense became as solid as a fortress. Among all the combatants, only He Wan and Xiang Xiaoxiao remained relatively relaxed. Both had climbed onto the roof of a vehicle in the middle of the convoy; He Wan used a steel-ball crossbow to continuously snipe at monsters that threatened the guards, while Xiang Xiaoxiao did not join the front line, instead keeping watch over the rear and the riverbank to the right.

This was the task Xiang Chenguang had assigned her before they set out that day. If a crisis arose and Xiang Chenguang was forced to commit fully to the front-line combat, Xiang Xiaoxiao would have to pull back to serve as a mobile reserve, responsible for both surveillance and responding to sudden contingencies. In the mere three-plus days since the apocalypse began, Xiang Chenguang had already faced numerous ambushes, making him unwilling to lower his guard in the complex wilderness. Even in places that appeared safe, he remained vigilant.

Xiang Xiaoxiao possessed the power to manipulate lightning. Although calling it "mastery" was an exaggeration for her nascent ability, she could indeed summon balls of lightning to strike targets. The nature of lightning lies in its rapid attack speed and high explosive power, making her well-suited for a surveillance and mobile support role.

Just as the swarm emerging from the forest began to thin and victory seemed within reach, a massive black scorpion suddenly scrambled up from the riverbed onto the road, charging toward the unsuspecting caravan. Xiang Xiaoxiao, who had been feeling somewhat bored due to the lack of opportunities to act throughout the battle, gave a sudden start. Subconsciously, she unleashed her strongest attack, condensing a lightning ball the size of a ping-pong ball and throwing it at the hideous, giant black scorpion.

She had seen this type of monster before. During the operation at the vegetable market, a giant black scorpion had tried to sneak up on them from behind, only to have its head crushed after Xiang Chenguang detected it. She had heard Xiang Chenguang say that such monsters were at the peak of Tier 0; with her current physical attributes, she stood no chance in a head-on fight. That was why, the moment she saw the giant black scorpion, she instinctively struck it with the lightning ball.

In her panic, the throw was slightly off, and it looked as though the lightning ball would graze past the creature. However, the orb seemed attracted to the scorpion's body, slightly curving in mid-air before landing on its back. The moment it made contact, the ball exploded, and web-like arcs of electricity flickered incessantly over the scorpion’s reflective black shell. A hole was burned into its dorsal armor at the point of impact, with black smoke rising slowly from the charred crater.

Everything happened incredibly fast. Most people on the scene had their attention entirely fixed on the battle to the left of the road, and only a few had noticed the giant scorpion suddenly appear. Before a single scream could be uttered, a flash of electric light faded, and the giant black scorpion collapsed limply to the ground.

He Wan, who had discovered her daughter’s unusual behavior, glanced over during a lull. Seeing the corpse of the giant black scorpion less than two meters from the caravan, she felt a jolt of alarm, then reached out to pat Xiang Xiaoxiao on the head.

Xiang Xiaoxiao’s round eyes narrowed into slits, though she tried her best to maintain a solemn expression as she continued to watch the rear and the right side of the formation.

By this time, no more monsters were emerging from the forest on the left. With a straight thrust of his triangular staff, Xiang Chenguang pierced the head of a giant centipede trying to turn and flee, letting out a long breath of relief. The density of monsters here was abnormally high; in about ten minutes, he had killed nearly a hundred flying insects alone, and he had personally slaughtered four or five hundred spider-monsters and giant centipedes. The ground on the left side of the road was covered in a thick layer of insect carcasses, burying the body of the gnoll he had killed at the start of the fight.

There was likely a persistent spatial rift in the woods nearby; otherwise, it would be impossible for so many monsters to appear. But the priority now was to escort the migration team safely to the militia training camp; this was no time for exploration.

Xiang Chenguang located the gnoll’s body from memory and used his staff to push aside the pile of insect corpses. The gnoll’s body had already begun to dehydrate, becoming shriveled. Xiang Chenguang smashed the gnoll’s right claw, revealing the coin trapped within its bones. Under his control, it began to spin rapidly, shaking off the grime before returning to orbit him alongside the other four.

Lifting his staff again, he pried open the gnoll’s severely shriveled abdomen, revealing a blood-red bead the size of a thumb. Under the control of his psychokinesis, the bead floated toward him, spinning. He reached out with his left hand, pinching the bead between his thumb and forefinger.

A mechanical, genderless voice echoed in his mind: "Absorbable energy detected. Extract psionic power?"

Xiang Chenguang chose "No," and the system fell silent once more. According to the *Primary Interdimensional Creature Catalog*, he knew this was an energy crystal core, found within all interdimensional creatures of Tier 1 and above.