Volume One: The Apocalypse Begins Chapter 9: The Flying Monster Attacks—One Hammer for Every Child

Xiang Chenguang deliberately prodded the corpse of the giant centipede with his anti-explosion baton and found it dry and brittle, crumbling easily with just a little force. Although he didn’t understand why the bodies of these otherworldly creatures transformed so quickly into such a state, for now, this was a blessing. Otherwise, they would have to trouble themselves with disposing of the monsters’ corpses, and in the height of summer, the stench would be unbearable.

Maintaining the formation with Xiang Dongliang leading with his shield at the front and Xiang Chenguang covering the rear, flanking the two women in the middle, the four of them stepped out of the stairwell and officially entered the brutal killing ground of the apocalypse.

Xiang Chenguang first scanned the walls of the nearby buildings and the sky. Finding no monsters, he moved forward cautiously while instructing, “Mom, Xiaoxiao, keep an eye on the sky. If any flying monsters appear, alert us immediately.”

As he spoke, a ripple of distorted light flickered across the concrete path leading to the community gate. Suddenly, a spider monster materialized out of thin air on the road. Roughly the size of a millstone and covered in blackish-brown fur, the grotesque spider sent chills down He Wan and Xiang Xiaoxiao’s spines.

Instinctively, He Wan stepped forward, moving closer to her husband. Xiang Xiaoxiao quietly took a step back, her small hand reaching out to tug at Xiang Chenguang’s sleeve but restraining herself.

“Hold position and stay alert,” Xiang Chenguang ordered.

Grasping his baton, he swiftly advanced to confront the spider monster, which had also noticed them and was lunging forward.

The distance was barely over ten meters, and within just over a second, they clashed. When the spider was still two or three meters away, it suddenly leapt up, its eight segmented legs spread wide in midair, two slender, jet-black fangs poised to strike.

But the first blow was already waiting.

The black anti-explosion baton bent into a sharp arc from the force of the downward strike, cutting through the air with a low whoosh as it slammed hard onto the spider’s head.

The spider’s head was disproportionately small compared to its body, and the blow shattered it instantly, sending two black fangs flying through the air.

Despite its millstone-sized body, the spider felt weak and helpless as it was slammed back to the ground, rolling twice before lying still.

The family behind them was dumbfounded.

Although they knew from Xiang Chenguang that he had already slain five insect monsters, and the giant centipede’s corpse still lay in the stairwell, they hadn’t expected such enormous, terrifying creatures to be dispatched as easily as one would swat a simple spider.

Wiping the unknown fluid off his baton, Xiang Chenguang returned to the formation.

Their first destination was the guardhouse, where two pieces of equipment suitable for Xiang Dongliang—the anti-explosion helmet and anti-explosion fork—were stored.

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