The Eyes of the Praying Mantis

But actions speak louder than words.

The deafening roar of thunder, rapidly rising and dissipating thick fog, the sudden blackening of the phone screen, and the sensation of the cosmic storm sweeping over their bodies.

Everything indicated that this world was not normal.

So Cynthia Sanchez, who heard Bruce Roberts' words, didn't have time to inquire about his misdeeds from last night.

She hurriedly dressed under the covers, dragging her exhausted body to the window.

Peering outside through the hotel window.

The next moment!

Cynthia Sanchez widened her eyes, a wave of fear instantly spreading throughout her body.

"This is..." Cynthia Sanchez was twenty years old.

She belonged to the type of girl with a sweet appearance and a simple mind.

A ponytail, short-sleeved T-shirt, pleated skirt, her whole being exuding the youthful aura unique to students.

Bruce Roberts' misconduct from last night, combined with the recent onslaught of the cosmic storm, had left her body unusually exhausted.

But she didn't have time to worry about that now.

Because, following Bruce Roberts' suggestion, she slipped on her slippers and approached the room's window.

The scene outside the window had completely captured her attention.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of numerous vehicles losing control and crashing intermittently echoed from the distance into her ears.

Car wrecks were scattered everywhere.

The people who got out of their cars were initially confused, but then, upon realizing something was wrong, they immediately panicked.

Roar!

A roar sounded out as a zombie lunged at a woman who couldn't escape in time.

Screams resounded, accompanied by blood splattering on the ground.

If the sight of the zombies hadn't shocked Cynthia Sanchez enough,

Then the occasional passage of giant insects in the sky and the densely packed lizardmen with green scales and long tails on the ground were more than enough to overturn her worldview.

"No, don't... don't come over... stay away!"

A security guard at the hotel entrance shouted hoarsely, trembling all over, his legs shaking like sieves, his face as white as paper!He was a diligent worker, never having any grand heroic deeds in his life.Life was uneventful, 

But...

But he never expected, without any warning, a monster would appear before his eyes?

It was a sleek green mantis.

He had seen mantises before, caught countless of them as a child.

But the one in front of him was at least half the height of a person, nearly two meters long.

The security guard could clearly see that this giant mantis's body was covered in distinctive black patterns.

Its front legs, each about a meter long, were adorned with sharp serrations.

But what was most horrifying were the mantis's eyes!

They held a human-like gaze!

Filled with hatred, disgust, and deep cruelty and bloodlust!

"Hiss..."

The sickle mantis twitched its mouth, emitting a low, grating screech. A nauseating green liquid dripped from its sharp fangs onto the cement ground, sizzling and emitting white smoke!

Clearly, the liquid was highly corrosive and poisonous!

"Quick... run..."

The security guard muttered to himself in a trembling voice, his mind screaming to flee!

But his legs wouldn't obey, too weak to even stand properly, how could he escape?

Merely locking eyes with the sickle mantis for five seconds, he broke out in a cold sweat, his clothes soaked through!

Helplessly watching the mantis getting closer and closer, he could already smell the distinct odor emanating from its body. Then, he felt a tremendous force on his shoulder.

"Ah..."

The security guard fell to the ground, almost fainting from the pain!

Because his left shoulder had been pierced through by the mantis's sickle, blood spraying all over his face.

"Crackle, crackle..."

The huge mantis seemed to sense that the guard's life hadn't yet faded away.

It bit directly at the guard's neck.

Its sharp teeth, with astonishing biting force, caught the guard completely off guard. His head was separated from his body before he could react.

Several other sickle mantises rushed in.

In the end, all that remained on the cold cement ground was a pool of black-red blood, shattered rotten flesh and organs, and scattered pieces of torn cloth...In less than a minute, such a lively person had completely disappeared, devoured by several giant insects!

Not only Cynthia Sanchez, but also other surviving humans, all looked pale, devoid of blood color. Many people's stomachs cramped, and they vomited on the spot!

However, the casualties downstairs at the hotel weren't just this security guard; pedestrians on the street, passing couples, elderly folks on their way to the supermarket, and...

In Dragon's Roost, a third-tier city, the number of deaths in previous years couldn't match the deaths within this single minute!

These monsters appeared out of nowhere, and within a few breaths, there were dozens of them.

"How... how could this happen... how could this happen..."

Cynthia Sanchez was frightened, her face pale, completely devoid of the ability to think.

This scene was too bloody and violent; she had only seen it in disaster movies before.

Seeing it firsthand was simply a worldview-shattering experience.

"Do you believe me now?"

Bruce Roberts looked at the sickle mantis with a solemn expression.

"Damn, how come these things are so strong in combat!"

Bruce Roberts only had some early plot information about Jesse Thompson; he really didn't understand these monsters!

Seeing the sickle mantis bite off the security guard's head in one go, caught Bruce Roberts off guard.

If the monsters at the beginning of the apocalypse were this powerful, how could weak-bodied humans survive into the later stages?

"Huh..."

[Race: Insect Race]

[Name: Sickle Mantis]

[Level: Black Iron Intermediate]

[Description: An interdimensional insect that heavily relies on its forelimbs. As long as you don't engage them head-on, it's still relatively easy to defeat them!]

[Note 1: Besides humans, all creatures that evolve to Black Iron High Rank (including zombies) have the potential to condense crystals. The higher the creature's level, the higher the chance of crystals appearing, and the stronger the energy contained in the crystals!]

[Note 2: Crystals can allow all creatures, including humans, to evolve again. Collecting them might make you stronger.]

The sudden appearance of these words made Bruce Roberts pause for a moment, followed by intense excitement.

Holy crap!

He could actually see the information about the monsters?!

The abilities granted by the system are indeed awesome.

[Antagonist's Eye: Focus attention, and you can read basic information about monsters, humans, and objects, and see the betrayal rate of nearby humans towards yourself!]

Not only can you see basic information about monsters and objects,

but can you also see the betrayal rate of nearby humans towards yourself??

Hmm, this ability is amazing!

With this ability, my rise to power will definitely not be slower than Jesse Thompson's.

Subconsciously, I glanced at Cynthia Sanchez beside me.

Name: Cynthia Sanchez

Age: 20

Height: 165

Weight: 92

Betrayal Rate: 90% betrayal rate indicates the likelihood of people around you betraying you.

The higher the betrayal rate, the higher the value.

According to the system, initially, the betrayal rate of all strangers is 50%!

If it's below 50%, it means the person may have a good relationship with you.

But once it exceeds 50%, it means this person may have grievances against you, or even hatred, and might kill you.

Bruce Roberts used extremely despicable means last night to take advantage of Cynthia Sanchez.

Of course, Cynthia Sanchez wishes Bruce Roberts were dead.

So her 90% betrayal rate is understandable.

Bruce Roberts didn't pay attention to this value. Instead, he turned back into the room and took out a metal crossbow from under the sofa cushion (the cushion had been hollowed out in advance).