Giant insects rampage away
The entire classroom buzzed with excitement. Most students had only dissected dead specimens, but this was their first experience with a live specimen.
A group of students eagerly entered the laboratory. "Musashi, what's got you so excited? Planning to take on a bug one-on-one?" Malong joked.
"If I get the chance, I'd like to try," Musashi replied.
"Are you crazy? Hey, Little Fatty, where do you think you're going?" Malong grabbed the escaping Zuo Xiaotang, whose chubby face twisted in discomfort. "I think that thing looks disgusting. If the dead ones are terrifying, the live ones must be even worse. Forget it."
"Come on, Little Fatty, you're in the Mecha Department! You can't be scared. You have to go!" Li Hao chimed in. The three of them dragged the poor Zuo Xiaotang toward the lab, leaving Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong shaking their heads in amusement. If someone like him could get into the Mecha Department, it really showed how exceptional his talent was.
However, Zuo Xiaotang needed to toughen up a bit; otherwise, his skills would be useless on the battlefield.
Inside the lab, they saw a razor bug lying half-dead in a cage dozens of meters high, surrounded by tempered glass. This bug wouldn't last long, and everyone pressed their faces against the glass, eagerly observing, with some even flexing their biceps. If this razor bug had any strength left, it wouldn't be enough to get a toothpick stuck in its teeth.
"Its claws are extremely sharp and have barbs. Mechas cannot fully withstand its attacks, and currently, there are few survivors on the battlefield; humans seem to be quite to its liking…" Professor Nikins began explaining, and the initial excitement of the crowd began to fade into discomfort. "Pay close attention to the movement habits of these bugs, gathered through immense sacrifices. Take it seriously; it could increase your chances of survival."
But for the students, the battlefield felt far off. The solar system was peaceful, and Kepler was still distant.
Li Hao observed the razor bug before him. He had taken an anatomy class in his freshman year, and the structure of the bug matched exactly what he had seen in his dreams, but this was his first encounter with a live one.
Suddenly, the half-dead bug seemed to react to the crowd's gaze. It slowly raised its head, its four enormous compound eyes opening wide, instantly capturing everything around it. It suddenly sensed something and focused all four of its giant eyes on one point.
"Don't think it has only four eyes; each eye is packed with sensory cells. Each compound eye consists of over twenty thousand single lenses, allowing for a true 360-degree view. Even in the dense forests of Kepler, once something enters its range, there's no chance to hide. Any lucky escape is impossible. Targets locked onto by it will feel the terrifying sensation of being watched by countless giant bugs, and those with slightly weaker mental fortitude will experience complete mental breakdown…"
At this moment, Li Hao remained motionless. He had been locked onto by the razor bug, which struggled to rise. Suddenly, its feeble state vanished, and it charged violently at the cage. The alloy cage was severely impacted several times and broke, before it smashed into the tempered glass.
The entire laboratory erupted into chaos as alarms blared, and cold nitrogen gas began to flow in through the vents. The bugs had a strong resistance to hypnotic and similar gases; only low temperatures could reduce their functions. But this time, it was clearly a miscalculation, as the bug wildly smashed into the glass.
"Scatter! Evacuate!" Nikins shouted, sensing the killing intent from the bug.
The lab descended into chaos, and before anyone could react, the tempered glass shattered, and the razor bug burst free. Students were thrown about, and many were injured by the flying shards. At that moment, two figures charged forward—Ye Tong and Zhou Naiyi—throwing a nearby table, but the razor bug sliced it in half with a single swipe and charged toward Zhou Naiyi. Its four eyes opened wide, paralyzing her as she prepared to escape.
At that moment, Zhou Naiyi was overwhelmed by the countless eyes surrounding her, trapped in a nightmare, completely losing consciousness.
Suddenly, a figure shot forward—Li Hao—who shielded Zhou Naiyi from the razor bug's lethal strike. But the razor bug was already in front of them, its massive blade coming down.
Screams filled the laboratory as the razor bug seemed to lose strength, its eyes fixated on its prey before finally collapsing, its sharp mouth oozing a pool of green liquid, and then cracks appeared in its body, more green liquid seeping out…
Nikins finally let out a long sigh of relief, though his expression was grave. Thankfully, this razor bug was severely injured. He glanced at the shattered alloy pillars and broken glass and wondered how it had come to this.
They had assessed that this bug was barely alive when it arrived, so how did it suddenly go berserk? Why hadn't the cold nitrogen gas worked?
Li Hao ignored everything around him and quickly laid Zhou Naiyi flat on the ground, applying chest compressions and performing artificial respiration. After several attempts, Zhou Naiyi's breathing gradually stabilized.
A normal person, without the protection of a mecha, who suddenly became the focus of a giant bug's compound eyes would not only feel mentally suppressed but also have their breathing stop instantly—a sensation he had experienced deeply.
Before long, the school's medical staff arrived, their response swift, but they had truly been lucky…
The lab was still being cleaned and disinfected, and dozens of injured students were receiving treatment. Fortunately, the razor bug had exhausted its last strength smashing against the tempered glass; otherwise, there might not have been any survivors.
Long Danni looked grimly at the surveillance footage, flanked by Nikins and experts on giant bugs.
"Nikins, did we conduct checks on this bug before it came in?" Such oversights were absolutely unacceptable. Had Tianjing Mecha Academy fallen to this extent? This thought angered Long Danni.
"Principal, we did conduct strict inspections. The lab has dual defenses and prepared low-temperature nitrogen gas for any anomalies, but this incident is truly strange. This bug seems to have reacted to some sort of stimulus. Based on its body's condition, it likely experienced some sort of unknown stimulus to gain such attacking power," Nikins replied, half frightened and half filled with intense curiosity. "Principal Long, this situation has never occurred before. At least from the reports from the front lines, there have been no similarly bizarre circumstances."
"Play the video back. What triggered it?"
More than ten people in the room focused on the screen. In slow motion, the previously dying razor bug suddenly became agitated at a certain moment.
"Listen, can you tell if it locked its gaze on something, Professor Nikins?" Long Danni suddenly asked, pointing at the screen.
Nikins froze. The razor bug clearly had a precise target; from the angle, it was… Li Hao!
The bug's target was unmistakably Li Hao. The direction it charged after smashing the glass was also aimed at Li Hao, but was momentarily interrupted by the table thrown by Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong. It had to be said, those two girls were incredibly quick; that brief moment of distraction, though it lacked any attacking force, clearly weakened the bug's momentum.
Then, Zhou Naiyi stood frozen, awaiting her doom. Everyone present knew this was the "nightmare" state of facing the giant bug, similar to the mental suppression experienced by soldiers on the battlefield.
At that moment, Li Hao dashed in out of nowhere, saving Zhou Naiyi in the nick of time. Just when it seemed both would perish, the razor bug's life came to an end.
However, Long Danni noticed a detail: the razor bug blocked most of its field of vision, but through a gap, it appeared Li Hao was facing the bug directly.
At the very least… he wasn't affected by the bug. Was it a coincidence, or was the bug already exhausted at that point?
"Professor Nikins, you'll follow up on this incident and ensure the students are accounted for. The priority is to take care of the injured."
"Understood, Principal."
After others left the principal's office, a few minutes later, Long Danni dialed the communication device. "Bring Li Hao here."
Long Danni sat quietly, knowing that those who had experienced war wouldn't overreact to such incidents; they would handle things as they should. But this wasn't merely an oversight from the laboratory; some factors were at play that she couldn't comprehend.
Li Hao, from the Solar System's Youth Class, this person… was he to be used or not?
Even at Long Danni's level, she had to be cautious.
While waiting, Long Danni replayed the video. She had been to Kepler, and without the protection of a mecha, giant bugs represented a kind of demon to humanity. The students' fear and panic were normal reactions, so she was pleased with Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong's responses; both showed great courage and resourcefulness. Clearly, in the face of the suffocating pressure from the bug, Ye Tong had remained unaffected, while Zhou Naiyi had come close to breaking—no fault of hers, as Ye Tong was among the few with a "golden zone."
Li Hao's swift rescue of Zhou Naiyi showed remarkable agility, yet he hadn't faced the bug directly… Wait!
She realized she had made a habitual error. When the bug attacked Zhou Naiyi, the focus of its compound eyes…
In slow motion, Long Danni stood up suddenly.
All the bug's compound eyes were