117: The Terrifying Monstrous Insect, The Mysterious Pyramid (Part I)

It is miraculous enough to find a pyramid at a depth of ten thousand meters on the ocean floor, but discovering footprints inside this pyramid is truly shocking.

A group of people gathered around the tracks, which stretched deep into the pyramid, leading to an unknown destination. However, what struck everyone as even more peculiar was the observation made by a mercenary: "These tracks do not look human!"

His comment was met with agreement from his companions: "Human feet are not that long! And the shape is wrong; these are definitely animal tracks!"

Others held different opinions. Professor Qin remarked, "Wild beasts could not survive in this environment. These must be the footprints of another form of intelligent life, perhaps..."

He glanced at Solas, and both of them recalled the four World War II American bombers parked outside.

"Perhaps! There may be other intelligent life forms inside this pyramid, not necessarily human. Everyone, stay alert!" Solas commanded in a low voice. The leader of the mercenaries immediately ordered his subordinates to be on guard. Solas added, "Professor Qin, do you think the legendary 'Heaven-Reaching Cave' could really be here?"

The "Heaven-Reaching Cave" was a piece of folklore. Because airplanes and ships frequently vanished without a trace in the Bermuda Triangle—often without even sending out distress signals—some claimed there were "Heaven-Reaching Caves" near the area that served as gateways to different dimensions.

Professor Qin, unfamiliar with this theory, simply replied, "Judging by the architecture, this looks seven parts like the legendary continent of Atlantis. However, those airplanes and footprints are too suspicious; it is possible there is a special conduit linking this place to the outside world."

Solas thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, "We have already come this far; I must go in and see. Fares, I leave it to you."

Fares, the leader of the mercenaries, nodded and gave several hand signals. The six mercenaries split into three groups: two leading the way, two providing support in the middle, and two keeping a careful watch at the rear. Solas also drew his sidearm, carefully following behind.

Just as the group began to move, an anomaly occurred. One of Professor Qin’s students stopped in his tracks and refused to move. The professor called out to him several times, but the student remained unresponsive. Another student stepped forward to pull him, saying, "Why aren't you..."

Before he could finish, he let out a scream, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground. His mouth hung open in terror, pointing at the student as if he had encountered something horrific.

The group was already on high alert. Hearing the scream, they immediately focused their lights on the student who refused to move. The sight that met their eyes made them recoil in horror: the young man squatting on the ground was trembling violently, appearing to be in immense pain. Then, a terrifying scene unfolded right before them. In an instant, the skin on the young man’s face began to twist strangely, as if something were crawling beneath it. Within seconds, his flesh withered visibly. A robust young man had transformed into a desiccated corpse. His eyes were reduced to hollow sockets, his nose had become two black pits, and the flesh on his face seemed to have been air-dried until only skin and bone remained.

Everyone felt a chill crawl up their spines. Professor Qin, Li Yun, and the others were shivering so violently that they had to lean against the walls to keep from collapsing.

Most terrifying of all was that the student was not yet dead. He reached out a hand as if begging for help, a look of agony etched onto his withered face. But no one dared to move an inch closer, terrified by the sight of his arm, which was now as dry and brittle as a dead tree branch.

The most shocked among the group were Mu Tou and his companions. They exchanged glances, unable to comprehend when or how the student had transformed.

As the corpse-like student stumbled toward them, everyone instinctively stepped back. The student let out a pained, guttural roar. A mercenary, losing control, opened fire with his waterproof submachine gun, hitting the student in the abdomen and thigh. Yet, the student continued to walk toward them, showing no signs of bleeding. The mercenary aimed at the student’s head and fired a burst, shattering his skull. Only then did the student fall, though his body continued to twitch. The gory sight made the others want to vomit.

Professor Qin grabbed the mercenary and shouted angrily, "You killed him! You murderer!"

The mercenary shoved him away and retorted, "Look at him—is that still a human? And can someone without a head still move?" He pointed to the ground, and everyone realized that almost no blood had flowed from the dead student; only a small amount of green liquid had oozed out. Professor Qin and his students, having never witnessed such a gruesome sight, leaned against the walls and retched uncontrollably.

The mercenary leader, a cautious man, saw the headless corpse still twitching and, fearing the unexpected, ordered, "Fares, prepare the incendiary!"

A mercenary carrying a pack placed it on the ground, opened it, assembled a few components, and aimed at the twitching body. He pulled the trigger, and a ball of fire engulfed the corpse.

Just then, the corpse's chest burst open with a "pop." A black shadow scurried onto the wall, chirping, and darted toward the group.

The mercenary leader, showing impressive reflexes, raised his pistol and fired twice, knocking the shadow down. Everyone converged their lights on it: it was an insect resembling a scorpion, with two thick, sharp-looking claws. It was about the size of a human palm, but strangely, it was covered in countless green, finger-thick fleshy threads. The creature didn't seem fully dead, twitching periodically while the threads danced as if searching for a host.

Everyone felt only one thing: disgust. It was utterly revolting. The sisters, Mu Siyu and Mu Siqing, covered their eyes, unable to look.

Fares pulled the trigger again, and another ball of fire incinerated the creature. Though the insect was destroyed, a shadow of terror loomed over the group. It was obvious the insect was responsible for the student’s mutation, but how could such a small bug be so terrifying? None of them could fathom it.

Professor Qin said with a bitter face, "Mr. Li, Mr. Solas, let's head back. We have no idea how many of these bugs are inside this pyramid."

Solas hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "Let's look a little further. If there's danger, we'll retreat!"

Professor Qin wanted to object, but seeing that the mercenaries only listened to their employer, he had no choice but to follow. He dared not retreat alone, as no one knew what other horrors lurked in the pyramid.

Thus, the group continued to follow the footprints with extreme caution. Zigui took out a monocle from his bracelet and put it on—it was a detection device—while his clothing flashed with a faint, metallic sheen. Mu Tou knew he had activated his combat armor.

The creature had appeared silently, catching everyone off guard. As the weakest among them, Zigui remained on high alert.

The pyramid was vast. They walked along the passage for at least half an hour without seeing the end. Fortunately, they encountered no more such insects, which eased their anxiety slightly.

Then, the mercenary scouts returned and said, "There is a room ahead!"

Solas nodded and led the group toward it cautiously. Two mercenaries entered first to check the perimeter, signaling for the others to follow only after confirming it was safe.

However, as soon as Solas, Mu Tou, and the others entered, the room suddenly lit up. Torches on the surrounding walls had ignited for some unknown reason, giving everyone a start. The six mercenaries jumped as well, forming a defensive circle around the group, scanning the area with their weapons drawn, but finding nothing.

The room was large, about the size of a basketball court, but it was empty except for the passage they had arrived through and another one leading into the unknown. In the center of the room stood a high platform with a waist-high clay jar, its contents unknown.

Professor Qin suddenly said, "There are drawings and characters on these stone pillars!" He stepped forward to examine them. Mu Tou, a top student in history, also stepped forward to decipher the text but found he couldn't recognize it at all.

Professor Qin, however, lived up to his reputation. He exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Solas, this is indeed an Atlantis ruin! These are ancient Atlantean characters!" He began to study them intently.

Unable to read the text, the others looked at the drawings. The first showed the strange insect; though simple in stroke, it was vividly depicted. The second showed the insects burrowing into human bodies. The third depicted the mutation they had witnessed in the passage. The fourth, and strangest, showed a monster with a human upper body and a scorpion lower body rising from a crowd, roaring toward the sky.

Professor Qin, though not fully fluent in Atlantean, translated the rough meaning, stuttering, "It says here that this is a sacrificial chamber, a place to offer sacrifices to the gods, using divine gifts to select the warriors of the gods... The tower was built to suppress the vengeful spirits of the dead and protect the clansmen."

What did that mean? Everyone stared at one another blankly. Professor Qin could not provide a full translation, and he himself was thoroughly puzzled.

A mercenary said, "Forget about that. Let's take down that jar and see. Maybe the answer is inside!"