More and more various bugs crawled out from inside, and in the sky, an enormous flying insect patrolled, its massive, bloated abdomen contracting rhythmically, releasing bursts of green liquid that poured down like a torrential rain.
"Warning, Type II Elite Amde Mother Bug is laying eggs," Phantom warned.
Qianlong felt a chill run down his spine; he had no time to look back. His top priority was to escape.
Suddenly, Phantom provided a prompt, "A usable tool has been found around the corner, 120 meters ahead."
Qianlong looked at the hovering vehicles parked around and asked in confusion, "Why not use those hover vehicles?"
"Rejected. The probability of being attacked is 85%, the probability of escape is 5%, and the probability of being hit and killed is 10%."
Following the prompt, Qianlong reached the corner and saw a corpse lying on the ground—a young man, half-covered by debris from a destroyed building.
Qianlong picked up a jet-powered skateboard lying nearby and stepped on it.
"Decrypting."
"Decryption successful."
"Controlling…"
In the next second, the skateboard suddenly activated, its power set to maximum.
Qianlong crouched to steady himself and then shot forward.
Bellock Interstellar Airport was in chaos, the scene completely unraveled. However, whether it was luck or something else, the Bug Nest had not taken root here.
More than half of the ships at the interstellar airport had already entered launch mode. When danger struck, most people chose to save themselves.
Although the command tower was frantically ordering some ships to stop launching, there was no response at all.
Countless people fleeing for their lives rushed toward the interstellar airport. There were no guards, as even the guards had joined the escape.
The name "Insectoid" had instilled fear in countless humans over the long years, a fear deeply etched in their memories.
Qianlong successfully reached the interstellar airport, abandoning the skateboard with little energy left, and joined the crowd of fleeing people rushing inside.
In the vast interstellar airport, a fully loaded ship forcibly took off, soaring into the sky.
As the ship ascended to a certain height, a void suddenly appeared above it.
"No!"
The ship crashed directly into the void. Before the bugs inside could crawl out, the ship exploded upon contact with the void. Without an energy shield, the outcome of touching a Bug Nest's void was always disastrous.
Fiery debris rained down from the sky. At that moment, a military force burst in, protecting a group of nobles. They rudely pushed aside other refugees, shooting anyone who resisted on the spot.
The scene was filled with wails, and the shadow of despair lingered.
Qianlong was completely shocked. Was this what extinction looked like? Just moments ago, everything had seemed normal, and in the next second, the world was on the brink of destruction. At that moment, he felt how insignificant he truly was.
"Calculating escape route, calculating."
"You must board ship T231. The probability of escape is 70%. System hacked, information implanted."
Phantom's voice pulled Qianlong back from his thoughts. He followed the prompt and saw that ship T231 was located at the western edge of the interstellar airport, and its hatch was already beginning to close.
Qianlong started to sprint, as ugly bugs began crawling out from the Bug Nest above.
A grotesque metallic bug landed beside Qianlong, creating a deep pit. Qianlong ignored it and continued to run.
The ugly bug crawled out of the pit, its red eyes reflecting Qianlong's figure, and it opened its mouth, viscous liquid beginning to ooze out.
"Warning, you have been locked on by a Type I Soldier-Class Leviathan (Insectoid)," Phantom provided the alert.
Leviathans were a common type of heavy bug within the Insectoid ranks, possessing shells comparable to reinforced alloy steel plates, and their massive jaws could crush most armor.
Qianlong's heart sank to the bottom. He tried to keep calm and not panic.
The Leviathan charged at Qianlong, its enormous body unstoppable by human strength, leaving no obstacles in its wake.
"Danger warning! Danger warning!"
Qianlong leaped, rolling several times on the ground.
The spot where he had been standing was smashed into a deep pit by the Leviathan's strike.
Having narrowly escaped, Qianlong felt no joy, as danger was now even closer. If he failed to dodge the next attack, it would all be over.
The Leviathan opened its massive mouth and lunged at Qianlong.
"Automatic judgment: entering extreme danger state. Activating emergency defense, particle shield activated."
Just as the Leviathan was about to bite down on Qianlong, a white light screen suddenly appeared.
Crack! The Leviathan let out a pained howl as its massive jaws shattered.
Qianlong gritted his teeth and charged forward, as the surrounding ships began to forcibly take off one by one.
"Energy consumption nearly depleted, entering sleep mode," Phantom's voice grew fainter.
Qianlong's heart sank again. He continued to run along the route Phantom had provided earlier, not choosing any nearby ships.
The hatch of ship T231 was about to close completely when a group of armed soldiers surrounded it.
"Open the hatch immediately, or I will shoot you down," the leading general roared, flanked by subordinates carrying portable high-intensity anti-air armor-piercing launchers. This equipment would be useless against a warship, but at such close range against a civilian ship, it posed no threat at all.
In other words, if T231 dared to ignore the orders and forcibly take off, the result would surely be disastrous.
In the end, T231 capitulated, and the hatch that was about to close reopened.
"Open the cargo hold at the back as well," the general shouted into his communicator.
Qianlong's eyes lit up; he had thought he would be too late, but now he had enough time.
When the hatch of T231 fully opened, the general said to his aide beside him,
"Board the ship. If there's no room, push them out."
"Yes."
The general led the soldiers onto the ship. Just as Qianlong was getting closer to T231, he saw a group of desperate, crying people being forcibly pushed out. The soldiers showed no concern for their lives.
They were kicked down from the entrance, which was at least five or six meters high; falling from that height would surely result in serious injury or death.
Anyone daring to resist was shot on the spot.
Wails, screams, and cries became the best realism.
As the last soldier boarded the ship, the hatch began to close slowly.
At this point, Qianlong had reached the front bottom of the ship. He leaped up, grabbing onto the ship's landing gear, and began to climb. Phantom had previously designated the entrance when planning the route to T231.
The waste discharge outlet at the bottom of the ship provided access to the exhaust duct, leading inside. However, one crucial point had to be noted: he must traverse the exhaust duct before the ship entered space, or the gates within the duct would close completely.
Qianlong successfully climbed to the exhaust outlet and pressed his hand against it.
"Identification passed."
The exhaust outlet cover opened directly, and Qianlong crawled inside.