Chaos had erupted within Yanjing City as a violent collapse of buildings occurred in the city center, the immense sound directly shocking the surrounding crowd.
The path of the colossal noise was like the heavens and earth cracking apart, impossible to ignore. No one wished to die; everyone desired to live safely. What was unfolding before their eyes immediately captured everyone's attention.
Within the subsidence zone, the entire area had been reduced to ruins. It mattered not whether the buildings were constructed to withstand a magnitude seven or eight earthquake; they crumbled before the formidable power of the anomaly. The effects of a tenfold gravity field rendered steel and concrete incapable of withstanding the strain.
Bricks and glass lay scattered on the ground. Towering structures had vanished completely. Viewed from above, only mounds of earth were visible. Faint figures could be discerned within the gravity field, but these individuals were unable to move, most likely perishing in the tenfold gravity.
At the very center of the debris stood a figure. This spot had originally been a club, but it was now a ruin. The person standing there was naturally Yue Hengyi. As the buildings collapsed, Yue Hengyi's survival instinct kicked in. He dodged the falling ceiling and ultimately stood atop the rubble, only to fall into an illusion once more.
Human survival instincts are incredibly powerful. Even within an illusion, humans instinctively evade danger, much like how one involuntarily closes their eyes when a small insect is about to fly into them. This has nothing to do with reaction speed; it is pure instinct, a primal response even present in children with Down syndrome.
Yue Hengyi, who had survived, continued to maintain the gravity field. His mind had completely shattered. Once the most fragile part of his heart was broken, he descended into madness. He no longer cared about anything; all he wanted was to kill.
However, at this moment, a green figure appeared in the distance. A praying mantis, the size of a rooster, emerged. It possessed a characteristic triangular head, large eyes with a black dot at their center, and semi-transparent wings behind it. Its legs were adorned with numerous sharp barbs, giving it a formidable appearance.
What was most striking about the mantis were its forelimbs. Many believed that mantises relied on their pair of scythe-like forelimbs for predation. However, in reality, the mantis's forelimbs were primarily used to secure prey, with predation being a secondary function.
In the north, mantises were also called "dao lang" (knife mantis), and the reason was simple: the mantis's forelimbs were like sharp knives. If they attacked humans, they could even cut the skin. Thus, people perceived them as insects wielding knives and called them "dao lang."
Upon its appearance, the mantis began to hop forward. Normally, a mantis's mode of movement was flight. Although they could not fly for extended distances, nor match the speed and endurance of birds, flying was always faster than crawling on the ground.
However, the gravity field created by Yue Hengyi was exceptionally powerful, causing even the ground to continuously subside. In the span of an hour, the ground had sunk by over a meter. Flying within such a gravity field was utterly impossible. Even a lightweight creature like a hummingbird could not fly in this field, let alone a mantis.
Therefore, the mantis's only remaining method of progression was hopping. In fact, the very ability to enter the gravity field demonstrated the incredible resilience of insects. Most animals would have died from oxygen deprivation in such conditions, especially birds.
The mantis's abdomen was contracting rhythmically. Insects do not possess lungs but still require respiration, which they conduct through tracheae. Within the gravity field, the mantis's breathing became difficult, but fortunately, it could still move.
At this moment, the mantis held a syringe in its forelimbs, filled with a colorless, transparent liquid. This was a fast-acting anesthetic that took effect within seconds of injection, capable of subduing even an elephant. Most astonishingly, this mantis was acting according to human intent.
Mutated insects were not unheard of, but they were generally weak. Their mutated sizes were usually comparable to domestic fowl like chickens and ducks, making their combat effectiveness very poor. Consequently, few paid them any attention. If one encountered them and was not afraid of parasites, they could be caught and roasted.
However, under the current oppressive tenfold gravity field, ordinary animals could not survive within it. Only insects with relatively robust constitutions possessed the ability to enter the gravity field.
Yue Hengyi's mind was a chaotic mess, a manifestation of mental collapse. His brain seemed unwilling or unable to process anything. The mere thought of the unbearable events he had experienced would further shatter his psyche.
Just then, the large green mantis slowly approached Yue Hengyi. Upon reaching him, it directly inserted the syringe into his calf.
Yue Hengyi cried out in pain. Stimulated by the agony, he regained a sliver of clarity. Pain is a sensation deeper than sight or hearing. Thus, under the stimulus of pain, Yue Hengyi suddenly perceived his surroundings as changed. In an instant, he realized the club beside him had vanished. Looking around, he found himself in a field of ruins.
"What in the world is happening?" Yue Hengyi stared at the shifting scenery, utterly stunned. Having just experienced a mental breakdown, he was unable to think clearly and was unaware of the current situation.
At that moment, Yue Hengyi felt a sharp pain in his calf. Looking down, he saw a giant mantis injecting something into him with a syringe. Yue Hengyi immediately disregarded his confusion and kicked out. With a "thwack," the mantis, struck by Yue Hengyi's fierce kick, was instantly reduced to pulp and killed.
Yue Hengyi tried to clear his head by tapping his temples, attempting to regain composure amidst the unfolding events. However, numerous strange images continued to flash through his mind, preventing him from concentrating.
At that very moment, Yue Hengyi felt dizzy, his steps growing unsteady. He could barely remain standing.
Realizing his condition, Yue Hengyi inwardly cursed, "This is bad. These injected substances likely contain anesthetic, or perhaps poison. If I fall asleep, it's all over."
Yue Hengyi had heard of many potent poisons in this world, especially neurotoxins that directly affected the nervous system. Once the toxic component binds to a receptor, it is irreversible. Recovery becomes nearly impossible, and even if one survives, their body will be damaged, making a return to normalcy unattainable.
Yue Hengyi felt the drowsiness in his mind intensifying. He knew that a single moment of closing his eyes would plunge him into deep sleep. In this predicament, Yue Hengyi could only think of one solution: consuming the seeds of the desert rose he carried with him.
Yue Hengyi had three desert rose seeds on his person. Consuming a seed would allow him to break through his limits, granting an extraordinarily rapid recovery rate. Aside from the subsequent need for rest, there were no other side effects.
Yue Hengyi did not wish to die. He could only reach into his pocket, find the desert rose seeds, and shakily bring them to his lips.
However, at that very moment, over a dozen shield bugs suddenly appeared in the sky in the distance. These were the insects often heard making strange noises at night, neither crickets nor grasshoppers, commonly known as "shaji" and "suoji," members of the Tettigoniidae family.
These shield bugs were of normal size and likely not mutated. At any other time, they would pose no threat to Yue Hengyi. But now, with the anesthetic coursing through his veins, his nervous system was suppressed, making any reaction impossible.
At this point, the shield bugs swiftly flew closer. Some landed on Yue Hengyi's eyes, obscuring his vision, while others grabbed the desert rose seeds and forcefully dragged them away.
Yue Hengyi failed to consume the desert rose seeds. His body, unable to withstand the anesthetic's effects, finally collapsed onto the ground in a daze. Most people, injected with such a high dose of anesthetic, would have succumbed and died immediately. This was also why anesthesiologists were always in high demand; an incorrect dosage could be fatal.
However, Yue Hengyi was a sixth-tier ability user, possessing a different physical constitution. He endured the equivalent of what an elephant would face before finally succumbing to unconsciousness.
At this moment, the ground ceased its subsidence, and the gravity field vanished. Long Qian grabbed a stone and tossed it into the ruins. The stone traced a near-perfect arc through the air, landing on the ground with a crisp sound.
If the gravity field were still active, the stone, upon entering it, would have fallen rapidly, unable to travel such a distance. After all, altered gravity would change its trajectory.
Long Qian confirmed the disappearance of the gravity field and then directly commanded, "Follow me! Capture the malevolent Yue Hengyi and avenge the fallen."
With that, Long Qian charged forward, leading the way. The other members of the Tianlong Bureau followed closely behind. The five hundred-meter distance was but a blink of an eye for ability users.
As Long Qian approached the ruins, he unleashed his ability. Over a dozen shield bugs immediately retrieved the three desert rose seeds. Long Qian looked at the ordinary-looking seeds in his hand and murmured, "Is this what caused Chen Xintie's failure? They look quite ordinary."
The others also rushed forward. The first order of business was a search. Yue Hengyi's pockets were emptied, yielding nothing. Someone picked up the Kanglong Jian lying nearby and exclaimed enviously, "I heard this weapon was forged from extraterrestrial meteorite. It's so heavy!"
Long Qian placed great importance on the unassuming desert rose seeds but showed little interest in the meteorite weapon. He stated calmly, "According to news from Japan, this weapon was merely crafted from the outer shell of a meteorite. The truly valuable component is the extraterrestrial element within the meteorite. Logically, Yue Hengyi should possess some. We must interrogate him for it."
"Then can this weapon be given to me?" an ability user immediately inquired. Even if the weapon contained no extraterrestrial element, it was still immensely valuable and could be flaunted.
"Nonsense!" Long Qian rebuked sharply. "This is the murder weapon used by the suspect, Yue Hengyi. It is evidence. To want it is preposterous!"
With the captain's decree, the other members of the Tianlong Bureau dared not object further. They could only meekly comply, preparing to detain Yue Hengyi and secure the Kanglong Jian as evidence.
As Long Qian spoke, he discreetly placed the three seeds into his pocket. Since these were items that could grant a surge of powerful combat ability in a short period, they were not to be underestimated. It was best to keep them close, lest they be stolen.
Recently, Long Qian had been working tirelessly to stabilize the situation within the Tianlong Bureau. The bureau had a total of just over forty members, with about twenty sent to Yuzhou for combat by Su Liuying. Those remaining were personnel unsuitable for combat, including Long Qian himself. Aside from controlling insects, he possessed no other means. In such a state, the Tianlong Bureau was extremely unstable.
However, Long Qian had now achieved a significant merit. In front of many witnesses, he had apprehended the disruptive Yue Hengyi, a great accomplishment. Furthermore, those in authority would no longer doubt Long Qian's capabilities.
For Long Qian, the most crucial matter at present was not to publicize his achievements but to swiftly replenish the number of ability users in the Tianlong Bureau. Without ability users, the Tianlong Bureau would not receive attention.