With that, Ma Xiong and Liu Quansheng took cover behind the two banners, peeking out toward the cave entrance. A continuous, remarkably loud squeaking sound emanated from within. We held our breath, staring tensely at the opening, terrified that something might suddenly burst out, pounce on us, and tear us to shreds.

Liu Quansheng whispered into Ma Xiong’s ear, “Damn it, listening to that sound, could it be an oversized rat living in there?”

Ma Xiong shook his head. “I don’t know what that sound is, but it doesn’t sound like a rat. The sound is growing louder; it’s climbing out! Let’s be careful. If it’s something truly formidable, don’t let it spot us.”

The sound continued to intensify, and soon, Ma Xiong heard the distinct noise of something crawling. He couldn’t fathom how deep this pit was, or how anything could emerge from its sheer vertical walls. Soon, Ma Xiong felt the thing drawing near! A wave of inexplicable coldness washed over him then, the same chilling dread he had felt near the opening earlier. Seeing Ma Xiong suddenly tremble, Liu Quansheng hurried to ask what was wrong. Ma Xiong managed a wry smile and shook his head at Liu Quansheng. “Old Liu, it seems whatever is coming is not friendly.”

Hearing this, Liu Quansheng’s brow furrowed slightly. By now, the sound had reached the lip of the cave. Liu Quansheng quickly lowered his voice, “Stay hidden!”

We swiftly pulled the banners taut on their poles, concealing our bodies. Ma Xiong cautiously exposed half an eye, staring at the entrance. Moments later, two long antennae suddenly poked out from the edge of the opening! The antennae were segmented, clearly resembling those of an insect. Ma Xiong felt a slight jolt of surprise; those antennae must have been over half a meter long. If this was truly an insect, how massive must its body be!

After a section of the antennae emerged, two legs resembling those of a beetle grasped the edge of the hole. Our astonishment grew; it really seemed to be some kind of giant insect! Still, we dared not leave our cover, lest Lu Zong and Ge Mei suddenly charge out from the banner formation and find themselves in danger.

Ma Xiong expected the creature to crawl out slowly, but instead, with a sudden whoosh, it leaped out of the hole. Instantly, we saw a massive black shadow erupt from the opening, soaring over two meters high before descending slightly, hovering just above the entrance—a veritable behemoth!

We had already muffled the flashlight with the banners, allowing only a faint glimmer to escape. Through this dim light, Ma Xiong vaguely perceived a colossal insect crouched over the cave mouth!

The creature’s six legs gripped the ground at the edge of the hole, its entire body pressed low. The light was too weak; we couldn't discern its precise shape, only that it resembled a massive spider, if spiders had six legs.

Now, the squeaking sound was perfectly clear; it was the cry of this giant bug. It lay motionless over the opening, only its head constantly swiveling, as if searching for something. Ma Xiong must have attracted it when he shone the flashlight down earlier; it was likely looking for the person who had been standing by the edge.

Ma Xiong noticed it hadn't reacted to the faint light cast by our shielded flashlight. He thought to himself that creatures living perpetually in darkness often have vestigial sight, probably possessing poor vision and thus unable to detect such a weak glow. We had no idea what sensory organs it used to locate prey, so we dared not make a sound, slowing our breathing almost to a stop.

Suddenly, Ma Xiong recalled being lured toward the pit earlier. Could this monster residing within have been the lure? While Ma Xiong was utterly baffled, the giant bug began to stir. It slowly pulled itself away from the pit and started moving toward us.

Ma Xiong internally cursed, realizing the creature must have registered the faint light after all. Without thinking, Ma Xiong instantly extinguished the flashlight, then held his breath, straining to listen.

There was almost no light to begin with, and now the flashlight was off, the last vestiges of illumination vanishing. In the pitch black, one couldn't see their hand in front of their face; only the bug’s incessant squeaking filled the void. The sound was slowly approaching us, and we dared not emerge from behind the banners, starting instead a slow, deliberate retreat backward.

But as soon as we took a single step back, the sound vanished instantly!

A sudden, profound stillness enveloped the area. Ma Xiong’s heart leaped into his throat; he dared not move an inch, focusing entirely on listening. Ma Xiong was certain that even if the thing stopped vocalizing, if it continued to approach, we should be able to hear its footsteps.

Yet, there was absolutely no sound now, as if the creature had frozen all motion. Ma Xiong knew some organisms possessed highly specialized sensory systems, often ignoring motionless prey while being instantly drawn to movement. Frogs, for instance, operated this way. This giant bug likely hunted by similar means. Our sudden retreat might have alerted it to our presence, but its current stillness—was this the precursor to an attack?

Just as Ma Xiong formed this thought, a tremendous scraping sound erupted not far ahead. Startled, Ma Xiong abandoned all caution. He shoved Liu Quansheng forcefully to one side, using the momentum to propel himself in the opposite direction!

In that instant, the creature’s massive body burst through the banners concealing us, snapping both poles! Ma Xiong and Liu Quansheng found themselves sprawled on either side of the creature.

Fearing Liu Quansheng didn't grasp the insect's predatory habits, Ma Xiong yelled toward him on the other side, “Old Liu, don't move! If you move, you’re finished!”

Ma Xiong hadn't anticipated the bug could hear sound. As his words faded, the creature shrieked several times. Then, Ma Xiong felt a rush of wind directed toward him!

Undoubtedly, the creature had fixed its target on Ma Xiong. With no time to think, Ma Xiong leaped sideways again. To his misfortune, he collided with a banner pole in the darkness. By then, the bug was upon him. Blocked by the banner, Ma Xiong’s evasion was incomplete, and the creature’s body scraped fiercely across his chest.

The contact with the rough chitin burned his chest instantly; it looked like a layer of skin had been scraped off. Experiencing the brute force of the monstrosity at point-blank range, cold sweat immediately beaded on Ma Xiong’s forehead. Just as he prepared to retreat, Ma Xiong felt something clamp down on his hand!

With a creature that immense, Ma Xiong wouldn’t allow it to hold on. He swiftly fumbled with the clasp on his wrist guard and yanked his hand free. Immediately, he heard the sound of leather tearing. Fortunately, his glove was thick and his reaction timely; otherwise, that hand would have been lost.

Ma Xiong gritted his teeth and rolled backward several times, creating distance between himself and the insect. The creature heard the noise and spun around to pursue him. Ma Xiong dodged again just as the bug slammed down where he had just been. The resulting impact flattened the ground, splintering the surrounding banners, a sound that sent shivers down Ma Xiong’s spine.

Liu Quansheng, hearing the commotion, worried about Ma Xiong and whispered urgently, “Brother Ma Xiong, are you alright?”

The shout instantly drew the creature’s attention. Liu Quansheng likely heard it shift toward him and dared not speak again. Ma Xiong quietly rose, snatched a broken banner pole from the ground to use as a weapon, and began following cautiously behind the creature, tracking it by sound.

With such aggression, if they didn't find a way to neutralize it, they would never find peace!

The giant bug crawled a few steps toward Liu Quansheng’s last known position, then lunged forward suddenly, knocking down a large swath of banners there. Beforehand, Ma Xiong had heard Liu Quansheng jump aside, confirming he was safe. Ma Xiong stopped worrying, let out a loud shout, charged forward a few steps brandishing the pole, and thrust it directly ahead!

From the feel of the pole, Ma Xiong knew he had struck something. Immediately, the creature emitted a high-pitched shriek, then violently thrashed its body. The banner pole embedded in it was flung wildly, tearing the pole from Ma Xiong’s grasp and sending him tumbling to the side.

At this point, the bug suddenly backed up several steps, presenting its rear end toward Ma Xiong. The banner pole had managed to stick into Ma Xiong’s shoulder. Although the other end of the pole wasn't pointed, Ma Xiong felt a sharp, throbbing pain in his shoulder.

Ma Xiong groaned softly, ignoring the throbbing pain, and quickly scrambled to his feet, sprinting toward the spot where Liu Quansheng had dodged. However, as he ran, Ma Xiong slammed into a solid body, causing both of them to tumble to the ground. Ma Xiong heard an angry grunt, followed by Lu Zong’s voice exclaiming, “Damn it, you clumsy fool!” Seeing the person he’d collided with was Lu Zong, Ma Xiong lunged forward, snatched Lu Zong’s flashlight, and immediately switched it off. Before Lu Zong could speak, Ma Xiong clapped a hand over his mouth, whispering urgently, “Danger. We hide.”

Without waiting for Lu Zong’s reaction, Ma Xiong dragged him aside and crouched down.

Lu Zong was completely bewildered but kept quiet, squatting next to Ma Xiong and whispering into his ear, “What’s going on?”

Ma Xiong leaned in and quietly explained the situation with the giant bug. Lu Zong visibly flinched. He became even more cautious about moving, instead focusing intently on listening to the sounds around them. The bug fell silent again, and the area returned to a dead quiet.

Ma Xiong suspected this sudden silence was another prelude to an attack. Indeed, the ensuing noise confirmed his fears. Just as Ma Xiong was about to pull Lu Zong away, the sound of a banner pole snapping echoed a few meters to their left, immediately preceded by the creature’s squeak. Then came Liu Quansheng’s muffled groan, indicating he had been struck.

Ma Xiong grew anxious and quickly whispered to Lu Zong, “We split up. Use sound to distract the bug.”

Lu Zong, realizing Liu Quansheng might be injured, nodded without hesitation. “Good!”

With that, we both crouched low and moved away separately. After a few steps, Ma Xiong increased his pace, shouting as he walked, “Bug! Ma Xiong is here!”

As soon as Ma Xiong’s voice faded, the creature went silent again. Ma Xiong didn’t hesitate; he quickly sidestepped. This time, he had the foresight to note the position of the surrounding banner poles, avoiding another collision. The moment Ma Xiong sidestepped, the creature lunged, flattening the spot where he had just been standing.

At that moment, they heard Lu Zong’s voice shouting from the other direction: “Stinking bug, go to hell!”

Then Lu Zong’s voice rang out from elsewhere: “Haha, you missed me, idiot!”

The giant bug was drawn by Lu Zong and shot toward his location. Ma Xiong quickly moved from his spot, shouting as he moved, “Old Liu, where are you?”

A moment later, Liu Quansheng’s voice drifted from not far away: “Brother Ma Xiong, I… I’m here.”

Hearing that Liu Quansheng’s speech was strained, Ma Xiong guessed he was injured and hurried toward the sound. Lu Zong continued to shout, successfully diverting the insect’s attention, making Ma Xiong’s journey relatively easy. Hearing Lu Zong’s energetic voice, Ma Xiong inwardly acknowledged how fortunate they were that Lu Zong, with his agility, could escape such a massive bug in the darkness seemingly with ease. This gave them a bit more confidence in dealing with the creature this time.