There aren’t many children in the village, and these two are brothers: the older one is called Da Mao, and the younger one is Xiao Hai.

The place they’re heading to is…

I squint my eyes—
Devil’s Corner?

I immediately become alert and follow them.

---

By the time I catch up, the two children have already reached the outer edge of the cave at Devil’s Corner.

The local villagers avoid this place, and it’s rarely visited. Barnacles cover the rocks.

I quickly shout, “Da Mao! Xiao Hai! Come back!”

The children, startled, turn around.

I sternly say, “Didn’t your parents tell you not to come here? Let’s go back, now!”

Da Mao stubbornly replies, “We’re just here to collect some seashells, we’ll leave soon!”

I take a step toward them.

“That’s still not allowed. Come with me, or I’ll tell the village chief!”

“Wait, just a moment…” Da Mao remains uncooperative.

As we argue, a massive unidentified creature suddenly darts out from the cave.

It’s about two meters long, with a body divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen. Its body is slick, shiny, and black, with six legs and a pair of antennae—

It’s a Zerg!

There’s a Zerg here!

My scalp goes numb with fear.

The Zerg, with its six legs on the ground, charges at us at an alarming speed.

Without thinking, I shout, “Run!”

The two children scream in terror. Da Mao runs off, but Xiao Hai freezes in place.

I rush forward and grab Xiao Hai, preparing to escape.

A thread of white silk suddenly shoots from behind me, wrapping me up completely.

My vision goes black, and I lose consciousness.

---

When I wake up again, I find myself in a dark, damp cave.

I’m suspended upside down, wrapped in white silk like a “silkworm.” Da Mao and Xiao Hai are hanging beside me, still unconscious.

Recalling the events earlier, I’m instantly wide awake with fear.

We’ve been captured by the Zerg!

So that’s why people have been disappearing at Devil’s Corner—they were captured by the Zerg!

I force myself to stay calm.

I observe my surroundings.

There are no Zerg nearby, but the cave floor is covered with moss and remnants of various sea creatures, and the stench is overwhelming.

I only know a little about Zerg biology.

They are communal creatures with strict roles. The one that attacked us earlier must have been a worker Zerg.

By now, Wei Heng and the villagers are surely looking for me.

It’s June, and knowing Wei Heng’s sharp instincts, he’s bound to suspect that the missing people are related to Devil’s Corner.

But I can’t just sit here and wait. What if the Zerg eat us before they arrive? That would be a disaster.

First priority: escape.

My hand moves down to my pants, feeling for something. I find the oil painting knife in my pocket.

I twist my body as much as I can, bringing my hand around to pull out the knife.

With all my strength, I start cutting at the silk binding me.

Once I manage to create a small tear, the rest quickly follows, and the threads break apart.

I fall to the ground.

Barely daring to breathe, I tear off the remaining silk from my body and rush to free Da Mao and Xiao Hai.

As they gradually regain consciousness, Xiao Hai looks around the eerie cave, on the verge of crying.

I quickly cover his mouth.

“Don’t be scared, I’ll get us out of here…” I whisper.

Five-year-old Xiao Hai nods with teary eyes.

I ask them, “Do you have anything with you for self-defense?”

The two children hand me a small shovel and a knife, the latter meant for gathering barnacles. It’s much sharper than my painting knife.

I take their tools, listening carefully and feeling for airflow to determine the direction of the exit.

Holding Xiao Hai’s hand, and with eight-year-old Da Mao clinging to my shirt, the three of us carefully tiptoe forward.

The Zerg nest is divided into several areas, and we seem to be in their food storage chamber.

As we pass by one of the cave entrances, I spot a terrifying Zerg inside.

I gasp in shock, and Xiao Hai and Da Mao swallow their screams, covering their mouths.

I shrink back against the wall and cautiously peek inside.

This Zerg is even larger than the worker Zerg from before. Its lower half is oval-shaped, like a giant blanket draped over it—turns out that’s its abdomen.

It’s the Zerg Queen?

Its abdomen is so swollen it’s nearly translucent, and I can faintly see the eggs inside.

A thought strikes me: it’s June, the Zerg Queen’s egg-laying season, and the soldier Zerg must have been capturing humans to feed her.

It seems the missing people have all ended up as the Zerg Queen’s feast!

Though the Queen is terrifying, her limited mobility means she doesn’t pose much of a threat.

I carefully lead the children backward.

We’ve only taken a few steps when a patrol soldier Zerg suddenly emerges from the cave wall.

This soldier Zerg is three meters long, with razor-sharp mandibles capable of crushing rocks.

Xiao Hai is so scared he starts crying loudly.

I quickly push them away.

The soldier Zerg lunges at me, opening its jaws wide.

---

My survival instinct kicks in.

I grab hold of its antennae and, without hesitation, slice them off with the small knife.

The antennae serve as the Zerg’s eyes and ears, so it immediately stumbles around like a drunkard, unable to keep its balance.

I rush back to Da Mao and Xiao Hai, picking up Xiao Hai while pulling Da Mao by the hand, and we sprint toward the exit.

I can hear the sound of the Zerg chasing after us!

I position myself between the children and the Zerg, yelling, “Run!!”

Drawing the knife, I prepare to face the Zerg head-on, ready to give my life to buy the children time to escape. If I’m going down, I’ll take them with me!

The soldier Zerg’s spiked claws tear into me, leaving multiple wounds.

Enduring the pain, I slide under its abdomen.

Though its body is covered in a hard shell, the Zerg’s abdomen is its weak spot!

I drive the knife into its belly.

The Zerg’s abdomen ruptures, and viscous fluid sprays everywhere.

The fluid is slightly corrosive, burning my arm.

The soldier Zerg screeches in agony, writhing on the ground.

Just as I try to get up and flee, two more soldier Zerg leap at me. One knocks me down from behind, while the other blocks my path.

The Zerg in front of me opens its enormous maw.

I close my eyes in resignation.

Goodbye, Wei Heng…