Chapter 30: Extreme Heat, Giant Millipedes

Everyone was nearly scared out of their wits by Shen Baoying’s sudden scream.

They turned around and saw clusters of giant millipedes, as thick as thighs, tangled together in the back of the cave. In that moment, everyone nearly ignored the raging fire and bolted out of the cave in panic.

These creatures, commonly known as millipedes, resembled centipedes. They fed on plants and preferred dark, damp places. Their bodies had scent glands, and contact with human skin could cause redness, swelling, allergic reactions, and in severe cases, ulceration or even amputation.

Millipedes were social and reproduced rapidly.

Ancient giant millipedes were said to be larger than pythons, capable of devouring an adult human in one bite.

After hearing Shen Baoying’s scream, the ones behind them curled into tight balls in fear, stacking on top of one another like countless hard rubber tires.

Qin Shen remained calm, as always. Nothing seemed to ruffle him. “Millipedes are timid. As long as we don’t attack them, there’s no danger.”

Still… there were just too many of them.

They were so densely packed that it felt like walking into a snake pit.

Niuniu’s face was pale. Jiang Si, worried she’d fall ill from fright, took out two Alpenliebe candies and handed them to her.

Niuniu accepted them politely. “Thank you, big sister.” Her tension eased slightly.

The group stood near the cave entrance, but the stench released by the millipedes was overwhelming.

It was like thousands of rotting corpses infested with maggots, fermented under the sun for forty-five days. Even the smell of gasoline was completely overpowered.

They wanted to leave the cave—but couldn’t.

The spiders, with their surprisingly high intelligence, hadn’t approached directly. Instead, they had spun webs all around the area. If anyone dared to step outside, they’d fall right into the trap.

Jiang Si, knowing full well the spiders would leave by morning, feigned ignorance and asked Qin Shen, “When will they leave? In the daytime?”

Qin Shen nodded. “Mm.”

Lu Zhifeng immediately raised a concern. “But it’ll be too hot during the day. We can’t go out either. What if the spiders return at night?”

Qin Shen glanced at the millipedes behind them. “We can use something to lure them away.”

Everyone suddenly understood—and the reeking millipedes didn’t seem quite so unbearable anymore.

After running so far, everyone was exhausted. They sat down to rest. Even if they fetched water now, there wouldn’t be enough time to return home today.

Jiang Si pulled out food from her bag and shared it with her family.

Food was precious, so Lu Zhifeng and Niuniu didn’t want to impose. They had brought their own—flatbread and crispy rice cakes.

Qin Shen sat motionless. Jiang Si suddenly remembered: he had lost the small pouch at his waist when fighting the venomous snake. That probably held his food and water.

She pulled out two boiled potatoes, a hard-boiled egg, a piece of dried meat, and poured a cup of warm water, placing them in front of him. “Here, eat something.”

Qin Shen had saved Shen Baoying—he was their family’s benefactor. He deserved at least this much.

Qin Shen nodded. “Thank you.” He picked up the potato with grace and started eating.

His elegant demeanor made him look more like a well-educated scholar than someone with killer instincts.

Jiang Linhai casually asked, “Xiao Shen, with skills like yours, what did you do before all this?”

Jiang Si looked up. Qin Shen glanced at her, then suddenly smiled. “I used to be a doctor.”

A doctor?

Jiang Si was stunned.

So… when she injected the serum into him, he must’ve noticed?

The whole Jiang family was frozen. Had Qin Shen figured out the truth about that injection?

Even if he were a doctor, the vial had no label. Just from the bottle and scent alone, he probably couldn’t tell.

Besides, Jiang Si had intentionally downplayed it, saying it was just antibiotics—and that if he was lucky, he’d survive.

Everyone exchanged glances, each seeing anxiety and guilt in the other’s eyes.

If the truth about Jiang Si’s spatial ability were exposed, she could be captured for experimentation. Whether or not Qin Shen had realized anything, they needed to be extra cautious from now on—to protect her.

The air turned tense.

Finally, Lu Zhifeng broke the silence with a laugh, praising Qin Shen, “No wonder you’re so talented! You’re amazing no matter what weapon you use!”

Jiang Linhai quickly chimed in, “Exactly! I thought you were a professional martial arts coach! Turns out you’re a doctor!”

“Mm.”

Qin Shen merely glanced at Jiang Si again, as if nothing was unusual. That was just who he was—calm and unreadable.

Jiang Si was slightly relieved. Seeing the millipedes at the back slowly start to stir again, now that the threat had passed, everyone resumed their chatter.

“So these massive millipedes—are they mutated, or a throwback to ancient species?” someone asked.

Jiang Linhai replied, “Those spiders outside—they used to be the common brown spiders around here. Back in ancient times, they were never that big. Must’ve mutated under some influence.”

Niuniu nibbled her candy while Lu Zhifeng relaxed and joked, “Maybe giant spiders always existed in ancient times—just no fossils left to prove it.”

“Then how do you explain the mosquitoes and rats? Clearly, this is mutation!”

Lu Zhifeng suddenly asked a chilling question:
“If all these animals have mutated… could humans mutate too?”

The air froze.

Everyone there understood—
Humans could mutate.

It was already happening, quietly, somewhere out of their sight.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Jiang Si quickly changed the subject and asked Qin Shen, “How much further to the water source?”

Qin Shen looked up. The flickering firelight danced in his deep eyes like whirlpools.

“At best, half an hour. At worst, an hour.”

“That long? Will we encounter more danger along the way?” Lu Zhifeng asked worriedly.

Though Qin Shen came off as aloof, he was never impatient when others spoke to him. His responses were calm and steady.

It was clear he was well-mannered—definitely fit the image of a doctor.

But… that extraordinary combat ability was too suspicious.

Maybe… he had been taken as a child and trained as a spy. On the surface, he was a doctor. In secret, he was actually a top-level international assassin—code name: Dusk.

Jiang Si’s imagination ran wild. Her gaze lingered a bit longer on Qin Shen’s face.

So much so that Shen Baoying had to nudge her lightly before she snapped out of it.

Everyone took turns resting through the night. Before dawn, they were awakened by the oppressive heat, sweating all over and feeling dizzy from heatstroke.

To prevent illness, Jiang Si boiled a cooling herbal decoction using her water and served it to everyone.

Qin Shen drank it in one gulp and handed the plastic cup back. Jiang Si took it and said, “I need to change your bandage.”

Normally, if there’s no infection, bandages should be changed every three days. But with this extreme heat, the wound might fester if left wrapped.

Qin Shen’s expression froze for a moment. He shook his head and refused, “I’ll change it myself.”

Jiang Linhai assumed Qin Shen was just embarrassed and offered, “Your right hand’s injured, and it’s hard to do it with your left. You got hurt saving Baoying. Let me change the bandage for you!”

Qin Shen frowned, a rare expression of resistance appearing on his face. “Really, there’s no need.”