“What is that?”
The ancient stone gate appeared before their eyes—and not just for those nearby. People across Huahuashan City and even the neighboring provincial capital could see it. Countless eyes were fixed on this archaic stone portal, stunned by its sudden emergence.
Because the gate had appeared as abruptly as the black fissures in the sky, some feared that yet another terrifying creature would crawl out of it, sparking waves of panic across the internet. But there were also those who had experienced the Yellow Earth Secret Realm before and recognized it immediately. However, they knew that the only things inside were insects—insects that wouldn’t actively attack humans. So, they didn’t see the gate’s appearance as a good thing.
Xu Lin was busy handling the flood of overly negative online comments. He was also one of the insiders who knew about the summoning of the stone gate.
Meanwhile, many high-ranking officials who were in the know turned their attention to this mysterious stone portal.
And the stone gate did not disappoint them.
After flickering a few times, the gate stabilized. Then, swarms of insects of all shapes and sizes flew out from within.
From a distance, they looked no different from Blue Star’s native mutant insects. Only those up close could sense that their energy fields were far denser and more robust than those of Blue Star’s insects. Moreover, these insects did not attack humans. The moment they appeared on Blue Star, they lunged straight at the grotesque alien bugs instead.
Yes, the authorities still didn’t know the full situation regarding the interstellar Zerg—they simply referred to them as “alien bugs” or “strange insects.”
—
“Oh my god!”
This scene of insects fighting insects quickly spread across the world through the internet.
The people of Huaguo were stunned. Then they were overjoyed. Then they were relieved.
Who knew—so many had been on the brink of being killed by the alien bugs when, out of nowhere, saviors descended from the sky. They were still insects, but these were good insects. And these good insects had saved them.
People in other countries were equally shocked.
But their shock stemmed from a different question: why did Huaguo have good insects, while their own countries had none?
“It’s a conspiracy! The whole world’s insect mutation must have been caused by the Huaguo people!”
“Damn it. Those good insects belong to our country. The Huaguo people are so despicable—they stole our good bugs!”
“The world is one whole. Huaguo is a major power. It cannot hoard such valuable insect resources all to itself…”
All kinds of absurd takes from other countries began flooding Huaguo’s networks.
And so, Xu Lin found himself mobilized once again.
Of course, Qin Sang knew nothing of this online warfare.
After seeing the insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm engage the interstellar Zerg and Blue Star’s native mutant insects head-on, Qin Sang finally let out a sigh of relief.
Even though Little Gold had assured her that the summoning plan was foolproof, deep down she’d still feared it might all be for nothing—or that they’d end up driving away one wolf only to invite in a tiger.
But now, watching the interstellar Zerg being overpowered and beaten back, Qin Sang knew she’d gambled right.
“Captain Lin, gather your people. Be ready to support the insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm at any moment. Station guards here at the stone gate.”
With that, Qin Sang and her three companions hurried home.
As for the stone gate, she wasn’t worried in the least about it being damaged. Because it was merely a projection. The real stone gate existed in an interdimensional space—an anchor point connecting two realms.
Once such an anchor was fixed, it couldn’t be destroyed by any firepower Blue Star currently possessed.
And besides, this gate only allowed native insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm to pass through. If any human or other insect tried to enter?
Try and you’ll die.
And indeed, a few greedy souls did try to get in—all of them met their end without exception.
But Qin Sang had no time to concern herself with any of that.
She was racing home on her electric scooter, moving fast. When she arrived back at the village, the battle there was still raging.
However, contrary to her expectations of a bloody massacre, the scene actually looked somewhat evenly matched.
“Sang Sang! Sang Sang’s back!”
Her mother, who had been lying in wait for an opportunity to strike, spotted her daughter’s return right away.
“Mom, are you okay?”
Qin Sang gave her mother a quick once-over and, seeing no wounds, let out a breath of relief.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Two of those bugs from the sky came down at first, and we thought we were done for. But then Second Aunt’s cat-and-dog army stepped up big time.”
As she spoke, she pointed toward the battlefield.
Qin Sang looked over and saw Second Aunt’s cats and dogs surrounding an interstellar Zerg. If not for the Zerg’s ability to fly, they’d have taken it down already. Even so, against the leaping prowess of the cats, the Zerg couldn’t gain the upper hand.
As for Second Aunt, her father, and the other villagers—they were all on the sidelines, ready to strike at any moment.
The fight was fairly back-and-forth.
“Mom, weren’t there two interstellar Zerg?”
At this question, her mother’s expression turned somewhat mysterious.
“Sang Sang, remember that mutant aloe vera in front of our house?”
Of course Qin Sang remembered. She’d raised that aloe vera with energy water herself, and it had long since evolved into a mutant plant.
“It killed the interstellar Zerg?”
“What’s an interstellar Zerg?”
Hearing her mother’s question, Qin Sang didn’t explain further. Instead, she asked about the details of the fight.
Mom: “That bug charged straight at your father and me. We didn’t even have time to react. Thank goodness for that aloe vera—at the critical moment, its branches shot up like crazy. Then, like a staff, it pierced that strange insect straight through. Your father and I were completely stunned at the time.”
Hearing how perilous it had been, Qin Sang’s heart sank.
“Next time, let’s just stick together.”
Mom shook her head. “No can do. The world is clearly about to change dramatically. Your father and I can’t be holding you back forever. You still have a much longer road ahead.”
Qin Sang: …
Mom: “Enough talk—I need to go help your father. And honestly, ganging up on one bug together is actually pretty exciting.”
Qin Sang watched her mother run over and stand shoulder to shoulder with her father, the two of them wielding their Mandarin Duck Blades in perfect sync. The other villagers fighting alongside them showed no cowardice either—each seized every opportunity to strike at the interstellar Zerg.
Watching this scene, Qin Sang felt reassured that her parents truly wouldn’t always be trailing behind her.
She didn’t leave either. She stayed on the sidelines providing cover, dealing with the native mutant insects drawn over by the commotion.
The cats and dogs on the other side were no slouches either. After another half-hour of battle, they finally triumphed over the interstellar Zerg.
“Whoa… we won…”
Cheers erupted one after another. Though everyone had sustained injuries of varying degrees, the joy of victory in that moment was exhilarating.
Of course, the celebration didn’t last long before reality set in—yet another disaster had claimed more lives in the village. Not many, but their village had already lost so many people through each successive catastrophe. A few more deaths meant even fewer villagers remained.
People across the country were facing the same situation.
They fought through tears, or with the help of the insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm, and finally, two days later, all the interstellar Zerg had been eliminated.
The authorities announced the good news online immediately.
But this time, there were no cheers or celebrations.
Because the black fissures in the sky had not disappeared. Everyone knew that at any moment, more insects could come pouring through.
It was a Sword of Damocles hanging over all their heads.
Before that happened, however, the authorities had been conducting rapid research on the fissures, the insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm, and the various insect species involved. They were preparing to release the findings to the public.
And Qin Sang—the one who had summoned the stone gate—was promptly invited to the Huahuashan City Disaster Response Management Bureau.
—
“Miss Qin, we owe you a great deal for summoning that stone gate.”
No sooner had she arrived than Director Qian began showering her with praise.
“It’s nothing. I’m from Huahuashan City, and I’m a citizen of Huaguo. Of course I want everyone to survive.”
As if oblivious to Qin Sang’s reserved demeanor, Director Qian continued singing her praises for a full ten minutes. By the end, Qin Sang was utterly numb. Sure enough, this was a government official through and through—even as a leader, his flattery game was on another level, nothing an ordinary person could match.
Still, she knew he had an agenda, and being praised for that long did feel nice.
And since she was in a good mood, she decided to speak up. After all, she’d already resolved to summon the stone gate, fully prepared to face official questioning.
But they’d been so polite—inviting her over, heaping praise, and offering material rewards—so she wouldn’t be difficult.
“Director Qian, I know why you called me here.”
Director Qian, who was still in the middle of his praise spree, coughed twice at her words: “You know, you know…”
Qin Sang didn’t beat around the bush: “The formation to summon the stone gate was something I came across by chance during my time in the Yellow Earth Secret Realm. As for the principles behind it, its functions—I honestly can’t tell you the specifics. All I know is that it’s a spatial formation that temporarily connects the Yellow Earth Secret Realm—represented by the stone gate—to our Blue Star.”
The experts and professors who had been waiting silently on the sidelines lit up the moment Qin Sang started speaking.
Being stared at by so many people didn’t faze her.
She briefly explained the positioning of the Yellow Earth Secret Realm and the summoning of the stone gate, then moved on to the main point:
“The stone gate won’t disappear for now. But to maintain it, the formation needs to be replenished with energy. Otherwise, once the stored energy runs out, the gate will vanish.”
Hearing this, Director Qian’s expression turned troubled.
“We don’t have enough energy cores in local reserves. Even though there are plenty of insects, killing them has consumed a lot of manpower and resources—and those people need energy cores for cultivation too.”
Qin Sang waved her hand: “That’s not my problem to solve. I’m here to inform you about the formation and the stone gate. You understand their importance better than I do.”
That was the truth.
Ever since the insects from the stone gate had come through, they’d wiped out virtually every insect they encountered—leaving nothing behind.
Their combat power was so overwhelming that if they weren’t passively non-aggressive toward humans, Director Qian would have been terrified of them too.
Qin Sang added a reminder: “I know that back in the Yellow Earth Secret Realm, quite a few people hunted its insects and found that their energy cores and corpses were valuable. But now that these insects are here to help, Director Qian, you need to keep those hunters in check.”
That was the hidden risk of summoning the stone gate.
And the risk went both ways—it all depended on whether humans would be greedy enough to attack the insects from the Yellow Earth Secret Realm.
Qin Sang didn’t linger on Director Qian’s concerns. She dropped her final bombshell:
“There’s another way to maintain the stone gate without expending so much effort.”
The room fell completely silent.
All those who had been debating about the insects turned to stare at Qin Sang in shock.
Without further ado, Qin Sang reached into her backpack and pulled out Little Gold.
The moment the glittering golden ant appeared, everyone was transfixed.
Some had heard rumors that Qin Sang kept a golden ant by her side. But seeing it in person was still mesmerizing.
Mainly because of that color—very few people could dislike it.
“What I’m about to tell you might completely overturn everything you know.”
Leave a Reply