Chapter 48: King of Insects (Part 5)

Tick-tock, tick-tock.
In the foul-smelling sewer, a group of more than twenty people groped their way forward.
The sound of footsteps and dripping water from leaking pipes echoed over and over again in the vast, quiet space, making it difficult for them to tell whether they were moving forward or retreating.
"Damn it!" Jiao Hai angrily slapped his buzzing, static-ridden flashlight, the light dimming as it shook.
Ever since they descended underground, their electronic devices had gradually begun to fail. This was their last remaining lighting tool.
"Proctor Jiao, we're almost at the location marked on the map," Liu Xing said, unfolding a patched-up sheepskin map and speaking with fear in his voice.
"Heh heh heh, very good!"
Jiao Hai laughed with a dry throat. He snatched the map to confirm their position, then shoved the flashlight back to another candidate and instructed:
"When the freak appears later, I will stand at the very front. None of you are allowed to be afraid; attack it at all costs!"
Fearing the candidates might disobey, he dangled a bait to entice them: "Anyone who participates in killing a commander-grade freak will be allocated a certain amount of points. The higher the damage you deal, the more points you get!"
"There's about an hour and a half left until the exam ends. Whether you can break into the top twenty all depends on your own efforts!"
After all, Jiao Hai had served as a proctor for many years, so he was thoroughly experienced in agitating candidates.
"W-We understand," the candidates nodded at each other.
Not to mention that successfully graduating after entering the Demonic Path Academy would guarantee a worry-free life, the massive scholarship alone gave them every reason to risk it all.
"Also, if I can't hold on, those of you who selected [Guardian's Wrath] must use it decisively to block the freak commander for me. Otherwise, if I die, you won't escape either."
With that, Jiao Hai hauled a live white rabbit and a bundle of red rope out of his backpack.
"What is Proctor Jiao doing?" several candidates whispered among themselves.
Yet they seemed to forget that the underground pipes had an echo, and their conversation was transmitted loud and clear, making them blush fiercely.
"Hmph, this is a reconnaissance method. Someone won't teach you until you enter a guild."
Jiao Hai directly demonstrated, tying the rabbit's feet with the red rope before placing it on the ground and letting it scamper forward.
As the rabbit hopped along, the small bell around its neck jingle-jangled.
"This method is especially useful in environments with restricted visibility."
Jiao Hai stood up, holding the red rope and occasionally tugging on it. "Whenever the bell stops ringing, pull the rope once. If the rabbit is still alive, it will keep hopping forward, and the bell will keep ringing."
"Then what if it doesn't ring?" Liu Xing asked.
"You idiot, if it doesn't ring, of course it means the rabbit is dead and can't move!" Antonini slapped Liu Xing over the head with a look of contempt.
They only united to deal with Zhou Ke and Li Hua; ordinarily, Antonini unilaterally bullied Liu Xing.
"As long as you understand." Seeing Liu Xing's ingratiating smile, Jiao Hai didn't have the heart to care about team harmony and called out: "The bell hasn't stopped now, which means the way ahead is safe. Keep moving."
They walked a good distance further along the intricate pipes until the location marked on the map finally appeared before their eyes.
Everyone who saw it was struck with shock and fear, for what lay before them was a gray-white eggshell, as uneven as the surface of the moon.
The eggshell was massive, about two or three people wide, and adhered to the wall by fluorescent green slime.
Most crucial of all—the top of the eggshell had a broken opening, and whatever was supposed to be inside was nowhere to be found.
Jingle, jingle.
"The bell is still ringing. Could that freak commander have run off in the other direction after hatching?"
Jiao Hai looked toward the passage on his right hand. It was pitch black over there, and nothing could be seen, save for the bell still ringing clearly in echo.
"No, I bought this intelligence at a high price; I can't let it get away!"
Overanxious, Jiao Hai hurriedly summoned the others and rushed toward the right-hand pipe.
Right at that moment, the candidate holding the flashlight inadvertently shone it at the eggshell debris scattered nearby.
That single beam of light nearly frightened him out of his wits.
"P-P-Proctor Jiao! The rabbit! The rabbit!!"
"What is it?" Jiao Hai turned back at the sound, only to see that candidate squatting on the ground, trembling as he illuminated the floor.
He looked down along the beam, and his pupils shrank violently.
For right in the middle of that pile of eggshell fragments lay a bloody rabbit head!
Jingle, jingle.
"The rabbit died right there, so why is the sound of the bell coming from this direction?"
Jingle, jingle.
The sudden turn of events brought Jiao Hai's train of thought to a halt. He sluggishly turned his head, but before he had even turned halfway, a deformed claw with only four fingers suddenly reached out from the darkness and dragged him in.
The next second, the candidate standing frozen in place heard a sickening crunch, like a human skull being crushed, immediately followed by the sickening suction sound of brain matter being devoured.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!!"
"That idiot! How could he be so reckless as to actually dream of challenging the King of Hounds alone? Has he always been this brave?!"
On the surface, Wu Bai ran at full speed, kicking up flurries of dust behind him.
Having received orders from the chief proctor that Zhou Ke was heading toward the King of Hounds' location, he had set off without a moment's delay.
"That's a Candle Wick Stage 5! How on earth does someone with a mere Power of Reason Stage 1 aptitude dare to do this!"
The moment he thought of Zhou Ke facing a life-and-death crisis, Wu Bai couldn't calm down, wishing he could grow eight extra legs to catch up faster.
True, Zhou Ke had a nasty personality and was unlikable, but he was just an impetuous kid after all. His fundamental nature couldn't be that bad, right?
Wu Bai fought a mental battle in his mind before finally settling on an uncertain interrogative.
He shouldn't be too bad... At least the guy had thought about spending 500 points to gift him an F-grade magic crystal, even if he took it back a second later.
Wu Bai racked his brains searching for Zhou Ke's good points, and then he gave up.
Anyway—
Regardless of grudges and rights or wrongs, Zhou Ke was a candidate, and he was a proctor tasked with protecting the candidates' safety.
With just that single reason, it was enough!
"Proctor Wu Bai, you do not need to rescue the candidate Zhou Ke anymore. He probably doesn't need it, and an even more urgent situation has occurred."
An eyeball composed of aether drifted out from Wu Bai's shoulder armor, calling him to a halt.
This was none other than the Photographer's [Vanity Fair], through which the chief proctor had previously conveyed instructions.
"No need to rescue him anymore? What do you mean?"
Wu Bai's heart tightened, conjuring up all sorts of ominous thoughts. "Zhou Ke couldn't have already..."
"Literally what it means." The eyeball didn't offer much explanation, its tone turning several times more serious: "Proctor Wu Bai, watch your step!"
No reminder was needed; the battle-hardened Wu Bai had already sensed a powerful aetheric fluctuation rapidly approaching from beneath the ground.
"Candle Wick Stage 7... Wait, why did it suddenly spike? Candle Wick Stage 8?!"