After Bystander A Bound to JJ Literature City – CH19

Chapter 19 – War Mantis

Guo Qiang’s skull was blown open by the bullet, the upper left portion of his head, from left eyebrow to right cheek, completely missing. Yellowish-white fluid gushed from the gaping wound.

Yu Zhi pried off the hand choking his neck and, with his right hand, grabbed the alcohol bottle from his pocket. He smashed it against Guo Qiang’s head. He hadn’t had enough space in his [My Items], so he’d had to keep the lighter and alcohol in his pocket.

As he reached for the lighter, Guo Qiang abruptly retreated several meters.

Yu Zhi froze, cursing under his breath. He’d guessed that a mere headshot wouldn’t kill Guo Qiang, but he hadn’t expected him to still be so agile.

He glanced at his [My Items], grabbed his backpack, and threw it on the ground, quickly transferring the lighter to the inventory. This was his last lighter. Failure was not an option.

Meanwhile, Guo Qiang, having retreated from Yu Zhi, licked the brain matter that had oozed to the corner of his mouth. A profound emptiness gnawed at his stomach. The injury had triggered an unprecedented hunger, every cell in his body screaming for sustenance.

Eat… Eat something… Need to eat something…

His nostrils flared, catching the enticing scent in the air—the scent of the man who had impersonated his father. But he had a gun.

Guo Qiang eyed the weapon warily, licking the fingers that had just choked Yu Zhi, savoring the lingering scent.

His remaining eye darted around, settling on the stainless steel water tank. In a blink, he was beside it, reaching into the tank and tearing off one of the large cockroach’s legs. He shoved it into his mouth, crunching down with a sickening crack.

As he did so, things rained down from the hole in the cockroach’s leg with a soft pitter-patter.

Yu Zhi, gripping his knife, walked closer, finally getting a clear view of what was falling. Cockroach egg cases, each about the size of a finger. The entire water tank must be full of them, explaining the infestation in the building’s water pipes.

Guo Qiang finished the first leg in seconds and reached for another. Sensing Yu Zhi’s approach, he tore off a second leg and darted away, devouring it in two or three bites.

In the sunlight, the wound on Guo Qiang’s shoulder was visibly healing at an alarming rate, and the yellow area on his neck was expanding, deepening in color.

Yu Zhi’s expression hardened. Guo Qiang was newly “born,” essentially an infant. And he was growing stronger with every bite.

“Lu Liming!” he yelled. “Stop him! Don’t let him eat anymore!”

If Guo Qiang continued to feed, they would have no chance of defeating him.

Hearing the urgency in Yu Zhi’s voice, Lu Liming charged towards Guo Qiang. He was close now, and Guo Qiang seemed oblivious to his approach.

Lu Liming sprinted behind Guo Qiang, raising his knife, and plunged it towards the gaping hole in Guo Qiang’s skull.

Just as the blade touched Guo Qiang’s scalp, a hand shot out, two fingers clamping around the knife. With a casual twist, the blade snapped in two.

Lu Liming stared at the broken knife handle, his face pale. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Guo Qiang swallowed the cockroach leg, his single eye fixed on Lu Liming.

Lu Liming gulped, his eyes darting between the approaching Yu Zhi and the looming Guo Qiang. He stammered, trying to buy time. “Xiao Qiang… I’m your Uncle Lu, let’s talk this out—”

Before he could finish, Guo Qiang lunged, knocking him to the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Lu Liming’s head slammed against the concrete, sending stars exploding across his vision.

“Drip—”

A drop of viscous, transparent liquid landed on his eyelid. Guo Qiang’s saliva.

Lu Liming blinked, trying to clear his blurred vision. He could vaguely make out a gaping maw hovering above him. It looked like a human mouth from the outside, but within were several pairs of mandibles, sharp as blades and lined with tiny serrations, capable of severing a neck in a single bite.

Lu Liming’s breath hitched in his throat. This was it. The end. And he hadn’t even paid back his debt to Brother Yu!

Guo Qiang’s massive form pressed down on him. Just as the mandibles extended, a flash of silver whizzed past.

A knife flew through the air, embedding itself deep in Guo Qiang’s shoulder. The creature roared in pain, momentarily halting its attack.

Lu Liming seized the opportunity, kicking Guo Qiang in the stomach and scrambling away, his head still spinning.

“Guo Qiang!” Yu Zhi yelled.

He was much slower than Guo Qiang, and seeing that the creature was about to finish Lu Liming, he’d had no choice but to throw his knife.

“Have you forgotten the suicide note you wrote?!” he shouted. “Didn’t you say you wanted to go first? What are you doing now!”

The mention of the suicide note seemed to give Guo Qiang pause. The fragmented memories in his mind coalesced, playing out like an old film on fast forward.

Yu Zhi, taking advantage of Guo Qiang’s momentary confusion, rushed towards him. He intended to retrieve the knife from Guo Qiang’s shoulder, but before he could reach it, Guo Qiang lashed out with his two hind legs.

Yu Zhi was sent flying backward, landing hard on the ground. “What’s so great about having four legs?!” he cursed inwardly, his body aching.

He looked up, expecting Guo Qiang to continue his pursuit, but the creature, surprisingly, turned back to Lu Liming.

Lu Liming stumbled away, but he only managed a few steps before Guo Qiang caught his right foot, lifting him upside down.

With a sickening crack, Lu Liming’s lower leg bent at an unnatural angle.

“Ah—” he screamed, his face contorted in agony.

Guo Qiang seemed intent on tearing off Lu Liming’s leg and devouring it.

“Guo Qiang!” Yu Zhi roared. “Do you know where Guo Pengyi is?! He’s looking everywhere for you!”

Guo Qiang froze.

Yu Zhi scrambled to his feet. “There are so many cockroach people downstairs,” he continued, “why isn’t your father among them? You know he’s not in the apartment building, don’t you? Today is his work day, where could he have gone?”

He watched Guo Qiang intently. The creature had stopped attacking Lu Liming but hadn’t resumed his pursuit of Yu Zhi either.

Guo Qiang reached up, touching his face. He felt the gaping hole where the top of his head should have been. He paused, then resumed pulling on Lu Liming’s leg, lowering his head to bite.

Seeing that small gesture—the touching of his head—Yu Zhi instantly threw the gun at him.

Guo Qiang dodged instinctively, only turning his head after the gun clattered to the ground at his feet.

Yu Zhi felt a flicker of relief. As expected, Guo Qiang was wary of the weapon.

He pressed on. “Why isn’t Guo Pengyi in the apartment? Is it because he went out to look for you? Or is it because he… found you?”

The questions struck a nerve. Guo Qiang roared, his voice filled with rage. “Shut up!”

He released Lu Liming and turned towards Yu Zhi, his remaining half-face contorted in fury. Instead of charging recklessly like before, he advanced slowly, deliberately.

With each step, the concrete beneath his feet cracked and splintered, and the entire building seemed to tremble.

Yu Zhi blinked. Such a strong reaction could only mean one thing – he’d guessed correctly.

He backed away, keeping his eyes on Guo Qiang. “Guo Pengyi is a dedicated manager,” he said. “He knows this apartment building well. He must have noticed something was off, so he went upstairs and found you.”

He paused, then asked calmly, “Guo Qiang, did you kill him?”

Guo Qiang’s expression grew more ferocious. His chest heaved, and he roared like a cornered beast, “I told you to shut up!”

The veins in his arm bulged as he slammed his fist into the stainless steel water tank. It crumpled like paper, spilling cockroach egg cases across the rooftop.

Guo Qiang continued his advance, Yu Zhi retreating step by step. Suddenly, his back hit the railing. He could go no further.

The viewers in the livestream were growing increasingly excited:

[User “Strongest King” excitedly hurled insults at you and tipped you 10 universal coins.]
[User “National Special-Class Human Weapon” mourned your impending death.]
[User “Rich Young Master Domineering” lamented your death.]
[User “Pure Love Warrior” hoped you would beg the pollution source for mercy.]

Yu Zhi ignored the comments, his eyes flicking to the scene beyond the railing. The street below looked exactly the same as it had from the first floor – deserted, silent, devoid of life. No people, no screams, no cockroaches. It was like looking into another world.

Lu Liming, having recovered somewhat, crawled towards them, his gaze fixed on Guo Qiang’s massive form looming over Yu Zhi.

Trembling, he picked up the discarded gun and aimed it at Guo Qiang, pulling the trigger.

Nothing. It was empty.

“Guo Qiang, I believe in you!” he shouted, trying to distract the creature. “Really!” He gritted his teeth and yelled, “Actually, I killed your father!”

Yu Zhi, seeing Lu Liming’s desperate attempt to protect him, felt a surge of warmth. He sidestepped, giving Lu Liming a reassuring nod.

In an instant, Guo Qiang was upon him. Even without moving, the creature’s sheer size was intimidating.

Yu Zhi looked up and smiled. “I don’t think you killed Guo Pengyi,” he said.

Guo Qiang froze.

Yu Zhi placed a hand on the railing and, before either Lu Liming or Guo Qiang could react, vaulted over the edge.

Guo Qiang stared in stunned silence as Yu Zhi plummeted towards the ground. The sight triggered a memory, one he desperately wanted to suppress.

Lu Liming, witnessing Yu Zhi’s jump, felt his blood run cold. His mind went blank.

Before he could process what he was seeing, Yu Zhi suddenly appeared behind Guo Qiang.

“Holy shit? Holy shit?!” Lu Liming gaped, goosebumps erupting across his skin.

The core contamination zone was sealed! Going out meant coming back in. No wonder Brother Yu hadn’t run earlier! To think it could be played this way! As expected of the father of pollution sources!

The moment Yu Zhi reappeared on the rooftop, he pressed the lighter.

With a click, the flame ignited, quickly spreading across Guo Qiang’s alcohol-soaked head. Yu Zhi then emptied the bottle of perfume onto Guo Qiang, engulfing his entire upper body in flames.

Fire was lethal to cockroaches. Once ignited, Guo Qiang’s skin became rigid, his legs heavy as lead. He dared not touch the flames, but they were all around him, consuming him.

Yu Zhi grabbed a stainless steel rod from the ground and plunged it into Guo Qiang’s chest, piercing through his body. Knowing cockroaches weren’t easily killed, he continued to grab the broken rods, stabbing Guo Qiang repeatedly.

“Thud—”

Guo Qiang collapsed, the flames still licking at his body. Through the fire, he saw a vision of his father, who had come looking for him on the sixth floor yesterday afternoon.

His father, seeing his monstrous form, had fallen to his knees in terror. He’d tried to help him up, but his father had scrambled back in fear, falling down the stairs. He’d tried to grab him, but his cockroach legs had pierced his father’s chest.

Someone had called for an ambulance, and his father had been taken to the hospital, but he’d still died.

He had killed his father. He was the murderer. He should have died long ago. He was a cockroach that deserved to die.

The flames crackled, occasionally emitting a sharp popping sound. Guo Qiang’s body burned like firewood, his white skin charring, cracking, and peeling.

Yu Zhi lowered his gaze, looking at the familiar yet alien face.

When Guo Qiang had run away from home, he’d still taken his medicine with him. He could have also chosen to not seal the apartment building, contaminating the entire city. Perhaps, in his subconscious, he was making a final, desperate attempt to retain his humanity. That’s why the other residents still retained some semblance of human form.

Yu Zhi pursed his lips, hearing a faint voice, barely a whisper.

“I…” Guo Qiang’s lips trembled. “I am…”

“I am…”

Yu Zhi took out his cigarette case, lit a cigarette using the flames consuming Guo Qiang, took a drag, and said casually, “You are Guo Qiang.”

Amidst the swirling smoke, a notification popped up, signaling the completion of the mission.

[You have completed the side mission: I Am Not a Cockroach.]
[Reward: 1000 universal coins, Random Reward Mystery Box x1.]

“Ding dong—” the system announced. “Congratulations! You have dealt the final blow to the pollution source! You are the first Earth resident to kill the pollution source in this side mission! You are also the first Earth resident to kill over 100 million pollutants! Please wait, we are awarding you an honorary title.”

[Obtained honorary title: Cockroach Warrior.]

Yu Zhi’s gaze flickered as the panel automatically switched to the favorites list on JJ Literature City.

[My Titles: 2]
[Title: Cockroach Warrior.]
[Function: All insects and insect-type pollutants will stay away from you out of respect.]
[Description: A 22-year-old male college student brought a man home, and they conspired to murder together. The college student and his companion brutally murdered the man on the rooftop, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of millions of unborn children! A carefully planned conspiracy, a lie indistinguishable from truth, a twisted and bizarre unsolved case! A story of intertwined murder, exclusively on JJ Literature City!]

Yu Zhi stared at the screen. “? ? ?” 

What kind of neurotic honorary title was this?!