After Bystander A Bound to JJ Literature City – CH4

[Warning] This chapter contains graphic scenes involving insect gore, which may be disturbing to some readers. Please proceed with caution if you’re sensitive to such content.

Chapter 4- Cockroach Slayer

This apocalypse wasn’t the typical zombie virus seen in movies. This was a different, more insidious kind of pollution. Some people were contaminated, undergoing horrifying mutations and becoming what were known as “pollutants.” Others awakened special abilities, becoming “ability users” with enhanced mental and physical resilience, making them less susceptible to contamination.

Yu Zhi felt nothing about awakening his abilities. He just felt like his usual unlucky self. He’d come to find insects, but instead, he’d found a pollutant.

The brain-hugging cockroach on Dr. Chen was clearly in control, parasitizing his head, dictating his thoughts and actions.

“Delicious…”

“Eat, eat…”

Dr. Chen’s saliva flowed freely, and the legs of the cockroach scraped against his hair, producing a chilling, subtle sound.

Yu Zhi watched warily. Suddenly, Dr. Chen’s eyeball twitched to the side, as if he’d spotted something.

His body shot out with surprising speed, crawling four or five meters in the blink of an eye to reach the sink by the door.

Seeing him move, Yu Zhi immediately retreated, exiting the cramped toilet stall.

Dr. Chen’s left eye snapped towards him, the pitch-black pupil fixated, as if assessing whether Yu Zhi was within striking distance.

One eye locked on Yu Zhi, while his head slowly tilted down towards one of the sinks. He extended his tongue.

A normal-sized cockroach crawled out of the drain. Before it could fully emerge, Dr. Chen’s tongue lashed out, snatching it and swallowing it whole.

Damn! Yu Zhi cursed inwardly. No wonder I couldn’t find any. They’ve all been eaten.

After devouring the cockroach, Dr. Chen adjusted his posture, now facing Yu Zhi in a bizarre crouch. Perhaps spurred by the appetizer, his hunger had intensified. His chin dripped with saliva.

Yu Zhi took a deep breath, keeping a close eye on Dr. Chen. “Dr. Chen,” he said, “considering I kept your number for half a year, let’s make a deal.”

Dr. Chen didn’t react.

“There’s something even more delicious outside,” Yu Zhi continued. “I’ll take you to find it.”

“Let’s eat him first.”

The two thick, black antennae on Dr. Chen’s head twitched. His head tilted slightly. “Delicious…” he mimicked.

“Eat…”

Yu Zhi wiped the sweat from his palms. Fortunately, this pollutant has no brain and can only understand a few words.

The number of online viewers in the live stream suddenly jumped to over twenty:

[User “Loves Peace” is disappointed with your statement.]
[User “National Special-Class Human Weapon” believes you have the potential to be a traitor to humanity.]
[User “Gaze of the Black Eye” appreciates your self-sacrifice.]

“Eat, eat, eat…” Dr. Chen chanted mechanically, his back slowly arching. At the peak of the arch, he suddenly lunged at Yu Zhi, limbs splayed like an insect.

Yu Zhi silently apologized to the possibly-still-alive Dr. Chen, pulling out the stainless steel rod and striking upwards.

Right in Dr. Chen’s groin.

The critical hit made Dr. Chen visibly falter. Yu Zhi seized the opportunity, rushing behind him and raising the rod again, aiming for the pollutant on the back of Dr. Chen’s head.

“Crack—”

Just before the blow landed, Dr. Chen’s head spun around 180 degrees. He faced Yu Zhi, using his own head to block the attack, shielding the pollutant, and immediately resumed his assault.

This damn cockroach! Yu Zhi gritted his teeth.

The brain-hugging cockroach controlling Dr. Chen could force him into movements impossible for a human. He had to force it out.

“Eat, eat…” Dr. Chen repeated mechanically.

Yu Zhi felt his cold, bloody breath on his face. Despite the injury, Dr. Chen’s speed didn’t decrease; it increased.

Yu Zhi couldn’t dodge in time. Dr. Chen’s hands closed around his neck.

“Eat, eat…” Dr. Chen’s jaws gaped, saliva and blood dripping down, as he lunged for Yu Zhi’s face.

Yu Zhi desperately tilted his head away, pulling out the medical alcohol and smashing it against Dr. Chen’s temple while flicking the lighter.

“Whoosh—”

Flames erupted, igniting Dr. Chen’s hair. He released Yu Zhi’s neck, staggering back, his open mouth emitting a sound like an insect’s cry.

“Go eat shit!” Yu Zhi rasped.

The flames blazed. Dr. Chen slapped at his head, but the fire wouldn’t die. The brain-hugging cockroach, forced out by the flames, finally abandoned its host. Dr. Chen collapsed with a thud, still and lifeless.

Yu Zhi coldly watched the fleeing cockroach. It was clearly afraid of the fire, scrambling from one stall door to another, away from Dr. Chen’s corpse. Its six sturdy legs, covered in black barbs, pierced the door panels. Its back was protected by a hard, black shell.

Yu Zhi tracked its movements, anticipating its next landing spot. Gripping the stainless steel rod, he struck down with all his might.

“Bang—”

The good news: he hit it.

The bad news: the stainless steel rod bent, and the brain-hugging cockroach was unharmed.

Yu Zhi: “..”

In an instant, the cockroach scurried onto the ceiling. Having lost its host, it was cautious, not daring to attack Yu Zhi directly, but constantly moving, changing positions. It crawled from left to right, from ceiling to floor, then from floor to mirror.

Yu Zhi watched, his eyes nearly blurring from its frantic movements.

After a moment, the brain-hugging cockroach finally settled on the mirror. Its six legs clung tightly to the surface, while its slightly bulging belly remained distanced from the glass. The mirror clearly reflected its yellowish underbelly, which, unlike its hard shell, was somewhat translucent. Inside, something seemed to be rhythmically pulsing.

Yu Zhi stared at it for two seconds, then glanced at his bent weapon. After a moment’s hesitation, he put away the stainless steel rod and turned to run.

The prey wanted to escape. The brain-hugging cockroach, antennae twitching, quickly gave chase.

Its speed far exceeded Yu Zhi’s.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Zhi felt a cool breeze brush against the back of his head, carrying a faint scent of alcohol.

It’s here.

This was the moment he’d been waiting for.

His empty right hand suddenly gripped the bent stainless steel rod. It was about half his height, the bent part positioned just above his head.

“Thud—”

A direct hit.

The stainless steel rod pierced the cockroach’s soft underbelly. Yellow-green viscous liquid dripped down.

Though fatally wounded, several of its legs still twitched in the air.

Yu Zhi gripped the rod tightly, thrusting it against the wall and vigorously churning it inside the creature’s belly. The wound gaped, spewing more yellow-green liquid, and a wave of putrid stench filled the air.

Yu Zhi instinctively gagged, not hearing the task completion prompt.

Not dead yet? Even in this state, it’s still not dead?

He stared at the ground, watching until the cockroach’s legs and antennae finally stopped moving, before putting away the stainless steel rod.

He stepped into the stall, lifted the toilet tank lid, and brought it down repeatedly onto the brain-hugging cockroach.

At this moment, the live stream was buzzing with activity:

[User “Rich Young Master” appreciates your cleverness and has rewarded you with 0.1 universal coins.]
[User “Loves Peace” thinks your fighting skills are very clumsy.]
[User “Gaze of the Black Eye” feels regret that you are still alive.]
[User “Protecting Animals is Everyone’s Responsibility” believes you cruelly killed a mother.]

“Bang bang—”

“Bang bang bang—”

Yu Zhi didn’t know how many times he smashed it. His arms ached, and his eyes watered from dry heaving.

Finally, the cockroach’s belly was pulverized, leaving only its hard back shell. It was finally dead.

System: 

[Kill Mutant: 1/1.]
[You have completed Main Task One. Reward: 100 universal coins.]

Yu Zhi exhaled slowly. Finally, it’s dead.

Catching the word “mother” in the comments, he immediately looked at the remains of the pollutant’s belly. It was barely recognizable. But the system indicated he had only killed one alien species.

His eyes fell on the large puddle of yellow-green liquid at his feet. He examined it carefully and saw two reddish-brown, pod-like objects at the edge. They were about the size of a knuckle and looked like cockroach egg cases.

One of the egg cases had already split open, and several milky white, translucent baby cockroaches were slowly crawling out.

Yu Zhi frowned and raised the toilet tank lid again.

[Kill Mutant: 10/1.]
[Kill Mutant: 23/1.]
[Kill Mutant: 59/1.]
[Kill Mutant: 209/1.]

Fearing he might miss some, Yu Zhi ground the toilet tank lid against the floor until the system stopped reporting kills.

He looked at the other egg case. It showed no signs of movement; it probably wasn’t hatching yet.

Yu Zhi picked up an empty hand soap bottle from the sink, rinsed it briefly, and used the stainless steel rod to push the egg case inside.

Suddenly, a child’s mechanical voice chimed in his ear: “Ding dong—”

The voice was infused with a hint of joy. “Congratulations! You are the first Earth resident to kill over one hundred mutants!”

Yu Zhi washed his hands and face, his voice still hoarse. “Skip the fanfare and give me something useful.”

System: “Please wait, issuing honor title…”

A line of text appeared before Yu Zhi: [Honor Title Obtained: Cockroach Slayer.]

Yu Zhi: “?”

What kind of ridiculous title is that?

The next second, the panel automatically switched to the Ability JJ Literature City. A new category appeared in the collection list—[My Titles].

[Title: Cockroach Slayer.]
[Function: 99% of cockroach-type pollutants will avoid you.]
[Detailed Description: Why did a 22-year-old male college student cruelly kill a pregnant woman with multiple fetuses in a hospital toilet? What hidden secrets lie behind this case? Is it the loss of conscience, moral decay, or the distortion of humanity? JJ Literature City answers for you: All of the above!]

Yu Zhi, “ ? ? ?”

This is insane!