Chapter 580: Devouring
Chapter 580: Devouring
"Ah!!!"
Maya's scream echoed through the room.
The little girl stood frozen, as if she had been scared stiff.
The scene before her was unexpected and visually overwhelming. A chill ran up Qiao Sang's spine, making her skin crawl.
The white familiars inside the walls were packed tightly together, motionless, like specimens. It was a nightmare for anyone with a fear of dense clusters.
"Ya Ya?"
At that moment, Fangy entered from the doorway, looking at the familiars in the wall with a puzzled expression.
"What is this?" Hearing Fangy's question, Qiao Sang finally found her voice.
Maya's legs had completely given out. She spoke in a trembling, tearful voice:
"Scales, Scaleshield Moths, these are Scaleshield Moths."
So these were Scaleshield Moths. It seemed Mular had been telling the truth. The Scaleshield Moths inside the walls were completely still, which helped Qiao Sang regain her composure. Then she thought of something and asked:
"Are the Scaleshield Moths hibernating?"
Through her studies, she knew that some familiars had hibernation habits. Some hibernate in the summer, others in the winter, and some even stay awake for a year before hibernating for another year.
"They should be hibernating", Maya realized, but the fear in her eyes did not diminish.
She was not a Beastmaster, and her knowledge of wild beast companions came from casual encounters, gossip, and online news.
She did not know the hibernation patterns of Scaleshield Moths, but she had heard that they were social familiars that preferred dark, damp environments. If one encountered a wild Scaleshield Moth, there were likely hundreds or thousands more in the area.
Last year, she had seen a news story about Scaleshield Moths. In District 24, a homeowner sold a house at a price far below market value to a newly married couple. The couple often shared short videos of their life online, and they posted about the house purchase.
At the time, many people online were envious, but some speculated that there must be a problem with the house for the owner to sell it at such a loss.
Three days after the video was posted, District 24 was hit by a heavy rain and hailstorm. The couple's house collapsed, releasing thousands of Scaleshield Moths from inside. The couple was crushed to death.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the house's roof, walls, and pillars had been hollowed out by the Scaleshield Moths, which had made it their nesting ground.
Maya never imagined that something like this would happen to her.
The thought that her house was infested with Scaleshield Moths, which could cause it to collapse at any moment, was almost too much for her to bear.
Mular must have come for the Scaleshield Moths. Perhaps her previous actions were to lure them out or to make the mission issuer aware of their presence. However, Nadapong's interference had thwarted her plans. Qiao Sang speculated:
"Regardless of the Scaleshield Moths' hibernation patterns, it's not safe to stay here with so many of them. You should find a new place to live and report the problem to the authorities or another Beastmaster. I'll take Mular with me."
Her mission was to drive Mular away, and the Scaleshield Moths were not part of it.
Even a small section of the wall contained so many Scaleshield Moths. Who knew how many more were hidden inside? Qiao Sang did not want to get involved in this mess.
"I understand", Maya managed a weak smile. "I won't see you out. I need to pack my things quickly."
Although the girl in front of her was a Beastmaster, Scaleshield Moths were intermediate familiars. A few might be manageable, but so many were beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Beastmaster. Maya never expected the girl to solve this problem as well.
Qiao Sang didn't waste any time and turned to walk out the door.
Suddenly, she thought of something and glanced at Treasure Seeker, nodding toward Nadapong and his unconscious Grass-type Companion.
"Take them with you."
Nadapong was a Beastmaster, and if his familiar woke up before him, it might pose a danger to the mission issuer and her daughter. It would be safer to take them along... Qiao Sang thought cautiously.
"Seek~"
Treasure Seeker's shadow expanded and split, quickly binding Nadapong and his Grass-type Companion.
Mular remained quiet.
Ever since the Scaleshield Moth was discovered, it had acted as if the mission were complete, showing no movement, only occasionally casting a reluctant glance at the little girl.
Unfortunately, the little girl's attention was entirely on the Scaleshield Moth, and she didn't notice.
Seeing that Treasure Seeker had secured everyone, Qiao Sang opened the door wide to make it easier for Treasure Seeker to leave.
As Qiao Sang opened the door, a ray of sunlight streamed in, directly illuminating the Scaleshield Moths inside the wall.
...
At the same time.
"Phew!"
Qu Zhuo, who had been drinking coffee in the café, spat out his coffee when he saw the security camera footage.
He didn't bother to wipe the mess, leaping up from his seat and rushing toward the door.
"Sir! Your computer!" the waiter called out from behind.
Qu Zhuo, already summoning his Flying-type Companion, patted its back urgently.
"Turn around! Turn around!"
The Flying-type Companion executed a sharp 90-degree turn.
Once Qu Zhuo retrieved his computer and sat back on his familiar, he stared at the screen, his expression grave.
Scaleshield Moths are Bug-type Intermediate Familiars that prefer to build nests in dark, damp places. Without sunlight, they can sleep for years, even decades, only waking when they are close to evolving.
However, once they encounter sunlight, they wake up immediately.
One waking up can trigger the rest to wake as well.
The Scaleshield Moths Qiao Sang encountered were in a dormant state, indicating that there were at least a thousand of them.
Such a large number would only go into deep sleep if the colony felt secure.
A thousand Scaleshield Moths were far beyond what a D-Class Beastmaster could handle.
Worse still, Qiao Sang had two non-Beastmaster civilians with her... Qu Zhuo's heart was heavy with worry.
...
The sunlight shone on the Scaleshield Moths inside the wall.
One of the Scaleshield Moths twitched its antennae and slowly opened its eyes.
As Qiao Sang stepped out the door, a sense of unease washed over her.
She turned her head, her eyes widening in shock.
The Scaleshield Moths, previously motionless like specimens, were now flapping their wings and swarming out. The mission issuer was still facing her, waving goodbye to her daughter, completely unaware of the danger behind her.
"Treasure Seeker! Get them out of here!" Qiao Sang shouted, her voice filled with urgency and fear.
"Seek!"
Treasure Seeker's eyes glowed blue.
In the next second, Maya and the little girl vanished from the spot.
Countless Scaleshield Moths emerged from the house, engulfing Qiao Sang.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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