Chapter Fifteen: Blood Amber

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Having figured this out, Li Cheng exhaled deeply.

“The greatest threat I face now is the ‘Gene Hunger’ caused by the infection of the ‘Lord of Insects,’ which puts me at risk of becoming a monster. To eliminate this hidden danger, the best strategy is to seek help from official agencies or guild organizations.”

“They entered the killing grounds four and a half years ago, so they must have accumulated considerable resources, knowledge, and experience by now.”

“But the problem is, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. First, I need to demonstrate potential worth cooperating with. At the very least, I must have means of self-protection. I can’t just go negotiate and then get reported to the Special Affairs Bureau, only to be shot on sight.”

Li Cheng pondered for a moment and noticed a statement on the forum’s registration page—only players could see the registration option; non-players could not register as official forum users.

Confirming that his guest status prevented him from accessing more forum content or gathering further information, Li Cheng closed the webpage. He then pulled out two plastic boxes from under the bed, containing a praying mantis and insect pupae.

When he previously absorbed the genes and grew bone blades, Li Cheng had sensed some sort of connection with the praying mantis.

After two days of observation, he confirmed it was not an illusion—he could indeed control the mantis’s movements to some extent.

Focusing his mind and concentrating his will, he reinforced the thought of “lifting the left arm” in his head; the green insect in the plastic box slowly raised its left forelimb.

Changing his thought again, the mantis raised its right arm, moving according to Li Cheng’s will.

“Because I absorbed its genes, it became my subordinate? If that bee-like monster hadn’t died back then, would I have been controlled by it?”

“What is the medium for this control? Sound, light, pheromones, or electrical signals?”

Li Cheng conducted further experiments. He sealed the gaps of the plastic box with tape to prevent air circulation but still found he could control the insect, ruling out pheromones as the control method.

Next, he wrapped both the plastic box and his phone in an opaque bag and used the phone to film the box’s interior while concentrating. The control effect still worked, eliminating light and sound as possible control channels.

“If only I had a lead box on hand, I could test whether electrical signals were controlling the subordinate insect.”

Li Cheng silently reflected, “One thing is certain—the control strength relates to distance: the closer, the stronger and the lower the delay.”

After some thought, he took out a piece of blood amber from a sealed plastic bag he carried, used metal tweezers to gently place it on the mantis’s body.

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The moment they touched, the blood amber, originally as hard as crystal, quickly dissolved, seeping through the thorax and abdomen spiracles into the insect’s body.

Under the light, crimson tendrils spread throughout the mantis’s body.

After half a minute, its forelimbs, left middle legs, and abdomen swelled in a lump. The dorsal epidermis could not withstand the pressure and cracked open, spraying out green liquid.

The entire insect trembled incessantly, as if unable to bear the power granted by the divine wickedness fragment, about to transform into something else.

Li Cheng immediately reached out and touched the mantis. As the connection was re-established, the excess power from the divine wickedness fragment transferred to him, and his own mutation gradually ceased, his body slowly returning to normal.

About fifteen minutes later, the mantis stopped trembling.

Its size had increased noticeably; its forelimbs had grown larger and more blade-like. The overall color changed from emerald green to brown, resembling a Malaysian dead leaf mantis.

“The control effect has strengthened. The precise control range increased from one meter to five meters, and the maximum range from three meters to fifteen meters.”

Li Cheng sensed the subtle changes and commanded the newly enhanced insect to perform complex actions like lifting a pencil and opening a drawer.

“Its weight and strength have greatly increased; it can almost lift a bottle of water. Meanwhile, its forelimbs have become sturdier and sharper, easily slicing through leather and fiber materials. The key is—it can fly.”

Following Li Cheng’s command, the brown mantis spread its hind wings, fluttered into flight, circled the bedroom ceiling, and then returned to the plastic box.

An ordinary mantis can only flutter its wings for short distances and definitely cannot fly so effortlessly and gracefully.

“A flying insect with tremendous strength and dagger-like forelimbs that can hide among foliage—this is essentially an assassination weapon.”

Li Cheng easily envisioned the new ability’s applications—sending the mantis to the treetops in advance, waiting for the target to pass below, then suddenly swooping down to slit the throat with one stroke before flying away.

If the position, angle, and lighting were right, it could evade surveillance cameras and carry out silent, unseen assassinations.

“No wonder the Special Affairs Bureau is so vigilant. The infection effect of the Lord of Insects can make low-level food chain creatures extremely lethal. Not to mention those higher up in the food chain.”

He replaced the plastic box’s lid, secured it with wire, and put it back under the bed—the mantis needed feeding every three to four days. Once full, it was lethargic, so there was little cause for concern.

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Next were the pupae of the long-horned beetle.

Li Cheng took out a second divine wickedness fragment from the bag and gently placed it on the surface of the pupa.

As before, the fragment easily penetrated the pupa, which gradually swelled.

Using the same method, Li Cheng absorbed the excess power from the fragment through touch, establishing a connection with the pupa.

He could feel profound changes occurring inside the developing insect within.

The pupa’s color shifted from brownish yellow to grayish yellow. It lay in the artificial pupal chamber, occasionally trembling, but showed no signs of hatching soon.

The long-horned beetle itself was already at the apex of beetles. After the Lord of Insects’ infection and enhancement, who knew what it would hatch into?

By now, four pieces of blood amber remained, their surfaces gleaming with a mesmerizing sheen under the light, stirring a strong temptation within Li Cheng to absorb them all.

“Better hold off for now.”

He took a deep breath, bundled carbon powder, air filtration cotton, and deodorizing cotton into a ball, wrapped the blood amber inside, tightly sealed it with cling film, fastened it with rubber bands, and placed it in the most secret box under the bed.

The gene hunger cycle had not yet arrived, so there was no urgent need. Besides, he had an idea—perhaps he could sell the excess divine wickedness fragments in exchange for intelligence or healing potions.

Having secured these items, he turned to review his second gain of the day.

“When I picked up the blood amber, I came into contact with the blood of those two Lord of Insects-infected creatures and absorbed their genes. I wonder what abilities I’ll gain this time.”