Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Extreme Escape
He started to run, then stopped and looked around for a way to escape. On foot, there was no chance.
He spotted three patrol motorcycles not far away.
Long Ming sprinted over, jumped on one, and pulled a key from his pocket to try the ignition. It would not turn.
He yanked it out, tried another key, and twisted.
The dashboard lit up.
He grinned and hit the starter.
Vroom.
The engine coughed loudly but did not fire.
He muttered, anxious: “Damn it, start!”
A chorus of rustling sounds rose around him.
He looked up. Countless Red Crawlers were closing in from every side.
Even the window he had jumped from was now pouring out Red Crawlers, crawling down the wall.
Right after that, Red Moths the size of half a meter swept toward him like a swarm of bees.
Long Ming’s face tightened. He hit the starter again.
Roar.
The motorcycle sprang to life.
He twisted the throttle hard.
With a sharp howl, the bike shot forward.
The Red Moths dove and missed.
He rode straight over the Red Crawlers.
Crack, crack, crack.
Sticky goo splattered everywhere.
Grinding noises shrieked under the tires as Long Ming sped away.
The engine’s loud roar echoed through the silent city.
As he tore across block after block, dense tides of Carapace Bugs crawled out of sewers and buildings, gathering like a rising wave.
Hearing movement behind him, he glanced in the mirrors. One mirror was cracked, and the other was gone.
He threw a quick look over his shoulder and saw that crawling mass, enough to trigger anyone’s fear of swarms.
But that was not the worst part.
The worst part was the Red Moths that were still chasing hard.
He had no better choice. He gritted his teeth and rolled on more throttle, but he did not max it out. He kept the speed just within control.
There were many obstacles on the main road. If he went too fast, he could not dodge in time and would wipe out.
The needle climbed, and the speed shot up.
Long Ming blasted down the main avenue, doing everything he could to flee the city.
Buildings whipped by on both sides.
Rumble.
The road ahead suddenly caved in.
A Giant Worm, more than ten meters long, heaved out of the ground. Its bloated body was covered in red bumps.
It opened a huge mouth, rows of sharp teeth circling inside, waiting for Long Ming to ride in.
He stared, stunned. [What is that?]
He sucked in a breath and eased down the speed.
But the Red Moths behind had already caught up.
He was trapped from front and back, danger closing in.
At the last moment, Long Ming leaned into an extreme turn and flicked right at the intersection just before the Giant Worm, shooting onto another street.
Whoosh.
The Red Moths chasing like a blade flew straight into the Giant Worm’s mouth.
The worm’s body swelled.
Urp.
It burped.
Long Ming glanced back. He thought he had shaken them, but a fresh cluster of Red Moths swept in from the right.
His eyes narrowed. Riding one?handed, he drew the Geco Automatic Pistol with the other and squeezed the trigger.
Bang, bang.
Moths burst and fell, sticky blood spraying, then dropping out of the air.
Crash, crash, crash.
Like sharks smelling blood, the swarm dove on the fallen.
Crunch.
In an instant, the downed moths were torn apart.
Long Ming’s eyelid twitched at the sight, but he did not stop shooting.
Bang, bang.
More moths fell.
He emptied the magazine, then twisted the throttle and blasted past while they were busy killing each other.
He looked back and saw the Red Moths had stopped. Some scattered in all directions.
He faced forward and let out a breath: “Whew.”
The next second, his face froze. He looked back again.
The Red Moths were scattering like frightened birds. Behind them, a massive flying insect appeared. It was six meters long, with two pairs of pale?green membranous wings. Its head looked like a dragonfly’s, but with a three?meter spike and two green eyes.
His Wristband flashed a prompt.
“Detected: Green Corroder.”
Long Ming swore in his head: [Damn it.]
He twisted the throttle to the stop, pouring on maximum power to open the gap.
The Green Corroder locked onto him, beat its wings, sliced past the scattered Red Moths, and came after him alone.
He glanced back. The Green Corroder was closing fast.
Though anxious, he kept calm, read the road signs ahead, his expression shifting, then turned right at the next junction.
But after he swung onto the new street, he saw the road ahead was blocked by seven or eight wrecked cars piled together.
His face darkened, but he did not slow. He picked a smashed sports car, yanked up the front wheel, and launched.
Bang.
The bike landed hard on the far side.
Before he could breathe easy, the Green Corroder swooped closer.
His instincts screamed. He looked back.
The creature opened its twisted maw and spat a blob of green slime from way behind him.
His face changed. He swerved left.
Sssst.
The slime splashed onto the concrete.
The pavement hissed and melted into a wide pit.
Missing once, the Green Corroder’s belly puffed again. It spat another blob.
Hearing the rip of air, Long Ming leaned into a hard right and dodged it again.
The Green Corroder grew angrier with each miss. It did not give up. Its wings blurred as it dived, closing in fast.
The noise behind him went quiet, and it did not spit again. A chill ran up his back. He risked a look.
A savage insect head filled his view, the long spike almost touching him.
His heart lurched.
The Green Corroder spread its jaws, a forest of teeth ready to bite him in half.
At that life?and?death instant, the corner of Long Ming’s mouth lifted. He twisted the throttle hard.
Roar.
The motorcycle shot into a narrow, half?round tunnel.
Crash.
The Green Corroder slammed into the tunnel mouth. Its wings snapped, and it screamed in pain.