“What… what in the world was that?! I’ve never seen an insect so enormous in my entire life!”
Despite Ji Bingyao’s years of consistent athletic training, particularly in cross-country and obstacle courses, which had forged her into a remarkably robust individual, rescuing the dorm supervisor back to the dormitory building proved to be quite an arduous task.
The supervisor, a hundred-kilogram mass of flailing, struggling flesh, was reacting intensely to the severe fright and injuries she had sustained, making Ji Bingyao’s efforts to move her exponentially more difficult.
Consequently, after finally dropping the woman onto the floor, Ji Bingyao immediately squatted against the wall, gasping for breath.
“Technically speaking, insects of that size shouldn’t exist in this world.”
Shirley recalled the contents of an encyclopedia she had once read in the school library, explaining, “The largest known insect on Earth is the giant stick insect; some captured specimens do indeed exceed 30 centimeters in length…”
“…However, their bodies and legs are incredibly slender, meaning their actual weight is in no way comparable to those creatures we just saw.”
“Perhaps it’s an undiscovered new species, then?”
Having finally caught her breath after a strenuous effort, Ji Bingyao presented a possibility.
“That’s highly unlikely.”
Shirley shook her head, clarifying, “Judging by its body structure, it appears to be some kind of herbivorous true bug, belonging to the family Pentatomidae.”
“Insects in temperate regions have a size limit; reaching five centimeters in length is already considered quite remarkable.”
“Then… could it be mutations caused by hazardous chemical leaks from the factory?”
Eileen glanced towards the direction of the abandoned factory near the school.
Although at this very moment, through the sturdy glass window of the dormitory’s main door, they could only discern a thick, swirling mist, completely obscuring the factory’s silhouette, every student at St. Liana Girls’ Academy knew about the derelict factory situated close to their suburban campus.
“Even less likely,” Shirley retorted.
“Reality isn’t some B-movie you watch tucked under your covers at night; a random bug drinking toxic wastewater won’t grant it the power to rampage through a city like in ‘Eight-Legged Freaks’.”
“In most cases, it would simply poison them to death.”
“Even biological mutations require several generations of reproductive activity to manifest.”
“Moreover, that factory was originally for iron smelting; its equipment and materials were recycled years ago, leaving nothing but an empty shell.”
“Where would hazardous chemicals even come from?”
“Therefore, the only answer is that this is another world!” Xia Hua exclaimed excitedly.
“My theory was correct! Other worlds truly exist! Do you believe me now?!”
Had this been even a day prior, Xia Hua’s usual boisterous declarations would have merely drawn snickers from everyone.
To the majority of St. Liana Academy students, the “Campus Mysteries Research Club” was synonymous with sensationalism.
Yet now, neither Shirley nor anyone else could muster a laugh.
After all, if such creatures logically couldn’t exist on Earth, then the simplest explanation truly was ‘another world’.
“Cough… cough cough cough… cough cough cough… Everyone, quiet down!”
Before Xia Hua could elaborate further on her theory, a mummy had already shuffled its way over to the group.
Well, it wasn’t actually a mummy, but rather the unfortunate dorm supervisor, Miss Huang.
After Ji Bingyao rescued her, the two girls had found the dormitory’s first-aid kit and wrapped her scar-laden, pancake-shaped face entirely in bandages, thus transforming her into her current appearance.
“Get back to your own dorms, now!”
“Uh… but we’re discussing the current…” Eileen attempted to explain, only to be rudely cut off.
“Back to your dorms! Do not come out without my notification! You don’t need to discuss this; just stay quiet and wait for rescue personnel to handle it!”
‘Hmm…’
Although Shirley considered arguing, she ultimately gave up.
The St. Liana Academy student handbook explicitly stated, “In case of an emergency, return to your dormitory and await professional assistance.”
Moreover, under the current circumstances, continuing to gather in the lobby seemed pointless.
Capitalizing on Miss Huang’s temporary lack of focus on her, Shirley first retreated to her own dormitory.
There, she stuffed all the snacks and bottled water she could find into her backpack, then began searching for potential self-defense weapons for emergencies.
Regrettably, her efforts yielded only a Swiss Army knife and the electric mosquito swatter Eileen had used earlier.
From a self-defense perspective, these items… while not entirely useless, were unlikely to be of much practical help.
Having finished packing, Shirley did not linger in her dormitory.
The psychological shadow left by the bizarre ‘person’ who had appeared outside her window earlier remained vivid, making her apprehensive about staying there.
Consequently, she swiftly ran up to the fourth floor, arriving at Ji Bingyao’s dormitory door, and pressed the doorbell.
“Oh, it’s you! Come in quickly!”
Ji Bingyao opened the door a crack, and upon seeing Shirley, she urged her inside.
Behind her, the petite Xia Hua and the even more diminutive Lu Ying, a young loli, were perched on Ji Bingyao’s desk, sketching and writing in a notebook with pencils.
Meanwhile, Eileen sat restlessly on the bed, clutching a baseball bat, with a claw hammer—obtained from who knew where—lying beside her.
Under the current circumstances, these could be considered barely adequate weapons.
“Xia Hua, what are you drawing?” Shirley inquired curiously.
“Why, it’s a world-shattering discovery by your resident expert in mysterious phenomena!”
Unlike the pervasive anxiety gripping most residents of the dormitory, Xia Hua, despite having just traversed the terrifying white mist, displayed not a hint of unease; instead, her face was alight with excitement.
Considering that she typically styled herself as a “great mystic,” Shirley found herself with little to say about Xia Hua’s “professional dedication” beyond a certain admiration.
“Here, it’s this, this one!”
The young loli, Lu Ying, was the first to complete a rather professional-looking sketch with her pencil, handing it over to Shirley.
It depicted a creature strongly resembling a water strider, yet distinct from the gigantic ‘true bug’ they had encountered earlier.
According to the accompanying scale, the creature’s body alone measured approximately a foot long, with its six legs even exceeding the length of its torso.
Peculiarly, despite lacking a piercing-sucking mouthpart, it possessed a slender, scorpion-like tail structure at its rear.
The overall appearance was utterly bizarre.
“You encountered *this* in the mist?”
“Mm-hmm, that’s right.
Of course, there were also those large, true bug-like insects, but far fewer of them…”
“…Unfortunately, I lost my phone in the chaos, so I couldn’t take any pictures; I had to rely on my memory to draw.”
Xia Hua continued to draw with swift, ‘swishing’ strokes on the paper, quickly sketching the true bug that had attacked Miss Huang.
“Oh, and I also saw people in the mist.”
“People?! With wings?!” Shirley gasped in astonishment.
“How could people have wings? They’re not angels from mythology! Our field of mysticism is an objective science, not theology!”
To Shirley’s surprise, Xia Hua immediately dismissed that possibility.
“I only saw those people from a distance and couldn’t make out their features clearly.”
“However, their movements were somewhat off: they appeared very sluggish and slow, as if they were ill.”
‘Hmm…’
Shirley bit her lip, pondering Xia Hua’s words.
For a fleeting moment, she suddenly felt an urge to recount her experiences from that afternoon to Xia Hua.
“Say, Xia Hua, although this might sound a bit unbelievable, but…”
Shirley was unable to finish her sentence.
Her phone, tucked in her pocket, suddenly rang.
It was an entirely unfamiliar number, and surprisingly, it was a video call!
“What’s going on, Shirley?!” Xia Hua inquired curiously.
“I just heard people saying there’s no signal in the school since those strange fogs appeared.
How could someone be calling you?”
“I don’t know… no, I think I do know,” Shirley’s hand, clutching the phone, trembled slightly.
She hesitated for a long moment before finally pressing the ‘answer’ button.
–”Hello, hello, my dearest Mama! It’s me, Salome!”–
After the call connected, Salome’s face appeared on the screen.
An innocent, adorable smile radiated across her features, making anyone who witnessed the scene believe she was merely a naive young girl eager to share a joyful experience with her mother.
–”Have these past few hours been pleasant for you, Mama? Does it bring back any fond memories?”–
“Com-completely not… uh…”
Shirley had barely uttered these words before suddenly trailing off.
While she had indeed been startled upon first seeing the grotesque insect, a closer reflection afterwards made her realize it did seem vaguely familiar…
–”Ah, Mama, are you still putting on a show? What a pity, for whether you admit it or not, your adorable daughters have already accomplished what you once thought impossible: tracking down the precise coordinates of an unmarked, randomly opened parallel world and bringing you back.”–
Salome clasped her hands together, her smile radiating with immense brilliance.
–”It’s truly unfortunate that we only wished to bring you home alone.
Regrettably, due to technological limitations, precise teleportation wasn’t possible, so we had no choice but to bring the school where you were hiding along with you.”–
–”And, well, it’s still a bit far from home, so you’ll have to figure out your own way there.”–
“Hey, who’s this little sister?”
Xia Hua and Lu Ying, standing nearby, eagerly leaned in.
“Why is she calling you ‘Mama’? Are you two playing house?”
“As if I have the leisure to play such an embarrassing game!” Shirley and Salome exclaimed simultaneously, speaking across the screen—it was their first time ever agreeing on something.
–”Never mind, Mama.
If you wish to continue playing the ignorant maiden in front of your classmates, I won’t force you.”–
After her outburst, Salome continued, –”But please remember, you are truly facing a life-threatening danger right now.
And these ‘weapons’ you have… well, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, they seem far from sufficient for self-preservation.”–
“I know that.”
Shirley instinctively swallowed: her gut feeling told her that neither the eerie half-insect, half-human creature outside her window nor the strange bug that had ‘passionately kissed’ Miss Huang was likely the most dangerous presence in this unsettling fog.
“So, are you going to help us?”
–”Of course, Mama! Your dutiful daughter is more than happy to be of service to you,”– Salome’s small face blossomed into a wide smile.
–”Now, let’s make a deal!”–