If the classmates had merely been anxious before, then witnessing the fiery red beetles charge up the stairs truly terrified them out of their wits, their teeth chattering uncontrollably.
In less than five seconds, loud "Bang! Bang! Bang!" sounds of violent impacts echoed from the first floor, like heavy hammers pounding on everyone's hearts!
"They... they must be ramming the doors!"
"The students on the first floor must have hidden in the classrooms and locked the doors... but..."
"But those giant insects are so destructive, how could classroom doors possibly stop them?"
"It's over, it's over! My girlfriend is having a class meeting in a first-floor classroom right now! Someone save her..."
Several students in the class, including some of the more frail boys, collapsed limply onto the floor, as if drained of all strength, trembling uncontrollably.
"Let's hurry and lock the door too! It should hold them off for a bit... Better use desks, block the door with desks! Besides, we're on the sixth floor, the threat from the insects should be much less..."
As the class monitor, Sun Weiwei frantically issued orders, but the classmates didn't move immediately. Instead, they looked towards Li Jiayu in unison—clearly, at a time like this, Li Jiayu seemed far more dependable.
"No need to lock the door. Just arrange a few desks in a fan shape to briefly obstruct the beetles... I'll kill every single one that enters!"
Li Jiayu stood as steady as a mountain. The whistling cold wind outside stirred a few strands of his long black hair near his ears, making them flutter freely, lending him an indescribable air, much like his dark eyes—sharp and stern.
Sun Weiwei stared at Li Jiayu, finding the way he spoke these words strangely unfamiliar, almost making her feel she had mistaken him for someone else. The previous Li Jiayu, though possessing handsome features, had been too kind, too weak, often seeming somewhat effeminate. But now, he had shed that former gentleness, becoming decisive and ruthless, exuding a captivating, almost intimidating, charm.
"Huh? How can that work? That's a terrible idea!"
Chen Zhongliang, who had never gotten along well with Li Jiayu, jumped up and shouted:
"Do you think you're some kind of war god? There are a hundred giant insects down there! There are two main academic buildings here... so at least fifty must have entered our building! Fifty! That's like fifty small tanks! Even if we give it our all, it's hard to say if we could even handle one, and you want to kill them one by one, killing all fifty? Even if you were invulnerable, you'd die from exhaustion!"
Hearing Chen Zhongliang's words, the classmates couldn't help but hesitate. True, Li Jiayu's "doomsday prophecy" was quite shocking, leading them to trust him to some extent, but... but Li Jiayu was still just a student, and his past performance in class had been that of a weak boy. His combat ability was hardly something to rely on!
Just then, a loud "CRASH!" echoed from the first floor!
Clearly, the iron door of a classroom on the first floor had been smashed open by the giant insects!
Immediately following were waves of bloodcurdling screams, the unique, throat-tearing, hoarse shrieks of girls, making everyone's eardrums ache!
"Don't eat me! Please don't eat me!"
"This must be a hallucination... hallucination... Waaaah..."
"Yang Zhisheng! You bastard, pushing me... Ah, my leg..."
"Someone save us! I don't want to die so young..."
Throughout the entire building, from the first floor to the thirteenth, everyone except Li Jiayu turned deathly pale. Although they couldn't necessarily see the slaughter happening in the classrooms, just hearing the screams was enough to imagine how horrifying it was.
And what was worse... they had nowhere to run! They were completely trapped like turtles in a jar by the insects, caught in one fell swoop!
Some girls on the second and third floors were terrified, screaming as they jumped out of the windows. But without exception, they all broke their legs, lying on the ground groaning, unable to get up.
Witnessing these "jumpers" rolling on the ground clutching their injuries in agony, others who had considered jumping lost their nerve. At that moment, two fiery red beetles actually turned back from the stairs and descended upon those helpless "jumpers," starting to chew on them with loud "Crunch! Crunch!" sounds!
The situation grew increasingly dire, the threat looming ever larger. The classrooms on the first floor had been completely overrun, and the unlucky students were, without exception, slaughtered!
Even on the sixth floor, far removed from the first, Li Jiayu could smell the thick scent of blood!
"Of course, I'm not a war god, but my combat awareness is far superior to yours. Moreover, I know the attack patterns, weaknesses, and blind spots of those insects like the back of my hand. As long as the tactics are applied correctly, we might stand a chance."
Li Jiayu was certainly confident, at least seventy percent sure. He had fought insects far too many times in his past life, so many times that he had become completely numb to them. Even though he no longer possessed the heaven-defying abilities of his past life, his combat awareness was still extremely sharp. In terms of combat awareness alone, perhaps only the top elite special forces soldiers from various countries could compare.
"Alright, alright, Chen Zhongliang, stop talking! I choose to believe Li Jiayu!" Sun Weiwei declared.
"On what grounds? He just likes showing off! We can't die with him... He... he gets out of breath running a thousand meters, how can we trust him? At a time like this... you should trust me! I'm the class PE representative! I'm the strongest, with the best combat ability! That axe should be mine! Quick, give me the axe!" Chen Zhongliang demanded.
Sun Weiwei took a step closer to Li Jiayu, positioning herself between him and Chen Zhongliang, glaring angrily at Chen Zhongliang.
"Chen Zhongliang! Watch yourself!"
"You! Hmph! Slut! I've disliked you, Sun Weiwei, for a long time! No wonder you'd sell your body later and willingly become a mistress, turns out you were already so loose! Isn't Li Jiayu just a little handsome? Why are you protecting him so much? Did you fall for him? Want him to protect you so you can sleep with him later?"
"Chen Zhongliang, shut up! I, Sun Weiwei, am not that cheap! No wonder you suddenly went crazy like you swallowed gunpowder, turns out you were jealous that Li Jiayu stole your spotlight! What's wrong with you? You see me choosing to trust Li Jiayu, so you take it out on him? Are you even a man, getting jealous at a time like this?" Sun Weiwei retorted furiously.
"Get lost. You should be glad I'm in a decent mood today... otherwise, the first taste of this axe would have been yours!"
Li Jiayu waved his hand dismissively, seemingly glaring at Chen Zhongliang. Chen Zhongliang felt a wave of killing intent pierce his eyes like sharp arrows. Like an electric shock, the hair on his body stood on end. He chickened out, not daring to argue further.
That gaze... it was truly icy, grim, like a hawk looking down on its prey. Chen Zhongliang had no doubt that if he provoked him further, the next thing he'd face would be an axe to the head, separating it from his body!
"Damn it... Is no one going to stand with me?"
Chen Zhongliang looked around at the other students, realizing they clearly favored Li Jiayu. Knowing he couldn't command them, he turned away and said sullenly:
"Fine, you're so great! I'm leaving, alright? I'll go hide in the storage room on the thirteenth floor! Let you guys wait for death here on the sixth floor, hmph!"
The instant Chen Zhongliang left, Li Jiayu's ears twitched, and he suddenly looked out the window.
"What is it?" Zhou Jiamin asked.
"Scythe Beetles! The Scythe Beetles are here too..."
"What? The ones you mentioned... the Scythe Beetles that would first clamp my head off?" Zhou Jiamin felt herself getting wet down there again.
"That's right. But it will be my first offering!"
A cold smile touched the corner of Li Jiayu's lips. He licked his dry, peeling lips and gripped the fire axe tightly:
"At the same time... it will also be my first protective talisman in this catastrophe!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp "Buzz buzz buzz" vibrating sound filled the air. A swarm of dark, unidentified creatures appeared on the horizon, moving incredibly fast. In less than two seconds, they came into view!
They were black beetles, each the size of a computer chair, their bodies covered in sharp black blades. But the most chilling feature was their mouthparts—two massive mandibles, each easily a meter long, looking exactly like two bloodthirsty scythes!
Scythe Beetles!
Harvesters of human flesh!