A sense of foreboding washed over Zhou Niannian.
Yao's expression also twitched, revealing a look of full alert.
Panda, covering its head, kept far away from these strange things.
Only Dai Xiaomei, still oblivious, was getting close to observe them.
The black mist within the crystal wall kept moving, sometimes even colliding with the wall, but Dai Xiaomei was unafraid.
"Be careful, Dai Xiaomei, stay away from them."
Zhou Niannian had a bad feeling and pulled Dai Xiaomei away.
"Hey! Don't scare yourself, I think this is just another plant."
Dai Xiaomei said smugly, believing it to be a plant similar to the Illusory Star Grass.
The black mist inside might be dangerous, but the crystal walls showed no cracks, so they wouldn't break out anytime soon.
She looked at Jiang Fan and found him staring at her with a serious expression.
Dai Xiaomei immediately sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but whisper.
"What in the world is this!"
Jiang Fan said coldly.
"It's a biological weapon with immense lethality."
Upon hearing this, Dai Xiaomei's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground in fear.
Jiang Fan sighed and explained to Dai Xiaomei what it was.
The system's knowledge base contained information about a strange entity. The black mist inside was neither plant nor gas.
It was a mixture composed of countless tiny black gnats and flies.
These gnats and flies, upon contact with any living being, would suck them dry, leading to instant death.
After absorbing the flesh and blood, the gnats and flies would also die, a mutually destructive biological weapon.
It was known as "Flies of Death!"
"Oh my goodness!"
After Jiang Fan's explanation, Dai Xiaomei was utterly terrified, almost crawling on the ground.
The others, who already had a bad feeling, immediately retreated far from the terrifying walls.
"Are... are these things not mature yet? They won't come out, right..."
Dai Xiaomei stammered, trembling.
"They aren't plants, how can they mature? These crystal-like things are their cocoons."
"In terms of hardness, they are not as tough as the shell of the Illusory Star Grass. This thing is very thin, and they can bite through the cocoon and emerge at any time if they wish."
Saying this, Jiang Fan casually poked one of the nearby cocoons.
Dai Xiaomei shrieked in terror, covering her head.
Jiang Fan had already seen clearly that this cocoon was a defective one. All the Flies of Death inside had died and decayed, turning white, which was why he dared to poke it.
His intention was purely to scare Dai Xiaomei and prevent her from acting recklessly.
"This cocoon is broken. If you scream too loudly and wake up the Flies of Death, they might actually come out."
Upon hearing this, Dai Xiaomei clamped her mouth shut, her legs trembling, unable to walk.
His goal achieved, Jiang Fan comforted Dai Xiaomei.
"Don't worry, these things are still in their dormant period."
"As long as you don't shout or move around randomly, they shouldn't come out for now."
"Let's find a way out first!"
The four moved in a tight formation, fearing they might awaken the Flies of Death, and quietly searched for an exit in the cave.
After a long search, they only found a pit, half a person high, dark inside, with no one knowing what was within.
Whether to enter or not, even Jiang Fan hesitated.
What if it was a dead end, or worse, the nest of these Flies of Death?
Jiang Fan glanced at Yao, intending to rely on Yao's beastly intuition.
As a result, Yao gritted his teeth and said.
"Danger!"
Hearing Yao's warning, everyone became even more hesitant, unsure whether to enter.
Dai Xiaomei was the most frightened, constantly looking back, her eyes darting around.
She pulled on Zhou Niannian.
"Look, look, aren't those black clumps inside the cocoons starting to move?"
Zhou Niannian glanced. The Flies of Death showed no signs of movement at all. She was both annoyed and amused.
"Are you scaring yourself again?"
Five minutes later, Dai Xiaomei, with a mournful face, pulled on Zhou Niannian again.
"See, they're really moving now."
Zhou Niannian, annoyed, ignored her, thinking it was just another "boy who cried wolf" situation.
Suddenly, Jiang Fan spoke.
"Wait a moment!"
His ears twitched, as if he had heard a strange sound, like a swarm of small insects buzzing nearby.
It was known that Jiang Fan's hearing was more sensitive than that of wild beasts, capable of hearing infrasound and other frequencies imperceptible to humans.
Staring intently at the rock wall, Jiang Fan realized Dai Xiaomei hadn't been lying.
Those Flies of Death, gathered into black clumps, were all moving wildly.
It was clear they were now closer to the white crystalline rock walls than before.
Jiang Fan said in a low voice.
"Look back, and don't speak!"
Zhou Niannian and the others looked back and couldn't help but cover their mouths tightly to prevent themselves from screaming.
Some black clumps were already bulging on the surface of the cocoons, and within seconds, they would break out.
Zhou Niannian let out a roar!
"Run! Run!"
Instantly, Zhou Niannian took the lead, desperately scrambling into the pit.
Jiang Fan had intended to go in first himself to scout for danger before letting everyone else in.
Now that Zhou Niannian had charged in, Jiang Fan had no choice but to push Dai Xiaomei in.
"Run, run with all your might!"
Jiang Fan shouted loudly, pushing Yao and Panda in as well. He then took off his outer garment, soaked it in some oil, and set it ablaze to block the entrance.
Human speed was no match for flies, let alone these Flies of Death, which not only fed on flesh and blood but were also highly venomous.
A single bite would either kill you or poison you to death.
Flies and mosquitoes were generally afraid of fire and smoke, and Jiang Fan hoped the flames and smoke would hold off the Flies of Death for a while.
Then, Jiang Fan also squeezed in.
The tunnel was very narrow. At first, they could walk hunched over, but later, they could only crawl.
Panda, being too large, nearly got stuck in the tunnel several times.
Jiang Fan could already hear the buzzing sound from behind; the flames hadn't deterred the Flies of Death for long.
"Hurry up and crawl! They're catching up."
Jiang Fan roared.
Upon hearing that the Flies of Death were close behind, Panda no longer cared about his fur being scratched by the narrow tunnel and frantically crawled forward with hoots.
Dai Xiaomei crawled slowly, so Panda repeatedly nudged her backside with his nose.
The scene was like a giant pig clearing a path in a junkyard.
Behind them, a vast swarm of Flies of Death, forming a black cloud, surged through the tunnel.
Ahead, Jiang Fan and the other three, plus Panda, fled at breakneck speed, a true race against death.
Finally, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.
Zhou Niannian was the first to tumble out of the pit, followed by Dai Xiaomei, who was shoved out by Panda's nose.
Panda tumbled out, covered in blood. Yao and Jiang Fan followed closely, all of them managing to get out.
Before them lay an open area, surrounded by volcanic rock walls.
Jiang Fan and the others nervously searched for a path when suddenly, a huge, luminous green eye flashed open.