Familiar Enemy

Cocker descended to the second floor and walked towards the corner, where a five or six-year-old boy sat absentmindedly twisting a Transformer toy.

He had instructed Daniel not to wander off or appear near the windows.

The Transformer, which usually kept the boy entertained for an entire day, had lost its appeal. The little boy looked up excitedly as Cocker approached, having already dismantled some of the toy's joints.

Seeing the child about to call out, Cocker quickly raised his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

Daniel swallowed the word "Dad" and gazed at Cocker with his large eyes.

Cocker's big hands gripped Daniel's shoulders, completely enveloping them with room to spare, and he whispered:

"Daniel, we have to go."

"Where?" Daniel whispered back.

"We'll drive around in the car. Trust me, we'll be back home tomorrow or the day after."

Cocker didn't silence his son despite his young age. Daniel had always been sensible and obedient.

Staying in one place was too dangerous. Now that the building across the street had attracted a large number of cult members, they had a chance to escape by driving to a remote area, avoiding the crowds.

"Okay," Daniel agreed without asking why, nodding like a pecking chick.

His survival instinct was much stronger than that of most children. Although his father's actions were unintentional, it was also his father who had exposed him to the most danger.

As a result, he had developed a strong will to survive at such a young age.

The father and son quickly packed up, grabbing bags filled with food and weapons.

Cocker peeked out to assess the situation outside. He carried a bag in his left hand and tucked Daniel under his right arm, charging towards the car like a human tank.

Amidst the violent jostling, Daniel began to slip backwards. He reached out and desperately clutched his father's shirt between his chest and stomach, struggling to maintain his position.

As he ran, Cocker glanced across the street.

The cultists had breached the doors of the building opposite, pouring in en masse.

A cacophony erupted: women's piercing screams, men's roars like lions whose territory had been invaded, children's frightened cries, and the rebukes of the elderly all intertwined into a symphony of tragedy.

Cocker dared not linger in the open. He shoved Daniel into the back seat before diving into the driver's seat himself.

The car roared to life, and Cocker floored the accelerator, speeding away.

In the rearview mirror, he saw the family from the house across the street being dragged one by one into the courtyard by the cultists for some kind of ritual.

"Argh—"

The man was the first to undergo the cultists' rite. One of them plunged a knife into his back, forcefully prying open a gap. The man clenched his teeth, emitting a muffled groan of pain.

Then, the cultist inserted something resembling a bee pupa into the man's back, repeating the process with the others.

This scene of human tragedy caused Cocker to swerve erratically in panic.

Daniel gripped a handle in the car with one hand and hugged the backpack tightly with the other, preventing the unsecured guns from accidentally discharging.

"Don't look. I'll tell you what's happening," he said to Cocker.

"Alright..."

Cocker steadied the vehicle and drove away.

Through the rear window, Daniel saw the family that should have been dead shakily stand up and merge with the cultists.

"Oh, shit!"

"Daniel, you shouldn't use such language," Cocker scolded, turning his head while gripping the steering wheel.

Daniel turned back as well, his face filled with terror, and shouted, "In front! In front!"

Several cultists were closing in on them. Cocker floored the accelerator, plowing through the group of crazed believers.

"Shit! Damn cultists! Damn government!"

...

Deep in the slums of New York City,

Massive trees with deep green leaves grew in the gaps between dilapidated buildings, blocking out the sky. Sunlight barely penetrated the impoverished area, and the eerie forest continued to expand, as if someone were constantly painting trees onto the canvas of reality.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle"

A long snake tail slithered across the ground, moving steadily deeper into the dense forest.

In the dim environment, ordinary humans couldn't see clearly what lay within, but for monsters, it was commonplace.

Short, transparent wings fluttered gently. The creature's upper body was humanoid, while its lower half resembled a bee, constantly laying eggs that were then carried away by necrophagous worker bees.

Sensing the approach of another being, it turned its head towards the snake woman.

The face that turned was largely similar to a human's, except for the eyes. Protruding compound eyes covered the area where eye sockets would be on a human face.

Noticing its gaze, the snake woman stopped a few meters away, her forked tongue flicking in the air.

She lowered her body and said, "My lord, Linda has sent word that the supporting ability users are on their way."

As soon as she finished speaking, the snake woman realized her mistake. She had been following the great one for only a short time and was not yet accustomed to the new form of address.

Sure enough, she received a rebuke from the Necrophagous Queen Bee.

"Mere inferior humans dare to call themselves people."

"Yes, my apologies."

The snake woman lowered her body even further. "Among these inferior humans coming to provide support... Qi Yuan is also present..."

The Necrophagous Queen Bee's wings fluttered rapidly for a moment, but she remained silent.

The moment the words left her mouth, the snake woman felt an invisible pressure weighing on her heart like a mountain. She dared not speak, only lying prostrate on the ground.

She had heard from her seniors who had followed the great one before that if it weren't for Qi Yuan's interference, the great one would have ascended long ago.

But they would also add that if it weren't for the great one's wisdom and decisive action, their entire group of "people" would have perished in Shen City.

These were battles of a level she had never dared to imagine before. If she hadn't been a local "person" from the Bit Buddha country, and if the great one hadn't been unfamiliar with this area, she wouldn't have had the chance to serve the great one.

"I'm about to ascend. Go and delay them."

Hearing the Necrophagous Queen Bee's instructions, the snake woman immediately raised her head. "Great one, with our strength..."

"I am well aware. I will temporarily grant you most of the domain authority. Additionally, that barbarian from Sanzu will assist us a little. Make good use of it."

"That great one is also..."

The snake woman fell silent under the Necrophagous Queen Bee's gaze.

"I made a deal with it and assimilated a small part of its domain. With my current abilities, I can only keep it active for a few minutes before being forced to cancel the assimilation. Don't abuse it unless absolutely necessary."

"Also, tell them that they have been assimilated as my avatars. As long as I don't die, they won't die. Don't be overly cautious."

"Yes, we won't let you down, great one!"

The snake woman respectfully replied.

The strength of that great one from Sanzu was formidable. Even if it could only help for a few minutes, it would be enough.

Moreover, with the great one's trusted generals now becoming her avatars, they could hold out for a few more seconds in a desperate fight.

The seniors said this was learning from past... no, changing the battle plan.

In the past, the great one had only assimilated domains, which led to the fall of several generals during the operation in Shen City, delaying the great one's ascension for quite some time.

How should one evaluate this...

The snake woman thought this must be the seniors boasting.