Beast Taming: Starting From Zero
Chapter 582: Engulf
“Ah!!!”
Mai Ya’s scream echoed through the room.
Xiao Nvhai stood frozen in place, as if scared senseless.
The scene before her was sudden and visually impactful, making Qiao Sang feel a chill shoot from her feet to her head, raising goosebumps all over her body.
The white Pets within the wall were densely packed together, unmoving, seemingly like specimens—a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.
“Xun?”
Just then, Xunbao entered from outside the door, looking at the Pets in the wall with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?” Hearing Xunbao’s words, Qiao Sang finally found her voice.
Mai Ya’s legs completely gave out. She said in a trembling voice, on the verge of tears:
“Scale Armor Moths, these are Scale Armor Moths.”
So these were Scale Armor Moths. It seemed what Mu La Monster said was true… The Scale Armor Moths in the wall were completely still, which allowed Qiao Sang to recover. She then thought of something and asked:
“Are the Scale Armor Moths in hibernation?”
Through her studies during this period, she knew that some Pets had a habit of hibernating; some summer-hibernated, some winter-hibernated, and some even woke for a year only to hibernate for another year.
“They should be in hibernation.” Mai Ya also realized this, but the fear in her eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
She wasn’t a Yu Beast Master, and her understanding of wild Pets came from casual encounters, gossip from others, and online news.
She wasn’t clear about the hibernation patterns of Scale Armor Moths, but she had heard in the past that Scale Armor Moths were communal Pets that liked dark and damp places. If one wild one was encountered, there would definitely be hundreds or thousands more Scale Armor Moths in its habitat.
Last year, she had seen news online about Scale Armor Moths: a homeowner in District 24 sold a house to a newlywed couple for a price far below market value. The couple, who usually shared their lives by posting short videos online, posted about this incident.
At the time, the internet was filled with envious comments, but some netizens also said there must be something wrong with the house, otherwise why would the homeowner be willing to lose so much money.
On the third day after the video was posted, District 24 was suddenly hit by heavy rain and Hail.
The house the couple bought collapsed with a crash, and tens of thousands of Scale Armor Moths flew out from inside. The couple were crushed to death inside.
After investigation, it was discovered that the roof, walls, pillars, and various building materials inside the house they bought had long been hollowed out by the Scale Armor Moths, becoming their nesting place.
She never expected such a thing to happen to her.
The thought that her house was already infested with Scale Armor Moths and could collapse at any moment made Mai Ya’s mental state somewhat collapse.
Mu La Monster must have come for the Scale Armor Moths. Perhaps everything it had done before was to lure the Scale Armor Moths out, or to make the quest giver discover the Scale Armor Moths, but Na Da Peng’s interference had prevented it from succeeding… Qiao Sang mused, wondering if Na Da Peng was unintentional or if he knew about the Scale Armor Moths’ existence and did it on purpose… She then said:
“Regardless of the Scale Armor Moths’ hibernation status, it’s unsafe to stay with so many Scale Armor Moths. You should quickly move to another place, call the police, or find other Yu Beast Masters to solve this problem. I’ll take Mu La Monster and leave first.”
Her mission was to drive away Mu La Monster; Scale Armor Moths were not part of the mission.
With so many Scale Armor Moths from just one wall breach, who knew how many more were hidden inside? Qiao Sang didn’t want to get involved in this mess.
“I understand.” Mai Ya forced a smile: “I won’t see you off. I need to pack my things quickly.”
Although the child in front of her was a Yu Beast Master, Scale Armor Moths were intermediate Pets. A few would be manageable, but so many were simply beyond what an ordinary Yu Beast Master could handle. She never even considered asking the child in front of her to solve this problem as well.
Qiao Sang didn’t delay and turned to walk out the door.
Then she thought of something, looked at Little Xunbao, and gestured with her eyes towards Na Da Peng and his unconscious Grass-type Pet, saying:
“Take them too.”
Na Da Peng was a Yu Beast Master. If his Pet woke up first and saw its Yu Beast Master unconscious, the quest giver and her daughter might be in danger. It was better to take them all… Qiao Sang thought cautiously.
“Xun~”
Little Xunbao’s short toes moved, and his shadow expanded and split, quickly binding Na Da Peng and his Grass-type Pet.
Mu La Monster remained quiet.
Ever since the Scale Armor Moths were discovered, it seemed as if its mission was complete, remaining motionless, only occasionally looking at Xiao Nvhai with a reluctant gaze.
Unfortunately, Xiao Nvhai’s attention was completely on the Scale Armor Moths, and she didn’t notice.
Seeing that Little Xunbao had bound everyone who needed to be bound, Qiao Sang opened the door wide, wanting to make it easier for Little Xunbao to exit.
As Qiao Sang opened the door, a ray of sunlight shone in from outside,正好 illuminating the Scale Armor Moths within the wall.
…
At the same time.
“Pfft!”
Qu Zhuo, who was drinking coffee in the cafe, looked at the surveillance footage and immediately spat out the coffee he had just taken a sip of.
He didn’t bother to wipe the stains, propped himself up, and turned to rush out the door.
“Sir! Your computer!” The waiter chased after him, calling out.
Qu Zhuo, who had already summoned his Flying-type Pet and was flying on its back, quickly patted his Pet’s back:
“Turn around! Turn around!”
The Flying-type Pet immediately made a 90-degree sharp turn.
After Qu Zhuo retrieved his computer and sat on his Pet, looking at the screen, his expression was unusually serious.
Scale Armor Moths, insect-type intermediate Pets, like to build nests in dark and damp places. If there is no sunlight, they will sleep for several years or even more than ten years, only waking when they are about to evolve.
But once they encounter sunlight, they will awaken immediately.
If one wakes up, it will cause every single one to wake up.
The Scale Armor Moths Qiao Sang encountered were already in a state of hibernation, which meant there were at least thousands of Scale Armor Moths there.
Because the number reached over a thousand, this species would confidently hibernate.
Thousands of Scale Armor Moths are not something a D-level Beastmaster can deal with.
Moreover, Qiao Sang also had two ordinary people who were not Yu Beast Masters next to her… Qu Zhuo’s mood was incredibly heavy at this moment.
…
The sunlight shone on the Scale Armor Moths within the wall.
One of the Scale Armor Moths’ antennae twitched slightly, and it slowly opened its eyes.
As Qiao Sang’s foot just stepped out the door, an ominous feeling inexplicably surged into her heart.
She turned her head, her eyes suddenly widening.
The Scale Armor Moths, which had previously been like specimens within the wall, were now flapping their wings and swarming outwards, while the quest giver, holding her daughter, was still facing her, waving goodbye, completely unaware of the danger behind them.
“Little Xunbao! Take them away!” Intense shock filled Qiao Sang’s emotions. She had no time to think further and shouted loudly.
“Xun!”
Little Xunbao’s eyes glowed blue.
The next second, Mai Ya and Xiao Nvhai disappeared from their original spot.
Countless Scale Armor Moths flew out of the house, engulfing Qiao Sang.