After All Species Mutated, I Activated Cheats [Apocalyptic] - Chapter 5

Lu Mian didn’t know how to describe the smiling face in front of him. He only felt that, compared to this thing, even a buck-toothed sow would look like a beauty.

Under the influence of that “kind” smile, the group finally buckled, backing away with expressions of pure agony.

Since the unit was just a small studio apartment, they didn’t have far to retreat. Before long, their backs hit the wooden shoe cabinet with a dull thud.

The sudden noise startled the cluster of “butterfly sticks” on the ground, causing them to scuttle and scratch at the floorboards.

Seeing that they had nowhere left to run, the Humanoid Butterfly’s grin stretched wider. Its smooth cheeks literally tore open, deep fissures extending from the corners of its mouth all the way to its earlobes. What was once a relatively petite mouth instantly became a bloody, gaping maw.

It was the literal definition of “grinning from ear to ear.”

It raised a hand and gave a small wave. Instantly, the frantic sound of babies crying in the living room ceased.

Lu Mian stood frozen, not daring to move an inch. It seemed his intuition was right, the face-butterflies treated this creature, which had just crawled out of its cocoon, as their king. Or more accurately, their queen.

The Butterfly Queen had no intention of letting them go. It maintained that “harmless” smile while inching toward them. The scene reminded Lu Mian of horror movies he’d seen, where vengeful spirits crawled out of the darkness in exactly this fashion.

“It’s coming closer,” Old Wang whispered. “Should we… run?”

Xiao Sun was terrified, his voice trembling and incoherent. “Okay… okay! Run! Run…”

Just as the words left his mouth, the approaching Butterfly Queen suddenly stopped.

Its massive, pitch-black eyes locked onto them. The tears at the corners of its mouth began to seal up, and within moments, the horrific grin vanished. In its place was a face so solemn it made their skin crawl.

Lin Feng frowned, his voice low. “It looks… unhappy?”

Chen-ge rubbed his numbing ears. “I don’t think it’s just unhappy, it looks downright pissed off.”

Lu Mian swallowed hard, his peripheral vision catching movement in the living room.

The swarm of face-butterflies was turning around at an incredible speed, all of them now facing their direction.

His facial muscles twitched as he gritted his teeth and stood up.

For a moment, both the Butterfly Queen and the rest of the group stared at him in a daze.

For the first time in his life, Lu Mian understood what it felt like to be the center of attention.

He feigned composure, patting the dust off his pants. His left foot seemingly accidentally nudged Lin Feng, who was closest to the door, while his eyes remained fixed on Old Wang. “Didn’t you say…”

Old Wang’s eyebrows shot up. What did he say? He had just said… run?!

At that exact moment, the ajar door was flung open. Lin Feng, gripping his baseball bat, swung it against the doorframe, knocking the face-butterflies clinging to it to the floor. This cleared a narrow path just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.

“Go! Quick! There are too many of them!” Lin Feng shouted.

The others finally snapped out of it, jumping to their feet and swinging their weapons to clear the surrounding butterflies.

Old Wang dodged and weaved, wailing loudly, “Forget the rising corpse powder! Ow, ow, ow, I got some on me!”

“Shut up!” Chen-ge barked. “Who cares about that now? Just run for your life!”

Hearing the commotion behind him, Lu Mian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He followed close behind Lin Feng, watching the agile, powerful silhouette ahead. He couldn’t help but admire the man, being a former soldier really did make a difference in a fight.

However, human strength has its limits. They had been burning through their stamina since they first stepped out the door. The fourth-floor hallway was now completely overrun by these face-butterflies. Returning to 402 was out of the question, so the five of them could only keep their heads down and bolt for the ground floor.

The number of face-butterflies was staggering. By the time they reached the lobby, hundreds, if not thousands, had blocked the exit. The group was forced to stop, standing back-to-back in the center of the hall.

Lu Mian was facing the main entrance. Through the glass, he could see face-butterflies constantly drifting down from the upper floors like falling leaves.

A rather absurd thought popped into his head. With a grim expression, he asked, “Does it feel to you guys like the number of these things has tripled since we started?”

Lin Feng panted slightly. “What did you notice?”

Lu Mian tightened his grip on his club. “The ones by the entrance seem to be coming directly from upstairs. If I’m not mistaken, that thing on the fifth floor is laying eggs…”

Upon hearing this, the group’s faces twisted into masks of pure misery.

Old Wang started howling, “What the hell are these things? It never ends!”

Lu Mian continued, “It’s the rainy season. Usually, male butterflies actively seek out females during this time, while the dry season is the opposite. Earlier, the windows in 502 were open, and those butterflies were practically killing themselves to get inside. They were probably there for one reason…”

Reproduction—the primal instinct carved into the DNA of every creature on Earth.

Xiao Sun’s face was deathly pale. “Should we call for help?”

Chen-ge raised his shovel and smashed a nearby butterfly into a pulp. “No need. Help is already here!”

Outside the lobby, many residents of the complex had gathered, wielding whatever tools they could find. They were frantically clearing the butterflies blocking the entrance. The sound of babies crying echoed through the night.

Relying on their numbers, the residents slowly gained the upper hand. Lu Mian and his group seized the moment to break through the encirclement. Under the cover of their neighbors, they successfully escaped the building and ran toward the basketball court in the center of the complex.

Old Wang nearly collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. “Damn! I almost checked out back there! Those things are so freaking disgusting!”

Lu Mian wholeheartedly agreed, but it wasn’t time to relax yet. He looked up at Building 1, his expression still troubled.

From this angle, he could see a writhing chain of insects clinging to the outer wall of the building, stretching from the fifth-floor window all the way down to the first. The chain was a mass of face-butterfly sticks, pouring out of the apartment in a never-ending, relentless stream.

Chen-ge stared solemnly at the building. “Xiao Lu, you were right. That thing is definitely breeding.”

“We should be grateful they can’t fly yet,” Lin Feng added.

Just then, a cool night breeze swept through.

Lu Mian tugged at his T-shirt, which was soaked and chilled by the fluid from the butterflies.

As the wind passed, he noticed his clothes were already eighty percent dry. He let out a bitter laugh. “Actually, I think they can fly…”

Lin Feng turned to him with a deadpan expression. “Nothing but good news comes out of your mouth, huh?”

Lu Mian looked helpless. “I don’t want it to be true either, but look at the facts. These butterflies are… juicy. We killed plenty on the way out, and our clothes were soaked, but the fluid seems to dry incredibly fast.”

Lin Feng touched his own shirt, his face darkening. “It’s completely dry.”

Lu Mian nodded. “Exactly. When that Queen emerged, she was covered in liquid. Once it dried, her wings could expand. It’s likely the same for the newborns. Their wings haven’t unfurled yet, so they can’t fly for the moment.”

Old Wang overheard and his face fell. “So when will they fly?”

Lu Mian took a deep breath. “Did the wind just blow?”

Old Wang looked like he was about to cry. “It did…”

Lu Mian patted Old Wang’s sturdy shoulder and pointed toward Building 1. “Look. Butterflies. They’re coming for us on the wind.”

Old Wang: “……Son of a…!”

In the time it took to exchange those few words, the first waves of butterflies had already taken to the air. A dark mass, like a black cloud, drifted from Building 1. The sound of fluttering wings became a physical weight in the air as countless face-butterflies rode the breeze, surrounding them on all sides.

Xiao Sun’s nose crinkled, and he burst into tears. “What do we do!”

Lu Mian’s brow furrowed deeply. “Pray for a meteor to wipe them out. And then… run!”

They couldn’t fight them all. As long as that Queen remained in 502, she would keep producing eggs. No matter how many people they had, the swarm would eventually wear them down.

The only option now was to flee.

Lu Mian’s group, along with the neighbors who had come to help, totaled nearly twenty people. The butterflies acted as if they’d never seen so many humans before, chasing them with a frenzied desperation.

“Running isn’t a long-term solution,” Chen-ge shouted while sprinting. “They’re faster than us. We need a plan!”

Lu Mian grabbed Xiao Sun to keep him from tripping. “I know. To catch the bandits, you have to capture their leader. We have to take out that thing on the fifth floor, or we don’t stand a chance!”

Chen-ge looked back at Building 1. “Should we go back?”

Hearing this, Old Wang, who was running for his life, nearly lost it. “Are you guys insane!”

Lu Mian panted heavily, struggling to speak. “The swarm is chasing us now. The entrance to Building 1 is mostly clear, and the hallways should be empty. We don’t need everyone to go back, just three or four of us. If we kill the Queen, we can handle the rest of these eventually…”

Lin Feng thought it over and agreed. “Who goes?”

Lu Mian’s mind raced, quickly weighing the pros and cons. “Xiao Sun should stay here. Lin-ge, you’re the best fighter, and there are too many small fry here. We need you to stay at the court to protect the group. Chen-ge, Old Wang, and I will go back.”

After all, there was only one Queen. Three grown men should be able to handle her. They hadn’t seen the butterflies do any real physical damage yet, but the sheer numbers were the problem. Leaving Lin Feng to protect the others was the safest bet.

After a quick discussion, they split up. A large portion of the swarm broke off to chase the three of them.

As Old Wang ran back toward the building, he looked at his clumsy weapon and wailed at the sky, “Is anyone free? Lend me a kitchen knife!”

Lu Mian was speechless. To his surprise, a few seconds later, people actually started tossing kitchen knives down from their balconies. Clatter after clatter, quite a few landed nearby.

Old Wang chuckled. “Looks like we’ve got public support! The wind sighs, the water is cold, the brave warrior departs…”

Chen-ge leaned down to snatch a knife off the ground. Seeing that Old Wang was about to finish the poem, he cut him off. “Stop right there! Don’t you dare finish that line! It’s bad luck!”

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