Chapter 4: The Broodmother

Chapter 4: The Mother

The instant he saw the face of the one who opened the door, Chen Jian's hand almost reflexively went to the trigger.

Compared to the previously bloodthirsty monsters, the figure before him resembled a human “creature,” which only heightened his fear.

Like melted ice cream, layers of skin sagged over his face, protruding eyeballs bare eyelids, lips torn by external force not yet fully healed, and a nose that didn't exist—just two black holes.

Lower down lay a body of exposed, knotted muscles, thighs as thick as a bodybuilder's, and grotesquely oversized feet wildly out of proportion.

Was this still human?

Perhaps it was more like the ghouls from Fallout 4.

—

Ghouls, though, still retain some humanoid shape; at first glance you can tell they were once normal people injured.

And what about this one before him?

He looked like a “humanoid” creature cobbled together from random genetic garbage.

Chen Jian took a slight step back, and from the other's mouth came a muffled, indistinct sound.

“You you you actually killed those mantises!”

“Who are you? What is PL?”

For a moment, Chen Jian felt both joy and shock.

The joy was that, although his speech was slurred, he was clearly speaking Chinese.

The shock was that they didn't know what the PLA was—what era had they been flung into, centuries ahead?

At that moment, the overt danger had been neutralized, but the hidden threat remained.

Without time to overthink, Chen Jian replied:

“We are regular troops.”

“Yes, we just took down thirteen mantises.”

“We need to regroup—is this place safe?”

“Not safe! You need to get inside quickly!”

The newcomer hastily stepped aside, Chen Jian holding his rifle in his right hand, his left flashing a warning signal behind his back.

And upon receiving his order, the other team members began shifting tactics without a word.

Lei Jie moved the flashbang to a concealed mount on his thigh, Shen Yue stowed his machine‑gun tripod, and He Shuo operated the PAD to run an infrared signature on the guide; if combat erupted, his drone would become a weapon, automatically harassing the enemy.

Though each member of the squad appeared relaxed, in reality they were all on high alert.

Even when rounding a corner, Chen Jian quickened his pace, flanking the guide with Shen Yue ahead and behind to guard against a possible ambush.

They had to do this, because they didn't know what they were about to face.

The man's steps were light, and the other four matched him.

As they climbed upward, Chen Jian used the eyepiece's eye‑tracking to open the squad comms channel, silently typing a line on the screen.

“He’s strong—keep watching.”

“If you spot hostile intent, you may fire.”

“1.”

“1.”

“1.”

Acknowledgments came in one after another, and at that moment the group finally reached the top floor of the residential building.

Dim light spilled from the distant hall, and Chen Jian gripped his 91‑type rifle tighter.

If they meant to ambush, this would be the last chance—

Fortunately, there was none.

A line of five entered the hall, and the sight before them let Chen Jian exhale in relief.

At last, they saw real humans!

In the hall a bonfire burned, and beside it stood four people whose faces and builds were indistinguishable from ordinary humans.

They held makeshift weapons—sticks and machetes—fixedly staring at the four squad members who had stepped into the hall.

“Don’t be afraid, they’re regular forces! They mean no harm!”

“They just took down thirteen, thirteen mantises!” the guide stammered, and as he finished, the woman at the front couldn’t help but gasp.

“Thirteen?!”

“Then we have to hurry!”

“The Mother will be on patrol! Shut the windows quick!”

As the words fell, everyone sprang into motion.

Chen Jian didn’t know what they were panicking about, but it was clear that, after hearing his squad had killed thirteen mantises, the locals felt more than just delight—they felt a kind of

visible terror.

The threat had been cleared, yet they remained afraid.

That meant something even more terrifying lurked behind them.

Chen Jian snapped to a decision, signaling Lei Jie and He Shuo to launch their drones; two CH‑847 micro‑drones shot up instantly, slipping out before the windows were sealed.

“Video link stable, drone One climbing to 800 meters, building a 3D map.”

“Drone Two will orbit the current point as center, conducting a low‑altitude patrol within a 500‑meter radius.”

“Gear up, prepare for combat!”

“Copy that!”

At the command, the four‑person team sprang into action.

Meanwhile, the other “locals” were scrambling to make their own preparations.

The flames were doused, doors locked, every window wrapped in foam and tin foil, then soaked with an unknown liquid from bottles.

Through the thermal‑fusion night vision, Chen Jian saw the window temperature dropping rapidly.

“Infrared countermeasures.”

Chen Jian spoke softly; the guide instantly raised a finger in a “shush” gesture, signaling him to stay quiet.

Chen Jian nodded silently, raising his hand to tell the others to hold their positions and wait in silence.

He had no idea what he would soon face.

“The Mother?”

He had heard the term in countless bio‑horror films, but now that the possibility stared him in the face, he realized he could not even imagine what the “Mother” actually was.

At that moment, the 3D map from the high‑altitude Drone One was being generated, while Drone Two swooped at over 140 km/h around the 500‑meter circle, its 360‑degree view scanning a total radius of 1,000 meters inside and out.

Images streamed continuously into the eyepiece, yet neither the system nor Chen Jian himself detected any anomaly.

It was not until Drone No. 2 turned toward the northwest.

"Heat source detected, target locked, target locked."

A mechanical female voice came through the headset, and the next second, the live image arrived.

Chen Jian was stunned beyond measure, and the others were no different.

——

Before them loomed a beast as massive as a skyscraper.

Its standing height had reached at least twenty meters, and countless antennae protruded from beneath its keratinous skin.

Upon its sharp triangular head sat a gargantual maw, and within that mouth lay dozens of rows of vicious, lamprey‑like serrated teeth.

With each of its movements, the ground trembled faintly.

Every high‑rise swept by its tail shuddered as if buffeted by a hurricane.

This was the 'Mother Body'.

Chen Jian sucked in a breath of cold air, and a sudden thought struck him:

Such a monster could probably only be pierced by a 125‑mm cannon, right??

(End of Chapter)