The torrential rain continued, and the wind chimes hanging at the entrance of Sweetness Milk Tea trembled slightly, letting out a crisp tinkle.
Amidst the nauseatingly sweet aroma, every customer in the shop stared directly at Yue Shi.
Yue Shi’s right hand was already resting on the short sword at his waist.
“This is our guest. There's no need for everyone to be nervous,” a beautiful clerk dressed in a black-and-white maid uniform said as she emerged from nowhere, her voice soft and melodious.
The corners of her mouth curled into an overly perfect smile. Under the warm lights of the shop, her eyes reflected an eerie glint.
As her words fell, the music in the shop resumed. The customers returned to their previous states, holding their milk tea cups and sucking through their straws in a chorus of slurps, their lips stained with a viscous liquid.
Finally seeing a Bee Woman, both Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang walked toward her.
“What would you two like to drink?” the clerk asked, her voice sounding sharper than before.
Instead of answering, Yue Shi asked, “The people who blocked our car on the road—did you arrange that?”
The clerk nodded subconsciously, her expression shifting immediately after.
Yue Shi didn't give her time to react and asked again, “The sniper who targeted me—was that your doing as well?”
The clerk nodded again.
Yue Shi pressed further, “Where is that sniper?”
The clerk pointed in a certain direction. Yue Shi looked over and saw a man with messy hair sitting by the window. He had large eyes, abnormal knuckles, and something seemed to be squirming beneath his skin. Like the other customers, he mechanically inserted a straw into his cup and let out a satisfied sigh as he drank.
Bang—
Yue Shi drew his gun and took him out with a clean headshot.
If this were a normal milk tea shop, killing a customer would have immediately triggered a riot.
However, here, the death of a person seemed no different from the death of a fly. The other people around them remained immersed in the sweet scent of their milk tea, as if they wouldn't care even if the sky fell.
As Yue Shi killed a customer right in front of the clerk, her lovely face instantly darkened.
“We'll have two of your shop's signature milk teas, thank you,” Bai Wanyang suddenly spoke up in a relaxed tone. In reality, his muscles were tense, and he was ready for combat at any moment.
The clerk forced a smile, suppressing her rage for some unknown reason. As she turned to prepare the drinks, Yue Shi noticed a faint layer of fuzz appearing on the skin at the back of her neck.
“Brother, what do you plan to do next?” Bai Wanyang asked in a low voice.
Yue Shi whispered back, “Capture this Bee Woman, torture her, and find out the King's whereabouts.”
Bai Wanyang wore an expression that said, "I knew you'd say that."
Soon, the clerk pushed two cups of milk tea in front of Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang. The liquid inside was a beautiful golden-yellow, with tiny particles floating on the surface that shimmered under the lights. Beads of condensation slid slowly down the sides of the cups, leaving faint trails.
“Please enjoy, honored guests,” the clerk said with a smile. Her tongue extended unnaturally as she spoke, flickering quickly like a snake's.
She then stared intently at the two of them, seemingly eager for them to taste the milk tea.
Yue Shi gauged the distance between himself and the clerk, leaned forward slightly, and picked up the milk tea cup. Without warning, he splashed the entire contents onto the clerk's face, activating 【Plague Doctor】 in the process.
Bai Wanyang was startled for a moment but quickly followed suit, splashing the clerk as well.
This was a blatant provocation.
The clerk could no longer contain herself. Her beautiful face twisted and deformed with rage.
But in the next second, she felt her entire body become incredibly uncomfortable. Her temperature spiked, her respiratory tract swelled, pustules and papules crawled over her skin, and a sharp pain shot through her internal organs.
“What... did you do... to me?!” Her eyes transformed into the compound eyes of a bee as she struggled to ask.
Bai Wanyang was also curious about what Yue Shi had done.
“I just poisoned the milk tea,” Yue Shi replied perfunctorily. “Is it convenient for us to meet your King?”
The clerk's expression froze as her body began to mutate. “You think you're worthy of seeing the King?”
The sweetness in her voice vanished, replaced by a buzzing sound like the vibrating wings of an insect.
“Whether I'm worthy or not isn't for you to decide.” Yue Shi slammed the table over, his short sword already in hand. “Since you won't cooperate, don't blame me for being ruthless!”
The music stopped, and the milk tea shop fell into an instant silence. All the customers stopped drinking at once. Their heads turned toward Yue Shi at unnatural angles, their jaws hanging open as if dislocated, and a high-frequency buzzing sound emanated from deep within their throats.
“Bang—” Bai Wanyang didn't hesitate to fire an Energy Cannon into the crowd.
The energy exploded, killing several customers on the spot.
The clerk let out a piercing scream. Her uniform tore open from the back as translucent insect wings unfurled. She shrieked at the top of her lungs, “Intruders! Eliminate them!”
The moment those words left her mouth, the customers in the shop went completely feral. Their bodies twisted as they stood, their joints making the clicking sounds of insect carapaces rubbing together. In a short time, they completed their mutation, transforming into half-human, half-bee monsters.
Countless venomous bees swarmed from nowhere, forming a thick cloud.
“Protect yourself. Don't get stung,” Yue Shi warned Bai Wanyang. His short sword flashed like silver, cutting down every monster that drew near.
No blood sprayed out; only a thick, amber liquid splashed everywhere.
Bai Wanyang quickly took off his jacket to protect his head, while blue energy balls continuously condensed in his hands to be hurled at the swarm.
The venomous bees were shredded by the exploding energy balls, letting out small popping sounds as a scorched, sickly sweet smell filled the air.
The Bee Woman disguised as a clerk lunged at Yue Shi, her arms elongating into scythe-like forelimbs as she slashed at his head.
Yue Shi sidestepped the attack, and his short sword pierced her shoulder with precision. As he withdrew the blade, his fingertips, carrying the decaying curse, inadvertently brushed against her wound.
Golden liquid sprayed from the wound. At first, she didn't care about such a minor injury, but half a second later...
“Aaaah!” She let out a scream that sounded nothing like a human. Her body twitched violently as the fresh wound on her shoulder suddenly began to ooze pus and rot.
The rot continued to spread across her entire body. She was powerless to stop it and could only watch as her beautiful form decayed and putrefied. Finally, she collapsed weakly to the floor, becoming a gruesome corpse.
But the battle was far from over. Other types of Bee Women joined the fray. The mutated customers were also surging toward Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang. Most had turned into insectoid monsters, while a few had become humanoid hives, with venomous bees crawling out of every hole in their bodies with each step they took.
“These venomous bees are a real pain to deal with.” Bai Wanyang grew more frustrated as he fought. His abilities were better suited for single-target kills, not for dealing with a swarm of small, numerous bees.
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