Chapter 106: No Heroes Here
No one noticed the strange change in Liora. Not a single person questioned the eerie calm around their vehicle or the corpses of the insects that lay untouched by weapons.
Everyone was too busy trying to survive—to fight, to kill, and to get the hell out of this godforsaken place that had turned into an insect-infested nightmare.
The quiet, luxurious villa area had turned into a war zone. The team had never imagined, not even in their worst dreams, that this peaceful-looking place would be hiding such a terrifying truth.
They were surrounded by villas with beautiful lawns, trimmed hedges, and marble statues, yet the place had become a nest for thousands of mutated insects. And all of it had started after the strange acid rain that fell a few days ago.
Mutated mosquitoes, hornets, and even houseflies had swarmed the entire area. Their wings buzzed like thunder, their bodies ten times or sometimes twenty times their usual size. Some of them could even pierce through metal with their stingers.
The team didn’t even know whether this insect plague was limited to just this area or if the entire region had fallen to this horror. But there was no time to stop and check. First, they had to get out of here alive.
The vehicles swerved and dashed across the winding roads of the villa complex. They passed opulent mansions with shattered windows and blood-streaked gates.
Some homes had broken doors where signs of struggle and escape were still visible. Insects crawled over the corpses of former survivors, feasting on what remained.
Inside the car, Liora sat silently, holding Eli in her lap. Her head was still heavy from what had just happened. She hadn’t shared a word about her soul ability, and no one had asked. Everyone was too preoccupied. Maybe it was for the best.
But she could feel it. Something inside her had changed. The thirst for souls had not faded completely. It now sat somewhere deep inside her, quiet for the moment, waiting to be fed again.
They kept going. The vehicles killed insects with every pass—squashing them under wheels, slicing them with mounted blades, and shooting them with their abilities when necessary. But something was wrong.