Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 571 - 42 The Parasitic Pharaoh Scorpion

Chapter 571: Chapter 42 The Parasitic Pharaoh Scorpion

As a reporter, Ruxiong was well experienced and had seen his fair share of things within the country. However, he had never been abroad, so when a flamboyant foreign woman initiated a flirtation with him, he found himself unable to resist. He hastily followed her into the restroom. Once he closed the door behind them, he saw her undressing with her back to him. His big hand impatiently reached towards her. But at the next moment, he was startled when she suddenly turned around to face him.

"Ha, European women are so passionate," he chuckled awkwardly to conceal his embarrassment upon seeing the foreign woman.

The foreign woman didn’t utter a word. Her face remained expressionless. She grabbed Ruxiong by the shoulders, pushed him against the wall and bent forward to kiss him.

"Getting a bit too forward," Ruxiong thought as her red lips drew ever-nearer, relishing his fleeting romantic encounter. However, the very next second, he furrowed his brows.

"What is this? It feels like an insect is crawling..." Ruxiong looked down, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He began to panic and attempted to push away the foreign woman, but she held him firmly.

Gulp! Ruxiong finally identified the foreign object as it squirmed down his throat. More started to crawl into his mouth.

Ruxiong’s face filled with terror. In this life or death situation, he didn’t hesitate to knee the foreign woman in the stomach and punch her in the face.

The force of the blow jolted the foreign woman’s head sideways, and several black scorpions fell out of her mouth. They plopped onto the wall, glistening unnervingly because of her saliva.

Ruxiong’s heart thudded in his chest. The scorpions in his mouth were now crawling towards his throat, nearly scaring him to death. He dared not close his mouth and tried to expel the creatures by force. Simultaneously, he threw several blows at the foreign woman attempting to push her away, but she clung to him, pressing her face against his.

"Let go!" Ruxiong shouted, hitting the foreign woman’s temple with his fist. Her head exploded into a cluster of scorpions which quickly dispersed all over Ruxiong.

The scorpions scurried around, stinging him and injecting venom. Some crawled into his body through his eyes and ears.

In less than ten seconds, Ruxiong’s face turned pale, and his body started convulsing. Foam started pouring from his mouth as he collapsed onto the floor. The scorpions rampaged for a while, swiftly laid their eggs within him and then scurried out, climbing up the legs of the foreign woman. They joined together at her neck, reforming into a head.

The foreign woman smirked as her twisted features snapped back into place. Ignoring the parasitized corpse on the floor, she left the restroom and headed towards the front carriage to ambush and kill the group of Easterners, as commanded by her master.

Three minutes later, Ruxiong also got up. His eyes flickered unnaturally, showing no signs of consciousness, as he silently made his way towards the carriage.

At this point, a majority of the passengers on the train had been killed and turned into hosts for the pharaoh’s scorpions. The individuals in black headscarves that Tang Zheng had seen were the culprits. They were half-human, half-monster servants loyal to the Scorpion King and carriers for countless pharaoh’s scorpions.

These half-human creatures had joined the Nature Conservationist Association as a cover to protect the Scorpion King’s tomb from being disturbed. Coveting the beauty of Queen Nefertari, the Scorpion King, unable to possess her, let his jealous rage fester into a vengeful spirit that would torment the soul of Ramses II for eternity, casting a curse on the lovers.

The queen’s resurrection ceremony for the king was already halfway complete. However, to everyone’s shock, Ramses II did not awaken. Instead, the vengeful spirit of the Scorpion King, entangling his soul, was revived first through the offerings prepared by the queen. Although it was in spirit form for now, as long as it obtained the Book of the Undead and the golden scarab, it could return to the human world. Furthermore, if it also obtained the Soul Gem, it could become immortal and imprison the queen’s soul, turning her into a slave. Ultimately, if it obtained the crown and scepter, it could summon an army from the underworld to overrun this world and reclaim its dominion.

After the Scorpion King’s servants reported the activities of Tang Zheng and his party, they were commanded to pursue and kill them. By laying the eggs of the pharaoh scorpions in the passengers, they turned them into hosts. They could also control these hosts through the scorpions to engage in combat.

"Get ready, we might have to fight at any moment." Tang Zheng returned to his bunk and immediately notified everyone in each carriage.

"The mummies are on the train? That’s really bold, isn’t it?" Pang Meiqin seemed uneasy, understanding that there was never a moment of safety in the Trojan Horse Game.

"Not sure." Tang Zheng took out the Demon Slaying Holy Flame and loaded the magazine with the buckshots festooned with golden glow insignia. He then produced the mechanical lion’s roar cannon and attached it to his right arm. Like a plant’s roots, mechanical modules quickly penetrated his arm, winding around it. His entire arm was enveloped in the mechanical structure. Although it didn’t have a spirit attack, its S-level defense was enough for Tang Zheng to withstand one lethal attack.

Seeing the formidable Tang Zheng preparing, others also started making provisions. Amidst the commotion, Jasons’ bodyguards were taken aback.

Two ladies who had exited their carriage to go to the restroom passed by Tang Zheng’s carriage. Alerted by the noise, Pang Meiqin and Xu Biyun immediately pointed their guns at them.

The two women were instantly petrified and slumped to the floor, staring at the armed group. They thought they were anti-government terrorists trying to hijack the train. Losing control, urine flowed down their pants, soaking the floor.

"Please don’t kill us." The two women were visibly shaking as they pleaded with Pang Meiqin.

"Get out!" Pang Meiqin was enjoying the thrill of holding another’s fate in her hands. She wanted to fire a shot as a show of power but reined in her actions noticing Tang Zheng’s disapproving look.

Passengers from nearby carriages heard the commotion and curiously peeked out. They instantly retracted their heads like frightened turtles upon hearing Pang Meiqin’s words.

These people were fortunate, because the servants, wary of getting caught by Tang Zheng, hadn’t implanted any scorpion eggs in them.

Wobbling, Ruxiong returned and stood outside the carriage. He laughed when he saw Tang Zheng, saying, "That foreign woman has a really nice body. Want a turn?"

Tang Zheng frowned, and Qin Yan’s face darkened. She quietly gripped her handgun, ready to shoot Ruxiong at any moment. Given Ruxiong’s IQ, he wouldn’t make such a comment in public.

"Hey, just enjoy your clandestine indulgence quietly. Why flaunt it?" mumbled Old Tang, stepping out and coughing up some phlegm by Ruxiong’s feet. After killing Zhao Guangji, Old Tang emanated an aura of utter fearlessness. At least, he believed he ranked first among the newbies.

Old Tang targeted Ruxiong due not only to jealousy but also because Chen Jiarong had spent half a day complaining that the reporter was looking down on them.

"Don’t you realize how dangerous it is right now? You should live more cleanly," Old Tang lectured Ruxiong. He was putting on a show for Tang Zheng, demonstrating his obedience and consideration for the team.

"Why would I forget my brothers? Come, let me show you." Ruxiong waved Old Tang and walked away, ignoring Tang Zheng.

Old Tang found himself tongue-tied as he saw an Eastern European woman standing in the middle of the carriage, throwing him flirtatious glances. Immediately, his mouth went dry, and he swallowed hard.

"Ruxiong, what did you eat last night?" Tang Zheng stood up, positioned himself in front of everyone, and focused on the reporter, scrutinizing his behavior.

Ruxiong hesitated, standing on the spot, seemingly lost in thought.

"Tang Zheng, you’re being paranoid. There’s no mummy," Chen Jiarong stepped out of the carriage and smirked at Tang Zheng. "Are you jealous of his romantic encounter?"

"Are you an idiot? Does Tang Zheng need to be jealous of him?" Chen Hong sneered, throwing Chen Jiarong a disdainful look. In her opinion, he was too foolish, especially around women.

"Stupid, it was barbecued meat," Old Tang answered for Ruxiong, albeit with his eyes fixed on the foreign woman.

"Ha ha, I forgot," said Ruxiong sheepishly. He turned back to Old Tang and urged, "Hurry up, or she’ll get impatient. You too, stop dawdling."

Chen Jiarong’s face lit up, but after catching a glimpse of Cai Nan, who was poking her head out of the carriage, he shook his head.

"I was overreacting. Go ahead and have fun."

Although Tang Zheng’s words made Old Tang hesitate, Ruxiong had already grabbed his hand and they walked away together.

Just as everyone thought the alarm had been lifted and were preparing to return to their carriage for a rest, they saw Tang Zheng step into the corridor, take out a Beretta M9, and aim it at the two departing newcomers.

"What are you doing?" Chen Jiarong’s face immediately changed. He subconsciously asked, thinking Tang Zheng was furious and wanted to vent his anger on them.

With a bang, a bullet whizzed out of the muzzle, striking Ruxiong’s calf. A chunk of flesh was ripped away, but Ruxiong didn’t scream; he just collapsed to the ground.

Old Tang turned around, reaching for his rifle, only to remember it was still in the carriage.

"Tang Zheng, have you gone mad? Why are you trying to kill one of us? And don’t you remember that you lose points for killing a newbie?" Chen Jiarong shouted defiantly, expressing his fears of being massacred one day.

"Idiot. Is your head filled with girls? Didn’t you notice anything off about Ruxiong?" Yu Manli cursed and explained, "He didn’t scream when he was shot, and his facial expression didn’t change. Does that seem human to you?"

Chen Jiarong was chilled to the bone. He looked at Qin Yan, Lu Fan, and the others, noticing the vigilance on the faces of the Conquerors. Only he, the fool, hadn’t noticed the anomaly.

"But how would we know without shooting? What if it was mistaken?" Chen Jiarong argued desperately. "Is it Ruxiong’s bad luck then?"

"How could it be wrong? Didn’t you notice the question that uncle asked?" Lu Fan, who was feeling queasy, gave Chen Jiarong a disdainful look and said, "Ruxiong has a habit of scratching his forehead when he’s thinking. Dantai, can you explain? My stomach hurts. I can’t hold on much longer." (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please go to qidian.com to vote and subscribe. Your support is my greatest motivation)