Chapter 89: The National-Level Post

No one could truly comprehend the terrifying danger posed by the insect race. Even the lowest-tier insect, such as the iron-shelled beetle, was as hard as steel all over, extremely difficult to kill, and possessed immense destructive power. To put it simply, to face an iron-shelled beetle head-on, one would need at least a silver-grade weapon and second-rate combat skills to stand any chance of fighting one alone.

Without a silver-grade weapon, one would at least need to reach the second tier; otherwise, breaking through their defenses was impossible. And this was only the lowest form of the insect race. In the previous life, on the tenth day after the insects appeared, several types became common.

On land, the most prevalent were the crimson-shelled beetle, the ice storm bug, the iron-shelled beetle, and the corrupted carapace insect. In the sky, the fiery bug, the blade mantis, and the serrated flying insect ruled. There were also special breeds, like the flame cannon beetle beast and the rhino beetle.

These typical carapace insects belonged to the first and second tier at full level, and their numbers were vast. Their only weakness was incomplete vitality and inferior intelligence; if severely injured, insects had no self-healing ability—they were doomed to die.

Unlike aberrant beasts and zombies, which could only be killed by targeting the heart or brain, insects would perish from any significant external wound after a short time. If insects truly had no weaknesses, not only humanity but even aberrant beasts and zombies would be finished. Most importantly, insects were utterly mindless. In his previous life, Yang Fan had witnessed many insects trapped and killed by the simplest, most foolish traps.

But this only worked against a few. If a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand insects appeared, no scheme would suffice—the sheer numbers alone would terrify anyone.

"The only way to deal with insects is to inflict external injuries—that's all we can do." Returning to the workshop, Yang Fan walked toward Wang Cheng and Fu Gaobin, his mind in turmoil. At last, he decided to post a message on the forum.

This time, Yang Fan chose the national scope, though it required a certain level of reputation, which was tricky. Yet when he checked his reputation, he was astonished to find he had enough to post nationwide—and even more than required.

Upon investigation, Yang Fan discovered it was because of his previous post in the city forum. After posting, ten people viewed it, and one to three genuinely thanked him, spending ten apocalypse coins to grant Yang Fan a point of reputation—each person could only do this once.

Crucially, Yang Fan was the first to post in the city forum. Afterwards, at least a hundred apocalypse coins were needed to give someone a reputation point. So now, Yang Fan had over eight thousand reputation points. The benefits of reputation were still unclear, but having more was certainly better than less.

Delighted, Yang Fan immediately made his first national post.

[Fellow survivors, from the remnants of history I have discovered that the world has descended into madness. In two or three days, entities far more terrifying than aberrant beasts will emerge—powerful beings with bodies of iron and steel, some able to swallow water and spit fire. In short, our situation is about to become even more perilous. But! We can fight back. With the weapons in our hands, we can defend, we can resist. If we do not persist, we will always fail. If we persist, perhaps we will fail, but perhaps we will succeed. Conquer your fear—raise your weapons, kill, and fight—for yourself, for your family, for your loved ones, for friendship, for everything. So, I urge you all, follow me—use your weapons, defend what is yours!]

Yang Fan started in a low, somber tone, gradually rising, growing more impassioned, his words turning into a rallying cry that stirred hearts and resonated with the soul.

Next, Yang Fan wrote down his experiences, one by one—how to deal with the insects, what methods to use. Nearly a thousand words passed before he finished. At fifty apocalypse coins per word, he could not afford the fee, but thanks to his reputation and the reward for being the first poster, after spending ten thousand apocalypse coins, he completed this guide to fighting the insects.

He posted it on the forum, setting the reading fee at two apocalypse coins—the price of a single zombie. Yang Fan was not about to make a loss; his own apocalypse coins were just over twenty thousand now, much depleted without him realizing.

"I hope this really helps humanity," Yang Fan sighed, closed the system prompt, and let the world run its course. He could only leave things to fate.

————

**** North region. A group of ten struggled desperately, evading the attacks of aberrant beasts, and hiding in a room for nearly a whole day. Oppressed, miserable, fearful—the unknown future weighed upon them, and they were almost driven to despair by the ordeal.

Among them were men and women, filthy and disheveled, sitting in the cold room awaiting death. Suddenly, a voice spoke quietly.

"Check the forum—someone posted a national-level message. Hurry!"

The voice was urgent. Everyone paused, then one after another opened the forum, though two or three remained bewildered—they were not apocalypse system inheritors and knew nothing.

After a while, one raised his head in surprise. "So that's how you deal with zombies—we've been doing it all wrong. And the most important thing: aberrant beasts can be handled this way too. We truly made a grave mistake. We thought reading the complete guide to aberrant beasts made us experts, but now, who knew they could be fought like this? But what are these things more terrifying than aberrant beasts he mentioned?"

"I see. Later, we should rest and then launch a thorough counterattack. We can't keep cowering like this!"

"Who is this person? A savior, or perhaps a god?" someone asked.