Super Gene

Han Sen’s pupils shrank as he saw three of the bugs vanish.

With no indication of another creature or unexpected movement, they disappeared right in front of his eyes.

The other two bugs tried to make themselves scarce, but it wasn’t long before they were taken by the phantom that seemed to plague those sands.

“What is this?” Han Sen looked over to where they disappeared and scanned the area.

There was nothing to be seen. Again, five bugs had just immediately gone missing.

“Are there any cracks in the space of this place? Maybe they slipped into another dimension or something.” Han Sen was shocked by what was going on.

Han Sen was glad that he had not wandered into the valley himself.

But, wanting another look, Han Sen went away to collect more bugs. When he had a few more, he tossed them down towards the sands below.

The results were mostly the same, though. This time, Han Sen scattered the bugs all around, but they all still vanished. They were able to disappear from any corner of that valley, and not in just one spot.

Han Sen spent more time conducting these tests, tossing dozens and dozens of bugs each time. Despite his best efforts to uncover what was going on, he was as clueless as when he began. His crack-in-space theory seemed unlikely, too, given that the bugs could disappear from anywhere. If there was a rip in space, it would most likely take the form of a single large hole.

Although it was difficult to detect the presence of cracks in space, Han Sen’s keen eyesight should have allowed him to notice the slight shimmering they often gave off. With no other clues or ideas about what might have been happening, the thought still weighed on his mind.

He didn’t dare go to the valley himself, though. Han Sen remained above, watching from the top of a hill in safety.

Eventually, the stars rose and the moon gleamed brightly above the land. Despite the hours spent there, Han Sen wasn’t able to deduce anything.

The region he was situated in was eerily silent, but he remained there stubbornly. He peered into every nook and cranny of that place, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was causing that peculiar phenomenon. Unfortunately for him, he learned nothing.

If there was a creature lurking beneath those sands, how could it have snatched the bugs without a trace?

As Han Sen’s mind wandered, a rustle in the trees startled him.

Han Sen looked into the forest that was a distance away and saw a man appear. It was Uncle Bug.

Han Sen was shocked, not expecting to see Uncle Bug casually approach the valley on foot.

“He said it was dangerous to come here. He warned me to stay away. Why is he coming here himself?” Han Sen frowned.

Uncle Bug was carrying a sack, and something seemed to be wriggling inside. Han Sen tried to determine what it was through a scan. All he could learn was that it was alive, and that it possessed a life force.

Uncle Bug approached the entrance of the valley and stopped. He peered across the sands of that place and tossed the bag onto the sands below.

Uncle Bug was strong, clearly. The sack was large, the size of a human. Despite that, he was able to toss it an entire kilometer.

Whatever was in the sack looked to be panicking, and it thrashed around frantically after it came crashing down to the ground. Unfortunately, it had been sealed tight, and whatever was inside could not escape.

Han Sen looked at the bag and thought to himself, “What is inside that? Is he doing what I did? Is he trying to uncover what lurks inside this valley, too?”

All of a sudden, Han Sen heard the sound of a baby crying once more. It was incredibly sharp, just like Uncle Bug had told him.

It was unnerving and unsettling. The baby’s sound was as if it had been traumatized. Han Sen then realized the sound was coming from the holes he had examined earlier.

In that Y-shaped valley, the holes were emitting the sound of a shrieking baby like speakers. The only unclear thing was which hole the noise was coming from.

Quickly, Han Sen received his answer. After he listened closer, he realized that each and every hole was making the noise.

Then, something even creepier occurred. Countless scorpions began to pour out of the holes. Thousands of the critters began to cascade from the sandy orifices, all heading for the bag and whatever was inside it.

The scorpions were about the same size of a fist. They were black, but without sheen.

On their backs was the faint picture of a human face. It was like that of a baby, giving off a creepy, devilish smile.

When the scorpions moved, the smile looked like it was living and moving. It totally creeped Han Sen out.

The scorpions did not look strong, but they were scary enough to make Han Sen feel frightened.

When Han Sen mustered the courage to scan them, he learned they were just mutant creatures.

But since there were all mutant creatures, even that group was a force to be reckoned with.

Han Sen’s only question was why they all came out when Uncle Bug threw down a prize.

“What is he up to?” Han Sen looked at the scorpions and wondered.

Eventually, the human-faced scorpions reached the sack. Then, whatever was inside managed to roll out.