"This..." The two looked somewhat frightened, but with so many muskets aimed at them, they could only comply.

During the cleaning process, the two gritted their teeth and cried out in pain. After washing, they used the thrown razor to completely clean off their body hair, finally relaxing a little.

"Now you two enter a dormant state, we will take you back afterward." The leader swung the whip, ordering this way.

The two could only comply, lying on wooden planks. Soon, their bodies were covered by a layer of light yellow transparent shell, which grew darker, becoming opaque, just like pupae.

Upon seeing this, the leader waved his hand to have temporary coffins brought over, placed the two inside, then sealed the gaps, and applied honey to the joints, only then being assured.

"Let's go, we return." He swung the whip and ordered.

"Aren't we going to see what exactly happened at the campsite?" someone beside asked.

"No, we return directly, we'll discuss the rest when we get back." The leader glared with his eyes.

"Yes, yes."

The team galloped across the wilderness, but the atmosphere bore no joy of victory, only a heaviness like oppressive clouds.

After a day of rushing, by nightfall, the team finally reached outside the mountain castle. At this time, the leader only led a small number back to the city, leaving the rest temporarily there, among whom were Hexia and Ores.

Upon reaching the mountain castle, they quickly met the Grey Feather Species high-level executives who had already received the news. This was also Tilan's first time seeing the top governance of Shilin Mountain Castle.

Several elders dressed in black cloaks and straw raincoats walked out in the dim torchlight. They sat on stone seats, their aged eyes looking down at the returning few.

"We already learned about what you have to say this afternoon." One of them on the left spoke, with a voice old and hoarse.

"Didn't expect there were remnants of those insects."

"Do the elders know the origins of these insects?" Sigismund asked cautiously.

"Hm, when we were young, probably younger than you now, we witnessed the harm these insects could cause." His voice took everyone back approximately 200 years ago.

"At that time, we did not live on this land, it should have been more to the east of the mountains, which is the northeast direction of the wilderness where the barbarians now gather."

"Back then, during a relic excavation, these frozen insects from a laboratory escaped. At first, only a few people were injured, but a few years later, a 'black fog storm' arose sweeping everything..."

"Later, almost all local organisms, whether humans or animals, weren't spared, devoured by the sweeping insects. We had no choice but to flee all the way here, using the vast eastern wilderness to block these insects."

"How did you respond and defeat these insects back then?" Sigismund and others were curious.

"We didn't defeat them, but after some years, these insects suddenly disappeared overnight." The elder answered slowly.

Such a response left those present feeling downcast and worried.

"Then what should we do now?" the people present asked.

"Issue notifications to all settlements and organizations near Shilin Mountain Castle. Any encounters with such insects must be subjected to incineration treatment, and make sure to suppress the outbreak in the initial stages." The leading elder gave the order while leaning on the armrest.

"They are dangerous but do not have very strong combat power. If we take preventive measures, they are not uncontrollable."

"Moreover, they need a large amount of blood and flesh organic matter for reproduction, which means they can't spontaneously spread and proliferate on the wasteland, can only rely on parasitizing animals with flesh and blood."

"If we take the right countermeasures, nipping them in the bud is possible." Even with this, those present still had little confidence.

"I understand now." There being no better plan, everyone had to retreat and leave.

Days later, teams of horse riders galloped across the wastelands, delivering the notifications and orders from Shilin Mountain Castle to each settlement, even nailing notice boards at each critical crossing, pasting written announcements of this notification.

The tense atmosphere spread across the plains, with many settlements lighting bonfires to deal with the discovered insects.

The black ash from the burning soared into the sky with the heat, only to be carried and coated with water vapor into dirty black snow, blanketing the mountain castle.