# 158
Chapter 158: Spider
“Head for the scream first!”
Lin Qiye hesitated only a moment before deciding.
Building Three was far from their current position, while the canteen was right next to the warehouse. Although Building Three felt strange, its interior was still unknown. Since someone had screamed in the canteen, something had changed; saving people came first.
They sprinted to the canteen door. Normally, breakfast would already be cooking, the air rich with fragrance, but today the place was dead silent—no aroma, only a faint smell of blood drifting in the air…
The moment they caught that scent, everyone’s face changed.
“I thought this was just a drill… why…” Shen Qingzhu’s expression darkened.
Lin Qiye said nothing, only frowned and stepped to the door.
The padlock that should have been looped through the handles had been severed; the door showed signs of opening. Clearly, someone had arrived before them, cut the lock, and gone inside… and, most likely, had been the one who screamed.
Instead of yanking the door open, Lin Qiye swept it with his mental perception, mapping nearly half the canteen in an instant.
“What…” He frowned tightly at the scene inside.
He eased half a step forward and pushed the door.
The people behind him froze, then stared in disbelief.
The empty hall was now draped in cobwebs. Thick strands of silk crisscrossed, weaving into a sickening white net that covered nearly every corner of the room.
In the dim light, those grotesque webs looked like bloodthirsty beasts gaping wide, baring fangs at Lin Qiye and the others…
Everyone stood stunned; only after several seconds did they recover.
“A spider nest?” Li Shaoguang blurted in horror. “How can it be this big…”
“It’s no ordinary spider. It’s some kind of spider-related Mystery.” Lin Qiye spoke slowly, gaze fixing on one spot. “Look there.” He pointed.
In the center of a web clung a mangled figure—a man whose limbs were twisted. A ghastly wound split his chest to his lower abdomen, practically laying him open. His internal organs were gone.
His terrified eyes, though lifeless, still stared fixedly at one spot, as if something monstrous had been there. His face was contorted in agony.
“Wang Li?!” someone behind Lin Qiye exclaimed. “That’s Wang Li from Building Two! How…”
Most of them knew the dead man; his humor had won him many friends in camp. Even if you weren’t close, you recognized him.
“I thought this was just a drill! How could Wang Li…”
“What did he go through? This is awful!”
“This isn’t a drill! There really is a powerful Mystery here! Damn it, where are the instructors?!”
“…”
Seeing Wang Li’s corpse shattered their composure. The group erupted; even Shen Qingzhu and Cao Yuan looked grim.
“Quiet!” Lin Qiye barked, gaze sweeping around. “From the scream to us arriving, no more than two minutes passed. Add feeding time… that Mystery is probably still here!”
A chill ran down everyone’s spine. Thanks to harsh training, they steadied themselves and scanned the room—though tension and fear lingered.
Most had never actually seen a “Mystery,” let alone fought one. Fright was only natural.
Lin Qiye drew the Stellar Blade from his black case. Night spread outward from him as center. While the others stayed tense and still, he stepped silently into the web-filled hall.
“Qiye…” Cao Yuan frowned, worry flashing in his eyes.
“It’s fine. I know what I’m doing.” Lin Qiye kept his voice low.
His mental power combed every inch. After breaking into the “Pool” realm, his Mortal Divine Realm reached a hundred meters—enough to cover half the canteen. Even if the Mystery struck, under Starry Night Dancer he could react instantly.
Cao Yuan hesitated, shrugged off his jacket, slung his blade across his back, and followed. Shen Qingzhu frowned, then entered as well.
After three had gone in, a few recruits gathered courage to follow—until Lin Qiye’s voice rang out:
“Everyone else stay out. The more people, the higher the chance of touching silk and putting us all in danger.”
They stopped at once.
In the dim, silent hall, the three figures inched forward.
Webs were everywhere. Lin Qiye touched none—ducking, leaping, sidling—threading through like an action hero navigating laser corridors. Thanks to constant special training and the ACE watch’s surprise acrobatics, his flexibility far exceeded before; every step was heart-stopping but safe.
Suddenly his mental sense caught something. He jerked his head toward the ceiling on the right!
There, a gray-white giant spider clung, nearly blending with the wall. To the naked eye it was almost invisible.
About two meters long, legs spread four meters wide. Sensing discovery, its body lit with eerie scarlet compound eyes.
At the same instant, the gem on Lin Qiye’s necklace flared azure. A faint dizziness hit his mind, gone in half a second.
Azure Guard activated?
This spider uses mental attacks?!
Lin Qiye reacted like lightning. Night wrapped his Straight Blade; he hurled it straight at the monster!