# 171
Chapter 171: This Spider Is Obviously Super Strong, Yet Ridiculously Timid
Shen Qingzhu froze on the spot.
Huh?
This Mystery can turn into a human?
And even talk?!
As expected of a River Realm creature—utterly vicious!
Just as he raised his hand to snap his fingers, the boy lying on the silk-soft bed morphed into a huge gray-white spider. Eight legs blurred, and in the blink of an eye it scuttled to a ventilation hatch high on the warehouse wall.
"Why meeeee!!!
Why is it you again! What did I ever do—why does everyone want to kill me!!
Bad people! All of you are bad!!
Waaahhh… I'll just run, okay?!"
Wailing and sobbing, the spider shot through the hatch before Shen Qingzhu could snap.
He stood there stunned. He'd imagined every possible scenario—except this one fleeing without a fight.
Which of us is the Mystery here?
Why do I feel like the villain…
He jabbed the radio. "It's getting away! Blow the charges—now!"
Boom—!!!
Dozens of directional bombs lining the warehouse detonated as one. The building erupted like a paper cup stuffed with firecrackers, shredded by flame and shockwave.
Crimson fire roared skyward like a dragon, dyeing the clouds scarlet. The ground quaked; a mushroom cloud rolled upward…
Hidden recruits gulped at the apocalyptic blast.
From the inferno, a half-charred spider trailed black smoke, arcing through the air.
"Aaaahhh!!
My butt's on fire! My butt!!
It hurts, hurts, hurts…!!"
Its shriek echoed overhead. Spotting it, the recruits' eyes lit and they sprinted toward the landing point.
Shen Qingzhu strode out of the flames without a scorch mark, coughed twice, and glared at the falling spider.
"Damn—why'd it bolt so fast? Did it sense the ambush?
Truly a vicious River Realm Mystery!"
Cursing, he raced after it.
Seeing the tide of pursuers, the spider broke into a cold sweat (if it could sweat). Its eight legs trembled; it fired a silk line at a nearby building, swung, and sailed away…
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—!!
Sharpshooters opened fire. Bullets whipped past; the spider yelped, faltered mid-swing—and in that instant three figures flashed beside it!
All three had speed-type Forbidden Ruins; catching up was easy.
"Got you!!"
They drew star-pattern blades and slashed. The spider shrieked; its crimson eyes flared. The three recruits groaned and dropped like stones.
Comrades below caught them. "Psychic attack—watch out!"
The rest unleashed a barrage—fire, frost, wind, bullets—blanketing the sky.
"Why meeee!!!
I wanna go home, waaah…"
Glancing back, the spider bawled. While swinging it sprayed silk left and right, weaving a giant web across the street. The unknown fiber blocked every attack and barred the recruits' path until a flame-user finally melted it after five blistering seconds.
But Shen Qingzhu had flanking teams. They slipped through side alleys and appeared right in front of the spider.
"Outta my way outta my way outta my way!!!"
Invisible soul-silk shot out, snatching the souls of the front-row recruits, yanking them from their bodies and knitting an unseen net. Anyone who touched it lost soul to silk and collapsed unconscious.
Watching more and more fall, Shen Qingzhu frowned. The black ring on his finger flashed, forming a blade.
【Soul-Severing Blade】!
He leapt, slashed the empty air—shredding the soul-web. Freed souls snapped back; the fallen woke.
The spider, its soul extension severed, screamed and plummeted.
Shen Qingzhu snapped his fingers.
Pop—!!
Air around the spider compressed, sparked, then exploded in roaring flame.
A huge bubble-gum bomb drifted overhead and detonated, turning the ground into a sea of fire.
"I don't wanna die… I don't wanna dieee!!"
The gray-white spider lurched from the blaze, scuttled straight up a vertical wall. Explosions bloomed behind but failed to hit.
"The hell? Still not dead? This thing's ridiculously tough!" Shen Qingzhu cursed, chasing on.
Its body, psychic power, silk, soul-web—all were absurdly strong. If it stood its ground, the recruits would pay dearly.
So why was it running?
Screaming, it flipped over another rooftop, recruits in hot pursuit across half the training camp. Mid-swing it froze.
On the adjacent roof, a boy meditating opened curious eyes and met its gaze…