Chapter 35 Part 2

The girl’s body warped and mutated. Thin legs extended from her back. Coarse chitin covered her skin. Soon, the girl on the bed vanished, replaced by another large spider.

Rustle, rustle.

Rustle, rustle.

The entire villa had become a massive spider nest.

Far away, in some remote location.

“Boss, A-023 is about to hatch early.”

The long-haired man standing before the massive screen turned around. “It’s time to recover it. Make sure our little darling eats its fill—no slip-ups.”

“Yes!”

Lu Garden wasn’t far from where Second Brother Lu lived—a half-hour drive.

The moment Lin Juan stepped out of the car, he sensed an extremely intense pollution.

His expression shifted. “We need to evacuate the surrounding residents.”

Lu Yanzhou knew from that alone how serious things were. Fortunately, Second Brother Lu lived in a standalone villa, far from any neighbors for privacy’s sake.

Lu Yanzhou immediately contacted property management to clear the area.

Lin Juan called Director Liu directly.

The phone line crackled with noise, but after Lin Juan gave a quick rundown, Director Liu spoke up. “3:40 a.m. We detected a sudden pollution value spike there. Teams are already en route.”

Lin Juan spotted the uniformed ability users.

“Mr. Lin, what brings you here?” Sheng Tianzong was in the middle of deploying the operation plan when he saw Lin Juan and walked over.

“We received a distress call from Lu Yanzhou’s niece. We couldn’t reach Second Brother Lu by phone, so we came to check the situation.”

At present, their worst fears had come true.

They did not know how Second Brother Lu’s family was doing.

“Break down the door first,” Sheng Tianzong ordered.

“I have the key.” Lu Yanzhou had brought the key specifically.

With the key, opening the door was simple.

An ability user took the key and opened the door.

When the door opened and he saw the situation inside, the ability user froze.

“Captain Sheng, this…”

Sheng Tianzong walked over. Behind the door stood a white, semi-transparent wall.

He reached out and touched it. The “wall” was flexible and could be pushed.

Lin Juan touched it as well. “It’s spider silk.”

“Spider silk?” Sheng Tianzong was astonished. “How could there be spider silk this big?”

“This villa has probably become a giant spider’s nest. Look.” Lin Juan pointed to the window above. The window was open, and strip-like objects dangled from inside.

An ability user flew a drone up. The drone clearly recorded everything visible through the window.

The villa’s walls were covered in layer upon layer of spider webs. Spiders of all sizes crawled to and fro.

“So many spiders!” the ability user cried out.

Sheng Tianzong uploaded the information to the system and soon received feedback.

“B-Rank anomaly [Humanback Spider]. It likes to build nests, is poisonous, and has tough spider silk. Entering its nest suppresses supernatural abilities. That means once we go in, our abilities will be suppressed. Everyone, be careful.”

The ones trapped were Lu Family members. Lin Juan had every reason to rescue them.

“I’m not sure of the situation inside. I’ll go in with you.”

Lu Yanzhou and Lu Mingxuan waited for them in the safe zone.

As they watched Lin Juan and the ability users enter, Lu Mingxuan said softly, “If only I had a supernatural ability too.”

“The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.” Lu Yanzhou glanced at his nephew. “Outsiders might think their magical powers are cool, but the burdens they carry are far heavier than we imagine. Their work is far more dangerous than we think.”

“I know.” A flame flickered in Lu Mingxuan’s eyes. “But compared to being protected, I’d rather be the protector. Only the strong can protect those they want to protect. Doesn’t Little Uncle think the same?”

The more he encountered the cruel side of this world, the more Lu Mingxuan yearned for power. Perhaps it was the Lu Family genes in his blood—just as he was certain his Little Uncle would not settle for being ordinary, he himself refused to be one of the protected.

“I heard from Big Brother that you’ve taken an interest in martial arts lately?” Lu Yanzhou knew his nephew’s mind well. A hot-blooded youth under twenty was normal, especially with a powerhouse like Lin Juan around. It was natural for Lu Mingxuan to admire strength.

“Yes, I’ve been too slack before.” Lu Mingxuan scratched his head sheepishly. “Whether I become an ability user isn’t up to me. I just want to get as strong as possible.”

“Strength isn’t just about combat power. It can be multifaceted. The future world won’t belong to ability users alone.” Lu Yanzhou gazed ahead, deliberately imparting the rules of the world to Lu Mingxuan.

Young people viewed the world too one-sidedly.

Lu Mingxuan fell thoughtful.

“What about Little Uncle? Does Little Uncle want to become an ability user?”

Lu Yanzhou paused for a moment. “Having seen the world’s true face, of course I do.”

Ability users naturally had an easier time dictating rules than ordinary people.

“Hehe, I knew Little Uncle wanted to.” Lu Mingxuan winked. “After all, Little Uncle-in-law is so powerful.”

“Xiao Juan is special.”

The Lin Juan in question had already entered the villa with Sheng Tianzong and the others.

It was his first time at Second Brother Lu’s home. He could vaguely make out the warm decor through gaps in the spider silk.

Unfortunately, spider silk now blanketed everything, obscuring the villa’s original look.

Lin Juan yanked down a strand of spider silk and tugged. It was very tough. He pressed on until a massive sheet blocked his path.

Lin Juan parted it with his hand.

The layered spider silk resembled a dangling cloth at a glance. It felt soft and cool against the skin.

“The spider silk is poisonous,” Sheng Tianzong said, holding a detector. “The toxicity isn’t severe, but too much contact will leave you limp.”

The ability users wore protective uniforms that blocked most toxins, so they had little to worry about. Lin Juan, however, had come in his everyday clothes and kept pawing at the webs curiously.

At Sheng Tianzong’s warning, Lin Juan stopped and sensed it. “This much toxin can’t affect me.”

Seeing Sheng Tianzong’s disapproving look, Lin Juan summoned 【Forest Cabin】 and transformed it into the Death God’s Scythe. “I’ll use this.”

The deeper they went, the denser the webs became.

Eventually, they entered a white cavern wrapped layer upon layer in spider silk.

The silk was fine but abundant, nearly enclosing them.

It was no illusion.

The spider silk was trying to wrap them up!

Sheng Tianzong tensed. “Everyone, careful! Don’t let the webs envelop you!”

Lin Juan swung his scythe, cleaving the web in two. It soon converged again.

“Why are there webs everywhere? Where are the spiders?” An ability user brushed a web from his face, puzzled.

“Hiding behind the webs.” Lin Juan tilted his chin up.

Behind the white webs, pairs of green-glowing eyes blinked—like hunters awaiting delivered prey.

“Lu Yanzhou said his second brother’s family’s bedrooms are on the third floor. Let’s head straight there.”

Spider webs entangled the elevator, rendering it unusable. The stairs were a web hotspot, blanketed white like endless snow.

Even the floor was springy spider silk.

A thick layer muffled their footsteps.

On the second floor, they heard rustling.

Countless black spiders emerged from the shadows—tiny ones pinhead-sized, huge ones half a person tall.

Like sharks smelling blood, spiders big and small swarmed them.

Lin Juan slashed left and right, dropping a pile.

The ability users unleashed their supernatural abilities, carving a path through the horde.

Soon, the floor was heaped with spider corpses of all sizes.

The spider tide ebbed. Lin Juan headed upward.

Third floor.

“Help—”

“Mommy—”

“Wah wah wah, I want Mommy—”

“Don’t come closer! Don’t— Ah—”

Frail childish voices echoed, growing more terrified. Sheng Tianzong located the source and kicked the door open.

Lin Juan followed close.

Behind the gaping door lay a very pink princess room in a pink theme. White gauze curtains draped down, lending a dreamlike air.

On closer look, those were no gauze curtains but layers of spider silk!

No little girl in sight.

“Lu Yuqing?” Lin Juan recalled that Lu Yanzhou said the distress call came from Lu Yuqing.

“Are you there?”

No answer.

Lin Juan’s heart sank a little.

They had clearly heard the girl’s cries moments ago. She could not have come to harm so quickly.

Lin Juan called out twice more.

Finally, a timid reply came.

“I’m here. Is it Little Uncle come to save me?”

Why assume it was Lu Yanzhou?

Or was the true goal luring Lu Yanzhou here?

Suspicions raced through Lin Juan’s mind, but his face remained calm. “It’s me. Where are you? I’ve come to save you.”

“Did you see Mommy? Mommy wants to eat me. Why does Mommy want to eat me?!”

“I’m Mommy’s most obedient child!”

The girl’s voice turned shrill and grating.

Lin Juan pinpointed the source and signaled the others not to act rashly. He crept closer.

The sound came from the bed.

Spider silk enshrouded the bed like a canopy, blocking all view inside.

Lin Juan reached the bedside and asked casually, “Why do you think you’re Mommy’s most obedient child? Aren’t your little brother and sister obedient?”

“Because I helped Mommy.” A little girl’s giggle came from the canopy. “Adults don’t suspect kids. My little brother and sister just eat. Only I can help Mommy.”

“What did you help Mommy with?”

“Can’t say, hehe.” The shrill laugh pierced the ears.

“Little Uncle is here. Can you come out now?”

Behind the silk, Lin Juan glimpsed a massive black shadow. Clearly too big for a little girl.

“Little Uncle, wait till I eat Little Uncle. Then Mommy will reward me for sure.”

Bang!

The instant the huge black shadow lunged, Lin Juan hefted his scythe and slashed upward hard.

“Ah!!!!”

A man-sized black spider curled into a ball and tumbled from the bed.

Realizing the ruse, the spider flailed its limbs and scuttled away, shrieking, “Mommy! Mommy, save me!!”

“Don’t let it escape!”

What did “eat Little Uncle and Mommy will reward me” mean? Was Lu Yanzhou’s prior incident tied to this mother-child pair?

Lin Juan had come to rescue people, only to find this unexpected bonus.

Did Second Brother Lu know?

If so…

Lin Juan’s gaze darkened.

Find the people first.

[Forest Cabin] shifted form at Lin Juan’s will, transforming from the Death God’s Scythe into a wooden rope that shot out and bound the giant spider tight.

Lin Juan approached. “Where are your mommy and daddy?”

The giant spider wailed, “Mommy! Mommy!!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Heavy thumps sounded. Sheng Tianzong and the others turned toward the noise.

A giant spider nearly as tall as the room crawled in from the stairwell. The floor groaned under its weight.

“Holy shit! What a huge spider!”

The giant spider was enormous and covered in rolling eyeballs, enough to turn stomachs.

Most eye-catching were the scarlet compound eyes on its head, each sprouting smaller eyes. One glance made it impossible not to look away.

Too disgusting.

Even without trypophobia, it was unbearable.

Up close, they saw a human fused to the giant spider’s back.

Truly grown into it.

Human skin merged seamlessly with the giant spider.

The woman was covered in eyeballs too.

“It’s Qiu Lishu.” Lin Juan had a good memory and recalled those he had met.

“Mommy—”

Next to the giant spider, the big spider seemed tiny. Though it cried for Mommy, its voice filled with fear and panic when the giant spider arrived.

The giant spider spared Lin Juan and the others one glance before crawling toward the big spider.

The bound big spider thrashed wildly, dragging the wood rope backward.

To their shock, the giant spider scooped up the big spider with its front limbs and shoved it toward its maw.

It had not lied—its own mommy really meant to eat it!