"Th-this... is this really okay?"
"There aren't even any prey right now though..."
"I said, show me."
The hard, commanding tone in those words left the little snake no room to refuse.
Seeing Bai Jie's insistence, Bai Huahua had no choice but to open her tiny mouth and spit. A jet of water as thick as a finger struck the spider.
Cold and refreshing, with a trace of fragrance.
Bai Jie: "..."
That's way too weak... Was it supposed to drown enemies to death one spit at a time?
This only confirmed Bai Jie's belief that Vitality and actual combat strength had very little correlation.
At the same time, it also concluded that this silly sweet snake was incredibly lucky to have survived this long—at least she hadn't run into some demoness running a Gu Raising livestream... otherwise she'd definitely have been the first to get swallowed.
Thinking of this, Bai Jie asked: "Have you ever thought about leaving here, leaving this pond?"
"Why would I leave here?" Bai Huahua stared wide-eyed with her red crystal eyes, curious.
Truly like a child.
The demonic spider let out a soft laugh, transmitting: "The outside world has lakes and rivers, countless times bigger than this pond. Don't you want to see and experience them?"
But Bai Huahua shook her head, puzzled: "What's so good about bigger? I'm perfectly happy staying right here."
True enough. Though the little snake had some means of self-defense, if she moved to a more complex environment, she'd probably get bullied. This pond might well be the most suitable sanctuary for her.
...
Leaving the back mountain of Xingchuan University, Lin Binbin grabbed a quick dinner at a street-side stall, then walked into the Beicheng Huayuan Residential Complex.
The reason he was entering here was that he had just rented a place two days ago—a standalone villa, no less.
Through his grueling underground boxing, Lin Binbin had earned enough to cover the steep rent. What's more, the rent in this area had suddenly been cut in half not long ago.
The reason was none other than the fact that a serial killer had been exposed as living here, plus a college girl had been killed by her own pet spider.
As a result, many residents moved out of Beicheng Huayuan, believing the place was cursed. They feared that the mutated spider might still be hiding somewhere in the complex, ready to kill at any moment.
Fear stems from insufficient firepower—truer words were never spoken.
That was exactly why Lin Binbin dared to rent a place in this complex.
Moreover, after digging through information online, he suspected that the owner-killing spider was very likely an avatar of Lady Bai Zhi, the one who had bestowed him with Transcendent power.
If trouble really arose, his current strength was enough to protect himself. And on top of that, he had the little golden spider and could call upon Lady Bai Zhi to intervene once.
Thinking it through like this, Lin Binbin settled in with even greater peace of mind.
But he didn't rashly ask Lady Bai Zhi about the dead college girl, afraid of stirring her displeasure. He kept the speculation to himself.
Right now, the first thing Lin Binbin did upon getting home was place the little spider into the terrarium and toss in several venomous insects to feed it.
"Xiao Ai, turn on the TV. News channel." Lin Binbin called out while brewing tea.
"Certainly. Turning on the television for you." The soft AI voice echoed through the living room.
Then the television broadcast in the crisp, measured tones of a newscaster:
"Gaia Tech achieves a major breakthrough in mechanical prosthetic arm development. Safety greatly improved, costs reduced, promising to provide transplants for financially struggling disabled individuals in the future, with a lifespan of up to one hundred years..."
"New production and research base for mechanical prosthetics established in Yongan City. The mayor attends the unveiling ceremony..."
"Yongan City Enforcement Department announces that all stray cats and dogs in the city have been captured and are being housed at a designated facility, pending confirmation by researchers that there is no risk of uncontrolled mutation before considering release."
Hearing this, Lin Binbin suddenly frowned.
He muttered: "All gathered together? If they don't deal with them promptly, and they all mutate at once, wouldn't that be a ticking time bomb?"
"Or has the Enforcement Department already dealt with them, and is calling it 'housing' to protect public sentiment?"
"Screech!"
Suddenly, a sharp scream disrupted Lin Binbin's train of thought.
The piercing sound tore through the nighttime quiet of the residential complex, making an already creepy and mysterious neighborhood feel even more eerie. Even Lin Binbin felt a chill run down his spine.
"That sound... is it from next door?"
Lin Binbin rushed to the balcony. Though he couldn't see inside the neighboring house, he could hear a hair-raising, gut-wrenching groan.
"This complex... is genuinely cursed, isn't it?"
In two bounding leaps, Lin Binbin's Transcendent muscle power carried him effortlessly onto the second-floor balcony of the neighboring house—and then he witnessed a scene that made every hair on his body stand on end.
Disgusting. Dangerous. Terrifying. Deranged...
A swarm of emotions drilled into Lin Binbin's consciousness, trying to destabilize his sanity.
It was a stitched-together monstrosity beyond description, currently tearing into a man's body. Nearby lay the corpse of a woman long since dead, her belly hollowed out, and no head attached.
The monster's body was as thick as a pig's, covered in sparse fur, with a thick layer of tortoise shell across its back, and eight legs that were impossible to identify.
Even more horrifying, this monster bore three heads and one face arranged in a square: a cat head, a dog head, a snapping turtle head, and a woman's face.
Among them, the turtle head and dog head were bowed low, gnawing at the man's flesh.
The woman's face had both eyes tightly shut, seemingly in slumber.
The cat head had only one eye open, glaring viciously at Lin Binbin—the other eye had a fruit knife stabbed into it, blood flowing ceaselessly.
"That eerie, chilling aura... no doubt about it. Same as those mutated, biting stray animals."
"I was just upset that the Enforcers had captured all the mutant animals. Never thought I'd run into a monster like you."
Lin Binbin muttered to himself. The discomfort and horror coursing through him were gradually replaced by a strange excitement—one that seemed to come from that mysterious "spirit fluid."
He'd experienced this feeling only once before—that time in the ring, in a life-or-death moment. That was when it triggered.
"Hah..."
He exhaled a breath of cold air. In his star-bright pupils, a faint blue-violet glimmer flashed, barely perceptible.
His blood was surging, yet his mind became strangely clear.
"As long as I kill you and offer you up to Lady Bai Zhi, I might get more 'spirit fluid'!"
One step forward, unafraid. His silhouette stretched long under the moonlight.
"Grrr!"
The dog head let out a low growl, and together with the turtle head, lifted to glare menacingly at Lin Binbin.
Whoosh!
Lin Binbin became a blur of shadow, treading on moonlight, stars in his eyes, lunging forward ferociously—closing the distance to the monster in an instant.
At the same time, an overwhelming stench of rot and decay invaded his lungs. He'd never smelled anything so vile in his life.
A long leg, brimming with explosive power, lifted high—then came crashing down vertically like a thousand-pound hammer onto the dog head.
Crack! A crisp snap in that instant—the skull shattered, the dog's eyes rolled white, black blood splattered everywhere.