193: The Lost Territory, Qinghai
Shen Changze burned a segment of spider silk from the web and handed it to Zhuang Yao, holding it between two sticks, for him and Tang Tingzhi to examine.
Zhuang Yao picked up a fist-sized stone from the snow and pressed it against the spider silk. The stone adhered firmly, “The adhesive property is indeed substantial.”
“The adhesive and elasticity are both impressive,” Shen Changze raised his arm, a section of transparent spider silk still sticking to his sleeve, “but it’s not heavy.”
“How long does it take to burn through it?” Zhuang Yao inquired.
“I timed it, 4 seconds with the highest flame temperature. This is one of the toughest substances I’ve encountered,” Shen Changze responded.
Turning to Liu Fengyu, Zhuang Yao asked, “And you?”
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“Gcswv 2 sa 3 plnsdep.”
Hbwydt Zys’p lulp pbkxxlale pzktbvzu. “Elzz, vbyv’p nsaalnv. Frkela pkzj sq liwkhyzldv iwyzkvu byp lhld talyvla qzlmkckzkvu vbyd alkdqsanle pvllz cyap. Mblpl vbknj prkela pkzj asrlp yal clkdt wple yp ydnbsap qsa nyats pbkrp. Tsolhla, prkela pkzj kp rakxyakzu nsxrsple sq rasvlkdp yde nyd’v okvbpvyde bktb vlxrlayvwalp zkjl pvllz. Rv’p yzps ektlpvle qypvla vbyd kv cwadp. Rv’p vawzu y alxyajyczl xyvlakyz. Rq sdzu ol nswze qkde y oyu vs wvkzkgl kv.”
Nkw Wldtuw lmbyzle, y obkvl xkpv lpnyrkdt bkp zkrp. “El pbswze vbkdj ycswv bso vs tlv swv qkapv. Xvblaokpl, vbl prkelap xktbv qkde y oyu vs wpl wp qsa vblka sod rwarsplp.”
“Psd’v osaau.” Hbwydt Zys zssjle yv Ew Zw. “Mau qallgkdt y 2-nldvkxlvla plnvksd sq vbkp pkzj yde pll bso zsdt kv vyjlp.”
Ew Zw tyhl kv y vau yde kv sdzu vssj vos plnsdep.
Hbwydt Zys vwadle vs vbl prkelaolc yde scplahle nyalqwzzu. Tl xwxczle vs bkxplzq, “Mbl ekpvydnl clvolld vbl pkzj vbalyep kp ycswv 30 nldvkxlvlap, yde Gcw kp ycswv 8 xlvlap vyzz. Wallgkdt vbl yaly… vbl prlle… oswze vyjl 40 plnsdep. Ms srld y essa okel ldswtb qsa yzz sq wp vs rypp vbaswtb, kv oswze vyjl yv zlypv 40 plnsdep. Ls, kv’p vss pzso.”
Usdt Dky pwttlpvle, “Ebyv ycswv wpkdt qkal? Nlv vbl qzyxlp pralye vbaswtb vbl pkzj.”
Hbwydt Zys pbssj bkp blye. “Rv’p byae vs nsdvasz. El xktbv lde wr vayrrle kd y ply sq qkal. Rv’p vss eydtlaswp.”
Cheng Tianbi proposed, “How about using a wind cannon?”
“You can give it a try. I think the silk might just clump together,” Zhuang Yao replied.
Cheng Tianbi took out a wind cannon from his backpack and fired it towards a distant location. After the explosion, everyone looked over, and indeed, although the arm-thick silk had been blasted apart, the sticky protein fluid dripped down like a curtain of water. It was evident that the explosion’s temperature distribution had been too uneven, resulting in parts being burnt by the higher temperature flames, similar to Shen Changze’s fire burning effect. However, most of the areas with lower temperatures caused the silk to melt, making it even harder to pass through.
Tang Tingzhi suggested, “Let’s use temperature to our advantage. These silk proteins don’t freeze in temperatures below minus thirty degrees. There must be some substance at play. Since Wu Yu can freeze them with ice, that proves that extensive freezing is effective against them. Let Yao Qianjiang pour water on the silk. It will freeze quickly at this temperature. After that, Wu Yu can break the silk much faster. Once it’s frozen, its stickiness will decrease, and we can destroy it.”
“This plan makes sense, but we should know how many layers of silk we’re dealing with first.” Zhuang Yao said to Cheng Tianbi, “Only you can go out and take a look.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded, and his body suddenly twisted strangely. Then, his face dispersed into thin air, and the upper part of his clothes collapsed, while his lower body remained in place, looking as if he had been cut in half. A gust of wind swept by, diving into the thick mist. The mist had become so dense that it seemed almost solid, making the air circulation extremely difficult. Wind was nothing more than the movement of air, so when Cheng Tianbi passed through, a distinct trail appeared in the mist, similar to a fish swimming through water. As Cheng Tianbi moved farther away, the mist blended back together.
Everyone stared at Cheng Tianbi’s legs and clothes that remained where he had been. They were utterly amazed.
Wu Yu couldn’t help but envyingly remark, “He’s probably reaching the third stage soon, isn’t he?”
“Probably at least a few more months, estimated to be by the end of this year,” Cong Xia estimated.
“Then it’s almost here. A few months pass quickly. Elementalization… the abilities of the third stage are truly enticing,” Shen Changze and Yao Qianjiang agreed without speaking.
After two minutes, Cheng Tianbi returned. Elementalization evidently consumed a lot of energy; he took a breath and said, “The structure of these spiderwebs is incredibly complex. It’s not the conventional diffusion-style web we’re familiar with. It’s more like a spindle, interwoven vertically and horizontally. Therefore, there’s no way to accurately count how many layers there are. However, starting from here, we need to walk 60 meters before reaching an area without spiderwebs. There are at least over twenty layers, and this path is full of spiders, along with many bodies. We just can’t see them now.”
Yao Qianjiang smiled and said, “These spiders are really determined to catch us. They’ve woven over twenty layers of webs. It would be great if we could raise a few of them, such a handy tool.”
“Bodies? Human bodies?” Zhuang Yao inquired.
Cheng Tianbi answered, “All sorts of bodies—most are from animals, hardly any human ones. Those bodies are wrapped up in silk like dumplings and hung on the webs. They’re probably the spiders’ winter food supply.”
Cong Xia forced a smile, “No wonder the spiders aren’t rushing to attack us or eat us. They’ve already stocked up on food. They can patiently wait for us to be trapped here.”
Zhuang Yao proposed, “Let’s try to break out once. Yao Qianjiang and Wu Yu will lead the way, spraying water on all the silk, then destroying it. Shen Changze and Cheng Tianbi will cover the rear, burning the silk after we pass through. The others will focus on attacking the spiders. Everyone, control your mutant pets; don’t let them move recklessly. During the breakout, we have to be as fast as possible. Once stuck, we won’t have time to deal with them.”
Tang Tingzhi organized everyone into a long formation based on their size and attack methods. Yao Qianjiang and Wu Yu both sat on Chen Shao’s back, with Abu carrying Cong Xia and others in the second position, ready to provide them with energy at any time. With their preparations complete, they charged forward in the direction they needed to go.
Yao Qianjiang sprayed a mist of water ahead, and the water droplets stuck to the silk, immediately frosting over. This made it easy for Wu Yu to identify the silk, saving them a lot of effort in freezing it. With their collaboration, their speed indeed increased significantly. The silk shattered like popsicle sticks, and Chen Shao moved forward unhindered, even though his pace wasn’t fast. The others followed one after another, hoping to break through the encirclement as soon as possible.
However, despite covering a distance far exceeding 60 meters, they were still caught in the intricate web spun by the spiders and couldn’t break free.
Cheng Tianbi transformed into wind once again, flying forward. Soon after, he returned and solemnly reported, “Spiders are weaving webs ahead. Their silk-spitting speed is almost as fast as our silk-breaking speed. This way, we won’t be able to escape.”
Zhuang Yao sighed, “Indeed, these spiders are clever. They’re not engaging us head-on; they’re trapping us in the mist where we can’t see them.”
The entire team came to a halt, and a sense of disappointment lingered in the air. Yao Qianjiang and Wu Yu had worked tirelessly, yet they were still unable to break free, which was even more frustrating.
Zhuang Yao suddenly turned to Cheng Tianbi, “Can you cut through the silk?”
“I can, but the destructive area is smaller compared to freezing.”
Zhuang Yao continued, “We don’t need a large area. This time, switch positions. You and Shen Changze take the lead. The two of you can create small openings in the silk, just enough for one person to pass through. Tang Yanqiu and Deng Xiao will follow, one with a bow and the other with a gun, searching for shadows in the dense mist.”
The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh resonated from a distance, probably Cheng Tianbi attacking a spider. Then, Deng Xiao’s machine gun fired, its sound echoing throughout the forest. At the same time, Tang Yanqiu released a rocket.
Yao Qianjiang and Wu Yu pushed forward as fast as they could, enlarging the hole left by Shen Changze to a size Abu could fit through. The group rushed ahead quickly, with the sound of gunfire coming from the rear.
Tang Tingzhi shouted, “Cheng Tianbi, how much longer until we get out?”
Cheng Tianbi’s voice, breathless from exertion, came from a distance, “Less than 30 meters! Hurry and kill the spiders!”
Tang Tingzhi called out, “Blow away the mist. Just a few seconds will be enough!”
Cheng Tianbi had just sliced off a spider’s head. At this point, his energy consumption was extremely rapid. To prevent the silk from sticking to him, he had to maintain his elementalized form and attack while in this energy-consuming state. The air in the thick mist hardly circulated. In an open plain, there would be wind everywhere for him to utilize, which would save a lot of energy for any attack.
However, in the mist, it was the opposite. He generated wind at the cost of his own energy. If he were in his human form, dispersing the mist might not have been so laborious. Although he wouldn’t be able to maintain it for long, now… He gritted his teeth and mustered his strength, spinning his body frantically within the mist. Soon, a small tornado formed within the mist. The tornado grew larger and larger, causing the entire spiderweb to tremble. The mist was slowly dispersed by the tornado, and the group finally felt the long-forgotten sunlight. However, they also simultaneously witnessed a terrifying scene they would never forget.
Above them, thousands upon thousands of silk threads crisscrossed, forming an endless expanse of a massive web. They couldn’t see the exact size of this web or how many layers it had. What they saw were countless giant spiders sprawled on the layers of the web, and countless reserves of food hanging from it. Within their field of vision, the highest spider was at least three to four hundred meters away. Above that was still a dense mist, concealing a scene that was likely akin to hell.
The spiders had diameters ranging from six to seven meters down to as small as a fist. The most common size was a bit over a meter. They were entangled in silk, gently swaying on the web, resembling hanging bodies from a distance. Their sizes and shapes were diverse, most of them being forest creatures, though humans were present too. These menacing black spiders lay directly above them, yet they remained completely oblivious. This scene was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
“I… darn…” Shan Ming swallowed his saliva, “I’ve truly broadened my horizons.”
Zhuang Yao roared, “What are you staring at? Open fire!”
Everyone reacted abruptly and began to hit the spiders that were trying to spin webs to trap them. After the dense fog dispersed, their field of vision widened considerably. Once they locked onto their targets, they opened fire frantically.
However, within just over ten seconds of the fog dispersing, it gradually merged back together. They were locked inside again, imagining a hellish world above them that they couldn’t see, causing even more panic.
A gust of wind swept back, and Cheng Tianbi returned to his own body. He sat on Abu’s back, his face pale. Cong Xia immediately supported him and infused energy into his body. “Tianbi, you’ve worked hard.”
Cheng Tianbi shook his head, “It’s fine. Shooting them blind consumes too much firepower and are inefficient. I need to disperse the fog again.”
Zhuang Yao urged, “Hurry, we’re about to break through!”
Two minutes later, Cong Xia restored sixty percent of Cheng Tianbi’s energy. Cheng Tianbi turned into a gust of wind again, diving into the spider’s web and temporarily dispersing the fog once more. Everyone seized the opportunity and turned the web-spinning spiders into sieves. Many spiders retreated into the trees.
Cheng Tianbi roared, “We’re about to get out, pick up the pace!”
Cong Xia continuously channeled energy into Yao Qianjiang and Wu Yu, helping them break through the silk vigorously. The entire team gathered their strength and burst out of the encircling spider web!
“Ao! We’re out, we’re out!” Deng Xiao shouted excitedly, “These lousy spiders don’t stand a chance. Die, hahaha.”
Cheng Tianbi shouted loudly, “Hurry and move forward, we’re not out of danger yet.”
No one dared to be complacent. They knew that spiders were all over above them. It wasn’t time to celebrate, but they should no longer be trapped by the web-like cage of spiders. As victory approached, everyone was exhilarated.
However, their excitement lasted less than a minute. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound from above, as if something was rubbing against branches and trunks, and it was descending rapidly…
Tang Tingzhi’s face changed, and he urgently shouted, “Everyone, jump down and lie down!”
People were taken aback and quickly scrambled down from the mutated creatures, but in the blink of an eye, a massive spider web descended from above, covering them completely. They had nowhere to hide, and the thick, heavy, and sticky web pressed them harshly onto the ground. Accompanying the web’s descent were some stored food supplies and more than a dozen large spiders.
With the combined weight of the web and the spiders, it was at least a ton. If not for the large mutated creatures bearing the brunt, most of the people would have been crushed to death. Abu and a few other tall mutated creatures were forced to their knees and sustained some injuries. What plunged them into despair was the spider silk they had been avoiding all along—it was now all over them. Those who were near the larger creatures had less of it sticking to them, but none were spared.
Liu Fengyu yelled out in frustration, “Damn it! These things are unbelievably sticky! My hair!”
Curses echoed around as everyone experienced firsthand just how adhesive the spider silk was. It was impossible to break free from it when stuck to fabric. Only by removing their clothes could they hope to escape its clutches. If it adhered to their skin, there was even less hope; separating from it would mean tearing skin along with it.
Liu Fengyu managed to free himself from the silk with difficulty, but he remained frozen in place, staring at the chunk of burnt hair on his head. He stared at his burned hair then he took out a liquid gun and unleashed a barrage of poison upon a spider approaching him. The small head of the spider, disproportionate to its body, was quickly digested by the voracious liquid of his inexhaustible energy-powered gun.
Shen Changze also emerged from the silk, rushing to Shan Ming and Tang Tingzhi’s side. He used fire to burn away the silk and then spread his wings, lifting the two of them and flying to an area free of the web. He then returned to rescue Al and the others. Shan Ming shook his head, retrieved his submachine gun, and fired wildly at a spider, venting all his frustration through the inexhaustible energy weapon.
Cheng Tianbi also cut the silk around Cong Xia and Zhuang Yao with wind blades, lifting them and placing them beside Shan Ming. Those who could still move opened fire, shooting down the spiders approaching them.
Wu Yu freed himself and shattered the silk on Chen Shao, saying, “Change back to human form. Otherwise, you won’t fit through the gaps in the silk. They’re too narrow for your claws.”
Chen Shao climbed to his feet, reverting to his human form. Crushed by the thousand-pound web, he was bleeding internally, his face pale. Wu Yu grabbed him and ran to a safe spot, then went back to save the Frost Society members.
Liu Fengyu, while firing his gun, carefully maneuvered through the gaps in the web, inching closer to Tang Yanqiu. Tang Yanqiu’s back was completely stuck to the silk, all for the sake of protecting his bow. Just as he was about to reach Tang Yanqiu, he suddenly felt a tug at his waist. Looking down, he saw a strand of silk wrapping around his waist!
Cong Xia shouted, “Liu Ge, be careful!”
Liu Fengyu turned his head and saw a large spider crouched on a tree, spewing out a long strand of silk. Layer by layer, the silk entangled Liu Fengyu. As he shot at the spider, he secreted digestive fluids frantically. At this point, he cared little for his clothes. He certainly didn’t want to be turned into a spider’s winter meal, wrapped up like a dumpling. His clothes were quickly dissolved by the fluids, the silk on his waist melting into a protein liquid that dripped down his legs. Like the others, he had no time to ponder whether this silk would remain on his skin forever. They were focused on one thing: escaping this nightmare. After dissolving the silk, Liu Fengyu faced another pressing issue—cold. Enduring the bone-chilling chill, he dissolved the silk on Tang Yanqiu. Tang Yanqiu scooped him up and flew to safety, promptly removing his own coat and draping it around Liu Fengyu.
Liu Fengyu asked, “And what about you?”
“I have feathers, I won’t get cold.” Tang Yanqiu lifted his undershirt, revealing a layer of thick feathers covering his once-smooth skin. “Go and save the others.”
With that, Tang Yanqiu drew his bow. The spiders were now close to them. With his evolved vision and short-range biological radar ability, he could precisely target the vulnerable points of the spiders.
Several individuals capable of breaking the silk rushed to aid their companions. Those who regained their freedom immediately grabbed their weapons to confront the spiders. This time they were quite ragged. Because the most formidable fighters among them, the avian hybrids, were large in size and covered in fur, they were the most difficult to free from the silk. They had lost all combat capability. If not for the spiders’ lack of formidable fighting prowess, they would likely have been trapped here as soon as they entered Qinghai.
In this manner, they simultaneously rescued their companions and battled the spiders. Due to the spiders’ enormous size, they found it hard to move, possessing little agility. They primarily relied on their deranged silk for capturing prey. Consequently, they were not very challenging to confront in direct combat.
After nearly an hour of struggle, they finally managed to free everyone, animals, and luggage from the silk. Every person and creature was covered in thick strands of silk. Abu’s fur was tangled into clumps. It seemed that the only solution was to shave him completely. It was clearly uncomfortable, as Abu kept trying to lick himself, but Zhuang Yao sternly forbade it. If he continued, he’d lose his tongue as well.
As these creatures’ bodies were enveloped in segments of silk, they couldn’t sit down. Once they escaped, they sprinted forward with legs splayed, fearing another web from above that would ensnare them all.
They continued to flee desperately for two kilometers before finally stopping, gasping for breath. Xiao Zhou collapsed, exclaiming, “Oh my god, I’m so exhausted.”
Yao Qianjiang furrowed his brows. “Idiot, you just remembered?”
Xiao Zhou blinked and suddenly realized he couldn’t sit up. He then recalled the strands of silk on his back. He was near tears. “Your Highness, please help me.”
Wu Yu froze the segment of silk into ice, then crushed it. However, his down jacket was now damaged, with a hole in it. Xiao Zhou managed to get up from the ground with this help. He stood up straight but dared not approach anything.
Zhuang Yao said, “Everyone, don’t touch these silk strands for now. They’ll either ruin our clothes or damage our skin. Let’s head to Xining and find a warm place to come up with a solution. Hopefully, we can find some enzymes that can dissolve this spider silk protein. If not, we might have to resort to brute force.”
Cong Xia sighed, “Xining is still sixty or seventy kilometers away. Are we going to walk?”
Tang Tingzhi patted the endearing, giant black bear of the Dragonblood Clan, “None of them can run anymore. We’ll have to walk.”
The group was left speechless. They had initially thought that, being so close to Xining, they would have arrived even with their eyes closed. Who could have anticipated encountering such a bizarre swarm of spiders? Many of the higher-ranked mutants had never experienced such a sorry state. Their impression of Qinghai had transformed from “probably scary” to “definitely terrifying.” This somewhat dampened their morale. However, the fact that everyone managed to escape was already a stroke of luck.
Zhuang Yao said, “Many are injured. Cong Xia, tend to their injuries before we continue.”
Cong Xia quickly began treating the pets and mutants who had sustained injuries to their organs and bones from the spider silk, a process that took over an hour.
“Let’s go. Let’s pick up the pace,” Tang Tingzhi glanced at the sky. “Hopefully, we’ll reach Xining by tomorrow.”
The group adjusted their emotions, shouldered their belongings, and set off once again, determined to move forward.
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Translator’s note: Gosh, this is crazy!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!! I can’t imagine small spiders crawling all over me especially not huge ones. My insides are shaking. LOL.
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