Chapter 158: Spider

"Let's go to the source of the scream first!"

Lin QiYe hesitated for only a moment before making his decision.

The third building was farther away from their current location, while the cafeteria was right next to the warehouse. Although the situation at the third building was strange, the exact status inside was unclear. Since the scream came from the cafeteria, something must have happened there, and rescuing people was their main objective.

The group quickly reached the entrance of the cafeteria. At this time, the cafeteria should have already prepared breakfast, filling the air with a fragrant smell. But today, the cafeteria was eerily silent. There was no fragrance at all, and instead, a faint smell of blood hung in the air…

Upon smelling the scent, everyone's faces instantly changed.

"Weren't they just saying it was an exercise? Why…?" Shen Qingzhu's face darkened.

Lin QiYe didn't speak. He just furrowed his brow and walked up to the door. The iron lock that was originally fastened to the cafeteria door handle had already been cut off. There were also signs that the door had been opened. It seemed that someone had been here before them, cutting the lock and entering… If nothing else, the scream they had heard just now must have come from that person.

Lin QiYe didn't rush to open the door. Instead, he used his spiritual energy to scan the inside of the cafeteria and gathered a clear image of the scene.

"This is…" Lin QiYe's brow furrowed tightly as he looked inside the cafeteria.

He took a step forward and reached out to push open the cafeteria door.

Upon seeing the scene inside, everyone behind him was stunned for a moment, then their eyes widened in disbelief…

The once spacious, empty cafeteria was now covered in spider webs, as if a massive nest had formed. Thick, intertwined spider silk was woven into terrifyingly large white webs, nearly covering every corner of the cafeteria.

In the dim light, these menacing webs looked like bloodthirsty creatures with gaping mouths, showing their sharp fangs to Lin QiYe and the others…

Everyone stared in shock at the scene in front of them, and after a long pause, they finally regained their senses.

"A spider nest?" Li Shaoguang, among the group, said in horror. "How could it be this big…"

"This isn't an ordinary spider. This is probably something related to spiders… a mystery," Lin QiYe said slowly, his gaze focusing on a specific spot in the web.

"Look over there." He pointed to a spot.

In the center of one of the spider webs, there was a bloodied figure. It was a man, his limbs twisted in an unnatural position. A horrific wound ran from his chest down to his lower abdomen, almost cutting him open completely. His internal organs had disappeared, leaving only an empty cavity…

His terrified eyes, though devoid of life, were still fixed on one spot, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying there. His expression was twisted, as though he had endured extreme pain before dying.

"Wang Li?!" Someone behind Lin QiYe exclaimed. "It's Wang Li from Building Two?! How did this happen…?"

It wasn't just this person. Most of them recognized the man who had died in the spider's web. Wang Li was known for his humor and wit, and he had many friends in the camp. Even those who weren't close to him still knew him by reputation.

"Weren't they saying it was just an exercise? How did Wang Li end up like this?"

"This is too horrific. What did he go through?"

"This isn't an exercise! There's a real and powerful mystery here! Damn it! Where are the instructors?!"

"…"

Seeing Wang Li's gruesome death, everyone's mentality shifted. Those who had been relatively calm up until now began to panic. Even Shen Qingzhu and Cao Yuan's faces turned grim.

"Quiet!" Lin QiYe suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. "From the time Wang Li screamed to when we arrived here, no more than two minutes have passed. Considering the time it took for the creature to feed…

That mysterious being is likely still hiding here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's scalp tingled. Fortunately, they had all undergone rigorous training, and quickly calmed down, becoming more vigilant as they scanned the area. But there was still a hint of nervousness and fear in their eyes.

Most of them had never actually seen a "mystery" up close, let alone fought one. It was only natural that they would be anxious seeing this scene.

Lin QiYe pulled out the Starry Knife from the black box, and a dark aura began to expand around him. As the others froze in place, tense with fear, he moved quietly, stepping toward the cafeteria, which was covered in webs.

"QiYe…" Cao Yuan frowned as he saw Lin QiYe walking into the cafeteria. Worry appeared in his eyes.

"It's fine, I've got it under control." Lin QiYe whispered, reassuring him.

His spiritual energy scanned every inch of the space around him. After advancing to the "Chi" realm, his [Miracle Field] range had expanded to a hundred meters, enough to cover much of the cafeteria. Even if the mysterious creature suddenly appeared, he would be able to react quickly with the help of [Starry Dancer].

Cao Yuan hesitated for a moment, then took off his jacket and strapped his knife to his back, entering the cafeteria after Lin QiYe. Shen Qingzhu frowned upon seeing this and followed them in.

Once the three of them entered the cafeteria, some of the other rookies, gathering their courage, prepared to follow. But just then, Lin QiYe's voice rang out:

"Don't come in! The more of us there are, the more likely we are to trigger the spider webs and put ourselves in danger."

Hearing this, those who were about to enter stopped in their tracks.

Inside the dark, silent cafeteria, the three figures moved cautiously deeper into the web-filled space.

The webs in the cafeteria were densely packed. Lin QiYe avoided touching any of them, sometimes crouching, sometimes leaping, sometimes sidestepping… His movements were nimble as he made his way between the webs, gradually advancing toward the heart of the cafeteria.

Thanks to his long training in special forces, along with the acrobatic performances triggered by his ACE watch, Lin QiYe's flexibility had surpassed his previous limits. At this moment, he moved like a character in a spy movie, sneaking through a laser grid. Each step was precarious, but he managed to avoid triggering any danger.

Suddenly, Lin QiYe's spiritual energy detected something. He sharply lifted his head and looked at the ceiling on the right!

There, a huge, gray-white spider was clinging to the ceiling, blending so seamlessly with the wall that it was almost impossible to spot with the naked eye!

This spider was about two meters long, with its legs spread wide, nearly four meters across. It seemed to realize that Lin QiYe had discovered it. The bizarre, blood-red compound eyes on its body suddenly lit up!

At almost the same moment, the gemstone on Lin QiYe's necklace glowed with a deep blue light, and he felt a slight dizziness in his head. But within half a second, his senses returned to normal.

[Azure Guardian] had been activated?

This spider could attack mentally?!

Lin QiYe reacted in an instant. The night-like aura wrapped around the Starry Knife in his hand, and he threw it with all his strength toward the giant spider!