"Li Yi, the battle is over; take a rest," Lin Yue said, approaching with slightly labored breaths. She patted Li Yi’s shoulder and asked, "How are you, did you get hurt?"
Li Yi’s vertical pupils glistened, his boiling Qi-Blood yet to calm, and he frowned, "Something’s not right."
"What’s not right?" Lin Yue inquired.
Li Yi explained, "These Spider Monsters are numerous, but during our fight, not a single one tried to escape, which is quite illogical. I’ve encountered Spider Monsters in the danger zone before, back then it was a Cultivator named Brother Tao leading us. Brother Tao discovered a Spider-man in an abandoned building and fought with it. In the end, the Spider-man was injured and fled."
"This indicates that the Spider Monsters are intelligent, know fear, and won’t blindly attack to the death."
"Right, with the strength we’ve shown, in a situation where these creatures know they can’t win, they would most likely avoid us and scatter, run away. The instinct for survival is something every creature possesses," Lin Yue also furrowed her brows in thought. "Li Yi, are you suggesting that these Spider Monsters are so fearless in their attacks because there’s another reason for it?"
"Exactly, I suspect that these Spider Monsters are following some command to throw themselves at us so recklessly... and the only reason worth such a sacrifice by the Spider Monsters is just one."
Li Yi’s gaze shifted slightly, looking towards the end of the street.
"The mother of the Spider Monsters must be nearby."
At the end of the street, all was silent, no trace of Spider Monsters, only buildings devoid of any sign of life.
Lin Yue was taken aback, then nodded, "Your guess is very likely. If it’s to protect the mother entity, then those Spider Monsters could fight desperately, much like an ant colony. The queen is most important because without the queen, the colony can’t reproduce and grow and would soon decline and vanish."
"Zheng Gong, abandon the vehicle and continue with me deeper into the old town. I feel today offers an opportunity. With a bit of luck, we might be able to take down that Spider mother," Li Yi then said.
"Now? Without resting a bit? I’m out of ammunition for my sniper rifle, Yuan Mingjin has two bullets left..." Zheng Gong remarked.
Li Yi interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "Those Spider-men are using their lives to delay us, to waste our time. If we rest now, the chance of finding that Spider mother’s trace would become impossible. Didn’t you say you wanted me to take a chance? Now’s the opportunity."
"Alright, since it has come to this, let’s push forward. Two bullets are enough. Seize the opportunity and a critical shot could successfully end this support mission," Zheng Gong promptly agreed with a nod.
Li Yi immediately returned to the vehicle and once again took out a bottle of Golden Nutrient Liquid, guzzling it down.
After the fierce battle, he was hungry again.
But after drinking a bottle of the nutrient liquid, the Cultivator’s powerful absorption capabilities kicked in, his strength was rapidly recovering, and the Qi-Blood he had spent throwing punches was being replenished continuously.
Without hesitation, Li Yi continued forward.
Seeing this, the others did not waste time and immediately set off.
They crossed the street strewn with Spider Monster corpses and continued down the lifeless highway.
beyond that section dense with Spider Monsters, the following stretch was surprisingly safe. No dangers occurred nearby, nor were traces of any Spider Monsters seen, an unusual circumstance.
"It seems our recent skirmish attracted all nearby Spider Monsters, and now that we’ve cleared them out, this piece of the old town seems to have returned to its former safety," Lin Yue commented, her gaze alert as she monitored the surroundings, especially keen as a Spiritual Perception Master.
Yet even so, she detected no imminent threats.
"The calmer it is, the more abnormal it seems. Moreover, analyzing the path the Spider-men came from, if we simply continue straight ahead, we might discover something," Li Yi said.
Yuan Mingjin, holding his sniper rifle, whispered, "Li Yi, I’ve only got two bullets left. If the mission isn’t finished after two shots, I won’t be of much use."
"I understand. Don’t worry, follow my arrangements. If it doesn’t work out, I will retreat," Li Yi reassured with a gesture.
Yuan Mingjin nodded, saying no more.
He wasn’t afraid, but he needed to make his situation clear to Li Yi in a timely manner, to prevent misjudging the team’s combat capabilities and thereby causing unnecessary losses.
They advanced further.
At that moment, at a street corner, Li Yi saw bloodshed, with some dismembered bodies scattered on the ground. It seemed a battle had recently occurred here, leaving some unlucky individuals to meet their end.
Lin Yue abruptly grabbed Li Yi and stopped, her expression grave as she signaled everyone to be quiet.
Li Yi looked at Lin Yue.
Lin Yue didn’t speak, but instead pointed towards the roof of a residential building up ahead.
At that moment, everyone looked,
and saw a ghastly white arm dangling from the rooftop of the not-so-tall residential building. It looked to be part of a Spider Monster. However, the arm was simply too massive. If this arm belonged to a Spider Monster, then its size must be truly astonishing.