Chapter 152 Spider 39
Over the next few days, the group prepared to leave. Xu Zhao's sharing of food and medicine alleviated the group's urgent needs.
When they arrived in Blackwater Town, there were around twenty of them; now there were less than half that number. Everyone desperately wanted to escape this nightmarish town. Furthermore, the death of the mayor and his wife had completely devastated the townspeople. Coupled with their rage, which had nowhere to vent, they were showing signs of madness. That day, a young man from the tour group was caught chewing bread and nearly had it taken away.
At a time like this, food was the most precious commodity. Previously, Blackwater Town's grain reserves were kept by the mayor. After his death, the townspeople rushed to grab the food. Some got more, while others got less, leading to many disputes.
The tour group unanimously decided not to stay any longer. Despite the terrifying spider monsters and strange magnetic fields in the forest, the town's clearly insane residents kept the group on edge. They even had to arrange for several people to keep watch while they slept, fearing they'd be tied up again and killed for no apparent reason.
Zhao Wenqing is the oldest member of the tour group and his family has the most influence. The members of the tour group elected him as the team leader and everyone is willing to follow his arrangements.
"...Xu Zhao is my savior. If it weren't for her, we would have died in the cave long ago. People should be grateful, right?"
"Of course, Wenqing, whatever you want to say."
Zhao Wenqing remembered Xu Zhao's warning when he left the hut, and he told him everything: "Outside the tunnel that day, I'm sure you saw a, um... a very strange young man..."
"That's not just weird, the lower half of the body is a spider!"
The people around him echoed this, holding their chests with their hands, still feeling frightened.
Zhao Wenqing said bluntly, "He's Xu Zhao's friend, and that means he's my friend. He'll help us leave Blackwater Town. After we leave, no one should tell anyone about him. If I hear any rumors about him, don't blame me for being rude."
Zhao Wenqing's family was powerful, and no one present dared to offend him.
Moreover, when Xu Zhao brought the spider boy to them, he lightly threatened that if they revealed anything about Lin Yue in front of outsiders, they would be cursed by the spider, and the spider would come to their home and drag them back to the strange Black Water Town again.
If this statement had been made a few months ago, it would have been dismissed as nonsense. But now, no one dared to disregard it. Xu Zhao's expression was so confident that they naturally believed him.
Ancient trees stood thick and sturdy, their roots gnarled and twisted. A glimpse of the azure sky could be seen beneath the dense branches and leaves. The road was silent. Zhao Wenqing led the way, walking at the front, following the marked path towards the exit.
They were fully prepared, entering the forest at the height of sunlight. Each of them held sharp weapons, haphazardly cobbled together. Yet the journey was eerily quiet, unlike previous times when giant spiders had attacked them the moment they entered the forest. This eerie silence gave them a sense of unreality.
"How is this possible? We didn't even encounter a single giant spider."
One of the girls with short hair said, "We still have to be vigilant. They are the most cunning and may be hiding somewhere, waiting to appear when we let our guard down."
Xu Zhao lagged behind, walking alongside Lin Yue. She nervously observed her surroundings, a touch of sadness etched in her mind. Her gaze drifted casually over Lin Yue's lower body several times. She had lived with Lin Yue for several days and knew his character well. He had practically grown up surrounded by Zhao Chunhong's criticisms and abuse, and later, betrayed by the people of the town. Deep down, he longed for companionship, but... Xu Zhao couldn't stay here forever. She wanted to take Lin Yue back to the city.
Even without Zhao Wenqing's bounty, there are plenty of job opportunities in the city, and there are plenty of opportunities to make money. But Lin Yue had turned into a spider. Even if they brought him home, how would the two of them live?
Xu Zhao sighed.
Lin Yue noticed that she was in a depressed mood. Even though her mind was in a fierce conflict and struggle, his attention was still firmly on Xu Zhao. He lowered his head to cover his bloodshot eyes.
"You should be happy to leave here, but why do you seem a little down? Are you worried about the spiders? Don't worry, I'm here, and the spiders won't hurt you." He pinched his fingertips, his voice slightly hoarse, "...and your new friends won't be harmed either. I'll protect you."
He is so nice.
Xu Zhao felt a little guilty. When she was in the most dangerous time, it was Lin Yue who helped her and took her in, but she left without a second thought. So she whispered to him about her future plans and promised to come back again after she left.
It seemed that saying it a few more times would calm Lin Yue's heart. But in fact, it was his own heart that was at peace.
"People in the town have seen you. They've been a little crazy lately, so don't get close to them. It's best to find a forest far away from the town and settle down there. I've left food and medicine for you. If everything goes well, I'll deliver the food to you. That supermarket is not safe and may collapse at any time, so don't go there often..."
Lin Yue listened, but a huge wave of emotion was rising beneath his calm surface - since you are worried about my safety, why can't you stay?
It was as if a tiny ant had crawled into his chest and was slowly gnawing at his heart. The piercing pain instantly spread throughout his limbs, causing them to become sore, weak, and stiff. The feeling even reached his brain, and the tearing pain made his body tremble involuntarily.
As he got closer and closer to the exit, the sweat oozing out of his body was like boiling magma, scalding his entire body to the point of separating his skin and bones.
He was in waves of pain, and while Xu Zhao was unconsciously making promises, he tore the wound on his chest that was about to heal with a normal expression. Blood dripped onto the ground as he passed. This tempting and sweet blood was stained by spider silk and floated in the air. In the blink of an eye, it spread throughout the jungle.
Smelling the scent of blood filling the air, Lin Yue's mouth slowly curled up into a strange smile, but the emotion revealed on that delicate and beautiful face was cold, desperate, and with a hint of grievance and sadness.
It was natural for them to avoid the strong. However, when a powerful opponent was dying and covered in blood, the intimidation turned into attraction in vain. They all wanted to obtain the flesh and blood of the strong to replenish their own strength.
A giant spider appeared. Then came a second, a third, a fourth...
The timid ones were so frightened at the sight that tears immediately fell from their eyes: "...They are coming, they are coming. I knew that this was not going to end well. What should we do? We are going to die. We definitely can't escape..."
"Shut up! Stop saying discouraging things!"
Xu Zhao clenched the long stick in her hand, she felt a little strange.
The giant spiders were afraid of Lin Yue's aura and only coveted his body when he was weak. She knew this only by herself and had never told anyone. But why did so many giant spiders suddenly appear before her?
She didn't have time to think about it. The giant spider was running towards her, and she quickly raised her long stick and swung it.
Lin Yue bit his lip, and the thin flesh of his lip was broken and bleeding. In this trembling pain, he felt a strange sense of relief - for what he was going to do next.
He knew he was a little silly, a little crazy. But what could he do? He didn't want to use force to keep her, and he didn't want to see Xu Zhao's disappointed and disgusted eyes. He could only act in a despicable way.
He raised his machete and slashed his body in front of everyone. Thick blood gushed out, soaking the ground beneath his feet. Almost instantly, everyone's breath was filled with the strong smell of rust.
Xu Zhao shouted in disbelief: "Lin Yue! What are you doing!"
Lin Yue curled his lips and revealed a miserable smile.
"Blood can attract the attention of giant spiders. I promised you that I would protect you and your friends. I won't let the giant spiders hurt you." He closed his eyes, seeming to feel some pain, but his brows were clear and gentle. "...I won't let them block your way home. Please leave here quickly."
A steady stream of giant spiders changed direction and pounced on Lin Yue. The frail young man was immediately trapped in a narrow corner, constantly waving his machete, slicing down the giant spiders one after another.
The sticky black liquid covered his body and face.
"He looks so desperate. If I were like that, I wouldn't want to live either... We should leave quickly. He wants to help us, so if we don't leave now, by the time he... we'll be stuck!"
"But this... is true! Let's leave quickly. He, now that he's become like this, he's no longer a human, and he's no longer a spider. If it were me, I'd definitely not survive. Let's just forget about it and leave quickly..."
"Are we really going to leave like this?"
"Let's go."
"Let's go."
"He's not really a human anymore. Maybe he doesn't even feel pain."
"He helped us, he's a hero. We can't let him down, let's leave quickly."
There was a sharp pain in the mind, and the biting pain appeared in everyone's mind, and finally turned into a clear command - leave here, leave here!
They were like controlled shadow puppets, and under this powerful mental pressure, they fled towards the town entrance unconsciously.
Facing the siege of giant spiders, Lin Yue's eyes were always glued to Xu Zhao, and his face showed a strange sense of fragmentation.
On one side was the attachment of a fledgling, on the other, the coldness of a venomous snake. The boy's fair face was covered in black slime, with a foul smell that he had always hated the most, but at this moment, his whole heart was tied to Xu Zhao.
What will she do?
He knew the answer in his heart, but as he watched her run towards him, the overwhelming joy overshadowed his base self-loathing. He felt a burning warmth coursing through his veins, tears streaming down his face as the giant spider's claws pierced his flesh.
Along with the pain came intense excitement, a feeling that burned his lungs. His gaze was almost blatantly glued to Xu Zhao's running figure.
Xu Zhao. Xu Zhao. Xu Zhao.
You're so good, how can I bear to let you go?
A rat from the gutter, a filthy creature so despicable as to be seen by the world, actually dared to covet the bright moon. He leaned his back against a thick, old tree, letting the spider's claws pierce his flesh. The moment the pain hit him, the remorse and guilt didn't lessen, but instead intensified.
He desperately and humbly hoped that Xu Zhao could gather his broken limbs in her warm palms, hold him in her arms, and comfort him tenderly. He longed for her embrace, her care, and even more so, her...
He swallowed his bitter tears with difficulty and smiled sadly: "Xu Zhao, what are you doing here? I'm in this state, so I'll just die. There's no need for you to stay here. Just leave with them. Just let me..."
His body slid down, his expression filled with deep longing: "...Just let me die."
The discomfort grew stronger. Her mind felt like a tangled mess that needed to be sorted out. Zhao Wenqing left without even looking back, not even saying a word to her, before disappearing in a hurry.
What's going on?
Looking at Lin Yue, who had collapsed in a pool of blood, Xu Zhao's eyes flickered with suspicion, which was then replaced by heartache. She temporarily cast aside her doubts and swung her long stick forward, pushing aside the giant spider and grabbing Lin Yue's wrist.
"Don't talk about life or death. As long as I'm here, you can't die. You have to live well."
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