Chapter 24: The Spider Monster

The stone projectile whistled through the air, striking the giant spider’s body with a sharp "snap" before bouncing harmlessly away.

Zhou Xu’s heart sank as he witnessed this. In his mind, spiders had always been fragile creatures. It made sense; compared to a normal spider, humans held an overwhelming advantage in size, allowing them to crush one with ease. Yet, they had never considered: if a spider grew larger than an off-road vehicle, would it still be so fragile?

Their specialized ranged weapons had lost most of their utility in this moment.

The giant spider, having been attacked, clearly noticed Dashan. It arched its abdomen, and a strand of white silk shot directly from its spinnerets. Recalling the instructions their leader had just given them, Dashan reacted quickly, sidestepping and ducking behind a nearby black tree. The webbing slammed into the trunk of the tree instead.

Just as they thought the spider’s attack had ceased, the creature proved to be remarkably agile. Since the silk was stuck to the tree, it hooked its legs onto the strand and pulled with all its might. It wasn't trying to uproot the tree, but rather using the tension of the silk to propel itself forward at high speed.

"Dashan! Get out of there!" Zhou Xu, watching from the side, shouted a warning. Simultaneously, he spun his sling and launched a desperate attack at the monster.

After seeing Dashan’s stone bounce off the spider’s carapace, he had little hope for the sling’s destructive power. He only wanted to use the attack to distract the creature. Otherwise, given the speed the spider was demonstrating, Dashan would be in grave danger if he became the sole target.

The projectile hit its mark—the spider was massive and close, making it an easy target—but it failed to draw the creature's "aggro." The spider ignored the blow, closed the distance, and thrust its hideous front legs around the tree trunk. Dashan, having received Zhou Xu’s warning, scrambled away toward another tree in a rather ungraceful retreat. Zhou Xu’s assault continued without pause, a second stone already spinning in his sling.

"Spread out, everyone! Attack it all at once!"

If they couldn't draw its attention with a single strike, they would keep hitting it until it had no choice but to acknowledge them. For a fleeting moment, Zhou Xu wondered if they could kite the beast to death by sheer numbers. He quickly realized this was unrealistic. They had brought only a few stones each for their tactical drill in the black forest. Given the complex terrain, they couldn't guarantee every hit, and it was impossible to wear down such a monster with their limited ammunition.

The best strategy was to find a way to break the pursuit and escape. Zhou Xu organized the remaining slingers to attack from various angles. Unlike the previous single-target volleys, the increased density of attacks finally forced the spider to react. It abandoned its pursuit of Dashan and turned its head, trying to lock onto their locations.

"Don't stop! Keep attacking!" Zhou Xu commanded while observing the situation.

However, just as the new round of attacks began, the giant spider suddenly whipped around, as if it had locked onto him specifically. Zhou Xu felt his hair stand on end.

*What is going on? Why did it target me so decisively? Does it know I'm the one commanding the attack? Is it that intelligent?*

*No, that’s not right! If it were that smart, it would have targeted me from the beginning, not now!*

*Calm down. There must be a reason. Did it discover me? How?*

Forcing himself to stay calm, Zhou Xu’s thoughts cleared. *Spiders have many eyes, but their vision is generally poor, and they have no hearing. What do they use to distinguish targets? Touch... vibration! It’s the vibration! I’ve been shouting commands, and the vibrations in the air from my voice must have revealed my position.*

Realizing this, Zhou Xu, who had scrambled behind a black tree to avoid the spider’s attack, began to shout again.

"Everyone, start shouting! Scream while you run! Move!"

Following his orders, the tribesmen, including Dashan, obeyed without hesitation.

In that instant, the sound waves echoing from every direction confused the giant spider. It hesitated in place, uncertain of which way to turn. Seizing the opportunity, they resumed their sling attacks.

Perhaps driven to desperation, the spider arched its abdomen once more and fired a strand of silk in a random direction. The attack was sudden, and one tribesman couldn't dodge in time. The tip of the silk, which seemed to spread out like a small net, bound his waist and abdomen tight.

The tribesman panicked, struggling and reaching out to tear at the webbing. As he grabbed it, he felt a sticky sensation; his palms were glued firmly to the silk. The spider didn't waste a second. While it couldn't uproot a tree, dragging a person was effortless. A force he couldn't resist pulled him along the silk line. The tribesman dug his heels into the dirt, but it was futile.

At the critical moment, two nearby tribesmen rushed over to hold him back. One of them seized an opportunity to hack at the silk with a stone axe. However, the toughness of the silk was beyond their imagination; the stone blade couldn't cut through it. Moreover, the combined strength of the three men was no match for the monster.

As the creature drew closer, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over him.

"Go! You have to go!" he cried, looking at his two brothers who were still holding onto him, his voice filled with sorrow and resolve. If they didn't leave, all three would be dragged to their doom.

In that life-or-death moment, a flash of fire streaked through their field of vision and struck the giant spider.

A torch! It was a torch!

The torch hit the spider and fell to the ground without igniting it, but the searing heat clearly threw the creature into a panic. At the same time, Zhou Xu, having quickly lashed another torch to the tip of a bone spear, roared as he charged forward with his makeshift "fire lance."