Chapter 33: The Fog Spider

The street cloaked in dense fog felt eerily quiet, with even sunlight nearly blocked out. Lin Xian and Kiki rode into an open stretch of road, but suddenly, they stopped the motorcycle. “Something's not right,” Lin Xian muttered. He too felt an unsettling presence. Drawing the short blade from his back, he assumed a vigilant stance. Shhh-shhh... plap-plap... The sounds came from a distance, growing into a deafening cacophony like waves crashing ashore. Hearing the noise, their expressions shifted drastically. “Zombies?” Lin Xian exclaimed. “Doesn’t seem like it...” Before they could speak further, a few zombies suddenly darted out of the fog ahead. Lin Xian’s eyes narrowed;these were unlike the ones he’d encountered before. Their skin was a decayed, grayish white, their movements unnervingly fast. They crawled and bounded on all fours, more like beasts than humans. The sight instantly brought back memories of the "Uncle Li" incident at Jiang City’s shelter, the night he had saved Kiki. In a flash, a tide of zombies surged forward behind the initial group. Kiki’s face turned pale as she yelled sharply, “Hold on!” She released the brake and twisted the throttle hard, the motorcycle’s rear wheel screeching against the asphalt and emitting a plume of white smoke. “Forward!” Without hesitation, Lin Xian raised his hand, firing a Wind Cannon toward the front. The gust shot through the air, blasting the head off a lunging zombie. Arghhh! A chorus of anguished shrieks erupted as the motorcycle shot forward, narrowly avoiding the grasp of several grotesque zombies. Lin Xian, on high alert, swung his blade with one hand while his other hand fired off bursts of Wind Cannons to carve a path through the unrelenting zombie horde. Bang! Another Wind Cannon tore a female zombie in half. As her body collapsed, a black centipede-like creature burst out from her back. Seeing this, Lin Xian’s expression darkened. “These aren’t ordinary zombies!” He was shocked. From past experience, these eerie entities usually appeared only at night. So why were they emerging in broad daylight? “Damn it!” Kiki, gritting her teeth as she drove, saw a dozen zombies closing in on them. In a desperate move, she waved her hand, unleashing a powerful shockwave. The force blasted the zombies ahead, clearing a path for the motorcycle to escape. However, Lin Xian noticed something was wrong. The motorcycle wobbled slightly, and when he glanced at Kiki, he saw her face had turned pale. Her hands, which gripped the handlebars, were trembling. He immediately activated his Mechanical Heart ability to take control of the motorcycle. Just as Kiki looked around in confusion, realizing the bike was no longer responding to her inputs, Lin Xian pulled her to the back seat and took over the front. “Hey! What are you doing?” “There’s something wrong with this fog. Stop recklessly using your ability!” Every survivor knew that eerie entities emerged at night. Lin Xian had thought he and Kiki, both ability users, could easily handle any trouble. But these grotesque creatures had caught him off guard. These entities were far faster than regular zombies. For an unarmed person, there wouldn’t even be time to react. This realization made Lin Xian reconsider their plan. If entities like these appeared in the fog, it was entirely possible even larger threats—like the Pale Giant or the crimson Giant Centipede—could show up. Changing his mind on the spot, he declared, “We’re not going to the place you mentioned. We’re turning back!” Kiki glanced at the massive zombie tide surging behind them, her face grim as she muttered, “And how exactly do we go back...?” Lin Xian checked the rearview mirror, then glanced at the map. Aside from retracing their path, the only alternative was to take the outer roads around the city. But with the horde on their tail, turning around wasn’t an option. Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air. Lin Xian’s instincts kicked in, and every hair on his body stood on end. Without hesitation, he slammed the brake and swerved the bike. The next moment, something spear-like shot down from above, slamming into the ground beside them with a loud thunk, sending shards of concrete flying. Lin Xian broke out in a cold sweat. If he hadn’t swerved, he might have been skewered. “What the hell is that?!” Kiki cried out. The motorcycle’s rear wheel screeched as it accelerated again. But just a few meters ahead, the same sharp whistling sound echoed once more. “Watch out!” Thud! Another sharp, rod-like object shot down, narrowly missing them as Lin Xian swerved again. This time, he got a better look. The "spears" were covered in tiny black hairs, resembling part of a living creature. “Look up!” Kiki shouted in terror, patting Lin Xian’s shoulder. Lin Xian glanced upward. Above the fog, a massive spider-shaped silhouette loomed. It towered over the surrounding buildings, its six impossibly long and thin legs measuring at least ten meters each. The spears raining down on them were clearly the creature’s spider-like limbs. “What the f***...” Lin Xian’s pupils dilated as he cursed under his breath. Sometimes, it really seemed as though speaking of a nightmare summoned it into existence. The grotesque spider, so large it made the buildings around it look like toys, was the stuff of pure nightmares. Without hesitation, Lin Xian twisted the throttle, sending the motorcycle hurtling into the fog ahead. “Why is it always bugs or spiders?!” Kiki clung tightly to Lin Xian, burying her face in his back as she shivered and cursed. Lin Xian remained focused, his expression tense as he navigated the fog-covered road. Thud-thud! Thud! Thud! The spider clearly had its sights on them. Its elongated limbs moved with terrifying speed, stabbing down from the fog as it pursued them. “Turn left!” Kiki shouted. Lin Xian quickly adjusted course. “Above us!” Lin Xian hit the brakes again, narrowly avoiding another limb stabbing down from above. But the spider’s legs were absurdly long, allowing it to easily traverse between the buildings. Its speed far outmatched Lin Xian’s. Thud-thud! Thud! Thud! Within moments, the creature extended several limbs to block the intersection ahead, as though toying with its prey. “Damn it!” Lin Xian saw the giant spider lowering its massive body from the fog, preparing to attack. He raised his hand, ready to fire a Wind Cannon. Just then, the roar of a car engine erupted from another direction, and blinding white headlights pierced through the fog. A heavily modified pickup truck burst onto the scene, ramming into several of the spider’s limbs with immense force. The impact knocked the spider off balance, sending it tumbling to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the truck drifted to a halt in front of them. Clang! The truck’s rear hatch opened, and a girl, no older than eleven or twelve, yelled, “Get in, quickly!” Lin Xian didn’t hesitate. He revved the bike and drove it straight into the truck’s cargo bed. The young girl slapped the side of the truck and called out, “Go, bro!” Vroom! The modified pickup roared to life, speeding away without a moment’s pause. The spider, clearly enraged at being outmaneuvered, let out an ear-splitting screech. Its six legs slammed against the ground as it began to give chase at terrifying speed.