Interstellar behemoths were the products of higher planes, and Mu Feixing had only heard of them before, never discovering one in the Black Eye Galaxy. When he incidentally obtained footage of the spider, he couldn't help but recall Doctor Kulun's scorpions, thus showing it to him. He hadn't anticipated that the doctor would be genuinely interested.
In Doctor Kulun's homeland, these interstellar behemoths were classified into various tiers based on their lineage. If one could obtain an egg of a high-tier behemoth and cultivate it with psychic energy for hatching, the behemoth that hatched would become one's symbiotic beast. Symbiotic beasts were connected to their owners' souls, sharing their power and longevity. The purer the lineage of the symbiotic beast, the greater its potential for growth. When they reached a certain level, they could tear through the fabric of space, roaming freely through the cosmos.
Acquiring a high-tier symbiotic beast would result in exponential growth in power and longevity, how could one not be driven by such allure? If a symbiotic beast died, and the host body failed to promptly dissolve the contract, it would suffer a backlash, potentially even losing their life.
Mu Feixing's knowledge of symbiotic beasts was sparse, making it difficult for him to imagine their true might. Additionally, Doctor Kulun's scorpion had been easily killed by Yan Junyu, further diminishing any sense of awe. To him, the spider was merely a product of genetic mutation. Aside from its size and defensive capabilities, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. It didn't even dare to attack humans! How utterly useless!
However, to cheer Doctor Kulun up and expedite the completion of that resurrection pattern, he didn't mind capturing a couple of bugs to amuse the doctor.
"Darling, where are you?" Doctor Kulun's figure appeared on the screen.
Mu Feixing and Mu Yang, each piloting a super-mecha, were approaching the planet Aiken. They reported their coordinates, indicating that they could soon enter the atmosphere and head to the spider's settlement. The Empire's radar system had detected their presence but was powerless to stop their approach, only able to initiate emergency evacuations.
After the thick cloud cover dissipated, the full view of Spider City came into sight. This was a hastily built city, with the haphazard houses constructed by earth-type ability users not being particularly orderly but very sturdy. Fields were neatly arranged at the edge of the forest, the fresh green hues interspersed with a bright white, which was the spider silk left behind by the spiders, used by the locals as a safety barrier.
Beneath the bottomless cliff was the spider's lair, hidden in the thick black mist, its features unseen. Mu Feixing opened the life detection device but failed to locate the spider's position, emitting a puzzled "hmm."
Mu Yang couldn't hold his impatience. He asked, "Great Ancestor, why is there no life response below the cliff? Did the spider leave?" Both of them were piloting Yuheng and Kaiyang, hovering over Spider City. The citizens, having heard the air-raid alarms, had already evacuated, leaving a giant screen displaying curses aimed at Mu Feixing.
Mu Feixing launched a missile to shatter the screen, decisively saying, "Let's go check it out."
Before the two mechas could land, a massive spider emerged from the bottom of the cliff, crawling toward the smoky explosion site, extinguishing the flames as it moved by spitting out spider silk and using its legs to sift through the collapsed walls and houses, seemingly searching for survivors.
"This spider is quite entertaining," Mu Feixing sneered.
Doctor Kulun's eyes glittered with excitement. He praised, "Fantastic, it has incredible stealth capabilities and a high level of intelligence, worth cultivating. Mu, test its defensive and offensive capabilities for me. Take your time, don't use full force right away."
"Of course," Mu Feixing's Kaiyang remained motionless, merely raising its arm to signal the rear Yuheng to prepare for an attack. This was Mu Yang's first time piloting a super-mecha, and he wasn't yet proficient. He was slowly adjusting the weapon systems and power output of the energy chamber. He worried that he might use too much strength, instantly eliminating the spider with one blow and provoking Doctor Kulun's wrath.
Using a super-mecha against a bug was an absurd proposition.
Senior General Yan was also closely monitoring the movements of the two mechas. Seeing Yuheng draw its long sword from its back and point it at the crouching Ghost-Faced Spider in the ruins, he couldn't help but feel immense anger. Regardless of this spider being Qi Ze's heirloom, deserving of protection, just considering how it had saved so many Imperial citizens, no one should be allowed to harm it.
"Activate gun turrets one through ten, aim at the target! The mecha special forces, move out immediately!" he ordered sternly.
Every mecha in the special forces had been modified into pseudo-super mechas, capable of dragging Yuheng and Kaiyang to hell when necessary, but Yuheng and Kaiyang arrived too quickly and without warning. Before reinforcements could arrive, Yuheng released a crescent wind blade, striking the Ghost-Faced Spider's back heavily.
Pained, the Ghost-Faced Spider immediately spat out a jet of silver-white spider silk to entangle Yuheng. With a slight exertion of its hind legs, it dragged it from the high altitude to its mouth. Its enormous and powerful mandibles tightly clamped onto Yuheng's neck, injecting venom. The venom was plentiful and thick, with strong corrosive properties. In an instant, it melted through Yuheng's outer shell, burning through its cables, causing its neck to snap in two. The massive metal head fell, destroying nearby houses, before being brutally pierced by the Ghost-Faced Spider's legs, splitting it in half.
Poor Mu Yang had no mental preparation and became the Ghost-Faced Spider's meal. He had never imagined that he would lose so quickly and so humiliatingly. This spider's silk was extraordinary, exhibiting incredible adhesion and tensile strength, impossible to tear. Its strength was also terrifying, effortlessly dragging down a super-mecha from the air.
One must remember that if a cruiser carrier were to stall, the only transport tool capable of smoothly towing it back to port would be a super-mecha. Otherwise, it would have to be dismantled into individual components, transported in batches. Sometimes, the weight of a cruiser carrier could rival that of a small asteroid. This demonstrated the immense power of super-mechas, they couldn't possibly be subdued so easily by a spider!
Yet, no matter how shocked Mu Yang was, he couldn't deny that he had suffered a crushing defeat. Fortunately, Yuheng's cockpit was situated in the abdomen rather than the head; otherwise, he would have already become a victim beneath the Ghost-Faced Spider's feet. Mu Feixing was also stunned. Seeing the Ghost-Faced Spider break through the mecha's head and prepare to dig into the abdomen, he fired a missile to provide cover for Mu Yang.
"Captain, did you see that? Yuheng was caught by the Ghost-Faced Spider!" a special forces member exclaimed excitedly.
"I saw it, keep accelerating, don't let up!" Li Ziqian's calm voice transmitted from the communicator. Ever since Qi Ze and Yan Junyu had disappeared, he had been stationed near Spider City, hoping that Qi Ze couldn't abandon this Ghost-Faced Spider and would return for a look.
Ouyang Ye didn't join the special forces but participated in the expedition team, wandering between planets, searching for that person's traces.
The forcibly evacuated citizens were already furious, and when Yuheng attacked the Ghost-Faced Spider, their anger reached its peak. Many covered their faces and wept, while more pointed at the screen, berating Yuheng and Kaiyang. Once, they were the pride and symbol of the Empire; now, they were the Empire's disgrace and bane. Witnessing the Ghost-Faced Spider pull down the lofty Yuheng, biting through its neck and piercing its head, these people didn't feel fear or sorrow, instead, they were overjoyed.
They jumped, shouted, and clapped, as if it were a celebration, because they could never forget the bloody massacres these super-mechas carried out during military parades. Such heinous crimes were worthy of being inscribed in history. Even if Mu Feixing were eliminated and the super-mechas recovered, the Empire would never use them again.
"Spider, bite it! Shred it! Good spider!" a teenager was watching the battle through the Sky Eye System. He was so excited that his face turned red. A group of friends surrounded him, cheering for the Ghost-Faced Spider.
"Hey, that seems to be your house, it was crushed by the mecha!" a friend reminded him.
"Crush it and have my father rebuild it, anyway, he's an earth-type ability user. As long as we can eliminate these scoundrels, it doesn't matter if the spider destroys all of Spider City," the teenager said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, Spider, don't hold back, crush these beasts!" the teenagers clenched their fists, united against their common enemy.
After a brief moment of shock, Mu Feixing used intense gunfire to disrupt the Ghost-Faced Spider's next attack, allowing Mu Yang to escape from its grasp. However, the headless Yuheng appeared quite bizarre, losing its balance. It swayed in the air, as if it would topple over at any moment.
This ridiculous scene amused the surviving onlookers and left Mu Feixing feeling humiliated. This was, after all, his creation, now ruined to such an extent. Didn't this prove that his manufacturing skills were lacking? The damn Qi Ze, even in death, had left him with a heap of messy situations to clean up!
However, Doctor Kulun couldn't comprehend his embarrassing feelings. He exclaimed in an exaggerated operatic tone, "Dear Mu, this is truly a miracle. I never expected to find such a powerful interstellar behemoth in a third-class plane. Why did I come here? Not for you, not for immortality, but for it! Its appearance is like fate! It was destined to be mine!"
While dodging the frequent spider silk, Mu Feixing forced a smile. "Doctor Kulun, are you satisfied with it? Shall we continue to test it?" In reality, he had already adjusted the mecha's speed to its maximum, barely dodging the Ghost-Faced Spider's attacks. The spider, however, wasn't afraid of his missiles. It merely spat out a sheet of white silk to intercept the dense gunfire. This was no longer a test but a real battle. If he didn't give it his all, he might perish here.
If Mu Feixing were still alive, Doctor Kulun would certainly notice the beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
"Capture it directly. Use the serum I gave you with caution," Doctor Kulun reminded him.
"Alright," Mu Feixing subtly sighed in relief, then took out a special missile hidden on his shoulder, hesitating to launch it. Whether it was the electromagnetic cannon, particle cannon, or pulse cannon, they were all ineffective against the spider silk. The projectiles would explode into beautiful fireworks in the soft, cloud-like silk, then dissipate as smoke, while the spider silk remained as white as ever, as if it hadn't experienced the dense gunfire. No wonder the locals could establish a small safe zone with just a sheet of spider silk. Its strength and resilience were terrifying, truly unbreakable.
Mu Feixing lacked the confidence to strike accurately with one shot, so he needed Mu Yang to distract the Ghost-Faced Spider. Mu Yang was nervous but dared not defy the Great Ancestor's command. He appeared before the Ghost-Faced Spider, engaging it in close combat. The spider silk could intercept most of the gunfire but was still struck by several stray bullets, enraging it. Its thick legs abruptly exerted force, jumping high and directly pinning Yuheng down. Its abdomen rapidly vibrated, spewing out thick, sticky spider silk to wrap Yuheng into a large ball, injecting venom.
If Mu Yang were a local, he should have known a basic fact: when entangled by spider silk, never struggle, as the silk would only tighten, squeezing the prey into pieces. Unfortunately, his pride and arrogance urged him to break free from his current predicament, leading him to desperately struggle. The spider silk gradually tightened, embedding itself into the mecha's metal plates, snapping the components and cables beneath. More frighteningly, the venom injected into the spider silk ball was rapidly dissolving the mecha, eventually seeping into the cockpit, corroding the angry and terrified Mu Yang into a skeleton.
He had never dreamt that he would die at the hands of an arthropod, and in such a humiliating and ugly manner.
Mu Feixing could fully imagine his situation, yet he felt no emotional fluctuation. Seizing the opportunity while the spider was preoccupied with wrapping Yuheng, he launched the anesthetic shell. According to Doctor Kulun, this anesthetic was incredibly potent, capable of knocking out interstellar behemoths below the god-level in three seconds.
Three, two, one. Mu Feixing silently counted down in his mind, but the spider, enveloped in purple smoke, continued spitting out spider silk, showing no signs of discomfort.
"How is this possible!" Doctor Kulun shrieked sharply, "This is the most potent anesthetic I've developed, even Kirkbo's symbiotic beast couldn't resist it! How can this bug not be affected at all! I want it, I want it, I want it! Mu Feixing, did you hear me? No matter what, you must bring it back! It can only belong to me!"
A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Doctor Kulun's mouth, but he didn't care, smashing the experimental bench with his fists, verging on madness. The more formidable this spider was, the more he yearned for it. He was determined to have it! Kirkbo hugged him from behind, whispering something in his ear, but it failed to pacify him.
"I'll think of another way," Mu Feixing didn't dare to make any bold promises. He finally understood the true difficulty of this mission. Hearing that this spider was left by Qi Ze, even if he were dead, his knack for causing trouble for others remained considerable.
The Ghost-Faced Spider wasn't a living creature but a puppet, or perhaps a spiritual weapon. How could it react to anesthetics? It extended a leg and scratched its back where it was hit by the anesthetic shell, discovering that what it sucked into its mouth was molten steel, not delicious flesh. It immediately discarded the Yuheng wrapped in a ball and attacked Mu Feixing in the sky. Its jumping power was astonishing, directly knocking over Kaiyang, then pouncing on it, tearing it apart. Its eight thick legs worked together, almost instantly stripping Kaiyang of its outer armor and weapons.
Mu Feixing repeatedly activated the engine, attempting to fly into the sky, but failed. He truly couldn't fathom where this monster derived its brute strength, able to suppress even super-mechas. Seeing the layers of white spider silk closing in, no matter how scorching the flames, they couldn't melt it. He had no choice but to exit the control system and drift back to his base through the data stream.
This capture plan cost him two super-mechas and his only junior. His remaining assets couldn't hold off those ruthless space pirates, nor would they satisfy Doctor Kulun. Perhaps from today onward, he would fall from being a "partner" to becoming Doctor Kulun's servant, or even a puppet.
Dissatisfaction and rage filled his chest, evoking a long-forgotten "human emotion." But he could do nothing, only hide for the time being.
After the battle, the Ghost-Faced Spider crawled to the Yuheng wrapped in a ball, attempting to suck a bite. It was still the taste of molten steel, unchanged. It gave up on the hard-earned prey it had managed to catch and slowly slid down the cliff.
After it left, the special forces hurried over, pointing at the two giant white balls and asking, "Captain, how do we handle Yuheng and Kaiyang? Should we transport them back?" The spider silk's stickiness never expired. If they wanted to take these two white balls, they would have to dig up the entire patch of land, a massive project.
Li Ziqian walked forward, staring at the two holes in the white balls, bitten through by the Ghost-Faced Spider's mandibles, and said coldly, "Just leave them here, no need to handle them. Haven't you noticed? They've already been melted into molten steel by the venom."
The team members hurriedly came over to investigate, indeed seeing silver-white molten steel slowly oozing out of the holes. The super-mechas that once dominated the entire Galaxy vanished, forever beyond repair. If it were in the past, the soldiers would have felt pain, regret, or even been unable to accept it. But now, they looked at each other, finding hidden pleasure in each other's eyes. They couldn't forget the billions of Imperial citizens mercilessly slaughtered by Mu Feixing. It was better to destroy the mechas he created than to let them remain.
The citizens of Spider City gradually returned, surrounding the two giant white balls with joy in their eyes.
"How about placing them on a pedestal as our Spider City's landmark? These are the remains of two super-mechas, is there a more glorious achievement?" Someone shouted, receiving enthusiastic agreement from everyone. They were as panicked when they left as they were delighted when they returned.
As long as they released the battle footage, who would dare to invade Aiken Planet? Even the Infected spread throughout the galaxy were no longer a threat. They believed: with the protection of the gods, the Empire would one day exterminate the Infected, just like their ancestors thousands of years ago, safely surviving the disaster.
"The pedestal must be carefully designed, using the strongest materials. We must erect these landmarks permanently in Spider City," a man said solemnly.
"Yeah, we must find the best designer and purchase the strongest materials. Those who have money, contribute money; those who have strength, contribute strength! Do we still have any residual energy stone scraps? Quickly get them to feed to the spider. It must be exhausted from today's efforts. Two wind-type ability users, come down to the cliff later to see if the spider is injured." Under the temporary mayor's command, a group of people dispersed to take action.
"Ah, the number of people requesting to relocate to Spider City is increasing. This place isn't large enough. Citizens with architect qualifications, come to the city hall for a meeting later. Let's discuss the city expansion issue." Opening the smartbrain and flipping through the lengthy relocation application form, the temporary mayor was both troubled and proud as he said to Li Ziqian, "Captain Li, I've troubled you again this time. I've already said, with the spider here guarding our Spider City, you don't need to patrol here all the time. Just now, Spider City was rated as the safest city in the entire Galaxy, and many people are preparing to move here!"
Li Ziqian glanced at the web page and said indifferently, "I'm ordered to protect the Ghost-Faced Spider, so I can't avoid coming. You should know that it doesn't belong to Spider City but is Master Qi Ze's private property."
"I, of course, know that. We all remember Master Qi Ze's kindness!" The temporary mayor anxiously asked, "Where has Master Qi Ze gone? Can he still come back?"
"He will definitely come back," Li Ziqian poured all the black energy stones in his Interspatial Button over the cliff, listening closely to the sounds below. After the sounds completely disappeared, he left.
Meanwhile, Qi Ze was staying at the Mozi Fort.
"Where's Ball-Ball?" Seeing Yan Junyu return empty-handed, he couldn't help but frown.
"Casio refused to let me bring Ball-Ball back. He said he had to hug Ball-Ball to sleep at night, begging you not to take Ball-Ball away," recalling Casio holding the jar and refusing to let go, Yan Junyu couldn't help but chuckle.
"What does it mean to take his Ball-Ball away? It's my Gu," Qi Ze was somewhat angry, glancing at the luxurious villa beneath his feet, then softened his expression, "Okay, let's let him foster it for now. Have you contacted the military?"
"I have, your spider has revived and is running amuck on Aiken Planet," Yan Junyu laughed as he pulled the teenager into his arms. Learning that the Empire had safely weathered the most difficult period under the protection of the Ghost-Faced Spider, his mood was excellent, particularly eager to engage in some physical activity with his beloved to vent.
Qi Ze tilted his head, enduring the series of hot kisses he was leaving on his neck, muddled, "It doesn't matter, it won't harm people who haven't been tainted by demonic aura. I've placed restrictions on it." Since he was restoring the Ghost-Faced Spider's demonic nature, Qi Ze had to consider the possibility of it losing control or even turning against its master, so he placed several restrictions before refining it. It turned out that doing so was correct. Even without him, the Ghost-Faced Spider that broke through the formation didn't commit murder but instead saved countless citizens.
He forcefully pushed away the passionately affectionate man and said solemnly, "We must first become dao partners before we can dual cultivate."
"What does dao partner mean, as companions? And what is dual cultivation?" Yan Junyu cornered the teenager between the wall and his arm, asking in a hoarse voice.
Qi Ze pulled out a dual cultivation manual from his Qiankun Bag, his cheeks already flushed.