Chapter 40: Leading Line

The night was hazy.

The entire playground had turned into a bloodbath. A group of people gathered together, their bodies trembling, their eyes filled with despair.

A little girl with red, tear-streaked eyes looked up at her father and said, "Daddy, I'm so scared... This is just a dream, isn't it?"

Her father, a middle-aged man, had just witnessed his wife being brutally killed by the Shibi. Two of these creatures had pounced on his beloved wife, a gentle woman who had not even had a chance to resist before her internal organs were torn out in a gruesome manner.

They had survived the darkest seven days, but at this critical moment, the boundary between hope and despair was as thin as a hair. The man, who was born into an ordinary family, was working four jobs during the most difficult times, yet, at this moment, buried his head deeply in his daughter's shoulder, crying like a child.

A dream?

He also wished so much that this was just a dream.

...............

Feng Zhiyong's face suddenly became serious. He looked around and said to the officer next to him, "How many of us are still alive? Do we have enough ammunition?"

The officer wiped the blood from his face and slowly said, "There are still more than eighty men able to fight. The members of the third, sixth, and ninth squads have all been killed, and although ammunition is not lacking, it's only effective against the larvae."

"We can't fight them. We must retreat!"

"Retreat?" Feng Zhiyong frowned and looked at the mother of the Shibi, saying in a deep voice, "With their speed, even if we retreat, where can we possibly retreat to?"

"Then what should we do?" The officer choked up, and all his good friends had died today. His voice trembled as he said, "Is there really no way out?"

Feng Zhiyong did not answer, his eyes filled with bitterness as well.

The Shibi mother was too terrifying. During the cleaning operation over the past few days, he had never seen such terrifying insects. Every insect leg shimmered with a blue poisonous light, and with just a casual wave, it was impossible for ordinary people or elite soldiers to have any chance of survival.

The odds were against them.

Feng Zhiyong's heart was filled with fear and horror. He closed his eyes. It was not the battle that was frightening. As soldiers, their duty was to fight!

What was truly terrifying was the impossibility of victory from the very beginning. In this situation, people were truly desperate.

"Hoo..."

The temperature suddenly dropped around them, as if they had fallen into an ice cave, causing the hairs on their bodies to stand on end. Feng Zhiyong opened his eyes and saw a huge shadow.

It all happened so suddenly, and this shadow looked so frightening. Even though it was still just a phantom, it instilled fear in everyone's hearts.

Where did it come from in the first place?

Could it be?

Feng Zhiyong's heart suddenly paused, for some reason, he thought of a figure in his heart. He turned to look at Chen Feng, and his pupils contracted into thin lines.

What did he see?

The phantom gradually materialized, and a spider-like monster appeared before him, with its hooked insect legs, razor-sharp horns, and a hideously ugly head emitting a terrifying aura like that of a demon from the abyss.

And behind it, was a familiar figure.

There was no need for further questions. He knew very well that only one person could summon such a terrifying creature out of thin air... Chen Feng!

Only a summoner could summon such a dreadful monster!

"Tread, tread..."

The sound of footsteps echoed, and a Revenant Spider appeared in front of Chen Feng. It was entirely pitch black, as if it had just crawled out of a grave, filled with the aura of decay. Its eye sockets seemed to contain two cold flames, cold and ethereal, giving a formidable sense of oppression to anyone who approached it.

Revenant Spider.

It was a kind of hunter that fed on demons, wandering through the corners of the abyss. Even in the harsh environment of sulfuric hell, it still had a presence.

The Revenant Spider had the following characteristics: Poison, Armor-Piercing, and Web.

The night grew deeper.

Before being summoned, the Revenant Spider had been feasting. Remnants of flesh were still present in its mouth. Whether it was an elf, a minotaur, or some other dark creature, as long as it was carnivorous, they all enjoyed it.

A fair contract.

The contract could be used at any time. Within these five minutes, the Revenant Spider must obey Chen Feng's command.

The frenzied insect mother concentrated her blood-red pupils on the demon-hunting spider, consumed by the pain of losing her child and wounded, she had already teetered on the edge of madness. But now, the appearance of the demon-hunting spider ignited the powder keg that was the bereaved mother, as she gasped for breath, her blood roiled inside her.

On the body of the demon-hunting spider, she felt a threat.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting an eerie light on the ground, making the current scene all the more chilling.

On the playground lay numerous shattered human body parts, along with pale brain matter, spilled intestines, and severed limbs. This was no longer a holy ground for students to run, study, or even fall in love. It had become a bloody lawn.

The demon-hunting spider sensed the strangeness of the bereaved mother. It hesitated, as its rational mind told it that the creature before it was on the brink of madness.

Although devoid of the ability to speak, the demon-hunting spider's lack of language did not mean it lacked a brain; on the contrary, upon reaching the silver tier, its brain capacity had increased to rival that of a seven or eight-year-old child.

A rampaging monster is terrifying.

Not only because of its strength, but more importantly, once it goes berserk, its intelligence and awareness plummet, turning it into a puppet driven only by fury, unafraid of death and endangerment. In the abyss, aside from some naturally impaired beings (lesser demons, worms, and some half-beasts), no one would provoke these lunatics.

The demon-hunting spider was no exception. If in the abyss, it would unhesitatingly steer clear of the bereaved mother. But for now, the power of the pact bound its actions. Regardless, it had to serve Chen Feng loyally for five minutes.

Resentment!

The demon-hunting spider's sinister gaze fell on Chen Feng, harboring some reproach for being summoned at such a time.

It was as if Chen Feng sensed something. He raised his head, locking eyes with the demon-hunting spider's indignant gaze, his face devoid of any extra expression.

Having accepted his gift, the demon-hunting spider should naturally pay a price.

Chen Feng took two steps back, needing to find a safe place to watch the battle. Standing behind the crowd, his tone suddenly grew serious. "Demon-hunting spider, kill it for me!"