Chapter Thirty-Three: Mist Spider

The street under the dense fog felt incredibly eerie, with even the sunlight almost completely blotted out. Lin Xian and Kiki were driving along an empty stretch of road when they suddenly brought the motorcycle to a halt.

"Something's not right."

Lin Xian sensed a sinister aura. He immediately drew his short blade from behind his back, his face masked in vigilance.

*Rustle...*
*Tap, tap, tap...*

The sounds grew from distant to near, rapidly escalating into a deafening, tsunami-like roar. Upon hearing this, their expressions shifted instantly.

"Zombies?" Lin Xian shouted.

"It doesn't quite look like it..."

As they spoke, several zombies burst out from the thick fog ahead. Lin Xian took one look and realized these were vastly different from those they had encountered before. Their skin was gray, rotting, and they moved with incredible speed, some even scurrying on all fours like animals. This scene reminded him of the night he rescued Kiki at the Jiang City shelter—the night he encountered "Old Man Li."

In the blink of an eye, a tidal wave of corpses surged out behind these grotesque creatures. Kiki’s face turned pale with fright. She let out a sharp cry: "Hold on!"

She released the brake and slammed the throttle. The motorcycle’s rear wheel spun wildly under the immense torque, grinding against the asphalt and emitting a cloud of white smoke.

"Go forward!"

Without a second thought, Lin Xian raised his hand and fired a compressed air blade, blowing the head off a bizarre, lunging male corpse.

*Aarrgh!*

Piercing shrieks erupted everywhere. The motorcycle surged forward, narrowly dodging the claws of the monsters. Lin Xian, facing a desperate battle, sat on the back, hacking with his blade in his right hand while firing air blades with his left, carving a path through the relentless tide of corpses.

*Bang!*

An air blade sliced a female corpse in half. As it fell, a black, grotesque insect was blasted out from the creature's back. Lin Xian’s expression darkened.

"These aren't ordinary zombies!"

He was struck with horror. Based on his past experience, these anomalies only appeared at night. Why were they out in broad daylight?

"Damn it!"

Kiki, still driving, saw a dozen more monsters pouncing on them. In a moment of desperation, she gritted her teeth and waved her hand. *Hum!* A powerful shockwave erupted, instantly blasting the monsters in front of them away and allowing the motorcycle to break through the encirclement.

Seeing Kiki use her ability, Lin Xian felt a surge of dread. The handlebars trembled slightly. He tilted his head to look and saw that Kiki’s face had visibly drained of color, and her hands, gripping the controls, were shaking uncontrollably.

He immediately channeled his "Heart of the Machine" to take control of the motorcycle. Just as Kiki was wondering why the bike had suddenly stopped responding to her, Lin Xian pulled her toward the back seat, hopped into the front, and gunned the engine.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"This fog is abnormal. Don't use your abilities recklessly!"

Every survivor knew that terrifying anomalies appeared at night. Since it was currently daytime, Lin Xian had assumed that he and Kiki, both gifted with abilities, could handle anything. But the appearance of these monsters had caught him off guard. They were far faster than ordinary zombies; without firearms, an average person wouldn't even have time to react. This made him consider retreating. If anomalies were appearing in the fog, didn't that mean something like the giant white beast or the crimson centipede might also emerge?

Lin Xian’s thoughts shifted, and he prepared to abandon their original objective.

"We need to turn left up ahead." Behind him, perhaps sensing her own exhaustion, Kiki uncharacteristically stopped bickering and clung to his back like a kitten. She had been feeling cold, and after using her ability, she was shivering violently. She pressed tightly against Lin Xian, trying to absorb the warmth from his back while struggling to calm her racing heart.

"We can't go to the place you mentioned. We're turning back!" Lin Xian decided firmly.

Kiki looked back at the surging tide of corpses and retorted with a grimace, "How are we supposed to get back..."

Lin Xian checked the rearview mirror and then the map. To return to the North Bay Station, they would either have to go back the way they came or take the long way around the county's outer highway. With the horde chasing them, there was no turning back.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. Lin Xian looked into the fog ahead, and his hair stood on end.

He slammed on the brakes and swerved. A second later, something resembling a bamboo pole thrust down from the fog above, embedding itself into the concrete with a loud *clang*, gouging out a crater and sending stone shards flying!

Cold sweat broke out on Lin Xian’s forehead. Had he not swerved instinctively, he would have been skewered.

"What is that?!" Kiki shrieked.

The rear wheel spun frantically, emitting a high-pitched screech. They had only traveled a few more meters when the whistling sound returned.

"Watch out!"

*Thud!*

Another sharp pillar slammed down from above. Lin Xian twisted the handlebars, barely avoiding a direct hit. This time, he saw it clearly: the "bamboo pole" was covered in fine, black hair, looking like some sort of living appendage.

"Bad guy, look up!"

Kiki tapped his shoulder in terror. Lin Xian looked up.

There, in the fog above them, was a massive, spider-like black shadow. The silhouettes of the buildings by the street seemed tiny in comparison. Its six disproportionately long, spindly legs appeared to be over ten meters long. The things that had been thrusting down from above were clearly two of its limbs.

"What the hell..." Lin Xian’s pupils trembled as he cursed inwardly. Why did everything he feared have to manifest?

The sight of the monstrous spider was enough to shatter anyone's sanity. Without a second thought, Lin Xian floored the throttle and charged straight into the dense fog ahead.

"So annoying! Why is it always bugs or spiders!" Kiki tucked her head in, clinging tightly to Lin Xian and cursing.

Lin Xian remained tense, his eyes locked on the road ahead.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The giant spider had clearly locked onto them. Its long legs shifted rapidly, repeatedly stabbing down from the fog!

"Go left!" Kiki shouted.

Lin Xian swerved.

"Watch out above!"

Lin Xian hit the brakes again. But the creature's legs were too long, and its speed as it navigated between the buildings was significantly faster than theirs.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Above them, the giant beast scrambled across the buildings. In mere moments, it extended several long limbs to block their path at the intersection, as if toying with its prey.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the giant spider slowly descending from the fog, Lin Xian prepared to fire his air cannon.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine erupted. White spotlights cut through the fog from the other side of the intersection, and a massive modified pickup truck barreled out!

*Crash!*

The immense force of the collision knocked the spider’s legs aside, causing the creature to lose its footing and tumble. In a flash, the pickup drifted and skidded to a halt in front of them.

*Clang!*

The tailgate of the truck dropped. A girl, perhaps eleven or twelve years old, shouted, "Get on, quick!"

Lin Xian understood immediately. Without hesitation, he gunned the engine and rode the motorcycle onto the bed of the pickup. The girl slapped the side of the truck and yelled, "Go, brother!"

*Vroom!*

Without a second of delay, the pickup truck roared away. Behind them, the giant spider, seemingly insulted, let out a furious shriek, its six long legs scrambling against the ground as it gave chase.