As Zhang Chen finished speaking, sticky strands of webbing attached to plants began to appear on the ground.
Some of these strands held struggling figures. However, the webbing was incredibly adhesive, and the figures soon gave up their resistance. Occasionally, earth spiders, one to two meters long, darted through the woods, hiding themselves upon spotting Zhang Chen and Xu Ruina.
“It seems you were right; we’re entering the territory of the Earth Spider Queen’s nest!” Xu Ruina said with concern. “It’s probably not just traps here. Her nest will undoubtedly contain other Earth spiders. The Earth Spider Queen likely lured Mo Ran here deliberately, fearing her agility and potential escape. Her advantage will be even greater on her home turf!”
“Exactly. We need to hurry!” Zhang Chen replied, increasing his speed. The two figures blurred through the woods. Moments later, a gust of wind swept through, making the webs sway.
Soon, Zhang Chen and Xu Ruina arrived at the entrance of a massive cave. The area around the cave was covered in grayish-white webbing, with a path of it stretching out for tens of meters in front of the entrance. Beneath the webbed path, several half-meter-long, dark Earth spiders were suspended.
[Grayish-white webbing is structural, primarily used for anchoring the nest frame, preventing collapse, and creating pathways. It has virtually no adhesive properties!]
As Zhang Chen focused his gaze on the webbing, a line of prompts appeared. He then looked towards the cave itself. It was vast; even a fifty-meter-long five-headed serpent would appear minuscule in comparison. A foul, fishy wind emanated from the cave mouth, sickening them.
Another line of prompts soon appeared beside the cave entrance:
[Mo Ran and the Earth Spider Queen are in the cave. Additionally, there are 3526 small Earth spiders, 25 Earth spider guards, and 4 male Earth spiders!]
[Warning: Male Earth spiders are formidable predators within the spider population, second only to the Earth Spider Queen in strength!]
“It seems Mo Ran is indeed inside, and this is truly the Earth spiders’ lair,” Zhang Chen narrowed his eyes and said.
Xu Ruina peered into the cave entrance. “There are two岔路 (forks). I’ll take the left, and you take the right. If I find Mo Ran, I’ll scream loudly to signal you!”
Xu Ruina, being a semi-infected individual, retained her wailing ability. Her cry was incredibly piercing, capable of affecting several city blocks. Though its reach would be diminished within the cave, Zhang Chen’s heightened senses would undoubtedly pick it up.
“Alright, it’s decided!” After agreeing, they each dashed towards their respective paths.
Meanwhile, deep within the cave, Mo Ran stood panting in the center of a clearing. Opposite her was the colossal Earth Spider Queen, flanked by two male Earth spiders on either side. The ceiling, the sub-layers beneath the ground, and the cave walls were all densely populated with Earth spider guards.
Lacking combat experience, Mo Ran was in a dire disadvantageous position, surrounded on all sides. This was the most challenging battle she had faced since her rebirth. The enemy surpassed her significantly in strength, combat experience, and numbers.
The relationship between the queen of one spider species and those of other spider species is peculiar. Some queens can enhance their strength or learn new abilities by consuming other queens. Others may coerce weaker queens into joining their ranks, thereby increasing the diversity of abilities within their own tribe. The latter often leads to alliances where the queen of the dominant tribe gradually becomes a Spider Empress as more tribes are integrated, while other queens become subordinates responsible only for reproduction and combat, stripped of their authority.
Mo Ran, as the Ghost-Faced Spider Empress, originally commanded multiple tribes. However, upon her rebirth, her ties to those tribes were severed. Therefore, Mo Ran was currently at the same level as the Earth Spider Queen, functioning merely as a queen. If the Earth Spider Queen were to enslave Mo Ran and then utilize her to annex other spider tribes, she would become a new Spider Empress. This is the common aspiration of all queen spiders. It was also why the Earth Spider Queen, possessing the capability to kill Mo Ran, chose not to, but instead lured her back into the cave. Capturing prey alive is considerably more challenging than killing it outright, requiring meticulous preparation.
“Chitter… Squeak…”
The Earth Spider Queen emitted a series of fragmented sounds, as if speaking. The surrounding Earth spiders immediately responded with their own cries.
“Hmph, how could I possibly be defeated by a bunch of trash that can’t even speak human language?!” Mo Ran defiantly pushed her weary body up, rising to her feet again. The webbing in her hands morphed into a shield and a sharp blade. Scattered across the ground were countless broken swords and shield fragments made of webbing. This was not Mo Ran’s first battle.
The Earth Spider Queen showed no intention of attacking, merely issuing a few more cries. Subsequently, an Earth spider guard advanced from the cave entrance. Despite being a guard, it stood as tall as a five-story building, its body encased in thick, hardened chitin. At first glance, it resembled a colossal tank, rapidly charging towards Mo Ran.
The Earth Spider Queen’s intention was simple: to exhaust Mo Ran’s strength, thus compelling her to accept enslavement willingly.
“Die!” Mo Ran charged forward, hacking wildly at the Earth spider guard with her webbing short sword, creating sparks. However, she couldn’t even leave a white mark on its body.
“This armored brute is truly tenacious!” After a series of attacks, Mo Ran forcefully kicked the Earth spider guard and leaped backward. The immense impact forced the guard to stagger back several steps. It was surprised by the explosive power contained within Mo Ran’s small frame, feeling embarrassed before the Earth Spider Queen.
The Earth spider guard let out a piercing cry, retreated several paces, then suddenly exerted its strength. Its entire body launched forward like a bullet, flying towards Mo Ran.
*Whoosh!*
When the Earth spider was merely ten meters away from Mo Ran, its body suddenly shattered into several pieces with a clean break. Disgusting fluids splattered everywhere. Mo Ran chuckled contemptuously, flicking a piece of residual flesh off her blade-like webbing and addressing the surrounding Earth spiders: “If any of you aren’t afraid of death, come at me!”