"Chen Zhang, don't get worked up."
Xia Qimeng sighed. "You should know — with today's technology, editing and fabricating chat logs is far too simple."
"Even putting that aside, even if the chat logs are genuine, they still can't convict Zheng Yueling."
Just like Chen Zhang, she no longer appended "Senior" to Zheng Yueling's name.
"And most critically, the CID truly did not find any trace of Bai Jie or A Xiao."
Chen Zhang seemed to deflate. He fell into silence.
After a while, he spoke slowly: "I looked for Zheng Yueling myself, but she flat-out denied ever seeing Bai Jie that day."
"What's even more ridiculous is she put on this act of being deeply worried about Bai Jie."
"I've made up my mind. I'm going to Zheng Yueling's place myself."
Xia Qimeng's delicate brows furrowed. "Don't be rash. That would be illegal trespassing. If she presses charges, your entire college career could be ruined."
"But right now, Zheng Yueling is the only lead I have." Chen Zhang said helplessly.
"If you absolutely must investigate..."
Xia Qimeng paused. "You have to ensure your own safety first. I have an idea. Come find me here at noon today."
"What idea?" A faint glimmer of hope lit up Chen Zhang's eyes.
The fact that Bai Jie had inexplicably vanished inside Zheng Yueling's apartment made Chen Zhang suspect there was a very real danger there. If there was some way he could protect himself or at least call for help in time, that would be ideal.
"Have you heard of 'Gaia Tech'?"
"Of course. The newly rising AI tech giant in the Federation. They even went public not long ago."
"Wait... don't tell me you're connected to that company..." Chen Zhang's mouth fell open.
Xia Qimeng made a silencing gesture.
...
Zheng Yueling had noticed the Sub-Laser Tarantula's anomalies.
Not only had it spun an outrageous amount of silk overnight, but it had also polished off a 32cm Giant Centipede in a single evening and grown yet another size larger — without even molting.
"You little thing, is your digestive power really that strong?" Zheng Yueling said as she helped Bai Jie clean up the food scraps.
"And your abdomen doesn't even look that bloated... Guess you didn't overeat after all."
"Interesting. I'll toss you another centipede. Nyx, you figure it out yourself. I've got class." Zheng Yueling said.
Sure enough, before heading out, she dropped a centipede about 15cm long into Bai Jie's box. Obviously not of the Gala variety.
This centipede clearly feared Bai Jie's 30cm leg-span physique and didn't dare to make any rash moves.
Nor did Zheng Yueling seem interested in interfering. She watched for a moment, saw the two bugs weren't about to fight, and left.
The moment the witch was out the door, Bai Jie launched into a rapid hunt. It didn't take much effort — the 15cm centipede was immobilized in no time and soon dead.
His toxicity had grown much stronger. It took only 2 seconds for the centipede to display "Deceased."
Bai Jie had finally witnessed the effect of [Basic Toxicity] at max level.
After devouring it, Bai Jie watched with his own eyes as his Vitality crept upward and his skills upgraded.
But his body size didn't change.
The daylight hours slipped past quickly. Bai Jie was already starting to look forward to the night.
For no other reason than that Zheng Yueling's livestream was the fastest way for him to grow stronger.
...
After leaving home, Zheng Yueling walked the tree-lined boulevard of Xingchuan University — and suddenly halted in her tracks.
Zheng Yueling's eyes widened with surprise as she looked at the refined, otherworldly girl blocking her path. "Junior Xia, good morning."
The poised, graceful girl spoke icily: "Did I not warn you — don't touch anyone from our class?"
Zheng Yueling shook her head, a mask of pure innocence on her face. "Junior Xia, I don't understand what you mean."
A frost settled over the girl's features. "Since you broke our agreement and made a move on Bai Jie, you'd best be prepared to pay the appropriate price."
Zheng Yueling's brows and eyes remained gentle and amiable, her lips still curved in a smile — but she offered no rebuttal.
...
Moonlight crawled up the windowsill before the witch finally returned to the apartment.
She started her livestream as usual. This time, she prepared three 15cm-class centipedes in one go for Bai Jie.
She found it bizarre that the Sub-Laser Tarantula's abdomen still hadn't changed after she'd fed it a centipede that morning.
So the witch decided to up the "dosage" and see just what the Sub-Laser Tarantula's limit was.
The danmaku was baffled by Zheng Yueling's decision:
[Hold on, hold on — Streamer, are you sure you're not trying to murder our goddess?]
[Three champions vs. Lu Bu? More like three champions vs. Diaochan? I'm here for it though.]
[Opening with a nuke.]
[...]
The three centipedes weren't particularly aggressive. Bai Jie took them all in stride — come one, come all, collect the whole set.
After poisoning all three to death, he methodically injected digestive fluid into each and consumed them one by one.
And this entire spectacle was broadcast live from start to finish.
Many netizens had never seen a spider this huge before, let alone one with such freakish appetite and combat prowess. Coupled with the Sub-Laser Tarantula's stunning appearance, the livestream's viewer count soon broke 20,000.
Gifts poured in like a flood.
"Thanks to Big Bro Shrimp-Line Stir-Fried Noodles for the cruise ship."
"Thanks to Teacher Ma's Backside for the plane. Big spender, big spender."
"Thanks to Wanna Get Han Jing Thick Again Today, Big Bro, for the airship."
That witch is raking it in today... So noisy. Having heightened hearing isn't all good.
After finishing his meal, Bai Jie spun a "curtain" of webbing and sluggishly crawled under a wood chip to sleep.
He woke naturally again in the middle of the night. The first thing he did was open his Status Panel.
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
[Name]: Bai Jie
[Title]: Night Goddess Nyx
[Species]: Amazonian Blue-Violet Laser Tarantula (Adult)
[Vitality]: 0.7 (MAX)
[Skills]: Corrosive Venom Lv.1 (NEW), Urticating Hair Kick Lv.8, Spider Silk Lv.8, Bite Lv.8
[Talents]: Poison-Refining Gu, Spirit-Devouring Body
[Satiety]: 90%
[Body Length]: Leg Span 32cm (MAX)
Bai Jie automatically skipped the first three lines and found that a new skill had appeared — [Corrosive Venom].
Just as he was puzzling over it, a notification appeared.
[Corrosive Venom]: Evolved from the max-level skill [Basic Toxicity]. Allows secretion and release of a lethal liquid that blends venom with digestive fluid, possessing both intense toxicity and corrosive properties.
Sounded pretty formidable.
But why were both Vitality and Body Length showing they'd reached maximum?
If he kept devouring venomous creatures, would they still increase? Bai Jie was a little worried.
Another notification materialized at the perfect moment:
[Due to Talent · Spirit-Devouring Body, continued consumption of venomous creatures can break through the current species's Vitality barrier and achieve Life Evolution.]
Just as he'd hoped — excellent!
A huge weight lifted from Bai Jie's heart. If this held true, then the possibility of shapeshifting was real.
...
The next day marked Bai Jie's fourth day as a spider, and the fifth day since his disappearance.
In the early morning hours, he faintly overheard the witch on the phone. The name Chen Zhang came up.
"Chen Zhang didn't tail me yesterday... wonder if he's given up."
"Yeah, he's a pretty loyal guy. But he shouldn't be stupid enough to actually break in."
"Haha... so you're into that type."
Chen Zhang? Tailing?
Bai Jie's mind stirred. A certain possibility rapidly took shape.
That idiot Chen Zhang... sigh.
Now, all Bai Jie could do was hope Zheng Yueling hadn't set her sights on Chen Zhang — or that, since Bai Jie's disappearance was still so recent, she wouldn't dare make another move.
But Zheng Yueling definitely had accomplices. He didn't know who she was talking to on the phone, or whether they posed a threat to Chen Zhang.
Anxiety gnawed at Bai Jie. He had to evolve, and fast. Only by growing stronger could he gain the leverage to contend with that witch.
Through Bai Jie's agonizing wait, night finally arrived.
The Gu-Raising Livestream started on schedule. The venomous creature that appeared before Bai Jie's eyes was a golden toad.
[Target]: Golden Mountain Toad (Mutant)
[Skills]: Body Expansion, Venom Arrow Shot, Hallucinogenic Venom, Long Tongue Flesh Hook
[Vitality]: 0.8
[Body Length]: 29cm
[Status]: Healthy