Chapter 107: The Emerging Figure

The Mutant Spider let out a furious roar, spraying a torrent of green slime from its abdomen that completely engulfed the rebounding Giant Rat. Slowly, the slime transformed into a highly elastic green web, from which the Giant Rat could not escape despite its desperate struggles. Although the spider’s body was riddled with countless bloody punctures, it remained stubbornly alive, its gruesome appearance enough to make one’s skin crawl. With its brown, spiked exterior and terrifying, macabre form, it was nothing less than a giant spined spider.

However, having learned its lesson, the spider did not rashly rush forward after subduing the rat. It chose to wait—waiting until the rat was nearly corroded to death before enjoying a hearty meal. The struggles continued; the Giant Rat’s claws and teeth were incredibly sharp, and through constant tearing, it managed to rip the webbing apart. Just as it was about to see the light of day again, the giant spider let out a sound like a mocking chuckle, and with a wet thud, another massive spray of green slime shot from its abdomen. The webbing grew thicker and thicker, and the Giant Rat was blocked back in just as it had caught a glimpse of hope. Yet, after firing its "cannon" several times, the spider seemed quite exhausted; its initial vigor had faded, and it began to look listless.

Cao Fusheng retreated after observing this scene, secretly calculating the timing of the corrosive liquid dripping from above. It occurred approximately every fifteen seconds. This meant that after one drop fell, he had a fifteen-second window where he didn't need to worry about the liquid from above, only about the corrosive sewage beneath his feet. This section of the fault spanned about a hundred meters. To cross it without his feet touching the water, avoiding attacks from the mutants, and precisely timing the corrosive drops—this was an absolute feat of skill.

To pass through unscathed, he had to use the trapped Giant Rat as a stepping stone, using its body to vault across the water. Throughout this process, he had to ensure the spider was incapable of attacking. He was no mutant; if he were sprayed with that slime, he wouldn't even need to wait for it to solidify into a web—a single touch would dissolve him into nothing but bone fragments. Even with his wealth of combat experience, he felt helpless at this moment; it was simply too difficult.

Cao Fusheng’s brows were furrowed. He had a rough plan, but executing it seemed nearly impossible. How could he achieve four goals in one move? He peeked out again to observe the situation. The Giant Rat was still struggling; it had not yet completely exhausted its strength.

*Hm? A tail?*

Cao Fusheng’s eyes brightened. The backside of the tightly wrapped Giant Rat was exposed, not entirely encased in the web. That was the only place he could use for leverage.

In an instant, a mature plan formed in his mind. Now, he only needed to wait for the right moment. The moment the Mutant Spider prepared to feast and began to retract its web would be his chance.

"I really miss that 'Cutter'—the blade that could slice through anything. I wonder if its level of technology could cleave through a mutant."

What Cao Fusheng did not know was that his every move had already fallen under the spider’s perception. The spiders of the Old Era already possessed astonishing sensory capabilities, and in the Waste Era, this ability had been magnified countless times. He had been discovered the moment he first peeked out to observe the situation. But in the spider’s eyes, this tiny human was as flavorless as the zombie-types it ate; with his thin arms and legs, he was no more significant than a mosquito, not even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth. Moreover, such a tiny creature posed no threat to it, and since the spider was not in the best state, it couldn't be bothered to pursue Cao Fusheng, preferring to wait for the feast at hand.

Ten minutes later, the Giant Rat finally ceased its struggles, lying silently wrapped in the web as if dead. The Mutant Spider crawled in circles along the overhead wall, several times bringing its legs within the Giant Rat’s striking range, yet the rat didn't react at all. The two mutants were connected only by the remaining webbing, as the slime-web still being extruded from the spider’s abdomen pulled on the bundle containing the rat.

Finally, having confirmed that its prey had lost the ability to fight back, it acted. The web at its abdomen began to retract sharply, pulling the prey toward it. This was the moment Cao Fusheng had been waiting for.

As soon as a new drop of corrosive liquid fell, Cao Fusheng acted decisively. He rushed out from the corner, sprinted three or four steps toward the waterway, and launched himself into a jump. Leveraging his body’s enhanced capabilities, this sprint-jump propelled him over a dozen meters, and at the final moment, he connected with the exposed tail and backside of the Giant Rat.

"Fly!"

Cao Fusheng roared, putting all his strength into a punch aimed at the rat’s rear. The mutant rat was sent flying like a cannonball, colliding head-on with the hungry Mutant Spider. At the same instant the rat took flight, Cao Fusheng gripped its tail tightly, using the momentum to carry himself forward.

Just as the two mutants collided, he leaped again, stepping off the head of the Mutant Spider to vault deeper into the fault. Before leaping away, Cao Fusheng locked eyes with the Mutant Spider. In the spider’s dense cluster of eyes, there was utter shock—how could this tiny animal dare to do such a thing! How could he dare!?

With Cao Fusheng’s own strength, even after constant enhancement, he could never have punched a mutant into the air. The opportunity he had waited for was the exact moment the spider began to retract its web. As it pulled the rat toward itself, he only needed to add his own explosive force from behind to provide the rat with the necessary acceleration. That was what caused the unfortunate rat to fly off like a projectile.

After Cao Fusheng landed steadily, a drop of liquid landed an inch behind him. The timing was perfect—exactly fifteen seconds. Too exhausted to look back at the two mutants colliding, he hurriedly ran deeper into the path. Regardless of how he would return later, this path was one of no return. Perhaps, he wouldn't need to return at all.

Cao Fusheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His nerves had been stretched to their breaking point; any more pressure and he feared they would snap.

"Crossing this passage, I should head left. Below that is the longest straight pipeline. If I can make it through there, then navigate seven or eight small turns, I’ll reach the base of the Sky Pillar."

Standing at a fork in the road, Cao Fusheng urgently contemplated which way to go, forgetting even that he still had his communication equipment hanging at his waist. He ran at top speed along the straight path, which spanned a full kilometer, without fear of encountering anything foul. The two mutants behind him must have cleared this area thoroughly; otherwise, they wouldn't have had the leisure to fight each other. To those mutants, ordinary zombie-types were nothing more than appetizers.

"I smell a familiar scent..."

Just as Cao Fusheng left the fault zone, another figure appeared in the pipeline, standing in the same area filled with corrosive liquid.