Chapter 1, The Gray Disk-patterned Spider

Pushing open the door, the room is empty and quiet, as if this is a world solely belonging to Gao Peng.

He took the key out of his pocket and opened the door, "Dad, Mom, I am back." A radiant smile appeared on Gao Peng's face

In the dimly lit room, a frail young boy speaks to a picture frame, gesturing with his hands continuously, his spirit soaring, and his eyes sparkling with bright colors, embodying a longing for the future and a desire for strength

Gao Peng forced a proud smile on his face, "I used to have very poor grades, and you have often criticized me for my performance. Now I have finally achieved first place in the class and fourth place in the grade. You must be very happy, right? You no longer need to worry about my studies." At this point, Gao Peng's eyes slightly reddened.

Could it be that just now, I was preparing to play a little game of tag with myself, and upon seeing that I was almost home, I happily returned

Gao Peng walked into the bedroom, where the curtains were tightly drawn. The intense sunlight was blocked by the thick curtains, making the environment in the room appear somewhat dim.

Gao Peng furrowed his brow and looked up, only to see a giant spider the size of a grinding wheel perched beside the building's light, its crimson eyes flickering incessantly, while a grayish-white web was densely spread across the ceiling of the staircase

The gray-patterned spider fell to the bottom of the stairs with a thud, its eight legs frantically scurrying in all directions. In a tumble, it climbed up the opposite wall, while in the direction opposite to that of the spider's movement, a crumpled piece of paper was gradually extinguishing.

Gao Peng, carrying a red backpack, took out the access card from his pocket, "Ding."

It is getting closer

Leaving the bedroom, Gao Peng carefully closed the door, fearing that he might disturb the two people in the photograph inside the room

I remember Teacher Zhang saying that this fellow has a gentle temperament

After a moment of hesitation, the gray-patterned spider with red eyes flickered continuously, somewhat hesitantly raising its spider legs upward

The photo features a couple, with the man being cultured and refined, and the woman being dignified and virtuous. The couple is smiling happily, and through this thin layer of paper, it seems as if people from two different worlds can gaze directly at each other.

Organizing his emotions, Gao Peng took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door

The gray-brown sofa is placed in the living room, and opposite the sofa is a relatively old television.

At this moment, Gao Peng's mind was racing at high speed, yet his steps did not dare to pause for even a moment. This enraged monster was no trivial matter; if it caught up, a careless mistake could lead to a disastrous outcome.

Gao Peng hesitated slightly, pursing his lips, after all, the gray-patterned spider, no matter how gentle, was still a pet raised by the Chen family upstairs... No, that's not the point!

Gao Peng's eyes lit up, and his heart raced; this gray-spotted spider is truly afraid of fire

Gao Peng, who had long since become accustomed to it, walked straight up the stairs, oblivious to everything around him

With a sigh, Gao Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead. How did this spider manage to escape?

It is important to understand that these are interdimensional monsters! In the early stages of the mutation on Earth, these monsters were responsible for the deaths of countless human beings. No matter how gentle they may appear, it does not change the fact that they are monsters

Blinking his eyes and hesitating for a moment, Gao Peng took off his backpack, pulled out a sheet of white paper from it, casually crumpled it into a ball, and then took out a lighter from his pocket

Suddenly, a sharp and irritable screech echoed from behind. Gao Peng ran up the stairs and, at the moment of turning, caught a glimpse behind him out of the corner of his eye

The young boy suddenly felt a bit cold, hugging his arms around himself, his expression forlorn. However, he quickly dispelled this feeling with a sunny and confident smile on his face, transforming back into that optimistic and cheerful youth.

The gray-patterned spider's claw, which had just bent down, instantly stiffened, remaining motionless in place. Its crimson eyes flickered continuously, emitting a series of low chirping sounds.

The gray-patterned spider has blood-red eyes, and its fearsome mouthparts open and close. Its agile and powerful spider legs bend down like springs and then suddenly spring up! With each leap, it can jump up four or five steps.

The thinly dressed youth stood quietly in the bedroom, the tranquil room filled with the boy's wandering thoughts, until the sky outside darkened. The boy finally awakened and smiled apologetically at the couple in the photograph: "Mom and Dad, tomorrow the school will organize a trip for us, and I might not return for a few days. You don't need to worry about my safety; the school has hired special bodyguards to ensure our safety. I will also pay attention to my own safety!"

Gao Peng stroked his chin, um... He himself hardly believed such nonsense

Sighing, Gao Peng shook his head and turned to continue upstairs

The sound behind him grew increasingly closer, and Gao Peng could even clearly hear the faint collision sounds made by the gray-patterned spider as it jumped and moved along the staircase, resembling the sound of steel pipes striking the ground

But no one answered him. At that moment, the young man wished that someone would give him a thumbs up, offer words of encouragement, or even that the person in the photo could stand up and oppose his dream, which would also be a wonderful thing

At this moment, Gao Peng felt as if he were a man like the wind, racing up the stairs, with the furious shrill cries of the gray-patterned spider echoing behind him.

Hiss!

Some dilapidated iron doors were pushed open, emitting a creaking sound as I stepped into the staircase. The staircase appeared somewhat worn, with some debris accumulated on the floor, but fortunately, there were no strange odors.

A domineering and deep voice, filled with anger, penetrated the thick walls and echoed throughout the entire staircase, the tone both deep and authoritative

Gao Peng sighed, "The little spider raised by Grandma Chen has sneaked out again. It seems like this is the seventh time this month, isn't it"

The two individuals in the photograph did not respond to Gao Peng, their faces still adorned with an eternally unchanged faint smile

Ah, Teacher Zhang deceived me. Who said this thing is docile!

No one saw it, perhaps due to the refraction of light, the smiles on the faces of the couple in the photograph appear even more pronounced, smiling very sweetly

The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of the boy's own breathing

I have heard that there are many battle mages within the Blue Shield Protection Company, and it would be nothing short of wonderful to become a battle mage.

Only the sound of the spider's scuttling on the ceiling remained behind him. Gao Peng paused his steps, as if recalling something, and hesitantly turned his head to glance at the large grayish-white spider that was darting back and forth on the ceiling at the top of the stairs

Suddenly, the lighter in hand ignited a ball of paper, which was then thrown towards the ceiling behind with lightning speed, and then, without hesitation, he took off running at full speed.

Under the dim light, there was the shadow of Gao Peng. Gao Peng lowered his head and caught a glimpse of the ground out of the corner of his eye, where a sinister, pitch-black shadow was continuously stretching and extending on the surface.

The house is very clean, and there is very little furniture arranged throughout the entire house. However, it is evident that the homeowner is very attentive and cleans regularly

This ... ... seems to be the gray disk-patterned spider, right? I remember the teacher mentioning ... ... that this creature appears to be quite gentle

No matter how gentle it may seem, it is still a monster! Before the mutations on Earth, even a creature of ordinary level could contend with the top predators like lions and tigers.

The bed in the bedroom was neatly arranged, and Gao Peng wore a smile on his face as he happily said: "Mom and Dad, I finally ranked first in the class in this exam. You must be very happy, right"

The distance is getting closer and closer

Gao Peng spoke to a black and white photo frame

More than half of the students in our class hope to become a messenger

I heard that this time the school has hired security personnel from Blue Shield Protection Company

However, in the photo, the couple is nestled together, warm and smiling

The moment the spider's leg was raised, it instantly retracted, and the gray-patterned spider hopped down the stairs.

There is just one more floor until I reach my home

However, the monster that had made a sound before did not make any noise again

Hiss! It seemed provoked, and this sound was even angrier than before

If you anger this monster, you will be nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter in this enclosed stairwell, completely unable to escape

What the hell! The things that appear in my mind are not illusions