Chapter 5: Escape

He rolled on the ground, suddenly stood up, looked around, and temporarily found no danger. Only wisps of mist were seeping in from the crack of the window behind him.

The residents of a three-story house are at least from the affluent class, yet this neighborhood is so desolate now, which cannot be separated from the presence of these individuals

A very tall and robust man entered through the back door of this room. As he ascended to the second floor, he may have left his first mark on the handrail of the staircase, possibly due to his own weight.

Xiao Fen suddenly looked up. Before the rope was raised again, his left hand had already grasped the window sill. With a sudden force, he lunged out of the window, his right hand quickly following to grab the window sill. A glance from the corner of his eye, his body swayed significantly, and then he abruptly released both hands, his entire body flipping onto the balcony of the second floor.

Xiao Fen did not stop his steps at this point; he was very aware that above this block, there was likely a very large spider web. As long as he remained within the range of this spider web, he would always be in a dangerous area

Xiao Fen let out a long sigh; as these events connected in his mind, the scene from that time quickly emerged before him

The handprints on the handrail of the stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor, along with the footprints left on the second floor, can attest to this. The handprint is exceptionally large, and the toe prints are also quite large. Such large footprints perfectly match the shoe in front of Xiao Fan.

This resembles the ghostly figures in the tale of aiding the tiger, becoming mere puppets controlled by ropes before being completely digested, awaiting their future, ultimately being entirely consumed by the ropes

Above his head, a rustling sound was growing louder, yet this sound instead relieved Xiao Fen.

It may have been due to being outnumbered, or other reasons, but this battle ended in the complete defeat of that burly man

This is a series of actions executed without any pause or prior practice; within a few seconds, Xiao Fan had removed himself from the most dangerous location, and the rope had not even had time to react

At the stairway entrance on the second floor, this master attempted one final struggle

This man also realized this, becoming aware that he might not survive. He quickly hid the book, wrote a note, and placed the note in the pocket of his bag.

Like Xiao Fen's judgment, this also indicates that the male individual chose the 3rd floor as the observation point

It crawled on all fours, emitting a hissing sound, gradually closing in on Xiao Fan.

He stayed here, possibly for a few days or a few hours, before being discovered by those monsters

Everything has finally come full circle, but this does not resolve any issues

Once upon a time, the owner wearing it engaged in a struggle here with certain enemies, during which the shoes were thrown off. This owner was bound by ropes similar to those just mentioned, and while struggling, collided with several parts of the house, eventually being slowly dragged down from the second floor. The long, bloody scratch resembling a finger mark between the second and third floors appeared during this process

The shadow, without the protection of a rope, fell heavily to the ground without any delay, like a stone, while the rope was lifted again, slowly turning its head towards Xiao Fan on the second-floor balcony

Xiao Fen shook his head slightly. The book he had just seen seemed to contain some records at the end, but now was not the time to consider such matters. Following the direction of the newspaper, he noticed a completely torn shoe, which was the right shoe.

He strained to rise on his tiptoes, wanting to do something, but this was indeed the last struggle, a futile resistance, and he was ultimately killed, subsequently being dragged away by that rope

November 5, 1888, London

Xiao Fen lowered his gaze, only then realizing that he had not yet looked at the newspaper he had just snatched from that homeless man. He bent down to take a closer look at the headline, and his eyes twitched slightly.

Xiao Fen disregarded the pain in his shoulder, leaping over the balcony railing with a swift motion. His body pressed against the wall, he took a few steps along the edge, executing a graceful side flip and landing precisely on the support beam of another building

After a period of time, some other individuals arrived here. They sifted through the belongings of the deceased male but did not find the note. These individuals were likely pressed for time, so they could not conduct a more thorough search and left in haste, ultimately allowing Xiao Fen to obtain the book

Behind him, the rope along with the shadow burst out of the window

However, Xiao Fen's speed was far faster than he usually displayed. In just a few seconds, he dashed to the top of the pillar, slightly tilted his body, grasped the slightly slanted windowsill beside the pillar, exerted force with both hands, and leaped up. In mid-air, his body performed a nimble contraction and turn, and in the next moment, he had already burst through the closed window and landed inside.

The damp, decaying pillars emitted a heart-stopping "creaking" sound, as if they would collapse under greater weight at any moment

A more powerful creature smashed the sturdy door of the house, and a rope from the sky entered through the door, swiftly reaching the third floor to engage in battle with the man

What was there in London in 1888

With the protection of thick clothing, this time the contact and sliding against the floor on the second level did not feel painful. For Xiao Fan, such pain was already within his expectations.

Meanwhile, the sound above Xiao Fen's head had inexplicably ceased at some point, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, as if nothing unusual had ever occurred.

The danger has not yet been averted; this is only the beginning, of this we can be certain

Xiao Fen furrowed his brow slightly, quietly seated himself, and gazed at the dimly lit space before him, as a new round of thoughts began to unfold in his mind

Xiao Fen cast a glance at the rope that was gradually becoming blurred in the foggy night, not daring to linger for a moment, and sprinted upward along the pillar that supported the precarious building

Of course, Xiao Fen would not tell this rope that this is called parkour, nor would he reveal that he and Tu Shu had secretly practiced parkour every day since the sixth grade. The complex street environment before him felt just like his home ground.

Not only that, beside this rope, there is a dark figure that is quite similar to the previous vagrant, appearing to be in a swollen state, much like a spider that has not fully digested its prey

He quickly ran down the stairs to the first floor, where the layout was similar to that of the previous room. On this floor, there was also a kitchen, and behind the kitchen was a small door that was half open and half concealed

Xiao Fen ran a few steps and rushed to the back door. He did not immediately open it, but instead took a moment to calm himself and listened carefully to the sounds outside

The sudden silence made Xiao Fen's hair stand on end. He didn't even look up, shoving the book into the pocket of his coat, and rolled on the ground. Behind him, with a loud "bang," a thick white rope, resembling spider silk, suddenly struck the ground, shattering the leather bag lying there.

These individuals will launch attacks on those who are isolated, and a solution must be found as soon as possible

Before those ropes launch an attack on a person, they remain completely silent. If this is the case, it can only be said that the enormous spider web at the back door currently has no attack targets