"A meteorite!"
"Why is there a fragment of a meteorite in here?!"
Right now, Bai Jie's heart was letting out a silent roar like a thunderclap.
Inside the metal case lay a purple rock the size of a tennis ball. The stone's surface, like flowing magma, flickered with purple luminescent spots from within, while exuding a pungent odor.
Over a month ago, a meteorite had fallen from the sky into the lake at Xingchuan University. It had subsequently been taken into custody by an official scientific research team.
However, rumors of unknown origin claimed that the meteorite — larger than a water vat — had vanished into thin air right under the noses of the researchers and guards.
Now, it seemed those weren't merely rumors...
The reason Bai Jie recognized it at a glance was because on the day the meteorite fell, he had been among the crowd of onlookers and had personally seen its appearance.
After that day, he had even dreamed about the meteorite for several consecutive nights.
"Why is Zheng Yueling hiding this meteorite fragment? Where did she get it?" Bai Jie simply couldn't make sense of it.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared:
[Based on Talent: Spirit-Devouring Body, the target's spirit essence can be seized. Commence seizing now?]
This was the first time a system notification had presented a question. Could it be that the system itself was getting impatient?
Bai Jie, however, calmed himself. He wasn't in a hurry.
So, just like he'd packaged the venomous creatures earlier, he wrapped the meteorite fragment up and dragged it behind him with spider silk, planning to devour it once he was safe.
He then searched through the other rooms. After finding no worthwhile clues, he took the meteorite fragment and returned to his web nest in the tree within the complex.
Upon returning to his nest, Bai Jie discovered an unidentified plump bird caught in the webbing of his tree web.
"Food delivery? Too bad — I've got better food now. I'll save you for later, heh."
Bai Jie eagerly tore open one "venomous insect package" after another and began devouring them.
Feeling the sinister energy continuously filling his body, Bai Jie shivered with bliss even at the soul level.
As he downed one venomous insect after another, the anticipated drowsiness didn't arrive. Bai Jie watched, fully awake, as his Status Panel underwent constant changes.
His vitality rose slowly from 16: 16.5, 17, 18, 19...
Skill — Leg Blade Slash leveled up: Lv.2! Lv.3!
Skill — Devouring Bite leveled up: Lv.2! Lv.3!
Skill — Bladed Spider Silk rose to Lv.4!
Skill — Urticating Venom Needle, Skill — Poison Arrow Spray rose to Lv.9!
Skill — Corrosive Venom rose to Lv.11!
He devoured nearly twenty venomous creatures in a single go. Bai Jie was honestly too stuffed to eat anymore, his satiety reaching 96%.
Although his abdomen had visibly swollen by a large margin, Bai Jie's Body Length data hadn't changed — still 60cm...
It seemed the Status Panel didn't account for actual size changes caused by eating.
He turned his attention to the meteorite fragment. Despite being wrapped in spider silk, its faint, glimmering radiance was still visible.
According to the system notification, consuming spirit essence wouldn't increase satiety. Only then did Bai Jie feel relieved enough to approach the meteorite fragment.
"But... how do I seize the spirit essence?" Bai Jie wondered inwardly, confused.
Tentatively, he placed his fangs against the meteorite fragment.
In an instant, the fragment's glow brightened further. Bai Jie also felt a strange, inexplicable familiarity emanating from the meteorite. Stream after stream of pure energy continuously flowed into him through his fangs.
Drowsiness suddenly hit.
...
Inside the main lobby of Xingchuan University's Teaching Building No. 1.
"Junior Chen, you were looking for me?"
Zheng Yueling looked at the tall, lean man blocking her path.
At this moment, Zheng Yueling looked rather worse for wear, even sporting faint dark circles under her eyes. She probably hadn't slept well the night before.
"Senior Zheng, I want to talk to you about Jie-ge and A Xiao."
Chen Zhang's tone was even, but his pitch-black eyes swept over Zheng Yueling like honed blades.
"Oh, for that..." Zheng Yueling's almond-shaped eyes made a full circle. She smiled. "Sure."
Somewhat to Chen Zhang's surprise, Zheng Yueling didn't put him off by claiming she was busy, nor did she stand aside and sorrowfully express condolences, as she'd done the previous times.
She had directly agreed!
"Come to my place at 6 PM. You can talk about whatever you want." Zheng Yueling's tone grew even softer.
Chen Zhang didn't hesitate for a moment. He simply nodded: "Alright."
"Do you know where I live? I'll send you my location in a bit."
Before Chen Zhang could answer, Zheng Yueling spoke words that made his hairs stand on end: "Oh, I almost forgot — you do know where my home is, don't you?"
Seeing Chen Zhang fall silent, the smile at Zheng Yueling's lips deepened. "I need to go see Teacher Shao now. So — bye-bye. See you at 6, don't be late."
She then brushed past Chen Zhang on her own, leaving only a trail of fragrance in the air where she'd stood.
Chen Zhang turned his head, inch by inch, watching that youthful, beautiful silhouette retreat. His eyes were as cold as ice.
"Are you sure about this? You really want to face her directly?"
Xia Qimeng had appeared behind Chen Zhang at some unknown moment. Her voice was grave.
"From the moment I accepted that surgery, it was decided — I would eventually confront her," Chen Zhang said with emotion.
"You still have room to back out. No need to take such a risk," Xia Qimeng hesitated briefly before saying.
"But he might still be alive." Chen Zhang didn't hesitate at all.
...
When Bai Jie awoke, the meteorite fragment no longer bore any glow whatsoever, as ordinary as any mundane stone.
[Name]: Bai Jie
[Title]: Night Goddess Nyx
[Race]: Gold-Patterned Laser Snake-Devouring Spider (Awakened Form)
[Vitality]: 24 (MAX)
[Skills]: Mutagenic Venom Lv.1 (NEW), Egg Laying Lv.1 (NEW), Leg Blade Slash Lv.5, Devouring Bite Lv.5, Bladed Spider Silk Lv.5, Urticating Venom Needle Lv.10, Poison Arrow Spray Lv.10, Corrosive Venom Lv.12 (MAX)
[Talents]: Poison-Refining Gu, Spirit-Devouring Body
[Satiety]: 88%
[Body Length]: Leg Span 70cm
Oh, heavens above, behold what I have discovered!
Vitality 24 — maxed out! He could evolve again!
Bai Jie was ecstatic, practically beating his chest and stomping his feet in excitement.
And there were two new skills to boot.
Mutagenic Venom?
Bai Jie folded his arms and nodded: Mm-hmm, sounds really impressive. And Egg Laying. Egg...
Egg Laying?!?!
Uh... hold on!
A thousand alpacas stampeded through Bai Jie's heart simultaneously. Don't tell me — no male spider lays eggs, right?
System, what do you mean by this? Come out here and explain yourself!
Bai Jie's sanity meter plummeted. He roared inwardly, so much so that even his body trembled slightly.
Ding!
Slightly ethereal characters appeared.
[Egg Laying]: Newly awakened skill (Cooldown Active). Passively unleashed. Has a 7-day cooldown period. Allows for asexual reproduction, producing spider eggs. 1–12 eggs per clutch. The race of the hatched spiderlings matches the race at the time of skill activation.
Note: As skill level increases, egg count increases and cooldown time decreases.
Bai Jie: ...
Enough to shock Bai Jie's entire family for a full year.
But what left Bai Jie even more speechless was yet to come. When he abruptly noticed the three words "Cooldown Active," he whipped around to look behind himself...
Three dazzling, golden gelatinous spheres lay quietly there.
He could even sense the aura of life within them...
Bai Jie's gaze froze solid, but inside, it was a tsunami.
What was going on? Why was this "egg laying" exactly like what he'd imagined egg laying to be?
So he couldn't even choose not to use it — once the time was up, it activated whether he wanted it to or not...
Wasn't this setting just like... a biological cycle...
Could he really be a female spider???
In an instant, Bai Jie's mind leaped to the name the witch had given her — "Night Goddess Nyx."
In that moment... Bai Jie felt as if five thunderbolts had struck him at once, heavenly thunder roaring in his ears.