Lin Binbin glanced at the several animal carcasses not far away. After several seconds of silence, a slightly weathered look surfaced in his eyes, and he began to speak at length.
"Ten years ago, I was still a student at this very university. Just as I was about to graduate, a vile woman framed me with false accusations. I lost many important things. I couldn't take the blow. My mind broke — and that's how I ended up like this."
"Framed?"
Bai Jie grew curious. "Go into more detail. I can understand all of your human concepts and terms."
Lin Binbin was somewhat taken aback and ceased omitting details. "Yes. Back then, I was competing with a female student from the same department for a single spot..."
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, having heard Lin Binbin's full account, Bai Jie was deeply rueful.
It turned out that the female student, in order to win in the graduate school recommendation competition, had seduced Lin Binbin with her looks. Lin Binbin had been unable to resist the temptation. With a simple little scheme, the girl framed him for sexual harassment and rape.
Although the court verdict hadn't come out yet, the media coverage, the judicial investigation, and the evaluations from society and his surroundings had already cost Lin Binbin his graduate recommendation spot before the judgment was even handed down.
The school administration even directly canceled the issuance of his diploma, which dealt an enormous blow to his professional career.
But what directly caused Lin Binbin's mental breakdown was the final verdict being upheld.
He lost every opportunity to reclaim his reputation.
Online public opinion swept in once more, plunging Lin Binbin back into a maelstrom of malice and violence.
Lin Binbin wanted to confront that girl face-to-face, but he was treated as a troublemaker and blocked outside the school gates.
From that point on, he squatted on the overpass at the campus entrance every single day, hoping to find that girl. But the girl seemed to have taken precautions and never once appeared.
In that period, his mother fell ill from worry and passed away. His father was also extremely disappointed in him and stopped caring about him altogether.
Just like that, ten years went by.
The school leadership changed. Two cohorts of students rotated through. The story about him was passed down in a mutated version: "expelled for peeping into the women's restroom" — becoming a campus urban legend.
Bai Jie chose to believe Lin Binbin's words.
Thanks to the influence of the Mutagenic Venom, it knew the other party was not lying.
And though his face was very dirty, Lin Binbin's eyes were as clear as the starry sky.
"This man speaks methodically and expresses himself with great clarity. He really was a top student capable of getting recommended for graduate school..." Bai Jie secretly praised inwardly.
"What was that human female's name?" it asked again.
"I will never forget that name."
Lin Binbin ground his teeth. "She's called Li Jiayu."
Li Jiayu?
I feel like I've heard that somewhere before...
Wait, isn't that the name of that cold, gorgeous female professor?
Speaking of which, she was also the mature-woman goddess in the hearts of many male university students whose thoughts mirrored those of Cao Cao...
Even plenty of female students were her fangirls. Courses related to Professor Li were snatched up frantically — the classrooms were packed even into every corner, just to catch a glimpse of her beauty.
Even Bai Jie itself had attended her public lectures. Hmm, you could say she had a thermos hanging from her rear — definitely had substance.
Bai Jie was utterly dumbfounded.
"By the way, Lord God, what exactly caused those maddened, man-biting cats and dogs to become that way?" Lin Binbin asked, his fear still lingering.
Bai Jie reined in its thoughts and transmitted an explanation: "Over a month ago, a meteorite fell from the sky, bringing with it an indescribable organism. Those cats and dogs were precisely influenced by that eerie creature."
"Also, there is no need to address me as Lord God."
Bai Jie wasn't used to it. It gave off the feeling of being a phony spirit medium conning people.
"Understood. Then may I address you as... Your Majesty the Queen?" Lin Binbin looked at the spider with great caution.
He had made this judgment based on his intuitive sense of the voice's timbre.
Bai Jie: "..."
Fighting back the urge to fire off its venom needles with all its might, and after collecting its phrasing, it transmitted coolly:
"Very well. I conditionally acknowledge your qualifications. I ask you one final time: are you willing to accept my power and become my Follower?"
"If you choose to accept, you may retain the power beyond that of ordinary mortals that you have already gained, but you must carry out my commands and must not disobey."
"If you are unwilling... I shall reclaim that power."
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Binbin lowered his gaze and said with emphasis, "I am willing. This is my honor!"
Bai Jie nodded inwardly, feeling relieved on Lin Binbin's behalf.
Because what it termed "power reclamation" was actually taking Lin Binbin's life along with it.
Aside from that, it had no other methods.
"Now, let me see the abilities you have newly acquired."
Lin Binbin nodded and stood up. To his own surprise, several strands of spider silk shot from his fingertips and adhered to a lamppost.
Having experienced the dream, he had a rough idea of what abilities he had gained — he just had never used them before.
Bai Jie examined the spider silk. It was only slightly stronger than ordinary spider silk and certainly couldn't achieve the cinematic feat of swinging between buildings — both the tensile strength and the user's proficiency were insufficient.
Of course, as Bai Jie's Vitality and skill levels rose, and as Lin Binbin himself grew stronger, it might not be impossible in the future.
Next, Lin Binbin tested his superhuman reflexes, wall-crawling ability, self-healing ability, as well as his physical strength — all of which were unimaginable to ordinary people.
Through the Mutagenic Venom, he could essentially control his muscles and even his bones with spider-like precision, enhancing his speed and reactions, performing feats beyond ordinary human capacity.
He simply hadn't mastered the lethal use of venom — but that didn't mean he never would.
"Your Majesty the Queen, are you satisfied with my performance?"
After a bout of strained showmanship, Lin Binbin asked, slightly panting.
"..."
Bai Jie was speechless. It had taken enormous effort just to keep itself from jumping up at those four words.
"Barely passable."
"Next, you are to accomplish two tasks for me. Only after completing them will you be considered a formal Follower, and I shall also bestow upon you the opportunity to grow stronger."
Hearing this, Lin Binbin's pupils dilated. He hastened to respond, "Speak, and I will definitely complete them."
"First, I don't care what method you use — procure a new SIM card for a mobile phone. One with sufficient data."
Lin Binbin: ???
This was not at all what he had imagined...
Bai Jie also felt this would damage its image, but it had no choice but to make the request.
And it secretly resolved that from now on, it could no longer casually reveal its true form before an Agent like this. Otherwise, it would diminish its mystique and intimidation as a "god."
It absolutely could not let him discover that it was merely a pet spider — and one with a crippling internet addiction and a huge appetite for drama, at that!
"Second, there may be more mutant animals appearing in the city going forward. You need to successfully hunt one and bring its carcass to me. I will wait for you at the rear mountain of Xingchuan University."
"Naturally, the more you hunt, the more highly I shall regard you."
This should be the main point... Lin Binbin nodded. "Understood, Your Majesty the Queen. I shall certainly complete it."
Bai Jie truly couldn't tolerate it anymore. Suppressing its fury, it transmitted: "You are forbidden from addressing me by that title any longer."
"Remember, my name is..."
A flash of inspiration came to Bai Jie. Something suddenly occurred to it, and it softly articulated two words:
"Bai Zhi."
The moment these two words were spoken, time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Inexplicably, Bai Jie felt some kind of unknowable change occur within itself.
Lin Binbin bowed his head and said, "As you command, Lord Bai Zhi."
At the same time, he kept repeating this name over and over in his mind.
After a long while without hearing that mesmerizing, captivating voice again, Lin Binbin lifted his gaze. The bewitching spider figure was no longer in its original spot.
However, the abundant vigor coursing through his body, the uncanny energy, and the corpses nearby all reminded him — everything he had experienced was no illusion.