Chapter 6

The girl quickly hugged the jar, her bright eyes unwaveringly watching the pipink flesh ball   inside.

“It’s really pretty, like a crystal jelly! Master, do you know what species it is?”

“I don’t know. It’s probably the same kind as a slug.”

“Master, what does it eat?”

“Try catching some insects and put them in there, see if it eats them.”

“What if the insects eat it instead?”

“Then that proves it has no abilities other than reviving, and it’s not a pity if it gets eaten.”

“Then I’ll catch some fierce poisonous bugs and see if it can survive.”

In just a few sentences, the fate of the pipink flesh ball   was decided. No one cared whether this decision was cruel to it.

Being weak is the original sin in this world.

The pipink flesh ball   furiously berated the two large insects.

Although it could see everything clearly, it was stuck behind a layer of something hard, as if it had been swallowed. To say it wasn’t scared would be a lie, but the emotion that was stronger than fear was anger.

Anger at the large insects, but even more so at itself. Being weak made one so powerless.

After a while of cursing, the pipink flesh ball   finally grew tired. It collapsed into a thin pancake, its “crust” heaving with each labored breath.

“Little thing, I’ll get you something to eat.” The girl put on golden silk gloves and reached towards a huge spider web hanging in the shrubbery.

A spider lay quietly on the web, the size of a pigeon’s egg, covered in black hair, with patterns on its back forming a sinister-looking skull. Its sharp fangs dripped with thick venom, clearly not a creature to be trifled with.

In this forest, if one were to rank the poisonous insects, the Ghost-faced spider would definitely be on the list.

“Be careful, if it bites you, you’ll lose your life,” the elder warned in a grave tone.

“I know, Master, I’m wearing gloves,” the girl replied, her movements as quick as lightning, she reached out to grab the spider.

The spider, sensing danger, suddenly sprang up from its still position, causing the spider web to tremble violently. The leaves and branches stuck to the web rustled along, and the quiet forest instantly became noisy.

However, this leap landed the spider directly into the palm of the girl’s hand, where it was firmly caught.

Zhi zhi, zhi zhi! The spider emitted sounds of alarm and anger.

The glass jar was tucked into the pocket of the girl’s clothing. Inside it, the pipink flesh ball  suddenly shivered and then quickly curled its pancake-flattened body back into a meatball shape.

It hated the zhi zhi noises the most; insects that made such sounds were never good news!

It struggled towards the top of the glass jar, trying to get to the edge of the pocket to see what exactly was happening outside. But the glass walls were too smooth, offering no friction, so it fell back every time it attempted to climb.

Despite falling countless times, it didn’t give up and kept persistently climbing.

Having experienced death once, it understood how important the virtue of “persistence” was for survival.

If it had entertained even the slightest thought of giving up when it was being torn to pieces by the corpse beetle, it wouldn’t be here now.

Climbing and falling, climbing and falling, the pipink flesh ball  kept on with its painful efforts.

The girl firmly gripped the Ghost-faced spider.

The body of an insect should be very small compared to that of a human. But the fierce struggle of the Ghost-faced spider was enough to make the girl’s arm shake and tremble incessantly.

“Master, help me open the jar! I can’t hold onto it anymore!” The girl was drenched in cold sweat, her face a picture of panic.

She always said one should never underestimate any creature in this forest, yet she still made the mistake of being contemptuous.

After so many attempts, the pipink flesh ball  finally made it to the top of the glass jar. Bright light filtered through, revealing the forest scene outside, and it could faintly smell the familiar scent of decay and the pungent odor of soil.

Ji ji! The pipink flesh ball  made an excited noise.

It turned out that to climb a smooth surface, especially upwards, the body must secrete mucus and turn the layer of skin that touches the surface into a suction cup. This way, it could move freely anywhere.

This was something it learned from the slug.

While storing new survival skills, the pipink flesh ball  used its body to push against the lid of the glass jar. It knew this was its chance to escape.

With a clang, the lid came off. The pipink flesh ball  was stunned in place! It hadn’t expected its own strength to be so formidable.

Before it could climb out, a mass of pitch-black material fell down.

Clang, the lid closed again.

Belatedly, the pipink flesh ball  realized it had missed a chance to escape. Ji ji! It let out a sound of defeat.

“Little thing, if you can survive, I will let you be my toy.” The girl lifted the glass jar, murmuring with a smile.

The pipink flesh ball  blinked its eyes in a daze, its gaze fixed on the girl’s terrifying face covered in tattoos.

“Don’t look at me, look at what’s beneath you. How can you lack even the most basic alertness?” The girl pointed at the pipink flesh ball  through the glass with her finger.

Lack alertness? Impossible. When it saw the inexplicably falling black object, the pipink flesh ball ‘s first reaction wasn’t to observe but to flee. This was a lesson learned from the depths of the abyss.

It immediately began to circle around the lid, not daring to stop.

The Ghost-faced spider didn’t climb up, nor did it care about the other insect; instead, it tapped the glass wall sharply with its articulated limbs, clang, clang, clang. As long as it could shatter the glass, it could escape just as well. That is the difference between having strength and having none.

Being at the top of the food chain among insects, it always thought about breaking through with brute force.

Hearing the crisp sound of the glass, the girl turned pale with fright.

“Master, could the jar break from its tapping?” Not daring to hold the jar any longer, the girl quickly placed it on a rock nearby.

“No, the jar is sturdy. As long as you don’t drop it, a single insect can’t break it,” the elder said with a casual wave of his hand.

The Ghost-faced spider continued to attack the glass viciously.

In this forest, as long as one lived long enough and had sufficient strength to survive, one would develop some degree of intelligence. A regular spider would just run aimlessly, blindly looking for an exit, not knowing that breaking the glass could be a means of escape.

The pipink flesh ball , which had been clinging to the lid, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good not to be considered food by this insect.

But its relief came too soon.

After several minutes of tapping, the Ghost-faced spider finally realized that this effort was futile. It lay still for a while, its eight eyes atop its head casting an ominous look upwards.

A chill spread throughout its body, making the pipink flesh ball  shudder.

The bad premonition was quickly confirmed as the black caterpillar climbed up the jar at an alarming speed, its sharp hooks ready to strike. The pipink flesh ball  didn’t flee; instead, it froze in place.

“Is the little thing scared stiff?” the girl crouched down, observing with interest.

The pipink flesh ball  was still clinging to the lid, not attempting to escape. It seemed to have given up struggling.

“You’re so useless! That’s it? Tsk tsk tsk,” the girl shook her head in disappointment, but in the next second, she was stunned.

Suddenly, the pipink flesh ball  let go of its suction hold, allowing itself to fall straight down. The Ghost-faced spider, which had just crawled up beside it and extended its hooks, missed and grasped at thin air. Its earlier burst of speed for a surprise attack was all in vain!

The Ghost-faced spider let out a sound of both frustration and anger.

“Master, did you see that? This insect is so clever! It even knows how to feint!” The girl showed a look of delighted surprise.

The elder swept away fallen leaves, laid down small stones, and lit a bonfire. The warm flames dispelled the chill brought by the invasion of the dark mist into their bodies. He glanced at the glass jar with a gentle smile.

The girl brought the jar close to the fire, inviting her master to join her in watching the drama unfold.

The pipink flesh ball  landed at the bottom of the jar, lying there like a salted fish.

The Ghost-faced spider chirped a few times, forced to crawl down the glass walls. Not knowing how long it would be stuck in this jar, it naturally needed to feed. Moreover, this prey seemed plump and likely delicious.

The spider approached again, death looming overhead. Still, the pipink flesh ball  lay flaunting its belly on the spot.

“Falling down is easy, climbing up is hard. You definitely can’t move as fast as a spider. You should run!” The girl tapped the glass with her tattoo-covered finger, trying to urge the pink furry bug to escape.

The elder glanced at her with a smile, silently sighing at his young apprentice’s naive cuteness.

The Ghost-Faced Spider had already reached the bottom of the jar, swiftly crawling towards the pipink flesh ball , its sharp claws stabbing at the prey.

“Dead, we’re done for this time!” The girl lamented, but what happened next once again left her astonished.

To her surprise, the pipink flesh ball  suddenly whooshed up to the top of the jar, firmly sticking to the lid. The Ghost-Faced Spider’s attack once again missed its mark.

Wide-eyed, the girl asked urgently, “Master, did you see what just happened? That creature has no wings; how did it fly up there?”

“If you look closely, you’ll notice that when it fell, it extruded a silk thread from its body, anchoring itself to the lid. When the spider approached, the thread was pulled taut, lifting it up. It doesn’t fly, it’s rappelling,” the old man observed keenly.

The girl listened in astonishment, her eyes shining brightly, involuntarily exclaiming, “This creature is so clever, almost scary! Is it the Einstein of the insect world?”

The old man couldn’t help but suppress a smile.

Inside the jar, the Ghost-Faced Spider was in a frenzy of helplessness. It squeaked and screeched, its furry claws wildly flailing, banging against the glass walls in a fit of rage.

Meanwhile, the pipink flesh ball  remained calmly attached to the lid, its large eyes flickering with a smug glint. Death brought it not only pain but also a wealth of survival skills.

“I’ll give you a name, how about Einstein?” The girl chuckled happily, her tone affectionate as she gently touched the chubby body of the pipink flesh ball  through the glass.

The Ghost-Faced Spider could not give up on this prey. After venting its anger, it began climbing up again, only for the pipink flesh ball  to drop down just as it reached close.

Turning back down, the Ghost-Faced Spider descended, but as soon as it reached the bottom, the pink flesh ball was once again lifted up.

Ghost-Faced Spider: …Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak! Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!

“I’m going to kill you! Do you hear me? I’m going to kill you!”

“I can’t stop laughing! Hahaha!” The girl held her stomach, wiping tears of joy from her eyes. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed such a delightful moment.

The old man shook his head somewhat helplessly, a glint of resignation in his eyes. Laugh while you can, for after tonight, laughter might be a rare commodity.

Climbing up, dropping down, climbing down, being lifted up… the two creatures in the glass jar were staging a comical farce. The girl, holding her cheeks, watched with relish.

After a few minutes, the Ghost-Faced Spider grew weary of this fruitless pursuit. It might not be as clever as the pink flesh ball, but it possessed wisdom and greater strength. It lay in wait at the bottom of the jar, its eight eyes glinting coldly.

The pink flesh ball remained attached to the lid, staring back intently.

Both knew that if they couldn’t escape, one of them would inevitably die. The deceased would become food.

Suddenly, the Ghost-Faced Spider raised its pointed tail and sprayed a white silk thread towards the pink flesh ball above. The highly adhesive silk rapidly enveloped the flesh ball.

“Oh no, it’s pulling out all the stops!” The girl’s face tensed with nervousness.

The pipink flesh ball , though clever, lacked any means of attack. Escaping could only buy it time, not save its life.

“Indeed, when facing a formidable enemy, fleeing is the most futile form of resistance.” The girl looked at the pipink flesh ball  wrapped in silk, sighing regretfully.

The Ghost-Faced Spider swiftly climbed to the top of the jar, continuously spraying silk from its tail, thickening the encasement. The pink flesh ball, entangled in silk, bounced vigorously, struggled intensely, but in vain.

Its sharp fangs pierced, injecting venom.

Gradually, the once vigorously struggling prey became unnaturally still, motionless. It seemed to have given up hope of survival. Before long, it would be dissolved by the potent venom into a nutrient-rich liquid.

This ending seemed predestined in the face of such disparate strength.

The girl wiped away her smile, her eyes filled with a dim, indiscernible light.

“Died just like that? How uninteresting!” With an indifferent tone, she commented on the passing of a small life, then turned her gaze away, her interest waning.