106: Chapter 26: Spider 106: Chapter 26: Spider Huang Ouguang felt like her mind was about to collapse.

This wasn’t just a metaphor but a description of the current situation.

When the sharp prosthetic limb of the Green Forest bandit swept over her head, she truly felt the electrical activity inside her skull.

“Fear” was destroying her Inner Strength.

But what of it?

Her Inner Strength was far too weak, nowhere near that of the bandit before her.

Even if her mind were calm and her Inner Strength intact, she still couldn’t match him.

“Wild Claw” Rod Halley whispered in Huang Ouguang’s ear, “Oh, look at this little cutie…

Hero?

I have indeed heard of such a group.

In my life, I’ve battled them six times.

Out of those six, I lost three times.

One of those times, I was left with just one hand and one head, barely escaping into the city sewers.

That time, I contracted some kind of parasite in my spine.

It was the second time in my life I had to replace my spine.

This very spine has stuck with me until now.”

“But…”

Rod Halley suddenly moved in front of Huang Ouguang, “Even the other two victories weren’t this easy.

I really don’t understand, what BUG is in your brain?

Why dare you appear before us?”

His other sharp prosthetic limb swung back, piercing through half a man, then brought him in front of Huang Ouguang, “Is it because of this man?

‘Third Senior Brother’?”

Rod Halley’s prosthetics were spider-like, his upper body posture similar to that of a normal person, but his lower body was attached to a carriage base, extending into eight sharp limbs.

Additionally, his abdomen had two independent “Pincer Limbs” connected to a submachine gun.

This spider-like humanoid body was his most distinct characteristic.

The person impaled by his third left prosthetic limb was someone whose body below the shoulders and chest had completely vanished.

For a cybernetically enhanced person, this still wasn’t a fatal injury.

However, the guy’s head seemed to have been severely damaged, with visible repair marks on his skull.

His prosthetic eye was still functional but seemed sluggish in responding to external stimuli.

Only after being lifted did he start moving his prosthetic eye.

Huang Ouguang shouted, “Put down my senior brother…”

She was now welded hands and feet to a metal stand, completely unable to move.

“I’m really curious, little girl…” the giant spider turned again, whispering in Huang Ouguang’s ear, “What exactly are the illusions that made you think raiding our Green Forest was a good opportunity, hmm?”

A sharp prosthetic gently tapped the back of her head, “Do you people of Jianghu actually consider our Green Forest as a spare parts depot?

Because this guy needed a prosthetic body, that’s why you came to rob us?”

Inside Huang Ouguang’s voice box, only chaos remained.

A less advanced voice pack couldn’t accurately simulate complex physiological activities like “crying out.”

Deep within, the heroine was filled with regret.

About six months ago, her sect held a biennial offline meeting nearby.

But during this meeting, a traitor infiltrated their sect.

Nearby protectors from the Human Gene Bank stormed in and killed two elders of the sect.

The Sect Leader and Big Senior Sister entangled the army, giving the sect members a chance to escape.

Huang Ouguang couldn’t recall exactly how many had escaped.

She broke out with her Third Senior Brother.

But as they reached the edge of the battlefield, they were struck by a space-based laser weapon.

It was in that moment that Third Senior Brother’s prosthetic body was destroyed.

Fortunately, due to atmospheric conditions, the laser didn’t hit them directly.

Using his last bit of Inner Strength, Third Senior Brother broke through the blockade and detonated the Iron Dust they had laid beforehand, and they escaped in the ensuing chaos.

But perhaps due to overexertion or because his head prosthetic was damaged and some Iron Dust seeped into his biological brain, Third Senior Brother’s consciousness gradually scattered after that, and he could no longer perform his martial arts.

Huang Ouguang spent months hiding with Third Senior Brother in the wilderness.

Relying on the inherent abilities that Benchmark Men are born with, they went a long time without food or water.

Later, the two also relied on a small solar panel on Huang Ouguang to hibernate for several days to recharge.

Huang Ouguang carried her senior brother everywhere she hid.

Third Senior Brother’s condition worsened day by day, initially still mostly coherent.

But after the first long hibernation to recharge, senior brother began to fall into prolonged comas.

Starting with being awake half of the day, then sinking into unconsciousness for over a dozen hours, and later on only being awake for an hour or so each day.

Huang Ouguang had no choice but to continue fleeing with her senior brother, looking for any chance of rescue along the way, until they reached this place.

Huang Ouguang hadn’t realized that she had inadvertently come near the main camp of “Wild Myth.”

By this time, the heroine was truly at the brink of exhaustion.

Yet, even at this juncture, all she thought about was moving forward.

But senior brother simply couldn’t hold on any longer.

Upon spotting a lackey preparing to return to the Great Stockade, she seized the opportunity, overturned a motorcycle, and killed the lackey.

However, that lackey was in the middle of a communication.

His dying curse was heard by others, who reported it to the stockade.

Now, she too had fallen into the hands of the Green Forest.

Huang Ouguang opened her mouth wide but didn’t know what to say.

Finally, she managed to say, “Put down my senior brother…

he’s severely injured…”

“Hehehe…let him go?” Rod Halley shook the prosthetic limb that had pierced through Third Senior Brother.

With a thud, Third Senior Brother smashed onto the ground, emitting a moan.

“Ah…” Huang Ouguang trembled slightly.

“You see, I let him go.

I’m quite reasonable, aren’t I?” Rod Halley circled around Huang Ouguang, “What do you say?”

Huang Ouguang nodded shakily, not daring to provoke the seemingly unpredictable and fierce man any further.

“Exactly.

We can still talk, Female Hero.” Rod Halley said, “Let’s continue our conversation…”

Huang Ouguang said, “What else do you want to know…

I’ve told you everything I can…

The secret manual of our sect is encrypted with me, even if you kill me, I can’t decrypt it for you!”

“No, no, no, I want to know more…

about the memories of the Lord’s siege on your sect.” The man flicked Huang Ouguang’s skull, “I need to know more about the ‘Protectors’.”

“I’ve said all I can…” Huang Ouguang said, “I’ve told you everything I saw!”

“That’s not what I mean, Female Hero.” Rod Halley said, “Your martial arts are really weak, very weak.

You haven’t even touched the First Layer Realm of ‘intention precedes movement’; you wouldn’t have time to observe the battlefield intelligence, let alone analyze it.

However, your prosthetic eye is quite decent.

Your memory, in fact, retains quite a lot of information.

You can’t extract useful content from it, but I can.”

“Open your skull and offer your memories to me.

Then, perhaps, I might be able to offer you a way to live?”

“Of course, you can refuse.”

“But if you do…”

Rod Halley lifted one leg, sketching a circle around Third Senior Brother’s head.

The threat was very clear.

Huang Ouguang gritted her teeth, “How can I be sure that you’ll let me go after getting the memories?”

“Hmm…” Rod Halley pondered for a moment, “Shall I let you go first?”

“Your martial arts are so much better than mine, even if you let me go, it won’t make any difference.

So…”

Huang Ouguang wanted to say more, but suddenly Rod Halley grabbed her skull and said, “Miss, this isn’t a negotiation.

You don’t have the capital to negotiate with me.

I’m only sparing you a bit of mercy to more conveniently obtain the information I want.”

“Just like that, open your skull, let me copy your memories.

Afterwards, both your life and your brother’s life can be spared.

I can not only save your brother’s life but also give him a potion to heal his injuries.”

Huang Ouguang’s spirit completely broke down in fear.

Her mind went blank, unsure of how to respond.

Rod Halley’s foot pressed on Third Senior Brother’s forehead, then lifted slowly.

The giant spider’s tone was sinister as he sternly asked, “I ask you one last time, agree or not?

Speak!”

“I…

I understand…”

“Then, open the skull!”

“Stop, Junior Sister!” Suddenly, another voice interjected.

At this moment, Third Senior Brother Cui Hai suddenly regained consciousness.

He exclaimed, “No!

Junior sister, haven’t you noticed?

He’s still trying to hack into your prosthetic body, but the sect’s encryption means he can’t pry open much permissions hastily—he’s trying to instill the Green Forest Soul into your brain, hence he wants you to open your own skull!”

“Ho-ho, interesting, you’ve seen through it,” Rod Halley’s tone was unaffected by any sense of defeat.

He stared at Huang Ouguang.

Indeed, there was nothing more secure than “turning an enemy into a comrade and having her offer up the intelligence herself.” The Green Forest Organization’s encapsulation and encryption also couldn’t withstand change from within.

Imposing fear on Huang Ouguang served two purposes: it disrupted the operation of her Inner Strength, making it easier to hack in; it also aimed to destroy her personality, making her easier to approach the Green Forest Organization after transformation.

The anthropomorphic spider lifted Cui Hai’s body, placing it in front.

Like Poison Claw’s array of submachine guns pointed at the severely injured head, Rod Halley slowly increased his force.

The already injured skull began to deform slightly.

“Although the ultimate goal has been exposed, the deal remains unchanged…”

Huang Ouguang’s mind remained blank.

In fact, even with her Senior Brother waking up, nothing had changed.

It was still a no-win situation.

Even if she agreed, after her personality was overwritten, she wouldn’t remember the fraternity with her brother.

Cui Hai, knowing his life was nearly at an end, hummed softly, wanting to preserve the dignity of chivalry in his final moments: “A laugh in the sea, the tides on both shores rise and fall, drifting with the waves, only remembering today…”

“You’re really old-fashioned…” Rod Halley said, “What exactly are you considering now…”

With a bang, the sound of an explosion rolled over like a carriage.