Chapter 4: Just Kicking a Few Spiders

A Diary of the Cultivation of an Evil Captain:
April 6th, Sunny. I admit I couldn’t resist the temptation. I thought it would be cool for the captain to get furious and knock over those war rhinos or something, so I did it. But while eating dinner that night, I started to regret it. I could have just agreed—why sign some contract? Just like when I promised my dad I’d become an assistant and a great tauren commander. Hopefully, no trouble will arise.
April 7th, Cloudy. It hurts—so damn much! It’s incredibly difficult! If I had known blood energy would be like this, I would never have learned it! But since I can’t die, I have to learn! Ugh, that contract—I said I wouldn’t sign it, but he forced me. I signed! A painful day.
April 8th, Still cloudy. From the start of the day, nothing good seemed to be coming. Sure enough, another painful day—so painful! Blood energy surges through my body like thousands of tiny insects crawling around, causing unbearable itching, yet I can’t scratch. God! Kill me! A super painful day.
April 9th, Still damn cloudy. I knew there would be pain—sure enough, super painful! I hurt! I suffer! I really want to die, but blood energy keeps me alive! Mom and Dad, save me!
April 10th, Sunny. But it doesn’t help. I’m done. Valrug is done. So are Korkal, Kanito, and Mary. We’re all done. The captain is a demon, a blood demon—he completely controls us. Life is worse than death! The captain says we still have to train even if we go on a mission tomorrow. If we fail, blood energy will be unleashed. I curse the captain!
Many years later, Zangin Rockhoof recalled those days with deep affection, filled with praise. But when someone showed him his old diary for verification, he became furious. He said, “The captain is a noble person, pure, moral, free from vulgar interests, and beneficial to the people. Such a selfless person is deeply loved by everyone, including me. I understood these truths years ago. How could I complain about pain? How could I curse the captain? It’s all lies! All nonsense!”
April 11th. Spring arrived late, brought by a gentle spring rain that fell like mist.
“Damn it! I hate rain!” Zangin cursed, wiping his wet face, as if covered in sweat.
“Mm-hmm! Hate it!” Valrug mumbled, chewing an olive.
“I hate it so much!” Korkal used a handkerchief to wipe the rain from his face. As a race with protruding faces, it’s hard to keep the hood of a raincoat from covering their faces while still allowing them to see. So getting wet is inevitable. All three of them were clearly rude. The fresh spring rain was one of the unique sights in Silfanis each year, but these three just couldn’t appreciate it.

Kanito was an overenergetic troublemaker, crammed with supplies inside the Siege Spider’s cockpit, constantly shouting “Eh ha! Yah hu!” For over an hour now, his enthusiasm hadn’t faded. Mary, on the other hand, was the opposite of Kanito—she was at an age of rebellion and sensitivity, harboring some unknown grievances. The weather truly matched her mood, filling her with sorrow; even the heavens seemed to wipe away her tears. Her self-pitying attitude made Neo feel an urgent urge inside him. With a smirk and a pout, Neo could easily change Zanjin and the others’ training systems to help them improve their combat skills quickly, but he couldn’t easily change their personalities. For now, he could only observe their growth through events. If their personalities had irreparable fatal flaws, then they would have to be abandoned. Whether it would be a peaceful parting or letting them die in battle would depend on the circumstances. *Flap flap!* The returning aluminum eagle interrupted Neo’s thoughts. He stretched out his arm, and the eagle landed on his left forearm like a regular hawk, tilting its head oddly as its gemstone eyes scanned its new master. The aluminum eagle was a product of alchemy—a single energy core as thick as a thumb was enough to enable it to fly thousands of miles. Its flaw was that it was a counterfeit of a silver-winged bird, not an autonomous constructed lifeform but a mere object capable of transmitting information between two places. The battle teams of the Celestial Temple all had similar tools, and they weren’t innovations created by Neo and Kanito. However, what others didn’t know was that this eagle, controlled by the captain, had been modified—its most significant change was the installation of an AI split unit. As a test subject for the AI split unit’s functionality, the eagle proved successful, its abilities no longer limited to message transmission. This time, it brought back news from the Howling Abyss. Roughly calculated, Neo had been away from the Howling Abyss for over a month. Every day, seeing those strange black blood clouds in the sky, he couldn’t help but think of the rampant Dark Rot force. The dark regions were the first to suffer. Under such circumstances, it was worrying enough just to consider the erosion caused by the Dark Rot force, which damaged the soil and affected life, let alone whether the Howling Abyss had been attacked by any mutated monsters. Unfurling the small scroll spat out from the eagle’s beak, Neo carefully read the text, tiny as mung beans. After finishing, he shook it lightly, and in a faint red glow, the scroll turned to dust. Zanjin and Kokar, who were peering closely nearby, opened their mouths but helplessly turned away, seeing nothing. “Captain, what’s the latest news?” Valrug asked, rubbing his hands excitedly. With his short temper and excitement, Valrug was a practical person. Among the five colleagues, Neo had the highest hopes for him—not because of his exceptional potential, but because he possessed the basic qualities needed to succeed in a warrior’s path. Though he seemed dull, he wasn’t foolish. Lacking good opportunities before, after receiving Neo’s guidance, he became the most diligent among the five. Neo had seen him practicing blood energy control secretly more than once.

“Our target is indeed the Venomous Tooth Spiders. First, these spiders have mutated; second, according to the latest recon reports, their numbers are twice what was stated in the briefings—probably because a new generation has grown up over time.”
“Haha, over 20 mutated Venomous Tooth Spiders! We can have a good fight this time!” Zanjin replied in a rough voice. He had been filled with anger after being tormented by Neo and had nowhere to vent it, so he saw this mission as a perfect opportunity to do so.
Of course, the reality wasn’t like that. Although the scroll didn’t contain the latest intelligence from the Temple, it was true that the Aluminum Eagle had gone to scout the Venomous Tooth Spiders’ nest. After the outbreak of Dark Rot energy, creatures like snakes and spiders—malicious and sinister—were the most severely affected, mutating fastest and to the greatest extent. The fact that they could commit atrocities such as attacking and killing people at Armed Farm No. 5 north of the Refuge Valley already said a lot. The people of the armed farms weren’t like city dwellers; they were a group with militia-like combat skills, united and equipped with weapons of all kinds, as well as considerable hunting and fighting experience.
Sitting on the Rough Camel, swaying with its steps, Neo began to consider the rough objectives of this battle. He was confident he could eliminate those Venomous Tooth Spiders within a few hours, but he believed that wouldn’t serve his or Star 745’s interests. The soldiers, including Zanjin, needed to grow, and growth required time.
“Let’s go for a moderate approach. There probably won’t be many tasks suitable for practice like this.” Neo was still quite concerned about the external situation. Although the authorities kept announcing to the public that the Defense Forces were achieving stage after stage of victory, and that it was only a matter of time before monsters were eradicated and a peaceful home was restored for the people, the shortage of troops and the increasing number of casualties showed that the impact of Dark Rot energy had only just begun. If the devils’ minions also took the opportunity to cause internal chaos, the situation would only become more unstable and deteriorated.
There was no pause even at noon; they were simply ordered to grab some dry food. Everyone thought Neo was preparing to rush straight to the destination, complete the mission, and return victorious. But around 3 p.m., Neo ordered them to set up camp on the spot. They were still over 5 kilometers away from the Venomous Tooth Spiders’ nest, and Armed Farm No. 5 had already been passed—truly a desolate place.
Bang! Bang! Bang!… The eight steel legs of the Siege Spider, like upright poles, were thrust deep into the soil, forming a uniform support framework similar to umbrella ribs that enclosed an area of about a thousand square meters. The Siege Spider lowered its body, and the supplies hung by ropes or carried on it were unloaded one by one. Tarpaulins were unrolled, and with hooks and clamps, they were stretched over the hollows on the inside of the Siege Spider’s steel legs, creating a windproof camp wall.

Zizz! Thin red threads shot out from the side triggers on the steel legs, forming several rope-like barriers in the space just outside the tarpaulin. This was a trigger-based warning net used in conjunction with the 8 observation eyes of the siege spider. With two people in the watchtower (the siege spider’s chassis) and another three in armor stationed under the awning inside the camp gate entrance, this night duty arrangement wasn’t too demanding for two squads of fighters. It offered strong early warning capabilities but limited ability to prevent sudden incidents—still quite good for a temporary camp of 70 people.

The temple provided 10 strong mules plus 5 large carts, but Neo spent extra money to replace them with 20 large camels and 7 large carts. Although many of these camels, preferred by merchant caravans due to road safety reasons, ended up as burdens in the livestock sheds and couldn’t be sold at a good price, the 20 camels were still expensive, each costing as much as an adult ox. They also ate a lot. Neo roughly calculated that, with the current mission allowances, if they failed to win or suffered heavy losses, Star 745 would have to borrow money to get by because of these camels.

Even so, Neo still thought it was worth it. First, there was mobility—one large cart could easily carry one squad of 11 people along with their equipment. With 6 carts plus one for supplies, Neo, Zanjin, and the other five each rode a large camel, along with the siege spider. This was a typical four-legged caravan. Camels weren’t as fast as horses, but they had good endurance, were dull-witted, and hard to startle. They could maintain a speed of 35–40 kilometers per hour, saving manpower and time. Even after a day’s travel, they could still carry out missions.

The area was only a thousand square meters. With the livestock shed for 20 camels and the tents used by the soldiers, there was hardly any space left. The four-wheeled carts had to be parked outside the camp. Zanjin and the others acted like teenagers organizing their first trip, shouting at the soldiers, speaking unclearly, and even participating themselves. As a race that had lived in tents for decades, they had many tips that helped the soldiers set up tents faster and made them more stable. The soldiers praised them, and the group laughed ear to ear, proudly boasting and joking—very approachable, showing a tendency to blend in with the soldiers.

Neo was different from them. He was more like a stabilizing force. He spoke little, usually issuing orders. Any soldier around him felt like a mouse facing a cat, as if inherently inferior. Fear—yes, the soldiers were afraid of Neo, not only because he had made the soldiers of two squads cry out in pain during training but also because of the terrifying image he left in people’s minds during his fight with the war rhinoceros. Monsters, intelligent monsters—sometimes the soldiers called Neo that in private. They felt secure with a monster like Neo around, but they had no interest in getting too close to him.

Nio stood on a large cart, watching the soldiers set up tents in an orderly manner, while thinking about how to further improve the team’s conditions. An assault spider had some difficulty; if there were another one, they could build a large vertical camp framework, with soft bridges connecting the spider’s body compartments. This would greatly improve things, and a single supply would last at least half a month for free movement. With hunting and reduced expenses, it might even suffice for a month outside, meeting the requirements for long-distance operations.

The tents—he found the current ones far too inadequate. What he wanted were large tents with frames and hammocks, allowing soldiers to sleep in upper and lower layers. Each tent would house five soldiers, with the squad leader having a separate bed at the entrance.

After this mission, it was time to let the soldiers elect their own squad leaders and deputy squad leaders. After the next battle, non-commissioned officers could be introduced, followed by officers. Although these were internal ranks, dividing them into tiers would help boost the soldiers’ morale…

Buzzing! That was the sound of the energy compression collector in operation—somewhat like the sound of a dwarf’s generator, but simpler and more mysterious. The runes of the magic array glowed and rotated, emitting a magical light that looked quite impressive. In reality, after 12 hours of operation, it barely sufficed to maintain the assault spider’s daily functioning and the energy needs for training with firearms.

Apart from combatants, Star 745’s other auxiliary weapons included only a magic energy pistol with a 10-round magazine. Knives were merely small tools—even farmers in this world knew to carry a knife for emergencies. Starting from the fourth day of training, Star 745’s auxiliary troops underwent daily shooting drills, even after marching like today. According to Nio, “For non-combat units, my requirements are simple: be as alert as a fox on missions, as fast as an antelope when fleeing, and have excellent marksmanship. Even if you can’t take an enemy’s life suddenly, at least create more opportunities to escape successfully. If you can’t master this as your primary means of survival, don’t stay in Star 745—I’ll transfer you to allied forces that constantly sacrifice many soldiers!”

Additionally, each troop had its own tasks. The cooks were busy preparing delicious dinners, while the logistics crew took care of the camels. Energy collection was handled by Carnito along with the tool repair soldiers. There were also medical personnel. Under the protection of one squad of soldiers, Nio personally led a team to scout the lairs of venomous spiders and collect herbs, mainly to make antidotes. The venom of venomous spiders required red-spotted grass as the main ingredient, and this plant often grew near their nests.

“Do we want to return to camp for dinner before dark? To avoid trouble and not encounter monsters lurking in the darkness before completing the scouting mission? Then stay focused, take bigger steps, and speed up! On my count: 121, 121…”

Under Nio’s leadership, 1 warrior and 6 medics followed him to the lair of the Venomous Spider. A 3-kilometer armed march was a minor task for these soldiers, and they completed it smoothly.
“Take a 15-minute rest while on guard,” Nio ordered. He stepped on a rock, took out a magical map from his pack, unfolded it, and used a magic pen to select an area before locking in on the mission destination—the Spider Jungle.
As the magic light flowed, a projection of the Spider Jungle appeared in midair before Nio, who compared it with the real scene. The location seemed correct, but the information on the magical map might not have been updated in some time, leading to significant discrepancies. In short, the current Spider Jungle appeared even more monstrous—those dead trees, which had already grown wildly, now seemed even more aggressive and twisted, spreading like weeds along ridges and valleys. Each tree seemed to have lost all moisture, appearing shriveled and dry with visible tree veins. They also had numerous knots and scars, resembling an abstract face of a vengeful spirit, with dark holes sometimes emitting mysterious magical glows. Coupled with webbing like veils, the scene looked utterly ancient and eerie.
Nio folded the map and took out a small magical scroll from his pack, which could be activated with blood energy. He unrolled it casually, and a beam of light emerged, forming a magic eye the size of a washbasin in the air. After scanning the surroundings, the light faded, and whoosh! The scroll automatically rolled up and sealed again. The latest information about the Spider Jungle had been recorded. These small devices were provided by the temple and were essential for most organized military units on missions. Nio had seen military experts use them during militia training last year and had been incredibly envious; now he too was using one.
Fifteen minutes later…
“Open the way with weapons! Advance!” Nio raised his serrated blade and pointed forward. The team moved forward under his leadership, with warriors on the flanks and medics in the middle. In reality, it was Nio alone who “opened the way”—there were no paths in the Spider Jungle at all. But that didn’t matter; Nio was skilled at cutting paths through trees. With a single swing of his blade, even the thickest trees were split in two. These trees were extremely tough, and the cuts resembled those made by a chainsaw, with charred yet oily surfaces. However, the trees didn’t have the traditional umbrella-like shape but resembled tentacles, simple yet eerily grotesque. As a result, they made little noise when falling—well, relatively speaking.
“Be careful of that dead tree—fire at it!”

At Neos’s command, a warrior not far behind him stepped forward. He carried a sack-like device, from which a tube with a nozzle at the end protruded. Whoosh! With a burst of flame, the dry trees were instantly engulfed. Such flamethrowers were commonly used in Frey—they used a black, swampy liquid known as fuel, combined with fire element energy cells, to produce intense, high-temperature flames that didn’t spread easily. They required no special training and were very convenient to use. Of course, they weren’t without drawbacks, such as their high cost.

A burst of flame lasting 5 seconds would usually set even the tallest of those dry trees ablaze, causing them to burn like giant torches. Soon after, many cracks appeared on the trunks, as if there was a strong suction force inside drawing the flames inward. Just a few seconds later, the dry trees would explode with a loud bang, splitting into two halves. Countless insects burned, shooting sparks into the sky like eruptions, while the insects inside the broken halves flowed out like streams of flame.

Whoosh… Whoosh… The warrior holding the flamethrower watched in awe and added another burst or two. Now, there was a continuous crackling sound—those were the insects exploding as they burned.

Tree mites were originally just disgusting and prone to spreading jungle diseases. But now, under the influence of the Dark Rot, who knew what they could become? Since Neos knew this place had been altered by the Dark Rot, he naturally took extreme precautions. If those tree mites spread everywhere, who knew what terrible problems his squad might face?

“Burn the second one on the right!”
“Burn that crooked-necked tree on the left!”

It turned out that if anyone wanted to sacrifice themselves to feed the insects, the Spider Jungle was the perfect place. There were so many tree mites that it was terrifying. Just walking a few dozen steps deeper often meant encountering one. If you tried to take a winding path, the problems would only multiply.

“Everyone, see that! Even if we encounter Poison Tooth Spiders and can’t fight them, we must evacuate in an orderly manner. If we recklessly wander around here, don’t think the forest is small—getting eaten alive by insects before we can escape is inevitable. Be smart! Don’t be stupid!”

“Yes!”

Neos nodded, occasionally mixing in a few curses for emphasis, which added to his intensity.

After walking over a thousand meters, the landscape suddenly changed, revealing a lush valley filled with green trees.

“Damn!” Many soldiers were terrified at the sight. It was a large valley—so large that the distance between the cliffs was over a thousand meters, resembling a river valley, only filled with dense trees. What made things worse:
First, it was a serpentine valley, or a one-line valley. They were on the sloping side near one end of the valley. Both the ground beneath their feet and the end of the valley were nearly a hundred meters high, meaning there were no natural paths down or up. It was truly a nightmare place.

Secondly, the trees below were a vivid shade of green, so lush that it seemed as though water might drip from them. Seen from the edge of this ravine, it looked like a pool of poisonous water, eerie enough to make one’s spine tingle.
Neo also frowned. Leaving aside the road issue, there was no reason for the Venomous Spider to deliberately create passable paths just to wait for others to come and eliminate them—just consider this greenery. The season didn’t make sense! It was greener than grass sprouting in spring and fuller-lush than leaves on trees in autumn. What kind of phenomenon was this? Abnormal! Add to that the rising black-red glow? Magic! Well, together they made a complete picture.
“As expected, just as reported by the Aluminum Eagle scouts, the abnormality is severe, and a crisis looms.” If it were Neo himself, he would deploy the Multi-Faced Warriors, Blood Guards, and Blood Puppets, then take command from the center. In that case, he could explore and fight in this valley. But now, such an approach would be too conspicuous. So he made an immediate decision: “Retreat!”
There was no point in collecting herbs anymore, nor was there any need to carry out the earlier plan of using a few Venomous Spiders as practice targets. But Neo didn’t just leave like that. He did three things: he collected samples of the abnormality—those vividly green branches and leaves were quite representative—and had the Aluminum Eagles gather them for sealing. Then he photographed the scene through the Magic Eye. The third thing was to widen and clear the path again before retreating, making it about 5–7 meters wide—a fairly clear route. This jungle was the spiders’ domain, and Neo didn’t want soldiers, in case of an accident, to curse their lack of two extra legs while also cursing those who cleared the path for having made it as narrow as a sheep’s intestine.