Bai Jie: ???
Did I transmigrate? Or am I in some kind of game?
Following a completely emotionless, synthetic voice broadcast, a string of surreal status panels unfolded before Bai Jie's eyes.
[Name]: Bai Jie
[Species]: Amazonian Blue-Violet Laser Tarantula (Adult)
[Skills]: Urticating Hair Kick Lv.1, Spider Silk Lv.1, Bite Lv.1, Weak Toxicity Lv.1
[Talents]: Poison-Refining Gu, Spirit-Devouring Body
[Vitality]: 0.05
[Satiety]: 20%
[Body Length]: Leg Span 23cm
"Uh..."
"Alright, once I accept the premise that a system exists..."
"Wait! But how the hell am I supposed to accept that I've turned into a spider?!"
Bai Jie wailed internally. He even raised two front legs and waved them at the sky — only to confirm that this was definitely not a dream.
After who knows how long, Bai Jie finally snapped out of his daze and began examining the Status Panel.
Amazonian... Blue-Violet Laser?
"I can live with that, I guess. At least I'm not some random, dime-a-dozen little spider."
Bai Jie recalled that this species was one of the largest spiders in the world, with adults capable of reaching leg spans over 20cm.
And because of the vivid, iridescent laser-like patterns on its carapace, many people kept them as pets.
By that logic, he was currently inside a terrarium. He probably didn't have to worry about starving to death — he could just wait for his owner to feed him.
At the same time, he could roughly grasp the meanings of [Skills] and [Satiety] on the panel.
But what were 'Poison-Refining Gu' and 'Spirit-Devouring Body' under [Talents] supposed to mean?
They rang with an ominous, weighty profundity.
And he had no idea how [Vitality] was measured. Only 0.05 — that felt pathetically weak... What would a human's Vitality be, for comparison?
After piecing together his analysis, Bai Jie suddenly arrived at a heart-pounding conclusion: he had the potential to ascend and evolve.
Which meant there was a chance he could return to human form someday!
Whatever the case, this gave Bai Jie immense comfort. With a goal in mind, at least his spider life wouldn't just be a dead-end path of lying flat until the end.
But... how was he supposed to evolve?
Bai Jie opened and closed his two massive fangs, silently posing this question over and over. But no answer came.
Fine. This system doesn't seem all that bright.
With a thought, the Status Panel vanished from his sight.
Bai Jie studied the world beyond the glass container. A strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity slowly crept over him.
Puzzled, he stretched out his eight legs and circled the edge of the container, surveying everything around him.
"Doesn't this place look like..."
The more he looked, the more horrified he became. He realized with shock — this seemed to be Zheng Yueling's apartment!
Then wouldn't his owner be... Zheng Yueling?
In that instant, all the memories before he'd blacked out came flooding back.
A Xiao's disappearance... the date with Zheng Yueling... sneaking into her apartment... being caught by her... and then... molested?
Hmm... maybe not molested. It felt more like some kind of cult ritual.
Recalling that final, eerie glint in Zheng Yueling's eyes, Bai Jie couldn't suppress a full-body shudder. Urticating hairs kicked loose from his abdomen and drifted through the air.
THUD!
Someone had come back.
After the heavy thud of a door slamming shut, Zheng Yueling changed into slippers, dropped her bag, and plopped down on the sofa.
Crap, it really is her... A chill ran through Bai Jie's heart.
Suddenly, a phone rang. Zheng Yueling picked up: "Mm... I just finished being questioned by the CID. I'm fine."
"I don't know what happened either. Yeah, okay, thank you, Teacher. See you tomorrow."
After hanging up, Zheng Yueling said venomously: "How could Little Jiejie just suddenly vanish? Such good material, wasted. What a shame."
"Teacher says that strange sigil that appeared has something to do with the Wu Gu Clan — but do people in modern society really still practice the Wu Gu arts?"
"Weird. And how could Little Jiejie be connected to the Wu Gu Clan? Hmm, I remember his hometown is pretty close to the Wu Gu birthplace."
"Unless... ugh, forget it, forget it. He's dead anyway."
Now muttering to herself, Zheng Yueling stood up and stamped her foot.
"My original body is dead?"
Bai Jie had actually already half-expected this. It didn't cause too much of a stir within him.
"And it looks like she doesn't know I've turned into a spider."
It seemed that when Zheng Yueling had been about to carry out whatever foul deed, some kind of unforeseen incident had occurred, leaving her unsuccessful.
But... Teacher... Wu Gu... what did all that mean?
Bai Jie's mind kicked into frantic overdrive.
At that moment, Zheng Yueling carried the glass container housing Bai Jie, along with several other terrariums, into the bedroom.
Bai Jie glanced at the bedroom's walk-in wardrobe and thought of A Xiao.
He didn't know whether A Xiao was still alive. Even he himself... had become a spider. Bai Jie couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the fate of them both.
After booting up her computer and adjusting the lights, Zheng Yueling actually started a livestream.
She was an exotic pet streamer! A sudden bad premonition struck Bai Jie.
This creepy senior still kept up this kind of hobby? Bai Jie was utterly bewildered.
Pah, why am I still calling her "Senior"? Does that person even deserve the title?!
Then it abruptly hit him — many tarantula keepers fed their pets cockroach nymphs and mealworms.
Ugh...
A wave of disgust washed over him. Overwrought with tension, Bai Jie kicked out more hairs.
"Aiya, Nyx, why are you shedding hairs again?" Zheng Yueling's gaze flicked to the tarantula avatar's movements, and she grumbled.
By now, viewers and fans were trickling into the livestream room. Danmaku floated across the screen:
[Our goddess is kicking hairs again? Keep this up and she'll go bald.]
[Let me see Nyx, quick!]
[Good thing the lid wasn't open, or Yueling would be suffering right now.]
"Come on, Nyx, say hello to everyone." Zheng Yueling placed the glass box holding Bai Jie in front of the camera.
So this spider's name is Nyx? You sure have fun with this, Bai Jie grumbled internally.
The danmaku instantly exploded with activity:
[Wow, so big, I love it!]
[The streamer is loaded. An Amazonian Blue-Violet Laser like this goes for at least three thousand.]
[Her fluff looks way sparser than last time.]
[Nyx is balding, but she's also getting stronger.]
...
"Alright then, feeding time first." After saying this, Zheng Yueling fetched a jar and took out a mealworm.
Then she opened the glass box and set it right in front of Bai Jie.
The glass box was open! Should he make a run for it? The thought flashed through Bai Jie's mind.
He quickly dismissed the idea. He wasn't yet familiar with the Amazonian Laser's lifestyle and hunting techniques. Escaping would be suicide.
And Zheng Yueling would probably catch him with ease.
But a new dilemma presented itself — this mealworm... to eat, or not to eat?
Survive or starve — that was the question. After a brief hesitation, Bai Jie chose the former.
Zheng Yueling proceeded to feed her other exotic pets too.
Since the mealworm had been cut into small pieces, Bai Jie finished it quickly. His [Satiety] rose from 20% to 30%.
"Alright, now then, it's performance time." Zheng Yueling clapped her hands and flashed a sweet smile.
Huh? A question mark slowly materialized above Bai Jie's spider head.
By now, the livestream room had drawn several thousand viewers. The danmaku picked up pace:
[Can Nyx go on stage now? Finally! Get her in there, get her in there!]
[Starting the Gu raising again?]
A pair of tweezers appeared, dropping a gecko into the glass box with Bai Jie.
Bai Jie looked closely — this was no ordinary gecko, but a Two-Headed Gecko, with a head growing at both ends of its body.
At the same time, a somewhat ethereal information display materialized in Bai Jie's field of vision.
[Target]: Two-Headed Gecko
[Vitality]: 0.03
[Body Length]: 8cm
[Status]: Good
...
Bai Jie had no way of knowing yet, but from this moment on, a path of evolution paved with venom and the corpses of venomous insects was slowly unfolding before him.
The transformation from mundane insect to Gu insect was destined to be carved through cruelty and blood-soaked combat — an unchanging law of nature's jungle.