Upon reaching the twelfth floor, a cold smile touched Li Jiayu's lips, because he saw Fan Haiqiang's corpse had already been gnawed beyond recognition. Not only was his neck bitten off, but his entire face was completely ruined. Nose, mouth, etc., had long since entered the spider's belly, leaving only bloody pits oozing black plasma. One could even see a pale white eyeball lying not far away.
Besides Li Jiayu and Lin Zhibin, no one else would know that this corpse belonged to the Vice Principal who wielded immense power at Xijiang University!
"Ugh..."
Seeing the horrifically mutilated corpse up close, Shapeshifter Lan Xiaoyue couldn't hold back anymore and bent over, vomiting. Looking again at the scattered intestines and scarlet internal organs on the floor, she felt like she was going to throw up her bile.
"Spiders!"
The boys, seeing the Venomous Spider still gnawing on Fan Haiqiang's corpse, tensed their muscles, their breathing quickening. According to Li Jiayu, Venomous Spiders crawled extremely fast and stayed low to the ground. A moment's carelessness could lead to a bite on the leg, and the potent poison was enough to kill within a few breaths!
They had to exercise utmost caution! Otherwise, ten lives wouldn't be enough!
"Their agility is high, so when you deal with them, you must be faster than them!"
Li Jiayu flickered forward. The Venomous Spider sensed danger and quickly turned around.
But Li Jiayu's speed was extremely fast.
Before the spider could even screech, the Hyorinmaru in his hand had already swung out.
"Swish!"
A flash of white light streaked past.
The spider had already turned into two halves of an ice corpse. One could vaguely see undigested human flesh inside its stomach.
"See? It's that simple. Sharp eyes, quick hands, don't give the spiders a chance to react, and they're just a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"
Li Jiayu prodded the spider's corpse with Hyorinmaru, digging through its brain matter. After confirming there was definitely no brain core, he stood up and said lightly to everyone.
"Saw it... Your movements are so fast, not sloppy at all. And do you even need to think before striking?"
Ran Hongxia and the fifteen axe/sword wielders looked at Li Jiayu with slight admiration. They felt his sword technique flowed like water yet vanished like a meteor, incredibly fast. His combat awareness and swordsmanship were something the axe wielders looked up to.
And what stunned everyone even more was the frost-covered corpse of the Red-Crested Beetle nearby!
Even though it was long dead, it still looked so terrifying up close. Its barb-covered legs, incomparably sharp horn, and ferocious, ugly head exuded a terrifying aura like that of an abyss demon.
No need to ask, everyone knew this "red demon" must have died at Li Jiayu's hands!
Only he could kill a Red-Crested Beetle!
"No need. When you've killed enough people, you'll naturally become proficient through practice, developing a good habit of mind and body integration. Remember, slowly you'll understand what's called – striking first, thinking later."
In fact, Li Jiayu's sword speed wasn't necessarily that fast. His advantage lay in striking without hesitation, purely out of bodily instinct. He reflexively calculated the optimal angle for the strike; the reaction speed of his eyes and arms were highly integrated. He even anticipated the insect's reaction!
Don't just look at Li Jiayu wielding the indestructible Hyorinmaru now. Even if he held an ordinary fire axe, facing trash like Venomous Spiders wouldn't pose much pressure. Even if he couldn't kill them instantly, he could still finish one off with three axe strikes in a one-on-one situation.
"Why are you still staring foolishly at the Red-Crested Beetle? Don't worry, soon you'll have the chance to face them directly... Try to be smarter! Later, I won't have much energy to pay too much attention to your safety. Whoever dies, don't blame others, only blame yourself..."
Li Jiayu walked first towards the long corridor on the twelfth floor, tossing a sentence over his shoulder without looking back:
"Even I have no guarantee of retreating unscathed... After all, there are still over a hundred Venomous Spiders in the entire school. Who knows how many are distributed in this academic building. If ten spiders attack at once, I'll only end up defeated. If four Red-Crested Beetles surround us... I estimate our team of twenty will pretty much be wiped out."
These words silenced everyone. For a moment, they didn't know what to say. Should they leave last words first, lest they die in vain? After all, the six Awakened might be slightly better off, but the fifteen axe wielders would likely suffer heavy casualties. It was hard to say if even half could survive.
Silently following Li Jiayu, Xiao Wanqing and Ran Hongxia suddenly noticed something amiss. They realized the suit worn by the corpse gnawed by the Venomous Spider looked very familiar, seemingly the signature attire of some school leader...
Most incomprehensible was the large hole torn in the corpse's groin, covered with a layer of white frost – no need to ask, nine times out of ten, this person had likely been attacked by Li Jiayu before death.
Looking at the situation... Li Jiayu isn't exactly a kind person either...
But now wasn't the time to question him. The urgent task was to quickly follow Li Jiayu and clear out the insects.
The corridor on the twelfth floor was originally paved with extremely clean marble. But now, after being ravaged by insects, the level of gore was enough to test anyone's psychological endurance. As far as the eye could see, it was all flesh fragments. Who knew how many people had died in this corridor?
This corridor was nearly a hundred meters long. The dim light cast a gray haze. The dried bloodstains splattered on the walls on both sides looked particularly sinister.
The floor was littered with fragmented body parts – patches of brain matter, bodies with intestines spilling out, even severed entire thighs. The sight was enough to make one vomit. Some gnawed by Red-Crested Beetles were completely devoid of corpses, leaving only scattered clothing fragments and unchewable skulls.
The thick smell of blood permeating the air likely emanated from these brains and organs.
At the same time, faint, intermittent sounds of crying drifted through the corridor, originating from unknown classrooms, or perhaps storage rooms or restrooms. In short, it was quite nerve-wracking.
The combatants, who had already mentally prepared themselves, couldn't help but pale, becoming even more tense. Shapeshifter Lan Xiaoyue, in particular, turned deathly pale and retched uncontrollably. If Xiao Wanqing hadn't supported her, she probably would have already collapsed.
Li Jiayu smelled the overwhelming stench of blood, shook his head helplessly, and said:
"Looking at the situation... there are at least ten Venomous Spiders on the twelfth floor. Their combat power shouldn't be underestimated... Move quickly! Maybe there are still people barely alive in some classrooms."
As he spoke, Li Jiayu cautiously pushed open the door of the first room – this was originally the dedicated room for the "Supernatural Phenomenon Research Society" club, filled with a group enthusiastic about exploring phenomena unexplained by science.
Unfortunately... the members of this club probably wouldn't have any interest in researching the supernatural ever again.
The moment the door opened, Xiao Wanqing, Ran Hongxia, and the other girls leaned back instinctively, clearly very afraid. As the door opened, the scene inside the classroom entered everyone's view. The thick smell of blood assaulted them at the same time.
Inside lay over a dozen mutilated corpses haphazardly, along with several pools of yellow, turbid corpse water. Clearly, this classroom had already been slaughtered by insects. After eating their fill of human flesh and satisfying their killing lust, the insects had likely moved on to other rooms!
Li Jiayu frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He grunted:
"All dead? Then let's go to the next room!"
Ran Hongxia breathed a sigh of relief. She was slowly adapting to this terrifying atmosphere, her face no longer pale. But her nervousness wasn't much better than Lan Xiaoyue's. Her fair, tender hand gripped the fire axe in her hand tightly, as if clutching a life-saving straw, her palm sweating.
As for the others, most held their breath, bodies tense, their gazes completely fixed on Li Jiayu, afraid that when he pushed open the next door, a large group of spiders would burst out and devour everyone.
When Li Jiayu opened the second room, which was the headquarters of the "Buddhist Studies Research Society," he suddenly heard a spider's sharp screech!
A total of five corpses!
And two Venomous Spiders!
They were currently gnawing on the belly of a pregnant woman!
Inside the belly was...
"Teacher Jiang Lihua..."
Xiao Wanqing turned pale with fright, her body ice-cold. Vaguely, she could recognize the pregnant woman from her relatively intact head – it was an acquaintance of hers, Xijiang University's most famous English professor, an English expert popular even in Tiannan province. It was said she had even served as an interpreter for provincial leaders. Only now, nearing forty, did she want to start a family and settle down as a leisurely professor at Xijiang University. Unexpectedly, she got married last year, was just nine months pregnant, about to give birth, yet met a tragic end at the hands of Venomous Spiders...
Li Jiayu's expression also changed slightly. The tragic deaths of ordinary people could no longer evoke any trace of pity in him, but if it was a pregnant woman dying tragically, Li Jiayu felt a slight emotional ripple.
"Damn it!"
With a low shout, he slid forward. The two Venomous Spiders suddenly turned, their scarlet eyes staring at the charging Li Jiayu. Their mandibles opened and closed, emitting unpleasant screeches, seemingly cheering at finding fresher food.
Li Jiayu instantly closed the distance to the spiders. Hyorinmaru shot out, sword light crisscrossing. With a swish, he killed one lunging Venomous Spider. The other seized the opportunity and bit towards Li Jiayu's leg!
"Get lost!"
Li Jiayu wore thick, hard-soled sports shoes. He kicked fiercely at the Venomous Spider's forehead. The force was immense, instantly kicking the spider, which was easily the size of a washbasin, several meters away!
The next moment, before Li Jiayu even needed to pursue, the Dark Octopus rushing in from behind roared repeatedly. Its nine tentacles whipped around, throwing three fire axes, two chairs, and a subwoofer!
With so many "weapons" smashing onto the Venomous Spider, it was immediately covered in wounds. Two bloody axes stuck in its body, three legs heavily pinned down by the subwoofer. Unable to run, it could only helplessly thrash its three remaining spider legs, unable to move an inch.
"Looks like... we must increase efficiency."
Li Jiayu strode forward, holding Hyorinmaru in a reverse grip. He gently inserted the sword tip into the Venomous Spider's eye, piercing through its brain. After churning it around a bit and withdrawing Hyorinmaru, he already had a spider brain core!
Ran Hongxia watched Li Jiayu wrap the brain core with a cloth. Her star-like beautiful eyes immediately showed traces of nervousness and fear. She asked in a trembling voice:
"How to increase the rate?"
"There are about twenty-odd rooms on the twelfth floor... counting storage rooms, restrooms, etc., maybe even more. Let's split into three groups!"
Li Jiayu put the brain core in his pocket, buttoned it up, then raised his head and said solemnly:
"I'll team up with Xiao Wanqing! Dark Octopus and seven axe wielders form another group! You five Awakened and eight axe wielders form the third group, led by Dragonoid Chu Xiang! Attacking on three fronts might slightly reduce our safety, but... there are probably only a few spiders left on the twelfth floor. If we're careful, there shouldn't be any problems! Enough nonsense, move quickly! There are probably still many survivors on the twelfth floor!"
Saying this, Li Jiayu had already pulled Xiao Wanqing's fair wrist and dashed out the door like the wind, rushing towards the next room.
Only a dozen or so people and the Dark Octopus remained, staring blankly at each other. After a moment, they nodded to each other, tacitly formed teams, and proceeded according to the plan.