"Danger! Everyone, wake up!" As the sound of gunshots echoed, some were already donning their black armor, weapons at the ready, surveying their surroundings warily.

"It's a spider—a blue spider as big as a basin. And... I hear other noises too. Everyone, be cautious."

Zhou You and Shao Qi emerged from their tents. Whether by good fortune or ill, the spider was biting into their tent, attempting to crawl inside. Zhou You drew his dagger, stabbing it into the spider's back. Its exterior was tough, but Zhou You managed to pierce through, spilling blue blood.

"Be careful, this blue spider is venomous." Shao Qi pulled Zhou You away and used a flamethrower to incinerate the spider's corpse.

"Look! There's a whole swarm of them..." Suddenly, countless smaller spiders emerged from the snow. They were smaller than the first, but their sheer number was terrifying. Moreover, the smaller they are, the harder they are to hit.

Shao Qi quickly commanded, "Get in the vehicles! We need to leave this place!" With the darkness and the dimmed fires, it was nearly impossible to see the spiders, let alone fight them.

"Damn it, how can there be spiders in this freezing weather?" Sang Liwu grumbled as he dashed towards the vehicle. Using his gun as a hammer, he pounded any spiders he saw into the soft snow, not killing them but making a path for himself.

Following behind, Zhou You remarked, "Many insects and animals have evolved to withstand extreme temperatures. Haven't you noticed many creatures that used to hibernate no longer do?"

Sang Liwu shot him a glance, about to smile, when a spider descended from an overhead branch. Startled, he screamed, inadvertently stepping on several spiders.

A gray-blue spider climbed onto his foot. Zhou You swiftly threw a steel needle, piercing through the spider without even scratching Sang Liwu's shoe, earning him much praise.

Another person having an easy time was Xuan Yue. He didn't even use a weapon, just a leafy branch to sweep away the spiders. This often led to some unfortunate teammates getting hit, leading one to yell, "Xuan Yue, are you mad? Where are you sweeping those spiders to?"

"Sorry, Brother Jiang. I didn't see you there."

"Enough talk, get in the vehicle!"

Once everyone boarded the armored cars, they saw countless spiders chasing after them. Some were even crawling up the wheels. Panic ensued with shouts of, "Drive! Hurry up! Their saliva is corrosive. If the spiders surround us, the car will be done for!"

Shao Qi, the last to board, ordered, "Drive! Under each passenger seat, there are bottles of insecticide. Take turns going to the roof and spraying."

Driving Zhou You's vehicle was a young man who fetched the insecticide. Climbing onto the roof, he told the others, "Close the windows and hold your breath." He then began spraying the car's exterior.

Few spiders had reached their vehicle, but a vast number trailed behind them—a sight both awe-inspiring and horrifying. Suddenly, a spider on their vehicle spat corrosive webbing onto their bulletproof window, pitting the surface. Thankfully, the glass was thick, and it would take time before it could be breached.

Zhou You swiftly dealt with the spider and sprayed the entire vehicle with insecticide. The pungent smell of the repellent forced him to quickly put on his helmet. Watching the spider scurry around the sides of the vehicle, yet not daring to climb up, he breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the potency of the repellent.

From the vehicles behind came a scream. Zhou You, armed with the insecticide, leaped to the roof of each vehicle until he reached the last one. From this very vehicle came the shriek, and behind him, a horde of spiders threatened to close in.

Zhou You initially thought the vehicle was completely overwhelmed. However, only a few spiders had made their way on board. He knocked on the roof, demanding, “Where's the squad leader? Bring me some grenades!”

Xuan Wei first threw up a bag and then climbed onto the roof. After a quick glance backward, he rubbed his arm and said, “Damn, I've got trypophobia! How can we kill so many? Are grenades even useful?”

Hearing his voice, Zhou You asked, “Were you the one screaming earlier?”

“I... well... it's just that seeing so many bugs crawling freaked me out a bit. It would've been better if we weren't on the last vehicle.”

Zhou You hoisted the bag of grenades and told him, “Never mind, go back inside. Speed up the vehicle and give me some space.” He then jumped down, swiftly arranging the grenades in a line. As he retreated, he detonated them. The simultaneous explosions created a huge crater in the snow. Tossing some incendiary grenades into it, he set a blazing barrier that momentarily stopped the spiders.

He then turned to catch up with the convoy, entering through Xuan Wei’s car window. Inside, passengers hurriedly made space for him, looking at him with newfound respect.

Among all those present, Zhou You's appearance and stature most closely resembled an average person's. Even the not-yet-mature Xuan Wei was taller and more robust, leading many to initially doubt Zhou You’s capabilities. However, his calm and methodical handling of the situation just now revealed his courage and experience.

“Finally shook off those disgusting creatures. How could there be so many spiders all of a sudden? It's utterly absurd,” Xuan Wei exclaimed, patting his chest.

Others shot him disdainful glances. “Captain, you overreacted. If it had been a swarm of rats, then what?”

“Shut up! Don’t jinx it. Rats are much faster than spiders.” Rats were the last thing anyone wanted to face outside. More dangerous than wolves, these creatures were not only swift but also destructively ferocious. Some even carried diseases; entire bases had been wiped out by plagues.

Zhou You too found the sudden spider appearance baffling. It seemed as though they weren't of the same species. He wondered if something within their group had attracted them.