The next day.
Not long after Qin Yang arrived at the library, the manager, Jiang Tao, summoned all staff members on the first floor for an emergency meeting.
The reason was, of course, the incident involving that unlucky old man from the day before.
During the meeting, Qin Yang finally learned the full outcome of the incident.
The good news: the uncle was still alive.
The bad news: he had fallen into a vegetative state.
According to the hospital's diagnosis, he had been severely poisoned—by some kind of venomous insect. The toxin in the creature's body was extremely potent. If the uncle hadn't had a relatively sturdy constitution, he would have met King Yan in the afterlife already.
Given all evidence, the hospital believed the bite occurred right inside the library while the uncle was reading.
As this news settled over the staff, a heavy silence followed.
Poisonous insects in the library?
The thought sent chills down everyone's spines.
If someone else got bitten next, would they end up like that poor man?
Even Qin Yang's expression darkened.
He had always enjoyed working in the library precisely because it was quiet and stress-free. Now someone tells him his peaceful job could be a death trap?
This was insane. Was there no place left to lie down and live a quiet life anymore?
Eventually, the meeting concluded, and the manager began assigning tasks to address the crisis.
A full-on sanitization operation was ordered.
The goal was simple: find and eliminate any poisonous insects.
The incident had cast a negative shadow on the library, and upper management demanded the problem be resolved immediately. No repeats. No excuses.
"Qin Yang, can you check if my forehead looks black?" Xia He whispered pitifully after the meeting.
Qin Yang blinked at him, confused. "What?"
"I got beaten again last night," Xia He replied with a long face.
The accident had occurred in Area 2, which Xia He was responsible for. Naturally, accountability pointed to him.
Though the library tried to smooth things over, someone had to take the blame.
Here's where Xia He's mysterious family connections kicked in.
If the same thing had happened in Qin Yang's Area 1, he—having no backing whatsoever—would've been tossed out without a second thought.
But Xia He was not only still employed, he walked in the next morning looking only mildly traumatized.
Clearly, his father had worked behind the scenes.
Still, judging by the dejection on his face, it was obvious he had once again tasted the warmth of his father's "love" in the form of a belt.
"Look on the bright side," Qin Yang said dryly. "At least you weren't the one bitten."
Xia He paused, then nodded. "You're right. Thank God it wasn't me."
But as he thought of the uncle's fate, a shiver ran down his spine.
"If I got bitten, the ladies at Bai Jinhan would lose their favorite customer." Xia He clutched his chest solemnly. "They're already suffering enough. I must protect this body for them."
Qin Yang stared blankly.
You're a very… considerate person.
He silently drew a circle and cursed Xia He's kidneys, then turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Xia He called out.
"What do you think? Clean-up duty." Qin Yang gritted his teeth.
Xia He might be afraid of death, but Qin Yang valued his own life even more.
This time, during the cleanup, he would make absolutely sure to find and eliminate the so-called poisonous insect.
Even though Qin Yang had already reached a half-step innate cultivation level, there was no reason to tempt fate. If that spider had nearly killed a regular man, who's to say it couldn't harm him?
A moment later, both he and Xia He received pesticide, insect repellent, and other supplies from the manager before returning to their respective areas.
This wasn't ordinary cleaning. It wasn't about dust or order.
It was about survival.
The focus was to hunt down and exterminate any insect, ant, or creepy crawler that might be hiding.
To his credit, even the normally careless Xia He was uncharacteristically serious. With insecticide in hand, he combed every inch of Area 2 with military-like precision.
He wasn't about to let one stray insect cost him his life.
Meanwhile, Qin Yang flipped through every secret manual and sprayed all the shadowy corners and gaps between the shelves in Area 1.
When they were finally finished, Xia He slumped in a chair with a groan. "I'm exhausted." He tossed Qin Yang a cigarette, and the two sat puffing quietly.
Despite their thorough search, neither of them found a single spider.
Nothing. Not even a cobweb.
Qin Yang frowned, replaying the image of the old man foaming at the mouth and muttering about a spider.
Did he imagine it? Was it a hallucination?
"Ding. Beast King presence detected. Immediate evacuation recommended!"
"Warning. Warning!"
"Host, please escape quickly!"
Qin Yang nearly dropped his cigarette. The sudden system message sent a jolt of fear through his entire body.
He stiffened, then his expression darkened.
Here we go again.
This damn system's gone crazy. Again.
You can't just blurt that out without warning. One day you'll scare me to death!
Xia He looked at him strangely. "What's wrong with you?"
Qin Yang didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the ceiling behind Xia He.
There, a small figure scurried across the roof tiles.
A spider.
No, not just a spider.
A purple spider.
His pupils shrank.
"Alert! Alert!"
"Detected: Purple Soul Demon Spider from Beast King Star. Immediate evacuation recommended."
"Host, please escape now!"
The system's voice was more frantic than ever, trembling with sheer panic. It was unlike anything Qin Yang had ever heard from it before.
It was the sound of raw fear.
"Purple Soul Demon Spider?"
"Beast King?"
The name triggered a memory—he thought back to the last time, when the system screamed about the "immortal cockroach."
Back then, he hadn't believed it.
And this time?
A spider that size, even if purple, didn't look remotely threatening.
Sure, it looked unusual. But to say it was a Beast King?
Even if someone beat him to death, he wouldn't buy it.
The Beast King level represented apex predators of the star beast world.
Not even Grandmasters dared provoke them.
Now the system wanted him to believe that such a terrifying being had snuck into his little library?
Absolutely ridiculous.
But just as he was about to curse the system again, a shimmering light screen appeared in front of him.
Species: Purple Soul Demon Spider (Contains the bloodline of ancient demon spiders)Level: RoyalTalents: Death Spider Venom, Purple Soul DomainTraits: Highly intelligent. Obsessed with human martial arts.
Qin Yang's cigarette slipped from his lips.
His body froze.
His eyes stared at the screen, unblinking.
That spider… was real.
And it wasn't just any poisonous creature.
It was a Beast King.