Cocoon

"Cocoon?"

Jiang Qian's gaze sharpened.

At the same time, an image of a spider laying eggs and spinning a cocoon immediately surfaced in his mind:

The spider hung itself upside down from its web, its spinnerets secreting saliva that solidified into silk upon contact with the air. Its eight slender, agile legs worked in a flurry to weave an egg sac.

Next, a high-density, crystal-clear mass of eggs was produced from the spider's abdomen. The mother spider would then stuff it into the egg sac just like putting on a pillowcase, repeatedly weaving silk over the outer layer until it formed a smooth, rounded cocoon.

Finally, the hatched spiderlings would break out of the cocoon.

Breaking out of the "cocoon"...

Jiang Qian found it hard to imagine that if this biological behavior—which had once made his female classmates collectively lose their appetites—were to be reenacted on his own body, it would be far too stimulating.

"Hey, Jiang Qian?"

Lan Junxian tapped his fingers against the tabletop.

"Apologies, please continue." Jiang Qian pulled back his thoughts and looked at Lan Junxian.

Lan Junxian frowned slightly; this was not the reaction he had expected.

From his perspective, Jiang Qian showed no sign of the panic one would expect from someone on the verge of death; in fact, he was even calmer than he, the bystander, was.

Is his mental fortitude really this strong? He is indeed the talent I have my eye on... Lan Junxian slowly curled the corners of his mouth, asking one extra question out of rare curiosity: "Aren't you worried?"

There was no obvious emotional change on Jiang Qian's face: "It's alright. I've already found the organization. I believe that with the official means at our disposal, there will be a way to get me out of this predicament, right?"

This remark sounded almost like a test question for the authorities, leaving Lan Junxian momentarily unsure of how to respond.

He had originally intended to use this to intimidate the newcomer and make him realize the ferocity and cruelty of the Super-Species World, but unexpectedly, he had been handled by the newcomer instead.

On the other end, Jiang Qian had already begun to consider countermeasures: "For example, solving the root of the problem—eliminating her."

If we could catch her, we would have already taken action... Lan Junxian coughed lightly: "Even if we cannot catch her within seven days, there are still ways. However, they carry a high level of risk, and I need to report it before I can confirm if it is worth attempting."

"According to what you said, I could be possessed at any moment, right?" Jiang Qian looked around and asked calmly, "If I become a puppet here, what will be my end? Imprisonment, or will I be disposed of directly?"

"Uh."

"It's fine, I don't mind discussing my own funeral arrangements. You can be blunt."

"I told you, there is a procedure to follow..." Lan Junxian rubbed his forehead, finally experiencing what Team Bear meant by "difficult to deal with."

The young man before him was a bit too clever for his own good.

Lan Junxian could certainly choose to dominate this conversation forcefully and ignore Jiang Qian's thoughts. That would be easy, but it would leave the bond between him and this talent non-existent.

His goal was not just to handle official business, but also to win the other party over—ideally, to bring him back to the East Sea to be nurtured.

Lan Junxian looked at the bandage on Jiang Qian's wrist, intending to give the talent a hint: "Your License Holder identity involves venomous creatures, right? You fought the Peacock Spider, yet the physician did not detect any signs of poisoning in your wounds."

"—You possess the ability to suppress toxins."

Jiang Qian nodded candidly.

At a life-or-death juncture, there was no need to hide it.

"Very good, this is the foundation of your survival." Lan Junxian continued, "If your perception of toxins is sensitive enough, you might even be able to check for yourself whether there is any toxic foreign object inside your body."

"Just as you said, your first entry into the Super-Species World was via an invitation from the Peacock Spider. Theoretically, an egg sac would naturally form within your body. This method is related to the Peacock Spider's 'Authority'; it connects to your vital organs and nervous system, making it very difficult to remove while you are alive."

"My method is to utilize your own resistance to toxins—fighting poison with poison—to control or delay the growth of the egg sac."

Jiang Qian stared at the refined, middle-aged man before him.

There was no sign of joking in the other party's expression, demeanor, or body language.

Furthermore, the other party had seen through his concerns: "Don't ask me how I know; I have seen too many corpses that were broken out of from within."

"Of course, to suppress the egg sac with toxins, we will need the assistance of human anatomy experts and toxicologists, as well as sufficient high-potency toxins. I assume that since you have just become a License Holder, you haven't accumulated enough rich and potent toxins yet, right? Therefore, I need to apply for the use of these resources to complete your surgery."

"In short, I will strive to get approval from my superiors as soon as possible, and what you need to do is cooperate with me fully to bring the culprit to justice. Do you agree?"

A brief silence followed.

"How do you need me to cooperate to bring the Peacock Spider to justice?" Jiang Qian asked.

Lan Junxian never expected that Jiang Qian's focus would not be on his own surgery, but on this matter instead.

But he immediately realized that the young man before him was confirming his own "utility value"—habitually using this mode of thinking showed that he was a ruthless person who did not trust promises easily and was adept at independent thinking.

Lan Junxian no longer held back:

"The breakthrough lies in the cocoon on your body. I said it connects to your vital organs and nervous system, but at the same time, it is also influenced by the Peacock Spider's consciousness. Theoretically speaking, if there is a way to control that cocoon, we might be able to achieve a brief sensory connection with the Peacock Spider. Then, we can use your perspective to locate her and complete the hunt."

"Of course, I am talking about the most ideal possibility. This matter is quite dangerous, and the probability of success is 'almost zero.' Therefore, our primary goal is still to ensure your survival."

Jiang Qian nodded slowly: "I understand, thank you."

"You are welcome."

Just as Lan Junxian was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Jiang Qian raised a new question: "May I ask which level of the seven states the Peacock Spider is at?"

"Fourth State: Perfect Form," Lan Junxian mused.

"And I am only a First State: Cognitive Form."

As expected, there are two levels of combat power between me and that little girl; she could easily erase me without a second thought... Jiang Qian said thoughtfully: "I think I understand what you meant by the probability being 'almost zero'."

Lan Junxian noticed that even though Jiang Qian knew the disparity in strength between himself and the Peacock Spider, his emotions remained in a relatively stable state.

He was neither cowering or discouraged, nor was he impatient; he was still objectively considering the possibility of the plan's implementation.

This state was quite anti-human, yet it made Lan Junxian admire him greatly.

So much so that when he explained the next topic, he was discussing it with Jiang Qian with genuine enthusiasm:

"No, you don't fully understand yet. It is precisely because you are at the First State: Cognitive Form that you possess that slim possibility, and that is why it is worth taking the risk!"

These words were highly inflammatory.

Jiang Qian looked at Lan Junxian, waiting for the rest.

The latter stood up with grace, reached his hand into the air, and snapped his fingers as if it were a casual gesture.

At that moment, a "three-dimensional structure" rapidly emerged in the air, condensed from transparent liquid: a cylinder, divided into seven segments by six cross-sections.

"The content I am about to share next is worth more than a hundred million."