A Different Kind of Spider

"Russell, are you in there?" It was Mike's voice. The kid had lost his mind, pounding on the door like crazy.

Ashley grabbed Russell's shoulder and whispered, "Ignore him. Keep going. If no one answers, he'll leave on his own."

"Russell! Ashley! I know you're in there. If you don't open the door, I'm calling Mom."

A bucket of cold water dumped on the mood. Ashley was furious.

Seething, she pulled on her clothes, ready to storm out and beat Mike. Russell calmed her down, told her to take it easy, and pushed the door open with a composed expression.

He stepped out, gently closed the door behind him, grabbed Mike by the shoulder, and pinned him against the wall. "Kid, if you don't give me a damn good explanation, I swear I'll beat you so bad your own mother won't recognize you."

Mike ignored Russell's menacing glare, excitedly blurting out, "Russell, I went to Joshua's Spider Farm today. He found this cricket—it's like growth hormone. The spiders eat it and grow like crazy."

Russell shot Mike a surprised look. The kid had triggered a World Quest for him. He'd expected that to come from Chris or Samantha.

Ding! Host has triggered a World Quest.

World Quest: Investigate the truth behind the Mutant Spider Incident and eliminate the Mutation Source.

Failure: You will remain in this world forever, hunted by a tide of spiders.

Russell raised an eyebrow. This World Quest seemed way too easy. The spider mutations were caused by chemical contamination... Unless... there was more to it?

His first thought was that the quest had no difficulty—he already knew the truth without investigating. His second thought was that there had to be a hidden angle. The spider incident wasn't just simple chemical pollution.

Also, the Mutation Source mentioned in the quest was described with the word "eliminate," which made him wonder. Was the source actually a living creature?

Russell mulled it over and decided to check out the Spider Farm first, so he wouldn't be caught off guard if the plot went off the rails.

"Kid, hearing that, I'm actually interested. I want to go see Joshua's place."

Mike perked up, delighted. "Russell, I knew you'd say that. Girlfriends aren't as fun as spiders. Let's go now."

Russell grabbed Mike's head and shoved him back. The Spider Farm was dangerous now. Mutant spiders were like ticking time bombs. He wasn't afraid alone, but bringing Mike along was a different story.

"Ashley!"

Russell called into the house. She pushed the door open and poked her head out.

"What?"

"Mike says spiders are way more fun than you..."

Russell dropped the line, leaving Mike dumbfounded and Ashley's eyes blazing with fury. As he drove off, screams rang out from the house.

Russell had visited the Spider Farm a few days ago, brought by Mike. That's when he'd met Joshua, the Spider Keeper—an old bachelor who loved spiders so much he'd stayed single. When a man turns his hobby into a career, he gets double the satisfaction. Joshua was like that. Living out in the boonies didn't mean he was broke; on the contrary, he made good money raising spiders... he just didn't have a wife.

The Spider Farm was outside town, tucked away in a remote mountain forest far from residential areas for safety and environmental reasons.

Russell rode his motorcycle, speeding along the road for fifteen minutes before reaching the spot. Almost instantly, he felt a chilling sense of danger. From the wooden cabin ahead, it felt like a thousand eyes were watching him.

His passive skill, Sixth Sense, kicked in. Russell chose discretion over valor and didn't barge in. He shouted Joshua's name. Getting no response, he picked up a rock and hurled it at the cabin's window.

Crash!

The glass shattered. A dozen palm-sized spiders crawled out along the windowsill and charged toward his motorcycle—jumping spiders.

Without a second thought, Russell turned the bike around and sped off. No need to guess—Joshua was definitely down for the count.

Back in town, Russell went straight to the Police Station. Sheriff Samantha wasn't in, so Deputy Pete received him. The whole town had exactly two cops: a sheriff and a deputy. Nice—everyone got a title.

Pete was a middle-aged white guy with a comedic vibe, a bit overweight. Looking at him, you learned one thing: bald isn't scary; what's scary is being only half bald.

Pete's hairline had retreated to the back of his skull, but the curls around his ears still stubbornly grew. He hadn't shaved them all off, choosing to trust his follicles and give them a chance to redeem themselves.

A middle-aged man who believes his follicles will have a second spring is usually not too bright and clings to illusions about grim reality.

Pete was that kind of guy. When Russell reported the incident, he didn't take it seriously, thinking Russell was joking. Still, they were neighbors, and Russell had been getting close with Samantha's daughter lately, so Pete didn't press charges for a false report—just gave him a verbal warning.

Russell had no choice. He swore up and down, even made a vow, before Pete reluctantly agreed to go with him.

The World Quest was "Investigate the truth behind the Mutant Spider Incident and eliminate the Mutation Source." It felt a bit off. Russell figured his hundred-some pounds wouldn't even be a snack for the spiders. Going in headfirst would cost him a card, which wasn't worth it.

From another angle, with the world's police around, he didn't need to fight himself.

Pete and Russell arrived at the Spider Farm. This time, Russell didn't sense that dangerous, watchful feeling. Pete strolled into the cabin like he was out for a walk, then came running out in a panic.

Flustered, Pete spotted Russell and latched onto him like a lifeline. "Russell, this is bad! Joshua's dead! What do we do... what do we do? Should we call the cops?"

Russell: "..."

You are the damn cop!

After a long pause, Pete snapped out of it, coughed to cover his embarrassment, and pulled out his radio to call Sheriff Samantha.

The signal was too weak. Only static came through.

"Damn it, I need to get back to town first!"

Pete fumbled to get into the driver's seat. Russell, afraid he'd crash, shoved him into the passenger side. "Pete, what's it like in there? Are the spiders around?"

"Spiders? What spiders? I didn't see anything except a mess of shelves..." Pete thought for a moment, then said gravely, "With my years of experience, this is a burglary gone wrong. The killer fought with Joshua and used a blunt object to finish him off. Afterward, they knocked over the shelves to mess up the crime scene, trying to confuse the police—that is, me."

Russell didn't have time to mock Pete. Confirming there wasn't a single spider in the cabin, his heart sank. These spiders were smart. They knew he'd leave and bring people back. Without enough strength, they chose to lie low and grow stronger.

Russell made a hypothesis: if the spiders' behavior wasn't self-directed and their intelligence was low, then there was a second possibility—they were taking orders from a leader, the Mutation Source.