Why Did It Stop Chasing?

Then that thing moved.

It detached from the pine branch. It did not fall, but drifted down like a leaf. It was not fast, yet its path was perfectly straight, descending directly toward the space between Lu Chi and Ning Xiaohe.

Lu Chi did not have time to think. His body moved first. He sidestepped to the left and shoved Ning Xiaohe to the right at the same time. In that instant, the two of them were separated by three or four steps.

The thing landed silently in the middle of where they had just been standing. The moment it touched the ground, its body flipped over, and only then did Lu Chi see it clearly—not a tumor, but more like a spider. Its legs were much shorter and thicker than a spider's, its body flat. Its back was rough like bark, while its underside was smooth and dark brown, marked with concentric rings like a target.

It did not attack immediately after landing. Instead, it turned in place once, as if confirming its surroundings.

Lu Chi used that brief moment to swiftly scan the area. Three steps to the left stood a relatively thick pine tree whose trunk could provide some cover; to the right were low shrubs, though he did not know how dense they were; behind them was the way they had come, thick with pine needles that would be slippery to run over; ahead—

He did not continue thinking, because the thing had already turned toward him.

It had chosen him.

Lu Chi had no idea how it had made its choice, nor did he have time to think about it. The thing moved far faster than it looked. All six legs pushed off at once, and its entire body shot toward his chest like a