Chapter Seven: Lord Egg in Mortal Peril

“Hurry up and come down, it’s fine!” Egg called from below, shining his flashlight directly into Longzi’s eyes.

Longzi instinctively waved his hand, as if to shoo away a fly, and impatiently clamped the flashlight between his teeth. He pulled on his leather gloves and slid down the rope.

The moment he landed, Egg grabbed his arm and nodded his head several times, signaling him to look in the same direction. Longzi followed Egg’s cue, and what he saw left him stunned.

Everywhere glittered with golden and emerald hues, dazzling and resplendent. This was true treasure—gold and jewels beyond imagining. The two of them walked over, drawn by the sight. Egg casually picked up a necklace threaded with green pearls and gold links and handed it to Longzi. Longzi took it, tapped it a few times with the back of the flashlight, then held it up to the beam to examine it closely.

He even tilted his head back to hold the green bead up to the light, nodding repeatedly, his mouth stretched into a childlike grin.

Egg watched Longzi intently, savoring every detail. He laughed and said, “So, what do you think? This time it’s real! Wasn’t that blast worth it?” Overjoyed, he danced with excitement.

As he spoke, he hastily began stuffing bracelets, necklaces, gold leaves—anything they could carry—into his bag, pulling out unnecessary items like the spade and explosives to make room. He wanted Longzi to help pack the loot, but Longzi seemed less interested. Instead, he shone his flashlight around, and on the opposite side, he spotted a stone door already open.

Just as he was about to head over, Longzi’s expression changed again—first surprise, then alarm. In his panic, he dropped the flashlight to the ground.

Egg, noticing Longzi’s reaction, glanced in the same direction and discovered that the entire underground chamber was blanketed in spider webs. The areas illuminated by the flashlight shimmered faintly. He couldn’t help but cry out, “We’ve stumbled into the Spider’s Lair!” Whether he meant it as a joke or in earnest, even Egg wasn’t sure himself.

“There weren’t any webs just now. How did so many appear all of a sudden? Could there be a spider demon here? Let’s hope it doesn’t think we’re a meal for itself!”

“Did you see those blue glowing dots? That must be the spider demon you’re talking about!” Longzi retrieved his flashlight and swept it in front of them.

“So, do we go across or not?” Egg was reluctant to leave so soon.

Longzi knew Egg didn’t want to go back yet—after all, they’d only just arrived and hadn’t really found anything. If they returned now, their colleagues would mock them for fleeing at the sight of a few spiders. But Longzi couldn’t shake the feeling that these weren’t ordinary spiders. There was no reason for them to appear all at once and in such numbers unless they were some kind of defense mechanism set up by the tomb builders.

Longzi was still inclined to press on—a shame to leave before they’d even begun.

“Here’s the plan: you stay behind me, I’ll lead. We each make a torch. When I say light it, you light it immediately. Understood?” Longzi instructed.

“Where are we supposed to get torches?” Egg looked at him skeptically—he knew exactly what was in his backpack, and torches weren’t among the contents.

“We’ll improvise. Give me the folding umbrella! Just follow my lead.” Longzi produced two bottles of oil from his own bag.

“You mean to make a torch out of the umbrella? And those bottles are for analysis when we get back—you can’t just use them up!” Egg protested.

But the two of them took out an umbrella from the bag. Following Longzi’s instructions, Egg poured diesel onto a towel, carefully wiping it over the umbrella’s surface. Then he soaked a rag in heavy oil, wrapped it up, and used a zip tie to fasten the bundle to the tip of the umbrella, securing it with several twists and tugs to make sure it would hold.

“Longzi, I have to hand it to you—you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve. Today let’s set fire to the Spider’s Lair!” Egg boasted as he swung the umbrella with satisfaction. But as he did, the oil-soaked towel flew off, leaving him looking awkward.

“Can’t you be more careful?” Longzi grumbled, picking up the fallen towel and reattaching it to the top of Egg’s umbrella.

At last, they finished their preparations. Umbrellas in hand, the two advanced cautiously, step by step. Suddenly, the blue-glowing spiders seemed to sense danger. They began spinning webs furiously, and the number of webs grew rapidly. The spiders’ blue glow shifted to a faint red.

“Ow! Something bit me! Hurts like hell!” Egg suddenly cursed, slapping his neck and flinging something to the floor. A puddle of blue, streaked with scarlet, leaked out, phosphorescent in the darkness.

“Longzi, take a look—it hurts!” Egg leaned forward, exposing his neck.

Longzi examined the bite and was alarmed. The spider had bitten Egg on the left side of his neck, leaving a black spot at the center, radiating lines spreading outward.

“This spider is venomous. And…” Longzi hesitated.

“And what? Out with it! Even if I’m dying, at least give it to me straight. I’m not the type to cling to life and fear death!” Egg declared, trying to sound brave.

Egg was not a particularly bold man by nature, but after all they’d endured, he had grown into one.

“The venom is spreading fast. At this rate, it’ll reach your brain in about five minutes. I’m afraid it’s extremely dangerous—life-threatening,” Longzi reported.

“So, I have five minutes to find an antidote, or I’m dead,” Egg said, gritting his teeth and lowering his voice. He staggered ahead of Longzi, declaring, “Even if this is the Spider’s Lair, I, Egg, will charge through.”

“Wait, I just remembered something,” Longzi interrupted.

“Can you hurry up? I’m about to die here—save your words! At this rate, you’ll either become a saint or a monk!” Egg snapped.

“As the saying goes, every poison has its antidote. Where there’s venom, there’s a cure.” Longzi spoke quickly this time. “If we can find whatever it is these spiders fear, we’ll find the antidote.”

Egg perked up at this, suddenly hopeful, and surged forward, but Longzi yanked him back. If one of them fell, the other would hardly escape—now was the time for calm, not recklessness.

“Light the torches! Run for the doorway up ahead!”

At the command, Egg flicked his lit cigarette onto the umbrella, then dashed forward. The spiders, sensing movement, glowed an even fiercer scarlet and clustered in attack.

But Egg had barely taken two steps when he realized—the umbrella hadn’t ignited. He cursed furiously, but the webs ahead only thickened, the crimson light brightening, and all around came the sinister rustling of countless legs. The spiders were organizing for an assault.

Now, stepping forward meant danger; retreat meant certain death. Either way, the odds were grim—but perhaps there was still a chance ahead. Time slipped by, sweat streaming down Egg’s face in heavy drops.