Chapter 540: Descent into Chaos

When Lu Xin and the others emerged from the Abyss, Gecko was already drenched in cold sweat.

Agile as ever, he dashed along the sides of the buildings.

In an instant, he scaled a high wall, vaulted over a row of windows, and even managed to fire a shot in retreat.

Yet despite his bizarre and lightning-fast moves, someone latched onto him from behind, relentlessly pursuing him. The pair scrambled over walls, vaulted across rooftops, and navigated treacherous terrain with unnerving synchronicity.

It was that intercepting Spider-type Ability User—his speed rivaling, if not surpassing, his own.

While traversing a complex area, Gecko had to make slight evasive maneuvers, choosing the best angle.

But his opponent simply surged through, his body flowing like water.

“Oh my, Spider-type Second Stage—can you really turn yourself to liquid?”

Startled to his core, Gecko leaped from beneath a high-rise, landing atop a streetlight before dashing to the other side.

Meanwhile, that person pounced from a slanted rear angle.

Instead of charging straight for the streetlight to seize Gecko, he rushed directly into the throng below.

Reaching out, he grabbed with a series of eerie bone-cracking sounds. In an instant, the bustling crowd below fell under his sway, each person linking together into a grotesque, living structure.

“Bang bang bang…”

At the center of the mass, a row of battle-worn soldiers stood encircled by an overly zealous mob.

In that breathless moment, they all raised their heads and simultaneously unleashed a hail of bullets skyward.

“Ouch…”

Caught off guard, Gecko found himself in a barrage of bullets and could only desperately kick against the wall, rebounding away.

But that only plunged him deeper into the chaos of the frenzied crowd.

The Spider-type Second Stage had already submerged himself within the throng, his gaze icy as he looked upward.

Using complete control over his own body as a base, he began commandeering others.

Hidden among the people, he initiated gradual contact—seizing control of every body within reach.

In effect, the moment he activated his ability, he transformed into a grotesque, interwoven human net of over a hundred hands, feet, eyes, ears, and fifty mouths.

Helplessly, Gecko tumbled straight into the center of this living web.

Below, countless arms reached out like blooming flowers—stiff and uncanny—as they clawed at him.

In despair, Gecko shut his eyes tight and cried out, “Captain, save me…”

……

“How can a Spider-type First Stage be outmatched by a Second Stage?”

After all, it’s only natural for team members to call for their Captain when in danger.

Thus, the desperate shout from Gecko, just before he was about to fall into the crowd, rang out with both urgency and rightful indignation…

But what he didn’t expect was…

……the Captain never came!

Unlike last time, when his shout signaled the Captain’s sudden descent from above.

From his mid-air cry to his inevitable plunge amid countless outstretched hands—a full 1.52 seconds passed without even a glimpse of the Captain.

“Swish!”

Desperation took hold as a hand from below seized Gecko, and in an instant, countless others joined in the grip.

Those hands, twisting like gnarled vines, quickly coiled around his waist, chest, neck, thighs, and arms—with one even probing between his thighs with a cold, rough touch that drove him to despair.

In his final vision, the eerie Spider-type Second Stage slowly raised his head and advanced toward him.

The surrounding crowd seemed to have transformed into his controllable spiderweb, with the Second Stage at its center like a bizarre centerpiece.

“No matter how cautious you are, does life always end this way?”

Gecko let out a despairing wail, “But why, at the end of my life, do I not see Linda in my mind…”

“…but the Captain?”

“…”

Overwhelmed by dread, Gecko even sensed that the Spider-type had come right up beside him.

He could hear his icy breath.

“Hehe…”

Just as he resigned himself to this grim fate, a faint, almost indistinct laugh reached his ears, and suddenly, a pair of icy little hands touched his face.

“Big Brother, you’re so much fun…”

In an instant, Gecko’s eyes snapped open, his mind sharpening with sudden clarity.

The chill of those little hands sent a shiver straight to his soul.

As his vision cleared, a disorienting fog blanketed his sight.

It was as if the entire world had turned surreal—like a TV screen constantly shifting and reassembling.

Then, as the images settled and sharpened, one distinct face emerged among the rigid, lifeless features of the crowd—a small face, impossibly close, dominating his view.

It belonged to a little girl with jet-black hair and eyes that were nearly pure white.

A mischievous grin spread across her face, her mouth almost stretched to the ears to reveal razor-sharp teeth, as she looked at him with mischievous glee…

“Aaah…”

Startled, Gecko let out a piercing scream, summoning a burst of desperate strength.

In a swift twist, he broke free from the grasping arms and scrambled up a nearby utility pole, clutching it tightly.

“What the heck?”

He cried out in desperation, “God, Jesus, Buddha, Lin Jiu Uncle…”

“Don’t come any closer…”

“…”

“Hmph!”

Amid his gut-wrenching scream, the little girl clearly showed her anger.

She crouched atop someone’s head in the crowd below, stretching out her tiny hand to reach Gecko.

But as Gecko clung desperately to the pole, she couldn’t reach him—and, apparently displeased by his lackluster performance, she crossed her arms and chided, “You called for Big Brother to save you, yet when I arrived, you ignored me…”

“I’m mad now; I’m going to tell Big Brother…”

“…”

“Big Brother?”

In a flash, Gecko’s mind raced and he suddenly understood something.

His eyes widened as he glanced downward; then, panic set in…

Desperately climbing the pole with weakening palms, he muttered, “This is a real ghost encounter…”

“What kind of monster is the Captain…”

“…”

“Bang” “Bang” “Bang”

At that moment, a volley of gunfire erupted.

The Spider-type Second Stage, controlling the surrounding crowd, noticed Gecko break free and dash toward the pole. His expression shifted to one of disbelief as he watched Gecko scramble upward while shouting frantically into the empty space below, his panic intensifying the surrealness of the scene.

Without hesitation, he signaled, and the armed assailants within the crowd quickly raised their guns, unleashing a barrage aimed at Gecko.

“Ouch…”

Desperate, Gecko fell from the utility pole, only to be caught in the arms of his Sister below.

A frigid aura enveloped him, sending shivers of terror through his heart as he instinctively struggled.

At that moment, the crowd again reached out, desperate hands closing in.

Amid Gecko’s struggles, a strange force—carrying an icy, unnerving touch—engulfed him and spread to those around, causing the grasping hands to twitch, contort, and twist into tangled, paper-like forms, a distortion that quickly reversed back toward its source.

“Crackling…”

Unable to control themselves, people collided and toppled like dominoes outward.

At the end of the cascade stood the Spider-type Second Stage.

“Swish!”

Reacting swiftly, his opponent leaped and landed on a nearby wall; crouching, he peered forward.

His face showed puzzlement, as if he couldn’t fathom how his foe suddenly acquired the power to corrupt the crowd—even after such a chase, this competitor appeared to be merely a low-level Spider-type.

“Um…”

Astonished and delighted, Gecko stared dumbfounded at his own hands.

“Hmph…”

His Sister perched on his shoulder, arms folded in a proud embrace.

“Is… was it you who helped me?”

Overwhelmed by the surge of excitement, Gecko looked up in astonishment at his Sister.

Her small lips pressed into a thin line as she coldly replied, “You call Big Brother a monster?”

Gecko was left speechless, terror flooding his entire being.

In that desperate moment, every instinct urged him on: “Yeah…”

Staring blankly at the little girl before him, he murmured, “If he were normal, how could I have such an adorable sister?”

His Sister paused, her eyes briefly lighting up.

Gecko’s mind went nearly blank, yet his mouth continued, “I’m really mad at the Captain.”

Immediately, his Sister glared at him with displeasure.

Gecko added, “With such a cute and beautiful sister, how could you not show her off sooner…”

His Sister was momentarily stunned, her little mouth pouting, “Yeah, and he always pretends not to notice me…”

Gecko remarked, “The Captain is truly something else…”

His Sister glared at him once more.

Gecko continued, “Anyway, with a sister as adorable as mine, I certainly can’t ignore her…”

Her eyes lit up again…

“I really like you…”

Excited, his Sister leapt up and wrapped her arms around Gecko’s neck. In that moment, the icy sensation surged through him once more, granting him an even higher level of self-control.

Simultaneously, that overwhelming feeling spilled over, endowing him with the power to commandeer others’ bodies at will.

Delighted, he gazed at his hands and exclaimed, “I like you too…”

“Come back home with me…”

“Alright, I’ve been wanting to visit your place for a long time—if only the Captain didn’t object…”

“I’ll take you home to play with some toys…”

“Fantastic, I’ve loved playing with toys since I was little…”

“Really? So, have you ever been treated like a toy?”

“…”

Something just didn’t add up…

But, swept away by excitement and the terrifying power surging within him, Gecko barely noticed as he glowered fiercely at the opponent crouched on the wall and beckoned, “Sunza, aren’t you tough? Come over here!”