32 Wrong turn

As they went from building to building, Liu Kai found that Sergio was holding back his rage every time he saw the giant water strider. He was desperate for vengeance, hoping for a chance to slaughter them.

It wasn't a simple task to find a spot to spend the night while S rates moved around. They were going to have to watch each other's back in the cold and dark night.

"Somebody has to stay up to watch while the others are sleeping," said Liu Kai.

"That's a smart idea. I'm going to take the first two-hour shift." Sergio Von Croy raised his hand.

"Okay, I'm going to take the second one." Jin Chow selected his schedule.

"Which makes me last then. I'm going to wake you both up at first light." Liu Kai said as he and Jin Chow were able to sleep when Sergio Von Croy watched them steadily.

After 2 hours, Sergio woke Jin up to take the next shift. Guarding during the night was expected to be a lot more difficult, but Jin Chow didn't have a hard time adapting to the environment.

After another 2 hours, Jin Chow woke up Liu Kai for the last shift and went back to sleep.

When guarding, Liu Kai wanted to do some exercise. He completed a thousand push-ups, squats, and a thousand sit-ups effortlessly.

'It's easier than I thought. Before all this, I can't even exceed 100 push-ups. But now, I've done a thousand without breaking a sweat.' said Liu Kai, standing on the building, staring at his hands and examining his entire body.

He believed that his increased stats allowed his body to get stronger. His body, which a slip could easily hurt, now had the muscles to sustain his actions. His slender arms are now firm with muscles, a full set on his abdominal region, pecs on his chest, and the gluteus maximus is now firmer as well as his whole legs.

Before the sun rose, Jin and Sergio were already up to pack their things. As they're about to go, they watched the sun slowly peek out from the horizon.

Around the same time, everyone widened all their perceptions to detect the bugs and find the best way forward.

"Over there! No bugs this way!" Jin Chow said.

They noticed a path with virtually no bugs in it. However, Liu Kai wondered, 'Why would the giant water striders travel out of this place? Maybe there's something they're avoiding.'

"Something's wrong," said Liu Kai while he was still running through the path.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jin Chow.

"It seems like the giant water striders are avoiding the place. It's almost too convenient for us, and it's giving me a bad vibe. I guess we should stop and turn back." Liu Kai expressed his thoughts as he was feeling a little nervous about the situation.

"Don't overthink it. We just got lucky, and besides, we're not going to have a chance like this again, so let's just keep going," said Sergio Von Croy.

"Yeah, and we're not sensing anything with our Perception. Are you?" Jin Chow commented and asked Liu Kai.

"No, but…" His voice trailed off.

'They're right, but something still feels off.' Liu Kai thought to himself as they kept moving, heading east. They reached a tall and wide building that stretched to the sides and top as they ran, so they went inside instead of going to the top. All three of them thought it would be much faster to go through than to climb up.

As they were running through, they noticed that the ceiling was unusually high. But since it was enormous outside, they thought it was normal. They continued to run until…

"Everyone Stop!!" Sergio Von Croy suddenly shouted. His voice echoed around the vast and empty room.

"What is it!? Did something happen!?" Jin Chow asked, confused by the situation.

Liu Kai, who was in the lead, tried to focus his perception on the places close to them but still couldn't find anything.

"There was a presence close by I felt earlier, but I can't seem to feel it anymore." Sergio Von Croy answered, his eyes darted around.

"Maybe you got it all wrong." Jin Chow said, who was obviously frightened.

"No, I'm sure." Sergio insisted, so sure of what he felt.

Liu Kai was quiet and was still thinking. 'I knew it. Something is strange here.'

"Let's look for another way. Something dangerous might be lurking unseen here. If we continue any further, we might… die." Liu Kai said.

"Let's fall back." Sergio agreed but before they could get out of the building, something came out of nowhere and sprinted towards them, creating a smoke of dust covering its huge body.

"SCREEEEEEEECH!!" The creatures' growl, magnified by the echoes that filled the entire building, instilled fear into the hearts of the trio. The aura it was emanating was nothing like they've felt before. It felt toxic and dark.

It kept running in circles, creating more dust clouds, making it more challenging to locate it or even identify what it was. Multiple steps sounded like hammers pounding on the floor, but each time piercing through solid ground.

They seemed to have been trapped by the swirling mist of dust.

"What is this!?" Jin Chow exclaimed as he backed up against his friends.

'That thing's furious, we woke it up. It must be nocturnal. I didn't see it coming, even if I tried to focus my perception multiple times earlier. It can camouflage and hide its presence.' Liu Kai analyzed the situation as the three of them were circled by the mysterious creature.

"SHRIIIIEEEEEEEKKK!" It screeched once more as it lunged towards them. They quickly tried to jump to get out of the way but…

"Acccck!" Liu Kai and Jin Chow cried out from the sudden pain.

"SERGIO!! HELP!! IT GOT US!! IT'S A SPIDER!!" Jin Chow begged while being pinned down with Liu Kai under the terrifying creature's front legs, looking at Sergio.