Chapter 182: The Tip of the Iceberg of the Hidden Star Society

In the dim, suffocating depths of the underground passage, Chen Kong clutched his injured shoulder, sprinting desperately forward. Behind him, countless Silver Threads surged like parasitic tendrils, relentlessly closing in.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three silver threads whistled past his ear, embedding themselves into the steam pipe ahead. A geyser of scalding vapor erupted from the severed pipe, instantly blurring Chen Kong’s vision.

In an instant, a chilling sensation prickled at his back.

Without hesitation, he dropped low, executing a desperate slide—barely evading the next lethal thread as it sliced through the air above him.

He’d escaped again—just barely. But now, there was no way out.

Though the threads hadn’t struck him, they had effortlessly sliced through the surrounding walls, triggering a violent collapse that sealed off every possible escape route behind him.

Seeing the rubble block his path, Chen Kong, despite his reluctance, was forced to stop.

He turned, facing the figure slowly approaching him in the gloom—Yufemia.

His expression was grim.

Fifth time. She’d found him for the fifth time.

In the previous four attempts, he’d crafted false trails, hidden in forgotten corners, done everything he could to shake her. But she always seemed to have eyes in the dark—predicting every movement, every shift in his Will map, zeroing in on him with unnerving precision.

There was something wrong here.

Chen Kong clutched his wounded shoulder, mind racing.

Silver threads. Spider-like form. Nest.

All of Yufemia’s traits flashed through his mind like a slide show.

Then—like a spark in the dark—his mind snapped into clarity.

It clicked.

“I get it!”

Chen Kong’s eyes snapped down to the ground beneath his feet.

Beneath the cracked, aged tiles, fine, nearly invisible strands of spider silk wove through the cracks—so fine they were nearly invisible, stretching endlessly into the darkness ahead.

And it wasn’t just the floor.

At the joints of the steam pipes above, in the fissures of the walls—everywhere—were the same delicate, glistening threads, interlaced into a vast, invisible web.

The entire underground space was a massive spider’s nest—trapping Chen Kong in its center.

No wonder you always find me so fast…

Chen Kong stared at Yufemia, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

Every time I step, every time my body brushes the wall—those vibrations travel through the silk. That’s how you lock onto me instantly. That’s why I can’t escape.

So this entire tunnel is her web? She’s got a full home-field advantage.

No wonder she wasn’t rushing. She knew I couldn’t break this net unless I figured it out. Classic chase—villain never kills, just toys with prey. Dirty, but effective.

“Now you realize it?” Yufemia chuckled softly, her heels clicking with feline grace as she advanced.

Her silver heels struck the floor like a metronome—elegant, precise, almost musical.

The perfection of her foot, the jade-like curve of her toes, gave her an otherworldly elegance—like she wasn’t hunting, but attending a grand ball.

“…Too late.”

Before Chen Kong could devise a plan, a series of sharp piercing sounds echoed through the passage.

The threads converged in a funnel-like formation, sealing every possible angle of escape.

With no choice, Chen Kong lunged forward instead of retreating.

A flawless slide—just barely avoiding the deadly cut.

But as he rose to his feet, warmth trickled down his cheek.

He touched it.

Blood. Crimson and fresh.

Had he been a second slower—this cut would have split his face open. Or worse—bisected his body.

Yufemia licked her red lips, eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Hmm. Good reflexes. But how many times can you do that?”

“Once? Twice? Or… three?”

She watched as Chen Kong gasped for breath, his lungs burning. Without any physical enhancements or special defenses, he was at a severe disadvantage against a high-speed, high-damage opponent like her.

One mistake. One slip.

And he’d be gone.

He had to think. Fast.

Or he’d die here today.

“Oh? Still not giving up?” Yufemia’s smile twisted, her cheeks flushed with a dark, predatory glow.

She loved this—the thrill of playing with her prey, watching it struggle, knowing she could end it at any moment.

To savor the moment, she paused, letting the tension stretch.

“Chen Kong,” she purred, “every brick, every wall here… was designed by me.”

“They’re my eyes. My ears. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide—so long as you’re within my Nest, I’ll always know where you are.”

“Admit your weakness. Accept your ordinariness. And let yourself become my most delicious meal.”

“After all… I’ve been waiting to taste a Stellar Prodigy for so long. I imagine it’ll be unforgettable.”

Chen Kong suddenly spoke, voice cold and sharp.

“You said one of your high-ranking members values me. So… if you eat me now, won’t that person be angry?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Yufemia’s smile froze.

A flicker of cold malice flashed in her eyes—like a memory too painful to ignore.

After a long silence, her gaze turned icy, voice dripping with venom.

“That man was never going to protect me. Why should I care what he thinks?”

“If it weren’t for the fact that Steam Capital is in a fragile state right now, I’d have left the moment the Trial ended yesterday.”

Chen Kong had suspected the Hidden Star Society was far more powerful than he’d imagined.

But hearing this—knowing Yufemia, a Saintess of the Gear Church, a force far stronger than most branch captains—was so easily discarded by someone above her…

It shook him.

She wasn’t irreplaceable.

That single fact was staggering.

“Enough, Chen Kong,” Yufemia said, her tone now cold and final.

“This little game of cat and mouse is over.”

“Though I’ve prepared to leave, my position as Saintess still grants me certain advantages.”

“So… will you please just… die quietly?”

As she spoke, a terrifying surge of Stellar Energy erupted from her body.

The Third-Rank Intelligent Species Stellar Beast, once playful, now revealed its true nature.

It was time to finish this.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end