Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

"An easy question!" Jiang Yi exclaimed immediately. "It's about spiders!"

The team representing Wu Zhan made the choice: "C".

"correct."

Text transformation:

"Second question: What was the keyword in the last external message received before the floating city of Anaxim crashed?"

Options:

A. Warning

B. Resonance

C. Betrayal

D. Promotion

"One of the fragments mentions 'resonance interference from deep within the earth's veins,'" Liu Nian said.

Wu Zhan nodded and added, "The inscription fragment also records 'whispers from the starry sky' and 'resonance,' so choose B."

"correct."

"Third question: What form of 'eternity' is the ultimate goal of my 'Heart of the Web' design?"

Options:

A. The perfect, immortal life of the individual.

B. A consciousness network covering the continent

C. An Eternal City-State of Machines and Flesh

D. The souls of all life return to one place.

Wu Zhan, who had the deepest understanding of all the information, frowned and muttered, "The experimental records mention 'hive mind' and 'collective consciousness networks' the most. Her own diary later revealed an obsession with 'connection' and 'texture.' On the stone carving, she stands high above, with countless servants kneeling below, and the city's veins in the background spreading like a spider web... This is not just about controlling servants... If the hive mind network can expand infinitely, it will eventually become... a magical network of consciousness covering the entire continent?"

"Choose B." Wu Zhan took a deep breath.

"……correct."

After the three questions were asked, the wall in front of me, like a reflection in a water mirror tossed with a pebble, rippled with the disintegration of matter. The heavy metal and stone melted, faded, and dissipated into the most basic particles of energy light within these ripples, revealing an entrance behind it.

It was a nearly vertical spiral staircase extending downwards.

The steps are not made of bricks and stones, but of countless translucent energy channels filled with liquid light. These channels are tightly intertwined and woven together to form the steps and handrails.

The light flowing inside the pipe was not a single color, but constantly changing like the aurora borealis—deep blue, deep purple, silver white, dark gold... bizarre and colorful, illuminating the entire passage as if in a dream.

"Stay alert, maintain defensive formation, advance slowly, and pay attention to the energy flow under your feet and around you," Wu Zhan said in a low voice.

Judging from the questions and answers given upon entering this area, there shouldn't be any danger in the end.

The team, led by heavily armed soldiers such as Liu Nian and Wang Mu, advanced cautiously and slowly downwards.

There was no danger along the way, and the passage was not long. In just a few minutes, we reached the end of the spiral staircase.

The view ahead suddenly opened up.

What comes into view is a nearly perfect spherical space, roughly the size of a football field, with a "giant egg" quietly suspended in the very center of the space.

Its diameter is estimated to be over ten meters. The eggshell is a translucent gelatinous membrane that slowly flows with seven-colored energy. Inside, it is filled with a rich liquid that is a mixture of milky white and pale gold. A huge, vaguely outlined, curled-up shape can be vaguely seen inside.

The shadowy figure, with its massive, curved, and distinctly jointed appendages, embraced the body, while the torso vaguely possessed a human-like curve and structure. The head drooped, as if it had fallen into an eternal slumber.

[System notification: You have entered the hidden area—The Web-Weaving Court (The Sleeping Sanctuary of Arachne).]

[Discovery: Cocoon of Annihilation (the final pre-hatching form of the legendary Archmage Arachne the Webweaver)]

[Warning: The laws governing this region are abnormal, and the spacetime curvature is unstable. It is recommended to maintain a minimum level of energy disturbance.]

Just as everyone was staring wide-eyed in disbelief, a gentle and calm female voice rang out without warning:

"The seekers..."

"You have crossed the 'shell' I abandoned, shattered the 'guardians' I set up, pieced together my scattered 'memories,' and now, carrying the 'heart' of my city, you have come before my 'dream'."

The voice paused slightly, and a distant sigh seemed to drift across the ethereal tone:

"So, now..."

Please tell me...

"Are you the 'cleaners' who will end this mess?"

"Or, a 'successor' who inherits this legacy?"

"Or perhaps a fellow traveler like me?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the light from the cocoon of annihilation seemed to brighten for a moment, and the curled-up outline inside the eggshell seemed to move slightly.

hum... hum... hum...

The giant egg pulsated silently, quietly awaiting an answer.

The group looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

Clearly, this is similar to an open ending in a game, where each choice leads to different consequences.

The first option is most likely that Arachne will hatch, and the group will face a BOSS battle.

The second option should mean inheriting this floating city?

As for the last one, it seems that Arachne should join the human player faction as a special NPC?

In this secret realm, it is mentioned more than once that Arachne is pursuing "eternity". So, is it possible that this NPC is of the eternal level?

That's a level even higher than the legendary level!

Wu Zhan and Liu Nian exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

"We are your fellow travelers!" Wu Zhan said.

The next moment, the cocoon of annihilation burst forth with a pure white light that engulfed everything!

Without sound or impact, the light seemed to possess a physical form and will, gently and irresistibly enveloping everyone present.

Sight, hearing, touch, and even the perception of time melted and peeled away in the light. Everyone felt as if they had been thrown into a warm, weightless, milky-white ocean, or as if they had returned to the most primordial chaos of life.

[System notification: Hidden storyline triggered - The Trial of the Companions.]

This trial will select Arachne's master. If no one succeeds, Arachne will be reborn as a free NPC, but will befriend the humans of Earth.

[Connecting to the dormant consciousness network of "The Web Weaver" Arachne...]

When his consciousness returned to normal, Liu Nian found himself standing in a maze-like hall that stretched endlessly and was filled with countless doors.

The hall’s floor, walls, ceiling, and every door frame around it were made of flowing starlight and interwoven pale gold threads, while a hazy mist hung in the distance.

This is not the physical world. Liu Nian can feel that his existence is closer to a "consciousness" or "soul projection" at this moment, but his power seems to be preserved, only the way it operates is slightly different.

The lobby was empty; all his teammates were gone.

"So, what is my test?" Liu Nian looked around, his voice echoing slightly in the corridor.

A figure slowly materialized in the mist directly ahead.