"Understood, this matter is only known to the three of us."
Lin Yebai repeated the phrase that was rapidly flooding the chat room. The comments were coming in so fast that within just a few breaths, at least a hundred identical messages had passed by. The secret... couldn't be kept any longer.
It seemed like the viewers in the multi-universe livestream weren't part of this world, and Old Wang's secret was still safe with them.
"Old Wang, don't worry. We have each other's backs. I absolutely won't spill."
Zhou Yuan made a sincere promise.
Even though he and Old Wang occasionally disagreed, they would stand united when it came to the bigger picture.
"That's good." Coach Wang let out a sigh of relief. Carrying the secret alone was a heavy burden, but it felt much better once he shared it.
"This chicken?" Coach Wang looked at the mother hen, noticing its unusually large size. It didn't even try to escape, just sat there dumbly.
The mother hen, after a bit of effort, laid an egg, looked back to confirm it was an egg, then puffed out its chest proudly and clucked:
"Cluck cluck!"
"Cluck cluck!"
"I just laid one, this is the second." Zhou Yuan happily picked up the egg and handed it to Coach Wang.
"I'll catch a few more next time. Raising them at home would be good for the kids' nutrition."
"How did you catch them?" Coach Wang asked, surprised.
"This chicken is so fat it can't move."
"Look, if you put it on the ground, it won't even walk."
Zhou Yuan demonstrated, and sure enough, the mother hen stayed still, its short legs unable to support its increased weight.
"Not bad, we can keep it in a pen." Coach Wang seemed satisfied.
"You didn't come back empty-handed, did you?" Zhou Yuan asked, puzzled.
"I brought some other things, downstairs," Coach Wang turned to go get them, followed by a line of little spiders.
"Mom, mom, where did you find us?"
"From a garbage bin in the neighborhood." Coach Wang still wasn't ready to tell the little spiders the truth.
It would be too awkward.
So awkward it could kill you.
"Mom, we promise we'll be good. Don't throw us away."
"Mom, you're the best."
The little spiders clung to Coach Wang's spider leg with affection.
"I won't," Coach Wang said kindly, but then he realized two friends were still here and quickly corrected himself, "I told you, don't call me mom!"
"Okay, mom!"
"Mom, we understand!"
The little spiders obediently replied.
"Ah, I told you not to call me that! No more 'mom'!" Coach Wang clenched his fists and ground his teeth.
"Mom... Waaa..." the little spiders started to cry again.
"You shouldn't yell at the kids like that! Stop crying, stop crying. Uncle Zhou loves kids, come here to Uncle Zhou," Zhou Yuan opened his arms warmly.
But the little spiders still clung to Coach Wang's spider legs, too scared to go to him.
"Uncle Zhou is nice, but he's a disabled person, so pitiful," one little spider said.
"Yeah, yeah."
"... " Coach Wang, Zhou Yuan, and Lin Yebai all fell silent.
Eventually, Coach Wang went downstairs with the little spiders to get the things, and Zhou Yuan opened the door to ventilate.
"Sigh, time waits for no one."
"Back when I first met Old Wang, he was a strong young man. Now, not even a few months later, he's already the 'mom' of seven kids..."
Zhou Yuan sighed deeply, his expression turning somber and melancholic.
Lin Yebai wanted to say something, but since coming to this world, he often found himself in this kind of emotional turmoil. He wanted to speak but couldn't find the words, so he remained silent.
[Jie Ge, don't!]: "One child, seven treasures: Confused mommy spoils her heaven"
[Ukrainian Roast Pig]: "Sweet wife, cute babies: Daddy, don't even think of running"
[Rich Orange Seat]: "Contracted wife: Devil is after me"
[Literature Teacher]: "On how adding quotation marks makes things sound more sophisticated."
[Abyss Lord]: With a slight raise of his brow, he calmly said: "Spider babies: The devil daddy can't escape."
[Sexy Spider Louis] tipped x6666
[Rich Orange Seat] tipped x6666
[Rich Orange Seat]: "This stream is going to make me die laughing."
Soon, Coach Wang returned carrying a two-meter long beetle, with the little spiders following in a neat line behind him.
"Are the kids going to eat this? Will it be enough?" Zhou Yuan asked incredulously.
"If it's not enough, we'll catch more," Coach Wang said calmly.
Zhou Yuan suddenly felt that Coach Wang's back had grown taller, making him think of a text he'd read before: "The Back."
Maybe that's what a father is like.
"So, what's the plan? Are we going to the shelter or staying here?" Zhou Yuan asked.
"You know my situation. Going to a shelter isn't realistic," Coach Wang sighed.
"That's true, but leaving you alone here isn't safe," Zhou Yuan began to worry.
If the little spiders stayed here, they could be in danger.
Coach Wang was strong against low-level mutants, but if he ran into a mid-level one, a few moves and they'd be done.
"Let's wait and see."
Coach Wang looked at the lively little spiders, unsure how long they'd survive in this world full of danger.
"Mom, you eat too," the little spiders brought over a beetle leg for him.
"Very good," Coach Wang took the beetle leg and patted each of them on the head.
"Uncle Zhou, you eat too," the little spiders were hospitable, offering Zhou Yuan one.
"Very considerate," Zhou Yuan praised.
Soon, the little spiders turned to look at Lin Yebai, struggling to figure out how to address him.
This two-legged uncle didn't talk much but felt instinctively more dangerous than Uncle Zhou, cold and intimidating, like a big monster.
How should they call him?
Lin Yebai noticed their confusion and took the initiative to speak up:
"Uncle Lin."
"Uncle Lin, eat bugs," the little spiders said in their sweet voices, bringing over the biggest beetle leg.
"Don't be shy, if you roast it, it actually smells pretty good, tastes like chicken."
Coach Wang started the fire, expertly placing the beetle leg on the grill and brushing it with seasoning.
"Smells great."
Zhou Yuan's gaze quickly moved to the corner where the mother hen was. He hadn't had roasted chicken in a while, and with such a big bird, it would surely taste delicious.
The mother hen shrunk back. No eggs today.
"Where did you catch these bugs?" Zhou Yuan asked, hoping to catch a bigger one.
The beetle shell was removed, revealing tender, delicate white flesh inside, and when roasted, it gave off a strange but delicious aroma. Brushed with cumin, salt, and chili powder, it was chewy and full of flavor, impossible to stop eating.
[Flower Blooming with Wealth]: "Tears are pouring out of my mouth."
[The Ordinary Me]: "Beetles are really good."
[Grilled Big Dragon]: "I'm hungry. Off to the bug battlefield now."
[God of the Gods]: "On my way."
[Bug King Ulsas]:"Understood, moving now."
"Central Park. I also saw a 2-3 meter long koi, not sure how it tastes, but I'm too scared to go into the water."
"I'll do it! I'm a swimming champ, I'll catch it this afternoon and bring it back for the kids to eat." Zhou Yuan proudly tilted his head.
"I'll go with you." Lin Yebai hadn't seen a koi that long before.
"Mom, mom! We want to go out and play too," the little spiders yearned.
"You're still small, and there are big monsters outside that eat kids," Coach Wang didn't want to scare them, but this was the truth.
"I really want to go outside and see, mom, we've never been out..."
The little spiders clung to Coach Wang's legs, begging.
"Mom, please, take us out to play, please?"
"I told you many times, don't call me mom!" Coach Wang's forehead was twitching.
"But... mom, I want to go outside and play."
"I want to too."
"Mom... you're the best."
The little spiders spoke in their soft, babyish voices, playing on Coach Wang's legs like they were a slide.
"Old Wang, just let them go," Zhou Yuan couldn't help but persuade him:
"It's still light out, they'll be back before dark, nothing will happen."
Coach Wang glanced at Lin Yebai. Compared to Zhou Yuan, Lin was a lot more reassuring. When he saw Lin Yebai nod, he agreed to take the little spiders out to play.
"Mom, you're the best person in the world!"
"Don't call me mom, call me dad."
"Okay, mom..."
Coach Wang eventually waved his hand helplessly.
"The kids are still young, we'll teach them slowly." Zhou Yuan patted his shoulder, offering encouragement.
"Bro, stay strong," Zhou Yuan added.
Coach Wang wasn't comforted at all. He didn't trust Zhou Yuan's driving skills and pushed himself into the driver's seat, leaving Zhou Yuan to sit in the passenger seat. Lin Yebai and the little spiders sat in the backseat.
The little spiders were extremely curious, crawling around the car.
"By the way, Wang bro, about that magazine you mentioned last time, and the 18..." Zhou Yuan started, but was immediately interrupted.
"Don't mention that in front of the kids. I'll give it to you when we get back," Coach Wang replied.
"Wang bro, you're a man of honor," Zhou Yuan gave him a thumbs-up.
"Uncle Zhou, what's a magazine? And what does 18 mean?" The little spiders asked innocently, their curiosity piqued. Coach Wang shot Zhou Yuan a scolding look.
"It's not important," Coach Wang said firmly, then quickly changed the subject. "Uncle Zhou, how about we sing a song together?"
"Let's sing 'The Best Mother in the World,'" Zhou Yuan said, clearing his throat.
"Come on, sing with me…"
"'The best mother in the world~ Children with mothers are like treasures~'"
As soon as the little spiders heard the song, they immediately liked it and began to sing along with Zhou Yuan. Their soft, childish voices, with a hint of milkiness, filled the car with a warm, almost surreal feeling.
"Zhou Yuan, if you keep this up, I'll kick you out and make you crawl behind the car," Coach Wang's rugged face flushed slightly, his tall, muscular body resembling a towering iron figure.
"Come on, Wang bro~" Zhou Yuan chuckled.
Lin Yebai felt much more relaxed, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.
The little spiders were seeing Lin Yebai's soft expression for the first time, staring at him in awe. He didn't look as ugly as they thought, even though he only had two legs.
The entire city was covered in a layer of gray, plants withered and died, streets were silent and empty, and dark streaks of dried blood could be seen everywhere.
Even so, the little spiders were still excited.
Soon, they arrived at the central park. There was a scenic lake here, and local residents often came in the evening to feed the fish. The koi fish in the lake were numerous.
Zhou Yuan tossed a bag of expired instant noodles into the water, causing a huge splash. A massive fish head emerged, its bald head alone measuring about two meters long, with sharp, white fangs gleaming.
When the fish saw the human-like figures by the shore, an eerie glint flashed in its eyes.