Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 393 The Evil Side of Humanity

Chapter 393: Chapter 393 The Evil Side of Humanity

Duke Tal’s smile on his face faded slightly, and his frivolous demeanor turned serious. His gaze lingered on Madame Butterfly’s face for a moment before he spoke, "Madame Butterfly seems to be very well-informed."

The beautiful woman snapped her small folding fan shut, with the tip of the fan resting against her chin, "The influence of the Xīnlún Church may be a bit larger than Duke Sir might imagine, even though our people have not come to Zone 011. We can still learn what’s happening here from other districts. Rongxin Group is a term that comes up quite frequently."

"I’ve thought it over, and instead of communicating through intermediaries, I figured it’s better to make the trip here in person. It saves the middleman, and it makes our communication more convenient."

Duke Tal pondered for a moment before saying, "I’ll have to ask my people about this matter."

Madame Butterfly smiled and nodded, then changed the topic.

The two of them continued chatting in the garden, enjoying each other’s company. Neither of them was in a rush to finalize the deal.

Soon it was dinner time. The table was laid with both meat and vegetarian options, and although both guests indicated they preferred vegetarian food, Xu Huo did not completely cater to their tastes.

Duke Tal was slightly displeased, but Madame Butterfly, on the other hand, was intrigued by the dishes he had prepared and engaged him in conversation twice.

"Madame, if you’re interested, I could write down the recipes for you," Xu Huo offered directly.

The rest of the dinner proceeded peacefully.

After the meal, the two guests wanted to stay the night in the castle. There were no activities planned before bed, so Xu Huo suggested showing them the spiders kept in the annex behind the building—having already obtained Mr. Dong’s permission in advance.

Duke Tal was not very interested, but he went along for the sake of the enthusiastic Madame Butterfly.

Madame Butterfly had a wide range of knowledge; she recognized most of the spiders kept in the glass cabinets and was aware of their habits and whether they were venomous or not.

"Butterfly Spider, I didn’t expect to see such a rare species here," she said, standing in front of a lit glass cabinet, gazing at the spider lying on a miniature landscape inside, its color resembling that of a withered leaf butterfly.

"It looks quite ordinary. Is it poisonous?" Duke Tal asked.

"Non-venomous," Madame Butterfly responded indifferently, "Although it isn’t used medicinally like other venomous spiders, this spider’s population is very small, and after evolution, it developed a very magical habit."

She leaned closer to the glass cabinet, her fingertip lightly touching it, and a faint ripple of energy passed through the glass into the cabinet. The spider with its legs pulled in and belly tucked unfolded its legs. The dense fur that was tucked above rose up, interlapping at the front and back like unfolded wings. As it moved, it was light and graceful, very much resembling a flying butterfly.

"It looks quite beautiful. The lady is very knowledgeable," Duke Tal commented, not forgetting to compliment Madame Butterfly, "What’s the very magical habit you mentioned? Can it actually fly?"

Madame Butterfly chuckled, "It hasn’t grown real wings, so how could it possibly fly?"

Duke Tal was captivated by her eyes, "Then what is it?"

"The young spiders feed on the female spider that gave birth to them," Madame Butterfly revealed.

"This is not an isolated case in nature where creatures of the same species cannibalize each other," Xu Huo, who had been playing a supporting role, showed some interest in the conversation. "Octopuses even choose to die before their eggs hatch to avoid eating them."

Madame Butterfly tilted her head to look at him, "The act of feeding and hunting in animals is driven by the instinct to survive. If they are hungry, they think of eating, and they might even eat when they are half-full. But the feeding behavior of the Butterfly Spider is not due to hunger."

"Normally, the female spider stays with her young from the time she lays her eggs to their hatching, and then until the spiderlings are able to feed themselves."

"Scientists have conducted experiments placing male spiders, female spiders, and spiderlings together. The chances of the spiderlings eating the female are one hundred percent, while the chances of them eating the male are only seventy percent."

"Regardless of whether or not they are hungry, even if the scientists at the academy intentionally feed them, the spiderlings will choose a moment before they mature to abandon other food and consume the female spider."

"Why is that?" Duke Tal couldn’t help but ask. "Although animals are not intelligent, they surely wouldn’t go so far as to eat their own mothers, would they?"

Xu Huo agreed with this sentiment. Intelligent animals like octopuses were rare, and cannibalism amongst animals proved they were not very smart. Under such circumstances, how would they choose specific food? Usually, it was due to the instinct to eat whatever was in front of them.

"That’s why I say it’s a very magical characteristic. What’s more interesting is that if the spiderling is a male, and they are separated artificially, then after growing up, the male spider will seek out the scent to eat both the female and the male spiders, with the same proportions of one hundred percent and seventy percent."

"But if the spiderling is a female, then it will certainly eat its parents, consuming the female first, followed by the male."

"A spider’s lifespan is limited," Xu Huo added.

Madame Butterfly’s eyes curved in amusement, "Here’s where it gets interesting. The male Butterfly Spider can live for decades, and the lifespan of the females is several times that of the males. It is said that some scientists have raised them from their youth and lived to see the spiders outlast them in life."

"So, if a spiderling doesn’t manage to eat its mother before maturing, it begins a century-long pursuit to kill her until the death of the female spider or until her scent disappears."

"How terrifying," the woman said as she opened her fan to cover her red lips. "Spiders that have not evolved typically live for less than two years, while after mutation, the Butterfly Spiders’ lifespan is so extended, it’s akin to immortality in human terms."

"Some scientists have even wondered if the female Butterfly Spiders really do die. Perhaps their nature to hunt down and kill their parents from miles away is to ensure their species doesn’t become overabundant."

Xu Huo laughed, "Eternal life? Seeking immortality in a species of spider?"

Madame Butterfly also laughed, "Exactly, and that’s why most Butterfly Spiders end up dying in the laboratory. Whether they truly cannot die of natural causes remains unclear, and instead, these spiders have become a rare species."

"Perhaps this is the vile aspect of humanity; they want all the good things and trample over everything to get them. It would be a boon to humanity if they did manage to succeed, but it’s a pity they are mostly mediocre people."

She was speaking of just one species of spider, but it was clear that the species used for experiments certainly did not stop there; even human beings themselves were among the subjects of experimentation.

"That’s why the world needs to change, right? What’s the point of living so long? Universal love knows no bounds. If a person can make an extraordinary contribution that exceeds individual limitations, isn’t that a form of indirect immortality?" Madame Butterfly turned her head and winked at Duke Tal, "What do you think, Duke?"

"Makes sense, makes sense," Duke Tal said admiringly. "So this is the doctrine of the Xīnlún Church. Madame’s words can truly enlighten one’s soul. The life and death of the flesh carry little weight; it’s the spirit of contribution that endures."

Madame Butterfly lowered her eyelids, turning her head away in boredom and touching her cheek, "I need to get my beauty sleep."