The battle was arduous. Xing'er took the firewood from my hands and continued to hurl "rockets" down from his vantage point. Xiao Shu, retrieving another piece from the pile, lit it and held it in her other hand, attacking from both sides, fiercely defending the meager three-inch space before us. I grabbed my rain poncho and whipped it about with force. We fought until we were utterly exhausted, our arms aching, yet the spider army showed no discernible reduction.

Gradually, our strength began to wane. If this draining attrition continued, the three of us would soon face complete depletion of supplies and ammunition. With that realization, I gathered the remaining firewood and scattered a ring of it around our perimeter. Xiao Shu used her torch to ignite two or three spots. In moments, the flames leaped along the circle of wood, transforming into a ring of yellow and crimson fire that firmly shielded us within. Some spiders near the blaze agilely leaped back, dodging the flames; others hissed and were instantly incinerated into charcoal, releasing a momentary puff of orange light.

"What now?" I retreated to stand near Xing'er's feet. "If we don't move, we won't last much longer."

Xiao Shu's expression grew grave. She glanced at Xing'er. "How exactly do we undo this chain?"

"If I knew, I’d be the first one out of here," Xing'er replied, tossing his final "rocket" before hopping down from the stone.

"What kind of talk is that!" I smacked him hard on the head, exasperated. "Have you any conscience at all? Two living souls are risking their lives with you here, and you utter such words."

Xing'er shielded his head with his arm, repeatedly pleading, "No, no, no... I think my mother is here..."

At his words, Xiao Shu and I both widened our eyes, staring intently toward the cave entrance. A foul wind suddenly swept through, whipping the small trees into a frenzy like wild flowers. Several streams of clear, transparent water jetted in from outside the opening, landing squarely among the spiders and immediately triggering chaos. The spiders that were hit by the water flipped onto their backs, six legs twitching skyward, their lives extinguished. The unaffected spiders panicked, bumping into each other, scattering everywhere, their formation completely shattered.

"Good, good, good..." Xing'er stamped his feet, cheering with delight.

Just as he stomped, a crisp clack echoed. The chain on his ankle automatically snapped open. The Vampire Little Demon King, imprisoned for so long, had finally regained his freedom.

"Now, quickly!" Seeing Xing'er unbound, I reached out, grabbed him, and lunged outside the fire circle, our boots crushing untold numbers of spiders beneath us.

But Xiao Shu stood frozen within the perimeter as if her mind had blanked.

As the flames dwindled and no life-saving water returned, the spiders regrouped, reforming their ranks. A portion advanced toward the center of the ring, while others charged straight toward Xing'er and me. Xiao Shu's stupor was dangerously ill-timed, agitating me like an ant on a hot plate. I shouted until my voice cracked, "Run! Stop daydreaming!"

Only then did she snap back from her deep contemplation. She looked around frantically and bolted in the opposite direction from us.

"This way, this way... Wrong way..." Xing'er also raised his voice, yelling with all his might.

Xiao Shu seemed not to hear, continuing her charge directly toward the cave mouth, cutting into the thickest concentration of spiders.

At that moment, the spider army surged into a torrent, bearing down furiously on Xing'er and me. With no other recourse, we had to abandon Xiao Shu across the sea of spiders and retreat deeper into the cave.