Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

Chapter 192 - 192: The Trap That Could Do Everything Except Catch Mice

Jerry peered through the telescope and decisively waved his tiny hand.

Tom, brimming with excitement, gave a firm tug on the fishing line he held.

The thin, nearly invisible fishing line stretched far into the distance, connected to an alarm clock. Like a living serpent, the line rippled in waves, triggering the clock's switch with perfect timing.

On the other end of the alarm clock, a metal rod was attached to a saw. The vibrations from the clock set the saw in motion, its teeth gnashing back and forth.

Snap! Snap!

The saw cut through a nearby wooden plank, sending a chunk of wood crashing onto the handle of a pair of scissors below.

The scissors snapped shut, severing another fishing line that had been holding a heavy iron hammer upright. Freed from its restraint, the hammer swung down with deadly precision, smashing into a lever mechanism.

The force of the hammer's impact launched a carefully positioned banana upward like a catapult. The banana collided with an overhead metal plate, its soft flesh splattering against a glass pane like a ripe projectile.

A windshield wiper, seemingly activated by the mess, immediately began swiping back and forth. Its motion pulled yet another fishing line, which in turn yanked on a wooden stick attached to a mercury-based contraption.

The stick rose incrementally with each tug until it finally poked a hidden cuckoo clock, releasing a mechanical woodpecker toy strapped with a knife.

The woodpecker's blade sawed through a rope suspending a massive iron weight from a tree branch.

Whoosh—

The weight plummeted, landing squarely on the head of a lurking Earthfang Spider.

THUD!

The spider staggered, dazed by the blow.

Not wasting a second, Tom pulled another fishing line, setting off yet another chain reaction of absurdly elaborate traps.

Shen An watched the spectacle with wide eyes.

"...Are traps supposed to be this extra?"

Meanwhile, not far away, Flender was guiding Dai Mubai through the forest in search of a suitable soul beast. Dai Mubai had just reached the 40th rank, meaning his fourth soul ring could absorb a beast up to five thousand years in age. Flender's goal was to find a four-thousand-year tiger-type soul beast for him.

"Dean, this is weird... Why is there a giant 'X' marked on the ground here?" Dai Mubai frowned as he approached the suspicious symbol.

Flender was equally puzzled. Why would someone paint a random 'X' in the middle of the forest?

They didn't have to wonder for long.

A massive iron ball suddenly hurtled toward them from above at terrifying speed.

Flender and Dai Mubai's faces paled instantly.

Since when do forests have TRAPS?!

And judging by the sheer size of that iron ball, getting hit would not be pleasant.

Flender instinctively tried to dodge—only to realize his feet were glued to the ground. A quick glance confirmed it: his boots were stuck in a pool of sticky white liquid.

Normally, this wouldn't be an issue for an agility-focused Soul Sage like him. But Dai Mubai was trapped too.

In that split second, Flender made a decision.

If he dodged, Dai Mubai would be paste.

Fine. A mere iron ball won't kill me.

His eyes locked onto the incoming projectile.

"Seventh Soul Skill—Owl True Body!"

Flender's soul power erupted as his black soul ring blazed to life. His body transformed, feathers sprouting as he braced to intercept the iron ball head-on.

It was only at the last moment that he noticed the numbers painted on the metal sphere:

[50T]

What does that even—

BOOM!

The impact sent both Flender and Dai Mubai flying like ragdolls, right into the exact spot Tom and Jerry had planned.

From their hiding spot, the cat and mouse cheered, pumping their tiny fists in victory.

PERFECT!

Shen Yi, though a soul master herself, lacked the sharp vision to witness the chaos firsthand. She only heard a distant crash and blinked in confusion.

What was that noise?

Meanwhile, Flender groaned as he struggled to his feet, quickly checking on Dai Mubai.

The latter coughed up blood before erupting into curses.

"Which bastard set up these traps?! When I find them, I'll skin them alive!"

Mid-rant, Dai Mubai's voice abruptly died. His hand trembled as he pointed behind Flender.

"D-Dean... th-there's a spider..."

Flender scoffed. A spider? Really?

He turned.

And froze.

A Earthfang Spider.

A ten-thousand-year Earthfang Spider.

Flender's throat went dry.

As a level-78 Soul Sage, he wasn't afraid of ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

But Earthfang Spiders were different.

Among arachnid-type soul beasts, they ranked alongside the infamous Man-Faced Demon Spiders in lethality.

And Flender would've much rather faced the latter.

While Human-Faced Demon Spiders were pure offense, Earthfang Spiders specialized in traps. They used terrain, ambushes, and psychological warfare to dismantle prey.

And now, Flender and Dai Mubai had been delivered straight to its lair.

A chill ran down his spine.

Before he could react, the spider spat a thick, golden web straight at them.

"Mubai, don't move!" Flender slashed the web apart with razor-sharp wing gusts.

But it was too late.

Panicked, Dai Mubai instinctively dodged—only to step into thin air.

He plummeted straight into one of the spider's hidden pitfall traps.

Flender's blood ran cold.

The Earthfang Spider had already vanished, activating its innate Stealth ability.

Seconds later, Dai Mubai's screams echoed from the depths of the cavern.

Gritting his teeth, Flender abandoned all caution and dove in after him.

From a distance, Shen An observed everything with mild disappointment.

"Pity. That spider just barely crossed the ten-thousand-year threshold. Even with home-field advantage, it'll only inconvenience Flender at best."

"Otherwise, I could've swooped in for the kill."

He shrugged. No matter. Given his growth rate, dealing with the Shrek group later would be child's play.

Meanwhile, Tom and Jerry high-fived in celebration. Another flawless collaboration!

But as they admired their handiwork, a thought struck them.

It's not enough.

Their eyes gleamed like lightbulbs.

Idea!

In perfect sync, the duo leaped off their beach chairs and began digging toward the Earthfang Spider's lair at impossible speeds. Trenches formed in their wake as they tunneled like furry excavators.

Unbeknownst to Flender, the spider's domain wasn't just home to one predator.

It was an entire colony—with the ten-thousand-year beast merely being the strongest.

Deep underground, Dai Mubai panted heavily after slaying a thousand-year Earthfang Spider. His White Tiger's Light Wave had even vaporized a ten-year-old Pallas's cat that had been the spider's intended meal.

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the cavern floor—

Only for a tiny mallet to pop out of the dirt and bonk him on the head.

"Ugh... why's everything spinning...?"

His eyes rolled back.

THUD.

Out cold.