"It's alright, I'll go take a look." After reassuring An Xiang, Pan Lizhi raised his hand, and an ice cone gradually formed in his palm.
He then slowly approached the vines, his eyes fixed intently on what lay ahead.
He would immediately retreat if there was any unusual movement.
However, Pan Lizhi did not notice that as he slowly approached the vines, the vines deep inside began to wriggle quietly.
As Pan Lizhi approached step by step, the people behind him held their breath and stared intently at his back.
Finally, Pan Lizhi arrived at the wall covered with tangled vines.
He slowly came to a stop, even his breathing became cautious, for fear of disturbing the other person.
However, as time passed, nothing happened except for heavy breathing.
Pan Lizhi swallowed hard, hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up his courage to reach out a trembling hand and gently touch the vine with his fingertips.
The moment he touched her, he felt an indescribable chill that spread rapidly from his fingertips to his entire body, causing him to involuntarily pull his hand back sharply.
Even so, the vines remained unchanged, as if everything Pan Lizhi had just experienced was just an illusion.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their tense nerves finally relaxing.
An Xiang couldn't wait to speak up: "Since it's blocking the way, just cut it down. Don't waste time."
As he spoke, he prepared to step forward and help.
However, at this moment, Xiao Jin, who had been on high alert, did not relax in the slightest.
She could sense that as An Xiang approached, an unusual atmosphere seemed to permeate the air, setting off alarm bells in her mind.
Indeed, high-level hunters often appear as prey.
Just as everyone was about to lower their guard, the previously still vines suddenly began to twist violently, releasing a series of low and eerie sounds.
"Watch out!" The shout came from a wood-type ability user not far away. He was highly sensitive to plant energy and was the first to notice the anomaly.
While issuing the warning, he also used his special ability to quickly urge the seeds to take root and sprout.
They tried to summon plants to pull the two people back from the brink of danger.
Ahead, two thin but exceptionally sharp branches, like venomous snakes that had been lurking for a long time, suddenly shot out from the hidden vine wall.
With a whooshing sound, it aimed directly at An Xiang and Pan Lizhi not far away.
The branches moved at an astonishing speed, almost beyond the limits of what the naked eye could perceive. They drew silver streaks in the air, seemingly about to mercilessly pierce through the two people's bodies.
An Xiang was lost in his own thoughts and was completely unaware of the sudden threat of death.
On the contrary, Pan Lizhi, who had been worried all along, felt a sense of relief when he heard his companion's shouts, and thought to himself: They've finally arrived.
He instinctively threw the ice pick at the vines, but unfortunately Pan Lizhi was too close and his hand was a little too slow.
Just then, Xiao Jin made his move from behind.
In contrast to the wood-type ability user who was yelling, she had already slipped away and squeezed next to the stunned Xiao Guo the moment the vines started to move.
Without a word, he grabbed him and, as if throwing a heavy object, accurately tossed him next to Cen Nian.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Jin slightly flipped his wrist, and the Shadow Dagger was already quietly in his palm.
Immediately, Xiao Jin aimed the dagger at it and threw it forcefully, transforming it into a silver lightning bolt that struck one of the two deadly branches.
With a crisp clang, the Shadow Thorn and the vines collided violently, producing a low metallic clang.
Surprisingly, the vines, which were clearly just plant morphs, only trembled slightly and were not severed by the Shadow Thorn.
But at least it changed the direction of its attack; the branch that was originally going to pierce Pan Lizhi's head only scratched his arm.
"Hiss—" Pan Lizhi gasped sharply after escaping.
As the vines brushed against his body, Pan Lizhi could clearly feel as if some invisible force was frantically pulling at the blood in his body, trying to completely drain him.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and terror flashed in his eyes.
Pan Lizhi tilted his head, his gaze falling on his arm.
A thin, long wound had appeared there sometime earlier, its edges a strange, pale white.
What's even more chilling is that not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound.
Seeing this, Pan Lizhi looked at Xiao Jin gratefully. If it weren't for her, he would have been drained dry!
There was only one Shadow Assassin, and everything had happened too fast. Therefore, Xiao Jin could only save Pan Lizhi, who was closer to the vines and in greater danger, first.
As for An Xiang, although he was pulled back by the plant-type ability user, the vines lashed across his face, leaving a long, bloody welt.
The blood in An Xiang's brain was also absorbed by the vines, which means that they only managed to retrieve a corpse.
Compared to Xiao Jin, the difference in skill is immediately apparent; Xiao Jin managed to safely rescue Pan Lizhi, who was much closer to the scene.
"Damn it." The plant-type ability user cursed, gritting his teeth and slamming his fist into the pipe wall.
Pan Lizhi's eyes reddened, and his gaze turned bloodshot when he saw An Xiang lying motionless.
His voice was hoarse and sorrowful: "Anxiang..." He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if this could alleviate the pain in his heart.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, they were teammates who supported and accompanied each other after the apocalypse.
Now he's dead, dead right before my eyes...
Xiao Jin had no time to pay attention to Pan Lizhi's overwhelming sentimentality; the surrounding noise had already disturbed the slumbering zombies in the office building below.
As if pulled by invisible ropes, they roared in unison, then pounced on the source of the sound like hungry beasts.
When the zombies sensed the fresh scent of flesh and blood emanating from Xiao Jin and his group, their excitement became even more uncontrollable.
They all set their sights on the high-altitude pipe passages and began their arduous climb.
Unfortunately, zombies are mindless and cannot climb walls; they can only wave their withered arms from below.
However, some zombies that were accidentally pushed down became stepping stones for other zombies to climb up. Just as the zombies were getting closer and closer to the pipe entrance, everyone realized that the danger was not just that.
Meanwhile, attacks from the mutated vines followed closely behind.
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