38. Night Terror
The battle ended faster than expected, firstly because the number of zombies was far less than that of the Dark Current Abyss, and secondly because Sun Hui, an experienced earth-type ability user, joined the fight.
When the last zombie bear was struck down by Shi Dong's lightning, the battlefield finally fell silent. Everyone was panting heavily, and fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.
Fu Yunong didn't rest. Shi Dong had already gotten into the driver's seat of the SUV and waved to her. The two tacitly divided the work: one controlled the steering wheel and drove slowly, while the other opened the system panel and collected all the scattered zombie crystal cores along the way.
The rest of the group headed back first. As it was getting dark, they decided to rest for the night and continue their journey the next day, just to be on the safe side.
“Let’s go back to that dilapidated house; at least it’ll keep out the wind,” Sun Hui suggested.
None of them objected; after this battle, the estrangement between them had lessened considerably.
They drove back, and just as they reached the top of a small hill, they saw a staggering figure swaying towards them. It was Ouyang Peng, who had already turned into a zombie. Dried bloodstains remained in his seven orifices, his eyes were cloudy as he stared at the car, and he was making hoarse noises.
Sun Hui's expression shifted slightly. She raised her hand and activated her superpower, causing a sharp earth spike to suddenly emerge from the ground and pierce its chest. Before the corpse could fall, Hua Hua leaped off the roof of the car, smashed the zombie's head, and swallowed the crystal core.
Sun Hui watched this scene, her heart trembled, and she became even more certain that none of these people were simple.
Before long, Fu Yunong and Shi Dong returned. Seeing that a charcoal fire had been lit in the dilapidated house, they immediately took out the ingredients and handed them to Xiao Linfang. It was the large gift box of pastries they had won that morning, containing steamed buns, dumplings, flower rolls, steamed cakes, and pies—a generous quantity. As soon as they were steamed, the aroma of wheat filled the air. Xiao Linfang also quickly cooked a pot of tofu, enoki mushroom, and vegetable soup, which was both warming and appetizing.
Sun Hui sat to the side, watching Fu Yunong pull things out of her "space" like a little monster, her eyes filled with amazement and envy.
After the meal, the group sat around the fire and talked about the zombies that had emerged from the woods.
Xiao Linfang hesitated before speaking, "How about we take a detour? I have a feeling something's off about that grove."
Shi Dong asked, "If we take a detour, how long will it take?"
Sun Hui thought for a moment, "This forest is very large, and taking a detour will take at least another day or two."
Shi Dong immediately made the decision, "Then let's take a detour."
Lin Songsong nodded, "Sister Lin is a wood-type ability user, I believe her."
Fu Yunong and Huangfu Jinrang also agreed that wood-type ability users have an exceptionally keen perception of plant environments, and besides, Xiao Linfang is not the kind of person who speaks without reason.
When the conversation turned to superpowers, Sun Huicai was surprised to discover that Shi Dong possessed a rare lightning-type ability. Among all the people in their base, she had never heard of anyone with a lightning-type ability. Fu Yunong's "space" and Huangfu Jinrang's mental power were also extremely rare and top-tier superpowers!
Shi Dong felt her eager gaze, turned his quiet eyes to her, and asked, "Miss Sun, your moves are quite impressive, would you mind sharing them with me?"
Sun Hui smiled, "It's taught at the base. They have specialized courses for teaching superpowers, which can help superpowered individuals discover their potential and figure out their moves. When you arrive at the base, I can recommend that you visit and learn there."
"Thanks in advance," Fu Yunong replied with a smile. "I've taken all the crystal cores from this battle, so let's consider our debts settled."
Upon hearing this, Sun Hui visibly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, "Thank you so much!" Otherwise, so much debt would indeed be a real headache.
As night deepened, the group began to prepare for rest. Sun Hui watched with envy as Fu Yunong and the others took out soft mattresses and thick blankets from their spatial storage.
Upon seeing this, Fu Yunong casually gave her a thick cotton quilt; she had plenty of these in her spatial storage.
Sun Hui was flattered and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
In the latter half of the night, the only sounds in the dilapidated house could be the wind and the occasional crackling of the fire.
Xiao Linfang suddenly opened her eyes, her forehead covered in cold sweat. She had a nightmare in which dense tree roots slithered underground, surrounding them from all directions like venomous snakes.
Before she could catch her breath, a very faint rustling sound came, so faint that it was almost drowned out by the wind. Just when she thought she had misheard, Hua Hua suddenly stood up, her fur standing on end!
She quickly stood up, placed her hands on the cold ground, closed her eyes, and focused her senses. The next second, her expression changed drastically, and she blurted out, "Oh no!"
Fu Yunong, Shi Dong, and the others had already been awakened by her movements, and upon hearing these words, they all jumped up.
"What's wrong?" Shi Dong asked in a low voice.
"We're surrounded!" Xiao Linfang's voice was urgent.
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground around them suddenly shook. Then, countless thick roots burst through the ground, carrying soil and ice shards, and rose up, instantly smashing the walls of the dilapidated house to pieces. The dark roots, like tentacles, wrapped around the group!
"Get out of the way!" Shi Dong shouted, grabbing Xiao Linfang and scrambling to the side, barely avoiding a sweeping tree root. The root slammed into the remaining broken wall, smashing the bricks to pieces with a loud crash.
Xiao Linfang was still shaken, staring intently at the writhing roots, veins bulging on her forehead. These things clearly carried wood-elemental energy fluctuations, yet they were exceptionally violent. Pale blue light emanated from her hands as she fully activated her wood-elemental abilities, attempting to contend with the energy of these roots.
As her supernatural power erupted, several slender green vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the roots like ropes. However, the opponent's energy was too domineering, and the vines were easily broken as soon as they wrapped around her. Xiao Linfang's face instantly paled, and large beads of sweat slid down her cheeks.
While dodging the attacks from the roots, Fu Yunong quickly opened the system panel, her fingertips swiping rapidly across the virtual screen.
The next second, she tossed several cans of gasoline from her spatial storage. Shi Dong immediately understood, drew his military knife, slashed open the cans, and poured the gasoline onto the roots that were surging in from all directions. The pungent smell of gasoline instantly filled the air.
"Songsong!" Shi Dong called out. Lin Songsong immediately erected a golden protective shield, protecting the group in the middle. Fu Yunong took the opportunity to take out a windproof lighter, pressed the button, and threw the lighter at the roots, where a roaring flame erupted.
"Boom!" Flames shot into the sky, accompanied by the sizzling sound and burnt smell of the roots being burned. The roots twisted wildly in the fire, but burned brighter and brighter, and soon withered away. Sun Hui was not idle either. She used her earth-type ability to build an earthen wall around the area, preventing the fire from spreading and blocking the roots on the outside that had not yet been ignited.
But there were just too many roots; as soon as one batch was burned, new ones would sprout from the ground. Xiao Linfang's breathing became more and more rapid, and her lips turned white, but she still did not give up. Her wood-type ability continued to flow into the ground like a thin stream, finally slowing down the growth rate of the newly sprouted roots.
It seems that it has been somewhat suppressed...
Roots were swarming in from the crumbling wall. Fu Yunong tossed a gun to Huangfu Jinrang, who was closest to the wall, "Use this!"
Huangfu Jinrang pulled out the safety pin and threw it forcefully at the densest part of the roots. The object exploded the moment it hit the ground, and flames once again engulfed a large area of roots.
Shi Dong gripped the lightning whip and lashed it repeatedly at the roots that were trying to bypass the wall of fire. The lightning struck the roots that were soaked in gasoline, which not only injured them but also ignited the remaining gasoline.
Sun Hui activated all her supernatural powers, building a thick earthen wall. "I'll hold them off! You guys find a chance to break through!"
Xiao Linfang swayed, her vision blurring. With her last ounce of strength, she gathered all the vines together and wrapped them around the thickest main root in front of her. "Now! Charge through here!"
The main root was temporarily trapped by the green vine, leaving a gap.
"Go!" Shi Dong rushed out, with Fu Yunong close behind. Lin Songsong maintained the protective shield and followed closely behind them, rushing towards the gap.
Sun Hui was the last to rush out, then turned around and reinforced the earthen wall to slow the roots' pursuit. Xiao Linfang had just broken through the gap when she could no longer hold on; her legs buckled and she collapsed to the ground. Huangfu Jinrang quickly caught her, "Sister Lin! Are you alright?"
"Don't worry about me... get in the car!" Xiao Linfang said weakly.
Several people hurriedly helped Xiao Linfang into the car. Shi Dong immediately started the car, and Sun Hui also jumped into her SUV and followed closely behind.
Looking back through the car window, the dilapidated house was completely submerged by roots, and the firelight gradually dimmed under the cover of roots until it disappeared.
No one dared to be careless. After driving a long distance and confirming that no one was chasing them, Shi Dong parked the car in a deserted area of ruins.
After the group got out of the car to rest, Xiao Linfang suddenly took out a half-burnt root fragment from the tent and said weakly, "There seems to be something inside."
Shi Dong immediately used his dagger to cut open the surface and was shocked to find a pale green crystal embedded inside, its surface radiating a faint energy.
She picked up the crystal and examined it closely in the firelight: the surface of the crystal was smooth, and inside it seemed as if there were flowing light slowly rotating, radiating warm energy.
"What is this?" she asked, turning to the crowd.
Lin Songsong and Huangfu Jinrang both came over, staring at the crystal for a long time before shaking their heads. Sun Hui frowned even more, saying, "I've been in the base for so long, and I've never seen anything like this before."
Fu Yunong's mind raced, and she accepted the crystal, opening the system. The next second, a notification popped up: [Mutant Level 2 Plant Crystal Core: Contains wood-type energy, condensed from mutated plants, usable for wood-type ability users' energy absorption and ability breakthroughs. Note: Cannot be exchanged for points.]
"It's a plant crystal core!" Fu Yunong's eyes lit up as she looked at Xiao Linfang, who was still panting. "Sister Lin, why don't you try absorbing it?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Linfang stretched out her hand, and as a pale blue light emanated from her palm, something miraculous happened:
As if finding its home, the crystal core transformed into a warm, pale green current that flowed into her body through her fingertips. Wherever it went, her fatigue and weakness vanished rapidly, and her depleted powers were quickly restored.
Everyone held their breath and watched her, only to see Xiao Linfang's originally pale face regain its color.
A moment later, a glint of blue light flashed in her eyes, and a thicker vine than before condensed in her palm.
"I...I've broken through!" Xiao Linfang was both surprised and delighted, feeling the surging wood-type superpower within her body.
"Great!" Fu Yunong was the first to smile. Now their team had gained another level three ability user! Lin Songsong and Huangfu Jinrang also cheered. With such a teammate, the road ahead would undoubtedly be safer.
Seeing Xiao Linfang regain her composure, Shi Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the attack was dangerous, it unexpectedly yielded plant crystal cores and allowed Xiao Linfang to break through her superpower level, so it could be considered a blessing in disguise.
After working up a good night, everyone was exhausted.
Fu Yunong took out the remaining soft cushions and thick blankets from her space. The group lay down fully clothed, and soon the ruins were filled only with the whistling of the wind and the light breathing of the group.
The next day, after breakfast, the group set off again.
Fu Yunong sat in the passenger seat, intently reviewing her gains from the trip...
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