Chapter 62 Fungal Remains Frenzy 23 Does such a world really exist...?
Nanmen Jue charged headlong at Cheng Xiuye.
Cheng Xiuye only had time to recall the knife stuck in Hong Chenxi's chest before he was struck in the stomach by a sharp blow. Relying on his rich combat experience, he bent back, and the pain came from his abdomen. He slowly lowered his head and found a thin, long wound running across his stomach. If he hadn't dodged quickly, this blow would have been enough to disembowel him.
Nanmen Jue was standing right in front of him, holding an inconspicuous scalpel in his hand.
"This is impossible." Cheng Xiuye's pupils trembled. "How many attributes did you add to this bone?"
Every upgrade costs money. Generally, reincarnators will prioritize improving their level or physical attributes, leaving very little for weapons. The reason his dagger was able to pierce Nanmen Jue's side waist was because Nanmen Jue's clothes were lifted up during the fight. The dagger alone could not penetrate Nanmen Jue's clothing defense.
His own clothes were also protective, so he didn't expect that the thin, white bone knife could actually hurt him.
His response was met with an even more incisive attack from Nanmenjue.
“I’m not telling you,” she said.
In this situation, Cheng Xiuye couldn't help but be taken aback. At this moment, he miraculously connected with Nanmen Jue's thought process. During the battle just now, she had also asked him how many points he had used to upgrade his dagger, but he hadn't answered her.
Cheng Xiuye chuckled softly, "You're more interesting than I thought."
He nimbly dodged backward, but still looked somewhat disheveled, his eyes extremely serious.
From the very first exchange, it was clear that Nanmen Jue fought with a reckless, suicidal style, perfectly matching her personality. Her moves were completely unpredictable, driven solely by a determination to cut down her enemies. Her attacks were wide and sweeping, showing no regard for her own safety. Although Cheng Xiuye's attacks were cunning, he still valued his life and found it difficult to cope with Nanmen Jue's fighting style.
Previously, Nanmen Jue was able to hold her own against him even with her hands tied; now that her hands are free, she exudes an even stronger sense of pressure.
Standing nearby, Mo Gui anxiously grabbed Wei Chongru by the collar, "Can you guys go up and help Brother Jue? He's an orange-named guy!"
"I...I didn't...I didn't mean to help...Look carefully!" Wei Chongru was so dizzy from the light that he slapped him on the back in anger and said irritably, "Open your dog eyes and look, does Brother Nanmen look like he needs help?"
Mo Gui looked up and saw Nanmen Jue raise his long leg and fiercely kick Cheng Xiuye away.
"...Huh?" Mo Gui's eyes widened, revealing uncontrollable shock. "Brother Jue...is also an orange-named person?"
“We can’t get involved.” Deng Erhuai stared intently at the battle. “In a fight between these two levels, where would anyone else have a chance to intervene? This is extremely rare…”
"Looks like we don't need to worry too much then." Mo Gui breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands to his lips, and shouted, "Go, Jue-ge! Jue-ge, take him down!"
"Are you a cheerleader?!"
Lu Yunxiao, however, was not as optimistic as they were; he kept looking up at the sky.
Guan Junren noticed his unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"
“We’re in the apocalypse,” Lu Yunxiao said.
Guan Junren was stunned. "So?"
“Everyone should agree on one thing in the apocalypse: don’t make too much noise at night,” Lu Yunxiao said softly. “So what are you all excited about?”
The excitement that had been building up after the series of attacks quickly cooled down, and everyone stared stiffly at the ravaged battlefield.
Nanmen Jue and Cheng Xiuye were still locked in combat. Cheng Xiuye had already sustained numerous cuts and slashes all over his body, but just as Jin Jian had provided, his physical attributes were exceptionally high. Even though his fighting style wasn't as ferocious as Nanmen Jue's, he was still tough enough to withstand a beating, and Nanmen Jue had yet to deliver a fatal blow to him.
Both of them had keen senses and heard Lu Yunxiao's words. Cheng Xiuye's eyes widened, but she hesitated for a moment before Nanmen Jue seized the opportunity and kicked her squarely in the chest, sending her flying backward.
Nanmen Jue knew the rule of not letting the villain talk too much nonsense. He pounced on Cheng Xiuye and used his knee to pin him down. He spun the bone knife in his hand a few times, then gripped it and stabbed it into Cheng Xiuye's chest!
Cheng Xiuye's eyes widened, and she said in a flustered manner, "Wait!"
Nanmen Jue seemed not to hear, and the bone knife pierced his heart, right at his chest.
She couldn't stab down; Cheng Xiuye grabbed her wrists with both hands, firmly resisting her movements and making it difficult for her to advance.
But Nanmen Jue's movements were resolute. The veins on the back of her hand bulged as she painstakingly pierced his clothes and flesh with the tip of the knife. Crimson blood seeped out, and Cheng Xiuye's expression turned ashen, his eyes revealing the ferocity of a dying man.
“You’ll regret it if you really kill me, Nanmen Jue,” Cheng Xiuye said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.
“I can’t read, I don’t know how to write this word.” Nanmen Jue smiled gently at him, without the slightest hesitation or retreat.
Now that she'd already pushed the enemy to this point, how could she possibly back down? She'd be letting down the person she'd fought so hard for!
Cheng Xiuye's fingernails dug deep into Nanmen Jue's bleeding wrist, but she seemed oblivious, slowly and firmly stabbing the bone knife into his heart. The closer she got to that beating heart, the more the raging fury in her heart could be released. Every cell in her body screamed for Cheng Xiuye to die!
He looked like he was about to die, but Nanmen Jue narrowed her eyes, still on guard. She remembered Jin Jian saying that he had an orange prop. Although she didn't know what it did, Cheng Xiuye could not possibly die so easily.
The fingers gripping her wrist gradually lost their strength, but Cheng Xiuye revealed a strange smile. Nanmen Jue had been watching his every move, and upon seeing this, he immediately retreated without hesitation. But just as she retreated, her expression suddenly froze, and Cheng Xiuye's face also showed a look of astonishment.
The earth was shaking.
Nanmen Jue had experienced this situation twice before. She turned around and shouted, "Run!"
But it was too late.
Several thick vines pierced through the earth and swept over the entire crowd. Whether they were reincarnators or natives, they all became its nourishment. They pulled people in and dragged them into the ground. The others did not have the physical strength of Nanmen Jue back then. Being pulled in meant that their bones would break and their flesh would twist. For a moment, cries of pain were endless, and blood flowed like a river on the ground.
Nanmen Jue quickly dodged the vines that were rolling towards her by flipping several times with one hand on the ground. Looking around, she saw vines as thick as tires running across the field. She could not see Cheng Xiuye, nor Deng Erhuai and the others.
She cursed under her breath, and instead of retreating, she charged towards the direction where the vines were most intertwined. After a few steps, she saw a vine about to sweep away the unconscious Jin Jian.
Nanmen Jue pounced on Jin Jian and dragged him out before he could get his hands on the vine.
"Xiao Nuo!" Nanmen Jue shouted.
Crows don't usually participate in battles, but they always appear whenever Nanmen Jue crows.
This time is no exception.
A crow emerged from the darkness, circling overhead. Nanmen Jue called out, "Where is everyone else?"
“Two are to your southeast, two are to your west, and one is caught in the trap right in front of you,” said the crow.
The scene was chaotic, but Nanmen Jue could hear everything clearly.
Carrying Jin Jian on her back, she dodged another vine that was wrapping around her and rushed straight ahead.
A vine had coiled around the person four or five times, completely obscuring the inside. Only the seeping blood was visible. Nanmen Jue's heart sank, but he still rushed forward without hesitation. He dodged the vines beside him and struck with great force. His seemingly thin and delicate scalpel was unstoppable, cutting through the closed vines from bottom to top. A person with twisted limbs and covered in blood rolled out from inside.
It's Guan Junren!
Nanmen Jue wanted to check on his condition, but the severed vines seemed to be enraged and swept towards her like a madman, forcing her to dodge again.
Fortunately, Deng Erhuai arrived at that moment. She half-squatted down next to Guan Junren and loudly reported, "He's still alive!"
Nanmen Jue breathed a sigh of relief. The white bone knife spun nimbly between her fingers, cutting through the vines that entangled her. Even while carrying a person, she remained agile. She landed on the ground and before she could catch her breath, she heard Deng Erhuai's solemn voice.
"Oh no... he's infected!"
"What?"
The vines were covered with fine mycelium. They hadn't been able to penetrate Nanmen Jue's clothing defenses before, so Nanmen Jue was naturally unharmed. But Guan Junren was just a green-named individual, and he had no equipment to protect himself. Even simple contact could lead to his infection.
Nanmen Jue suddenly realized this. She looked around and saw that many of the people who were still alive had also become parasites, roaring and lunging at their former companions.
Turning her head again, Deng Erhuai had already raised her sniper rifle and aimed it at Guan Junren.
"Wait a moment!"
Nanmen Jue quickly approached, put Jin Jian aside, and went to check on Guan Junren's condition.
When Deng Erhuai saw Jin Jian's face, she was stunned. She remembered that this was one of the people who had forced her to kneel down in the conference room.
Nanmen Jue didn't have time to explain much, so he took out something that looked like a mercury thermometer and placed it on Guan Junren's forehead.
Deng Erhuai recognized it. "It lights up wherever you point!"
This is the name of the item. It looks like a thermometer, but it is a commonly used infection detection device in the post-apocalyptic world. Although it is a green item, it is very useful. The only side effect is that it makes you itchy for a few minutes. It is loved by many reincarnators and is snapped up as soon as it enters the store.
The fact that Nanmen Jue was able to snag a piece of jade was thanks to crows staying up all night.
"How many props did you bring in? And they're all such low-level ones..." Deng Erhuai looked at Nanmen Jue with incomprehension, completely unable to figure out her intentions.
Logically speaking, a reincarnator of this level wouldn't bring in so many trivial items even if they didn't lack points. Besides, she clearly saw that even when Nanmen Jue most wanted to save people, he only used blue items.
If Nanmen Jue didn't want to use high-level items on NPCs, her pain and obsession wouldn't make sense. So this can only mean that she only had these trivial low-level items, and she spent extra points to bring them all in.
Someone who can fight against an orange-ranked opponent without being at a disadvantage, their highest-level item is a blue-ranked item? Huh?
These conflicting thoughts flashed by as Deng Erhuai's alarm clock rang. Nanmen Jue had already used the mercury from the thermometer to touch each of Guan Junren's contorted limbs.
The fact that the light didn't light up when I tapped the forehead indicates that the infectious agent hasn't yet invaded the brain, and the person is still alive.
She checked the thermometer once, and it only lit up when she checked his right arm.
"Point and it lights up"—what a terrible name for a testing tool.
“Only my right arm is infected,” Nanmenjue said calmly.
As an experienced reincarnator, Deng Erhuai instantly understood Nanmen Jue's plan.
Nanmen Jue held the white bone scalpel, looked up at Deng Erhuai, and for some reason, Deng Erhuai saw a hint of tenderness in her eyes.
She felt sorry for Guan Junren.
Deng Erhuai was startled by her own thoughts. Looking at Nanmen Ju, who had lowered his head again, she suddenly said in a gentle tone, "He will understand. You are saving him."
Nanmen Jue had already raised his knife, but paused upon hearing this.
"I don't care what he thinks."
After saying that, she made her knife without hesitation, at an extremely precise angle. She cut through Guan Junren's clothes, perfectly avoiding his bleeding points and tendons, and just like that, she cut off Guan Junren's arm. It was cleaner and more efficient than deboning pork, and not much blood was lost.
Deng Erhuai was dumbfounded. If another vine hadn't struck her and forced her to fight back, she would have remained speechless.
Nanmen Jue's movements were so swift and beautiful, yet her eyes were so calm, making one wonder if she could also use such a beautiful knife if she wanted to kill and dismember someone.
Deng Erhuai struggled to break the vines, landed awkwardly, and looked at Nanmen Jue with a strange expression. "...What do you actually do in real life?"
Nanmen Jue slapped a green talisman into Guan Junren's chest, then straightened his other twisted limbs back to their original positions, ignoring her.
Even with one arm severed, Guan Junren only twitched slightly and didn't wake up. But when the hemostatic talisman was applied, he suddenly opened his eyes with a "whoosh".
He stared blankly at Nanmen Jue, then slowly moved to the side, his right arm resting there, detached from his body.
"Ah..." he managed a broken sound, his brain slowly making him realize what was happening, and he let out a trembling scream, "Ah!"
“Once we get back to the main hall, everything will be back to normal.” Nanmen Jue said, standing up. She gripped the bone knife firmly between her fingers and slashed fiercely at the vines that were coiling towards them. “Stand up and get out of the way!”
Guan Junren stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Before she could repeat herself, a resolute look flashed in his eyes, and he staggered to his feet.
He had just lost his arm and was still struggling to maintain his balance. He tried to stand up but was about to fall again when Mo Gui, who had rushed over, grabbed him.
Seeing his miserable state, Mo Gui was stunned. "Luckily you're not dead. We'll open some champagne to celebrate after this is over!"
A look of bewilderment appeared on Guan Junren's pale face. Looking at the boy's face, which was covered in blood and dust but still smiling brightly, the fear and despair in his heart suddenly faded a little.
It turns out that he's still alive, which is something to celebrate.
Protected by Mo Gui and Deng Erhuai, Guan Junren looked at the figure facing the four vines alone, and was so dazzled that he couldn't look directly at him for a moment.
He has retained a slight hearing loss, and if it weren't for Nanmen Jue's insistence, he would have lost more than just his arm.
The scenes between her and Nanmen Jue echoed in her mind. Didn't that person despise her for being weak? But when faced with the death of the weak, she was the only one who repeatedly risked everything to save him.
Even if he is just a green-named reincarnator who can't help her at all, or even become a burden, even if he is an indigenous person she will never see again after three months even if she survives.
Nanmen Jue, Nanmen Jue.
Nanmen Jue was unaware of the complex emotions swirling in the minds of the others. She faced four vines simultaneously, yet still appeared to be handling them with ease, but she couldn't spare the attention to focus on the others.
Because of her leading the way, those behind her had a chance to catch their breath and regroup.
Lu Yunxiao and Wei Chongru gradually found them, and the group gathered together. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, they worked together as a cohesive unit and fared better than when they were scattered.
In the brief moment, Wei Chongru glanced at Nanmen Jue's fighting figure, his pupils trembling as he murmured, "So strong..."
He knew that Nanmen Jue was definitely stronger than him, but he was still a Purple Name, and he couldn't quite believe that someone who was previously unknown would suddenly appear and become so strong. He had underestimated Nanmen Jue.
Given Nanmen Jue's current situation, throwing him in would mean instant death.
Nanmen Jue chopped down all four vines with his sword, then rolled down to the group. "Have you seen Cheng Xiuye?"
“I saw him just now, he’s not dead,” Lu Yunxiao said.
This was not unexpected for Nanmen Jue, and she simply gave a cold laugh.
Where are Ji Chengying and Zhang Zhi?
Deng Erhuai quickly replied, "I told them to hide far away from here before, and now I don't know where they are."
“Go find them, then leave,” Nanmenjue said.
Everyone else looked at her.
"Don't think I'm sacrificing myself for others. You came to me, and as long as I'm alive, I naturally can't let you die here." Nanmen Jue said expressionlessly, kicking Jin Jian below. "If you can, take him with you."
“Jin Jian?” Wei Chongru was taken aback.
Lu Yunxiao gazed at Nanmen Jue's profile and said, "Nanmen, every time you speak the truth, your face is expressionless."
Nanmen Jue's expression stiffened, and he gave him a sharp look.
The earth was still cracking, and more and more vines were sprouting from the ground. Even with the suppression of fire from the base, these things seemed endless. Nanmen Jue blocked another vine and roared, "Go!"
The others looked at each other, and Mo Gui was the first to turn around and run away.
Deng Erhuai hesitated for a moment, then looked deeply at Nanmen Jue and said, "We'll wait for you in a safe place."
Nanmen Jue didn't have time to reply. She simply waved her arms with her back to them as she leaped into the air. The firelight outlined her leaping silhouette, which was slender and powerful. Even in such a disheveled state, she still exuded a sharp and elegant charm.
Seeing that they finally stopped trying to stay, Nanmen Jue breathed a sigh of relief. She landed on the ground and looked around, trying to find Hao Hong's figure.
The mother tree has been found, and this base will soon become a occupied zone. We can't stay here any longer. The most urgent task is to stop the residents from evacuating, not to continue staying and wasting resources.
The scene was chaotic, with artillery fire and flying dust obscuring vision. Nanmen Jue searched for people while trying to rescue them. After asking several people, she finally got a fragmented answer. A soldier whose body was half blown off barely pointed her in a direction, saying that the factory manager had been there before.
"I'm sleepy. We'll talk about the rest when I wake up..."
He didn't look like a well-trained soldier at all; his eyes and brows were full of naivety and confusion. Perhaps he joined because he saw that the army in the base was well-treated. Before he died, he didn't leave any words. He just answered a question like any ordinary good person, and then his pupils stopped moving.
Nanmen Jue gently placed him on the ground. Faced with this miserable state, she was no longer as helpless as she had been when she met Ding Zihao in the first world, but she felt even more angry and bewildered.
Is there really any need for such a world to exist?
Is there really a more important choice than survival?
This level of combat hadn't pushed her to her limit yet, but she felt her brain and limbs were starting to stiffen.
From afar, she saw Hao Hong huddled under the rubble, protected by soldiers. She rushed towards him, and Hao Hong saw her too. His aged eyes suddenly lit up. He must have also witnessed Nanmen Jue's battle and discovered that she was such a formidable warrior.
Nanmen Jue took a couple of steps and suddenly felt something was wrong.
This feeling came suddenly, without any warning. Relying solely on the intuition accumulated from long battles, Nanmen Jue turned around abruptly, his scalpel piercing a sneaky vine, his nerves stretched to the limit.
"South Gate!" Hao Hong called to her.
wrong……
Nanmen Jue suddenly accelerated and rushed towards Hao Hong at top speed.
"Get out of the way—"
A deafening roar, even more awe-inspiring than when the vines stretched out and the earth cracked, caused Nanmen Jue to miss Hao Hong's path. The ground beneath her feet bulged outwards, as if something containing immense power was drilling out from within.
Nanmen Jue lost her balance and was lifted high into the air. Amidst the flying rocks, she squinted and stared intently. What she saw made her think she was hallucinating.
A gigantic tree grew out from beneath the tree, its canopy full of supple and robust branches that were throbbing wildly, and deep within the branches... the moment Nanmen Jue saw it clearly, he wished he didn't have such good eyesight.
The branches are deeply embedded in the trunk, and human bodies are embedded inside.
Some had already been completely absorbed and turned into mummies, almost fused with the tree trunk. Others were only half-digested and were stuck to the branches by the mycelium. The moment they emerged from the tree, a gloomy, wind-like wail rang out in thousands, seemingly accompanied by some kind of mental attack. Nanmen Jue's mind went blank, and the others collapsed to the ground.
"Mother...Mother Tree!"
Someone made a dying, desperate sound.
This is the mother tree, the anchor point of the spore mother, the most dangerous thing in this world.
It can turn an area the size of a mountain into a polluted zone, devouring every living thing within it and constantly growing stronger.
But what shocked Nanmen Jue was that the mother tree, which had been buried underground, finally revealed its true form. She jumped down from the sky and looked straight at the girl sitting on one of the vines, giving her a sweet smile.
The girl, dressed in a tattered white princess dress, sat on the vines with her legs crossed, looking like a princess on a throne.
Mecha Girl Yu Wanyan!
How is this possible? She's not dead?
Nanmen Jue landed on the ground and rolled around once. Then she looked up and noticed that the vine she was sitting on, and the ones around her, were quite different from the other branches.
Under the light of the flames, it seemed to gleam with a metallic sheen.
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