Chapter 99 Fungal Remains Frenzy 60 Nanmen Jue, that madman!
At this moment, in the hospital used as the base camp, Jiang Yansi had returned to the conference room. Except for Mo Gui and Wei Chongru, who were still unable to get up, everyone gathered by the window.
"Mayor, the landmines you planted near those four mother trees have been detonated," Deng Erhuai said in a deep voice.
She simply stated this information, her face revealing a warrior's cold, resolute expression. Everyone knew what those words meant.
Ji Chengying was still a newcomer, and her face turned pale instantly. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Then, doesn't that mean the mother tree is already...?"
“Yes,” Lu Yunxiao answered her question in a low voice, “The worst thing happened; those four mother trees still joined the battle.”
A deathly silence.
The reason Ningde Town was able to hold out until Nanmenjue arrived was because the four mother trees did not make any moves. They simply stood on the edge of the town, guarding this isolated island in the sea. No one dared to let their guard down. Jiang Yansi deliberately laid landmines around them. No matter which direction they moved, a thunderclap would detonate, and people would be notified.
Now, those four mother trees, which could determine everyone's fate, have finally moved.
Except for Ying Yao, whose face was obscured by a mask, everyone else looked extremely grim. They had all seen the Mother Tree before. The Furnace Base, such a large base with such ample firepower, had to abandon its home and relocate its entire family in the face of the Mother Tree's attack. And at that time, there was only one Mother Tree.
The four mother trees will turn this isolated island into a fallen territory in an instant, into a completely dead city.
As they remained silent, a crimson filament climbed up a distant building, confirming their suspicions.
The mycelium spreads very quickly. Even with the flames blocking its path, it would probably reach every corner of Ningde Town in less than half an hour, assimilating every prey it encounters.
Jiang Yansi, who had always appeared calm and composed and had never shown any sign of panic under any circumstances, looked sorrowful. He stared at the sky, which was dyed red by the flames, and suddenly turned to look at Ying Yao.
"Did Nanmen Jue tell you to take Zhang Zhi away?"
Everyone turned to look at Ying Yao, who said in a mechanical, emotionless voice, "No, he instructed me to stay here with Zhang Zhi."
“This isn’t right.” Jiang Yansi frowned as she looked at Zhang Zhi, who was standing close to Ying Yao. “Even if Nanmen Jue wants to distract Cheng Xiuye, the four mother trees are still here. You’ll still be in danger. What exactly is he planning?”
“Perhaps he didn’t have any plans, but he knew better than any of you that this method wouldn’t work,” Ying Yao said. “If the Mother Tree hadn’t taken any action before, I might have been able to leave on my own, but if I took Zhang Zhi with me, we would all be in danger.”
"And now?" Deng Erhuai asked, "If you're alone, can you still leave?"
Ying Yao turned his face, and Deng Erhuai felt a cold gaze sweep across her face. She trembled and lowered her head slightly.
Ying Yao was hardly a good-tempered person; in fact, he was as cold as ice. He only became talkative and normal when he was with Nanmen Jue. Otherwise, he was like a taciturn machine, both in his voice and in his appearance.
Deng Erhuai knew that her probing had displeased him. Perhaps because of her status as Iron Drill, Ying Yao wouldn't do anything directly to her, but he gave her a warning.
Deng Erhuai bit her lower lip. She was indeed curious about Ying Yao's true strength, since no one had ever seen him make a real move. But now was not the time to dwell on this issue. Even if Ying Yao was the leader of the four major guilds, he could not face four mother trees at the same time.
She gave a wry smile, looked up and met Ying Yao's gaze frankly, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity before I die."
Ying Yao didn't speak, but he withdrew his cold gaze.
"No," he said calmly.
Everyone sighed.
Even the most famous humans are still humans, just insects struggling in this apocalypse. Thinking of this, a sense of resentment and hatred arises, but more than anything, there is a feeling of powerlessness.
"Does Nanmen really have no backup plan?" Lu Yunxiao murmured. "I always felt that he wasn't the kind of person who would act recklessly without considering the consequences."
“Nanmen is a man, not a god,” Guan Junren said. “He can’t think of everything comprehensively.”
“No, I just feel that he’s very purposeful in his actions and wouldn’t do anything that’s pointless,” Lu Yunxiao said. “If his goal is to protect Zhang Zhi, then there’s no point in him drawing Cheng Xiuye away. If his goal is to kill Cheng Xiuye, then why would he bother to stay behind…”
He didn't finish his sentence; he just glanced quickly at Ying Yao, and everyone understood what he meant.
Yes, wouldn't that make Nanmen Jue's actions contradictory?
"If that's the case, then... what exactly does he want to do?" Jiang Yansi looked out the window thoughtfully.
He was the least familiar with Nanmen Jue. They had only met briefly before, and he hadn't even had a chance to say more than a few words to Nanmen Jue. But he sensed a strong centripetal force among these people, and Nanmen Jue was at the center of that circle.
Even though these people don't seem to get along well with each other, they all have absolute friendliness and trust in Nanmen Jue, which is simply incredible.
So, without realizing it, even though this was a moment of utter despair, everyone, including Jiang Yansi, had not truly despaired. Instead, they were all wondering what Nanmen Jue was up to.
Jiang Yansi was looking outside when suddenly a dazzling spark appeared in his pupils. He stared in astonishment, and just as he opened his mouth to shout, another deafening explosion rang out.
The explosion was more violent than when the landmine was triggered, and it seemed to be closer to the scene. The previous explosion hadn't affected the hospital, but this one made the hospital windows shake violently.
Then came the second, the third… The explosions grew closer and closer, and in the hospital, the glass trembled, the ground shook, and the electricity crackled. The incandescent light bulbs above flickered, and Jiang Yansi's expression changed drastically.
"Activate the backup power immediately!" He turned and tried to rush out. "So many operating rooms are operating at the same time, how can we let the power go out now!"
"Wait! Don't panic!" Deng Erhuai grabbed him. "Listen, the explosions have stopped."
Jiang Yansi suddenly stopped, and everyone held their breath, staring intently out the window.
Indeed, there were no more explosions, no sign of the mother tree, and even some of the parasites that had been lurking around seemed to have lost their voices.
Everyone looked at each other, completely unaware of what had happened. Suddenly, the crow, which had been quietly sitting in the corner and completely ignored by everyone, opened its mouth.
“There are some very powerful explosives at the South Gate, and she used those explosives to do some things.”
Everyone turned around abruptly, staring intently at the talking crow, as if it were an alien from outer space.
"When did it come in?" Wei Chongru, still lying on the ground, asked in shock. "Did you notice when it came in?"
No one answered; everyone stared in disbelief, except for Ying Yao, whose expression remained unreadable.
Deng Erhuai was the first to come to his senses and asked anxiously, "What did Nanmen do with explosives?"
Jiang Yansi said, "He's only one person, how much explosives could he carry? The mother tree isn't something that can be killed or severely damaged by a small amount of explosives; that might actually provoke them."
The crow stopped answering them, lowered its head, and preened the feathers on its chest with its long beak.
“Say something!” Ji Chengying said.
But the crows still ignored them.
Strangely, none of the reincarnators in the room dared to approach and do anything to this seemingly weak crow. The reason was simple: it was Nanmen Jue's crow.
At this moment, Lu Yunxiao murmured, "Maybe... he just wants to provoke them."
Everyone looked at him.
"Doesn't this seem like something Nanmen Jue would do?" Lu Yunxiao retorted. "We were just discussing why Nanmen only lured Cheng Xiuye away and didn't bother with the four mother trees. Now it seems... he never intended to only lure Cheng Xiuye away."
"He wants to provoke the mother tree and then lure them all away by himself!" Deng Erhuai's expression changed drastically. "Has he gone mad?!"
Even now, those who know that Nanmen Jue is a madman can't help but feel a crazy tremor.
Has Nanmen Jue gone mad?! Not only is she trying to lure Cheng Xiuye away, but she's also trying to lure away the four mother trees at the same time! Does she really not intend to leave this world alive?
In the silence, a faint sob stood out.
Zhang Zhi clutched Ying Yao's cloak, looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
Ying Yao looked down at her, offering neither comfort nor asking any questions.
"Let me...let me out, please?" Zhang Zhi sobbed, her small face filled with despair and fear. "Brother Nanmen will die, I don't want him to die, let me go, I can command those four trees..."
“You can command those four trees, but you can’t command Cheng Xiuye.” Lu Yunxiao sighed, squatted down, and met Zhang Zhiping’s gaze with mixed feelings.
These reincarnators had mixed feelings about this indigenous girl. To put it bluntly, if it were in the past, when they were at their wits' end, they might have thrown this girl out to protect the Mother Tree, treating her like a tool. But now they were protecting her, going to great lengths to prevent her from falling into the hands of the enemy.
This stems from the influence of Nanmenjue, and it seems that they themselves are more inclined to make this choice.
It seems that by protecting this girl, and by protecting everyone else in this world, the heart that had been trapped in the apocalyptic world for so long and had gradually grown cold and indifferent was slowly regaining some warmth.
It turns out that even people like them have things they're willing to fight for, and that protecting others still feels so good.
Lu Yunxiao raised his hand and gently wiped away Zhang Zhi's tears, his tone tender, "As long as we're not dead, we don't need a little kid like you to face the battle."
Seeing this, everyone's expressions softened. Suddenly, a sniffling sound rang out. Everyone looked over and saw Wei Chongru awkwardly look away, his eyes still a little red. He then said in a low voice as if nothing had happened, "Um, how about you wipe my nose first?"
Surprisingly, these words elicited a few smiles.
Ji Chengying went to wipe his nose. At this moment, Ying Yao seemed to have noticed something, stepped forward, squeezed past Guan Junren, and came to the position closest to the window.
He leaned against the window frame and gazed into the distance, his mechanical voice falling silent. "I see him."
"Who?" Ji Chengying asked instinctively.
“Nanmen Jue and Cheng Xiuye,” Ying Yao said.
Everyone rushed over, straining to look in the direction he pointed, but could only see burning flames and thick smoke; they couldn't see anything at all.
"What exactly is your eye condition?" Ji Chengying was so anxious that she forgot even her instinctive fear of Ying Yao.
Deng Erhuai glanced at Ying Yao's mask with mixed feelings. "This should be a high-level item. It has an eagle-eye function, and perhaps... a tracking function as well."
Many questions can now be answered: why Ying Yao knows so much, why he was able to pinpoint Nanmen Jue's location before Nanmen Jue even discovered him, and why he can always find anyone he wants to find.
Although he had never heard of such a prop, its real function was right before his eyes. Deng Erhuai turned his head and suppressed the shock in his eyes.
It's said that all the high-ranking members of the Crimson Church are dressed like this, which means they each have a mask like this? Such high-end props are hard to come by, how did the Crimson Church manage to get so many?
This kind of strength probably needs to be reassessed.
As Deng Erhuai was deep in thought, she suddenly heard a cry of surprise. She quickly looked up and found that she could actually see the two figures.
It wasn't that they were too close, but rather that the figure lagging behind was simply too conspicuous.
In the thick smoke and dust, a huge figure stood out, its movement causing the earth to tremble. Not only these reincarnators who had enhanced their physical data, but even Jiang Yansi and Zhang Zhi saw some of its shadow.
The figure fleeing ahead was tall and slender, agile and seemingly too weak compared to those behind, appearing almost caught several times, eliciting gasps from the onlookers.
"Is that Brother Nanmen?" Ji Chengying's voice trembled with fear. "He looks so dangerous!"
“No, Nanmen did it on purpose.” Lu Yunxiao looked carefully for a moment, the tension between his brows relaxing slightly. “He deliberately revealed a flaw, making Cheng Xiuye think that he could catch him in the next second.”
Deng Erhuai suddenly realized, "He's..."
"He's trying to keep that monster away from here," Jiang Yansi said, her voice laced with mixed emotions.
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
The chase and tug-of-war continued. Midway through, Cheng Xiuye seemed to want to give up on Nanmen Jue and turn towards the direction of the hospital. At this point, Nanmen Jue would launch a frenzied attack, determined to force Cheng Xiuye back to the direction she was heading.
The more Nanmen Jue tried to stop her, the more Cheng Xiuye felt there was something fishy about the hospital. So Cheng Xiuye simply gave up on Nanmen Jue and rushed towards the hospital, causing everyone's expressions to change.
"Prepare for defense!" Jiang Yansi shouted sternly.
"It's no use." Deng Erhuai's face was frighteningly pale.
Everyone stared intently at the two figures rushing forward. They were moving incredibly fast and soon reached the next street, where their condition became visible to everyone. Cheng Xiuye's appearance plunged them into a stunned silence once again.
Does that thing still dare to call itself a person?
The two were locked in combat, exchanging blows so fiercely that it was almost impossible to see clearly. All that could be seen was that Nanmen Jue was covered in blood, and Cheng Xiuye was equally impressive in appearance. They were like two wild beasts fighting to the death, each blow carried with the determination to kill the other.
Cheng Xiuye wanted to head towards the hospital, but Nanmen Jue blocked her way.
Just then, Ying Yao was the first to look down, gazing thoughtfully at the ground beneath his feet. The next second, he urgently exclaimed, "Be careful, maintain your balance!"
He was still a step too late. A muffled sound echoed from the depths of the earth, as if a long-dormant monster had let out a snore. Immediately afterward, the earth shook violently, so violently that even the reincarnators could not stand steadily and had to grab onto something to maintain their balance.
Ying Yao grabbed Zhang Zhi by the collar, and Deng Erhuai helped Jiang Yansi up.
"What's going on? Explosives? Or an earthquake?" Wei Chongru asked in shock.
No one could answer that.
I thought the shaking would pass quickly, but it didn't. The shaking became more and more intense, accompanied by increasingly loud rumbling sounds, and lasted for more than ten minutes.
During this time, Ying Yao kept his eyes on Nanmen Jue and the other person, who were separated by a street. They were also unable to maintain their balance due to the swaying, and both of them knelt on the ground. He saw Nanmen Jue's body twitching, as if he was laughing.
Ji Chengying looked up, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and suddenly saw what was happening in the distance. She couldn't help but shout out, her voice changing in shock.
"Look over there!"
Everyone struggled to look outside, and gasped in shock.
In the distance, buildings collapsed one after another, the ground caved in, and the waves crashed into the sea. From afar, one could faintly see the undulating waves.
"I think I know what Nanmen did," Lu Yunxiao murmured.
“I think… I guessed it too,” Deng Erhuai said in a dreamlike tone.
"What did he do?" Jiang Yansi, who was being protected by Deng Erhuai, was dumbfounded. He had a vague idea of what had happened, but his disbelief was so great that he kept uttering in a distorted voice, "What did he do? What did he really do?"
What did Nanmen Jue do?
Just as Cheng Xiuye could cut off the road across the sea and turn Ningde Town into an isolated island, Nanmen Jue could use the same method to wipe out all the mother trees that Cheng Xiuye had put together.
She completely destroyed the area where the mother trees had been, causing them to sink into the sea along with the collapsed land.
The people in the hospital could guess this, and Cheng Xiuye could naturally guess it too. After the shaking stopped, a roar resounded through the sky, and even they heard it clearly.
"Nanmen Jue!"
This time, Cheng Xiuye completely abandoned the hospital and turned to chase after Nanmen Jue.
The people in the hospital looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, Guan Junren turned around and walked out.
Surprisingly, it was Ying Yao who asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to help," Guan Junren said.
"Help?" Ji Chengying looked at him in shock, then glanced outside. "Brother Guan, now is not the time to play the hero."
“I didn’t want to play the hero. I know I’m weak, and even if I went, I’d most likely die out there.” Guan Junren gave a bitter smile. “But I can’t just stay here and be a protected member. Besides, the South Gate needs me now.”
Deng Erhuai immediately asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Now everyone knows that Guan Junren is a doctor, and when he said that, everyone realized that he had figured something out.
“Nanmen’s posture…is not right.” After a slight hesitation, Guan Junren still said, “Even if you all think he is deliberately revealing his weakness, I feel that he must be seriously injured. Moreover, he has been covering his left eye. In any case, he must be injured.”
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