Players, Please Board the Train

By the time Zhuang Mengtian was disarmed, Xu Huo had already discovered that the area beneath this greenery was hollow. What they were stepping on was actually a network of interconnected vines, and only sufficient thickness could support the growth of flowers, grass, and some trees above.

Seizing the moment when Zhuang Mengtian was flung into the air, he took the opportunity to secure her with kite string and moved back in the original direction.

By now Zhuang Mengtian had already severed the vines on her feet, and with Xu Huo pulling her along, she was quickly extracted from her original position. However, the two hadn’t gotten far when the surrounding greenery seemed to awaken all at once. A massive number of vines flew in from every direction, precisely targeting and capturing the two of them!

”Effective range!” Zhuang Mengtian used an item. The vines approaching her voluntarily drooped in mid-air, crossing and tangling with the vines behind them, forming a net-like grille that successfully intercepted a large swath of the greenery.

But immediately after, numerous giant flower buds descended from above. When they burst open, they actually sprayed out massive amounts of white powder.

There was no need to guess what this stuff was, it was obviously poisonous. Xu Huo, who was running in front, came to an abrupt stop, backhanded two bottles of Combustion Potion outward, and pulled out his Lighter to set a fire.

In a forest with such high humidity and dense vegetation, a small fire would have difficulty catching. Moreover, these active vines would automatically smother flames, so the blaze only burned for a few brief seconds before being completely extinguished by wave after wave of greenery.

”I have accelerant!” Zhuang Mengtian was in mid-air, tossing bottles down below as if they cost nothing. The re-ignited fire was far larger in scope than before. Even if the greenery covered it, it wouldn’t be extinguished anytime soon. Then the two of them watched as the ground turned over, as the greenery voluntarily abandoned the burning portions, wrapped the flaming areas into a ball, and threw them into the deep valley below.

Through the gaps left behind, they could barely make out the situation below. It wasn’t much better than up here, covered entirely in hanging vines. The fireball quickly plummeted into darkness, and they heard no sound of it hitting bottom, nor did it illuminate what the valley floor looked like.

Xu Huo and his companion had already landed in a safe location. Standing at a distance watching the greenery slowly decelerate and unfurl, they couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts.

These plants and flowers had all evolved into predatory species, and they were intricately entangled. From the look of things, the entire botanical garden couldn’t be much better.

The two of them simultaneously looked up. Above was equally dark, oppressive greenery. Even if they left the ground, going up there could still make them Prey.

Their task was to reach a designated location and paint a panoramic view. Not only were they still a considerable distance from their destination, but they also had to climb a steep slope overgrown with vegetation.

”The difficulty is different when two players do a task together,” Zhuang Mengtian said. ”I saw the poison you used yesterday was pretty effective. Just poison all the plants in this area to death.”

”Are you sure?” Xu Huo said. ”Do you have an antidote for A-rank toxins?”

”I’ll buy it from you,” Zhuang Mengtian said directly. ”This isn’t the time to be so particular, is it? Shouldn’t friends help each other?”

”I don’t have that many potions,” Xu Huo said flatly. ”Look at how big this forest is.”

What use would a few bottles of potion be? Hugo’s pathogens couldn’t reproduce without limit either, and their speed couldn’t possibly be that fast.

This approach was a lot of effort for little reward.

Zhuang Mengtian looked ahead. ”Small animals are smarter. They should know which places are safe to walk through.”

Unfortunately, there were no birds or beasts nearby.

If all the greenery in the valley could hunt, it was possible that animals either avoided this place or had all been killed.

There was no other option but to push through head-on.

”We need to speed up,” Xu Huo said. ”Although these plants have evolved, their reaction speed isn’t fast. As long as we run fast enough, we won’t easily get caught.”

As he spoke, he adjusted his shoes, and with a flicker of movement, he vanished from where he stood.

The characteristic ”Straight-Line Distance” allowed rapid movement between two points within a hundred meters. Not only could he travel at high speed, but he could also change direction at will mid-route. So crossing this stretch of jungle was no difficult feat for Xu Huo.

Zhuang Mengtian had it rougher. Although the Protective Suit could protect against scratches and cuts from the greenery’s branches and leaves, the biggest problem inside was the overly crowded vegetation. Sometimes when she charged headfirst into something, what lay ahead wasn’t a clear path, but rather the risk of being tangled by vines.

But this wasn’t a major crisis. With Xu Huo clearing the way ahead, it took them an hour to cross this valley.

At the foot of the mountain, the ground beneath their feet was no longer suspended vegetation, but the surface was covered in slippery moss. Navigating while having to find their own path wasn’t easy.

They hadn’t walked long when Zhuang Mengtian suddenly let out a curse: ”Damn it!”

Xu Huo turned around, tilting his head to avoid a worm dropping from above. ”Did your Protective Suit tear?”

Some worms had corrosive mucus on their bodies.

”No, it didn’t,” Zhuang Mengtian said with disgust. ”Flesh worms are too disgusting. They’re as long as a finger, crawling all over me one by one. My goosebumps are popping out!”

”Doesn’t insect repellent work?” Xu Huo continued walking forward, asking casually.

”They’re all up in the trees. The repellent just smoked them down instead,” Zhuang Mengtian had no choice but to put the potion away. But before long, she was bitten by a Poisonous Insect.

After taking an antidote, her legs went numb and she could only rest in place.

Xu Huo also stopped, taking the opportunity to replenish his energy.

”You’re completely fine,” Zhuang Mengtian said, choosing to drink a stamina recovery potion.

”Wearing thick clothes,” Xu Huo said in a level tone. In truth, the outer layer of his Protective Suit already had several small holes, some melted by flesh worms, some bitten by Poisonous Insects. But he had plenty of Protective Suits and could swap them out along the way.

”A rich person indeed.” Zhuang Mengtian sized him up, then brought up the topic of clearing the dungeon again, asking once more: ”Why did you insist on choosing the white ball?”

”Don’t tell me it was to show sincerity. In a situation like this, most people would just see you as a sucker. They’d trick you into the task first. Forget gaining friendship, you wouldn’t even get the chance to make friends.”

”Just trying my luck. If it doesn’t work out, worst case the dungeon clear fails,” Xu Huo said indifferently.

Zhuang Mengtian didn’t quite believe him, but seeing that he didn’t intend to say more, she dropped the subject.

Ten minutes later, they set off again. But as they walked, Xu Huo realized something was wrong.

”We’re walking in circles.”

Zhuang Mengtian checked her watch first. ”The direction is fine. We’ve been walking uphill the whole time. How could we be going the wrong way?”

Xu Huo bent down and parted the grass, using his sword to dig at the ground. Sure enough, although the surface was covered with a layer of soil, the layer beneath was filled with plant roots and stems. Not the naturally grown kind, there were obvious gaps for movement beneath.

”I’ll go up and take a look.” Zhuang Mengtian took out a grappling hook gun and fired it at the sky. The auto-retracting iron cable pulled her entire body up out of the forest.

Leaves rustled down. Xu Huo waited in place for half a minute. During that time, he felt subtle changes beneath his feet. These plants were more like an underground river, hard to detect yet endlessly surging.

It seemed going up the mountain from the air was the most cost-effective approach.

One minute later, Zhuang Mengtian still hadn’t returned.