Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The severed red root writhed on the ground like a struggling, dying snake, its corrosive nature affecting even the other roots it touched.

Grandma, clutching her chest, tried to appear nonchalant, but sweat beaded on her forehead.

The others, faces etched with concern, hurried over, "Are you alright? What was that just now?"

"It's just a flesh wound, nothing serious," Grandma Wu tried to appear nonchalant, not wanting to worry everyone.

"But..." Udo looked at the wound on Grandma's chest, the clothes around it singed and blackened, doubting the injury was trivial.

Lin An, standing by, glanced at Grandma's chest wound and then at Shen Xiuzhe's averted hand, his concern evident.

"I have medicine, lots of it in my space," Udo said, pulling out various bottles and containers, scattering them around, some even falling through gaps in the roots.

"Which one to use? What medicine is needed for this kind of wound?" Udo, the youngest yet usually the most composed in the team, rifled through the medicine bottles, her hands trembling in unprecedented panic.

Shen Xiuzhe, standing aside with his hand gruesomely wounded yet expression unchanged, pointed to a small brown bottle among the many, "Use this to clean the wound, then bandage it."

Udo immediately picked up the brown bottle to cleanse Grandma's wound.

Lin An grabbed another identical brown bottle and approached Shen Xiuzhe.

"Let's clean your wound."

He lifted his gaze to Shen Xiuzhe and gently pulled his hand from behind his back.

Shen Xiuzhe did not resist and obediently extended his hand.

The sight of the mangled hand was painful to behold; Lin An's face creased with more pain than the injured party himself.

Opening the brown medicine bottle, she looked on the ground for a cotton swab, but finding none, she had no choice but to pour the medicine directly onto the wound.

The brown medicine hissing upon contact with the bloody flesh seemed like a blunt knife slowly slicing through, the pain so intense it was nearly numbing.

Grandma Wu reacted similarly; the moment Udo poured the medicine, Grandma Wu's waist stiffened sharply, sweat dripped from her forehead, and darkness clouded her vision.

Both experienced adventurers, accustomed to injuries in the wilderness, had never felt pain like this, a mere flesh wound causing an unusually intense agony.

Fortunately, the medicine proved effective. Once the wounds were cleaned and bandaged, they should be alright.

The onlookers exhaled in relief, glad everything was okay.

However, their struggle soon intensified as the red roots reappeared.

Despite being just a tree, this zombie-like tree behaved like a seasoned hunter, toying with its caged prey, gradually draining their energy, extinguishing any hope of resistance.

They were in this exact predicament, the tree allowing them brief respite before renewing its relentless assault, fostering hope only to plunge them back into despair.

Had it not been for their strong abilities and exceptional unity, they might have already collapsed.

The red roots moved swiftly, their attacks a mere blur, and though Xu Fang and Ouyang Dong bravely vowed to protect the group, they were outpaced by the rapid, deep red roots.

Soon, a swipe grazed Ouyang Dong's arm.

"Ow!" Ouyang Dong cried out in agony, a mere graze leaving a gaping wound on his arm.

Lin An immediately rushed over with the medicine.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Ouyang Dong's voice cracked with pain.

Shen Xiuzhe and Grandma had extraordinary endurance, but Ouyang Dong, previously just an ordinary person, had only suffered serious injuries after the apocalypse began.

Now, as the wound was being cleansed, he felt as though his soul was leaving his body, almost seeing his parents coming to fetch him.

He nearly collapsed.

Xu Fang gasped in shock; the intensity of Ouyang Dong's pain made him realize the terrifying power of the red roots, far worse than what Grandma and the leader had endured.

This couldn't continue; they were too passive, and the injured were only increasing.

Shen Xiuzhe observed the giant axe suspended in mid-air and the deep wound it had inflicted, noting the cuts healing themselves, with lumps emerging from the tree’s core to mend the damage.

Realizing further chopping was futile, Shen Xiuzhe controlled the axe to gently land and transform into a rectangular metal hut.

As it was made using all the metal from Udo's space, the metal hut was exceptionally thick.

They quickly took refuge inside, with Shen Xiuzhe sealing the entrance, providing a temporary safe haven and a chance to rest.

Their situation was dire; Grandma, being older, couldn’t fight any longer due to her injury.

Ouyang Dong lay flat on the metal floor, still crying out in pain even after his arm was bandaged.

Shen Xiuzhe, with bare hands, held the red roots. His injuries were the most severe, though he didn’t show it, and the constant use of his abilities drained him significantly.

Xu Fang was relatively unscathed, but he was burdened with carrying the unconscious Xiao Fu, vigilant against attacks while also protecting his charge, depleting his stamina considerably.

After Grandma's injury, Udo panicked, staying close by her side, unable to leave or fight.

Thus, within the team, only Lin An remained combat-ready. Since entering this place, his powers hadn't been much depleted, and the tree roots initially attacking him were all burned away by Shen Xiuzhe.

He had to protect everyone.

Lin An stood inside the metal house, incessantly picking at his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the disheveled group. He thought this to himself but didn't know how to act.

Everyone was stronger than him, yet helpless against the zombie tree. Even now, hiding in the metal house, what could he do if he went out?

Moreover, the giant tree wasn't afraid of water. Even using his newly learned technique, creating a water tornado to strangle the roots, was just a drop in the bucket, barely scratching the surface of the zombie tree.

It was impossible to defeat the zombie tree.

The tree was too large; whatever they did seemed futile. Even if Shen Xiuzhe could chop the tree in half, it might not die. The previous zombie plants they encountered could revive from just a bit of root and leaf.

Perhaps this zombie tree is no different.

Were they just waiting for death now?

Despair filled Lin An's eyes; he didn't want to die, nor did he wish for anyone else's demise.

His companions were good people and treated him well. Yet now, due to his insistence on going to Mous City, they were trapped in a deadly situation.

Had he not brought up the idea of going to Mous City, they would have taken a different path by now, never encountering the zombie tree.

So it was all his fault; had he not been so headstrong, things wouldn't have come to this.

It was all his fault.

Lin An sank into deep self-loathing. Despite Shen Xiuzhe's guidance and his companions' encouragement, he remained the same coward, terrified of everything due to his psychological trauma.

Were they all blaming him now? They could have avoided going to Mous City, taken a different path, and never faced such danger.

It was natural for everyone to blame him, as it was all his fault.

Shen Xiuzhe sat on the ground, regulating his breath. His powers were mostly depleted and needed quick restoration. His eyes swept over the others, his mind racing with strategies for what to do next.

His gaze suddenly rested on Lin An, who stood there, head bowed, emanating an oppressive, mournful aura from his entire zombie form.

Shen Xiuzhe's brows slightly furrowed. Just as he was about to call Lin An over, the entire metal hut began to shake violently.

"What's happening?" Xu Fang asked, steadying Xiao Fu behind him, looking around in panic.

Although they couldn't see the outside, the extent of the hut's shaking hinted that the zombie tree was doing something outside, trying to force them out.

But this metal hut was extremely thick; even if it was to be corroded by the deep red roots, it would take a long time.

The shaking soon ceased.

"Has it given up? After all, this safe house is made of pure metal. A few wooden branches can't break through metal," Xu Fang mused, confident in the defensive strength of the metal hut created with their leader's powers, impervious even to the zombie tree.

"No, that's not it!" Shen Xiuzhe suddenly stood up, his expression more serious than ever. "There's a vibration all around."

Indeed, the metal hut was vibrating, but everyone thought this was normal since the hut was situated atop tree roots. The roots' movements would naturally cause some minor vibrations.

Yet Shen Xiuzhe's battle-ready demeanor instilled a sense of crisis in everyone, who held their breath and listened intently to the sounds outside.

Accompanying the regular, faint vibrations, everyone heard strange noises.

Muffled by the metal hut, it sounded like a rumbling roar.

What exactly was happening outside?

Ouyang Dong, sitting against the hut's metal wall, was the first to sense something amiss, as a portion of the wall behind him began to bulge outwards.

Then, as if struck by heavy blows, parts of the metal hut's wall started to protrude inward, like marks made by a fist, dense and continuous, one after the other.

These obviously couldn't be marks made by human fists, given their large size. They varied in shape - some circular, others elliptical, all irregular.

Shen Xiuzhe immediately thought of the tumorous growths they had seen earlier, mending wounds outside. Could it be that the tree's tumors had now engulfed the entire space outside?

The metal hut gradually filled with banging sounds, its previously smooth walls now uneven, shrinking the space inside the hut more and more.

Shen Xiuzhe acted decisively, opening a skylight in the metal hut to let in air, then created steps inside, being the first to step out.

The sight outside shook him to the core.

The entire tree hollow had completely transformed. What was once a spacious cylindrical space was now overrun with tumors, gradually compressing the space occupied by the metal hut.

Only above was there a gap left, but the surrounding tumors were proliferating.

Once the metal hut was compressed to its limit, they too would be crushed into pulp.

Shen Xiuzhe crouched on top of the hut, his hands on the metal, trying to extend it to resist the pressure of the tumors.

The others followed up the steps, feeling a sense of déjà vu upon seeing the cramped space and pervasive tumors.

This resembled the fusion-type zombies.

With tumor-like bodies, they establish nests in certain places and even farm their food.

Could this tree also be a special type of zombie plant?

Are there ordinary and special types of zombie plants?

Their speculation could no longer be confirmed. Even with Shen Xiuzhe's full effort, it only slightly slowed the compression of the metal.

The size difference was too great. Even as the strongest among all those Shen Xiuzhe had encountered, he was like an ant shaking a tree, utterly incapable of contending with this massive zombie tree.

As the metal hut continued to compress, Shen Xiuzhe still exerted his powers, his previously bandaged injured hand now bleeding anew.

The blood stained the bandage, trickling to the top of the metal hut.

Lin An's mind was in turmoil, filled with self-loathing, blaming himself for the situation. His already strained brain was overwhelmed with negative emotions, so much so that he didn’t even hear Xu Fang calling him from the rooftop.

It wasn’t until the familiar scent of blood and flesh filled his nostrils again that he snapped back to reality.

Staring blankly at the steps and window above.

Xu Fang's bald head popped out of the window: "Bro An, come up quick, it's getting crushed down here."

Lin An looked around; the entire metal hut had become narrow and distorted, resembling a haunted house.

He stumbled towards the steps, and as he reached the last few, Xu Fang naturally extended his hand to pull him up.

Despite his aversion to contact with others and his hatred for dirt and filth, Lin An's eyes reddened at the sight of that sweaty, dirty hand. He trembled as he grasped it and whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry."

The tumors around them grew too quickly, and the creaking of the metal house being compressed was loud, but Xu Fang, seeing Lin An finally emerging, gave him a grin.

Ouyang Dong, clutching his arm and grimacing in pain, said, "Ss~ I'll catalyze all the plants later to try to get us to the top. The top must be weaker than the sides. Then the boss can chop through the metal; maybe we can get out. Ss~ it hurts."

Wu Duo, supporting her grandmother, also thought of a solution: "I have a lot of things in my space; we can take them all out. Even if the tree compresses us to the limit, at least we'll have enough space to stand."

After pulling Lin An out, Xu Fang also took a large chainsaw from Wu Duo: "These tumors grow fast, but I'm not slow at chopping trees. Don't worry, we won't die."

Shen Xiuzhe remained silent, still focusing on channeling his powers to combat the zombie tree.

Although the metal house was being compressed smaller and smaller, they could only try to move towards the center.

But everyone hadn't given up; they were all striving to find a way out of their current predicament.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Only Wu Nainai, sitting nearby, heard Lin An's apology. Her face was pale, and her breathing trembled, but she still smiled at Lin An, as kindly and gently as always: "Apologize for what? We are companions, and companions are meant to trouble and support each other. Don't give up; we haven't lost yet."

A single tear bloomed like a small flower on the silvery metal floor.

Lin An felt truly pathetic, knowing what kind of people his companions were, yet still suspecting in the back of his mind that they blamed him.

Even though everyone hadn't given up, he already felt like they were in a hopeless situation.

He was indeed a coward, always shrinking into his shell, afraid to take a step forward. Even when someone pulled and dragged him forward, any disturbance would make him shrink back.

But his companions were good people, and he didn't want them to die here.

He had to protect them.

Staring at the small water mark on the floor, a scene suddenly appeared before Lin An's eyes.

A tender yellow flower swayed in the night wind, frail yet tenacious. A hand brushed over the flower, and soon, dewdrops formed at its tip. Then, the entire plant withered, disintegrated in the wind, and the dewdrops fell to the ground.

He couldn't remember when this had happened, but Lin An knew it was his hand.

Slowly, he stretched out his hands and placed them on the continuously growing tumors.

This task wasn't too difficult for him; ever since becoming a zombie, he used his powers daily to dehydrate things, always extracting moisture.

So now, it was the same - just extract the moisture.

Lin An slowly closed his eyes, recalling the sensation of drawing out moisture.

The noisy surroundings instantly fell silent, as if he was the only person in the world.

The moment he touched the tree, he felt the abundant moisture within, essential even for a zombie tree.

Lin An activated his ability, and every drop of water inside the tree seemed to leap for joy, responding to his call.

Shen Xiuzhe was mistaken about one thing; Lin An didn't create water from nothing. He simply gathered all the moisture from the air, using it as he pleased.

It was the same now. Whether the moisture was in the air, within the zombie tree, or elsewhere, it would obey his command.

Lin An poured all his power into the zombie tree, but it was far from enough. He aimed to extract all the tree's moisture in one go, leaving no chance for it to survive. He needed more energy.

Pushing himself to the limit, like a desperate gambler, he staked everything on this.

Still not enough.

He needed more energy.

His stomach warmed up once again, reminiscent of the first time he was satiated. Lin An contentedly squinted his eyes as he felt his powers replenishing.

He poured all his powers into the tree again, while his body continuously produced more, which he channeled into the zombie tree.

Starting from his palms, more and more moisture felt the call - roots, trunk, branches, leaves - spreading from a small area to the entire tree.

He stopped channeling his powers only when his body could no longer produce a trace more.

That was enough.

Now was the moment!

The once germophobic and socially anxious little zombie now commanded like a general leading thousands of troops, issuing orders decisively and calmly.

The massive zombie tree began to shake suddenly, all its internal moisture heeding the call, thrashing around, trying to escape the tree's body.

Water droplets seeped out from every part of the zombie tree - one, two, three, more and more accumulating.

Water droplets gradually gather, breaking away from the tree and congregating in the air.

The lush, dark green leaves turn yellow and dry in just a few seconds, detaching from the treetop.

The swirling leaves dance in the air, but before they touch the ground, they turn from yellow to deep brown, gradually disintegrating in mid-air.

The massive zombie tree quickly shrinks considerably, its dark black trunk losing all vitality, becoming lifeless.

The gigantic zombie tree doesn't even realize what's happening before all its moisture is drained; this moisture now gathers in mid-air, like a river hanging in the sky, meandering over the tree.

The people of Muling City, still in sleep, feel the ground tremble, mistake it for an earthquake, and rush out of their tree holes.

But the sight that greets them is unforgettable.

This huge tree, once sprawling and lush, becomes lifeless in just a few minutes, its yellow leaves vanishing in the wind as if a powerful, mysterious force had sucked away all its life.

"Is this the punishment of the gods?" a man in his forties stares blankly at the scene, muttering.

"It must be the punishment from the Serpent God, it must be!"

Someone shouts out loud, and hundreds of survivors from Muling City kneel down, praying for the deity's forgiveness.

The pitch-black tree, devoid of life-giving green leaves and moisture, only leaves behind bizarrely shaped branches twisting in the semi-bright sky, like eerie shadows from another world.

It wasn't any tree god.

Under the earnest kneeling of hundreds, the punishment from the deity not only doesn't cease but grows more intense.

Suddenly, dazzling red flames ignite at the base of the tree.

The dry tree, devoid of moisture, serves as excellent fuel, quickly spreading flames from its base to its top.

The tree, brittle to an extreme, quickly breaks into pieces under the blaze.

Among the shattered wood, several people, facing the rising dawn, walk out slowly on the red flames.

Where they walk, the flames part to the sides, clearing a path.

Udo supports her grandmother, Xufang carries the still unconscious Xiaofu, half-supporting Ouyang Dong, while Shen Xiuzhe carries Lin An, as the group emerges from the tree.

Though disheveled, their presence is so commanding that hundreds of kneeling survivors from Muling City dare not look directly at them.

Lin An, lying on Shen Xiuzhe's back, has completely exhausted his special ability, more thoroughly than ever before, unable to summon even a trace of it now.

The zombies, once fresh and supple, now appear somewhat haggard.

He's exhausted, even more than during the hungriest times, his mind unable to function.

"Did we win?" Lin An asks, eyes closed, in a drowsy haze.

"We won. You did very well. Rest now, leave the rest to us," Shen Xiuzhe, slightly tilting his head towards the zombie resting on his back, whispers softly.

Perhaps it's due to his extreme fatigue, but Lin An finds Shen Xiuzhe's voice unusually gentle.

However, 'gentle' is a word that hardly seems to fit him.

As Lin An drifts into these thoughts, he slowly succumbs to deep sleep.