The Black Soil beneath Bai Zhu's feet bulged, nearly sending him flying.
His first reaction was not to draw his blade.
Nor was it to look at Ging.
He lowered his head and first pressed down on the thick gold chain around his neck. Only after confirming that the Blue Crystal was still hanging there did he start cursing.
"Does this place think I'm a package?"
Milluki hugged his box and immediately crouched low, pressing himself down against it.
"Shut up! Every time you open your mouth, this damn place adds another service!"
The Black Soil neither split open nor attacked them.
It was like a massive, moving soft blanket, carrying everyone forward.
It was moving fast.
The key was that they could not stop.
Dwun sat on the ground, carried forward by the Black Soil, both hands gripping a tree root beside him for dear life.
"I was wrong."
Bai Zhu turned his head.
"What did you do wrong this time?"
Dwun's face had gone deathly pale.
"I'll never tease dogs again for the rest of my life."
Piyu crouched on the moving ground, her phone almost pressed against the edge of the Black Soil as she wildly filmed the undulating roots.
"Don't block me! This footage is way too valuable!"
Satotz held onto his document tube, swaying twice with the ground while continuing to mutter.
"Active transport... root-layer dispatching... this isn't a simple plant response..."
Bai Zhu's head started to hurt just listening to him.
"Mr. Satotz, can you summarize that in plain language?"
Satotz looked up, his poker face unusually close to breaking.
"It's taking us somewhere."
Milluki immediately cut in.
"Taking us where?"
Bai Zhu pointed ahead.
"Where else? The employee check-in point."
Ging half-crouched on the Black Soil, one hand pressed against the ground while