"Hurry aboard! This forest is getting more and more restless!"
He Qi urged them on. At some point, his weapon had changed again, becoming two swords, one long and one short, with their hilts linked by a chain. They released lightning as he swung them, making this a rare piece of equipment suited to both ranged and close combat.
With a swing of his longsword, he severed a row of sharp wooden stakes thrusting toward him. Then his short sword flew out as if alive, cutting through the waists of the mushroom monsters on the tree trunks to one side that were about to spit something out. It killed an entire row outright and released lightning.
Under the effects of the lightning, the active plants nearby were temporarily paralyzed, and a few even caught fire.
Once everyone had boarded the Gale, Xu Da took the helm himself and told them to hold tight. Then the ship shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow, moving at an astonishing speed.
Fortunately, everyone who had come was an expert and had prepared themselves. Otherwise, they really might have been thrown off, because this flying ship was even more outrageous than a modified experimental race car. The momentary acceleration probably exceeded 10 g, and some of them felt severe tightness in their chests.
As they escaped, the plants that had come alive behind them did try to give chase, even extending masses of vines and branches, but they could not catch up. They could only watch as the Gale grew more and more distant.
In less than two minutes, they returned to the New World Fleet's headquarters, five nautical miles away.
Preparations had been made there to receive them, with quite a few medical personnel assigned to begin treatment the moment they