Flower

As we explored further, we came to the very end of the shops and residences on the inner side of the Town.

The view suddenly opened up, the continuous ruins of buildings disappeared, and the Riverside Park on the edge of the Town unfolded. The river runs through the entire park, the water surface is calm and still, an old ornamental stone bridge spans the river, and several sets of rusted fitness equipment are scattered on both banks, the iron frames are rusted and mottled, standing quietly in the weeds.

The road surface was littered with scrap iron and steel fragments left over from demolition and collapse.

Lu Heng slowed his pace and casually picked up a bent piece of steel bar.

He pinched the heavily rusted iron with his fingertips, raised his Wristband, and attempted to analyze the scrap metal.

The Wristband's surface flashed twice before going completely out, without displaying any information.

The identification failed.

Lu Heng let go, and the steel bar fell back to the ground.

The Wristband was ineffective on these items; these ordinary building steel structures were not within its recognition range.

His gaze swept over the surrounding ruins of buildings, and a feeling of regret crossed his mind.

If these ordinary building materials can be identified, collected, dismantled, and utilized by the system, and all the houses in the entire Town are demolished, the steel bars and metal materials produced will be enough for him to upgrade and reinforce the Shelter for a long time, and he will not have to worry about basic construction resources for a long time.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Heng pulled himself back to reality.

His gaze fell on the park ahead.

Even though it has been abandoned for a long time, the layout here is still neat, with vegetation, waterways, and stone bridges arranged together in a rather elegant way.

But his trip was solely for plundering resources; he had no time to appreciate the scenery.

The gaze travels across the calm surface of the river, finally settling on the very center of the channel.

A lone lotus flower stands on the water, its petals pure white and full, standing out starkly against the desolate ruins.

A flock of sparrows were pecking at debris on the ground in the grass along the bank.

These sparrows are much larger than normal birds before the cataclysm, with robust bodies and outstretched wings, clearly having undergone subtle changes due to the post-apocalyptic environment. Although they have not reached the level of Black Iron Beasts, they have long since transcended the category of ordinary birds.

In the deathly silent park, a sharp, mournful cry suddenly rang out.

A mutated sparrow let out a shrill scream without warning, its wings flapping wildly in the air, its body thrashing violently in mid-air.

The other birds in the vicinity were instantly startled, flapping their wings and taking off in all directions, scattering and fleeing the area.

In just two seconds, the struggling sparrow abruptly stopped moving.

All the thrashing and noise completely disappeared.

Lu Heng was drawn by the birdsong and turned his head, his gaze fixed on the river.

The entire video is perfectly clear.

The lotus flower on the river opened its bud and swallowed the bird whole.

The sudden movement was swift and clean, without any extra splashes or noticeable noise; the sparrow simply vanished into thin air from the lotus flowers.

He instantly figured out the truth.

This is not an ordinary wild plant.

It is an extremely rare Black Iron-Tier Mutant Plant.

In his daily battles, he mostly encountered Zombie, beasts, and mutated wild plants that he actively hunted. Apart from the Purifying Water Lotus and Bloodthirsty Vine that he cultivated himself, he rarely encountered them.

Looking at the lotus plant standing alone in the middle of the river, Lu Heng felt a clear stirring in his heart.

He turned his head to look at the Bone Demon standing quietly beside him.

The Giant Plume Eagle wings fitted on the back of the Bone Demon remained intact and had never been used for flight before.

The river surface is currently open and the distance is just right, so we can take advantage of the opportunity to pick lotus flowers and test the Bone Demon's flying maneuverability.

Lu Heng gave the order, then simply raised his hand and lightly lifted his fingertip towards the lotus flowers on the river.

The Bone Demon instantly understood the instructions.

With a sudden push from its hard, bony legs, the towering skeletal body soared into the air, its back feathers unfurling and flapping violently, swiftly propelling it into the sky.

Lu Heng watched it speed towards the river surface and secretly approved of it.

The takeoff speed and in-flight stability are quite good.

The Bone Demon hovered directly above the lotus, its bony arm pointing vertically downwards, precisely gripping the tightly closed lotus bud, and then exerting force to pull it upwards.

The plant was startled by an external force and instantly exhibited unusual behavior.

The remains of the mutated sparrow that it had just devoured were suddenly spat out from between the lotus petals and floated on the water's surface.

The mangled bird carcass still held a sliver of life, its beak opening and closing frantically as it bit and pounced at the Bone Demon overhead, attempting to retaliate and harass it.

The Bone Demon remained completely unaffected by the commotion below, ignoring the minor attacks. Its bony hands gripped the flower bud tightly, continuing to exert upward force to uproot the plant.

Lu Heng stood on the shore, watching quietly.

As he watched, he realized something was wrong.

The Bone Demon exerted more and more force, its movements becoming increasingly brutal and tyrannical, completely lacking any control over its strength, relying purely on brute force to pull it out.

Upon seeing this, Lu Heng immediately raised his hand to signal for them to stop.

"Etc--"

The two words had barely left his lips when a clear, piercing crack echoed across the river.

The sound, like a tough root being ripped apart, pierced the quiet air and clearly reached my ears.

Lu Heng's gaze sharpened.

The Bone Demon's brute force was too great, and it directly tore off the main stem of the lotus.

The flower was still clutched in the Bone Demon's palm, with a small section of short stem still attached. The break was clean and clear, and the entire mutated lotus's root system was completely severed and damaged.

It's completely ruined.

Lu Heng looked at the severed stem and felt a wave of helplessness.

I finally found a mature, wild Black Iron Tier plant, but it was destroyed by rough and brute force.

Without pausing, the Bone Demon, clutching the broken lotus, flapped its wings and turned back, landing steadily and standing beside Lu Heng.

As soon as the broken Lurewater Lotus approached, a sweet and rich fragrance instantly spread and enveloped the surroundings.

The fragrance is warm and pleasant, entering the nasal cavity and spreading throughout the body with each breath.

Lu Heng's mind instantly relaxed, a slight daze washing over him as he subconsciously immersed himself in the comforting fragrance, feeling a sense of intoxication.

Just as consciousness was about to completely relax, the Geothermal Talisman and the necklace worn close to the neck suddenly emitted a bone-chilling cold and heat.

The body feels it directly.

The hazy intoxication was instantly dispelled, and Lu Heng suddenly became completely sober.

Something's not right.

There's something wrong with the scent of this flower.

Ordinary plant scents are simply refreshing and pleasant; they can never subtly bewitch the mind or lower one's guard.

This sweet fragrance has a strange, bewitching effect.

Lu Heng's expression immediately calmed down. Without further hesitation, he raised his Wristband, aimed it at the mutated lotus in his palm, and activated the identification Bestiary.

The pale blue system light film lit up, and neatly arranged text entries appeared one by one.

Lurewater Lotus

Grade: Black Iron Tier

Description: An aquatic Mutated Plant that takes root in the silt at the bottom of still water. Each plant produces only one flower, which emits a sweet fragrance to lure creatures closer; when nutrients are plentiful, the petals close and the fragrance dissipates. In a suitable body of water, there is usually only one mature individual. Its underwater fibrous roots can entangle prey and drag it into the water for digestion.

Lu Heng flipped through the newly compiled information on the Lurewater Lotus on his tablet, muttering to himself.

"Good heavens, Sixth Brother."

This hunting strategy is remarkably similar to a giant version of the Venus flytrap, except it lacks the rapidly closing leaves and relies on its silent underwater roots to hunt. It's truly absurd that a lotus flower, quietly floating on the water's surface, has become a carnivorous predator.

From a distance, it looks almost identical to an ordinary lotus in the water, floating quietly on the calm surface. Who would have thought that that elegant flower is slowly releasing a sweet fragrance, waiting for its prey to be attracted by the scent?

Once a living creature enters its range, the underwater rootlets will silently emerge.

It's still hard to imagine actually encountering a mature Lurewater Lotus in the water.

Who can guard against a lotus flower?