Playing it safe, searching for more fuel
Lu Heng placed his thumb on the lighter button.
It wasn't pressed.
He stared at the dark red canopy of the Blood Banyan Tree in the distance, his thumb lingering on the grinding wheel for a few seconds before being withdrawn.
not enough.
He weighed the oil stain on the ground in his hand—the small amount of diesel fuel drawn from the forklift's fuel tank, plus the remaining gasoline from the two cars, was only enough to soak an area of one or two square meters. The main body of the Blood Banyan Tree was perched in the center of the sewage pool, its roots anchored at the bottom, surrounded by numerous appendages submerged in the sewage. This small amount of oil would only burn off a few surface tendrils, not even burning through the bark of the main trunk.
If it's not burned thoroughly, it will completely enrage the plant. At that point, all the roots in the pond will explode, leaving him with no way out.
Just to be on the safe side, let's not fire it yet. Let's collect more fuel first.
He put away his lighter and took one last look at the Blood Banyan Tree —its tendrils were still twitching restlessly, but they were too far away to reach him.
He turned and walked deeper into the factory area's passageway.
Once the safety boundary was crossed, the environment changed completely.
There was no smell of blood, no wriggling roots, no towering tree canopy. The wind blew through the passageway, dry and clean, carrying only the musty odor of the abandoned factory.
The Bone Demon remained on guard beside the Blood Banyan Tree, a cold light flashing in the distance. He was alone.
Several abandoned factory vehicles—two forklifts and a small truck—were parked along the roadside, their bodies rusted and tires flat, as if they had been abandoned for many years.
He walked over and checked them one by one.
The first forklift had its fuel tank cap unscrewed; there was still diesel fuel, but only the bottom layer remained. He used a steel bar to divert the flow, and the diesel gurgled out, soaking a small patch of ground. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
The second forklift was empty.
The small truck had fuel. He pried open the fuel tank cap with the tip of a knife, inserted a steel bar, and stirred it, drawing out significantly more diesel than the forklift. He poured the fuel onto the ground, letting it flow along cracks in the ground and merge with the oil stains from the forklift.
Quietly. No roots sprouted from the cracks in the ground, no tendrils reached out from the corners of the walls.
It seems this area has completely exceeded the Blood Banyan Tree's territory.
After searching the vehicles, he walked deeper into the factory area.
The machining warehouse was located at the very back of the factory area, a half-collapsed bungalow with a sign that read "Machining Workshop," the lettering of which was too blurred to be legible. The door was made of sheet metal, riddled with corrosion and easily pushed open.
The warehouse was dimly lit, filled with a musty smell, a mixture of machine oil and rust. Various tools and parts were scattered on several rows of iron shelves, and a few tin buckets were stacked in the corner, with faded labels printed on them.
He had only taken two steps when the Wristband on his left wrist vibrated.
Looking down, a line of light blue text popped up on the screen:
[Mutant detected - Infected Zombie Dog]
[Rank: Black Iron Tier]
[Status: Mutant Infected, Agile, Strong Bite]
Lu Heng paused in his steps.
Black Iron Tier. One major grade lower than him.
A clanging sound came from the corner.
A dark shadow darted out from behind the shelf, moving so fast that it left a trail of afterimages in the dim light. It wasn't large, probably only reaching Lu Heng's waist, but its muscles were taut, and its quadrupedal posture resembled a spring compressed to its limit. Its mouth was severely deformed, with fangs protruding, dried bloodstains hanging from the corners of its mouth, and its pupils in its eye sockets were murky grayish-white.
He wore a leather collar around his neck, which was connected to a chain. The other end of the chain was welded to an iron ring on the wall.
It's obvious that when the apocalypse came, the dog was locked in the warehouse and then ran away.
The Zombie dog pounced with incredible speed, the chains stretched to their limit, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound. Its attack range was limited to the length of the chains—just over three meters.
Lu Heng stood three meters away, watching it miss its target, be violently pulled back by the iron chain, and leave several scratch marks on the ground with its limbs.
Black Iron Tier. He didn't even need to draw his sword.
The Zombie dog steadied itself, let out a low growl, and pounced a second time, its hind legs pushing off the ground. This time it was smarter; instead of attacking head-on, it circled around to the side, trying to bite his leg.
Lu Heng dodged to the side, drawing Deboning Knife from his waist with his right hand. He channeled his Mental Energy into the blade, causing it to hum. He didn't chop, but instead pointed the blade downwards, aiming it at the direction the Zombie dog was pouncing, and gently pushed it forward.
The blade pierced the Zombie dog's shoulder blade, went through its chest cavity, and emerged from the other side.
The Zombie dog's body was propelled forward half a meter by inertia, pinning itself to the tip of the knife, its limbs still twitching.
Lu Heng drew his sword, and the Zombie dog's corpse fell to the ground, twitched twice, and then remained still.
He flicked the blood off his knife and sheathed it. The whole process took no more than five seconds.
He glanced down at the Zombie dog on the ground. It was skin and bones, with its ribs clearly visible. A rusty nameplate hung from its collar, with two words engraved on it, the writing so blurred that they were almost illegible.
He didn't look at it much before the screen on the Wristband on his left wrist lit up, displaying a notification:
[Decompose this Mutant?]
He clicked "confirm".
The Wristband emitted a faint, pale blue light, scanning the Zombie dog's corpse. The next second, a layer of tiny, shimmering light appeared on the surface of the corpse, as if it were being dismantled by an invisible hand—muscles, bones, internal organs, layer by layer, peeled away, compressed, and bound together.
A few seconds later, only two things remained on the ground.
A dark red crystal, about the size of a thumb, with a surface covered with fine cracks, resembling a bead of congealed blood.
[Obtained: Energy Core (Black Iron Tier) ×1]
Three white bone fragments, each about the length of a finger joint, with sharp edges, exuding a faint chill.
[Obtained: Zombie Bone (Black Iron Tier) x3]
Lu Heng bent down and picked up the Energy Core and Zombie Bone, tossing them into the storage space of his Wristband. The Energy Core could be used to replenish Mental Energy, and the Zombie Bone were materials that might be used to enhance equipment later.
He stepped over the remaining ashes on the ground—the residue left after decomposition—and continued walking.
Deep inside the warehouse, several tin barrels were stacked in the corner, with blurry labels printed on them, the writing obscured by grease.
He walked over and unscrewed the caps one by one, then smelled them.
The first bucket smelled pungent and highly volatile, making him stagger backward.
The second bucket had a less pungent smell; it was sticky and dripped slowly from the sides.
The third bucket smelled of diesel. He recognized it; it was full, well-sealed, and when he shook it, the liquid sloshed around inside, indicating it was quite heavy.
He didn't recognize what the first two types of oil were, and he was too lazy to look into it. Whether it was cutting oil or hydraulic oil, as long as it burned, it was fine.
He activated the storage function on his Wristband and put all three buckets inside.
The Wristband warmed slightly; storage complete.
Lu Heng stood at the warehouse entrance and took inventory of the supplies.
Fuel reserves are sufficient.
But the problem remained unresolved.
He turned and looked into the distance. In the direction of the sewage pool, the canopy of the Blood Banyan Tree cast a dark red shadow under the gray sky, its tendrils slowly wriggling in the shadow, like a giant heart beating.
The sewage pond was full of stagnant water. If oil was poured on it, it would float on the surface and drift in all directions, unable to gather together.
How do I pour a large amount of oil near the banyan tree? How do I set it on fire after pouring the oil? How do I retreat after setting it on fire without being trapped by the aerial roots overhead?
Every step must be flawless.
The wind blew in from the factory's passageways, carrying a faint smell of blood from afar.
Lu Heng stood in a safe area, looking across half of the ruins at the menacing, blood-red banyan tree.