Su Cheng quickly started a fire to clear the way, cut off the branches clinging to the wall with her knife, picked up the two people with both hands, and ran towards the alley entrance.
The branches behind her chased after her relentlessly, trying to spray out a large number of spores to keep Su Cheng, but the spores turned to ashes the moment they appeared!
Su Cheng carried the two of them without stopping, running towards an open space.
The direction away from buildings is the direction away from the city.
After leaving the alleyway, the branches stopped chasing.
Su Cheng carried two people on her arms, and couldn't help but feel grateful that the method of igniting the Fire-Kindling Art require hand gestures, otherwise it would have been really inconvenient for her to carry these two people.
Without stopping, Su Cheng followed the route she remembered, leaving the city streets behind.
Several intersections differed from her memory.
The intersection that used to be marked with trash cans is now covered with vines and netting, and the surrounding environment has changed drastically; the places that used to be covered with vines and leaves are no longer there.
If someone with a terrible sense of direction encounters this situation, they will definitely doubt that they have gone the wrong way.
After taking the wrong turn once, Su Cheng circled back, and after a short delay, she finally left the green city.
The ground was no longer covered with grass; the rough asphalt road brought a sense of security.
The truck was parked blatantly on the side of the road.
Su Cheng put the two people on her shoulders onto the floor of the truck's back seat, feeling a great weight lifted from her shoulders.
Although both were still breathing, they fell into a deep coma.
Su Cheng closed the back door to block the sunlight before turning around and removing their masks, taking her own as well.
" Xuewen?" Su Cheng patted her and then circulated her Qi within her body.
With a "sizzle" sound, the White Qi cleared away the spores that had taken root in Xuewen's throat.
Although Su Cheng arrived in time, her protective suit was not completely breached, but some spores still managed to get through the mask filter and enter her nasal cavity!
Having learned the reason, Su Cheng guided the White Qi to circulate within their bodies.
The spores had only recently entered the two people's bodies and had just taken root and parasitized them, so removing them at this point would not cause any obvious aftereffects.
If they wait any longer, the spores will begin to penetrate deeper, feeding on flesh and blood, and even Su Cheng's Netherfire will be of no use.
Cough cough cough!
Xuewen was the first to wake up from her coma. She suddenly opened her eyes, rolled over, and collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently.
Liu Yu then woke up as well. He had even more spores in his body, and his coughing became even more severe. "Cough, cough, cough, what's that smell...?"
"It smells like spore ash, of course, "Su Cheng thought to herself. Then she asked, "Are you feeling any better?"
Xuewen spat several times, feeling a muddy, gritty taste in her throat. Hearing Su Cheng's voice, she was stunned for a moment before looking up. " Su Cheng? Wait, why aren't you wearing a mask? No! I'm not wearing a mask either!!!"
Xuewen was terrified, and Liu Yu belatedly realized what was happening as well.
"Don't worry, this is on the truck, the mission is already completed, just now..." Su Cheng briefly recounted the situation.
"So we can go back once everyone's here?" Liu Yu asked, looking as if he'd been struck by a pleasant surprise.
"That's right." Su Cheng nodded.
"That's great! Thank you so much Su Cheng! That's great! I almost thought I was going to die here..." Liu Yu stood up excitedly, only to bump into the roof of the car and sit down again, wincing in pain.
"Thank you for saving us." Xuewen was equally moved.
Su Cheng nodded, accepting both expressions of gratitude.
The three of them ate and drank some water and biscuits, then put on the spare masks from the car seat again.
Xuewen quickly turned on her communicator and the video recorder, which had been switched off at some point. "Captain? Where are you? Su Cheng rescued me and Liu Yu, we're in the car..."
Xuewen tried to contact Liu Yu several times but received no reply. Her expression tightened instantly, and after exchanging a glance, she quickly contacted the other team members.
" Xuewen? Are you and Liu Yu alright? Wang Yueyue and I are heading out of the city, and we seem to be lost, but thankfully the plants haven't attacked us..."
Xuewen: "Lost?"
Tang Jia's trio all have an excellent sense of direction; they generally don't forget a route they've traveled once, so how could they get lost?
Xuewen and Liu Yu were both brought back by Su Cheng and had no idea how the road conditions in Green Vine City had changed.
Su Cheng offered a word of advice. "Plants are constantly evolving and changing; trust your intuition and memory."
Xuewen quickly relayed the information to Tang Jia.
Currently, only Zhang Yuwen's three-person team is unreachable.
Liu Yu glanced worriedly out the car window. Dark clouds shrouded the distant horizon, and the sun was slowly approaching the horizon.
It's almost 3 PM now.
Heavy rain could come at any time after dark, and they must drive away from Green Vine City before sunset!
The spore spread caused by heavy rain is no joke.
About half an hour later, the three members of the Tang family returned to the car.
The moment they received notification that Su Cheng had completed her mission, they turned around and headed away from the city.
After receiving a hint from Su Cheng through the communicator, they finally determined their direction and escaped the city.
"I'm exhausted, huff huff... The vines blocked the way, and we were attacked when we used our knives, but luckily we ran fast and the collector had enough capacity."
After changing into the spare mask, Tang Jia got into the back seat and politely thanked Su Cheng, "Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome."
The three who boarded the car later looked around inside. "The captain and the other two haven't returned yet?"
Tang Jia frowned, analyzing with a puzzled expression. "That's not right. Our walking speed and the captain's should be about the same. They should be about the same distance from the city exit as us."
Wang Yueyue: "Could it be that the vines were disturbed on the way and attacked...?"
Silence fell inside the car.
Spore parasitism is already difficult to deal with; if mutated plants also launch an attack, the danger is unimaginable.
Liu Yu gritted his teeth, preparing to get out of the car and sit in the front. He looked at the others, "I'll sit in the driver's seat. Who's coming with me? The sun will set in an hour, and we have to leave then!"
No one blamed him; everyone understood the extent to which the spores would spread after a heavy rain, given Green Vine City's high vegetation cover.
*
"Captain, Su Cheng has completed the mission, we can head back now!" Yi Ze said with delight, then couldn't help but praise, "Although Su Cheng is a bit arrogant, he's quite capable."
"Now that Su Cheng has completed her mission, let's go back quickly. There are so many more plants here than over there..." Deng Yun cautiously surveyed her surroundings; this area gave her a particularly uneasy feeling.
Zhang Yuwen gripped the communicator around his neck, his expression shifting several times. He had far underestimated Su Cheng's abilities. The video recorder was documenting the entire operation, and his contribution was practically zero.
Su Cheng was the vice-captain, but she contributed far more than he, the captain.
If they go back like this, what will the leader and the others in the shelter think of him and Su Cheng?
He already made a mistake in the last operation due to poor decision-making.
Although the leader was not entirely satisfied with him, given his abilities, he didn't need to worry about his position, regardless of who became the next leader of the shelter.
His confidence stems from the trust his teammates place in him.
But Su Cheng just happened to appear at this crucial moment. Will the team members continue to insist on having him lead the team after this one-time event?
He is not as good as Su Cheng, and that will become everyone's impression label.
If Su Cheng becomes increasingly valued by the leader and becomes the next leader of the shelter, given his previous attitude towards her and her replaceable value, his quality of life will definitely not be as good as it is now... He doesn't want to go back to the days when he was at the beck and call of others!
After much deliberation, Zhang Yuwen made a decision: he would also take the fragments back, as there were meteorite fragments in more than one place in such a large city as Green Vine City.
According to the records, there are some nearby.
Even if we can't bring the fragments back, being able to find the exact location and report it means we haven't done anything completely.
"The information says there are fragments in the collapsed building less than 100 meters ahead, it's not far. Since I'm already here, I plan to take them all back."
"Captain..." Yi Ze and Deng Yun called out in a daze.
Zhang Yuwen's eyes were resolute. "More meteorite fragments will allow researchers to develop more data. Furthermore, it continues to impact the city's vegetation; only by removing it can Green Vine City have a chance to be reclaimed in the future!"
He took a step forward. "You guys go back first. This is my decision. If things don't go well, I'll turn back immediately."
Yi Ze and Deng Yun exchanged a glance and sighed softly. After hesitating for a few moments, they followed. "Captain, we'll stay with you. You're our captain. You've been with us to the very end on so many missions before. How could we abandon you?"
"Alright! I'll take you all back with me this time." Zhang Yuwen smiled and hurried towards the pile of ruins covered in vines and leaves. Having two teammates to assist him would be even better.
It's not far anyway; if there are no more meteorites, it's not too late to leave.
He stared at the pile of rubble, silently praying that God would bless him so that everything would go smoothly. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly saw something white swaying past from behind the wooden planks.
He stopped and looked again, but there was nothing there.
Yi Ze and Deng Yun stopped. "What's wrong?"
Zhang Yuwen shook slightly, took out a gun from his waist pocket, and reminded the two people beside him, "I have a feeling there are meteorite fragments behind there. Get your weapons ready and get closer."
"Yes!"
A note from the author:
This dungeon is almost finished! Updates have been unstable lately, we're working hard to fix it.
Chapter 106
As dusk settled, the sun dipped below the horizon, and dark clouds silently expanded. There was no sunset glow tonight, casting a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere over the approaching storm.
The vines throughout the city stretched out joyfully, their leaves trembling with longing for the sweet dew.
The four people in the car all looked towards the exit from the city, but waited in vain for the figure they were expecting or the sound of footsteps calling out.
"We can't wait any longer." Liu Yu pursed his lips and started the car.
Tang Jia, in the passenger seat, moved her lips, but no sound came out.