The Banyan Tree Dies (End of the Main Story) (Continued)
Tao Qiu ignored the Root motionless on the ground, his eyes darting around, looking for an opportunity to escape.
The Shen Family Head, leaning on his cane, said with a deep look in his eyes, "I heard everything Tao Qiu said just now. So my worries all these years were justified; you've been scheming against and using me all along."
Although he said this, there was no anger at being deceived on his face; instead, there was a smug and happy expression.
"You're such a good actor, I wonder if you noticed that when you told me that getting Tao Qiu would allow me to control the whole world, the belief and joy I showed were all an act?"
"It's come to this point, so I'm not afraid to tell you. I've heard everything. Back at the Yong'an Base, you wanted to kill Tao Qiu. You failed in your ambush, so you stole his child to force him to come to the Central Base. That's completely different from what we agreed on back then: you would investigate Tao Qiu's background, lure him to the Central Base, and we would share his abilities."
"Heh, as expected, those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts. You and Tao Qiu both know that the Awakening Reagent was a scam. And this scam was actually orchestrated by our Shen Family, assisting a mutated monster in laying a trap for all of humanity."
"Then I'm truly sorry, but for the sake of the Shen Family's reputation, I have no choice but to ask you two to die."
As soon as he finished speaking, the team carrying the rocket launchers got ready to fire.
At this moment, the Banyan Tree, which had just allowed the Shen Family Head to shout without any reaction, suddenly raised its Root and spelled out a line of words in the air.
--You really think I didn't notice you were eavesdropping?
The Shen Family Head and everyone opposite him were stunned.
Continue spelling with the air radical.
--I know you're acting.
--I don't want to act with you anymore.
--No need to worry about the Shen Family's reputation.
--Because whether the Shen Family will still exist after tomorrow is another matter entirely.
Thinking of the Banyan Tree's cunning, the Shen Family Head's expression changed drastically. "What have you done now...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a series of deafening explosions suddenly came from afar. Everyone instinctively turned their heads and saw an ominous firelight not far away.
The moment everyone's attention shifted away, Tao Qiu transformed back into her bird-like, shrunken form and shot out like a shooting star.
If not now, when?
The Shen Family Head and the others also came to their senses, turned around and saw that Tao Qiu had already flown a distance away, Root had also chased after him.
He cursed and roared, "Its body is still inside! Blow it up!"
Before the words were even finished, shells shot out of the rocket launcher and crashed into the greenhouse, the deafening explosions echoing through the room.
Bullets couldn't penetrate the Root of the Banyan Tree, but artillery shells could. The aerial roots chasing Tao Qiu had just grasped its palm-sized body when they were blasted off, dragging Tao Qiu to the ground along with them.
The Shen Family Head turned around and shouted again, "Catch them!"
Several superhumans transformed into beasts as they ran, lunging at Tao Qiu and the severed root.
But before they arrived, the aerial roots suddenly "came to life," sending out more Root wrap around Tao Qiu's body, preventing him from growing larger, and then burrowing into the mud.
The Shen Family Head realized something, his eyes widening in horror, "Oh no, protect them..."
Before he could even utter the word "I," an aerial root shot up from the ground beneath his feet, piercing through his flesh and bones with lightning speed, emerging from the top of his head, and before anyone could react, it pulled out its Root and disappeared back into the ground.
It's been rooted in the botanical garden for so many years, hasn't anyone realized that this has become its territory?
To attack it on its own turf? How ridiculous!
Some people fell, some people screamed.
The Root escaped from the villa through a pre-dug tunnel. Once outside, since the tunnel was gone, the Root wrapped around Tao Qiu and brought her to the surface.
The explosions grew closer. Tao Qiu, weakened by the scent of the sleeping potion and the binding effect of the Root, briefly lost the strength to resist, but he still fearlessly asked, "Were these explosions also your doing?"
The Banyan Tree was generous in its reply.
'I never said I only deceived the Shen Family. The common people and poor in the Central Base have suffered under these privileged classes for far too long. The group of superhuman opposition members was cultivated by me. They've waited for far too many years, and tonight their wish will finally come true.'
"I deliberately waited almost two weeks before bringing you here, not only to prevent the Lou Family from finding out where I was, but also to give the opposition time to prepare."
Banyan Tree helped the Shen Family Head create the Awakening Reagent, but it also cultivated people who opposed it. From the very beginning, Banyan Tree harbored the idea of wreaking havoc on the entire Central Base.
The fact that the nest of white spiders was stolen by the opposition was also the Banyan Tree's doing; perhaps this is a way for it to atone for its sins.
It uses Awakening Reagent to take revenge on humanity, but the materials for these Awakening Reagent must be obtained from high-level mutated monsters, bringing deadly danger to many of these already disease-ridden mutated monsters.
The appearance of the white spider meant that the mutated monster might be tamed and enslaved by humans and used to fight against its own kind in the future. The Banyan Tree could not tolerate this, so it planned to steal it out and release it back into the wild.
I wonder how many spiders from that nest survived, and where they are now?
The sound of another explosion brought the Banyan Tree back to reality.
Humans, for money and power, fight and struggle as much as you want. The more people die, the happier it is; the more chaotic it becomes, the more advantageous it is for it to escape.
The area outside the villa was also a mess. The Banyan Tree was carrying Tao Qiu as he fled into the shadows, not wanting to waste his energy digging a tunnel.
But the Banyan Tree overlooked one thing: Tao Qiu was different from it. Even in its bird form, Tao Qiu could speak human language.
So when she saw a large group of the Shen Family appear in her field of vision, Tao Qiu, despite her dizziness and headache, let out a loud cry.
"The Banyan Tree is here?!"
The group that arrived was led by Eldest Young Master Shen and Miss Shen Qi. They had been kept in the dark by the Shen Family Head and had just received news that the Shen Family Head wanted to kill the Banyan Tree, so they rushed over in a hurry.
Before they even entered the door, they heard this shout.
Tao Qiu's mouth was sealed shut Root a beard after he shouted that, but the large lanterns those people were carrying still shone over.
Then the Shen Family saw a clump of earthy-colored Root wrapping around a small white bird, hiding in the shadows and trying to escape, but its figure froze when illuminated by the lamplight.
As luck would have it, someone else ran out of the villa at that moment, pointing and shouting, "The Banyan Tree killed the head of the family! Stop it!"
Everyone was startled. Pursuers kept running out of the villa, and the guards beside the Shen Family siblings also raised their guns.
The Banyan Tree was prepared to burrow underground to withstand the attack, but after exchanging a glance, Eldest Young Master Shen and Miss Shen Qi resolutely ran forward and stood in front of the Banyan Tree.
Eldest Young Master Shen roared, "Don't move! The patriarch is dead! I am the heir apparent and have the temporary authority to exercise the patriarch's powers. I order you all to stop pursuing Banyan Tree and come with me to suppress those thugs!"
Miss Shen Qi also said, "The opposition has already attacked our doorstep, and you still want to waste your firepower on this useless place?"
Second Young Master Shen, who had somehow appeared, squeezed through the crowd after hearing the siblings' conversation, looking righteous and awe-inspiring. "Big brother, seventh sister, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to let the murderer who killed Father go?"
While they were talking, the Banyan Tree had already burrowed into the ground and climbed inside. The last thing Tao Qiu saw was the Shen Family members vaguely splitting into two different camps.
Undoubtedly, no one cared about the death of the patriarch or the murderer; they were just looking for an excuse to fight for power.
The public opinion surrounding the Shen Family siblings' intervention to protect the Banyan Tree is clearly unfavorable to them.
The Banyan Tree had clearly considered this as well; it huffed and puffed as it dug at the soil, muttering "idiot" in a rather complicated tone.
Utterly foolish. It was just an act; why did those two people have to take it so seriously?
Tao Qiu could sense that after being bombed, the Banyan Tree's power seemed to have been weakened considerably. It was intentionally conserving its energy, and when it reached the concrete ground, it wrapped itself around Tao Qiu and shrank into a small ball, dodging and hiding in the chaos.
This is the city center. In just a few hours, the peace and prosperity that Tao Qiu had seen before had been replaced by smoke and fire. Flames raged in shops and residential buildings, overturned vehicles were everywhere on the streets, corpses were run over by car wheels, and the stench of blood filled the air. Together with the occasional wails and sobs drifting from some unknown corner, they formed a picture of hell on earth.
If the city center is like this, it's hard to imagine what the other places are like.
The opposition's strength exceeded Tao Qiu's expectations.
Perhaps sensing Tao Qiu's astonishment, Banyan Tree said rather smugly, "The real leaders of the opposition have never been the common people and the poor; they are merely a facade. Those truly capable of overthrowing the top leadership are actually the middle and upper echelons, who are only one step away from it."
For so many years, the major families have divided and ruled the Central Base, and the smaller families have long harbored the idea of taking over. The opposition is just a useful tool.
Thinking of Lou Yu and the children, Tao Qiu couldn't help but feel worried.
Rounding the corner and entering another street, the scene was equally desolate.
Vehicles would occasionally speed by, and gunfire could be heard from near and far. The Banyan Tree cautiously moved forward along the wall, trying its best not to attract anyone's attention.
But it's destined to be disappointed tonight.
"Dad!"
A familiar voice pierced through the bloody air and reached Tao Qiu's ears.
It's the Third Cub.
"There? I see them!" Snow Bird always have excellent eyesight.
Upon hearing the noise, the Banyan Tree paused briefly before darting out like lightning.
The roar of vehicles followed closely behind. A military vehicle was chasing the Banyan Tree, hugging the road. In the chaos, Tao Qiu glimpsed Lou Yu and Third Cub sitting inside the vehicle through the gaps in the Root.