Chapter 484: Toying With Us
When the emergency flare exploded in the distance, Meng Huan spotted it immediately but decided not to draw others in.
“We don’t have anyone strong enough to fight this thing. Let them go.”
The highest-ranking person—Lu Weiyi—had been the last one to leave the aircraft. Since the plane exploded shortly after, they had never seen his parachute deploy, so he was most likely dead.
Anyone else coming would just be throwing their lives away.
Better to let fewer people be dragged into this.
“No.” Zheng Hong’s voice was hoarse.
“We can’t win this,” Meng Huan said in disbelief.
“Not necessarily,” Zheng Hong said, launching a fire dragon toward the direction of the flare. “This damn plant has completely encircled the area. The people inside won’t be able to escape either.”
“If there were several of us, we might stand a chance. But split apart like this? We’ll just be picked off one by one.”
They had felt disappointed when only the golden eagle showed up. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
“Captain, it’s strong. Meng and I are running on fumes. We’re nearly out of energy and stamina. We’ll clear a path with fire—you run.”
“Cut the crap. You think I can just leave you two behind and tell the Major General I abandoned my teammates?” the golden eagle barked, tossing two crystal-core guns from his backpack.
“Guns?! And our rocket launcher—”
They had brought weapons before the mission, but since rocket launchers were long-range, they hadn’t been issued to individuals. And the plane had been attacked so suddenly…
The aircraft had been torn clean in half. Most of the team had been flung out before they could even grab their packs.
The golden eagle shook his head. “Still on the plane.”
Only 200 bullets left. Not nearly enough to fight their way out.
Meng Huan tried again to convince the captain to leave. “While we can still push out a little energy, Captain, at least get the message out. Tell the others about this place.”
“There’s no need to ‘tell’ anything. As long as someone survives, they’ll figure out that there’s an SS-level mutated plant here. No need to waste effort on warnings,” the golden eagle said, still refusing. He pushed his power to its limit, then bent down to carry Xia Ming.
“We’ll try to break out.”
As soon as the three stepped out of the rocky-covered area, countless pale, twisting roots burst out of the ground. They looked like enlarged tapeworms, squirming as they pierced through their shoe soles and into their flesh.
Quick as lightning, the golden eagle commanded his flying knives to skim the ground and slice through the roots. Even so, he felt stabbing pain shooting up from his feet—that grotesque sensation of something living burrowing deeper into his flesh.
They had no choice but to retreat back under the rocks.
The golden eagle divided the remaining crystal cores evenly among the three, then issued orders:
“In a moment, I’ll form a protective circle with my knives. Meng Huan, channel your fire through your feet—heat up the ground where we step to keep the roots away. Zheng Hong, carry Xia Ming and cover us with the crystal-core gun.”
They had reached the point of desperation. Zheng Hong and Meng Huan didn’t bother with more persuasion—just laughed grimly and took their share.
“If the Major General finds out, he’ll avenge us for sure,” Zheng Hong said, his eyes red and voice choked. “It’s just… my little sister…”
He wiped his eyes. Meng Huan patted him on the shoulder.
“They’ll be taken care of. Maybe they’ll even live to see the end of the apocalypse—for us.”
It was as if he was speaking both to the others and to himself. Jin Diao didn’t respond—he simply tightened his grip as he reloaded the crystal-core gun.
A dozen or so crystal cores were absorbed in no time, and the three of them prepared to move again.
“Ready—three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
“Go!”
With the shout, the three of them charged in one direction. Their matching pace allowed them to maintain their powers without much difficulty. Even through the soles of their shoes, they could feel the scorching heat from the ground—which also helped prevent any root attacks.
Just as they caught sight of the forest’s edge, the pursuing mutated plants suddenly halted.
But then, the trees ahead—previously completely still—suddenly came to life, turning toward the direction the four of them were running from.
If they had heads, the trees would have turned their whole bodies, heads and all, to face them.
Hundreds of towering trees in a full circle around them moved as if controlled by some mysterious force. Their trunks and leaves all turned toward the same point. As far as the eye could see—every single one.
The four were forced to come to a dead stop.
“F***… what the hell, are these trees possessed?” Zheng Hong, still carrying Xia Ming on his back and supporting with his crystal-core gun, could already taste blood in his throat.
“When we came through here, they were just normal plants—looked exactly like before the apocalypse,” Meng Huan said, noticing Jin Diao’s questioning gaze. He nodded firmly. “I’m sure.”
“I’m sure too.”
Jin Diao believed they wouldn’t lie at a time like this. He turned slowly, scanning the surroundings, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
Meng Huan and Zheng Hong immediately raised their crystal-core guns and aimed in the direction he was staring.
At his words, a man suddenly appeared—seemingly in his twenties, extremely handsome, the type of refined beauty often seen in idol dramas.
He wore a white fitted long-sleeved shirt paired with a sky-blue long skirt. The structured garment had precise pleats, embroidered with golden thread in traditional Chinese patterns. Even with his high ponytail, there was nothing effeminate about him. Instead, he looked like a nobleman from an ancient era who had stepped through time.
He held a folded fan in one hand, rhythmically tapping it against his palm. With each step, he walked on air—tree branches beneath his feet bent forward of their own accord, laying down a path like a royal procession.
“What a pretentious bastard…” Zheng Hong muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Meng Huan to keep quiet.
Anyone who could show up alone in a place like this—and in that kind of entrance—was not to be underestimated.
At this point, they were all drained of power. They couldn’t afford to trigger anything.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen ability users make it out of Green Jade’s encirclement alive,” the man said slowly, his gaze scanning them with appraisal and strong interest. “This is my first time seeing a metal-type ability user too. I’ve heard it’s quite powerful.”
Although they were separated by over a hundred meters, his voice reached them as clearly as if he were right next to them.
Jin Diao subtly signaled the two behind him to stay alert.
“Who are you? And why are you here?”
“This is my territory. Didn’t you know?” The man thought for a moment. “Oh, you must be from far away. The nearby bases don’t have helicopters.”
“We’re from the Capital base,” Jin Diao replied politely, explaining their mission. “Due to the rampant breeding of mutated animals, many civilian zones have become uninhabitable. We were ordered to intervene.”
He hoped that offering a benefit might keep this man from becoming an enemy.
But the man only laughed.
“Stop—mutated—animals—from—breeding…”
He enunciated each word, voice like a pebble dropped into a clear spring—pleasant yet chilling.
“Does this look like a case of overbreeding to you?”
Jin Diao’s expression flickered. He turned to the others behind him. From the moment they landed, they’d been surrounded by mutated plants. He hadn’t seen many mutated animals—he’d assumed the plants had wiped them out. But this man’s tone implied something else.
Meng Huan and Zheng Hong exchanged glances and subtly shook their heads.
Only now did they realize: though the forest was full of mutated flora and fauna, there hadn’t been overwhelming numbers. Aside from some size changes or the rare one with powers, very few truly dangerous mutated animals had appeared.
They had been so focused on the massive beasts that they missed the bigger picture.
“You mean… the animals around here aren’t affected?” Jin Diao frowned.
That was big news.
From what he knew, nearly every base had reported rampant, uncontrolled breeding of mutated creatures. Even formerly deserted zones had become infested and unreachable.
If this area was an exception…
The man didn’t answer. Instead, he said bluntly, “I’m very interested in your ability.”
With a snap, he opened his folding fan. Instantly, the previously still trees around them came alive. Roots tore themselves out of the ground with a thunderous rumble and leapt toward them. The snapping of broken roots echoed in every direction.
At the same time, a terrifying energy surged from the man’s body. Plants near him instantly doubled in size as they were forcefully accelerated.
“Let me see how strong metal-type abilities really are.”
He sat down casually on a throne woven from tree limbs. “If you can survive this, you’re free to go.”
Jin Diao still couldn’t determine this man’s power level—but the overwhelming energy made the gap between them crystal clear.
Meng Huan and Zheng Hong, already spent, dropped to their knees from the pressure and coughed up blood.
“Motherf—…” Zheng Hong spat, blood staining his teeth.
Jin Diao had already used up most of his power earlier. Now, just resisting the pressure was taking everything he had. Most of the flying blades circling them fell to the ground—he could barely control a handful anymore.
At that moment, countless mutated trees launched an attack on the four of them. Despite their best efforts to resist, the group was separated into different areas, as if trapped within a living prison of trees. All they could see were chaotic flashes of abilities and hear angry shouting.
Jin Diao’s flying knives continuously formed sharp wind-like attacks, but the trees surrounding him were unnaturally tough. The blades could only leave faint marks on them, and those that embedded themselves could no longer be pulled out.
The number of knives he could control dwindled, yet Jin Diao still forced his way in the direction of the other two fire-type users and the sounds of gunfire.
From high above, the man seated leisurely watched with interest. He even slightly reduced the strength of the trees around Jin Diao, as if mocking a powerless little mouse struggling to survive.
