Chapter 346: Mutated Blood Silk Vine

"Yes, that’s him." Zuo Li could finally see him clearly.

The pilot’s face had been so twisted before that she hadn’t been able to recognize him at first.

But now, upon closer inspection, she saw it was undoubtedly Teng Hongming from Chaoyang Base.

’But what are these wisps of red thread emerging from Teng Hongming’s spine?’

"Sir, be careful." The two base personnel protecting Zuo Dazhu cautiously took two steps forward.

"Watch out!" Gu Chen suddenly yelled, simultaneously raising his Metal Shield to block in front of them.

Instantly, dozens of blood-red threads ZINGED against the Metal Shield, straining against its surface.

With a single slash of her blade, Xie Ning severed the countless fine threads, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Yet they continued to writhe on the ground as if alive.

"What is this stuff?" One of the base personnel protecting Zuo Dazhu stepped forward and stomped on them, grinding his boot down hard.

Gu Chen rushed to stop him. "Don’t touch it—"

The words had barely left his mouth when the threads under the man’s boot suddenly shot out, ensnaring his leg.

Gu Chen reacted the fastest. He drew his dagger, which elongated in an instant, and slashed at the threads coiled around the man’s foot.

A horrifying scene unfolded.

The man’s foot rapidly dissolved, as if something had devoured its flesh and bone.

All Xie Ning and the others heard was his blood-curdling scream; they couldn’t reach him in time to help.

Despite the incredible speed of his slash, Gu Chen’s blade met only empty air.

When they looked up again, most of the man’s leg was gone. A swarm of crimson threads coiled around him, devouring him completely in seconds.

Zuo Li shuddered.

Zuo Dazhu was even more terrified, stumbling backward. "Wh-what’s going on? What is that thing? Go, go, go, go! We have to go, Xiao Li! This thing is too dangerous!"

The situation was too dire; Xie Ning had no time to worry about exposing her Space.

Without a second thought, she pulled out a few barrels of gasoline and handed them to Zuo Li and Gu Chen.

The three of them hurled the gasoline forward and tossed four or five lighters after it.

As the inferno roared to life, they watched the red, thread-like things writhing and flailing on Teng Hongming’s rapidly desiccating corpse.

Teng Hongming’s hollow, vacant eyes remained locked in their direction.

"It’s the Mutated Blood Silk Vine. It’s a parasite that attaches inside a human body, controlling its movements." Xie Ning’s expression turned grim.

"Chaoyang Base must have already fallen."

’How could this be appearing now?’

’This isn’t supposed to appear until more than a decade into the apocalypse. When it did, its extreme stealthiness caused immense harm to human society.’

’She remembered a time when several smaller bases were mysteriously wiped out simultaneously, and no one could figure out why.’

’It wasn’t until Jingji Base dispatched a specialized team of Superpower User experts that the deeply hidden Mutated Blood Silk Vine was discovered—and that took a year and three months.’

Zuo Dazhu’s face was a mask of terror. "What? Miss Xie, are you saying that was a mutated plant?"

"Yes. It’s a highly stealthy, parasitic mutated plant. Once it enters a body, it immediately destroys the brain, then uses the person’s flesh and blood as nutrients."

"Then... then that plant could control Teng Hongming and make him fly a plane here to bomb us?"

That’s terrifying!

’If plants can start controlling humans, aren’t we all screwed?’

Xie Ning shook her head. "Humans controlled by the Mutated Blood Silk Vine are usually just walking corpses. Teng Hongming’s situation is very rare. For him to retain a brief period of consciousness while being used as nutrients, enough to pilot a plane to our Golden City Base..."

"That’s what I can’t figure out either."

The word "nutrients" clearly made Zuo Dazhu extremely uncomfortable.

He couldn’t stop shivering. "S-So, what are we supposed to do? C-Captain Gu, you have to give us a plan."

"Once the temperature warms up and stabilizes next week, we’ll be returning to the Capital. This situation needs to be reported to headquarters."

"What?" Zuo Dazhu nearly jumped out of his skin. "You’re all leaving? Then... then what if this... this Mutated Blood Silk Vine comes back? What are we supposed to do?"

"Once the temperature warms up, station some Fire Ability Users at the base entrance," Xie Ning said after a moment’s thought. "And you must conduct full-body examinations, especially on anyone who has recently sought refuge here."

"For now, that’s our only option. The vine is good at hiding, but it’s relatively easy to handle with fire."

Zuo Dazhu still looked unconvinced, glancing sideways at the charred ruins of the Survivor Center. "Miss Xie, are you sure that thing was completely destroyed?"

"It had so many tendrils. What if we missed one or two..."

Zuo Li shot her father a look. "Why don’t you take some men and go check for yourself?"

Zuo Dazhu shook his head frantically, glaring at his impudent daughter. "You all saw what happened! A normal person gets sucked dry in less than three minutes. I can’t go. If I run into that thing, it’s a death sentence."

"Then why are you wasting your breath?" Zuo Li snapped. "Hurry back with your men and put everyone in the shelter on full alert."

"There’s nothing to hide about this." Zuo Li shrouded herself in a protective layer of lightning and strode toward the ruins. "From now on, humanity will have to coexist with all sorts of dangerous mutated plants."

Only by getting the news out immediately could they hope to prevent unnecessary casualties born from ignorance.

...

Yu Tianfeng hadn’t been researching medicine lately; he spent his days dealing with his various plants.

Recently, the base had organized dozens of Superpower User teams, sending them out daily to hunt mutated plants in the surrounding area.

Xie Ning brought back all the specimens of mutated plants and animals they collected for Yu Tianfeng to study.

The young man, always sporting a head of wildly unkempt hair, was never seen without a test tube in hand.

"I’m going with you to the Capital tomorrow."

"Old Wei is at a biomedical research institute in the Capital. I heard they’ve developed a new drug that specifically targets the zombie virus. I’m going to go get some information."

"And exchange notes."

"I heard you went to the Capital and crashed their party before? Made a bunch of experts faint from anger?"

"What do you mean, ’crashed their party’?" Yu Tianfeng ran a hand through his disastrously messy hair. "How superficial can you be? ’Even in a group of three, there is one from whom I can learn.’ I was merely dedicating my life to scientific research and was not ashamed to ask questions."

Xie Ning pursed her lips. "I would’ve taken you even if you hadn’t asked. I’ve decided to bring the entire Starfire Team to the Capital."

"Wherever I go, you go!"

"Huh?" Yu Tianfeng blinked. "I thought..."

"Thought what?"

’Golden City Base was still safe, and she should have been able to rest easy with Zuo Li watching over it.’

’But Xie Ning believed there was no place safer for them than by her side!’

"Will we all fit on the plane?" Yu Tianfeng wanted to laugh.

"All I have to do is submit the passenger list. Xiao Gu will arrange everything else."

Yu Tianfeng pouted and thought to himself, ’For some reason, I just really don’t like that Xiao Gu.’