Chapter 113: The Blood Vines

The tiny shoots growing from the dormitory wall suddenly exploded into thick, writhing vines. They surged outward across the room, twisting over one another like coiling serpents, their thorn-covered stems swelling until they were as thick as a man’s thigh. The sound of tearing wood and cracking plaster filled the air as the plants forced their way through the walls and furniture.

Within seconds the vegetation covered the walls and ceiling. It sealed the windows, choked the doorway, and coiled heavily around the furniture. The entire dormitory disappeared beneath a massive, writhing green mass. Crimson light flickered along the sharp thorns, casting an unnatural glow across the room that made the shadows move.

Ethan immediately sensed something wrong.

The vines were not simply growing. They were pulling energy from the air around them. The faint spatial fluctuations that marked the edge of the Survival Space weakened as the crimson glow spread. Even the air felt heavier, as though something invisible were pressing down on the room and making it harder to breathe.

The four men were using their Plant Abilities to create more than ordinary vegetation. They were building a biological suppression field, and it was interfering with the Survival Space itself. Ethan could feel the boundary of his own dimension thinning under the pressure.

He did not wait.

He teleported out of the pocket dimension and appeared inside the plant-choked dormitory. The moment he materialized, a heavy restriction clamped down on his spatial energy. He could still move, but his range had been compressed to roughly two meters. The vines had sealed the room so thoroughly that the walls were barely visible beneath them. The air was thick with the smell of crushed leaves and something metallic.

Dr. Cross’s voice came from the hallway beyond the barrier, calm and clear.

"Trying to escape?"

Ethan raised his hand.

"Spatial Cut."

Sharp black lines tore through the air. The invisible blades struck the mass of vines and sliced through several thick stems. For a brief moment the barrier split, revealing the corridor outside and the pale light beyond it.

Then the cut ends began to move.

The vines writhed and twisted, knitting themselves back together as crimson energy flowed through their sap. Ethan struck again. The blades cut deeper, but the vines healed almost as quickly as he damaged them. Sap dripped from the fresh cuts and sizzled when it touched the floor.

He narrowed his eyes.

The crimson glow was reinforcing their structure while devouring the spiritual energy of his attacks. Every cut fed them.

A cold laugh echoed from beyond the barrier.

"Pointless. My Blood Vines consume energy, including spatial energy. You can cut them a hundred times and they’ll just keep growing back denser."

Ethan studied the writhing wall of plants. The stems pulsed with the same red light as the mark on Rose’s forehead. Brute force alone would not work. He needed something that could outpace their regeneration.

Inside the Survival Space, Sofia was frantic. She stood close to the monitoring screen, her hands clenched at her sides.

"Ethan is out there alone. We have to help him!"

She tried to rush toward the entrance, but Tessa caught her arm and held her back.

"Wait. If we charge out there without a plan, we’ll only make it harder for him."

Rose suddenly seized the hem of Sofia’s shirt. A low, strained sound escaped her throat.

"Ethan... Sofia..."

Her fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white. The red mark on her forehead flared brighter for a second.

"Run..."

For another brief moment her eyes cleared. Sofia saw her mother looking at her. Then the emptiness rushed back in and the light faded from Rose’s eyes.

Sofia looked down at her mother, fresh tears gathering.

"Mom, I won’t leave you behind."

She turned toward the monitoring screen, her voice shaking.

"Ethan, please..."

Tessa clenched her fists, watching the vines continue to grow on the screen.

"I can help him."

She looked toward the shimmering exit portal.

"My Life Link can strengthen his reserves. If I connect with him directly, he might be able to punch through their barrier."

Ethan heard her clearly through the Survival Space’s internal audio. Without hesitation he opened the entrance and brought Tessa outside into the confined room. The vines reacted immediately, twitching toward the new presence.

"Stay close to me."

Tessa did not hesitate. She grabbed his hand with both of hers. Green light surged between their palms and flowed steadily into his body. The warmth was sharp at first, then steadied.

"This is a deep link," she said, breathing hard as she concentrated. "I’m transferring my life energy to reinforce your spatial Ability. It will drain me fast, so it won’t last long."

A sudden rush of strength spread through Ethan’s limbs. The heavy pressure restricting his spatial energy eased slightly. The dark lines forming around his fingers grew sharper and more solid. He could feel the difference.

He raised his right hand.

"Let’s see how much energy these vines can swallow."

Spatial Cut.

This time the black fissures were wrapped in a brilliant aura of Tessa’s green energy. They tore through the Blood Vines with a violent rip. Thick stems split apart. Thorn-covered sections crashed to the floor. Dark crimson sap sprayed across the walls and hissed where it landed.

The vines convulsed as the reinforced blades cut deeper. For the first time their regeneration could not keep pace with the destruction. Sections of the wall fell away and did not grow back.

Ethan pushed harder. The green light around his arm flared bright. Sweat beaded on Tessa’s forehead as she maintained the link. With a final tearing sound the mass of vines parted, opening a gap nearly half a meter wide into the hallway.

"Move!"

He grabbed Tessa by the arm and rushed toward the opening. The edges of the gap twitched as the vines tried to close again.

They had barely taken two steps into the corridor when heavy boots sounded from the shadows. A line of soldiers emerged from around the corner. Ten men stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the corridor with their rifles raised. Their faces were completely expressionless. Every one of them bore the same faint red flower-bud mark glowing on his forehead.

Ethan stopped.

Marked soldiers.

The realization sent a cold chill down his spine. Dr. Cross had not merely hypnotized a few researchers. She had turned an entire squad of armed military soldiers into obedient puppets. The red marks pulsed in time with the light still flickering on the remaining vines behind them.

The woman herself stepped out from behind them, her red veil fluttering slightly as she regarded them with cold amusement.

"Kill them."

The soldiers opened fire without hesitation.