Chapter 237 - 149: Scrambling for Vine Fragments! Become a Transcendent by Eating Vines? The Only Solution

Chapter 237: Chapter 149: Scrambling for Vine Fragments! Become a Transcendent by Eating Vines? The Only Solution

Both the Tiger Striped Dog’s sense of smell and the results from the Identification Skill showed that these remnants contained a pitiful amount of Extraordinary Energy and posed no threat of parasitic resurgence.

That was precisely why Chen Chong couldn’t be bothered with them.

If they had even a sliver of value, he would have had the members of the Fishing Club collect them.

The Extraordinary Energy provided by these broken fragments wasn’t even as substantial as a bowl of Blood-tooth Python meat broth.

Watching the crowd scramble over the fragments, Zhong Fang and Zhang Meng found it rather amusing.

Not only did they have no intention of stopping them, they actually felt it saved them some trouble. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Once they were done grabbing everything, the square would be cleaned up in the process, saving them the effort of cleaning it later...

"Everyone, form a line! Register your name, age, and former profession!"

"Those who have registered, go to the other side to get a bowl of meat broth. This is a perk from Brother Chong for the new members. If you want more in the future, you’ll have to earn it through your own efforts..."

Meanwhile, long lines had also formed in front of three large pots.

The team members stationed there were methodically ladling out meat broth for the newcomers.

With a single sip of the hot broth, expressions of deep satisfaction spread across everyone’s faces.

It was hard to tell if it was a psychological effect or if the flesh of the Blood-tooth Python truly had some miraculous property.

After finishing the broth, everyone felt a pleasant warmth spread through their bodies, as if a ball of fire was coursing through them.

Their bodies, weakened by long-term malnutrition, now felt stronger, as if they had returned to their peak condition from before they crossed over...

...

The sky gradually darkened.

Chen Chong, Xu Jun, Qi Zhen, Wang Biao, and Jia Wen were still in the library, researching how to remove the Bloodthirsty Vines from the bodies of early-stage Parasites.

But no matter what method Chen Chong tried, he couldn’t completely extract the vines.

A few times, because they were too far from the Blood Eye Blade and the Lion-headed Goose, the Bloodthirsty Vine inside a Parasite’s body nearly went berserk, endangering the host’s life.

Fortunately, Chen Chong reacted quickly and threw the person back, preventing the experiment from failing...

Under the suppressive effect, these Bloodthirsty Vines remained dormant. They couldn’t continue to draw energy from their hosts, as if they had fallen into a deep slumber.

Using the Identification Skill, Chen Chong could clearly see the layout of the Bloodthirsty Vines.

Some were wrapped around the arms, others were coiled in the thighs, and some were even lodged in the abdomen, chest, or neck.

If the whole mass was small enough, it might have been possible to remove it with the help of Shen Xinrou and the Medicine Lady.

But the Bloodthirsty Vines were, by nature, vine-like. Even when not fully mature, they were like countless thin tendrils rooted in flesh and blood, as difficult to remove as maggots clinging to bone.

Chen Chong found a student with a shallower infestation, where the Bloodthirsty Vine was only in the palm of their hand. He planned to make an incision with the Snake Scale Short Knife and attempt to extract the vine.

The result, however, was unsatisfactory.

When left untouched, the Bloodthirsty Vine hid quietly within the flesh. But once exposed to air and sensing the threat of removal, it would awaken instantly—even with the suppressive effect—and desperately burrow deeper into the arm, like a frightened worm.

Unless the entire arm was amputated, it was impossible to completely uproot the Bloodthirsty Vine.

But in their current environment, setting aside the lack of medical facilities to treat an amputation, simply losing a hand would drastically reduce one’s ability to survive. They would be as good as helpless.

With no other choice, Chen Chong had to stop immediately. He bandaged the person’s palm with a white cloth to stop the bleeding, not daring to make another rash attempt.

This simple experiment made him understand that completely removing the vines was practically impossible.

It was like pulling a weed from the ground. You might be able to pull the weed out by force, but the surrounding soil attached to it would be torn up and left in a mess.

Soil can recover, but the human body doesn’t get that chance. Forcible removal was a death sentence.

Given the circumstances, it was better to let the vines remain in their bodies.

With the suppression from the Lion-headed Goose, which had the same effect as the Blood Eye Blade, the vines wouldn’t move a single inch as long as they stayed within range.

Chen Chong knew deep down that to completely eliminate these Bloodthirsty Vines, there was likely only one method left.

That was to tackle the problem at its source: by killing the Bloodthirsty Vine King!

Since these Bloodthirsty Vines were all offshoots of the Bloodthirsty Vine King, if the main root was severed, these immature vines might simply wither and die.

They would either be expelled from the body or lose all activity and be absorbed by it...

Gazing at the pitch-black night sky outside, Chen Chong murmured to himself.

"’Time passes so quickly. Is it night again already?’"

He reflected on his day. He had spent almost all of it running around, dealing with the Bloodthirsty Vines and the Parasites. Although he’d barely had any rest, he had at least cleared out the main threat of the Bloodthirsty Vines and even managed to establish the team along the way.

At this thought, a flicker of anticipation grew in Chen Chong’s heart.

It wasn’t anticipation for the team’s future development. Rather, he was wondering, ’After all the trouble I went through today, what kind of score will tonight’s daily evaluation give me?’

...