Chapter 187: The Plants Have Rebelled

Chapter 187: The Plants Have Rebelled

"Damn, the plants have betrayed us! Dave's brain is doomed!" Qiangzi exclaimed.

Betrayed?

Dave?

The others were confused. "What do you mean?"

"The plants have rebelled! They've joined forces with the zombies!" Qiangzi explained.

The rest still didn't understand.

So, no one pursued the topic further.

They continued watching the zombies in the distance, speculating, "Could it be that the seeds have sprouted in their brains after so long?"

"Maybe, or it could be a new type of zombie."

"The spores they're releasing are probably like plant spores, floating in the air. Definitely toxic."

"Obviously, just look at the color; you can tell it's poisonous."

They whispered to each other while looking at the green mist covering the entire street ahead.

Having survived this long, they had encountered many different types of zombies.

But this was the first time they had seen zombies intertwined with plants, forming a symbiotic relationship.

It wasn't a good situation.

At the very least, the poisonous fog formed a barrier, making it difficult for living beings to enter.

Wu Heng stood at the rear, watching through binoculars, also surprised by this new form of zombie.

There was a fundamental difference between genetic viruses and necromancy.

No matter how advanced necromancy became, it could never coexist with life. In other words, turning into a corpse wouldn't result in plants growing from the body.

Whether through magical fusion or plant grafting.

Necromancy inherently opposed life elements.

Yet, these zombies could coexist, forming a symbiotic relationship.

"Has the central station ever mentioned this type of zombie?" Wu Heng asked.

"No, I haven't heard of such zombies before. It must be a new type." Li Yanhong recalled and replied.

The central station gathered intelligence from various locations.

Then distributed it to everyone, so they would be informed about zombie types and how to deal with them.

This type of zombie hadn't been mentioned, meaning it either didn't exist elsewhere, or no one had gathered detailed information.

But that didn't matter now. What mattered was how to deal with them.

Wu Heng continued observing.

Li Yanhong asked, "What should we do? If it's too risky, we could search elsewhere for supplies."

"Let's try first. Skeletons aren't afraid of poisonous fog, so it shouldn't be a problem." Wu Heng replied.

He checked the time.

It was already past 1 PM.

The sun was at its peak.

"Do you need us to do anything?"

Wu Heng thought for a moment, then said to the Big-Head Skeleton, "Get all the skeletons off the bus, prepare for battle."

Clatter, clatter~!

All the accompanying skeletons leaped off the bus.

They filled the entire street, rearranging themselves into a formation with spears in front and cleavers behind.

Wu Heng then said to Li Yanhong, "Have the convoy turn around. Everyone has gas masks, right? Be ready to put them on if the poison spreads."

"Got it!" Li Yanhong picked up the walkie-talkie, telling everyone watching from the bus roof to get back inside and prepare their masks.

The convoy restarted, turning around.

This way, if something unexpected happened, they could easily retreat.

Once everything was ready,

Li Yanhong came over with a gas mask in hand.

"You should stay on the bus. No need to follow me," Wu Heng said.

"It's fine, I have a gas mask."

"No, we're not sure about this gas yet. Stay on the bus. If anything happens, you can come get me." Wu Heng insisted.

Though the two worlds were different, the principles were similar.

All negative effects were related to one's attributes.

High Constitution meant higher resistance to poisons, high Intelligence made illusions less effective, and high Charisma protected against mental influences.

The poison before them permeated the air, and even with a gas mask, it was hard to guarantee 100% safety.

Wu Heng wasn't planning to enter the fog himself, let alone bring Li Yanhong along.

It was just a routine scavenging mission.

If something happened to Li Yanhong, it would be a major loss.

Seeing his firm stance, Li Yanhong didn't argue further. "Alright, but be careful. If it doesn't work out, we can always search elsewhere. There's plenty of supplies."

"Yeah, go back."

Li Yanhong returned to the bus, waving at him.

Wu Heng nodded and began his own preparations.

He first downed a detoxifying potion, then held the gas mask in his hand.

He also summoned Xiaoxiao, saying, "Xiaoxiao, help your uncle scout the area. Look for any mutated zombies or strange monsters, or survivors."

"Okay!" Xiaoxiao circled once in the air before flying ahead.

Once Xiaoxiao was gone, Wu Heng gave the order, "Advance."

Clatter, clatter.

The skeleton army immediately began moving forward.

They marched towards the commercial street.

...

As the skeleton army approached,

The noise of their march caught the attention of the mushroom zombies in the poisonous fog.

All at once, the zombies turned their heads towards them.

Roar, roar~!

Upon seeing the approaching skeleton army, they let out deafening roars.

One after another, forming a continuous wave.

The wandering zombies began shuffling their feet, while the zombies leaning against the walls stiffly stood up.

Crack, crack!

A dense, grating sound filled the air.

The mushroom zombies moved extremely slowly.

Their movements were stiffer than regular zombies, like mechanical dancers. As their joints shifted, crackling sounds echoed, and the mushroom-like plants on their heads constantly spewed poisonous mist as they moved.

They looked like broken tree branches.

More and more mushroom zombies gathered, spreading the poisonous fog as they converged along the road.

Soon, a massive horde had formed.

The entire field of vision was filled with them.

They crowded and shoved as they slowly approached.

Their speed was slow, their steps shuffling.

Wu Heng looked at the poisonous fog ahead, thinking for a moment.

He raised his hand and cast [Fireball Spell] towards the horde.

A scorching fireball shot into the sky, exploding with a bang, scattering flames into the poisonous mist.

As soon as the flames descended,

The entire poisonous fog ignited like cotton wool, flames spreading rapidly, burning the tiny particles in the mist to ashes.

But before Wu Heng could celebrate, the zombies quickly regenerated the poisonous fog, covering the area once again.

There was no significant change.

It seemed this method wasn't very effective.

As the mushroom zombies gradually closed in, Wu Heng put on his gas mask.

He gave the order, "Spearmen, ready!"

Clatter, clatter!

All the skeletons drew their spears, assuming throwing stances.

When the zombie horde entered range,

"Throw!"

Whoosh~!

The spears flew through the air, landing among the zombies.

Clang, clang, clang as they hit the ground, while a swath of zombies fell like wheat being harvested.

Before he could give the order for the second volley,

Wu Heng frowned again.

The fallen mushroom zombies shakily stood back up.

The casualties were far fewer than expected.

It seemed these zombies' bodies were reinforced, making them tougher than regular zombies.

"So they sacrificed speed for stronger bodies, huh?"

Wu Heng muttered to himself.

The initial test showed the mushroom zombies' traits were clear: they had become slower but much more durable.

Calling it increased defense wasn't entirely accurate; it was more about the toughness of their flesh.

"Spearmen, ready!" Wu Heng ordered again.

The skeletons pulled out a second round of spears.

"Throw!"

Whoosh~! The second volley of spears flew out, raining down on the zombie horde.

Zombies were impaled, falling with a series of thuds.

"Spearmen... throw!"

Whoosh~!

Then came the third and fourth rounds of spear-throwing, raining down on the zombies with crackling impacts.

No matter how tough their skin was,

After several volleys, a large number of zombies fell.

Many were killed.

The mushrooms on the heads of the dead zombies closed up, ceasing to release poison.

It was as if they died along with the zombies.

Watching the approaching horde,

Wu Heng waited until they got closer and cast [Grease Spell] followed by [Fireball Spell] to ignite it.

Flames shot up instantly, twisting the air with their heat.

Wu Heng quickly retreated, avoiding the poisonous fog that followed the horde.

The mushroom zombies showed no increased intelligence.

They roared and stumbled into the flames.

Pop, pop, pop~!

The fire engulfed the zombies, and the mushrooms on their heads exploded one after another in the heat.

Their slow movement only made the fire burn more fiercely.

The flames rose over two meters high.

Soon, the charred zombies, like burnt corpses, emerged from the fire and kept charging forward.

But the mushrooms on their heads had shriveled, looking like scorched garlic.

Pop, pop, pop~!

The burnt zombies slammed into the spears, a series of sounds of flesh being pierced echoed.

The zombies roared and clawed.

The spear-wielding skeletons kept stabbing their spears, piercing through the rotten bodies.

A close-quarters battle ensued.

Meanwhile, more zombies rushed out from the alleys on both sides.

Wu Heng continued to command his troops, sending them to fight the alley zombies, the sounds of slashing and roaring filling the space.

...

The battle grew fiercer.

Corpses and bones gradually piled into small mountains.

The zombie horde outnumbered the skeletons.

After all, the skeletons were transported here by truck and didn't represent their full force.

But the skeletons were no ordinary low-level skeletons. They were well-equipped and of high level, making it difficult to determine who had the upper hand.

As Wu Heng issued continuous orders, sending two Terrorclaws to assist in the alleys,

Xiaoxiao flew back from the other side.

Pointing at the Shadow Mall building, she said, "Uncle, there's a scary monster inside that building."

Wu Heng's expression froze.

After confirming that the situation outside was under control, he asked, "What kind of monster?"

"A person, growing inside a tree."

"A tree? You mean a big tree?"

"Yeah, it's really scary!"

"Let me see!" Wu Heng said.

Xiaoxiao responded and quickly flew into his body.

The shared vision appeared in his mind.

Inside Shadow Mall,

The poisonous fog was even thicker, the ground covered in green moss, and the pillars and storefronts were overgrown with vine-like branches. Everywhere, there were severed limbs with mushrooms spewing poison.

The mall no longer looked like a mall.

It felt more like stepping into a primal ecosystem.

Xiaoxiao circled the mall once.

On the first floor, in an isolated shop,

She found the monster.

It had the appearance of a female zombie, seemingly fused with a plant.

Its body was entwined with numerous tree branches, and its torso was covered in various strange fungal plants.

Its feet were connected to the other plants in the building, appearing immobile.

The face still retained some human features, with broken glasses and a name tag on its shirt that read 'Xinxin Nursery Flowers.'

This zombie kept roaring, its body swaying with each roar.

The fungi were releasing even more poisonous mist.

It seemed like this place had become its nest, or perhaps a breeding ground.

Spreading spores outside, parasitizing little by little.

A Tier-2 zombie?

Or something even higher.

Its body had fully integrated with the plants and could even seed regular zombies.

Truly a bizarre zombie!

Xiaoxiao's vision continued to scan the entire area.

There were no other mutated zombies in sight.

Logically speaking,

This area was large, and it was the busiest part of town.

With such a dense zombie population, more mutated zombies should have been born.

But the situation didn't match the analysis.

No second type of mutated zombie had appeared.

Perhaps two types of mutated zombies couldn't coexist.

Wu Heng released Xiaoxiao, letting her continue to monitor the area while he focused on the battlefield again.

The mushroom zombies, like steam trains spewing smoke, continued charging at the skeleton army in waves.

Their resilient bodies resisted the sharp spears.

They threw themselves at the front-line skeletons without hesitation.

The spears kept stabbing, piercing through the rotting bodies of the attacking zombies.

Wu Heng glanced at the nearby skeletons and ordered, "Big Guy, Second Big Guy, you guys. Clear out the horde quickly."

Four towering skeletons, each three meters tall, stood up.

They charged forward in large strides.

Bang, bang, bang~!

Their massive bodies bulldozed a path through the horde like runaway trucks.

Their arms swung like hammers, smashing nearby zombies out of the way.

...

Buzz, buzz, buzz~!

The walkie-talkie crackled, followed by Li Yanhong's voice, "How's it going over there? The poisonous fog seems to have thinned. Should we move closer?"

Wu Heng pressed the walkie-talkie button, his voice muffled by the gas mask, "No, stay where you are. I'll let you know if we need you."

"Got it, stay safe."

Ending the communication.

Wu Heng focused back on the battlefield, issuing the command, "Advance."

The skeleton army immediately began to move.

Spears thrust forward as they marched step by step.

The Big Guys and Terrorclaw Skeletons also launched attacks.

They pushed the zombies back.

Severed limbs and shattered bones littered the ground.

...

As night fell,

The battle on the commercial street came to an end.

Corpses covered the entire street, and thick, sticky blood formed streams.

The few remaining mushroom zombies crawled desperately, only to have their heads crushed and spines broken by the Big Guys.

An autumn breeze blew through, dispersing the remaining poisonous fog.

Wu Heng, along with the skeletons, arrived at their destination.

Shadow Mall.

The glass doors had been completely shattered.

Only sharp fragments of glass remained around the door frame.

"Uncle, that tree monster is still inside," Xiaoxiao said.

Wu Heng nodded, glancing at the building that looked like it had been hit with a smoke bomb.

He ordered, "Go inside and kill all targets."

The Big Guys, Terrorclaws, and a large group of skeletons

marched directly into the building.