“So, you never really know what exists in this world. You think what you’ve experience is the most terrifying, but who knows? The things you haven’t experience might be even worse?” He Lian shared her thought that might have been a bit dubious.

“Alright, alright, let’s get moving. I don’t want to stay in this place for another minute,” Yun Shuiyao groaned in pain. She needed to check herself over thoroughly.

This was a place of sorrow, and none of them wanted to linger. The four of them, along with the Tibetan mastiff, moved away as quickly as they could.

The abandoned factory wasn’t far, and after running for so long, they should have reached it by now.

After walking for about ten minutes, they entered the factory grounds. From a distance, they could see the rusted gates and the factory walls covered in various vines. The place was charred black, giving it a different feel compared to the overgrown greenery—more desolate, with a hint of tragedy.

“It looks like it was struck by lightning.”

“If it looked like this before the apocalypse, people would have said the owners must have done something terrible to deserve being struck like that.”

He Lian smiled faintly. “Actually, our boss was a good person. Treating every employee well, especially the frontline workers. The benefits were great—and wasn’t some cruel tyrant.”

Yun Shuiyao gave her a sly look. “Oh, really now? You’re defending him so much—sounds like you two are a little closer than you let on. Spending so much time together with your boss… don’t tell me there’s no spark between you?”

He Lian shrugged innocently. “Our boss likes men.”

“Are you kidding me? Can we even have fun anymore? I’ve been cheated on by a guy before, it left me disgusted for months. How are women supposed to survive in this world?” Yun Shuiyao lamented, her frustration evident thinking that the world seemed to be full of deep, hostile intentions toward women.

He Lian laughed lightly, trying to soothe her. “Don’t worry, Shuiyao. The world is still a beautiful place. Our boss is a woman.”

Yun Shuiyao wasn’t comforted by that, though.

“Sis, I see it! There’s a lot of stuff piled up in the factory yard. Though, everything’s rusty. What’s the point of it all?”

Lan Shiru shook her head, unsure of the exact use, but it was certainly worth investigating. “It hasn’t been that long. It should still be usable. He Lian, listen carefully. Are there any other sounds around here?”

“Got it.”

This place was quite remote, and from the charred wooden remains, it was clear no one had come here for a long time. “Nothing.”

Lan Shiru nodded, still cautious. “Everyone stay on guard. Some creatures don’t make any sound—like snakes. Be careful where you step.”

“Got it.”

With a swipe of his claws, Jiang Xiang ripped open the large iron gate and took the lead, with its keen sense of smell, it allowed them to avoid many creatures hidden within.

The gate opens loudly with a grating noise as it opened, causing countless light-avers creatures sprang, scattering in a frantic panic. Startled, the four humans and the mastiff jump in shock.

After the creatures settled down from the surprise, Jiang Xiang took the lead and stepped inside. The concrete ground was covered with a thick layer of debris—withered branches, decayed leaves, and all sorts of scattered detritus. The thress, scorched by acid rain, stood lifeless, and although it hadn’t rained in over a month, the ground remained damp and sticky that every step, water seeped out, and the air thick with the stench of rot.

Yun Shuiyao: “Is there underground water here?”

He Lian shook her head. “It shouldn’t be. Back then, for convenience, they tried digging a well, but the well digger said it wasn’t feasible here. They even tried several spots, but none of them yielded water.”

“That’s strange. Could it be from the mountain? Is there a stream flowing down from up there?” Miao Miao asked.

“No, the water supply here used to come from the new factory district. The difficulty of getting water was one of the reasons this place was abandoned.”

“Something’s not right—stay alert,” Lan Shiru warned. She used her large blade to clear away the layer of dead leaves and debris before daring to step forward, leading the group toward the shipping container.

The container was entangled in thick vines, scorched black by acid rain. Their charred, twisted forms resembled giant pythons, their species unidentifiable.

“Sis, do you want to collect it directly, or should we clear it out first?”

“Just take it in as it is,” Lan Shiru decided. She had no idea if any unwelcome guests were lurking inside, but once the container was inside her space, she’d have the upper hand. There was no need to fear intruders there.

The group stepped aside, making way for Lan Shiru to collect the container.

Lan Shiru circled around the container to confirm there were no bindings before she reached out, placing her hands on it.

Just as her thoughts shifted, the vines wrapped around the container suddenly began to writhe wildly. In an instant, countless branches sprang forth and surged toward the group.

“What the hell is this?” Yun Shuiyao exclaimed as her nine-section whip was instantly tangled in the vines. She struggled fiercely, but it was completely useless. The whip was easily torn from her hands and vanished, pulled into the mass of vines.

Miao Miao threw an iron ball, but it bounced off like it was hitting a spring, having no effect at all. In just a few moments, both iron balls were stolen from her. “Ah, my iron balls!”

He Lian fared worse—both she and her sword were snatched up, the vines pulling her with such force that she was left thrashing around in pain.

Lan Shiru reacted swiftly, dodging the first attack. She slashed through the incoming vines, sprinted to He Lian’s side, and made another slash. The vine wrapped around He Lian’s body seemed to feel pain as it twisted wildly before it finally released her.

Jiang Xiang moved with incredible speed. Despite the relentless pursuit of the vines, not a single one managed to touch him. His sharp claws sliced through numerous tendrils along the way, and in the process, he managed to rescue Yun Shuiyao and Miaomiao.

“Get out of here, now!” Lan Shiru shouted urgently.

The three of them knew they were a burden and didn’t dare linger, so they turned and ran toward the exit.

However, the creature’s reach was far too extensive—its tendrils had even spread to the doorway. In an instant, it flung the three of them back, slamming them hard against the shipping container. The impact was brutal, with no effort spared, and they felt as though their internal organs had been jolted out of place.

Lan Shiru quickly threw each of them a knife. “Cut through the vines—anything that comes near, hack at it. Stick close together, form a circle, and back to back!”

Ignoring the pain, the three of them frantically swung their knives.

Lan Shiru couldn’t afford to be careless either. She moved through the tangled vines, slashing with her knife without stopping for a second. Her hands trembled, her legs shaking from exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiang wreaked havoc everywhere but it seemed that aside from inflicting pain, it had no lasting effect. Every time a vine was severed, two more would sprout in its place and the vines only more frenzied.

Each new wound caused more branches to sprout, multiplying in number. Lan Shiru exhaled in frustration, realizing she had made a critical mistake. “We can’t cut them! Every time we slice them, they just multiply. Can you all escape? I’m going to start a fire.”

The three of them quickly understood the situation. “We can run.”

“Good. I’ll have Jiang Xiang come to assist you. Hurry, get out of here!”

Jiang Xiang responded to the call and sprinted ahead, buying time for the others.

One by one, the three slid down the vines, while the vine’s tendrils were agile its thick main stem was clumsy which worked to their advantage as they made their escape.

Once on the ground, they tried to dodge as much as possible and only if they couldn’t avoid an attack would they swing their knives. Lan Shiru had already drawn a crossbow. “Hurry, run! Jiang Xiang, get down here!”

“Woof woof!”

As Jiang Xiang rushed down, Lan Shiru loosed a bolt from her crossbow. It struck the thick main trunk of the vines, followed by a rapid succession of ten more arrows. The pain made the vines thrash and twist violently, Miao Miao and the other two hadn’t run far enough and were still within its attack range, so they couldn’t avoid being caught in the crossfire, each strike from the flailing vine drawing howls of pain. They had never been beaten like this in their lives.

Lan Shiru wasn’t spared either, having to brace herself against the blows while continuing to run desperately. “Don’t scream, it’ll attract even more of those unknown creatures, and we’ll be dead for sure. Keep moving!”

Tears streaming down their faces, the three stumbled and staggered as they ran, biting their lips in frustration and enduring the relentless strikes.

=^_^=