area51novel Chapter 87 Mutant Ghost-Faced Demon Vine
Chapter 87 Mutant Ghost-Faced Demon Vine
The patrolmen's shouts echoed through the quiet neighborhood, waking countless people who were still asleep.
Li Hao suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed instantly.
Chen Sihan was also startled awake, rubbing her eyes and asking, "Brother Hao, what's wrong?"
"Something's happened." Li Hao had already put on his coat, opened the window, and jumped out.
downstairs.
A crowd is gathering.
The fog was thick, and people's faces appeared blurry and pale in the mist, but the atmosphere of panic pressed down on everyone's hearts as if it were a tangible reality.
Li Hao pushed through the crowd.
The girl is still lying there.
Naked, pale, with empty, staring eyes.
He knelt down and gently covered her with his coat.
His movements paused when the back of his hand touched his cold skin.
It's already stiff.
Li Hao stood up and glanced at the surrounding crowd.
Some people covered their faces and sobbed softly, some whispered among themselves, some stared wide-eyed in terror, and several young girls huddled together, their faces ashen, clutching each other's hands.
"Is...is she Old Chen's second daughter?" a trembling voice asked.
A middle-aged woman staggered through the crowd, saw the body covered with a coat on the ground, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.
"My daughter! My daughter!"
A heart-wrenching wail exploded, like a knife piercing everyone's heart.
That's Aunt Chen.
A middle-aged woman who was well-liked in the neighborhood lost her husband, Lao Chen, to a mutated beast while protecting the family. She and her daughter were left to depend on each other for survival.
My daughter is only eighteen years old. She is well-behaved and sensible, and she greets everyone as uncle or aunt.
Now, she lies there, unable to call out "Uncle" anymore.
"Who is it! Who the hell is it?!"
Aunt Chen lay on the ground, desperately trying to crawl towards her daughter, but several women held her back tightly. "Let me see her! Let me see my daughter!"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Liu Xueqin rushed over and hugged Aunt Chen, crying, "Aunt Chen! Aunt Chen, please don't do this..."
Her voice choked with emotion, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Yesterday evening, the girl took a skewer of roasted bird meat from her hand and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Xueqin."
Wang Yi walked to his wife's side and silently put his arm around her shoulder.
Liu Xueqin leaned against him, trembling all over.
The crowd grew increasingly dense.
Some were filled with grief and indignation, some with fear, some remained silent, and others had their eyes flickering and shifting in the crowd.
Wang Hao finally arrived. He pushed through the crowd and saw the scene on the ground. The color drained from his face instantly.
"Seal off the scene!"
His voice was hoarse and low, filled with suppressed anger, "All unauthorized personnel, stand back! No one is allowed to approach!"
Security personnel began to disperse the crowd, but with little success.
No one wanted to leave, or rather, no one dared to leave.
After something like this happened, who would want to be alone?
"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way!"
An aged voice came from outside the crowd.
Old Chen squeezed in; he was Aunt Chen's father-in-law and one of the oldest residents in the neighborhood.
He walked shakily to the door of the power distribution room, looked at the body covered by the coat on the ground, and something shattered in his cloudy eyes.
He slowly knelt down, took off his hat, and covered his face with it.
"God... please open your eyes and look..."
The old man's dry sobs were more heartbreaking than any roar.
Wang Hao clenched his teeth tightly, and a vein bulged on his cheek.
He turned to face the growing crowd and shouted:
"Everyone! I, Wang Hao, hereby assure you! This matter will be thoroughly investigated and the truth will be revealed!"
The murderer will not escape!
The crowd quieted down slightly, but the unease continued to spread.
"Investigate? How do you investigate?"
A man's sarcastic voice rang out from the crowd, "They said they were investigating yesterday, but where did they get to? And today the person is dead!"
"Exactly! They talked a good game yesterday, but what happened?"
"The security team only has a few people, how can they possibly check everything?"
"I think the culprit is among us! Who has the strength to do that to a girl? It must be an evolved being! Only an evolved being has that kind of power!"
These words were like igniting a powder keg, and the crowd instantly erupted.
"Yes! It must be an evolved being!"
"It's too easy for an evolved being to kill someone."
"There's no evidence yet, so don't talk nonsense. Do you think it's impossible for an ordinary person to do it?" Niu Dazhuang shouted.
"Ordinary people wouldn't have that kind of courage."
"I think you're quite bold."
Niu Dazhuang stared coldly at the man.
"You can't say things like that." The man felt uneasy after hearing that.
"That's enough!"
Li Hao's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
That cold and sharp gaze instantly silenced the previously boisterous crowd.
"The murderer will be found."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, "But before that, let's not be suspicious of each other. There are monsters all around us now, and the last thing we need is infighting."
The crowd was silent.
But that silence was not calm; it was like the surface of the sea suppressing a storm.
"Security team, take the body away," Wang Hao ordered. "Aunt Chen, please accept my condolences... We will give you an explanation."
Aunt Chen was crying so hard she couldn't speak, she could only nod frantically.
Several women helped her leave.
Liu Xueqin stood beside her, her eyes red-rimmed.
The crowd finally began to disperse, but the atmosphere of panic and anger lingered like the morning mist.
The women helped each other leave, glancing back every now and then with fear in their eyes.
Several young girls huddled together, whispering about how they would sleep together tonight and not be left out.
Wang Hao walked up to Li Hao and lowered his voice: "What do you think?"
Looking at the body being carried away, Li Hao said calmly, "It's obvious that the murderer was a man. The ligature marks on the body are likely the cause of death, and we can focus our investigation on that."
Wang Hao nodded in agreement. "I also checked the marks just now, and they don't look like rope marks."
It is indeed possible to find clues by examining the murder weapon.
Li Hao said, "There are a few retired police officers in the community, so we can have them check it out."
"it is good."
Wang Hao nodded, then sighed, "Are you going out again today?"
"Yes." Li Hao looked outside the community. "There's only one lord left. Only after we take care of him can we focus on developing the community."
Wang Hao was silent for a moment, then said, "Be careful, and come back soon."
Li Hao nodded and turned to leave.
Behind me, I could still faintly hear Aunt Chen crying.
The fog gradually dissipated, and sunlight shone through the clouds.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
On the edge of the western hilly area, Li Hao floated in mid-air, followed by Zhang Xiaonan, Zhao Meng, and Li Wen.
Below, Shadowmoon followed at a distance with a group of slaves.
Li Hao's gaze fell on the undulating hills ahead.
The entire hillside seemed to writhe, with countless thick vines emerging from the ground, swaying in the air like countless living giant pythons.
"This is it."
Zhao Meng's expression was grave. "Those vines are very sensitive. They detected me as soon as I got close."
Zhang Xiaonan closed her eyes to sense the situation, and opened them a moment later: "The underground root system is very developed, almost covering the entire hilly area."
The core... is about 800 meters directly ahead, 220 meters underground.
"Two hundred and twenty meters?" Li Wen exclaimed in astonishment. "How are we supposed to shoot from that?"
Li Hao did not answer, but instead raised his right arm.
A white beam of light, about the thickness of a finger, shot out and hit a giant vine, about two meters in diameter, that had broken through the ground three hundred meters away!
"puff!"
The beam of light pierced through the vines in an instant, leaving a hole the size of a fist.
White smoke was rising from the edge of the hole, emitting a burnt smell.
But next second.
The giant vine suddenly trembled, and a milky white, viscous liquid began to seep from the point of penetration, quickly covering the wound.
The smoke stopped, the scorch marks were covered by liquid, and the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"This thing..." Li Wen's eyes widened, "Its regenerative ability is just too strong!"
Zhao Meng's expression became even more serious: "I just observed that the vines that I cut with lightning that day have now grown back."
This thing has such an extensive root system that as long as the roots are still there, the part above ground can continuously regenerate.
Li Hao withdrew his arm, his brows furrowing slightly.
Simple attacks using force or energy are unlikely to completely kill this plant lord if they cannot destroy its underground root system.
"Xiaonan," he said.
"clear."
Zhang Xiaonan had already guessed his thoughts. She took a deep breath and said, "I will do my best to pull up its main trunk."
But... at a depth of 220 meters, with a vast root network, my mental power might not be able to directly shake it.
"There's no need to shake everything up."
Li Hao said, "We just need to pinpoint the main trunk, pull out a portion of it, and leave the rest to me."
Zhang Xiaonan nodded and closed her eyes.
The invisible power of thought seeped into the depths of the earth like mercury spilling onto the ground.
Ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters, eighty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred and twenty meters.
Finally, they touched that enormous core, radiating a strong sense of life.
It was a huge root system with a diameter of over ten meters, with countless branching roots spreading outwards like blood vessels, penetrating deep into the underground of the entire hill.
"Found it!" Zhang Xiaonan shouted, unleashing her full telekinetic power!
The ground began to shake.
At first it was just a slight tremor.
But soon, the tremors became more and more intense, like an earthquake!
The soil on the surface of the hills began to crack and bulge, and countless pebbles rolled down.
Zhang Xiaonan gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Boom boom boom!"
Thick vines burst forth from the ground.
But it wasn't an attack; it was a struggle.
They seemed to sense that the core was threatened and were desperately trying to protect the main trunk!
"Zhao Meng!" Li Hao ordered.
"clear!"
Lightning surged from Zhao Meng's palms, and bolts of electricity shot out, striking the vines that tried to approach!
"Bang bang bang!"
The lightning crackled, scorching and breaking the vines, temporarily rendering them immobile.
Li Wen was not to be outdone. His right fist burst into flames as he blasted at a smaller vine!
Flames clung to the surface of the vines and quickly ignited.
However, the next second.
A milky white liquid seeped from the surface of the vines, covering the flames. With a "hiss," the flames were extinguished!
"What?!"
Li Wen's eyes widened, and he threw several more punches.
The flames ignited again and again, only to be extinguished by the liquid each time.
The vines were only slightly charred on the surface; they were not damaged at all.
"This thing is fire resistant!" Li Wen exclaimed anxiously.
Don't waste your energy!
Li Hao shouted, "Your flames aren't hot enough! Go help Zhao Meng clear the outer perimeter; leave the main body to us!"
Li Wen nodded and turned to support Zhao Meng.
The ground tremors became increasingly violent.
"rise!"
Zhang Xiaonan loosely clenched her hands and pulled upwards with all her might.
"Boom!"
The entire hillside seemed to have been torn apart by an invisible giant hand!
A huge crack spreads from the center to both sides.
Countless clods of earth and rocks surged up!
A massive black shadow is slowly rising from the crack!
It was a... no, it was a huge, intertwined trunk of vines.
The smallest branch is a meter thick, and the main trunk in the middle has a diameter of more than ten meters!
It is dark brown all over, and its surface is covered with hideous burls and dense, fine vines.
The tendrils danced wildly in the air like countless tentacles, making a sharp hissing sound!
On the main trunk, a blurry, face-like pattern slowly unfolds.
Those were two enormous black holes, from which eerie green light surged!
[Mutated Ghost-Faced Demon Vine]
Bioenergy intensity ≈ 390 - 395 standard units
[Strength Level: Level 3 (Peak)]
[Characteristics: Extremely strong regenerative ability, secretes corrosive slime, vine attacks inflict psychotoxicity, can move rapidly through its root system. Weakness: Defense decreases when the main trunk is exposed.]
The virtual panel information appeared in Li Hao's field of vision.
"Xiaonan, hang in there!"
Li Hao raised his right arm, Particle Arm Unit—Maximum Power!
It charges in 0.8 seconds.
The silvery-white sphere of light was compressed to its limit.
0.5 seconds.
The AI warned of power overload again, but Li Hao ignored it.
0.2 seconds.
The Ghost-Faced Demon Vine seemed to sense a deadly threat. The green light on its face flickered violently, and countless vines lashed out at Li Hao!
0 seconds.
emission!
"Buzz!!"
A white beam of light, more refined and intense than yesterday's, shot out.
It hit the face right in the center of the main trunk!
The beam of light pierced through the ten-meter-thick trunk, leaving a hole the size of a washbasin.
The edges of the hole instantly turned black and carbonized, and the milky white liquid that had just seeped out was evaporated by the high temperature.
"hiss!!!"
The Ghost-Faced Demon Vine let out a sharp, piercing screech that didn't sound like a plant!
The entire vine trunk trembled violently, and the pierced parts began to crack, gushing out black sap mixed with charred debris!
But it is not dead yet.
"Bang bang bang".
The tree canopy trembled violently, and countless vines, like mad pythons, lashed out at everything around them indiscriminately!
The ground was churned into deep trenches, and the rocks were pulverized!
"Crack!" The towering tree was snapped in two.
"Keep pulling!" Li Hao shouted at Zhang Xiaonan.
Veins bulged on Zhang Xiaonan's forehead as she unleashed her full mental power, locking onto the vines to prevent them from retreating underground.
Li Hao retracted his right arm.
The particle unit is overloaded and requires a short cooling period.
He took a deep breath and rushed towards the Ghost-Faced Demon Tree like a shooting star.
The bio-force field is fully deployed!
Solar battle aura condenses in his right fist!
A punch was thrown!
"Bang!!!"
The fist slammed into the side of the main trunk, and the huge vine trunk, ten meters thick, exploded from the ground!
The bark cracked and the wood fibers burst, revealing a huge dent with a diameter of two meters!
Such tough vines.
Li Hao was slightly startled.
The Demon Tree with Ghost Faces let out another hiss, and countless tiny tendrils shot towards Li Hao like sharp arrows!
Li Hao neither dodged nor evaded, but instead used his bio-force field for full defense.
After those tendrils pierced into the force field, they were like sinking into an invisible swamp, their speed decreasing drastically, and they couldn't touch his body at all!
"Bang bang bang".
The second punch!
The third punch!
The fourth punch!
Every punch landed on the same spot!
The tree trunk shook violently, and cracks spread like a spider web!
Black sap gushed out, mixing with wood chips and scattering everywhere!
On the perimeter, Zhao Meng and Li Wen desperately tried to stop the vines that were surging forward.
Lightning and flames intertwined, and broken vines covered the ground, but more vines still sprouted from the ground!
"Is this ever going to end?!" Li Wen gasped for breath, his energy already mostly depleted.
"Hold on!" Zhao Meng gritted his teeth and unleashed another bolt of lightning.
Zhang Xiaonan's mental power also began to weaken.
Maintaining the underground tension at a depth of over 200 meters while simultaneously locking onto the Ghost-Faced Demon Tree to prevent its escape was an immense burden for her.
Fresh blood slowly flowed from her nostrils.
But she didn't let go.
She knew this was the last lord.
Only by eliminating it can the area around Dawn City truly be safe.
Li Hao also sensed Zhang Xiaonan's condition.
Can't delay any longer.
He retreated dozens of meters and raised his right arm again.
Particle arm unit—maximum power!
Ignore the warnings!
Extreme overload!
A white light condensed in the palm of his hand.
The skin on my arms was abnormally flushed, and there were even a few small cracks from which blood seeped out.
The bright white sphere of light was rapidly compressed to the size of an egg.
Energy density increased several times over!
It takes 0.8 seconds to fully charge.
emission.
"Buzz—Sizzle!!!"
The beam of light was like a lightsaber, sweeping across everything from top to bottom.
Then cut horizontally again.
Cross Slash.
"hiss!!!"
The demonic vines emitted a sharp, piercing screech.
Black liquid splattered.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A violent explosion erupted from the inside!
The trunk of the entire Ghost-Faced Demon Tree burst open from the middle, and countless wood chips, black sap, and vine fragments shot out in all directions like a volcanic eruption!
The green light on that face flickered violently, then quickly dimmed.
The Demon Tree with the Ghost Face let out a final, mournful cry, and countless vines froze simultaneously before drooping limply.
The massive trunk began to tilt.
"boom!!!"
With a deafening roar like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting apart, the main trunk of the Ghost-Faced Demon Tree, which was over ten meters in diameter and a hundred meters tall, collapsed with a crash!
It crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust!
The entire hillside shook violently, then fell into a deathly silence.
Li Hao slowly descended, landing beside the fallen trunk.
My right arm trembled slightly, and several cracks on the skin of my palm were slowly healing.
Zhang Xiaonan fell from the air, but was caught by Li Hao.
Her face was pale, and blood was seeping from her seven orifices, but a smile lingered on her lips: "It...it was a success..."
"Yes, it worked."
Li Hao gently put her down and looked at Li Wen and Zhao Meng, "How are you two?"
Li Wen plopped down on the ground, drenched in sweat: "I'm exhausted... This thing was so tough to deal with..."
Zhao Meng was also pale, clearly exhausted, but he smiled and nodded, "It's alright, I just need a rest."
Li Hao turned around and faced the fallen giant tree.
The results of the brain scan have emerged:
The target has been confirmed dead.
The core energy source is located at the base of the main trunk, at a depth of approximately two meters; extraction is recommended.
Li Hao stepped forward, gathered his strength in his right fist, and punched open the outer skin of the base of the trunk.
Inside, a thumb-sized evolution stone with a pale green hue was revealed.
Upon closer inspection, this evolution stone has a few streaks of purple.
"There are even a few streaks of purple."
He was overjoyed.
This means that the evolution stone is close to level four.
[Advanced Energy Source]
[Quality: Grade 3 (High Purity)]
【Characteristics: Contains powerful life energy, which can be used to repair the body, accelerate regeneration, and increase the upper limit of vitality】
"My darling."
Li Hao smiled and put the evolution stone into his pocket.
"Keep digging."
He told everyone, "There is a chance that a level 2 evolution stone will condense at the root of every vine branch."
Half an hour later, the harvest was tallied:
Demonface Vine Evolution Stone x1
78 Level 2 Light Blue Evolution Stones
Over 200 Level 1 Evolution Stones
Li Hao looked at the pile of light blue level 2 evolution stones and nodded slightly.
This trip was more fruitful than any previous one.
"Take one first to recover." He picked out a dark blue evolution stone and tossed it to Zhang Xiaonan, Zhao Meng, and Li Wen.
The group accepted the medicine without hesitation and immediately took it.
Li Hao also took out a level 3 evolution stone with a few wisps of purple on it and threw it into his mouth.
"Crack, gulp."
The liquid flowed into the stomach.
In an instant, a tremendous heat surged through my entire body.
A tremendous surge of energy filled his limbs and bones, reaching all the way to the top of his head.
A misty steam emanated from his body.