Chapter 39: Bloodthirsty Vine
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The bloodthirsty vines spread at an alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, the white exterior walls of the office building turned red. The wriggling bloodthirsty vines entangled with each other, creeping downwards like snakes from high places.
The sunlight shone upon the bloodthirsty vines, giving them a translucent appearance. They looked beautiful like rubies, but Jiang Rong had no intention of admiring them; he only wanted to leave quickly.
According to Pan Pan’s description, the attacking vines were only as thick as a thumb. But now, the vines before Jiang Rong were as thick as his wrist. Within half a month, the bloodthirsty vines had grown significantly, becoming a force they could no longer deal with.
Seeing this scene, the two turned and rushed towards the gate. Guan Shao, who had seen his fair share of storms, was now somewhat uncertain, “Is this thing an animal or a plant?”
Previously, when Pan Pan described it, Guan Shao thought he was exaggerating. However, after seeing the red vines with his own eyes, he felt Pan Pan’s description had been understated.
Jiang Rong quickly warned, “Don’t let its vines entangle you; it feeds on blood!”
Guan Shao responded, “Got it!”
However, before they could reach the gate, a vast expanse of red suddenly appeared before them. Vines, appearing from nowhere, rapidly spread out, blocking the gate firmly. Apart from the gate, the walls within fifty meters were also covered with vines, making it impossible to see through.
Jiang Rong abruptly halted his steps and cursed. This thing could actually ambush them! Now he began to suspect whether the area around the gate was deliberately clean, as if this creature had set traps specifically to lure people in who wanted solar panels.
With the gate blocked, Jiang Rong and his companion had to find another way out. They could either climb over the wall or find another entrance. Of course, the premise was not to be caught by the bloodthirsty vines.
The bloodthirsty vines obviously didn’t want to give up their prey. The red vines surged from all directions towards them like a tide. Jiang Rong surveyed the surroundings; the east, south, and west were all blocked by the bloodthirsty vines. They had no choice but to retreat towards the interior of the office building.
However, with the office building surrounded by the bloodthirsty vines, once they entered, they would face various ambushes. Vines could enter through ventilation ducts or doors and windows, turning them into trapped prey.
Both of them were not fools and quickly realized the intention of the bloodthirsty vines. Jiang Rong gritted his teeth, “It’s forcing us into the building.”
Guan Shao sneered, “This thing even knows tactics.”
However, he was not to be outdone. At a critical moment, Guan Shao pulled out a grenade from his pocket. After removing the safety, he threw it towards the vines to the east. As the grenade left his hand, Guan Shao threw himself towards Jiang Rong, “Get down!”
Caught off guard, Jiang Rong was tackled to the ground by Guan Shao. His face pressed against the scorching concrete, his ears tightly covered by Guan Shao’s hands. Guan Shao’s voice quickly came, “Open your mouth.”
Jiang Rong obediently opened his mouth.
“Boom!”
A deafening sound and a burst of flames erupted in front of the office building. The shockwave from the explosion shattered nearby glass. The bloodthirsty vines, which had almost surrounded them, were startled by the noise and recoiled several meters.
The vines on the east side, unable to retract in time, were hit by the explosion. The red vines, unable to withstand the fire, quickly caught fire, emitting bright yellow flames. The vines affected by the blast writhed and voluntarily disconnected the parts that had caught fire.
After the explosion, Jiang Rong could only hear a ringing in his ears; he couldn’t hear anything else. Dazed, he sat up, staring blankly at the burning vines and glass shards before him.
The scene before him flickered, everything spinning. He felt nauseous, like he was going to vomit. Struggling to endure the discomfort, Jiang Rong blinked dazedly, his eyes vacant. Who was he? Where was he? What had happened? Seeing Jiang Rong’s bewildered expression, Guan Shao suddenly grabbed his arm, “Get up!”
Jiang Rong’s body felt limp; he didn’t want to move. After being dragged by Guan Shao a few times, he looked past him in a daze: who was this again? He seemed familiar.
Realizing the situation was dire, Guan Shao bent down, half supporting Jiang Rong and half carrying him. Then, he lowered his shoulder, pressing it against Jiang Rong’s stomach. With a sudden force from his legs and waist, Jiang Rong’s body went airborne, securely hoisted onto Guan Shao’s shoulder.
As an adult man, Jiang Rong still had some weight, but Guan Shao seemed unaffected by the burden. In the blink of an eye, he ran several meters to the east.
The pressure on Jiang Rong’s stomach made his stomach churn. He tried to speak, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn’t get any words out. After struggling weakly for a few moments, he lost consciousness, his vision going dark.
The bloodthirsty vines on the east side suffered severe damage. The explosion created a passage through the vines.
Guan Shao rushed forward, quickly breaking through the encirclement of the bloodthirsty vines. If he wasn’t mistaken, this thing should have developed intelligence like Little Fairy from Jiang Rong’s family. It knew how to ambush and feared pain. It had exceeded the category of plants. If left unchecked, it would become everyone’s nightmare.
Seeing their prey escaping rapidly, the bloodthirsty vines entangled their vines and pursued relentlessly. The hard vines made rustling sounds as they moved across the concrete, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Guan Shao carried Jiang Rong while glancing at the large characters on the side of the factory building. Soon, a row of gilt characters appeared before him: Battery Laboratory. Seeing these words, he quickened his pace.
Jiang Rong felt like he had just had a long dream, running all the time. He didn’t know how far he had run or for how long. All he knew was that when he woke up again, his head felt like it had been pounded with fists, and his stomach felt like it had been crushed by a wheel.
At this moment, a trash can appeared in front of him, and Guan Shao’s voice came, “Feeling nauseous?”
Jiang Rong glanced at the trash can and turned his head away, feeling nauseated. After a moment of buffering, he waved his hand, “No need. What’s wrong with me?”
Guan Shao apologized, “You were affected by the shockwave from the explosion and got a concussion. If you feel nauseous and want to vomit, don’t hold it in.”
He was accustomed to a life of gunfire and explosions, forgetting that Jiang Rong had been an ordinary person before. At the moment of the explosion, Jiang Rong had been hit by the shockwave. Fortunately, Jiang Rong had a strong physique and quickly regained consciousness. Otherwise, he didn’t know how he would blame himself.
Jiang Rong closed his eyes and waited for a moment. The feeling of concussion was uncomfortable. Even with his eyes closed, he felt like the world was spinning and jumping. No wonder the dream he had today kept swaying; it turned out to be a concussion.
After the wood-element ability circulated in his body for a few rounds, the dizziness was quickly dissipating. When Jiang Rong opened his eyes again, his gaze had cleared, “Guan Shao, thank you.”
If it weren’t for Guan Shao, he would probably have become a bag of bones by now.
Guan Shao nodded, “It’s nothing.”
Not to mention that Jiang Rong was now his teammate; based on the fact that he had saved him without hesitation before, he would also do his best to save him.
The two were in a closed room with no windows but illuminated by lights. The white light brightened the room, and although it was enclosed, they didn’t feel stuffy. Jiang Rong looked up at the lights above and then at the nameless instruments and equipment. He was puzzled, “Where are we?”
Guan Shao reached behind him and pulled out a water bottle. After unscrewing the lid, he handed it to Jiang Rong, “Battery Laboratory.”
In addition to producing solar panels, Lean Solar Electronics also produced matching batteries. The company had invested heavily in building a rare battery research laboratory in the industry, aiming to surpass its counterparts in technology.
Instability in battery research could easily lead to explosions, so the strength and hardness of the laboratory far exceeded those of other factories. The laboratory had its own power supply and air conditioning system, which was why the room didn’t feel stuffy despite having no windows.
Because of its solid construction, even if the laboratory exploded inside, the outer buildings wouldn’t be affected. Similarly, even if chaos ensued outside, as long as the laboratory doors were closed, those inside would be safe. Now, this battery laboratory has become a temporary refuge for the two.
After taking a few sips of water from the bottle handed to him, Jiang Rong asked the first question, “How did you find this place?”
Guan Shao was really impressive; it was his first time, yet he managed to find the laboratory accurately. Guan Shao blinked, “It might be a reflex.”
Whenever he went on a mission and arrived in a new environment, his first task was to find suitable attack and defense routes, and of course, suitable shelters were also crucial. Jiang Rong gave him a thumbs-up, “Impressive.”
As fellow espers, if Jiang Rong had Guan Shao’s instincts, he wouldn’t have ended up with a concussion from the explosion.
After a brief respite in the laboratory, Jiang Rong and Guan Shao began to consider how to break out. Guan Shao drew a circle on a factory on a piece of scrap paper, “We are here now.”
The location of this factory was a bit awkward, as it was some distance from the surrounding factories and the main gate. If they were to act, they would easily be discovered without cover. Guan Shao pondered, “I don’t know if this thing has resting periods. If it does, we can take advantage of its relaxation to leave.”
Ordinary plants would sleep at night. If the bloodthirsty vines didn’t move at night, they could take the opportunity to escape.
Jiang Rong agreed with this idea. In their past lives, espers attacked bloodthirsty vines at night, so presumably, they would rest at night, as not all plants were as active at night as cacti.
Glancing at the time, Guan Shao said, “It’s exactly eleven o’clock. Let’s rest well, conserve our energy, and act when night falls.”
There were long tables in the laboratory, and Guan Shao moved the unfinished batteries from the table to the ground before piecing the tables together. “Lie down and rest for a while.”
In fact, Jiang Rong couldn’t sleep, but he politely declined, “You should rest. I’m not sleepy.”
Without delay, Guan Shao climbed onto the table. Just as he was about to lie down, Jiang Rong keenly noticed a few almost dried bloodstains on his neck.
These wounds should have appeared on Jiang Rong’s body. When the explosion occurred, Guan Shao had covered most of Jiang Rong’s body with his own, taking the brunt of the attack for him.
Jiang Rong quickly spoke up, “Guan Shao, wait a moment. You have wounds on your neck. Let me clean them up before you sleep.”
Guan Shao sat on a chair, and Jiang Rong took out a small medical kit from his backpack. After cleaning Guan Shao’s wounds, Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief, “Luckily, no glass got embedded in.”
Guan Shao said casually, “I’m tough. Ordinary injuries can’t do anything to me.”
They had come out early, and at this point, Jiang Rong’s stomach growled. After administering the medication to Guan Shao, he took out a lunchbox from his backpack, “Have some food. It’s better to eat before sleeping.”
The lunchbox contained four seaweed rolls, and from the side, you could see the white rice inside and the hot dog sausage with pickled radish in the middle. Guan Shao was surprised, “You’re well-prepared.”
It was the first time Guan Shao had seen seaweed rolls on a mission. When Jiang Rong mentioned eating, he thought today’s lunch would be compressed biscuits. The seaweed rolls emitted a fresh aroma, and he couldn’t help but take a big bite, “Hmm, delicious!”
Jiang Rong sighed softly, “I thought I would be able to go back soon. If I had known we would be trapped here, I would have prepared more food.”
These snacks would only last them one meal. Hopefully, they would successfully break out tonight.
As they ate seaweed rolls and discussed their escape route, Guan Shao made a discovery after the recent explosion, “That thing fears fire. We have many batteries here, so I can use them to create explosions and increase our chances of escape.”
Jiang Rong had some concerns, “The bloodthirsty vine is not like ordinary plants; it can move. If we ignite it, I’m afraid we won’t be able to contain the fire in the factory area. Given the dry weather today, there are large amounts of chemical raw materials and semi-finished batteries in nearby factories. If a fire occurs, it could spread and affect other areas.”
Guan Shao nodded, “Bloodthirsty vine… That name suits it. Besides, if the factory area burns down, the solar panels will be gone.” They had come for the solar panels, and if they were lost in a fire, their subsequent plans would be affected.
Jiang Rong summarized, “Let’s observe tonight. If possible, we’ll retreat from the park and figure out how to deal with it later.”
In their past lives, when espers fought bloodthirsty vines, they would make preparations days in advance. Today, seeing the size and scale of the bloodthirsty vine, they could prepare next time and lure it to an open area to eradicate it in one fell swoop.
After finishing the lunchbox, Jiang Rong prepared to put it back in his backpack. Suddenly, his hand was stung as if something had bitten him.
Startled, Jiang Rong jerked his hand back, and the backpack on the table fell to the ground with a thud.
Guan Shao stood up abruptly, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Rong looked at the back of his hand, where a wound the size of a soybean had appeared. The skin on the wound was gone, and bright red blood slid down from his hand to the ground. “Something bit me.”
Guan Shao drew out his dagger and lifted the flap of the backpack. Rustling sounds came from inside, and a foot-long red vine crawled out.
Guan Shao’s eyes narrowed, and he was about to cut it with his dagger. However, Jiang Rong stopped him, “Wait, let’s study its weak points first.” Although the bloodthirsty vine was small, its weaknesses should be universal.
Guan Shao retracted the dagger and looked coldly at the bloodthirsty vine. This segment of the vine was only as long as chopsticks. Under the gaze of the two, it curled up into a ball and rolled towards the direction of the blood droplets.
As it rolled towards the blood droplets, tiny yellow thorns protruded from the underside of the vine. Faint sucking sounds came, and the blood droplets on the ground quickly dried up.
Jiang Rong frowned, “It has an impressive blood-sucking ability. Where did it come from?”
Guan Shao casually picked up a glass measuring cup nearby and covered the bloodthirsty vine. “It probably landed on the backpack during the explosion just now. Luckily, you noticed it, or we would have been ambushed by it.”
If Guan Shao had known that the bloodthirsty vine had such strong vitality, he would have found another way to break out just now. Now, thanks to the explosion, who knew how many little bloodthirsty vines had been born.
Inside the transparent measuring cup, the tiny bloodthirsty vine was exploring around, seemingly eager to get out. However, there was a solar panel pressing down on the measuring cup, and the bloodthirsty vine couldn’t budge it.
The vine erected itself and banged against the inner wall of the measuring cup, making a clinking sound.
Jiang Rong stared at the tiny bloodthirsty vine, lost in thought. In fact, in his previous life, he didn’t know much about bloodthirsty vines either. Just now, he and Guan Shao had tried, and besides being afraid of flames, the bloodthirsty vine seemed to have no other weaknesses.
Could they only use fire attacks?
When the atmosphere became tense, Guan Shao proposed an idea, “Why don’t we try using our abilities?” Since it was a mutant plant, they should deal with it in an extraordinary way.
Jiang Rong’s eyes lit up. Right, how could he forget about this? After all, he was a wood-element esper; the bloodthirsty vine could be considered half a plant. If he could communicate with Little Fairy, he should be able to communicate with the conscious bloodthirsty vine.
Guan Shao acted quickly. Before Jiang Rong released his ability, tiny electric sparks appeared at his fingertips.
As Guan Shao’s fingers approached the measuring cup, the bloodthirsty vine inside curled up like a snake. It raised one end of its red vine, and tiny thorns stood up on the red vine, resembling a cat’s tail bristling with fur.
The vine raised the measuring cup, but Guan Shao quickly pressed it down. Threatening sounds came from inside the measuring cup, sounding like a cat hissing when frightened.
Guan Shao didn’t take the threat of the bloodthirsty vine seriously. With a flash of tiny electric sparks, the thorns on the bloodthirsty vine turned black, and the vine that was originally upright drooped down. It seemed to have been severely affected by the electricity. Guan Shao exclaimed with joy, “It works.”
Jiang Rong smiled, “It’s no wonder you have the rare Thunder element ability. It’s really good.” Didn’t they say in cultivation novels that cultivators had to undergo tribulations to become immortals? There shouldn’t be anything in the world that wasn’t afraid of thunder and lightning, right?
However, after drooping for a few minutes, the bloodthirsty vine propped itself up again, this time banging more fiercely against the outer wall of the measuring cup. The lightning had charred the thorns on the bloodthirsty vine, giving it a somewhat bedraggled look. Jiang Rong tapped on the measuring cup expressionlessly, “Ugly thing.”
If the Thunder element ability was effective, would his wood-element ability be effective too? Without further ado, Jiang Rong’s fingertips overflowed with a light blue ability. As soon as the ability appeared, the bloodthirsty vine inside the measuring cup suddenly stood upright. It aggressively slammed against the measuring cup, seeming to want to engage in a life-and-death struggle with Jiang Rong.
Could Jiang Rong be afraid of such a small bloodthirsty vine? His ability quickly penetrated the glass and enveloped the bloodthirsty vine.
His vision blurred, and Jiang Rong found himself in his own mental space. This time, his mental space was filled with a lot of red mist, and something seemed to be gathering energy in the mist.
This was his mental space; where could he allow other things to run amok?
Jiang Rong immediately activated all his abilities. He had even absorbed the nucleus of a mutated ant; he didn’t care about this bit of red mist.
The blue ability surged forward and gradually consumed the red mist. With the disappearance of the red mist, Jiang Rong saw a bloodthirsty vine with two branches. Unlike the bloodthirsty vines he had seen before, which either lay on the ground or clung to something, this bloodthirsty vine was displaying its crimson body like a coral.
Because it only had two branches, it looked flat, like a fan. Tiny branches grew on the branches, and it was using these branches to wildly whip around the blue abilities surrounding it. The whips emitted the buzzing sound Jiang Rong had heard earlier.
Abilities had no physical form, and regardless of how the bloodthirsty vine whipped its branches, it couldn’t harm Jiang Rong’s abilities in the slightest.
When the tiny branches came into contact with the blue abilities, they gradually turned black, as if melting like candy. And Jiang Rong, who absorbed the bloodthirsty vine’s power, did not feel any pain. On the contrary, he felt that the bloodthirsty vine’s power was quite suitable for him.
Seeing that the bloodthirsty vine was left with only two small branches, Jiang Rong prepared to absorb it in one go. At this moment, he heard a faint sobbing sound. Concentrating his gaze, Jiang Rong saw the bloodthirsty vine curling up into a ball, trembling gently. The red power turned into water and slid off the vine, resembling tears.
Jiang Rong scratched his cheek, feeling like he was bullying the weak.
In his mental space, Little Fairy’s voice came, “Master Jiang? Is there a problem?”
Little Fairy’s green body was round, and it poked its head toward the direction of the bloodthirsty vine. After struggling for a while, it unexpectedly spat out a new word, “Companion?”
Jiang Rong understood Little Fairy’s meaning. Little Fairy was asking him if the bloodthirsty vine was a new companion. Hearing this word, Jiang Rong decisively said, “No.”
This was the bloodthirsty vine, the nightmare of espers after the Great Crisis. Who would dare to be a companion with it? What if its mood turned sour and it wrapped its tendrils around someone, sucking them dry? Little Fairy had just learned a new word, and it persisted, saying, “Companion? Companion~”
Watching Little Fairy’s eager expression, Jiang Rong couldn’t help but think of the first time he saw the mutated Little Fairy. Who would have thought that such a majestic Little Fairy would actually be so cute? With Little Fairy around, he never worried about the safety of his home. Since the Eyries cactus could become a plant under his control, then… Why not the bloodthirsty vine?
Thinking of this, Jiang Rong was startled by his bold idea, feeling a cold sweat. He must be crazy to think of taming a bloodthirsty vine! Although the idea was crazy, it was not impractical. He had already achieved overwhelming victory in the battle with the bloodthirsty vine. If he really succeeded in taming it, wouldn’t it mean that he had another ace up his sleeve?
Without further ado, Jiang Rong used his ability to poke the bloodthirsty vine, which had curled up into a ball, “Can you understand me? If you can, shake your branches up and down.”
The bloodthirsty vine was still trembling. After waiting for a moment, Jiang Rong sighed softly, “Looks like I have no choice but to get rid of you.” There was no need to keep a plant that didn’t cooperate with him. As soon as he finished speaking, a thin branch quivered from the trembling ball of the bloodthirsty vine. Under Jiang Rong’s gaze, it shook its branches up and down a few times.
Feeling pleased, Jiang Rong said, “You decide for yourself. Will you cooperate or die?” Based on his experience communicating with Little Fairy, the simpler, the better when communicating with plants. Afraid that the bloodthirsty vine wouldn’t speak, Jiang Rong kindly provided options, “If you want to cooperate, shake your branches up and down. If you want to die, shake them from side to side.”
The bloodthirsty vine curled up into a ball again. Before Jiang Rong’s patience ran out, it shook its branches up and down. At the same time, a tender voice came, “Cooperate… don’t kill me…”
In the mental space, the theme song of the Meow Meow Squad rang out, and Little Fairy skillfully hummed the theme song to welcome its new companion, “Cartoon~”
With a companion, Little Fairy was especially happy. It circled around the bloodthirsty vine, saying, “Master Jiang has a question, and the companion has a question~”
Jiang Rong’s expression was complicated. What a mess. But amidst this mess, the words prompted a response from the bloodthirsty vine. A red light emanated from its tendrils.
The light flew toward Jiang Rong and gently landed in his palm. This was the second time a plant had landed in his palm. Jiang Rong reached out with his ability and gently stroked the light. He could feel the light’s fear, but it was okay. With time, once they understood each other’s temperaments, their relationship should become harmonious.
A slight tingling sensation came, and the red light took root in his palm. Little Fairy cheered, “Companion—cartoon—” Finally, it had a companion to watch cartoons with.
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