Chapter 547: Ghostly Night
Although he failed to kill it, the explosion gave Xu Huo an opportunity. Using the kite string to pierce and drag, he also drew a line on the ground with his finger, forming a ray that neatly sliced the approaching xenomorph in half.
"I can't hold on much longer!" Zhuo Wangsun threw two poison gas bombs at another xenomorph, but the toxin wasn't strong and dissipated quickly in the wind. The xenomorph was fast, and even after filling the surrounding area with gas, he couldn't buy much time. No sooner had he finished speaking than he was kicked away by the xenomorph.
Xin Hui caught him from behind. Xu Huo reached out and drew a line on the ground, forcing the xenomorph back, then swung his sword and severed one of its arms.
The xenomorph howled in pain and fled, leaping several times into a nearby thicket, letting out continuous high-pitched cries.
"Not good, it's calling for its companions!" Xin Hui's expression changed, and she urged urgently, "We need to get out of here fast!"
None of the three dared to delay. They sprinted through the woods, with Zhuo Wangsun scattering some scent-masking perfume along the way. But even that couldn't stop the incredibly fast xenomorphs.
Seeing more and more xenomorphs chasing and leaping after them from behind, the three plunged headlong into a dense forest filled with drifting mist. They ran through the woods for a while until the fog grew so thick that even trees a few meters apart could easily be mistaken for people before they finally stopped.
"Did those xenomorphs not follow us?" Zhuo Wangsun turned back, panting heavily.
Roaring sounds came from the edge of the woods. Those xenomorphs hadn't entered this forest at all.
"Could there be something here that even the xenomorphs fear?" Zhuo Wangsun reacted quickly.
"Maybe it's because the fog is too thick," Xu Huo said. "Those two xenomorphs had excellent vision, which was a combat advantage. Coming in here where they can't see anything, they probably sensed danger by instinct."
"Besides, the ground isn't entirely safe either." He lifted his foot, revealing dense, fine sugar-thread-like strands clinging to his boot—all of them mycelium.
The forest floor was soft and spongy, not enough to sink into, but the mycelium covering the surface was deep enough to submerge the soles of shoes. It had a slight stickiness but didn't hinder walking.
"So many fungi," Zhuo Wangsun said. "I think we'd better not go deeper."
Xin Hui pulled out a map and propped up a flashlight. "This place is called the Fungus Sea. It used to be an area where fungi grew wildly. The Cleanup Zone hasn't had anyone come in to clear it for years. It's probably overgrown inside. We can't go in. It's best if we skirt along the edge of the woods to get through. At least those red-eyed xenomorphs don't dare come in here."
Xu Huo glanced at her subtly and nodded. "The situation is unclear, and it's getting dark soon. We need to find a safe place to spend the night at least."
Xin Hui asked, "Do you have a navigation device?"
"I lost mine a while ago," Xu Huo said.
Zhuo Wangsun handed his over to her.
"Do you need help?" Xu Huo asked her.
"No need." Xin Hui compared it with the map and confirmed the direction.
After they set off, Xu Huo asked, "This map of yours looks very detailed, different from the ones we got from other people."
"I took it from a Clown City player," Xin Hui said. "Funny enough, he was actually doing business in the Cleanup Zone, selling maps at a high price."
"That's quite a talent," Zhuo Wangsun muttered.
"You see all kinds of people in the game. Nothing strange about it." Xin Hui glanced back at them and warned, "For safety's sake, try to avoid touching the fungi here as much as possible."
Noticing her gaze on him, Xu Huo looked up and said to her, "Let's get out of here as soon as possible. This place gives me the creeps."
That said, the three of them walked until dark without leaving the dense forest.
"According to the map, this area isn't that big. Since we haven't made it out yet, we must be lost." Xu Huo took Zhuo Wangsun's navigation device. "Is this thing broken?"
Zhuo Wangsun had no idea. "I'm using the navigation device issued by Clown City. Unless it was inaccurate from the start."
Xu Huo thought for a moment and said, "Maybe the magnetic field here is messed up."
That wasn't unusual. Zhuo Wangsun and Xin Hui both accepted the explanation, though they regretted wasting so much time walking.
"We'll have to wait until dawn," Xin Hui said. "I hope we can see the sun from here."
Xu Huo looked up at the sky, almost completely blocked by leaves. The fog was too thick to see anything, only faint contrasts of light and shadow at the edges of the thicket.
"The mycelium on the ground seems to be getting stickier," Zhuo Wangsun said, lifting his leg. He looked around and picked a thick tree.
Xu Huo chose a nearby tree and climbed up to rest. Xin Hui was behind Zhuo Wangsun. "We'll take turns keeping watch. You two sleep first."
She was the most injured, so Zhuo Wangsun naturally wouldn't let her take the second watch. He gave her the first half of the night, while he and Xu Huo would take the second half.
Xu Huo leaned against the branches and rested as instructed. He hadn't planned on sleeping, but before long, he drifted into a half-awake, half-asleep state. It felt like he hadn't fallen asleep, but when he opened his eyes, two hours had passed.
Zhuo Wangsun beside him was also fast asleep, but Xin Hui, who should have been keeping watch behind him, was gone!
Xu Huo flew over to Zhuo Wangsun and jabbed him with a couple of needles to wake him up. Zhuo Wangsun looked around and immediately lowered his voice. "Where's the other person..."
Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly fixed ahead. He strained his eyes and called out uncertainly, "Xin Hui?"
Xu Huo turned around and saw a figure flash by not far from them!
He squinted, focusing on the area near the figure, but detected nothing unusual.
Xu Huo could see normally in the dark, but the fog obstructed his view. He hadn't clearly seen whether the shadow that just flashed by was a person or a xenomorph. What was even more abnormal was that he hadn't sensed how it appeared!
Everything nearby was within his perception range. Even if someone or something alive moved through the trees, he should have detected it. But the figure had silently approached him.
"Let's go." Xu Huo grabbed Zhuo Wangsun and moved through the air, only to see more figures appearing around them.
"They're chasing us!" Zhuo Wangsun said nervously.
Several figures appeared behind them, their movements suggesting they were gradually surrounding them. Zhuo Wangsun urged him to run faster, but Xu Huo adjusted their direction mid-flight, charging straight at one of the figures instead of avoiding it.
"It's better to face them head-on than to wait for death!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the woods.
But when the two flew over, the figure behind the tree had vanished without a trace, never attacking them.
Xu Huo jumped straight onto a tree, set Zhuo Wangsun down, and said, "Follow me."
The trees here were dense, and moving through them was no problem for players. Seeing that the figures had no intention of attacking them, Zhuo Wangsun had a moment to worry about Xin Hui. "Where did she go?"
(Chapter End)