And because Pothos’s attention was focused on this side, it had no extra strength to restrain the boss and the metal-type. As a result, Sang Wenhao was in great danger facing two people alone.
This would not work.
“Change of strategy.”
Fu Erdie looked at the surveillance feed, her brows furrowing deeply.
“Apart from Pothos, all the other plants will focus on dealing with the stone-type, earth-type, and plant-type. Entangle them, drag them, pull them toward the succulent leaves on both sides. Remember, both sides! Not the middle!”
“Pothos, you coordinate with Sang Wenhao. Sang Wenhao will deal damage. You pay attention to three things. First, don’t let the boss get close to the main door. The moment he approaches, grab him with everything you’ve got.”
“Second, restrict the metal-type ability user’s hands at all times. Interfere with her ability output. Don’t let her hit Sang Wenhao or use metal shields to strengthen their defence.”
“Third, after every sneak attack Sang Wenhao makes, immediately restrict those two people’s movements and slow their counterattack speed, giving Sang Wenhao time to leap back and retreat.”
Sang Wenhao had said that if he faced these people one-on-one, he would not lose. The boss and the metal-type should be the strongest among this group. He and Pothos were also the strongest combat forces on their side, so they could fight them to a draw.
In fact, if not for the fear that they would enter the building and destroy it, Sang Wenhao and Pothos could have gained the upper hand.
What needed to be dealt with now were the ability users besides those two.
The plant-type, earth-type, and self-strengthening stone-type were not very aggressive. However, the first could interfere with the plant cubs, making them only able to exert twenty percent of their strength, while the latter two were physically strong and extremely defensive. Even if most of the plants went to pull and twist them, they still could not do much.
But because the plants were all dragging them toward the sides, they assumed these flowers and grasses were trying to stop them from entering through the front door.
Since that was the case, they were determined to enter through the front door!
The entrance had been sealed by the succulent’s pale pink-white fleshy leaves. Although the leaves were absurdly large and clearly belonged to a mutated species at a glance, under Fu Erdie’s instructions, they had not moved once since taking their “pose.” Combined with their gentle, harmless colour, the ability users assumed the fleshy leaves could only defend and not attack.
And so, after tearing away the leaves on their bodies and faces, the ability users went straight to the succulent at the doorway and punched down.
But at that moment, the succulent, which had seemed like a dead object, suddenly moved. Taking advantage of the momentum, it grabbed the three ability users right in front of it.
The thick fleshy leaves were like the powerful body of a massive python. The instant the prey came close, they coiled around them, dragging them in, tearing and rolling.
The plant-type immediately used their ability, greatly loosening the fleshy leaf binding them. However, even after it had loosened by eighty percent, with Fu Erdie’s ability supporting it, the curling and binding force of the fleshy leaf was still immense.
The plant-type, trapped inside the fleshy leaf, was still trying various methods, but the stone-type and earth-type were not so lucky.
The stone-type ability user could only petrify himself; he could not attack with stone. His defence was high, so he would not be twisted apart, but his limbs were bound, and his head was covered by the fleshy leaf and the other plants swarming over him. The feeling of suffocation filled the stone-type with despair.
The earth-type had a slightly easier time using his ability. He could use earth shields to bombard the succulent.
The succulent was indeed smashed until its “skin split open and flesh tore,” instinctively loosening its leaves.
But that release was only temporary. In the next moment, the succulent healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, regaining its radiance and twisting the earth-type’s body with even greater force.
The earth-type’s defence was not as solid as the stone-type’s. His neck was about to be snapped.
In despair, he looked toward the boss and the metal-type, hoping they would come save him.
They did indeed come, but one was held back by Pothos, and the other was forced back by Sang Wenhao’s attack.
The earth-type heard a crack come from his neck. Agonising pain struck him, and his consciousness began to blur.
He knew he would never again have the chance to eat delicious fruits and melons. Nor would he have the chance to wait for the day when he reached the peak of ability users.
If he could do it all over again, would he still choose to abandon his weaker university classmates and join this incredibly powerful team?
He had not yet decided.
He no longer had the chance to think about it.
Fu Erdie looked at the surveillance feed, the corners of her lips curving into a smile.
She let go of the hand gripping the succulent’s roots, picked up the gun, aimed it toward the window, and pulled the trigger the instant a head appeared.
The bullet grazed that person’s face and left a bullet hole in the windowsill. Fu Erdie looked relaxed, but in reality, she quickly loaded another bullet and aimed at the windowsill again.
“What made you think that finding me meant everything would be fine, Miss Water-type?”
Fu Erdie had been paying attention to the number of people all along. Ever since the water-type disappeared, she had been on guard against her surroundings.
All the plants were giving their all at the front. The slightest mistake could lead to a missed opportunity, or even an unnecessary reversal.
There were still many plants around Fu Erdie, but they could only serve as warning guards, alerting her if anyone approached.
That was why Fu Erdie could calmly pick up the gun and aim at the window where the water-type was.
At this moment, the water-type ability user was standing outside the window, on the other side of the wall, her expression somewhat ugly.
She actually had not wanted to find the enemy. Instead, she had wanted to take the opportunity to sneak upstairs and see if she could steal something, or simply steal the secret of this building.
She was different from that reckless brute of a boss. The boss only thought that since these people were eating so well, they must have a lot of supplies, a lot of clean uncontaminated land, or perhaps someone with a special ability.
If it could be taken, then take it all. If it could not be taken, for example if the fruits and vegetables came from this person’s ability, then he would force that person to submit to him, using any means necessary.
The water-type had not refuted the boss, but in her heart she was very doubtful.
Since the apocalypse began, they could already be considered a very well-developed and powerful force. Aside from a few scattered ability users like Sang Wenhao, who had both talent and the courage to fight, everyone else was beneath them.
Yet now she was being told that in some random residential complex, a handful of people were living even better than their team? Their abilities were stronger than theirs? They had more resources than them?
She did not believe this was an ability evolved by one person. She suspected that there were more secrets here.
And perhaps those secrets could be stolen by her.
With that thought in mind, she deliberately avoided the front, made a large detour, and came to the back, preparing to climb through a window. Who would have thought she would be caught red-handed?
Her premonition, which had been constantly sending bad signals, reached its peak before the bullet was fired.
That was close. She dodged the bullet.
Silently, she retreated, wanting to return the way she came.
But the moment she turned around, a dark shadow lunged at her and bit toward her neck. It was actually a pure black dog?!
When had it followed her?!
Ability users were ultimately more difficult to deal with than ordinary zombies. After she was knocked down, she did not die immediately. Instead, she quickly condensed ice crystals to freeze the wound, then drew a dagger and stabbed toward the dog’s abdomen.
The dog nimbly dodged, adjusted its posture, and prepared to bite this person to death again, only to hear its owner call its name.
“Mozi, not yet.”
Mozi immediately wagged its tail and obediently sat to the side.
The water-type ability user’s wound was very deep. The ice crystals she condensed herself had only half-heartedly stopped the bleeding. Her neck, from which a large chunk of flesh had been torn away, looked extremely horrifying, as if it might shatter at any moment.
The water-type ability user had no time to care what Fu Erdie wanted to do. She staggered to her feet, wanting to leave.
The sniper rifle sounded. A bullet struck her knee, and she instantly collapsed to the ground.
Fu Erdie loaded another bullet, took the gun, and walked over.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. I just want to use you for an experiment.”
While saying she would not hurt her, she fired another shot, pressing the barrel against the water-type’s hand and breaking the bones in it.
She loaded another bullet, fired again, and broke the bones in her other hand.
The water-type screamed, staring at Fu Erdie in terror.
What was this person? How could she torture and kill her without any change in expression?
“Give me a quick death!”
The water-type’s voice was hoarse.
Fu Erdie was actually surprised too. She truly felt no pity at all. She simply wanted to use her for an experiment. While the battle was still stable, this was a rare opportunity she might not get again.
After confirming that her hands could not move and her foot could not run, Fu Erdie took hold of her bloody hand and began using her ability.
She wanted to know what the consequences would be if she completely stripped away the energy from a person’s body.
The water-type ability user condensed ice spikes, trying to stab Fu Erdie’s eyes. But her hands had been crippled, and her ability was truly half-baked. Fu Erdie simply blocked the ice cone that appeared out of thin air with the gun, and that was the end of it.
The water-type only had enough ability energy for one cup of water each day. Now that it was used up, only her premonition remained. But the premonition merely kept amplifying her unease and gave her no actual help.
Fu Erdie began absorbing the water-type’s energy.
The water-type resisted strongly, so entering was very difficult. Fu Erdie gathered her ability and forcefully broke through the water-type’s defence, entering her energy space.
It was a calm, dark space. From time to time, blue ice crystals flashed through it, and large drops of water fell, as if they were the tears of the defeated.
A drop of water struck Fu Erdie’s energy body, and she felt as if she had been pricked. It was very uncomfortable.
Fu Erdie seemed to realise something. She avoided the ice crystals and water droplets, then began extracting the water-type’s energy.
The water-type was extremely weak, and Fu Erdie took advantage of that weakness. Very quickly, she broke through that bottom line of push-and-pull.
The water-type, who had just been struggling in fear, suddenly seemed to have all her strength drained away and collapsed limply to the ground.
This was exactly the same as Fu Erdie’s situation on the first day she came into contact with her ability and used it improperly.
Fu Erdie did not stop. She continued absorbing until all the energy had been completely absorbed.
She frowned, feeling her energy sea become full again, even slightly expanded. She felt very energetic, very healthy, as if everything was in its best state. And then… nothing.
She did not gain any new attributes, even temporary ones, like when she pushed and pulled with the plants and Sang Wenhao.
The water-type simply lay weakly on the ground, having merely lost her strength. She had not died.
“Thank you. I’m done with the experiment.” Fu Erdie nodded at her, then turned and went back to the window, intending to climb back in.
But the water-type ability user called out to her.
“Kill me…”
Fu Erdie looked back at her. “Compared with your teammates, you don’t have the kind of ability that directly kills many people. The blood directly staining your hands shouldn’t be much. And perhaps you had your own hardships too. I’ll spare your life.”
But the water-type shed a line of tears and said hoarsely, “You erased my ability, and now you’re telling me you’re sparing my life? Are you giving charity to a dog?”
The fighting and slaughter near the front entrance continued not far away. The sounds of metal clashing and plants twisting intertwined back and forth.
But Fu Erdie felt as if the entire world had been reduced to the water-type ability user’s voice.
“You erased my ability.”
Ability… erased…
Fu Erdie felt her mind suddenly clear, gaining a new understanding of her own ability.
So the end point of ability push-and-pull was actually erasure?!
Cold sweat broke out across her back, and goose bumps rose all over her body.
So on the very day she first sensed her ability, she had almost lost it!
And Sang Wenhao and the plants being willing to push and pull with her had, in the truest sense, been placing their lives in her hands.
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