Apocalypse King System

Following the gazes of the group, in the center of this experimental greenhouse, there was an extremely tall vine. Rather than calling it a vine, it looked more like a massive tree. This vine, just one branch, reached lengths of several tens of meters and had the thickness of a car.

The main root at the center of the greenhouse shot directly up to the ceiling, reaching several tens of meters high. The gigantic vines seemed alive, entwining the entire ceiling like parasites clinging to it.

Due to this giant vine occupying the central space of the experimental greenhouse, many smaller vines had no room to thrive or were squeezed into corners.

Unlike the green vines they had seen earlier, this giant vine was predominantly gray-white. Various secondary vines intertwined with the main root, resembling twisted spirals.

The onlookers were both amazed and frightened. Such an enormous plant exceeded their understanding. The previously overgrown vines in the botanical garden corridors seemed somewhat normal, but this giant vine, reaching heights of several tens of meters, was undeniably eerie.

The oppressive feeling brought on by the fear of colossal entities made the survivors instinctively start to retreat.

"Ah!!!"

A piercing scream shattered the silence.

The leading woman swiftly drew the handgun from her waist, skillfully loaded a round, and aimed at the direction of the scream, only to find nothing unusual.

The one who screamed was a very petite girl walking at the end of the group. She looked panicked, swinging her legs, her face filled with fear.

"Shut up. If you make a sound again, I'll kill you!"

The woman angrily shouted and quickly walked over to the young girl, delivering a harsh slap to her face. The girl stumbled, covering her cheek and refraining from making a sound.

The woman crouched down, observing a round object wedged under the girl's foot, which had caused her scream. Removing it, she discovered it was a human skull. Perhaps due to being coated in soil, it had a somewhat greenish tint. The hollow eye sockets conveyed an endless depth of fear.

The woman signaled to two sturdy men nearby who set down their weapons. Retrieving folding shovels from their backpacks, they began digging into the unusually soft soil. After a few digs, a sizable pit emerged.

Through the excavated pit, it became evident that this was a human corpse, long deceased and reduced to a skeletal frame.

"It's hard to tell how long they've been dead. Definitely not recent. We'll need to take these back to the base for further testing," remarked one of the men, examining the skeletal remains.

The woman then directed other hired survivors to excavate nearby areas, and they gradually uncovered several more sets of bones.

"Yeah, it seems these were staff members of the botanical garden from before the apocalypse. Here are their work badges," the woman said, pointing to the almost faded text on the work badges that the group managed to discern, identifying the skeletons.

"It looks like these people came here after the zombie virus outbreak to escape the zombies. They survived for a while, perhaps relying on consuming some of the plants for sustenance."

Along with the work badges, various signs of daily life, such as pots, pans, and plastic bags, were unearthed.

"Hmm, but what could be the reason these people didn't die in the mouths of zombies but instead died here?" The woman furrowed her brow. If they were bitten by zombies, their bodies and bones would inevitably undergo changes, with the bone marrow showing a reddish color, which didn't match the current state.

"Could it be that they died due to a shortage of food?" Some of the people nearby ventured to guess.

The lead woman remained silent, her gaze shifting to the colossal entity hundreds of meters away. Following its descent, the main root, deeply embedded in the ground, meandered for an unknown length, evoking a strong sense of fear.

The feeling was akin to a mouse encountering a cat, a pressure at the level of life itself.

"Retreat, let's go somewhere else!" The group held their breath, their steps slowing as they cautiously moved towards the side entrance of the greenhouse, not far away.

The vine entrenched in the center of the greenhouse remained motionless, showing no signs of life or abnormalities.

However, in the post-apocalyptic world, danger lurked everywhere, leaving no room for complacency. You never knew when a mutated zombie might emerge from somewhere, roaring as it lunged towards you.

It wasn't until the survivors reached the side entrance of the greenhouse that they allowed themselves a slight relaxation. The gate, damaged at an unknown time, had shattered glass shards scattered around it. Through the gate, a deep corridor and several rooms on either side were visible.

Further into the depths, nothing could be seen, much like the previously encountered vine-covered corridor. The wildly growing vines obscured most of the structures, blocking out the sunlight and creating an atmosphere of deep and tranquil darkness.

Creak...

The glass shards on the ground produced a piercing friction sound as the group of survivors tightened their grip on their weapons and silently entered the corridor. Although the passageway appeared ominously deep, it was far less oppressive compared to the colossal entity in the center of the greenhouse outside.

Two survivors carrying torches led the way, their fiery glow illuminating the path ahead. As they ventured deeper, the vines became increasingly abundant, transforming the corridor into what seemed like a vine paradise. Only the areas near the ceiling, close to the greenhouse, remained untouched by the vines.

As they progressed, most of the corridor was completely covered by vines, making it impossible to see any architectural features. The floor beneath them had turned into a maze of intertwining vines, creating the impression that the entire world was enveloped by them.

Thud, thud, thud...

The chaotic footsteps of the dozen or so people echoed in the silent corridor, sounding like ominous symbols, sending shivers down their spines. Despite walking for an extended period, the corridor seemed endless, with the torchlight revealing only boundless darkness.

Eventually, several women in the group couldn't bear it any longer. Their steps became hesitant, and their expressions turned anxious.

"Boss, could you just tell us what we're here to find? Coming to such a mysterious place, to be honest, if I had known it would be like this, I'd prefer to fight zombies," one woman spoke up.

"Yeah, the further we go, the more eerie it feels. Everything here seems abnormal," another added.

Several men in the group couldn't endure the oppressive atmosphere any longer and decided to speak up.

"Don't bother asking about these things. Anyway, once we get our hands on the goods, your rewards won't be lacking—food, weapons, clean water, everything you need," said the woman in charge, turning her head with a somewhat cold tone.

However, before she could finish her sentence, she paused, gazing at the scene behind her. The men also turned to look, but they didn't notice anything unusual. Perplexed, they were about to speak when the woman took the initiative.

"Something's not right. We entered with fourteen people, so why do we only have thirteen now?"

Everyone was momentarily stunned, then turned back to carefully count. They discovered that indeed, one person was missing, and it happened to be the girl who had screamed when startled by the severed head in the giant vine-covered greenhouse.

"Damn it!"

The woman cursed under her breath. While half of the survivors were brought in as cannon fodder by her, the disappearance of someone without any apparent reason wasn't a simple matter. It was unclear how the person vanished.

Looking at the other survivors in the group, most of the cannon fodder had terrified expressions, while a few of the hired mercenaries remained relatively composed.

"Qian, Song, both of you go back and check. If anything unexpected happens, fire your guns as a warning. Be cautious!"