Apocalypse King System

Han Yan was utterly stunned, unable to speak for a long time. Beside her, Wen, the young man, knelt down in fear, sensing the overwhelming pressure from a higher level of life not far away. He seemed completely awestruck.

Han Yan never expected that vines of different colors and sizes would behave like living creatures, possessing not only intelligence but also the ability to engage in battle.

In the distance, the battle between the green vine ocean and the giant vine reached its most intense moment.

The shattered green vines on the ground almost formed a swamp. The moment the front vines were crushed into mud, the vines behind relentlessly rushed forward, continuously advancing toward the base of the giant vine.

The giant vine firmly grew in the center of the skylight's soil, seemingly unable to move and only passively enduring the onslaught.

In just a few minutes, the crushed green vines on the ground had accumulated into a thick layer, almost half a meter high.

However, the endless green vines within the entire botanical garden continued to surge toward the skylight, seemingly inexhaustible.

Han Yan stood in the center of the open space, unsure of what to do. The green vines passing by her didn't pay her any attention, and the impending wave of zombies behind her made it impossible for her to move forward.

While these vine monsters hadn't noticed her for now, if she approached the battlefield, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't be engulfed by the green ocean or struck down by the giant vine.

Gradually, the movements of the giant vine seemed to weaken, and its sweeping and striking actions against the green vine ocean diminished significantly.

In the continuous strikes, numerous areas on the giant vine's tendrils had already been eroded and attached by the green vine ocean, becoming increasingly heavy. Even the attacks appeared somewhat ponderous and feeble.

Seeing this, the green vines seemed to sense an opportunity, intensifying their assault and corroding into the gaps where the giant vine was being attacked. Meanwhile, the giant gray-white vine, entangled by tendrils, exhibited gaps and vulnerabilities in its once impenetrable defense.

Previously, within fifty meters of the base of the giant vine, there were no green vines growing. However, as the attacks weakened, a hint of green tide began to spread on the central soil of the skylight.

These green vines expanded rapidly, covering the land around the base of the giant vine like an overwhelming force.

Han Yan was startled, realizing that the giant gray-white vine was likely to be defeated. If the entire botanical garden were covered by these pervasive green vines, she wouldn't stand a chance to escape; she would undoubtedly be consumed.

Glancing at the nearby sewer pipe, Han Yan gritted her teeth. Although it was dangerous, considering the gaping hole left by the giant vine on the ground, she knew that going down the sewer pipe wouldn't be safe.

However, taking advantage of the ongoing battle between the giant vine and the green vine monsters, she could make a run for it. The only problem was the imminent threat of zombies behind her and the monsters ahead. She would be trapped with no way out.

"Hurry up, we don't have time to waste!" Seeing the trembling young man on the ground, paralyzed with fear, Han Yan felt a sense of urgency. She grabbed his collar, pulling him towards the direction of the sewer pipe.

Fortunately, the green ocean around the sewer pipe was leaked out when it attacked the giant vine just now; otherwise, Han Yan might not have dared to exit from here.

Opening the manhole cover, Han Yan tossed Wen down first, then descended the ladder herself before closing the manhole cover.

Rumbling sounds echoed through the sewer, including the impact of the monsters battling on the surface and the friction of twisting vines.

"Consider it payback for helping me just now," Han Yan remarked, looking at Wen, who was still trembling but in better condition than before when they were on the surface.

With a hint of gratitude in his eyes, the young man slowly got up.

The two of them silently traversed the underground tunnels. Meanwhile, on the surface, the battle had escalated into a fierce confrontation.

The tidal green vine ocean had already covered the base of the giant gray-white vine and was about to invade, preparing to parasitize and absorb its energy.

The giant vine was now frantic, violently swinging its tendrils to sweep away the green ocean around its core. However, it proved futile in resisting the onslaught of the green tide, which approached like a locust swarm.

Amidst the harsh creaking sounds, the green ocean had covered the base of the giant vine, climbing upwards and sapping its life force. The luster of the giant gray-white vine noticeably diminished, as if it had suddenly shrunk.

In the underground tunnel, Wang Meng and the others saw a faint light ahead, seemingly the exit, and their spirits lifted at the prospect.

Before long, the four of them reached the exit and looked outside. It seemed to be a drainage ditch adjacent to the botanical garden.

"Boss, the iron door at the exit is locked," Wang Meng squeezed to the front along the narrow passage and observed the thoroughly rusted lock with a rusted-out keyhole.

If the lock were in good condition, someone among them with lock-picking skills could manage, but faced with this deteriorated lock, there was no way around it.

"Shoot it, aim directly at the lock hole," Wang Meng furrowed his brow. The steel bars were too thick for them to break without tools. Having come this far, how could they give up?

"But in such a narrow space, the bullets will definitely bounce back," the henchman stared in astonishment. They were still wielding shotguns, and the bullets would shatter upon firing, with the risk of rebounding.

"Don't waste time. We finally have an exit right in front of us. If we don't hurry, are we going to wait here to die?" Wang Meng became anxious and pressed the muzzle against the henchman's head.

"Hurry up and open this damn lock for me. Quickly!" Under the pressure of imminent death, the henchman trembled, carefully wrapped the muzzle with his clothes, aimed at the rusty lock, and pulled the trigger.

Bang! After a deafening gunshot, the rusty padlock was completely shattered, and the gate was finally opened.

The man in charge of opening the door had several bullet holes from the rebounding fragments, and he clung to the wall, screaming in pain.

"Great, damn it, I finally got out! Hahaha!" Wang Meng impatiently pushed aside the henchman, then crawled out of the sewer entrance, dirty all over, resembling a beggar. However, he couldn't suppress the inner ecstasy.

Just as the few people who had narrowly escaped death were shedding tears of excitement, a somewhat shriveled grayish-white vine suddenly reappeared. It seemed to extend from an infinite distance, instantly appearing above the heads of the survivors, sweeping away the wounded and bleeding henchman.

"Ah... monster, the monster is coming!"

The remaining few people, who hadn't had the chance to celebrate for long, were immediately petrified at the sight of such horror. Without delay, they crawled and rolled along the dried-up drainage channel, desperately escaping for their lives.

After taking away one survivor, in just a dozen seconds, the grayish-white vine struck again. Like a death sentence, it instantly reached behind the few men.

"Ah... no, bang, bang..."

The man running at the rear was entwined by the vine, struggling frantically. The trigger in his hand kept pulling, but after two consecutive gunshots, it only echoed emptily, as all the bullets had been fired into the air.

A chill ran down Wang Meng's spine, and his whole body stood on end. Without looking, he knew another person had been taken away behind him.

So far, only four people had emerged from the sewer, and now there were only him and the second-in-command, who had been by his side the longest, the one he trusted the most and considered as a brother.

Having consumed two people in succession, the grayish-white vine seemed to be in a better state than before. Its desiccated skin had somewhat recovered, but it still seemed dissatisfied.

Watching the grayish-white vine approach once again, less than twenty meters away from him, and seeing his second-in-command, who had been trailing behind him just moments ago, now overtaking him under the pressure of life and death, Wang Meng's heart sank.