I STACK ATTRIBUTES IN THE APOCALYPSE -MyOwnEdit-

Simba's decision was a gamble, a desperate throw of the dice in a world that offered it little respite.

Could it be faulted for its choice? Hardly.

Despite its caution and careful maneuvering, Simba had found no peace in this cruel world. If prudence led only to hardship, then perhaps a drastic change, a reckless gamble, was the only path to a better fate.

It didn't expect much this time. If it could simply glean some useful information about the Black Mist Zone, it would consider the endeavor a success.

Under the cloak of night, Linhai County lay silent, a dormant behemoth shrouded in darkness.

Simba and Lian Jie stealthily entered the ruined city, its streets empty and desolate.

The silence was eerie, a stark contrast to the usual cacophony of the undead. Although the battle between Lu Ming and the Mother Tree had concluded, there weren't enough humans to monitor the entire county. Lu Ming had also forbidden anyone from entering Linhai County, lest they become fodder for the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree's human-headed monsters, depleted by their earlier confrontation with Lu Ming, were nowhere to be seen.

In short, the city was deserted.

Using the night as their cover, the two Devourers carefully approached the Mother Tree's colossal form, their movements cloaked in the shadows of the ruins.

They soon reached the edge of the crimson matrix.

"Stop!" Simba hissed, halting Lian Jie in its tracks.

After a tense pause, Simba noticed a large bulge rise from the crimson matrix before them. Slowly, a sapling the length of an adult's arm emerged from the viscous substance.

The sapling was an unsettling sight. It was light red in color, and instead of a crown of leaves, it sported the head of a fist-sized baby at the top of its trunk.

Before Simba could utter a word, the sapling spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "It's me."

Simba nodded, recognizing the voice of the Blood Flesh Mother Tree. This confirmed the information the Mother Tree had relayed earlier: its main body possessed a limited degree of mobility.

It likely achieved this by uprooting itself and using its roots as makeshift legs, a remarkable evolutionary adaptation compared to ordinary plants.

However, its movement was inherently slow and cumbersome.

Given the Mother Tree's colossal size, any movement would create a massive disturbance. At this moment, its primary desire was to escape into the Black Mist Zone, far away from Lu Ming's reach.

It had to flee discreetly, without causing a commotion that would alert Lu Ming and prevent its escape.

After careful deliberation, the Mother Tree made a difficult decision.

To survive, it had to sacrifice a part of itself.

Abandoning its main body and the vast energy reserves it held, the Mother Tree attempted to transfer its core essence into a less conspicuous vessel, hoping to use it as a lifeline and bide its time for a future resurgence.

Simba watched as the small sapling with the baby's head swiftly extracted itself from the ground. Its delicate roots morphed into makeshift feet, carrying it towards Simba in a few short steps. Two tender branches sprouted from the trunk, forming arms. The sapling stretched out its arms, and Simba, suppressing its fear, gently lifted it with its tentacles.

The Mother Tree's voice echoed from the child's head. "Go, go back the way you came!"

Simba and the others had arrived from the opposite direction of Lu Ming's camp.

Without hesitation, Simba turned and fled, carrying the precious sapling.

Their silent retreat went unnoticed. Soon, the peculiar group of Simba, Lian Jie, Xu Rufang, and the Mother Tree successfully escaped Linhai County, unpursued.

As they distanced themselves from Lu Ming, the creatures' spirits lifted.

Simba, having fulfilled its end of the bargain, spoke up. "As agreed, I've brought you out. Now, tell me everything you know about the Black Mist Zone."

Silence hung in the air for a few tense moments before the small tree finally responded. "It's not far enough," the Mother Tree's voice echoed from the sapling. "We'll talk when we reach the edge of the Black Mist."

"No," Simba retorted firmly. "You'll tell me now."

The little tree let out a cold snort. "If I tell you, you'll just abandon me. With my current speed, how long do you think it'll take me to crawl to the Black Mist?"

Clearly, the Mother Tree's intelligence hadn't diminished despite its reduced size. It was still as cunning as ever.

Simba, however, was no pushover.

"We'll talk as we walk," it declared. "If you don't agree, you can find your own way."

The little tree wilted, resigned to its fate. It was a humiliating experience, being bullied by lesser creatures now that it was in a vulnerable state.

As they walked, the little tree began to divulge its knowledge of the Black Mist Zone. It carefully timed its revelations, ensuring that they reached the edge of the mist just as it finished speaking.

The sight that greeted them was chilling. The Black Mist writhed and pulsed like a living entity, its edges slowly creeping inward. Within ten minutes, it would shrink by another meter.

The two Devourers, one carrying a human and the other a sapling, stood at the edge of the Black Mist, their gazes locked on the swirling darkness. A silence hung between them, each lost in their own thoughts.

Perhaps they were reminiscing about the days when they reigned over Nanxiang City, or perhaps they were contemplating the formidable creature that had driven them from their territory.

Simba broke the silence, its voice laced with resignation. "Alright, it seems we have no choice. Little tree, we'll be leaving now. We part ways here, and may our paths never cross again."

With that, it began to lead Lian Jie and Xu Rufang towards the Black Mist.

Before they could enter the swirling abyss, however, the little tree spoke up once more.

"Wait," its voice called out, filled with a newfound resolve. "I believe we can collaborate once more."

Simba frowned, skeptical of the Mother Tree's intentions. "Let's forget about that..."

"No," the little tree insisted. "There's still a possibility for us to work together."

"Entering the Black Mist Zone is incredibly dangerous," it explained. "You are only Tier 4, and my current strength is minimal."

"The risks of us acting separately are too great," it continued, its voice growing more persuasive. "It would be far safer for us to form a team."

"You've witnessed my growth rate," it reminded them. "You can act as my bodyguards for a time, and once I accumulate enough power, I will reward you with unimaginable benefits."

The Mother Tree's growth potential was undeniable. Even in its current state, it carried the genetic blueprint of Gris Klass. With sufficient biomass, it could summon an army of Gris Klass Ents within minutes.

Both the little tree and Simba understood this.

But it was precisely because of this potential that Simba was hesitant to continue their association. The Mother Tree was simply too dangerous.

Just as Simba was about to decline, the little tree's next words stopped it in its tracks.

"The Black Mist Zone is far more dangerous than Nanxiang!" the voice declared, urgency lacing its tone. "Don't be fooled by Lu Ming's strength. In the Black Mist Zone, he'll be nothing special! Without me, you'll be at the bottom of the food chain, and you'll soon realize that life there is far harsher than in Nanxiang."

"Do you really want to continue this cycle of being hunted and constantly fleeing?" it questioned, its voice echoing in Simba's mind. "Do you want to spend your entire existence running from others?"

Simba and Lian Jie fell silent, pondering the chilling truth in the tree's words.

A moment later, Simba gritted its teeth, a spark of determination igniting in its eyes. "Alright," it declared, "I'll gamble one more time!"

With a newfound resolve, Simba scooped up the sapling, and this peculiar band of fugitives marched boldly into the swirling depths of the Black Mist.

As they vanished into the darkness, faint voices drifted back.

"Let's set a goal first," Simba suggested. "What should we do once we're inside the Black Mist Zone?"

The little tree shrieked in response, its voice filled with anguish. "No! Don't talk to me about goals! Don't talk to me about dreams! We need to focus on survival, on getting stronger, one step at a time. Forget everything else!"

Simba and Lian Jie exchanged a bewildered look. Had they stumbled upon a sensitive topic?

"What's wrong?" Simba inquired, its voice softer now.

"Nothing," the little tree replied, its voice tinged with sadness. "I just... lost my dream, that's all..."