"Brother Tong, I finally, finally got to see you!"
In a small park not far from the Supply Department building, Xu Xiaotian's voice stammered with excitement as he spotted Guan Tong.
Guan Tong smiled. "Didn't I already report that I was safe earlier?"
"That's nothing compared to seeing you in person!"
"Fair enough. But Xiaotian, I feel like you've put on a bit of weight. Looks like your job managing supplies hasn't stopped you from sneaking extra meals."
Xu Xiaotian's face flushed with embarrassment. "Come on, Brother Tong, don't talk nonsense. This is stress weight. We're under strict management now. Back in the day, I could treat friends to the cafeteria, but now it's not allowed!"
"Stress weight? You've been under a lot of pressure lately?"
"You bet. Ever since that microplastic rule kicked in, we haven't had a break. And now with this plant mutation rule, I've been so busy I haven't slept a full night in days. Look at these dark circles under my eyes—so obvious!"
Guan Tong did notice the dark rings under Xu Xiaotian's eyes. He said, "It looks like these rules have put a lot of pressure on the official supply system."
It made sense, really. The [Microplastic Invasion] rule had left many people with psychological trauma, making them refuse to eat plastic-wrapped food. Not just ordinary folks—even the authorities had been busy producing and stockpiling more metal-canned food ever since the rule ended.
And now this [Green Hell] rule was further disrupting food production. Many food-producing plants had mutated so severely that their fruits were inedible.
Xu Xiaotian said, "Now a lot of people are afraid to eat plant-based canned food. They worry that if they accidentally swallow a plant seed, it might mutate in their stomach thanks to the rule... You wouldn't believe it, but because of my instant noodles, I've become the most popular person in our Supply Bureau!"
"No, I believe you," Guan Tong said.
Compared to the bland canned food, Xu Xiaotian's instant noodles were practically a delicacy. Especially since these noodles were Mind Power creations—no health risks, and they could be made in all sorts of flavors. If Guan Tong were Xu Xiaotian's colleague, he'd definitely welcome him too.
Xu Xiaotian let out a helpless sigh. "Anyway, now most people only dare to eat meat cans, which puts a huge strain on our supply."
Guan Tong patted Xu Xiaotian's shoulder. "So many people are counting on you to fill their bellies. Even if you're physically tired, emotionally, you should be fine, right?"
"That's true." Xu Xiaotian broke into a smile. "If it were any other job, I would've quit by now from all this exhaustion. But thinking that our hard work means everyone in the shelter gets to eat and drink their fill—that makes it worth it."
"Mm. But don't just focus on work. Don't forget to keep improving your own strength."
"I know. Whenever I have free time, I keep researching my instant noodles. My current direction is long-lasting fullness. I'm planning to develop a kind that keeps you full for seven days after eating one pack—that should come in handy somehow."
Xu Xiaotian finished speaking, then looked at Guan Tong and asked cautiously, "But Brother Tong, about that 'bright moon' rule... what are you planning..."
"Nothing special," Guan Tong said flatly. "A debt must be repaid. A life for a life."
Xu Xiaotian caught Guan Tong's meaning and worriedly pressed, "Brother Tong, it's not that I don't support you getting revenge. I'm just afraid... afraid you won't be able to take them on. After all, they're the entire official apparatus of Suroma. And you, you don't have full support from our side either."
"Don't worry. I'll handle this carefully on my own," Guan Tong said. "You should head back to your department. Don't stay too long."
"Alright, I'll head back then. Let's stay in touch!"
"Mm. I'll send you a private message on Ascendant Home if anything comes up."
Guan Tong watched Xu Xiaotian leave, feeling a slight sense of relief.
He didn't have many acquaintances, but each of them had a relatively safe living environment, which put his mind at ease.
"I've seen Shi Jingyi and Zhang Minglu. Once I meet with Yang Ran, I should be about ready to head off and rendezvous with Adam."
As Guan Tong thought this, he sensed the positions of several Mental Stability Anchor totems, all located near the valley where he had originally placed his shelter.
He knew every Mental Stability Anchor totem intimately and knew who each one belonged to. In his perception, the ones near that valley were Chen Na, Silver Fox, Yang Ran, and Bai Xuewu.
These people had formed a temporary squad with him to participate in the assassination mission against the Fire Thief Cult. That's why Guan Tong had given each of them a Mental Stability Anchor totem back then, and they still carried them now.
"They're all in that valley. Did they run into some kind of situation?"
Guan Tong thought for a moment and decided to go check things out himself.
—
"What the hell?! Why are there more the more I burn?!"
In the valley outside Pinglu City, Yang Ran manipulated flames to incinerate a massive swath of vegetation ahead, only to find this time was completely different from before.
Before, wherever he went to provide support, as soon as his flames erupted, they would instantly turn the mutated plants to ash and clear them away. Even large patches of plant life couldn't resist his Mind Power flames.
But this time, after his flames had burned up a huge area of vegetation in the valley, an even larger mass of thick roots burst forth from underground!
These roots, each as thick as a water pipe, had some pressing against the flames while others lashed at him from all directions. The whistling wind alone was enough to convey their terrifying weight.
*Thump!*
In the nick of time, Bai Xuewu piloted her mecha forward, using its hard alloy frame to block the roots before swinging her Power Sword to slice them apart.
"Yang Ran, fall back!"
Bai Xuewu could tell that the plant life in this valley was off. Their attack instincts were far more intense than anything she'd dealt with before.
She remembered Chen Na saying earlier that this place was the source of many extending vines, meaning this valley was likely the most severely mutated area of vegetation around Pinglu City.
In this environment, Yang Ran's ability was no longer sufficient. His flames were powerful, but the high consumption led to endurance issues, and his own defense weaknesses were amplified.
"I'll pull back some distance and hit them with fire meteors to help you!"
Yang Ran knew he belonged to the "high attack, low defense" category. Once large numbers of highly aggressive plants got close to him, his situation would become extremely dangerous.
He quickly retreated to a safe zone and created fire meteors from a distance, bombarding the vegetation in front of Bai Xuewu's mecha to ease her burden.
But soon, both of them realized there were just too many mutated plants here.
Bai Xuewu had destroyed countless roots and vines with cannon fire and slashes, while Yang Ran's flames kept burning. Yet from the ground and all around, new plant attacks kept emerging without any sign of weakening.
The more they cleared, the more plants appeared. And the vegetation began to strategize, circling around Bai Xuewu's mecha, seemingly trying to encircle it and restrict its movement.
Yang Ran could see clearly from behind. Through his communicator, he shouted a warning: "Old Bai, get out of there! These plants are surrounding you! My Mind Power is almost drained—I can't support you!"
Bai Xuewu took a deep breath and activated the acceleration module. The mecha's boosters ignited, and the machine shot upward.
But the next moment, a sight that shocked both her and Yang Ran unfolded. Countless long vines shot out from the canopies of several massive trees nearby, layering over each other like a hunter's net, intercepting the mecha at the top. Through sheer density, they forced the machine to a halt in midair!
"How is this possible?!"
Yang Ran couldn't believe plants could pull off an attack like this. It was like humans using a trap net to catch prey.
He realized both of them, especially Bai Xuewu, had fallen into danger.
The plants might not be able to break through her mecha's armor, but as long as they kept her trapped and unable to escape the area, once her Mind Power ran out, she'd have no choice but to die.
Bai Xuewu and Yang Ran contacted each other for reinforcements. Zhang Minglu's voice quickly came through the communicator.
"Xuewu, Yang Ran, I've confirmed your positions. I'm sending backup! You have to hold on!"
Yang Ran was frantic: "Doctor, tell the reinforcements to teleport in with items! If they have to come all the way here, it'll be too late!"
As he spoke, Bai Xuewu heard an alarm inside the mecha.
[Warning! Energy rapidly depleting, currently below 10%. Estimated three minutes before automatic exit from combat mode.]
Bai Xuewu gritted her teeth slightly. This was worse than she'd imagined.
But in the midst of the stalemate, she used the mecha's scanning function to locate the hidden "manipulator" deep within.
That's right. Almost all the roots and vines she and Yang Ran had been clearing originated from a single source: a massive tree.
That tree was hidden behind the canopies of countless others, well beyond visual range. If it hadn't used so many vines from the same direction to form a net blocking her mecha, Bai Xuewu might never have noticed it.
"Mechanized reconnaissance has identified the core mutated plant," her voice sounded over the communicator. "That tree is the source of most mutated vegetation in this valley. I'm going to use an over-the-horizon attack to destroy it."
"Wait!" Zhang Minglu said. "Over-the-horizon attacks consume too much energy. If your mecha runs out of power, it won't be able to sustain itself. If the attack fails, you'll be extremely vulnerable without the mecha's protection. Leave dealing with the source plant to the backup team!"
"Yeah, Old Bai, don't be reckless!" Yang Ran added. "My Mind Power's at rock bottom—I can't help you!"
[Target is descending.]
The mecha's scanning system issued a warning. The massive tree Bai Xuewu had locked onto was sinking into the ground.
This shocked her, and she knew she couldn't drag it out any longer.
"Doctor, Yang Ran, that tree has likely evolved the ability to move its underground roots. Its trunk is sinking. If I miss this chance and let it escape to continue mutating, it will inevitably threaten the city."
With that, Bai Xuewu made her decision.
She channeled all the mecha's remaining energy, raising her right arm. The rhombus-shaped emitter on top gathered light, as if charging an unstoppable attack.
The Snow Traces mecha, under her continuous development, had two main attack systems: the Power Sword for close combat and the three-cannon system for ranged attacks.
The three-cannon system consisted of: a rotating autocannon mounted on the left arm and shoulder for wide-area suppression and sweeping fire; a mortar rocket launcher mounted on the back for area-denial, fixed-point destruction with massive coverage; and a plasma cannon mounted on the right arm for over-the-horizon sniper attacks.
Now, she diverted all the mecha's remaining energy into converting it into high-temperature plasma, aiming at the target tree locked by the scanning system beyond visual range, and fired.
*Zzzt—Crack—!*
The moment the energy shot out from the rhombus emitter, the mecha's power was completely exhausted.
[Energy depleted. Exiting combat mode.]
With the prompt, the mecha automatically disengaged. Bai Xuewu fell through the air, and immediately, a flood of vines came surging toward her.
She didn't know if her plasma shot had destroyed the target tree, but now, without the mecha's protection, she was helpless against these vines.
She pulled a Mind Power sword weapon from her Storage Box, slicing through a dozen vines before one coiled around her ankle. Then a tremendous force yanked her body downward!
"Old Bai!"
"Xuewu!"
Zhang Minglu and Yang Ran were frantic, but neither could do anything. The reinforcements had just teleported in, unable to save her in a single breath.
Just as Bai Xuewu was about to be dragged deep into the forest and buried under countless plants, a massive eruption of black shadows burst forth, like hundreds or thousands of blades that sliced through all the surrounding vegetation!
Bai Xuewu had already accepted the fate of imminent death in her heart. It was a choice she had made herself.
But when she saw those black blades, which brushed past her body without so much as a scratch, her spirit revived. Feeling the vine around her ankle snap, she immediately performed a backflip to adjust her stance.
Landing steadily on the ground, she looked up and saw a pitch-black figure standing on high ground. The person had his arms crossed over his chest, his face completely obscured by flowing shadows, making him impossible to identify.
"You..."
Bai Xuewu naturally knew who it was. Just as she was about to say something, she found the black figure had vanished in an instant, leaving only countless shadow blades still rampaging around, ravaging the mutated plants.