pappabearbooks Chapter 2893 Town Infrastructure Construction in Full Swing 12
Chapter 2893 Town Infrastructure Construction in Full Swing 12
Jin Chen did not follow Huo Zhaoye into the desolate forest, but instead led the boys back to Beizhen.
"Go home, everyone, and finish the records you didn't complete today. Do them again tomorrow."
Tiger replied dejectedly, and the other children nodded obediently as well.
After their anger subsided, they felt somewhat guilty in front of Teacher Jin.
Jin Chen led the group of teenagers down the bridge and passed through a small square, where they happened to run into another patrol team that was about to change shifts.
"Teacher Jin!" a young team member greeted.
“Teacher Jin, this afternoon you checked the weather forecast and it said there might be thunderstorms this evening, and you should take precautions in advance… But today,” he looked up at the blazing sun, “it doesn’t look like it. Do we really have to take precautions?”
The weather in the wasteland, especially thunderstorms, is often accompanied by hail and even small tornadoes.
Every time an attack comes, the town suffers some damage: roofs are ripped off, drying grain is destroyed, and power lines are broken—these are common occurrences.
Therefore, people are particularly sensitive to and cautious about these kinds of warnings.
Jin Chen stopped and looked up at the sky.
“Yes, there will be.” He looked away. “Take precautions, especially reinforcing the roofs of grain warehouses and chicken coops, taking precautions against lightning for houses near big trees, disconnecting antennas and metal objects, and ensuring proper grounding.”
"Alright! We'll go and inform everyone right away!"
The group split up and ran off, shouting loudly.
Soon, the sound of a summons gong and the cheers of the people echoed throughout the town.
Jin Chen watched the town gradually come to life, then turned and walked towards his small building.
He wanted to go back and cook something to eat while waiting for Huo Zhaoye to return.
Jin Chen dried his hands, prepared to take out some stored whole grains, and thought about what to cook for dinner when the cold medicine suddenly arrived as a reminder.
[Lord Jinchen, a key plot point has been detected. The protagonist, Yan Genggu, was abducted by an unknown mutated creature at the edge of the desolate forest ten minutes ago.]
Jin Chen paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow.
According to the original plot, this is a key moment when the relationship between the main characters, the top and the bottom, heats up, with the hero rescuing the damsel in distress and the two relying on each other in danger.
but now……
Not only Lu Jun, but Huo Zhaoye also went to the desolate forest.
Yes. 999 confirmed. [Based on the original plot, there's a 95% chance this event will progress naturally, and the protagonist will safely escape danger.]
[Lord Jinchen, there's no need to interfere. Staying in Beizhen is the safer option.]
Jin Chen interrupted 999's suggestion, "It's so lively, how can I not go?"
【…? 】
999 got stuck for a moment.
In the last world, the plot had already veered off course to the extreme, offering absolutely no help to Lord Jinchen. This world, which finally has the potential to help, is now facing such a situation with Lord Jinchen…
He wouldn't listen to a single word.
But I dare not offer any advice.
Jin Chen made her decision, placed the eggs by the stove, and turned to walk into the inner room.
He took off his coat, revealing a white cotton shirt. The shirt was a bit oversized, and his cool skin tone was even more striking in the dim room.
"Lord Jinchen, your clothes..." 999 hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
In the dark, dirty, and densely vegetated wilderness, wearing all white would make you an easy target.
"Make it easy to find." Jin Chen said casually, pushing open the door and walking out.
The sun sank a little lower, and the sky began to turn orange-red.
The people in the town were still busy preparing for the thunderstorm. Jin Chen strolled along the path on the edge of the town, walking slowly towards the desolate forest.
-
Edge of the wilderness.
A thick fog spread out from nowhere, like a heavy gray-white veil, enveloping the trees.
The light was distorted and swallowed up, making vision extremely blurry, and it was difficult to see people even three to five meters away.
Even more bizarre was the temperature. Just moments before, it had been sweltering in the town, but stepping into the desolate forest, the chill seemed to seep from the ground, creeping up from the ankles and penetrating to the bone. It was cold, damp, and chilly, a world apart from the wasteland outside the forest, where the scorching sun hung in the sky.
Huo Zhaoye and Lu Jun led two teams, following the faint sound of the Old World River upstream. Everyone was on high alert, weapons in hand, vigilantly scanning the strange shadows in the fog around them.
Along the way, they discovered two more bodies.
A body was hanging from a low, thorny bush, its belly ripped open.
Another body was half-buried in the slippery moss, with only half of its body remaining. The death was gruesome, and the wounds were grotesque.
When everyone recognized the young man from Nanzhen, their hearts sank; they no longer knew if there were any survivors inside.
As we ventured deeper, the fog thickened, and the sound of the river could be heard nearby, but it was difficult to see clearly.
"Watch out!" Huo Zhaoye suddenly shouted in a low voice.
Everyone stopped immediately and held their breath.
A dozen meters ahead, a strangely shaped willow tree stood by the river.
Its trunk is thick and twisted, its bark is cracked and oozing black sap, and its willow branches have turned into countless barbs that slowly wriggle like living things.
Several vines were wrapped around two completely drained corpses, their barbs digging into the flesh.
"It's a plant variant!"
"Back off! Don't get close to its attack range!" Lu Jun urged.
But it was too late. The mutated willow tree sensed the presence of a living person, and several vines shot out like venomous snakes.
"Scatter! Attack its trunk and roots!" Huo Zhaoye reacted quickly, dodging a vine's lash and slashing down with his machete, severing the vine. Foul-smelling juice spurted from the cut.
The people from the two towns put aside their differences and worked together back-to-back.
The air was filled with the glint of blades, the shadow of axes, and the whistling of bullets. The vines were incredibly tough, powerful, and numerous; if one was not careful, they would become entangled and their barbs would dig deep into the flesh.
Huo Zhaoye and Lu Jun rushed to the front, but the mutated willow tree was really troublesome, with a hard trunk and seemingly endless vines.
"This won't do!" the monkey exclaimed breathlessly as it chopped off a vine. "We can't cut them all down!"
Huo Zhaoye's eyes sharpened as he spotted the area near the roots of the willow tree trunk. "Attack the roots! That might be its weak point!"
He and Lu Jun exchanged a glance and exerted their strength simultaneously.
Lu Jun threw several homemade Molotov cocktails, which hit the vines in front of the willow tree and ignited flames. Taking advantage of this opening, Huo Zhaoye rushed forward and swung his machete with all his might at the knot of the tree root!
The blade embedded itself deeply, and the mutated willow tree emitted a hissing sound as its leaves rubbed together. Its vines twitched and danced before quickly withering away.
The battle ended, and everyone was exhausted and had some injuries.
"Take a headcount! Treat the wounded!" Huo Zhaoye wiped the sweat and blood from his face and said in a deep voice.
A faint groan came from behind the bushes that were partially hidden by vines.
"There are still people alive!" Xiao Wu, with his sharp eyes, immediately rushed over and pushed aside the bushes.
Three people were huddled inside, two from the South Town and one from the North Town. They were all still alive, but their bodies bore deep bloody marks from the vines and wounds from the barbs, and their breaths were faint.
Upon seeing Huo Zhaoye and Lu Jun, the young man from Beizhen struggled to speak.
Huo Zhaoye squatted down and examined his injuries. They weren't fatal, but they needed to be treated as soon as possible.
"What happened? How did you all end up here, and what did you do to provoke that thing?"
The young man was panting heavily, his face filled with lingering fear. "We didn't provoke them... we were captured... we encountered the willow tree later..."
Lu Jun frowned and looked at the two survivors in his town. "Who captured you? Did you see clearly?"
The three survivors looked at each other with expressions of terror on their faces.
“It was a dark shadow… very fast…” the people from Nanzhen stammered. “We were looking for firewood by the edge of the woods when suddenly something dragged us in… its strength was terrifying.”
"Yes, yes, I didn't see clearly either. I just felt a pain in my neck and then I passed out..."
"Plant mutants cannot move too far from their original location."
Huo Zhaoye stood up and surveyed the surrounding fog-shrouded woodland. "For something to drag a person from the edge of the forest to this place... it must be a mutated beast."
Lu Jun's expression turned even more unpleasant.
Just then, screams came from deeper into the woods, not far from their location.
Huo Zhaoye and Lu Jun's expressions changed simultaneously.
"Go over and have a look!"
Huo Zhaoye made a quick decision, telling Monkey and Xiao Wudao, who were less seriously injured, "You two stay here to take care of the wounded and remain on guard. The rest of you, come with me!"
Lu Jun, along with two others and Huo Zhaoye, stealthily moved in the direction from which the sound came.