Ling Jiang was speechless when she heard that. "You still remember the reward? We barely escaped with our lives, and all you think about is the reward."
But honestly, even if the reward turned out worthless, this trip had not been a loss. Before today, they knew nothing about this mutated world. Surviving while gaining knowledge and experience was already a huge profit.
"Still, it feels unreal," Ling Jiang murmured. "Like something that should only happen in a movie. Yet it happened to us, when we weren't prepared at all."
Once she finished speaking, Ling Jiang turned away from the lake, unwilling to look at it again, and started climbing down.
This was the same steep staircase they had climbed before. She knew none of them would willingly climb it again after today. Lan Jin glanced back at the lake one last time, then looked down the mountain path. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait… wait, what is that?"
Lao Gao and Ling Jiang followed her gaze. What they saw froze them in place. Below, scattered along the slope, were the very same green plants that had chased them earlier. And there were many of them.
So not all of the plants had been blown apart. Some had managed to escape and had even reached this place. If they continued down, they would run straight into them—and worse, straight into their teammates below.
Lao Gao shouted, "How did they run so fast? The blast didn't hit them at all? No way. At this speed, we can't even outfly them!"
That team below only had Huang Jinghe with an ability. And water powers were like nourishment to plants. He could defend for a while, but not for long.
Lan Jin stared at the steep staircase. Climbing down was impossible. She turned to Ling Jiang."Use your ice ability. Make a long slide. We'll go down fast."
The idea was clever, though it felt absurd. Were powers really meant to be used like that?
Ling Jiang sighed. "I know you're anxious, but do you think my power can really make a slide?"
Lao Gao's eyes lit up. "Why not? Doesn't have to be neat, just workable. Climbing is too slow. If we slide, we might make it in time. Even sliding halfway would be better."
Lan Jin nodded eagerly. "Yes. If I get closer, my lightning power can reach them. From this distance, I can't hit anything."
Gritting her teeth, Ling Jiang finally tried it. She froze a sloping path into a crude ice slide. It looked dangerous and flimsy, but it was better than nothing.
Lan Jin sat down first and began sliding carefully, controlling her speed.
The slide had no railings, and the mountain was steep. If she tilted the wrong way, she could fall off. Even though she had space ability, she could not fly. A fall from this height would cripple her, if not kill her.
Still, sliding was far faster than climbing. As long as she stayed calm, she would make it.
Unfortunately, calm or not, the plants had already nearly reached the foot of the mountain. By the time Lan Jin reached the bottom, they were surrounding the cars. She immediately raised her hand and unleashed lightning.
Two of the plants at the back of the pack convulsed and collapsed. But the rest surged forward, already attacking the four vehicles below.
Gunshots rang out in panic. Yet ordinary firearms were useless against mutated plants, only agitating them into fiercer attacks.
Lan Jin did not wait for Ling Jiang or Lao Gao. She sprinted down, lightning crackling from her hands as she struck again and again, trying to cut down as many plants as possible.
Huang Jinghe, already struggling to fend off the green wave, froze when he saw the plants pouring down the mountain. He had never imagined plants could rip their roots free from the soil and chase people.
He summoned his weapon, a long blade transformed from a special staff he had bought at the base. When a plant lashed at him, he swung with full force. Water ability might normally nourish plants, but it was still an offensive power. His strike made the plant recoil several steps.
Holding his ground on the icy surface, Huang Jinghe fought desperately. When he finally glimpsed Lan Jin's figure charging down from the slope, his heart leapt. There was hope.
Lightning struck again and again. Each mutated plant convulsed violently before crashing to the ground, lifeless.
When Lan Jin reached the bottom, the battlefield looked no better than the chaos above. Everyone bore wounds, some light, some heavy. But miraculously, no one had died. That alone was the greatest relief.
Only then did Lan Jin allow herself to breathe.
…
Huang Jinghe hurried to her side, pointing at the plants with confusion. "Sister Lan, what is going on? How can they run like this?"
Lan Jin was too out of breath to answer.
Fortunately, Lao Gao and Ling Jiang arrived soon after. Lao Gao immediately explained, "When we set the explosives, the roots of those plants suddenly ripped out of the ground. They chased us nonstop. We thought they couldn't leave the lake, but once we escaped, they came too…"
His words were explanation enough. The plants' long limbs made them fast. They had simply outrun the group down the mountain. No one lingered on the thought. Almost everyone was injured. By logic, they should rest, but with so many threats around, staying put was too dangerous.
They checked each other's wounds quickly. Anyone able to drive took a car. The rest grabbed medical kits and began treating injuries while on the move.
The convoy sped down the road, passing the place where they had first seen the giant cat, then the swarm of insects, and finally the ant nest. At last, they reached the first resting point from their journey.
By then, the sky had already brightened.
Their nerves, strung tight all night, finally loosened the moment the vehicles stopped. Whether this place was safe or not, they had to rest here. If they did not, exhaustion would kill them before the monsters did.