Chapter 10: The Iridescent Vine

“Interesting.” Xia Tong licked her paw, cleaning off the crumbs of the biscuit clinging to it.

Those two wanderers had actually survived—and even turned the tables to kill the mutated hyena.

But that didn’t mean they were safe.

The real trouble lay in the chain reaction that would follow. Not to mention the open wounds they carried, the virus from that hyena had likely already begun to invade their bodies. Whether they could hold out was another matter entirely.

Well then… good luck to them.

For her, this was merely a minor episode.

…

Xia Tong lounged comfortably on the sofa for a while, taking a brief nap. Then she slowly rose, stretched luxuriously, and loosened the stiffness in her limbs.

A new exploration was about to begin.

She silently leapt down from the sofa like a drop of black water merging with the shadows, leaving the standalone house that had temporarily served as a refuge.

Xia Tong moved through the silent city shrouded in gray mist. The air was thick with the scent of death and decay, occasionally interspersed with faint, elusive hints of blood carried on the wind.

Though this was just a ruined city in the wilderness, nightly killings occurred in the shadows. Countless mutated creatures lurking in the darkness were the largest “population” in this post-apocalyptic world.

Now, Xia Tong’s objective was clear: to delve deeper into the ruins, searching for potential resource points—or, more importantly, for mutated creatures that could provide “experience points.”

She avoided areas showing obvious signs of recent activity, her glassy cat’s eyes sweeping warily across her surroundings. After some time, her footsteps halted in a relatively open space.

Ahead stood an abandoned small building.

Unlike other ruins blanketed in gray-brown vines or rust, this building’s exterior walls were covered in a profusion of blooming flowers.

A riot of vivid colors—too bright for this desolate, monotonous city.

Reds, yellows, blues, pinks… a dense tapestry of vibrant blossoms adorned the crumbling walls, creating a stark and jarring contrast against the bleak, lifeless environment.

A gentle breeze carried a strong, strange floral fragrance—delicate yet dizzying.

“This…” Xia Tong’s vigilance instantly spiked.

This was far from normal.

In such a dead, desolate ruin, the sudden emergence of a vast “garden” was eerily unnatural. The brighter the colors, the more dangerous the signal they sent—especially in a wasteland baptized by apocalypse, where such vibrancy marked extreme peril.

Xia Tong stood far back, fully alert to the anomaly.

Sure enough, as she focused her attention, a clear, familiar alert sounded in her mind from the “Source Core”:

[Special energy fluctuations of mutated plants detected…]

[Phantom Vines, mutated creepers, Level 1, three stars. Thick roots buried deep underground absorb humus and biological energy. The flowers blooming on the vines possess mind-altering, illusion-inducing properties.]

[Currently low level; hallucinogenic effects somewhat weak, primarily luring prey with intense floral fragrance.]

Hallucinogenic mutated vines?

Xia Tong took a step back, her gaze sharpening as she watched the colorful flowers sway gently in the breeze, a chilling sensation creeping up her spine.

In the wasteland, these mutated plants were no less dangerous than the formidable mutated animals—perhaps even more so.

Some transformed into invisible “traps,” quietly luring prey before devouring them. Others mutated into top-tier predators that actively hunted, their tenacity surpassing even that of mutated beasts.

Clearly, this vine belonged to the first category. The “sea of flowers” before her was its carefully woven sweet trap; the rich floral scent its bait.

At this moment, it silently awaited its prey.

“Quite the schemer…” Xia Tong murmured.

No wonder it was so quiet here—no mutated birds chirping in sight. They were likely all ensnared by this enchanting fragrance, becoming nourishment for the cursed vine.

So, should she venture inside?

To be honest, Xia Tong hesitated.

If one lost their way inside, escape would be extremely difficult.

A Level 1 three-star mutated plant was higher than her current level, and especially one with special abilities was more troublesome still. But high risk meant high reward.

If she could eliminate this Phantom Vine, the experience points and energy crystals gained would be far more abundant. Moreover, mutated plants at this stage were almost immobile, leaving their illusionary powers as their primary weapon.

After a moment’s thought, Xia Tong’s eyes gleamed with determination.

Let’s do this!

Fortune favors the bold.

She cautiously summoned her water elemental power.

A thin, nearly transparent water membrane swiftly enveloped her body like an invisible protective suit, blocking out the cloying floral scent.

Ready, Xia Tong lowered her posture and moved with light, cat-like steps toward the flower-clad building. Choosing a relatively secluded, sparsely flowered broken window, she prepared to slip inside.

The water membrane flowed silently over her, isolating the drifting fragrance.

…

Inside the building, an oppressive darkness reigned.

Outside light was almost entirely blocked by dense, fine vines. Only through narrow cracks in the walls could a few faint beams barely penetrate—too little to dispel the thick, impenetrable gloom.

The silence was terrifying, with not even a whisper of wind. Only her quiet breathing and heartbeat echoed loudly in the stillness.

The moment Xia Tong stepped inside, the dormant Phantom Vines were “activated,” awakening with a surge of even stronger floral fragrance. The dense, twisted, tiny veins slithered through the darkness like snakes, tightly entwining the building.

Fortunately, wrapped in her water membrane, Xia Tong did not notice these subtle changes.

She crouched low, her paw pads pressing softly against the thick dust covering the floor, making almost no sound.

She sensed that the building had been completely transformed by the Phantom Vines into their nest and hunting ground.

This dark, silent interior was the true “slaughterhouse.”

“Must be more careful,” Xia Tong silently reminded herself. “Life is more important than experience points.”

Her feline vision allowed her to discern the environment in the darkness.

Collapsed, weathered furniture, scattered debris—and creeping like ghosts from the walls and ceiling, thick gray-brown vines!

These vines were quite different from the delicate flowering ones outside. They appeared rougher, tougher, their surfaces covered in knotty protrusions like dormant giant pythons.

“First, find its core body—or at least survey the interior situation,” Xia Tong settled on her initial goal.

She pricked her ears, listening intently for any faint sound in the darkness, while maintaining the water membrane’s optimal protective state, ready to respond to any sudden danger.