Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Crawler 2

Gu Ning’s lips were tightly pursed as she stared at the five disgusting mutated zombies on the ceiling, gripping her knife tightly. Even she couldn’t help but change her expression at the sight of these mutated zombies, let alone the others. Huang Mengyao’s face had been pale since they entered the building, and now it was as white as paper. Xiang Xu was tightly protected by Xiang Yi, his little face also ghostly pale.

Everyone else looked equally grim.

Gu Ning said, “Cheng Ming, make sure you protect Xiang Xu and Xiang Yi.”

Cheng Ming nodded solemnly.

Gu Ning’s biggest concern at the moment was still Fang Fa and Zhang Xiaobai upstairs. “Jia Daozhang, we’ll cover you. You go up and help Fang Fa. We’ll handle things here.”

Jia Daozhang was momentarily stunned, then glanced at the staircase with a grave expression. “Alright.”

As the mutated zombies drew closer, Gu Ning could no longer afford to conserve her special ability. A massive surge of spiritual power erupted from within her space! Vines burst through the walls, splitting into two and rushing toward the two nearest mutated zombies!

Gu Ning’s attack was a signal. Almost instantly, the others sprang into action!

Right after Gu Ning, Cheng Ming unleashed dozens of wind blades, sweeping toward the mutated zombie closest to him!

At the same time, Third Brother also activated his special ability, but his attack speed couldn’t match Cheng Ming’s. Plus, his spiritual power was limited. The maximum he could muster in one go was twenty earth spikes. Knowing the terror of these mutated zombies, he didn’t hold back, firing all twenty spikes at the head of the zombie in front of him!

The last to act was Huang Mengyao. Her face was still pale, but since she had evolved alongside Gu Ning and absorbed the spiritual power Gu Ning had attracted, her reserves far exceeded Third Brother’s. She had also practiced controlling her ability under Cheng Ming’s guidance, but her actual combat experience was practically zero.

So, when she attacked, she didn’t hold back either, unleashing her maximum firepower in one go! Thirty to forty fist-sized fireballs appeared, instantly raising the temperature of the surrounding air. Her face was illuminated by the firelight, and her already beautiful features took on an almost holy glow amidst her pale complexion.

Once the fireballs appeared, her fear lessened slightly. With a wave of her hands, the fireballs shot toward the mutated zombie in front of her!

Cheng Ming’s wind blades were incredibly fast, but they couldn’t match the speed of Gu Ning’s vines, which were fueled by her immense spiritual power. In the blink of an eye, the vines coiled around the two mutated zombies like giant pythons! However, the moment the vines ensnared them, the zombies moved! One of them suddenly contracted its body and slipped out of the vines like a loach—its body covered in a transparent, slimy fluid that made the vines look utterly disgusting. The other zombie wrapped its tail around the vines and stabbed at them with the spikes on its tail. The vines withered at a visible rate!

Gu Ning was shocked to see her vines wither so quickly and the zombie break free. She stared grimly at the tails of the two zombies and shouted to the others, “Be careful of their tails!”

The others instinctively glanced over and felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of Gu Ning’s withered vines.

Once free, the two zombies dropped from the ceiling with a loud *thud* and scuttled toward Gu Ning like scorpions, their tails raised and pointed at her. Their limbs moved rapidly, aided by the slippery fluid on their bodies, which acted like a lubricant, allowing them to close in on Gu Ning with terrifying speed!

Seeing that she couldn’t hold them, Gu Ning unleashed her spiritual power again. Dozens of vines burst through the walls once more, but this time, their tips were sharp and pointed—all aimed at the two zombies!

At the same time, she shouted, “Jia Daozhang!”

Jia Daozhang’s heart tightened. Seeing that the other zombies were temporarily restrained, he quickly dashed toward the staircase! Sensing that their prey was trying to escape, one of the two zombies in front of Gu Ning suddenly changed direction and lunged toward Jia Daozhang!

“Get back here!” Gu Ning shouted. Two thick vines shot out of the ground, spiraling around the zombie’s tail! With a forceful swing of her right hand, the vines yanked the zombie into the air and flung it across the room! The zombie let out a screech before crashing through the door of a nearby ward!

Jia Daozhang glanced back, then hurriedly sped up the stairs to the third floor.

Meanwhile, on the third floor, Fang Fa was cornered in a dead end by a mutated zombie. Relying on his speed ability, he desperately dodged the spikes on the zombie’s tail. However, with such limited space, he was quickly pinned down. The zombie’s tail shot toward him, and Fang Fa had no way to dodge. In a desperate move, he reached out and grabbed the tail just as it was about to pierce his forehead! The spike was less than ten centimeters away from his brow, and he could clearly see the terrifyingly sharp tip oozing a transparent fluid—

Although he had a firm grip on the tail, the slippery fluid acted like a lubricant. Despite his best efforts, the spike continued to inch closer to his forehead—

Jia Daozhang, who had rushed up the stairs, was shocked to see Zhang Xiaobai lying weakly against the wall. But then he noticed Zhang Xiaobai’s relieved and urgent expression, his eyes frantically signaling something. Realizing that Zhang Xiaobai wasn’t in immediate danger, Jia Daozhang quickly followed his gaze and spotted the mutated zombie’s back. He also saw Fang Fa, his face red with exertion, desperately holding onto the zombie’s tail! Jia Daozhang was stunned, but Fang Fa, seeing him standing there in shock, yelled, “Help me!!!”

“Coming! Coming!” Jia Daozhang, realizing the urgency, unleashed his spiritual power. Dozens of ice spikes formed between his hands and shot toward the zombie!

The zombie, hearing the commotion, let out an angry screech. Instinct forced it to retract its tail from Fang Fa’s grasp and defend against the incoming ice spikes. Once the tail slipped free, Fang Fa’s knees nearly buckled, but he knew he couldn’t relax yet. Seeing the zombie retreat to the ceiling to avoid the ice spikes, he quickly dashed toward the knife that had been knocked away earlier!

Back on the second floor, the battle was equally intense. The mutated zombies, covered in their slippery fluid, slid across the floor with terrifying speed. They moved freely on the walls and ceiling, avoiding direct confrontations and instead using their flexible, whip-like tails to strike unexpectedly. Gu Ning could barely keep two of them at bay.

Cheng Ming’s wind blades were incredibly sharp, but the zombies’ slimy coating not only acted as a lubricant but also provided a defensive layer. A single wind blade could only leave a shallow cut on a zombie, and with their speed, only two or three out of dozens of wind blades actually hit. The lack of significant damage was frustrating for Cheng Ming, especially since his spiritual power, though greater than most, wasn’t infinite.

Third Brother’s situation was even worse. His spiritual power reserves and attack speed were inferior to Cheng Ming’s. While Cheng Ming could still attack, Third Brother was mostly on the defensive.

He raised an earthen shield with his right hand, blocking the zombie’s tail attacks while occasionally firing off a couple of earth spikes. Most of his attacks were deflected by the zombie’s tail, and his shield could only withstand three hits before needing reinforcement. The constant drain on his spiritual power was painful, and he had to rely on a crystal core to replenish his energy.

Huang Mengyao’s situation, however, was unexpectedly favorable. The zombie seemed to fear her fireballs, keeping its distance and letting out uneasy screeches. Realizing this, Huang Mengyao’s fear lessened, and she even found time to help Third Brother by blocking some attacks, earning his gratitude and envy.

Meanwhile, Xiang Xu and Xiang Yi were safely protected within the defensive circle formed by the four of them.

Xiang Xu bit her lip, frustrated that her spiritual power couldn’t be used for direct attacks. Still, she kept a close eye on the battle, ready to unleash her power at any moment if someone was in danger—

Overall, while the five mutated zombies couldn’t inflict serious damage on Gu Ning’s group, they had effectively pinned them down. The zombies showed no signs of tiring, while Gu Ning and the others were steadily depleting their spiritual power. Even with replenishment, their energy wasn’t infinite, and for Gu Ning, every bit of spiritual power used was irreplaceable—it felt like bleeding out!

Thinking of this, a fierce glint appeared in Gu Ning’s eyes!