Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Midnight Horror 2

Whether it was Luo Long’s terrified words or the screams from next door, everyone in the room broke out in a cold sweat.

Third Brother, thinking of Gu’s parents who were staying alone in another room, grew anxious and quickly said, “Method Zhang Xiaobai! Go protect Teacher Gu!”

At the same time, they retreated toward the door, but as if sensing their escape, the vines suddenly sped up, spreading rapidly toward them!

“Ah!” Luo Long let out a short, sharp scream! Vines that had somehow fallen from the ceiling tightly wrapped around his neck, lifting him up!

Cheng Ming had already activated his Wind Blades, slicing through the air! The vines binding Luo Long were cut, and he fell from the ceiling, landing on the ground. Without even crying out in pain, he grabbed a knife from under the blanket and started wildly slashing at the vines.

Seeing the room completely overrun, and with several men crammed inside, Third Brother shouted, “Let’s get out first!”

They rushed toward the door, with Cheng Ming covering the rear. His Special Ability surged, and countless Wind Blades whistled through the air, slicing through the wildly thrashing vines. The floor was littered with severed vines—blood oozed from the cuts, a horrifying sight—but the vines seemed to regenerate endlessly, quickly growing back after being cut!

Cheng Ming finally exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him, trapping the vines inside.

But as soon as the door closed, there was a loud crash! The vines had twisted together into a thick rope and smashed a hole through the door! Countless vines poured out of the hole, rapidly snaking toward them!

Next door, Huang Mengyao, Hong Jie, and Gao Yue were sleeping with over a dozen children. Huang Mengyao raised a wall of fire, shielding Hong Jie, Gao Yue, and the children behind her. Like the other room, this one was also filled with vines, but these vines seemed to fear fire, just like the mutated zombies from before. They hesitated in the air, not daring to approach!

From another room, screams echoed intermittently.

In that room, Xiang Xu, Xiang Yi, Wu Sen, Zuo You, He He, and several other children were sleeping.

Xiang Xu was the first to notice the vines entering the room. She immediately raised a Spiritual Power barrier, but it was too late. The vines quickly wrapped around the ankles of three children, dragging them toward the window! One of them was Zuo You!

The three children, dragged by their ankles, screamed in terror. Zuo You yelled like a pig being slaughtered: “Help!!! There’s a ghost!!! Help!!!” He clawed at the ground, trying to find something to hold onto, but the floor was covered in vines, leaving nothing to grasp.

The other children, including Xiang Xu, were terrified by the unknown entities and instinctively retreated toward the door.

“Zuo You!” Wu Sen and He He screamed simultaneously, immediately lunging forward to save him.

Xiang Yi missed grabbing them, and they ran outside the Spiritual Power barrier! He He and Wu Sen grabbed Zuo You’s hands, holding on tightly, refusing to let go.

Zuo You was crying, screaming, “I’m going to die! I’m going to die!”

The three children, holding on desperately, managed to resist the vines for a moment. Wu Sen quickly pulled out a small knife from his pocket, reached Zuo You’s feet, and started cutting the vines wrapped around his ankle—but before he could sever them, more vines poured through a crack in the window, heading straight for Wu Sen!

Wu Sen ignored the vines coming for him, focusing solely on cutting the vines around Zuo You’s ankle. The knife, a gift from Gu Ning, was sharpened daily and cut through the vines with ease. He finally severed the vines binding Zuo You! Relieved, he shouted for Zuo You to run to Xiang Xu—but before he could, the vines from the window wrapped around his legs, dragging him out the window! The force was immense, yanking him out and wrapping his entire body like a cocoon before he plummeted out of sight—

“Wu Sen!!!”

He He and Zuo You screamed in panic, scrambling to their feet and lunging toward the window, only to be pulled back by two hands.

Third Brother dragged them both out of the room, retreating while occasionally summoning Earth Shields to block the relentless vines.

He shoved the struggling Zuo You and He He into the arms of the soldiers: “Watch them!”

On the second floor, Zhang Xiaobai was helping Gu’s parents down.

Third Brother, not seeing Method with them, asked, “Where’s Method?!”

Zhang Xiaobai, panting, replied, “He went to find Gu Ning!”

Only then did Third Brother realize Gu Ning was missing. Seeing the vines relentlessly battering the Earth Wall blocking the door, which wouldn’t hold much longer, he ordered the soldiers, “Get them to the car, and be careful!”

He He screamed, “No! We need to save Wu Sen! Where’s Sister Gu Ning?! She’ll help us save Wu Sen!”

“Listen!” Gao Yue suddenly said coldly, “If you don’t want someone to die because of you, shut up and get in the car!”

Even Zuo You was stunned by Gao Yue’s icy tone, tugging at He He’s arm, “He He, let’s get in the car. We can’t save Wu Sen here. Don’t worry, Sister Gu Ning will save him.”

He He, tears streaming down her face, nodded reluctantly.

The soldiers escorted Gu’s parents, Hong Jie, Gao Yue, and the terrified children out of the house.

Method knocked on Gu Ning’s door several times, but there was no response. The door was locked, and even after shouting and banging, there was no answer. Desperate, Method hacked at the lock with his knife, breaking it open, only to find the room empty!

He rushed to the window, peering into the darkness below, but saw nothing. He called out, but instead of Gu Ning, the vines responded, surging toward him! He cut through the vines and quickly retreated from the room, searching others.

Downstairs, everyone watched Method frantically opening doors, but Gu Ning was nowhere to be found. A sense of dread settled over them.

Method searched the entire second floor at breakneck speed before rushing downstairs, pale and sweating, delivering shocking news: “Gu Ning is gone!” Despite the cold night, sweat dripped from his forehead. “I searched everywhere. Her door was locked from the inside…”

Jia Daozhang roared, “What are you waiting for?! Go save her!”

Though everyone subconsciously believed Gu Ning would be fine, the reality forced them to prepare for the worst. To save her, they had to eradicate the vines.

However, after the soldiers retreated, the vines had already sealed the main door. Vines poured out of every room, slithering like cold snakes, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

Several children and a soldier had already been dragged away by the vines. The thought of the two drained corpses made everyone shudder.

Third Brother, grim-faced, watched the vines closing in and said to Method, “Method, you’re the fastest. Try to save those people first.” Advancing alone through the vines was dangerous, but those already captured were in even greater peril.

Method tightened his grip on his knife, not hesitating for a second. He wiped the sweat from his face and nodded solemnly, “Alright.” The thought of Gu Ning being wrapped in those disgusting vines, drained of her blood, made him act without delay.

The moment he finished speaking, he shot toward the second floor like a bolt of lightning! The vines on the ground writhed as if alive, sprouting tendrils to ensnare his feet, but Method was too fast! By the time the tendrils appeared, he was already two meters away!

Zhang Xiaobai licked his lips, electricity crackling around his hands, “Alright, friends! Let’s get to work!”

The initial chaos had passed, and the Special Ability users had calmed down. With Huang Mengyao’s fire illuminating the area, they could finally fight back effectively!

Zhang Xiaobai grabbed a vine flying toward him, and the electricity in his hand surged through it. The vine convulsed violently, its leaves rapidly turning yellow before emitting a burnt smell—

Cheng Ming’s Wind Blades, fueled by his concern for Gu Ning, doubled in number, slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Even the vines’ rapid regeneration couldn’t keep up with the onslaught. Blood from the severed vines rained down like a gruesome shower!

Jia Daozhang howled, “Cheng Ming, watch where you’re aiming! You’re splashing blood all over me!” Despite his complaint, he activated his Special Ability, stomping on a vine and freezing it solid with ice.

Third Brother’s Earth-type and Zhong Xu’s Water-type Special Abilities were less effective against the vines, serving more as support, blocking attacks and cutting nearby vines with their knives.

Huang Mengyao’s Fire-type Special Ability, while powerful, was risky to use indoors. Fortunately, both animals and plants had a natural fear of fire, so her fire wall was enough to block the vines, allowing the others to fight freely.

Shi Tou, who had been quiet until now, finally unleashed the terrifying power of his Strength Special Ability! He grabbed the vines reaching for him, wrapping them around his left arm, then with a roar, his Strength surged tenfold! The vines, firmly anchored to the ground, were ripped free, creating a three-meter-wide clearing! With another roar, the vines snapped, blood spraying everywhere—

For a moment, everyone was stunned!

But they quickly snapped out of it. The first-floor exit was completely blocked, so they began clearing a path to the second floor, driven by one thought:

Those captured by the mutated vines must hold on! We’re coming to save you!

Gu Ning, hold on—don’t die!

Method frantically cut through the vine-wrapped “cocoon,” sweat and rain dripping into his eyes, burning, but he didn’t care. His hands, bloodied from the friction, felt no pain. His only selfish thought was that this had to be Gu Ning—it had to be her, alive—

Beside him lay two children he had freed from the vines, their faces pale, eyes staring blankly at the rainy sky. Rain fell into their unblinking eyes, streaming down like tears. Their thin chests didn’t rise or fall—they were already gone.