Chapter 430 - 310: Blood Vine
The shaking of the ground suddenly intensified, especially around the edges of the laid metal sheets. Fortunately, Wade had used some unknown method to secure it firmly to the ground; otherwise, the large cauldron would have likely tipped over!
At this moment, he couldn’t be bothered to answer Paige Summers’s question. With a flip of his hand, he tossed the Jade Box from his sleeve into the fresh blood in the cauldron.
Paige Summers was the closest. She saw that the lid of the Jade Box was already open, and a tiny, white Voidspawn Worm, like a loose strand of white thread, emerged from inside.
’How strange.’
She glanced at the man, saw he was focused on the cauldron, and silently retreated to Marcus Monroe and the others.
"Is it over?" Marcus Monroe stared at her, his gaze intense.
"Yes, I think so." Paige Summers looked back at him, her eyes also filled with joy.
Ever since learning of the Voidspawn Worm’s existence, they had acted normal on the surface, but a weight had settled on their hearts. Even if it wasn’t particularly heavy, it was still an unsettling burden.
Now, the problem was finally solved.
The feeling of relief and happiness was truly indescribable!
Marcus Monroe stroked her hair and asked the same question Paige Summers had just before, "When will you recover?"
"He didn’t say."
Paige Summers replied, turning back towards the man. Her gaze suddenly sharpened, and she motioned for Marcus Monroe to lift her up.
From a height nearly two heads above Marcus Monroe, she could see the situation inside the cauldron.
She discovered that the fresh blood inside the cauldron was slowly decreasing. In just the time it took for her to walk over and say a few words, it had already dropped by the width of two fingers!
’Something is definitely not right!’
Even with the fire burning below and the blood constantly boiling, it couldn’t possibly be evaporating this quickly!
A thought flashed through Paige Summers’s mind.
’Could it be that the Voidspawn Worm is drinking the blood?!’
She abruptly turned her head and asked, "Do Voidspawn Worms drink blood?"
Rhonda Rhodes slowly shook his head. "If it were a normal Voidspawn Worm, it definitely wouldn’t. But..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Paige Summers already understood.
Clearly, the Voidspawn Worm from her body had been specially raised by that man. Its actual purpose probably went far beyond its original functions.
Her mind was suddenly filled with questions.
And just then, the ground began to change again.
Bulges started to appear continuously around the metal sheets. Mounds of earth rose from the ground, some of them splitting open at the top to reveal the sharp tips of branches...
The Blood Vine was here!
Because everyone was prepared, there was no panic.
They waited in groups around the metal sheets. Following Leo Joyce’s instructions, they didn’t rashly attack the Blood Vine, but instead waited vigilantly.
At this moment, only Wade stood by the large cauldron.
The blood in the cauldron continued to decrease, faster and faster. Before long, Paige Summers could see the body of the Voidspawn Worm.
The Voidspawn Worm now looked completely different from before.
Its body had grown many times thicker and larger, and its color had changed from white to a deep red. Given its size, it could now only lie coiled in the cauldron, and beneath it, the blood swirled, barely half-filling the pot!
At this point, someone else finally noticed the anomaly and reported it to Leo Joyce.
However, after an initial flicker of surprise, Leo Joyce’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he ordered the others to stop paying attention to it, to just guard their positions and wait for the Blood Vine to appear!
Paige Summers, who had been watching the situation unfold, twitched the corner of her mouth.
’Leo Joyce is indeed a smart man.’
’Faced with Wade using the mission’s resources for his own ends, it was impossible for him not to have doubts or feel dissatisfied.’
’However, he wasn’t stupid enough to challenge Wade at a time like this.’
’Besides, Wade’s method of using blood to lure out the Blood Vine wasn’t wrong. He was just taking advantage of the situation for his own benefit, too!’
The ground began to roil violently... The Superpower Users who were still combat-ready had already stepped onto the metal sheets...
A deafening BOOM shook everyone’s eardrums!
Not far from the metal sheets, the ground suddenly split open, forming a fissure several meters long!
Countless branches surged out from the fissure. Some were curled, others stretched out. The dense, slender branches resembled snakes, moving silently yet with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, they had slithered right up to the metal sheets!
Even though they had anticipated the Blood Vine’s appearance, the sight before them still made many people’s skin crawl.
"Attack!" Leo Joyce, however, was unaffected. He had seen far more disgusting things; what were a few vines to him?
At his command, all the team members on the metal sheets immediately rallied, unleashing all sorts of superpowers. The majority of the Superpower Users had Natural Abilities, and for a moment, a colorful barrage of thorns, arrows, knives, and various Sharp Blades met the Blood Vine, slicing and burning the branches, forcing them back in an instant!
But this was only the first wave.
Countless more branches surged from the fissure, attacking the humans!
After about ten waves of attacks, the Superpower Users had consumed most of their energy, yet they still hadn’t seen a hint of the Blood Vine’s main body, caught up in the struggle against these branches.
The mask of composure on Leo Joyce’s face finally cracked. He knew they couldn’t go on like this. After one wave of attacks ended, he stepped forward, preparing to use a powerful move to force the Blood Vine out!
But just then, Wade suddenly stopped him and said, "All of you, fall back!"
As soon as he spoke, he swung his sleeve, sending the large cauldron flying through the air and smashing it down into the fissure created by the Blood Vine.
Everyone watched, wide-eyed, as the fat, round worm, gorged on blood, suddenly became agile. It wriggled its plump body and, in a few quick movements, burrowed into the fissure in the ground!
However, they were unable to see what happened next.
As Wade stepped off the metal sheets, the large, secured platform seemed to come under his control. Its four sides flipped up, almost instantly trapping everyone on it inside an enclosed metal house!
No matter if they used physical strength or superpowers, they couldn’t open it. The metal "house" didn’t even tremble in the face of their attacks from the inside.
The people inside were stunned, and then their shock turned to anger.
"Let us out!"
"You bastard, what the hell are you trying to do!"
"..."
Questions and curses merged into a clamor, but their voices were immediately drowned out by an even louder crash from outside!
Wade wasn’t the only one who could see what was happening outside.
Paige Summers and her three companions had never stepped onto the metal sheets from the very beginning. Instead, they were concealed by one of Rhonda Rhodes’s talismans, their figures hidden from everyone’s view.
At that time, Leo Joyce and the others were all busy dealing with the Blood Vine, so no one noticed their disappearance. Even if someone had, they would have just assumed they’d taken the opportunity to escape and cursed them under their breath.
Little did they know, they were right to the side of the metal sheets, watching quietly.
So they didn’t miss a thing. They saw Wade release the transformed Voidspawn Worm, and then the ground around the fissure began to collapse with a thunderous RUMBLE. Amidst flying chunks of earth, a colossal, blocky mass burst forth from underground!