Chapter 508: Fire and Purification
Their connection made it possible for Leng Pan to feel its excitement.
The vine had always been greedy for anything that could help it grow stronger. It would secretly collect crystal cores during battles and absorb them whenever Leng Pan was not paying attention.
However, this was the first time it had treated living parasites like food.
"Are you sure you can eat those things?" Leng Pan asked.
Little Vine waved its new tendrils eagerly.
It was not only sure. It was impatient.
The parasites inside its body had already disappeared. After absorbing them, Little Vine’s energy became stronger and more stable.
More small tendrils continued growing from its main body.
Each one could move independently, but they all remained connected to the same consciousness.
Leng Pan was still concerned.
The parasites had come from an alien creature. Little Vine might be able to consume a few, but swallowing too many could still cause unexpected problems.
"Don’t be too greedy," she warned. "If anything feels wrong, retreat immediately."
Little Vine rubbed one tendril against her wrist as if promising to behave.
Leng Pan did not believe it.
This vine had never behaved whenever something valuable appeared in front of it.
The queen released a low growl.
Its red eyes followed every movement Little Vine made.
"Altered organism must be recovered."
"Assimilation will continue."
Little Vine immediately stretched towards it.
The queen wanted to assimilate the vine, while the vine wanted to eat its parasites.
It was difficult to tell which one was more unreasonable.
"Go," Leng Pan said. "But don’t approach the crystal."
Little Vine sprang from her arm.
Its tendrils spread across the chamber, rushing towards the pale roots.
The queen reacted quickly.
Countless needles emerged from its body and released more parasite eggs.
Instead of avoiding them, Little Vine opened the tips of its tendrils.
The parasites were pulled inside.
Its green body pulsed as it digested them.
The queen froze again.
"Assimilation failure."
"Foreign organism is consuming biological seeds."
"Correction required."
"That thing sounds offended," Vanish said.
He and Sonny were working near the wall, trying to move the captives out of the queen’s immediate reach.
"I think it finally knows how its victims feel," Sonny replied.
The queen did not appreciate their comments.
Several roots shot towards them.
Little Vine reacted before Leng Pan could.
Two green tendrils wrapped around the pale roots and pulled them away from Sonny and Vanish.
Another group of tendrils formed a loose barrier around the captives.
Little Vine was not only attacking. It could now control several parts of itself well enough to fight and defend at the same time.
Leng Pan was impressed.
"Not bad," she praised.
Little Vine shook proudly.
Its excitement nearly caused one of its tendrils to miss a pale root.
"Concentrate," Leng Pan warned.
The vine immediately became serious again.
Lu Zhen stood beside her, watching the queen carefully.
Little Vine might have gained an advantage against the parasites, but the queen was still drawing energy from the blue crystal.
The injuries on its roots continued healing.
Even the parts Little Vine consumed would grow back after a short time.
"This could continue forever," Lu Zhen said.
"Not forever. Little Vine might eventually eat enough to make itself sick."
The vine paused.
It turned one tendril towards Leng Pan as if protesting.
"You heard me. Don’t act like you have no limits."
The tendril drooped.
Lu Zhen almost smiled, but the movement of the queen stopped him.
The creature pulled its roots away from Little Vine and wrapped them around the sacs containing the captives.
Every person inside the translucent membranes began trembling.
Energy flowed from their bodies towards the queen.
Several captives aged visibly.
Their cheeks sank, their skin dried, and their hair began turning white.
"Stop it!" Vanish shouted.
He cut through one of the roots, but the man inside the connected sac convulsed.
Blood flowed from his nose.
Vanish immediately stopped.
"We cannot cut them free like this," he said.
Leng Pan spread her mist towards the captives.
The purification energy entered the sacs and surrounded their bodies.
It could not break the connection immediately, but it slowed the rate at which their strength was being drained.
The effort placed more pressure on Leng Pan.
There were hundreds of captives, and each one was connected to several roots.
She could protect them temporarily, but she could not do it indefinitely while fighting the queen.
Lu Zhen noticed her expression.
"Can you hold on?"
"For a while."
"How long is a while?"
"Long enough for you to think of something."
"No pressure, then."
"You are a business genius. You could treat this like a hostile takeover."
Lu Zhen glanced at the enormous creature.
"I don’t usually burn the companies I acquire."
"There is a first time for everything."
He shook his head helplessly.
Even now, his wife could still find time to joke with him.
However, she was right about one thing. They needed a different strategy.
Lu Zhen studied the queen’s body.
The blue crystal was lodged inside its translucent abdomen. Thick vessels had grown around it, keeping it in place.
Energy moved from the crystal into the queen first. It then travelled through the root network towards the water and captives.
That meant the captives were not drawing energy directly from the crystal.
The queen was acting as the link.
"If we remove the crystal, the creature will lose its energy source," he said.
"But the captives could also lose whatever is keeping them alive."
"They aren’t being kept alive by the crystal. They are being kept alive because the queen needs them as food."
Leng Pan followed his gaze.
Lu Zhen pointed towards the glowing vessels.
"The energy only moves outwards when the queen chooses to send it through the roots. Most of the time, the flow comes from the captives towards the queen."
"So, removing the crystal might not kill them."
"It could weaken the roots enough for us to separate them safely."
Leng Pan thought about it.
The plan made sense, but they could not be completely certain.
Some of the captives had been connected to the queen for months. Their bodies might already depend on its energy.
Still, leaving the crystal where it was would allow the queen to keep regenerating.
They had to take the risk.
"Alright," Leng Pan agreed. "We will separate the crystal."
"How?"
"I could cut it out using a water blade."
"The queen would move before you reached it."