Chapter 283 - 168: Chen Chong Arrives! Violent Slaughter! Even Mutation is Useless
"I wonder what the situation is in the infirmary now. There are even more Parasites in there!"
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We can’t even handle three to five Parasites, and you’re thinking of charging in to face twenty or thirty of them? We’re lucky we can even hold these few off!"
"Brother Chong, where did you guys go? Why aren’t you back yet? If you don’t return soon, we’re all gonna croak..."
Just then, a Bloodthirsty Vine struck again from a cunning angle. Huang Mao barely managed to block it with his Extraordinary Artifact.
All the other members huddled behind Huang Mao in rows, like chicks hiding from a hawk.
Zhang Meng, meanwhile, seized an opening to attack, trying to repeat his earlier success of piercing a Vine Core with the poisonous stinger.
But he was too slow and not strong enough. The Bloodthirsty Vine, an intelligent Extraordinary Creature, had already been fooled twice and was now on its guard. It dodged his attack with ease.
The two sides remained locked in a stalemate...
On the ground lay a few dead Parasites and some severely injured students. But even more numerous were those who had been poisoned earlier by eating the vine fragments.
Sima and his men, hiding throughout the garden and watching the scene unfold, were nearly passing out from their own pain.
But before he blacked out, his eyes were fixed on the objects in Zhang Meng’s and Huang Mao’s hands...
’Extraordinary Artifacts...’
Sima was green with envy. He couldn’t fathom where Chen Chong had gotten so many good things.
’It’s one thing for him to become a Transcendent, but to also have Extraordinary Artifacts like these...’
’Is he so rich that he can just hand them out to his subordinates?’
"Brother Meng, I can’t do it anymore! I feel... dizzy!"
Huang Mao had been using the shield-type Extraordinary Artifact continuously, having barely stopped for a moment.
The artifact consumed the user’s Spiritual Power or stamina, and as someone who wasn’t a Transcendent, he simply couldn’t withstand using it indefinitely.
Weakened, he could now barely stay on his feet.
Even Zhang Meng himself was feeling unwell. After using the poisonous stinger repeatedly, his vision was starting to blur.
This particular Extraordinary Artifact was more insidious than most.
It didn’t consume the user’s Spiritual Power or stamina. In fact, it didn’t consume anything at all—it just had a small side effect.
And that side effect was... the user would be poisoned as well.
Compared to the lethal venom carried by the stinger, the poison affecting the user wasn’t life-threatening. However, with each use, the poisoning would intensify until the user fainted. They could only use the artifact again after the effects wore off.
Both of them were reaching their limits, but they dared not stop.
After all, these were the only weapons they had that could stand up to the Parasites.
Handing the artifacts over to other members was not an option either.
While Extraordinary Artifacts had no specific prerequisites for use, mastering them required practice. It would take at least half a day to gain full control.
If they were handed over, forget about using them effectively—one wrong move, and the poisonous stinger might end up flying toward their own people. That would be a tragic joke...
"Damn it, I can’t hold on much longer. If this keeps up, we’ll have to make a run for it."
"Brother Meng... I’m afraid it’s too late to run now."
Confused, Zhang Meng turned around, only to see that the apartment building had been surrounded by Parasites at some point.
In every corner, more Parasites stood, sealing off the entire building as if to catch everyone inside in one fell swoop.
The students could even see what looked like faint sneers on their faces.
It was as if they were cats watching cornered mice struggle, completely unconcerned that their trapped prey could possibly turn the tables.
"Fuck! When did this happen? They weren’t here before!"
Zhang Meng was dumbfounded and couldn’t stop himself from cursing out loud.
Huang Mao said, "Brother Chong told us these things were highly intelligent, and I didn’t really believe him. But now, it looks like they’re just like people, even pulling this whole ’turtle in a jar’ trick. I wonder who they learned that from."
A dark expression crossed Zhang Meng’s face. Looking at the familiar scene, he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who they had learned it from.
’Isn’t this exactly what we did to the Parasites in the square the other day?’
"Fuck!"
Zhang Meng was furious. "Even if I die, I won’t bring shame to Brother Chong! You think you can play me, you damn plant? Not in this lifetime!"
He forced himself to rally, fighting against the poison in his system, and lunged forward once more with the poisonous stinger...
...
"Brother Meng! Brother Meng!"
Huang Mao cried out in alarm, staring at Zhang Meng, who had collapsed with blackened lips.
Zhang Meng couldn’t hold on any longer. The advanced poisoning made him feel like he was seeing little fairies dancing before his eyes.
"’So, it’s still not enough, huh?’"
With that, he fainted on the spot.
With Zhang Meng no longer holding them back, the remaining Parasites all targeted Huang Mao.
Vines lashed out like whips, striking his shield again and again.
If not for the crowd bracing him from behind, the sheer force of the blows would have sent him flying.
Huang Mao was on the verge of tears.
He was now the only one left who could use an Extraordinary Artifact, but the problem was, he was at his limit too.
He felt weakness wash over him in waves, and the scene before him began to blur.
’Brother Chong,’ Huang Mao pleaded internally, ’if you don’t get here soon, your little bro is really going to bite the dust...’
Perhaps it was his sincere prayer, or perhaps it was a hallucination born of extreme weakness.
In the final moment before he passed out, he thought he saw Chen Chong descend from the sky, landing in front of him and severing three attacking vines with a single slash.
"’Heh, is this a hallucination?’"
Huang Mao murmured, finally giving in and collapsing.
Fortunately, the crowd of members behind him caught him, keeping him from hitting the ground.
...
"Brother Chong!!!"
Several voices cried out, filled with excitement, joy, and the elation of surviving a catastrophe.
Chen Chong gave a slight nod, his face grim as he held the Blood Eye Blade.
His eyes were completely bloodshot.
More telling were his legs. His pants and shoes were ripped and torn, as if battered by some immense force over and over again...
’I finally made it. It was worth using Jump Enhancement continuously to shorten the trip by a factor of ten.’
By pushing his Jump Enhancement to its limits, Chen Chong had managed to return to the school in record time.
The price, however, was leaving Xu Jun and the others behind.
Fortunately, he had already led them out of the cave, so they shouldn’t be in any more danger.
’Besides that, my legs feel like they’re filled with lead. I need to hurry...’
The few Parasites blockading the faculty apartments on the perimeter had already been killed by him in a single pass.
’Now for the ones downstairs... and the ones inside the building.’
Perhaps they recognized Chen Chong. Upon his appearance, the few Parasites lost their calm, cat-and-mouse demeanor. Their faces twisted into ferocious snarls as they let out ear-piercing screeches.
Simultaneously, dozens of vines shot out, trying to skewer him.
"Noisy pests!"
After his trip into the abyss, his dislike for the Bloodthirsty Vines had intensified into pure disgust.
’I can’t deal with the Bloodthirsty Vine King for now, but these offshoots that carry its memories and thought patterns? They’re another story.’
A blood-red mist spread out.
An effect of pure dread instantly enveloped the area.
As their movements became stiff and sluggish, Chen Chong struck three times in quick succession, piercing their Vine Cores.
The remaining thirty-plus members watched in stunned silence as the Parasites fell to the ground, motionless, their vines withering to a dull gray as their life force vanished.
Even though they already knew Chen Chong was terrifyingly strong, seeing it again still left them awestruck.
These terrifying monsters, which had pushed them to the brink of death, were... utterly powerless in Chen Chong’s hands!
’Is this what a true Transcendent is like?’
’Is this our Brother Chong?’
Only someone like him was worthy of leading everyone in the school.
In that moment, everyone’s admiration and respect for Chen Chong soared to new heights. They were utterly captivated by his power...
But while some rejoiced, others despaired.
Sima, who had been teetering on the edge of consciousness from his own pain, might have been able to hold on a little longer. But after seeing Chen Chong’s display...
...a wave of furious jealousy washed over him. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out completely.
Chen Chong, on the other hand, was already heading into the apartment building.
He could sense the aura of a different kind of Parasite within.
"’Has it mutated?’"
"’Even mutation is useless!’"
"’You dare trespass in my territory. When the time is right, I’ll kill your main body along with the rest of you!’"
...