Shen Feng and his more than three thousand people had been trapped in Yuzhen for a long time. Shen Feng searched Yuzhen but only found one corpse. Apart from that, he saw nothing. A week passed, and apart from the single corpse on the roof, no other humans, zombies, or even small animals could be seen.
Shen Feng's group had already confirmed that they had missed the opportunity to intercept the zombies midway. He even estimated that Rongcheng might already be facing zombie attacks. Three million zombies were gathered in Rongcheng, and he was unsure of the situation there.
Shen Feng had planned to leave the mist alone using his speed, but he didn't know the way. The surroundings were all shrouded in mist, and he couldn't see anything more than five meters away. The radio also didn't work, and Shen Feng had no idea where he was, making it impossible to leave the mist.
In the primary school in Yuzhen, a group of people sat around a bonfire on the playground, discussing their next course of action.
Shen Feng frowned and said, "We've been trapped here for over a week now, and we have no idea what the situation is outside. What do you all think we should do?"
"City Lord, we currently have three options. First, we find the enemy, eliminate them, and then leave the mist. We can then contact headquarters. Another option is for you, City Lord, to use your speed to leave the mist and find reinforcements," Guo Pinming said first.
"What's the third option?" Yang Chang asked.
"That is to continue staying here, do nothing, and wait for rescue," Guo Pinming said, spreading his hands helplessly.
These three options were essentially desperate measures. If they could leave, they would have already done so. However, in the mist, they could neither find the road nor the enemy. Now, they could only foolishly stay in the small town and wait for things to change. Outside the primary school, there were many vines entwined. If not for the flames burning outside the school, these vines might have already rushed in.
Shen Feng said helplessly, "We don't know where the enemy is at all. Although we suspect the enemy is mutated plants, we can't find them. The first option is useless! As for the second option, I also want to leave, but even with a map, I can't find the way. How can I leave?"
Now, it seemed only the third option was viable, which was to do nothing and passively wait for rescue from outside!
Wang Yue Sheng heard their discussion and suddenly said, "Actually, there is a fourth option!"
"What option?" Shen Feng asked.
Wang Yue Sheng gritted his teeth and said, "The supplies we left on the highway can actually be used. After we go back, I'll lead my soldiers to operate the sports cars and bombard the surrounding four to five kilometers. As long as the enemy is within this range, they can be harmed!"
Everyone was moved by this suggestion. Using area-of-effect bombardment was indeed excellent. With artillery bombardment, they didn't believe they wouldn't find the enemy.
However, Shen Feng shook his head and rejected this suggestion: "No, these shells must be saved to deal with the zombies. Otherwise, even if we resolve the crisis here, we won't have enough strength to support Rongcheng when we go out! If the shells are all used up and nothing is left, we won't even have a chance to protect Rongcheng!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Wang Yue Sheng retorted. "Since we're stuck here and can't get out, why not go all out? Can doing nothing solve the crisis?"
Shen Feng was silent for a moment and then said, "Find me a compass. I'll keep heading north, and I'm sure I'll be able to get out. As for you all, stay here honestly and wait. After I leave, I will contact the superiors and ask them to send planes to drop incendiary bombs here, which might break through the mist."
After Shen Feng said this, Wang Yue Sheng had no other way to refute him, but he still insisted, "Then I will only wait for you for three days. If you don't bring reinforcements after three days, I will order the soldiers to conduct area-of-effect bombardment!"
"Agreed!" Shen Feng nodded in agreement.
Afterward, Shen Feng found a compass and then headed north. Since the map was useless, he decided not to use it at all. Following the compass was always the right thing to do. As long as the Earth's axis hadn't changed, the compass would always function.
Before Shen Feng set off, he instructed Yang Chang, "After I leave, you must protect yourself and the safety of the soldiers. I don't need you to fight heroically; I only need you to stay alive."
Yang Chang was deeply moved and said, "City Lord, don't worry. I will lead the brothers to hold the primary school and wait for rescue. You take care too."
Shen Feng set off quickly. If he were in a plain area, Shen Feng could leave the mist within ten minutes, as he could use the wind to accelerate his movement, and speed was something Shen Feng had always been proud of.
However, Shen Feng was currently operating in the mountains. The road conditions in the mountains were, to say the least, tangled and uneven. Some roads were paved with cement, but some small paths were still exceptionally remote.
Mr. Lu Xun once said, "There were no roads in the world to begin with, but when many people walk, roads are formed."
Rural paths are basically formed by people walking. Shen Feng did not follow these small paths but kept heading north, even swimming across rivers when he encountered them.
About a kilometer after Shen Feng started, he suddenly heard rustling sounds in the mist. Shen Feng immediately felt a sense of foreboding. Something was approaching him in the mist!
"Swish, swish, swish..." Shen Feng's premonition was not wrong. As the vines approached Shen Feng, they immediately began to wrap around him. Seeing this, Shen Feng quickly used "Eye of the Hurricane." A strong wind surrounded him, forming a protective barrier that prevented the vines from getting close. Once they got close, they were immediately swept up by the wind. At this moment, the surrounding mist also temporarily dispersed, and Shen Feng seized the opportunity to rush out two hundred meters. During this time, vines flew everywhere, and in the end, they could only fall to the ground powerlessly.
However, "Eye of the Hurricane" consumed a lot of physical strength. After using it for a while, Shen Feng felt his stamina drop significantly and had to stop using it, otherwise, his stamina would be depleted within another ten minutes.
At this moment, the vines landed and rushed towards Shen Feng again. If he were caught by these vines, Shen Feng would also be captured.
Shen Feng had no choice but to use "Wind King Barrier." The vines could not advance within two meters of Shen Feng, but they surrounded Shen Feng within the barrier, forming a large sphere made of vines. Hundreds of vines exerted force together, dragging this large sphere into the mist.
Shen Feng was in darkness, with all light blocked by the vines. Shen Feng felt somewhat helpless. He thought about breaking the barrier and fighting his way out, but then he considered that he was currently unable to find the enemy's base camp. It might be better to be captured to understand the enemy's true nature.
Therefore, Shen Feng decided to play along, pretending to be captured by the vines, and prepared to fight back with all his might when he met the enemy.
Shen Feng was dragged for five hundred meters in the mist, leaving deep tracks on the ground. During this time, Shen Feng patiently listened, and finally, he heard a heavy sound, different from the "hissing" sound of vines dragging on the ground. It was a dull "thump, thump" sound, like something heavy hitting the ground.
The dragging did not stop, and Shen Feng could only wait patiently. Fortunately, the "Wind King Barrier" consumed less stamina than "Eye of the Hurricane," so Shen Feng could hold on for a long time.
"Thump..." The heavy sound was getting closer and closer to Shen Feng. Wrapped by the vines, Shen Feng heard this sound and suddenly had a strange feeling, as if a giant was approaching him, and the sound he had just heard was actually footsteps!
"Is there really such a huge monster?" Shen Feng wondered.
Suddenly, Shen Feng remembered the corpse he had found earlier. Next to the corpse, it was written: There are monsters in the mist.
Shen Feng had not paid much attention to it before, thinking that the person was mentally unstable before dying and talking nonsense. But now it seemed that there were indeed monsters in the mist!
The dragging of the vines suddenly stopped, and at the same time, a heavy sound appeared next to Shen Feng: "Thump."
The ground trembled, and Shen Feng knew that the monster in the mist had appeared. Thinking of this, Shen Feng gripped the two long swords in his hands. Facing the monster now, he could only fight desperately.
At this moment, the vine ball suddenly shook, and Shen Feng almost lost his balance. At this time, Shen Feng also realized that he seemed to have left the ground and was being played with by someone.
"This is the moment!" Shen Feng seized the opportunity, released the "Wind King Barrier," and chopped upwards with his sword, instantly breaking free from the darkness. Although there were many vines, they were still trees, so at this moment, the long sword successfully split the vine ball in half.
As light returned, Shen Feng quickly observed his surroundings and broke out in a cold sweat. He was standing in the hand of a giant monster. The monster opposite him was about ten meters tall, completely wrapped in vines. This monster also had limbs, but its limbs were made of wood. As for the monster's head, it was a huge tree knot, pitted and rough, with no visible facial features or face.
"Die!" Shen Feng dared not underestimate the monster in front of him, so he stepped on the monster's arm and advanced continuously, instantly reaching the monster's shoulder, and then swung his sword towards the tree knot.
"Clang," the long sword struck the tree knot, but it did not break through. It only left a shallow mark on the tree knot. Seeing this, Shen Feng was at a loss. After all, neither zombies nor mutated beasts could withstand swords, but at this moment, his long sword couldn't even break the monster's outer skin, which was simply exaggerated.
"Whoosh, whoosh," at this moment, two vines broke through the air and directly entangled Shen Feng's feet, then grabbed him and threw him to the ground.
"Bang," Shen Feng was brutally thrown to the ground, feeling as if his whole body was about to fall apart. His back was burning with pain, as if his skin had been peeled off.
At this time, Shen Feng realized that the monster in front of him was covered in "whiskers," which were actually the vines that had entangled him earlier. Many vines grew from its body, and this monster had captured Shen Feng through these vines.
Shen Feng cut off the vines entangled around his feet and charged forward again. At this time, the monster also made a move. It reached down to grab him. Shen Feng dodged the giant palm and came to the monster's feet, slashing down with his sword. This time, Shen Feng used all his strength, and the long sword successfully cut into the monster's leg.
But as Shen Feng pulled out his sword, he found that the wound on the monster's body did not bleed. Instead, it revealed white, woody flesh. This indicated that the monster in front of Shen Feng was not an animal at all, but had turned into a plant.
"Damn, it's a treant!" Shen Feng was shocked. Logically, treants only appeared in games because plants couldn't move off the ground. But at this moment, Shen Feng could only associate the monster in front of him with a treant. Now, facing a ten-meter-tall treant, with vines obstructing him all around, he felt that such a monster was beyond his ability to defeat.
"The martial world is full of dangers. If it doesn't work, retreat!" Shen Feng turned and ran. Since he couldn't defeat this guy, he could only escape. This kind of thing could probably only be dealt with by missiles. Shen Feng didn't even bring a rifle, so he wouldn't foolishly charge forward with his long sword, especially since his attacks were completely ineffective against the enemy.