Chapter 270: Unhealthy

Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Unhealthy

"Then what do we do?" Huangfu Miaomiao asked. "The rain is so heavy. Are we supposed to just walk out?"

Xu Yiming said, "We have no choice. The tires on our last truck were too badly damaged to drive. We’ll probably have to walk two or three kilometers to get out of the lockdown zone. We’ll just have to see if there’s a suitable vehicle on the road we can ’borrow’."

Feng Ling sighed, dragging the Cat Spider forward as if she were hauling a giant cocoon.

"Of all the times to spin its web... a normal car won’t be able to fit it at all," she complained.

Xu Yiming looked troubled as well. Most of the vehicles parked along the road were small cars, none of which would work.

Just then, Ye Zheng spoke up. "Inspectors have to carry their phones and be reachable 24/7. It’s highly unusual for Han Xu not to answer. Something might have happened outside the lockdown zone."

Feng Ling stopped in her tracks. After a moment of thought, she said, "The only thing that would keep Han Xu from answering his phone is an Alien Species. Strange. Why would one show up here and now?"

Ye Zheng looked up at the sky and uttered two words: "Torrential rain."

Before Feng Ling had even acquired the Nest Card, 26 of the 122 Mazes had already been breached by Alien Species. So, the creatures were certainly aware of the pattern: when a Maze falls, the weather abruptly changes.

"Ah, so it seems they’re after us," Feng Ling mused.

Li Qing opened his mouth and corrected her in a low voice, "...They’re mainly after *you*."

Feng Ling glanced behind her, waved to a distant dark shape, and called out, "Old Three! Go take a look outside!"

At the rear of the group, about twenty meters away, loomed a massive black silhouette—

It was the size of the largest tour bus. Its body was covered in jet-black feathers, with no nose, no eyes, and no mouth. It moved with extreme sluggishness, as slow as that snail mountain that had chased Feng Ling in the Maze.

At Feng Ling’s command, the black-feathered behemoth exploded outward, scattering into countless crows that flew off in every direction!

Each crow bore a human face on its head. The faces had varied expressions; as the birds’ beaks chirped and chattered, the human faces murmured and babbled.

Some faces said, "So hungry, so hungry..."

Others said, "Want money, want money..."

Feng Ling watched her new Pet depart, her expression unreadable.

She stood her ground, self-reflecting aloud. "See? This just goes to show how important food safety is. Life hatched from less-than-healthy flesh and blood doesn’t turn out very healthy, either."

Everyone: "..."

...

The group continued onward through the downpour.

A few minutes later, one of the Human-faced Crows flew back.

It was Feng Ling’s first time commanding her new Pet, and she was amused by it. She let out a whistle and praised it, "Little Third is pretty fast!"

"Can’t you pick a more normal name?" Ye Zheng said with disgust.

"It’s a part of Old Three, so calling it Little Third is perfectly logical," Feng Ling retorted.

Ye Zheng reluctantly accepted this, frowning as he asked, "What news did Little Third bring back?"

The Human-faced Crow landed on Feng Ling’s shoulder and began murmuring, transmitting information to her.

Feng Ling felt as if she had suddenly grown countless eyes, noses, and ears, her brain flooded with a massive amount of complex information.

"...Something in the water... Han Xu is organizing an evacuation... Soldiers have it surrounded, but bullets don’t seem to work on it... Now it’s dissolved into the water and vanished..."

Feng Ling quickly processed the information and turned to Li Qing. "Look up a Card for me. It’s huge, can change its shape, dark brown, with striped patterns on its sides. It’s like a mud monster, can dissolve in water, and it’s extremely fast in water."

Li Qing asked, "Does it have fins or scales?"

Feng Ling shook her head. "No, it’s all smooth and slippery. Like a giant slug."

"A Card related to aquatic life, has shapeshifting abilities, and excluding all fish..." Li Qing searched through the vast card library. "Found it! It’s a Multi-headed Leech!"

Just then, a few more Human-faced Crows flew back and landed on Feng Ling’s shoulder.

Ye Zheng was more concerned about the situation on the ground. He asked Feng Ling, "Any casualties?"

Feng Ling received more information. "...People are injured, but not by the leech. There was a stampede during the evacuation... A few cars also crashed. Strange. What’s this leech’s deal? Is this a prank? Why scare everyone and then just disappear?"

Ye Zheng sneered. "It’s a probe. The weather today is perfect for them to make a move, but the Alien Species isn’t sure if the Inspectors and Hunters on site have Cards that can counter it. So it’s making a feint before the real attack, to prevent those people outside from helping you when it finally comes for you."

"Hasn’t the Alien Species gotten its priorities mixed up?" Feng Ling shook her head, baffled. "If it wants to take me on, shouldn’t it first figure out whether *I* can counter *it*?"

"Exactly!" Huangfu Miaomiao chimed in. "Feng Ling wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. She could crush it with Spiritual Suppression alone."

Li Qing shot Huangfu Miaomiao a look. "She could do that in a one-on-one fight. But if there are Inspectors, soldiers, or ordinary citizens nearby, they would also be affected by the Spiritual Suppression and could be put in danger."

Huangfu Miaomiao grew annoyed. "I *was* talking about a one-on-one fight! Why do you always have to find fault with me?!"

Li Qing pressed his thin lips together and said nothing. ’Feng Ling is already arrogant enough,’ he thought. ’If you keep showering her with praise every day, won’t her ego inflate to the heavens? It would be disastrous if she started underestimating her enemies because of it.’

’She’ll understand my good intentions sooner or later,’ he believed.

"So..." Xu Yiming began hesitantly, "what is the leech’s weakness? Salt?"

Feng Ling shrugged nonchalantly. "The rain’s this heavy, it’s useless to sprinkle anything. It’ll just get washed away instantly."

The water on the street was already over their ankles. Trash drifted along the currents, and some storm drains were clogged with clumps of fallen leaves and plastic bags. The downpour continued relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping.

An environment like this was far too perfect for a leech.

Feng Ling tossed the rope she was using to drag the Cat Spider to Huangfu Miaomiao and continued walking forward at an unhurried pace. Her posture remained casual, but everyone knew she had entered a state of combat readiness.

Ye Zheng raised his right claw in front of his face, his blood-red eyes scanning from side to side as he flexed his long, sharp talons.

No one said a word.

The only sound on the street was the rain, but as they neared the lockdown line, the sounds of voices and car horns began to filter in.

Through the dark curtain of rain, Feng Ling saw flashing vehicle lights. A bright beam suddenly landed on her, forcing her to squint.

"Feng Ling?!" Duan Fei hastily lowered his flashlight and led his team wading through the rain toward them, utterly overjoyed. "You’re out of the Maze!!!"

Feng Ling glanced behind him and asked, "Where’s your Captain Han?"

The smile vanished from Duan Fei’s face. He said grimly, "A large Pollution Body has appeared nearby! Captain Han is up ahead organizing the evacuation, and I’m leading the team to pursue the target. No time to talk, get in the vehicle! This street is extremely dangerous right now!"