Chapter 337: Carboniferous Period 9

So, in all likelihood, this card belonged to that person.

‘After I get back, maybe I can set up a lost-and-found and post all the cards I’ve collected.’

‘Of course, it won’t be for free.’

At this thought, Perry Yates let out a sly chuckle.

She could already picture the frustrated looks on their faces.

Having to spend money to buy back their own cards… the very thought of it was delightful.

As Perry Yates mused, her steps grew noticeably lighter.

Just then, she felt the ground beneath her give way. A moment later, a powerful sense of weightlessness washed over her.

In the next instant, Perry Yates vanished. When she reappeared, she was perched on a tree branch more than ten meters above the ground.

Down on the ground, a circular trap had opened up right where she had been standing.

The trap was two meters deep, its bottom lined with sharp spikes.

Anyone or any small creature that fell in would be instantly impaled.

Perry Yates patted her chest. ‘That was terrifying.’

The trap had clearly been meticulously disguised, blending in perfectly with its surroundings until triggered. It was likely the effect of an item or some kind of trap skill.

Still, Perry Yates took a moment to reflect. The trap’s expert camouflage was one thing, but more importantly, she had been far too careless.

To prevent this from happening again, she decided to travel through the treetops from now on.

After making her decision, however, Perry Yates didn’t leave immediately. She wanted to see just who had set this trap.

‘Whoever set the trap must have been hoping to catch something. That means they’re bound to come check on it now that it’s been triggered.’

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a faint noise echoed from nearby.

In the distance, Perry Yates saw a figure swinging from tree to tree with incredible speed, looking for all the world like an agile monkey.

The figure clearly hadn’t noticed Perry Yates. Upon seeing that their trap had been sprung, they excitedly rushed forward to inspect it.

However, when they drew near, they discovered the trap was completely empty.

The figure paused for a moment, then spun around and bolted without a shred of hesitation.

Perry Yates wasn’t about to let the one who’d nearly made her take such a nasty fall simply get away.

All at once, the placid surroundings were filled with countless slender, fragile-looking vines.

Though the vines were slender, they were numerous and grew with astonishing speed.

Within a few breaths, the plants had swarmed over the ground, up the surrounding tree trunks, and even across the canopy above.

They formed a giant, green cage that bound the figure securely, rendering it immobile.

The figure was captured in an instant.

Perry Yates crooked a finger, and the captive was swiftly brought before her.

“You’re not a player, are you.”

At first, Perry Yates had assumed the trap was set by a player, but upon seeing this “person,” she realized her mistake.

The “person” before her exuded an aura similar to that of the Butler, Anna Kane, and Vivian.

At Perry Yates’s words, the “person” in the cage froze for a second before beginning to struggle violently.

The cage formed by the Dodder Seed looked flimsy—thin and delicate, as if a single knock could shatter it.

However, though the vines appeared fragile, their surfaces were covered in a fuzz finer than peach fuzz. The moment anything made contact, this fuzz would transform into countless greedy maws, devouring anything that came near.

As Perry Yates watched the figure struggle in the cage, shrieking in agony as it brushed against the devouring fuzz, she was suddenly struck by a thought.

‘I’ve tallied it before,’ she thought. ‘I need to get back a total of fifteen cards. I’ve found five already, so there are still ten out there, including my most-used one, Any Door.’

‘But wait, I think I’m forgetting another card…’

“Ah.” Perry Yates smacked her right fist into her open palm. “Cannibal Flower.”

She had almost forgotten about that card.

It wasn’t really her fault she was forgetful. The number of cards she had fused was considered high even among veteran players. Furthermore, her Yin Yang Bagua card balanced the relationships between all her cards, allowing her to wield an even greater number of them.

She had fused many of them for reasons as simple as wanting a particular Skill ‘just in case,’ or because she thought it ‘looked cool.’

Besides, all the cards she fused were of the same level—all five-star. There was no question of one being stronger or weaker than another; at most, there were conflicts and counters based on their attributes.

In reality, however, she only used a handful of them regularly. Many of her cards had only been used a few times, if at all, since being fused.

While Perry Yates was lost in her thoughts, the “person” trapped in the cage had been tormented to the brink of death.

After giving her one last look, its entire body was enveloped in black light before it transformed into a black card seething with dark energy.

Perry Yates stared at the black card seething with dark energy inside the cage.

She had seen plenty of black, three-star cards before, but this was the first time she had ever seen one so dark that it radiated a black aura.

Her intuition told her something was wrong with this card.

With that in mind, she didn’t immediately reach out and touch the card.

She hadn’t brought any identification items with her, so she had no way of figuring out what exactly this card was.

Perry Yates shrank the cage, compressing it until it was the size of a ball, trapping the black card securely within. She then temporarily stored it in her system backpack.

‘She didn’t even want to put this card in her Safe House. The system backpack was more reliable. If there was a problem, the system would handle it.’

After walking a bit farther, Perry Yates suddenly heard cries for help from up ahead, mixed with the screeching of an insect.

In the distance, she saw two players being hunted by a massive dragonfly.

This dragonfly was considerably larger than the others she had seen, and its appearance was different as well.

The dragonflies she had seen before were all a greenish-blue, but the body of this one was predominantly red. Even its wings had a reddish-gold hue.

Perry Yates recalled her childhood in her rural hometown. Every summer, dragonflies would be everywhere, and she would always chase them with a large street-sweeping broom. Most of them were greenish-blue, but a few were red.

They had an affectionate nickname for these red dragonflies: “Blushing Brides.”