Published: January 31, 2025
Although Ye Zhongming had become a one-star evolver due to a bit of arrogance right after the apocalypse started, and didn’t foresee the danger, he was ultimately an evolver with countless life-and-death experiences. At the moment of danger, he still made the most correct and timely response.
He twisted his waist, and his body bizarrely fell backward. The whistling attack grazed his scalp and struck the wall that Ye Zhongming had just flipped over, making a loud bang. Some ceramic tiles and cement debris splattered everywhere, with several pieces hitting Ye Zhongming's body, causing him to grunt in pain. He felt a warm flow trickling down, clearly indicating that he was bleeding.
Counterattacking was almost instinctive. The machete instantly swung out, smooth and natural. If there were masters of national martial arts here, they would certainly recognize that Ye Zhongming's knife skills had reached a remarkable level.
However, this strike did not achieve the desired effect. Ye Zhongming felt the machete being trapped by something. It was at this moment that he clearly saw what was attacking him.
It was actually a willow tree planted in the yard, with a branch that was obviously thicker and longer than normal, thrashing violently as it tried to shake off the machete in Ye Zhongming's hand.
His previous strike had hit this branch perfectly, not severing it but instead getting his machete stuck inside.
Ye Zhongming’s heart sank. A mutated willow tree?!
He had just encountered mutated insects, and now another mutated plant? His luck was terrible.
After all, whether insects or plants, once they mutated, their strength would be greater than that of zombies, making them a greater threat to Ye Zhongming.
However, regardless of the situation, Ye Zhongming’s response was top-notch. He immediately abandoned the machete stuck in the branch and pulled out the Type 54 pistol from his waist.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired five shots in rapid succession. Except for the first shot that missed, the other four hit a spot on the mutated willow tree trunk ten meters away.
The woman following him had just climbed to the top of the wall. She saw a deep green liquid oozing from the trunk of the willow tree that was noticeably thicker than an ordinary willow tree, and the entire tree was shaking violently, making it look more like a person than a tree.
After firing a few shots, Ye Zhongming did not stop. He dashed to the front of the willow tree, raised the fire axe that he had drawn from his back high, and swung it down fiercely at the connection point.
Hiss!
The mutated willow tree actually let out a low growl. Although the sound was faint, it indeed came out, startling the long-haired woman who was still on the wall, causing her to tremble and fall down, feeling as if she had plunged into a horror film.
However, after the growl, the mutated willow tree suddenly went still. The previously tender green leaves turned withered and yellow, and the branches drooped weakly. Anyone could tell that this willow tree was dead.
Ye Zhongming swung the fire axe again, chopping at the trunk several times. Underneath the bark, a gray Grade 1 Magic Crystal was exposed.
Unlike mutated humans and animals, mutated plants had their magic crystals inside their bodies. Apart from the roots, they had no obvious weak points, and the roots, which connected them to the ground, were the hardest parts to attack, making mutated plants relatively powerful.
If it weren't for Ye Zhongming's experience—knowing that this tree, which had just mutated, had not fully absorbed its magic crystal—and using his keen vision as a one-star evolver to spot the glint of the magic crystal obscured by bark, his outcome would have either been a hasty retreat or death, becoming fertilizer for the willow tree.
At this moment, the long-haired woman had stood up cautiously and approached the mutated willow tree. She suddenly discovered that there were two corpses lying behind the tree, only these corpses were all shriveled, like mummies dried by the desert wind.