Published: February 9, 2025
"Why choose this place?"
The tree man asked, confused, as he saw Ye Zhongming selecting a location on the map to set up the ambush against the Yama Tree.
The escort team had already left, and the Ogre Chain convoy had only left a small group of people behind. Even leaders like Yang Yixi, Mina, and Garan had been assigned to some warriors from Cloud Summit Villa by Ye Zhongming and sent out to gather survivors from Linhai Underground City to participate in the ambush against the Yama Tree.
The rewards naturally couldn't be compared to what the Ogre Chain and those external forces could offer, but they were still quite enticing.
Since it was an ambush, they could consolidate all available forces.
"This location has open spaces and tall buildings all around, making it ideal for combining long-range and close-range attacks. Also, getting from our location to that point requires passing through a densely built residential area, a water-themed amusement park, and a commercial area that has only just begun construction."
Ye Zhongming pointed at the map. "These terrains can maximize our chances of delaying the dried corpse horde that has been following us, giving us some time to focus on dealing with the Yama Tree that will come through this diagonal area. It will also buy enough time for our teams to seek out collaborators."
There was one more point that Ye Zhongming didn't mention; if there were any individuals with strong capabilities around, they would notice that the chosen final battleground was located right above their camp.
"Little Tiger, let’s go!"
Ye Zhongming called out, summoning Little Tiger and others who were sniping dried corpses from the periphery. The team began to withdraw according to the plan.
"Boss, killing these guys is not satisfying at all."
The dried corpses were completely desiccated, their magic crystals dim and lifeless, lacking the thrilling, visceral combat against humans or mutated creatures. For evolvers who had survived over a year in the apocalypse, they found it somewhat unsatisfactory.
"They're our main opponents today." Ye Zhongming smiled, leading the group away.
Without the burden of equipment, the remaining members were all quite strong, mostly from Cloud Summit. The team progressed smoothly, beginning to circle around Linhai City as planned.
By this time, Linhai had descended into complete chaos, with nearly all the people from the underground city emerging to the surface and fleeing in all directions, while newcomers were surging into the city from outside.
The Death Vine entered the city, rampaging and killing, but after a while, it mysteriously disappeared.
Dried corpses appeared from various positions, slaughtering any living beings they encountered. Each group had different directions, but most were heading towards a single location.
Battles erupted across every inch of land in Linhai.
Yet no matter where they were, every survivor was observing the Yama Tree, some trying to keep their distance, while others were attempting to approach it.
The Yama Tree was not slow; however, its root system was not as agile as legs, making it less flexible in movement. The dense buildings in the city also hindered its pursuit.
The Death Vine absorbed energy from the killed evolvers and transmitted it to the Yama Tree, allowing it to accumulate power. The mental state injured by Ye Zhongming's wisdom mark was gradually recovering, but the Yama Tree's face was still shrouded in gloom due to the loss of its Life Brain.
However, as Ye Zhongming calculated his moves, the Yama Tree was not idle either. While pursuing, it was using its even more powerful mental capabilities to control everything in Linhai. It also changed its strategy upon seeing Ye Zhongming suddenly alter his course.
In places unnoticed by humans, the Yama Tree was making preparations as well.
High-level mutated beings had a keen perception of danger.
……………………………………………………………………
On the outskirts, a 20,000-strong team from Ying City took some time to enter the city.