The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu didn't rush to conclusions. He opened the chat channel and searched for the keywords "flyer," "army," and "power plant."

There isn't much information, but people are definitely discussing it.

"Has anyone seen the flyers on the street? North Suburb Power Plant, saying the military has set up a security zone."

"I saw it, but I don't think it's very reliable. It's been so long, why are the flyers still so new?"

"What if it's true? We're heading north anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to check it out along the way."

"What good would it do to go? Why would the military take us in?"

"Discussing this is pointless; let's get to the north alive first."

Su Mu read through the flyers one by one. Most people were skeptical, but not entirely dismissive. After all, in the current situation, every glimmer of hope was worth trying.

He thought for a moment, then clicked on Zhou Zhenguo's profile picture and sent a message.

"Brother Zhou, did you see the flyers over there? The ones from the North Suburb Power Plant?"

Zhou Zhenguo replied quickly: "I saw it. Several people around here found it."

"Are you planning to go?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then a message came: "Planning to go. We're not too far from the northern suburbs right now, and... to be honest, the monsters here are too strong."

Most of our team are ordinary people, without talent or profession. Surviving in Ash City on our own is too difficult. If the military safe zone is real, it's our only hope.

Su Mu did not refute.

Zhou Zhenguo was telling the truth.

The monsters in Ash City are generally level three or higher, with level four and five monsters being commonplace, and level eight and ten monsters not uncommon.

For ordinary people facing these monsters, even escape is a luxury. Their only way to survive is to find a safe zone, to find shelter, to find a way to live.

"Be careful," Su Mu said. "Let me know if you hear anything."

"Don't worry." Zhou Zhenguo's reply was brief. "No matter what the situation is over there, I will keep you informed."

Su Mu closed the chat window, folded the flyer, and stuffed it into his backpack.

He hadn't decided whether to go or not. The power plant in the northern suburbs was near the evacuation point, and if it was on his way, he wouldn't mind taking a look. But the prerequisite was... he had to get the information from the second intelligence point first. That secret realm.

Su Mu determined the direction and headed towards the zoo.

Lin Xiaohe didn't ask him where he was going, but silently followed behind him, keeping a distance of about ten meters.

After taking a few steps, Su Mu suddenly slowed down.

He sensed that something was wrong.

Quiet.

It's too quiet.

They were fighting here just now; the gunshots, explosions, and monster roars were so loud that they could be heard halfway down the street. Normally, the monsters in the vicinity should be attracted by the noise, just like how they regrouped after the wild boar died.

But now, there isn't a single monster around.

There weren't even any birdsong, let alone monsters.

There are no monsters.

Su Mu's brows furrowed into a knot.

This isn't normal. There are clearly monsters in this area... He encountered at least dozens as he fought his way here. And he didn't kill them all; he only killed a portion of them, many escaped.

Where did those monsters go?

He recalled what he had encountered before in the area on the edge of the campus.

At the time, there weren't any monsters around, and he assumed it was due to the territorial suppression of level eight monsters. Later, when the wild boar died, the monsters did slowly return, confirming his theory.

But now, he's already killed the level eight monster. Following the previous pattern, the surrounding monsters should have regrouped. But now, not a single one is there.

Su Mu stood there, his mind replaying the battle that had just taken place.

Where did those wall-crawling creatures come from? From the dormitory building walls. They crawled over from a distance, very fast, as if they were in a hurry. Not "patrolling," not "foraging," but "running"...running in a certain direction.

They are not guarding their territory, they are running away.

Su Mu's pupils suddenly contracted.

The monsters weren't attacking him; they were fleeing from something. He just happened to be in their path, which is why they charged at him.

What were they fleeing from?

Su Mu suddenly turned around and looked in the direction behind him.

Lin Xiaohe was startled by his sudden movement and instinctively gripped her submachine gun tighter. But she didn't speak; she simply followed Su Mu's gaze and looked in the same direction.

Then she froze.

At the end of the tree-lined avenue in the distance, on the walls of the dormitory buildings, by the windows of the teaching buildings, in the bushes of the flower beds... a dense green is spreading. It's not leaves, not lawn, but vines.

Thick, emerald-green vines sprouted from cracks in the ground, squeezed out of crevices in the walls, and climbed out of window frames. They wriggled like snakes, extending in all directions along the ground, walls, and tree trunks.

Su Mu's pupils contracted to their maximum size.

These were the vines he saw from the cable car... those dense green plants covering the school walls. He initially thought they were a feature of the school, or some kind of plant monster. But he was wrong.

Those vines weren't just covering the walls. They grew from within the walls, sprouted from beneath the ground, and emerged from every corner of the campus. They kept growing, kept spreading, kept waiting.

Now, they're starting to close the net.

Su Mu saw the corpse of a female monster in the distance... the level seven green one he had killed with his AWM... entangled by several vines. The tips of the vines pierced the corpse's skin, sucking it in like straws. The corpse's muscles were visibly shrunken, atrophied, and blackened. The vines, having consumed the flesh, became even more vibrant green, their surface gleaming faintly.

They are eating.

They used the corpses of those monsters as nourishment.

Su Mu felt a chill run down his spine.

If these vines can grow by feeding on monster corpses, then they are practically invincible in this world. Because what this world has in abundance is corpses.

"Let's go." Su Mu's voice was deep.

He didn't explain, and Lin Xiaohe didn't ask. The two of them ran quickly towards the school gate, one after the other.

.............................