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

Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly.

Level 10.

This was the first time he had seen the mark of a level 10 monster in this city.

The highest level I encountered at school was level eight. He struggled to defeat those vines even without seeing their true form. What does level ten mean?

Moreover, it was directly marked by "Area Awareness," indicating that this level 10 monster is somewhere in this area; it's not hidden, it's not unknown, it's clearly there.

He carefully sensed the surroundings, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the level 10 monster.

He quickly searched and found a spot in the northwest corner of the square, near a red building.

Su Mu looked in that direction from afar.

Then he saw it.

Red vines.

Instead of the slender, willow-like, emerald-green vines found in schools, thick, blood-red vines sprouted from the ground and coiled around the exterior walls of the red building.

Each one was as thick as an adult's thigh, and its surface was covered with dark red lines, like blood vessels.

Flowers bloomed at the tips of the vines... No, those weren't flowers, but some kind of fleshy, wriggling organ, like eyeless faces, their mouths opening and closing as if swallowing something in the air.

Su Mu felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this the same species as the vines in the school? Or does it just look similar? He wasn't sure.

But he knew one thing... this thing was far more dangerous than the vines at school. He had already experienced level eight vines—they were overwhelming and impossible to kill. He had no confidence in dealing with level ten vines.

Moreover, this thing is blood red. The vines at school are emerald green. Is the color different due to different levels, or has this vine evolved into a different form after consuming too much flesh and blood?

Su Mu withdrew his gaze and decisively turned around.

"Let's change direction," he said.

Lin Xiaohe didn't ask why, and followed him into a small path on the east side of the square.

He didn't provoke the level 10 monster.

It's not because I'm afraid, it's because it's not worth it.

His goal was the secret area in the zoo, not these vines.

Moreover, with his current strength, the chances of him winning against a level 10 monster are slim. Even if he wins, it will consume a lot of time and resources, making it a losing proposition.

......

Meanwhile, in a building facing the street, several people were observing the situation in the square through gaps in the curtains.

It was a second-floor office with a window facing the northwest corner of the square, where one could see the red building entwined with blood-red vines.

The furniture in the room was pushed aside to make room for a map, which was marked with various symbols and lines.

Seven people were gathered around the map.

The leader was a man in a dark jacket, about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a burly build, a square face, and an innate sense of intimidation between his brows. His name was Wang Chen, the leader of the elite group of the Salvation Guild.

Standing next to him was a slightly overweight man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He looked refined, but his eyes revealed a shrewd calculation.

His name is Zhang Qiang, the deputy commander, and also the strategist of this team.

The other five people were scattered around the room; some were on guard by the window, some were organizing their equipment, and some were squatting on the floor to rest.

"Is the truck ready?" Wang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight.

"Ready," a young man by the window replied. "A van we found on the roadside, the gas tank is full, the tires have been checked, it can run."

"Where is the driver?"

The person by the window paused for a second, then said, "Choose one from among the people in shelters and have him drive it."

"Is he willing?"

"He has no choice but to agree." A burly man with a face full of scars sneered. "We don't support idlers here. Since he's under our protection, what's wrong with making him do something?"

Wang Chen didn't respond to that.

He walked to the window, looking at the red building in the distance that was entwined with blood-red vines, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"We're blocked on all sides by this thing," he said in a low voice, as if talking to himself. "The main road is to the east, and there are so many monsters there that we can't possibly kill them all, plus there are these things there too. To the west are ruins, the terrain is too complicated, and there are these things there as well. To the south is this plaza, which is occupied by this blood-red vine. The north is empty, but to get out from the north, you have to cross this plaza."

"So the only way out is to get rid of this thing," Zhang Qiang pushed up his glasses, "or find its weakness and go around it."

"There's no way around it." The young man by the window shook his head. "I've been observing it for hours; its vines cover the middle of the city. To get around it, you have to enter its attack range."

Wang Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's test the waters first."

His gaze fell on the van parked at the edge of the square. The van was red, covered in dust, and had an "X" taped to the window, like some kind of emergency marking.

"Get the driver in the car," Wang Chen said. "Weld the doors shut."

Zhang Qiang's eyelid twitched, but he didn't say anything.

The burly man with a face full of scars grinned, turned around, and went downstairs.

A dozen minutes later, the red van started up. The roar of the engine echoed across the empty square, startling a few crows that had landed on the monument.

The truck slowly started moving and headed towards the red building.

The speed wasn't fast, about twenty miles per hour. The driver was clearly hesitant, afraid, but he had no choice... the doors had been welded shut, and he couldn't get out.

The truck was still 100 meters away from the Red Building.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

The blood-red vines moved.

They shot up from the ground like snakes, lashing at the truck. The first vine struck the front of the truck, denting the hood and sending sparks flying.

The second vine struck the side of the truck, leaving a deep dent in the door. The third, the fourth, the fifth... the vines multiplied and grew denser, like dozens of whips lashing at a metal box simultaneously.

The truck's windows were shattered. The truck's roof collapsed. The truck's tires burst.

The driver frantically turned the steering wheel in the driver's seat, but the car was already out of control.

It lurched forward a few meters, then was caught by a thick vine, which lifted the entire vehicle up and suspended it in mid-air.

Then, the tips of those vines... those fleshy, flower-like organs... opened up. Like toothless mouths, they crowded in from all directions of the truck, sucking onto the body.

It wasn't the kind of deformation caused by an impact, but rather like something was sucking it out from the inside, causing the entire car body to dent, twist, and compress at a visible speed.

Then, the driver was sucked out of the cab.