I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Why is the soil here softer and darker in color?

How did the driver get thrown so far away from the bus?

"Save...Save..."

The driver continued to moan in pain.

Lu Ban thought for a moment, then took out a bag of compressed rations from his backpack and threw it at the driver.

Snapped--

The bag of compressed dry food fell next to the driver.

"...!!!"

The "hounds" that didn't dare to make a move noticed that the soil next to the driver had started to move.

The black soil seemed to come alive, wriggling slightly, and then, beneath the bag of compressed rations, a bit of green emerged.

Those are tender green buds.

Outside the area illuminated by the flashlight, the world was silent and dark, but within that circle of light, some kind of life was being conceived.

A small clump of grass sprouted from the black soil and covered the compressed rations. After only a moment, the compressed rations disappeared, leaving only a small patch of green grass.

"Help...help...ga...ga ga ga ga ga ga ga..."

The driver's cries for help gradually changed in tone, becoming distorted, and eventually turned into the eerie sound that Lu Ban and "Hound" had heard earlier.

Lu Ban and "Hound" moved a short distance around the driver and then saw that the area between the driver's eyes was a bloody mess, with green grass growing from the wounds, sprouting from the driver's eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth.

"Gaga... Help... Help me..."

The grass swayed without wind, causing the driver's vocal cords to vibrate.

This is a hunter.

Lu Ban understood perfectly.

It mimics the appearance of its prey, sends out distress signals to attract its own kind, and then begins to hunt.

If Lu Ban and the "hound" rashly approach, they will likely be captured, devoured, and merged into it.

This patch of grassland is probably...

Lu Ban saw that on the driver's face, where the wound was most severe and the blood was most concentrated, a pure white flower had grown among the green grass.

One, two, three flowers—his body suddenly became a small field of flowers, and those pure flowers bloomed, creating a beautiful yet extremely tragic scene.

"Let's hurry and get back on the road."

Lu Ban instinctively sensed a threat and signaled the "hounds" to turn back. But when they turned around, they found that the grass seemed to have grown taller and completely covered the roof of the bus.

There were no stars, no moon, and the surrounding grass was indistinguishable. In this dark night, Lu Ban could only tell the bus's general direction.

"Never mind, let's go."

But staying here was obviously more dangerous. Lu Ban swept his crowbar, knocking down the fluorescent plants, and walked into the increasingly tall vegetation.

The smell of earth and grass grew stronger, like the preparations a creature makes for a hunt, and a strange atmosphere began to brew.

Lu Ban and "Hound" struggled forward, their flashlights barely effective in the dense grass.

He felt as if the grass was growing on its own, trying to get into his clothes and under his skin.

In the meadow, which has no direction, no end, no light, and no sound, death is growing.

Where are you?

The "hound" barked loudly, and a few seconds later, a response came from one direction.

"There's a problem here!"

It was the sound of stones trembling.

Lu Ban caught the direction of the sound, turned his body, and struggled to move among the ever-growing and denser weeds.

A moment later, Lu Ban and "Hound" finally broke through the obstacle and saw the roof of the bus.

"arrive."

Lu Ban called out and turned to look at the "hunting dog".

Then he saw that the hound's previously injured left hand was now covered with green grass.

That green, which represents life, is now also a symbol of fear.

Chapter 045 The Green of Death

"Hey, are you alright?"

When Lu Ban saw the new green on the "hunting dog's" hand, his heart skipped a beat.

The "hound" looked at Lu Ban blankly, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

The two had just emerged from the maze of weeds and arrived at the bus.

The wild grass that had been flattened by the wheels had now stood upright, trying to wrap around the bus.

Stone and Mary returned to the car, opened the door, and waited for Landfall and "Hound".

The two got into the car one after the other and closed the door tightly.

"Damn it."

The "hound" looked at its left hand.

That hand no longer resembles a human.

Bones, blood vessels, and muscles no longer exist.

All that remained were hard wood, lush green grass, and twisted vines.

His arm is gradually changing into a plant.

In the blink of an eye, the hound's entire left hand had turned into wood, and the damage was rapidly spreading toward his shoulder.

"Cut it down! Cut it down now!"

The "hunting dog" barked in alarm.

Compared to turning a person into a tree, losing a hand is obviously more acceptable.

Without hesitation, Lu Ban grabbed the knife he had used to process the rat meat and slashed it down on the "hunting dog's" upper arm.

"!!!"

The knife sank into the flesh, cutting to the bone joint connecting the shoulder and upper arm, but could not penetrate any further.

The hound's face was ashen, its jaws clenched tightly around the wad of cloth torn from its clothes, only letting out soft whimpers from its throat.

Lu Ban drew his knife, picked up a crowbar, and smashed it hard before the bark-like plant structure could spread upwards.

Without any aiming, the crowbar hook precisely embedded itself in the "hound's" wound, the sharp end shattering the joint and causing the "hound's" left hand to go limp.

Lu Ban continued to use the knife, quickly severing the "hound's" arm.

Click—

The arm, hardened into wood, fell to the ground, and the last bit of flesh and blood gradually faded, even the blood that flowed out quickly dried and turned into green grass.

Lu Ban now knows how this grassland was formed.

I'm afraid that any creatures that stay here for a while will be eroded and infected by the green plants, eventually becoming part of the grassland.

Some of those creatures are left behind as bait to attract other prey. This grassland is like a skilled hunter, quietly waiting for its prey to come to it.

These wild grasses, the land, even the air, are all part of the hunt.

That's why there's not a sound at all in this meadow.

"We need to leave as soon as possible."

Lu Ban said something, then went to the driver's seat and checked the vehicle's condition.

Before Lu Ban could even check if the engine could start, he noticed that green shoots were beginning to sprout from the broken glass next to the driver's seat.

"Even inanimate machines can be infected by this grassland...?"

Lu Ban finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

He slammed on the pedal, and the engine roared to life.

Lu Ban placed both hands on the steering wheel, preparing to break free from the confinement of the grass.

Lu Ban felt an itch on his arm and scratched it, but it didn't relieve the itch.

He looked over and suddenly noticed that something was growing on the inside of his arm, where there should have been blue veins.

The thing was like a long, thin worm, crawling and wriggling between blood vessels and muscles.

Through his skin, he could clearly see the green thing trying to break through the barrier and crawl out. Lu Ban felt an intense itch and wanted to scratch, to cut open his flesh and dig the thing out.

As he stepped on the gas, he glanced back and saw that the bleeding from the "hound's" shoulder, which had lost a hand, had stopped.

But no one helped him stop the bleeding.

"Oh shit!"

The "hound" looked over its shoulder.

The cut surface of the wound was now covered by lush green plants, and those vibrant plants clung to the "hunting dog's" shoulder, creating an eerie scene.

He could see something bulging and sinking in his chest and stomach. "Hound" lifted his clothes, and his once muscular abdomen now looked as if countless insects were stirring inside, with streaks of greenish, unidentified things bulging out, even spreading to his neck and face.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

The "hound" scratched at his neck and face with his right hand, trying to relieve the unbearable itching, but the bright red marks left by his fingernails did not bring him any relief.

He kept scratching and scratching, his fingernails stained with blood and foam, his skin festering, but the worm-like protrusion remained hidden even deeper beneath.

The bus wheels were covered in green grass and were almost leaking air, but they finally started spinning.

The kicked-up dirt propelled the bus forward. Lu Ban gripped the steering wheel and turned in the direction the bus had come from.

"..."