Chapter 235: Weird
Chapter 235: Weird
The entire first-floor hall is covered in skeletons. In the apocalypse, such a sight does not unsettle these men in the slightest. They have all crawled through hellish days—how could a floor full of bones possibly scare them?
But something about this place feels off.
That’s right. It’s weird.
Outside the mall, zombies are piled up in heaps. Yet inside, there isn’t a single one in sight. Instead, the ground is littered with skeletons. Among them stand clusters of crimson flowers—tall, double-petaled, resembling lilies but reaching up to a person’s height. They sway quietly amid the bones, both beautiful and unnerving.
Scattered among them are many withered lilies, their petals no longer recognizable as flowers. Dried and curled, they look as if they have been drained of every last drop of nutrients and water. Some petals have even turned a burnt yellow.
“Captain, we’re inside.”
A man standing beside Lei Jiang’s car window hesitates, unsure of how to continue. He wants to persuade Lei Jiang to turn back. Life in the park is good—safe, comfortable, with plenty of women to enjoy. Why risk everything chasing after a so-called mobile granary?
Besides, there doesn’t seem to be a single living person in this mall. How could there possibly be a mobile granary here?
Before he can finish his sentence, a green snake suddenly shoots out from beneath the skeletons. It coils around his ankle in an instant, slithering up his leg and burrowing straight into his pants.
Lei Jiang turns his head, puzzled by the sudden silence. But as soon as he looks, his expression hardens. The man outside his window has frozen in place, his face twisting in an unnatural grimace.
The others standing around him notice his strange expression. At first, they think he is making a face—maybe trying to hold in laughter, or maybe even constipated. But then his mouth opens.
And something blooms inside.
A crimson flower sprouts from his throat, fleshy and slick with mucus. Its petals curl like a human tongue.
Someone screams.
Men turn to flee toward the entrance, but it’s too late. Vines and tree roots shoot up from the floor, wrapping around their ankles. Not a single one escapes.
“Go!”
Lei Jiang’s blood runs cold. He doesn’t even finish chewing his instant noodles before barking the order. “Zeng Fan, reverse! Get us out of here!”
But the cars behind them are jammed together, blocking the way. Even if they have wings, there is no time to fly out.
The fallen men reach out toward Lei Jiang for help. As soon as they open their mouths, red, fleshy flowers erupt from within. Their eyes bulge—then the tiny blossoms inside devour them. In the blink of an eye, flowers have overtaken their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, leaving nothing but grotesque floral masks where their faces once were.
Without hesitation, Lei Jiang kicks open the car door, leaps out, and runs.
Behind him, tree roots and green vines shoot out from the skeletons, lunging toward him. But just as they are about to grab hold, a wall of earth rises behind him, blocking their attack.
Zeng Fan has also jumped out, initially chasing after Lei Jiang, but a vine whips at his legs, knocking him to the ground.
“Captain!” he shouts.
Lei Jiang turns back for a split second. Then, without hesitation, he raises his hand—another wall of earth surges up, separating him from Zeng Fan.
Zeng Fan scrambles to his feet and runs, but he is too late. The vines are faster. Trapped within the encroaching darkness of the hall, he spins around, eyes widening in terror.
Right in front of his nose, a green vine hovers in the air.
Then, he screams.