Chapter 76 - 65: Taking Shelter in the Strange Forest

Vert and Jincan had already relayed the situation inside the eerie forest to Flora Bloom from above. By now, Flora and her group had made their way to the highway guardrail. Behind them was the eerie forest Cynthia Grant had mentioned.

From the outside, a few camphor trees and oleanders blocked the entrance, obscuring the view. From Vert’s description, Flora Bloom knew why the forest was so eerie: there wasn’t a single tree inside, only some tall weeds and foxtail grass.

If anything was strange, it was that the foxtail grass grew exceptionally tall.

While the three Koreans merely stood by the guardrail, refusing to get any closer, Flora Bloom’s and Evan’s teams had already started heading into the eerie forest.

"Agh! What was that! I’ve been stabbed, me, your Lord Monroe!"

Hearing his cry, the others turned to look. Ethan Monroe was clutching his rear, his face twisted in agony. He held one hand out, trying to turn and see his own back, but he was too overweight to get a look.

Flora Bloom and the others took a look.

Ethan Monroe’s back and rear were covered in what looked like needles.

Flora Bloom pulled one out to examine it.

The needle felt hard in her hand, like steel. They varied in length, with some as short as a fingernail and others as long as a middle finger.

The green needles glinted with a cyan light under the sun, a clear sign they carried some unknown poison.

Just in case, Flora Bloom gave Ethan Monroe a bottle of space water to drink. Then, she turned to peer through the gaps between the trees.

What she saw startled her.

’Is this... really foxtail grass?’

’Foxtail grass is an incredibly common weed, you see it in the wild, in parks, even on the roadside. It usually only grows to about half an arm’s length. But this patch in front of her, growing almost as tall as she was... could it still be considered foxtail grass?’

Flora Bloom tentatively edged a little closer.

As if sensing her presence, the giant foxtail grass suddenly tilted in unison toward Flora Bloom. Then, without warning, the stalks began to quiver.

SWISH SWISH SWISH.

With that sound, the once-soft tufts on the fluffy, tail-like heads of the grass instantly stiffened into needles and shot toward Flora Bloom.

They were so fast that if she hadn’t been prepared, she would have been unable to dodge.

Flora Bloom threw up a deep blue water shield in front of herself. A dozen or so needles struck the shield, sending ripples across its surface. The impact immediately drained the shield’s energy, leaving it perilously thin.

The needles on the water shield were identical to the ones on Ethan Monroe’s back. They were being fired from this mutated foxtail grass.

’She never imagined that this humble foxtail grass could become so powerful after mutating. If a single stalk could weaken her shield this much, what would a whole patch do? What if there were more?’

"What on earth is this stuff?"

Neal Wallace frowned as he plucked the needles from Ethan Monroe’s back, making Ethan howl in pain.

"If I’m not mistaken, these are the tufts from the heads of the foxtail grass," Flora Bloom said in a calm voice. She wasn’t joking.

But Evan and his men just stared at Flora Bloom, their eyes full of disbelief.

"This stuff is from foxtail grass? Are you kidding me?" Charles Sawyer took one of the needles, but carelessly pricked his finger on the tip. He immediately flung it back into the woods.

An instant later, the needle, still carrying Charles Sawyer’s blood, flew back to the tip of a foxtail stalk. The moment it reconnected with the plant, the blood on it was instantly and completely absorbed.

By now, the zombie hordes from both ends of the highway had merged. They seemed to be converging on the group’s position with a clear purpose.

’What was strange,’ Flora Bloom thought, ’was that the massive horde wasn’t charging them directly. Instead, they were surrounding the area, just pacing and roaring from a distance.’

’Were they trying to force them into this eerie forest of foxtail grass?’

’Flora Bloom’s first thought was that anyone who entered a field of grass that shot needles would be instantly riddled with holes.’

’But if they didn’t make a move soon, the zombies wouldn’t just wait around forever.’

’Flora Bloom’s mind raced. Breaking through the zombie encirclement was clearly impossible. Their only chance was to take advantage of the fact that the horde was being controlled by a Second Level zombie and hadn’t charged yet. They had to find a way into that eerie forest.’

’There was danger on both sides. The zombie horde was too numerous; Flora couldn’t guarantee everyone’s safety. But the unknown threat in the eerie forest made her hesitate to act rashly.’

"Vert, can your scythe cut down this foxtail grass?"

Vert responded instantly through Flora Bloom’s mental link.

"Master, I can. But there are too many. If their needles shoot me down, I’ll be a goner."

"Is there any way to fight this mutated foxtail grass?"

"Master, this foxtail grass has evolved into a plant-based lifeform, so it’s very difficult to deal with. But no matter how powerful a plant is, its weak point is always the roots. If you can destroy the roots, it should be fine."

Hearing Vert’s suggestion, Flora Bloom had a flash of inspiration.

’The roots were the weak point, that was true, but what could destroy them?’

’Her gaze suddenly fell on Neal Wallace, who was helping Ethan Monroe pull out the needles. Plants are naturally afraid of fire. A Fire Attribute superpower was their perfect counter!’

Flora Bloom smiled.

"Mr. Wallace, get ready. We’re going through the forest, and you’re going to clear the path."

Neal Wallace wasn’t very surprised. From what he’d come to know of Flora Bloom, she must have thought of a way.

"Okay."

"Mr. Wallace, all plants fear fire. You’ll take the lead with your superpower. We’ll move through quickly, no stopping."

Hearing the exchange, Cynthia Grant’s eyes lit up. She looked at Neal Wallace and asked, "You’re a Fire Ability User?"

Neal Wallace gave a slight nod but said nothing. He walked nervously to the forest entrance. A jet of red flame shot from his palm toward the foxtail grass inside.

The instant the flame touched the foxtail grass, it set off a chain reaction, igniting the surrounding clumps of plants.

Several clumps of foxtail grass at the entrance were instantly burned to a crisp.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. They looked at Neal Wallace with hope dawning on their faces.

"Everyone, stick close. We’re going through."

As Flora Bloom spoke, she led her mother and Caleb, while Caleb Bloom supported the badly injured Ethan Monroe. They all followed closely behind Neal Wallace.

At first, wherever Neal Wallace directed his flames, the foxtail grass withered and died within seconds, quickly clearing a small path for the group.

Flora Bloom’s group was at the front, with Evan and his men following close behind. The three Koreans brought up the rear.

Not long after the group entered the eerie forest, the zombie horde behind them suddenly let out a collective roar. They began to move with surprising speed, following the group and attempting to enter the forest as well.

"N-Not good! The zombies, they’re—they’re coming in!"

The Koreans were at the back, so they saw it first. When they realized what was happening, they immediately started shouting, loud enough for Flora Bloom and the others at the front to hear.

"Mr. Wallace, we need to move faster!"

Five plumes of fire suddenly erupted around Neal Wallace, shooting out toward the foxtail grass in front and to the sides, igniting a sea of flames.

The fire billowed with thick smoke, but Flora Bloom’s group was fine. Her water shield protected them, keeping the smoke at bay. They soon broke free from the area of mutated foxtail grass.

Evan’s team, emerging right after them, wasn’t so lucky. They scrambled out of the dense smoke covered in soot and grime, their hair and clothes either blackened or burned through with holes.

The good news was that the massive fire blocked the zombie horde. But just as the three Koreans burst out of the flames, Sienna Kensington saw the billowing smoke and, with a sudden wave of her hands, extinguished most of the fire.

This was a special characteristic of superpowers. If a low-level Ability User of a certain element used their power, a High-level user of the same element could cancel or even absorb the effect.

Sienna Kensington’s Fire Element superpower was stronger than Neal Wallace’s, so she could easily extinguish the flames he had created. This was a classic case of level suppression.

Likewise, if Neal Wallace were to fight Sienna Kensington, he would be completely overpowered. A lower-level Fire Element user could not inflict much damage on a higher-level one.

Instantly, the zombie horde, which had been trapped by the fire, was given a reprieve. One by one, they began to step through the weakened flames and resume their charge toward the group.

At the same time, the Second Level zombie was the first to emerge, lunging at the closest person—Sienna Kensington. Immediately, other zombies followed suit, all pouncing on her. They had sensed the threatening Fire Element superpower emanating from her.