novelraw 34: Home Building - Planting Greenhouse
34: Home Building - Planting Greenhouse
"Sizzle—"
The smell of burning food still lingered in the air, and the afterimage of the tentacles that had retreated back into the wooden house writhing in the fire seemed to still be branded in Su Chen's mind.
He stared in that direction, finally daring to exhale the breath he had been holding in. A gust of wind swept by, and he shivered, only then realizing that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his back in a chill.
Fortunately, no matter how weird the thing is, as long as it's carbon-based, it's always afraid of fire!
This thought made him feel a little more at ease.
But this tiny bit of relief was quickly extinguished. Now was not the time to relax.
The woman in white looked like a mini-boss; her tentacles were probably just a greeting. If she really came out in person, my meager strength wouldn't even be enough to fill her teeth.
"run!"
Without turning his head, Su Chen dashed into the deeper part of the forest.
My strengthened legs were like springs, each step propelling me far, the withered branches and leaves crunching under my feet, the wind whistling in my ears. The shadows of the trees on either side flew past me with a whoosh.
He hadn't run far when several shouts suddenly came from the open space nearby:
"Hey bro! Over here!"
"Let's go together, so we can look out for each other!"
Su Chen glanced over and saw five people standing there—two men and three women—all carrying machetes, iron bars, and the like, waving vigorously at him. Judging from their attire, they were also explorers who had entered this Black Forest.
But he didn't even pause, nor did he look away. Instead, he gritted his teeth and ran even faster.
When the group saw that he ignored them and ran away as if they were being chased by a ghost, some of them immediately became unhappy.
"What's wrong with him? He won't even respond when I call him!"
"Forget it, let's hurry up and find something to eat and drink."
Su Chen didn't hear these complaints at all, and even if he did, he would have ignored them. In just a few breaths, he disappeared into the woods.
Just then, several little white rabbits appeared out of nowhere in that open space.
They were about the size of a palm, pure white, with long, soft, drooping ears and bright, watery red eyes like jewels. They hopped and skipped around, even nuzzling gently against the girl in the pink coat's feet, looking incredibly cute.
"Wow! So cute!" The girl in the pink coat was instantly charmed and squatted down to reach out and touch it.
A boy next to him also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You scared me! I thought there were no normal living things in this ghostly place. I didn't expect to find such cute little rabbits."
……
Su Chen had only rushed a few dozen meters when a shrill scream suddenly came from behind him!
Then came the woman's wailing and the man's angry curses, creating a chaotic cacophony.
"Ah—! My hand! My hand is gone!"
"Watch out! Something's wrong with this rabbit! Ah!"
"Chop it down! Kill it now!"
The once cute and docile little white rabbit now had bloodshot eyes, its mouth suddenly gaping open to reveal a dense array of sharp teeth, and it pounced on people like a madman, tearing them apart.
Although the group reacted and began slashing wildly with their knives, it was too late. The "splattering" sound of flesh being torn apart, along with painful whimpers and cries, mingled together, sending chills down one's spine.
"Brother Qiang! Brother Qiang, wake up! Don't die!" a girl cried her heart out. "You promised to marry me..."
A middle-aged man's voice roared, trembling with sobs: "Father! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have brought you in!"
The commotion lasted for about five or six minutes before gradually subsiding.
Finally, a roar filled with endless despair and rage rang out, chilling to the bone: "What the hell is this place?! Even the rabbits eat people!"
……
……
On the other side, Su Chen was still running frantically.
He felt a little fortunate; thankfully, he now possessed a physique comparable to Captain America's, otherwise, he probably would have been dragged back by the BOSS long ago. This speed was even faster than a cheetah's, and although his lungs felt like they were on fire, at least he was still alive.
Just as he felt his strength was almost gone and wanted to catch his breath—
"Thump, thump, thump."
From the dense forest ahead came a series of heavy footsteps, like someone beating a muffled drum very close by.
Su Chen suddenly stopped, grabbed the red-tasseled spear from his back, and stared intently in the direction the sound came from.
A tall, dark figure slowly emerged from behind a thick tree trunk.
It's a wolf.
But it's completely different from the wolf we usually think of.
When it stood up, it was at least two meters tall, like a small, mobile fortress, frighteningly robust. Its black fur was messy and filthy, matted into clumps, and covered with dark, dried-out scabs. Its head was crooked and twisted, its mouth gaping wide, almost reaching its ears, revealing a mouthful of yellow, sharp teeth. Its eyes were murky, dark red, making it look both ugly and fierce.
The most deadly thing is that the ugly wolf's two front paws are sizzling with orange-red flames!
The flames leaped and distorted the surrounding air.
"Awooo—!"
As soon as the ugly wolf saw Su Chen, it opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar, spewing out a scorching breath with the stench of sulfur.
Immediately afterwards, its fiery claws slammed down on Su Chen without hesitation!
"Well done!"
Su Chen's eyes sharpened. Instead of retreating, he advanced, gripping the red-tasseled spear tightly with both hands and raising it horizontally along the shaft!
"clang--!"
A loud metallic clang made Su Chen's ears ring. A tremendous force came from the gun barrel, pushing him back three steps, leaving shallow dents under his feet.
What's more troublesome is that the flames from the other party's claws traveled up the gun barrel and burned his palm until it went numb.
He quickly shook the gun a few times to extinguish the flames, cursing inwardly: "This thing can play with fire? Is it some kind of supernatural being?"
Before they could catch their breath, the ugly wolf attacked again.
It ran upright on its two hind legs, surprisingly agile, its burning claws slapping left and right, sending scorching waves of air through the air as it fiercely attacked Su Chen.
The leaves on the surrounding trees were scorched, curled, and blackened.
Su Chen relied entirely on his enhanced reaction speed to dodge left and right, looking for an opportunity. The red-tasseled spear in his hand whistled through the air, sometimes parrying, sometimes thrusting out fiercely.
However, when the spear tip pierces the ugly wolf, it often only manages to create a shallow cut, which is far from fatal.
"That's thick-skinned!"
Su Chen gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging. Such intense fighting was rapidly depleting his stamina, and his arms were getting increasingly sore.
Just then, Ugly Wolf suddenly sidestepped Su Chen's thrust, dodging the gunshot, and his burning claws flashed towards Su Chen's chest!
The speed was too fast; Su Chen couldn't dodge at all and could only instinctively tense his body—
"Sizzle—!"
The claws scratched hard on Su Chen's bulletproof vest.
He hadn't dared to delay putting on this vest since the attack; it was incredibly heavy and usually felt cumbersome when running. He never expected it to actually save his life this time.
The flames burned through the outer garment, but the hard bulletproof plates inside effectively blocked the sharp claws, leaving only a burning pain inside.
"I really racked up a full survival score today."
Su Chen muttered a curse under his breath, trying to find humor in his misery.
He knew how wicked the monsters in this Black Forest were. Who knew if these wolf claws carried some kind of demonic virus? If he got scratched and bled, wouldn't he end up like those people who were afraid of getting AIDS afterward, living in constant fear?
This brief stalemate gave Su Chen a chance to catch his breath. He endured the burning pain in his chest, and with a sudden burst of strength, the red-tasseled spear shot out like a venomous snake, heading straight for the ugly wolf's murky, dark red eye!
"Pfft!"
The tip of the spear pierced in precisely.
Dark red and black blood mixed with some white fluid splattered out all at once.
"Awooo—!!!"
The ugly wolf let out a piercingly mournful howl, its massive body twisting wildly, its claws flailing erratically.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Chen jumped back two steps, took a deep breath, and charged forward again! He aimed his red-tasseled spear at its other eye, throat, and ribs, stabbing relentlessly one after another!
A few minutes later, the ugly wolf's movements slowed down, and finally, with a loud "boom," it crashed to the ground like a wall, its limbs twitched a few times, and then it became completely still. The flames on its paws also went out with a "poof."
Su Chen used his red-tasseled spear to support himself on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat and splattered blood mixed together, making his clothes wet and sticky. His arms were so sore that he could barely lift them.
This fight was exhausting and incredibly close!
If he could do it all over again, he would definitely turn his head and run away without looking back, and would rather die than fight this thing head-on!
As he was thinking this, a soft white halo suddenly flashed across the ugly wolf's enormous corpse.
Immediately afterwards, a palm-sized card, emitting a faint green glow, slowly condensed above the corpse and floated down to the ground in front of Su Chen.
Su Chen paused for a moment, then bent down to pick up the card.
The card is light green, with a texture somewhat like warm jade. It depicts a clearly defined, transparent greenhouse with soft soil inside, where several tender green seedlings are sprouting, full of vitality. Below the card, a line of clear black text is printed:
[Homestead Building - Planting Greenhouse]
Is this... a withdrawal?