Ahhhhh, high-altitude survival!

Chapter 166, Escape

Since there was no more free means of transportation, Lin Yue decided to unfold her Sky Wings. However, to her utter surprise, for the first time, her wings did not respond at all, as if they were asleep and could not be opened no matter what she did.

Having been in this high-altitude survival game for so many days, Lin Yue has encountered all sorts of bizarre and perilous dangers, but this is the first time that the equipment she has relied on for survival has stopped responding. This sudden change has made Lin Yue feel uneasy.

Lin Yue was getting impatient. She subconsciously gripped the dagger in her hand and slashed it forcefully at the big tree next to her, wanting to test whether the weapon was still usable.

With a hiss, a stream of blood spurted from the tree, splashing the warm liquid all over Xiao Shu, its crimson color particularly glaring in the sunlight.

Everyone was stunned by what they saw, completely unprepared for such a situation. However, the fact that the weapon was still usable was ultimately a good thing.

When did this tree start bleeding? This is so illogical! Just as they were about to go forward and examine the strange tree more closely, the tree, which had been standing there quietly, suddenly seemed to come alive and began to move violently.

The thick branches, like flexible whips, danced wildly, lashing out at the crowd with a whooshing sound.

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and everyone instantly snapped out of their daze, scattering in all directions to escape.

As Lin Yue ran, she glanced back and found Xiao Shu standing there blankly, as if he had been frozen in place, his eyes filled with fear and astonishment.

Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking twice, she quickly drew the long whip from her waist, swung it forcefully, and the whip, like a nimble snake emerging from its hole, precisely wrapped around Xiao Shu's body. Then, she pulled hard, using all her strength, and barely managed to drag Xiao Shu away from the wildly swaying branches.

"Are you alright? Let's go!" Lin Yue shouted anxiously, grabbed Xiao Shu, and ran.

"Xiao Bing, lead the way to the Black Tower Cluster!" Lin Yue shouted as she ran. At this moment, she was certain that while her weapons worked, her travel gear was malfunctioning. Perhaps she really needed to return to the Black Tower Cluster first to find a way to unravel this mystery.

"Okay!" Xiao Bing responded to Lin Yue's call and immediately rushed out first.

Lin Yue dragged the still somewhat shaken Xiao Shu along closely behind him. The others quickly reacted and surrounded them, forming a sharp knife shape to protect Lin Yue and Xiao Bing in the middle, and ran desperately towards the Black Tower complex.

Along the way, all the scenery looked exactly the same as the urinal ridge in their memories—familiar mountains, streams, and forests—as if they had truly returned to the place where they once lived.

However, if anyone accidentally scratches even the smallest part of the plants, trees, soil, or rocks, those things that look exactly like real things will instantly come to life, as if their dormant souls have been awakened, and they will start chasing after everyone with bared teeth and claws.

Even more terrifying is that if the plants are touched and their sap splashes onto people, their entire bodies will be immediately paralyzed.

Depending on the amount of sap applied, the duration of numbness varies. Some people only experience a momentary numbness in their hands and feet, and can continue running after a short while; however, others are unlucky and are splashed with a large amount of sap, collapsing to the ground and having to wait for their companions to help drag them away.

Xiao Shu finally recovered and was able to run around on his own, but Lin Yue dared not let her guard down for a moment.

She kept waving her long whip, and whenever she saw a companion being entangled by the pursuing creatures, she would quickly flick the whip to pull the person to safety.

And so, Lin Yue kept changing the people she was helping with her whip, sometimes this one, sometimes that one, keeping her incredibly busy.

And the things chasing them were increasing in number and variety.

At first, it was just the flowers, grass, and trees, but later, even the stones, clods of earth, and straw by the roadside seemed to come alive, following closely behind the crowd in a crooked and unsteady manner.

Although they weren't very fast, their relentless persistence was a real headache. Even after being smashed into pieces by the group's weapons, the fragments continued to wobble and follow behind, as if they wouldn't give up until they achieved their goal, making the group's escape route even more difficult.

What used to be a journey that would have taken only ten minutes using the dark clouds as a means of transportation, now took Lin Yue and the others almost an hour to complete on foot.

The journey was fraught with peril and danger. They raced forward, the commotion behind them growing ever louder. At first, they could only faintly hear the noise, but as time passed, the sound grew like a tidal wave, so loud that the ground itself began to tremble violently.

In this situation, no one had time to worry about being careful not to touch anything, because the non-living things that had been slashed by their pursuers behind them had also awakened and joined the pursuit, forming a terrifying force.

In the end, everyone had only one thought in their minds—run! Run at full speed!

Their breathing became rapid and heavy, as if a huge rock was pressing on their chests, each breath stinging with pain. Sweat had already soaked their clothes, streaming down their faces, and even their eyes were stinging and watering. But no one dared to stop for a moment, fearing that the slightest lapse would mean being overwhelmed by the endless pursuers.

Lin Yue's insulated lunchbox was completely empty of the grilled venison skewers that could increase agility!

At first, Lin Yue was able to pull others who accidentally got splashed with the juice along with her as they ran.

As time went by, the long hours of intense running gradually depleted her stamina. Coupled with her natural disadvantage in agility, she eventually became exhausted and could only be pulled along by her fellow Shadow Thieves, leaping forward with her feet barely touching the ground, barely keeping up with the pace of the group.