The Commander's originally luxurious room had now transformed into a terrifying botanical hotbed, with countless dark green vines, like blood vessels, emerging from the floor and walls, intertwining and almost occupying all the space.
And in the very center of the room, these vines converged, forming a twisted, giant 'flesh tree'.
The top of the tree reached the ceiling, and on its thickest trunk, a human face appeared indistinctly, its features distorted.
Upon closer inspection, it was Greta!
Her body had completely merged with this flesh tree.
However, what was most chilling was her posture.
Her corpse, or rather, the part that had once been a corpse, was hoisted high by countless vines, head down, feet up, suspended in mid-air, her arms hanging limply, her disheveled hair covering most of her face.
The feeling it gave was like that of the Hanged Man.
"Are you sure we can defeat this thing?" Shen Qingling's voice was urgent, and she instantly adopted a defensive stance.
"We have to, even if we can't!" Yuan Mei's hairs stood on end. "If this thing fully matures, our entire Prison will be its nourishment!"
As he spoke, the tactical long saber in his hand was already slashing towards Greta's 'face'.
Qing Ling was confused, but seeing the certainty in Yuan Mei's tone, she had no choice but to advance with her axe from the other side.
"Hiss--"
As if sensing a threat, the flesh tree let out a sharp hiss, and dozens of vines, like coiled venomous snakes, suddenly whipped towards the two from all directions!
Yuan Mei's eyes narrowed, and his power assist instantly increased to 50%. His figure suddenly accelerated, dodging and weaving through the impenetrable net of vines. The long saber in his hand cut out precise arcs, severing all the vines that attacked him.
On the other side, Shen Qingling's movements were equally swift. The fire axe in her hand was heavy and powerful, each strike accompanied by a whistling sound, smashing the vines and sending green sap flying.
The two cooperated seamlessly. Yuan Mei was responsible for cutting and distracting, creating openings for Shen Qingling to attack, while Shen Qingling, with her furious offensive, continuously destroyed the flesh tree's base.
However, the regeneration speed of these vines was beyond imagination. New tendrils grew almost instantly from the severed ends, and the offensive became even more frenzied.
"This won't do; its recovery ability is too strong!" Shen Qingling chopped open three vines with an axe, using the momentum to retreat, and said urgently.
Yuan Mei quickly pondered countermeasures. He was knowledgeable, not an encyclopedia, and he had never seen such a bizarre sight before.
However, since this tree grew by feeding on Greta's corpse, getting to the source wouldn't be wrong.
The power suit's energy was rapidly depleting. He glanced at the face deeply embedded in the trunk and reminded her, "Its weakness is still in that face. Concentrate fire!"
Before he finished speaking, Greta's distorted face suddenly opened its eyes, and two clusters of eerie green flames burned in her hollow eye sockets.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar erupted from the flesh tree, shaking the entire room. An invisible shockwave spread out, and Yuan Mei felt a tightness in his chest, being forced back several steps.
Qing Ling was even thrown by the shockwave, slamming heavily into the wall, a trace of blood spilling from her lips.
Before the two could regain their footing, the vines on the ground began to surge wildly, forming two giant hands. One grabbed at Yuan Mei, while the other slapped at Shen Qingling, who had just landed.
Yuan Mei's pupils contracted. He unhesitatingly pushed the power assist to the maximum.
"Overload mode activated. Current power assist: 110%."
"Warning: Energy consumption severely exceeded. Estimated sustainable combat time: 30 seconds."
The system's warning sounded in his ears, but Yuan Mei no longer cared. An unprecedented surge of power instantly coursed through his entire body. The floor beneath his feet even had a shallow pit stamped into it.
The tactical long saber in his hand directly met the giant vine hand, moving so fast that it left only an afterimage.
The blade made contact with the giant hand, followed by a series of cracking sounds. The vines on the hand were actually split open by this single strike!
But Yuan Mei's offensive did not stop there. Using the momentum of his charge, he leaped high into the air, heading straight for Greta, who was suspended in mid-air.
However, the other vine hand had already reached Shen Qingling's front.
At the critical moment, a faint, almost imperceptible blue-green glow suddenly flashed in Shen Qingling's eyes.
Her body twisted sharply to the side in a manner that defied physical common sense, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. Immediately after, her speed and strength seemed to increase by a notch, and she instantly chopped the vine hand into pieces!
Yuan Mei, high in the air, caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye, a flicker of surprise passing through his mind.
But he had no time to ponder, for Greta's face was already within reach.
"Die!"
He concentrated all his strength at the tip of his saber and thrust it fiercely into the twisted face.
"Pfft!"
The long saber plunged into the tree trunk, and thick green goo gushed out like a fountain.
The flesh tree let out an extremely mournful shriek, and all the vines seemed to lose control, twisting and twitching wildly in the air.
Yuan Mei, having struck successfully, immediately withdrew his saber and retreated. However, just as he was about to land, the dying flesh tree launched one last counterattack. A vine hidden within the trunk, like a battering ram, slammed heavily into his chest.
"Damn it!"
Yuan Mei was hit hard, flying backward. The power suit's energy also ran out at this moment, dimming.
Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a figure appeared behind him like a ghost, catching him steadily.
It was Shen Qingling.
She helped Yuan Mei steady himself, her eyes, which had been glowing with a blue-green light, had returned to normal. The two of them redirected their gaze to the collapsing flesh tree.
The floor was caving in, and Yuan Mei and Shen Qingling quickly retreated. Accompanied by a violent tremor, the giant flesh tree began to break apart inch by inch, eventually slowly sinking into the ground.
"Is it over?" Qing Ling asked suspiciously.
"Probably not that simple..." Yuan Mei forced down the blood in his mouth and shook his head.
Given the vitality of the Skeletal Plantoids, if they were that easy to kill, they wouldn't be infamous across the universe.
The room finally returned to calm. Yuan Mei leaned against the wall, the severe pain in his chest making him almost unable to stand.
Shen Qingling's condition was not much better. After the color drained from her face, she looked incredibly weak.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing an unsaid sentiment on the other's face.
"Let's get out of here first." Yuan Mei gritted his teeth, planning to return to the base before making further plans.
He had been a bit too careless. He really hadn't expected that a small Prison No. 7 on Sand Mine Star would hide such powerful individuals.
Thinking of this, Yuan Mei glanced at Shen Qingling again, only to see her pick up the severed, still faintly glowing branch of the flesh tree that he had cut from the ground.
"This thing... seems to contain strong vitality. It should be a good item." She tossed the branch to Yuan Mei. "Take it. I don't like taking advantage of others."
Yuan Mei took the branch. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, as if he were holding a living piece of jade.
"High-activity biological sample detected: haizhi source (fragment)."
"Can be used to cultivate special plants and unlock a new technology tree."
The system's prompt invigorated Yuan Mei. This thing could actually be used for planting?
And it could unlock a new branch of technology.
Yuan Mei recalled the Cthulhu-esque appearance of the Skeletal Plantoids with a strange feeling. It was hard to imagine what kind of technology could be associated with them.
Even in his previous life, most empires expressed disgust when mentioning the Skeletal Plantoids as a species.
Never mind. At least it was a brand new technology tree, so it could be considered a blessing in disguise.
He looked at Shen Qingling and said in a low voice, "Thank you."
