Entering Jinlin City, abandoned cars, collapsed houses, and various demon droppings were everywhere. The original concrete roads had turned into dirt paths, and the trees on both sides of the street had grown into towering giants, with even the grass reaching a meter high.
"I can't even imagine what happened here. Such a good city, how could it just…" Bai Tingting sighed emotionally.
Lin Chen looked in the direction of the voice, and a graceful figure appeared in his mind. After truly seeing her for the first time last night, Bai Tingting gave him a different feeling today. But these reveries only lasted for a moment before Lin Chen dismissed these inappropriate thoughts. The current environment was really a bit oppressive, and the surrounding atmosphere felt truly incongruous.
This desolate scene made people feel a chill. Jinlin City was like a city of the apocalypse; not a single living person could be seen on the streets or in the alleys.
The city's emptiness sent shivers down their spines. No one had ever witnessed such a sight in their daily lives. Desolate, barren, and empty—these words were perfectly suited to describe this city.
"Let's find a safe place to settle down first," Shen Mingxiao said.
"We've entered a desolate city where demons roam freely, facing danger at any moment. So, our resting place must be safe enough. At the very least, when danger strikes, we need to be able to evacuate quickly and defend ourselves well…" Lu Zhenghe said.
"Then where should we settle down?" Song Xia asked.
Mo Fan pointed to a large building in the distance and said, "I think that building is pretty good!"
Everyone looked in the direction Mo Fan was pointing.
"You certainly know how to pick a place…" Song Xia smiled, compared it with the map, and then said, "That should be the Municipal Building."
Seeing that no one had any objections, the team set off towards the Municipal Building.
Before long, they passed through several residential areas and finally arrived in front of the Municipal Building.
"This is also an area to be surveyed, but I always feel that this building looks strange. Have you noticed those plants? The plants aren't growing towards the sunlight; instead, they're all burrowing into the lobby. It's unbelievable!" Jingjing said.
Hearing Jingjing's words, Lin Chen's brows furrowed, and a series of images flashed through his mind.
Some memories were too distant, and Lin Chen occasionally missed some unimportant details, but when he saw some peculiar scenes, he could still recall those fragmented memories.
Without a word, Lin Chen activated his Ice-element Star Map, and instantly, a thick layer of ice appeared over the Municipal Building.
Just then, the tendrils of the entire building suddenly began to writhe. They had completely come alive, writhing menacingly like living creatures snatching at newly found food.
This sight made everyone gasp. Almost all mages habitually believed that plants were inanimate objects; even if covered in tendrils, one only needed to pay attention to the creatures dwelling within. Who would have thought that these eerie plants were actually demons, and their tendrils, roots, and trunks were deadly weapons?
"Look up there!" Luo Song exclaimed, pointing to the second level of the Municipal Building, which was the main square structure.
Everyone looked up and saw a grotesque, massive head at the building's second level.
The head was not an animal skull; it was something resembling a tree stump. If not for a gaping, pitch-black mouth constantly smacking, no one would have believed it was alive.
The stump-like head almost entirely occupied that second-level building. Countless tendrils, like tubes delivering nutrient fluid, were inserted into its throat. From a distance, it looked like a demon covered in bark, sucking on something!
"Pseudo-Terror Demon!"
"Is this thing a plant or a demon?" Mo Fan couldn't help but take a step back and ask.
"It belongs to a higher bloodline; when it matures, it's even harder to deal with. Because it fears light, it mostly appears in dark places… I didn't expect this building to become a natural habitat for this monster. It grows with the building's support, can block out sunlight, and fresh living creatures come to their deaths…" Jingjing explained to Mo Fan.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a sense of dread. Fortunately, they hadn't entered directly.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"
Just then, a black gale from a distance surged over like a raging wave, causing the trees on the street to sway wildly.
Everyone's breathing began to become difficult, and cold sweat inexplicably seeped from their pores. Just as everyone was at a loss, they saw a massive fleshy wing slowly expanding under a dark cloud as the distance narrowed!
Beneath the fleshy wing was a body resembling a giant lizard, with thick, bumpy skin covering it from head to the tip of its tail. Its long tail hung half-down, with a completely sharp tip that gleamed with a chilling light under the sun, causing hearts to palpitate!
Bai Tingting exclaimed, "Oh no, it's a Commander-level demon, the Lizard Skull Giant Demon!"
As soon as Bai Tingting's voice fell, her face turned incredibly pale, and she couldn't even move her feet.
It wasn't just Bai Tingting; the overwhelming pressure of this incredibly powerful aura made everyone feel suffocated. Those with slightly weaker mental force might even faint directly.
Several people fainted one after another, and everyone found it difficult to even connect the Star Orbits in their Spirit Sea.
"Run, quick, run!" Someone shouted, making their already tense emotions even more so.
Unfortunately, under the immense pressure of the Lizard Skull Giant Demon, none of them could move.
The giant lizard with the massive fleshy wings had already flown to the third-story balcony of the building. Like an eagle, it circled there once.
Then, this fleshy giant lizard swooped down, plummeting into the second-level building. Its cavernous maw suddenly opened, revealing rows of astonishing fangs like stalactites.
"Crunch!!"
The head of the previously arrogant Pseudo-Terror Demon was bitten. Its vines began to twist frantically, and the violent shaking completely destroyed the hall.
Taking advantage of the terrifying battle between the two demons, everyone finally fled their original position and hid in a nearby patch of grass.
The Pseudo-Terror Demon was still struggling desperately, controlling all its tendrils to bind the fleshy-winged giant lizard.
Countless dense vines surged out of the building's windows, like tentacles, trapping the fleshy giant lizard, trying to drag the fierce monster down.
Unfortunately, these tiny tendrils were like spiderwebs in front of the fleshy-winged giant lizard; with a gentle swipe, they all snapped. And the fangs biting the Pseudo-Terror Demon's head tightened, making the Pseudo-Terror Demon's struggles increasingly futile.
"CRACK!!!"
The terrifying Pseudo-Terror Demon finally could not withstand such immense biting force. Its entire head was crushed between the fangs, disintegrating along with the somewhat collapsed square staircase.
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