Chapter 266 Abyssal Ghost Nest
Before the dawn of the apocalypse, it felt darker than ever.
The roar of an unknown creature echoed over the city, and the scent of blood lingered, undispersed by the wind.
These things constantly reminded the humans alive that this was the apocalypse. They were no longer called residents but survivors.
Basil and his team were ambushed in a store on the side of the EquiShare Office Building, watching the flying monsters rise and fall in the faint starlight.
He had been waiting here with his team for an hour. The sofa was now warm from his sitting, but he still hadn't received the signal to act.
However, he wasn't in a hurry because William had instructed them to wait for the first rays of sunlight before making their move.
Basil knew he had no choice but to lend his team to William. Since Randal, who had been nurtured with almost all the team's resources, died, he had learned to be more adaptable. So when William, whose smile carried a hint of menace, ordered him to set out overnight, he complied without hesitation.
The night of the apocalypse was always a nightmare for humans.
However, William had managed to lead the team here safely, giving Basil some confidence in this mission.
Although Basil had led the team here without protest, he never thought William could handle the EquiShare Office Building, which had already defeated the three-star Evolving person Randal. He believed William would end up just like Randal.
However, he eventually came because of a glimmer of hope, and now that hope had grown significantly.
Tristan Price suddenly called out cautiously, "Basil! They're here!"
Basil jumped up from the sofa and rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window to look outside.
The slightly whitening horizon was tinged red by a burst of firelight.
"Action!" Basil commanded.
At his command, the members of the Burning Fury Squad rushed out of the store, many holding lighters, flicking them on and off.
The sound of monsters flapping their wings immediately followed.
"To that building!" Basil shouted, leading the charge toward a nearby building, which housed a bank branch, making it ideal for defense.
In the short distance of 160 feet, the members of the Burning Fury warband had only run 100 feet when the first flying monster swooped down.
The battle began immediately.
William stood on the rooftop of the EquiShare Office Building. After seeing two fires light up, he turned and entered the building.
These monsters that had devoured Randal were called Abyssal Ghost Nests, peculiar extraterrestrial beasts known as the "living plague" by people in the past.
Wherever they appeared, a mother plant would first emerge, emitting a hallucinogenic gas. Any life form entering its range would hallucinate, approach the plant, and be consumed as nutrients.
The mother plant would then start producing Blood Swallows from large nests on its branches.
Blood Swallows were fast, strong attackers with a sonic attack as their innate skill. They ranged in size from a cat to a dog, depending on their star level. William had never seen any above four stars.
Their agility, flight, stunning sonic attacks, and sharp claws made them extremely dangerous to both humans and zombies.
However, their bodies were very fragile. Even a two-star Evolving person could kill a three or four-star Blood Swallow with a full-strength strike. Thus, for survivors with special skills or strong mental power, Blood Swallows were a prime source of Magic Crystals.
But in the early stages of the apocalypse, only a few could threaten Blood Swallows.
After producing enough Blood Swallows to protect the mother plant and hunt, the Abyssal Ghost Nest would start another form of reproduction, creating new Abyssal Ghost Nests or their offspring.
These offspring grew quickly after absorbing enough nutrients. They matured rapidly, gaining the ability to reproduce Blood Swallows. While they couldn't produce offspring, they could become as terrifying as the mother plant.
Basil's reconnaissance indicated over twenty Abyssal Ghost Nests in this office building, each producing more than twenty Blood Swallows daily. Their numbers had likely increased since then.
William carefully ascended to the seventh floor, holding his breath from the moment he entered the building. He suspected that the mother plant's hallucinogenic gas had evolved into a continuous damage poison gas, based on the mysterious deaths of the Burning Fury warband members. He had to be very cautious.
Luckily, his three-star Evolving person physique allowed him to hold his breath for several minutes without difficulty.
When he reached the sixth floor, he began to hear some noises—the squirming sound of the Abyssal Ghost Nests, the flapping of Blood Swallow wings, and the sounds of what seemed to be freshly captured "fertilizer."
He made his way down to the fifth floor. In the light of the rising sun, he saw dark brown and black Abyssal Ghost Nests.
He counted over twenty of them. The large sacs wriggled, expelling light green gas from small holes, which dispersed into the air.
The moment William appeared, the Abyssal Ghost Nests noticed him. Despite lacking the keen senses, they were alert enough to detect nearby danger.
Dozens of defensive Blood Swallows immediately swooped down on William from all corners of the fifth floor.
The moment he was discovered, William launched his attack.
With his advancement to a three-star Evolving person, the Seal: Flame Blade's power surged, especially against plant mutants. Not even the rising sun outside could overshadow the brilliance of his blade.
Blood Swallows and Abyssal Ghost Nests in the path of the Flame Blade were all sliced in half!
Without sparing his mental energy, William launched one slash after another.
More Blood Swallows and Abyssal Ghost Nests were slaughtered.
In fact, Basil's idea wasn't completely off. The Abyssal Ghost Nests were there to be destroyed. However, they lacked William's knowledge of the plants and kept breathing inside, putting themselves at risk. They also lacked his powerful attack skills to quickly wipe out many enemies and lessen the danger.
So they failed, and even a three-star Evolving person died here, while William could slaughter them effortlessly.
In just two slashes, William had killed more than half of the twenty or thirty Abyssal Ghost Nests. As he was about to finish the battle, he suddenly saw Michelle standing in front of him. Michelle, who usually joked around with William, walked up to him. At the same time, he heard a noise behind him. Turning his head, he saw Natalie, who was lying on his back with her head buried in his shoulder.
A dazed look appeared in William's eyes.
Candice also appeared behind Michelle, smiling at William with an expression he had never seen before.
They surrounded him, and the air suddenly began to heat up.
William seemed to have let down his guard, allowing them to approach. His hands could barely hold onto the Edge of the Moon.
Suddenly, the Warblade, which was about to fall to the ground, sprang up and unleashed Seal: Flame Blade. The light and flames instantly engulfed them.
