Chapter 472: Home advantage
The captain didn't answer. Instead, he swung the spiritual energy weapon that resembled a thin metal rod. A massive amount of compressed spiritual energy surged out, instantly shredding the blood vessels blocking the path within a ten-meter radius.
Lin Ye watched the spiritual energy weapon in the captain's hand with curiosity. It seemed like a hybrid between a melee weapon and a firearm.
The captain charged into the bloody rain. Surging spiritual energy pushed aside the corrosive blood, creating a safe zone.
"Should I stay here? I'm a bit worried about the situation below."
After dealing with the wounded, Dr. Wells walked over and asked.
"No need. I'll try to wait for the others to arrive here, but whether they can make it back will be up to them."
Under Lin Ye's suppression, the nearby blood vessels remained relatively calm. However, as the flesh pillars continued to rise, Lin Ye had no choice but to retreat into the underwater passageway.
"Sorry to trouble you."
Dr. Wells jumped into the pool with the other researchers. A red frog carried them as they swam toward the underwater passageway.
Lin Ye stood alone at the edge of the pool. Surrounding him were the slowly rising flesh pillars and countless thick, dark blood vessels that almost filled the entire space. The captain was approaching the pool with three team members and three researchers. They were surrounded by a massive number of blood vessels. If the captain weren't strong enough, they would have been overwhelmed by those vessels long ago.
A large amount of corrosive blood gathered around Lin Ye. It was then compressed by a molding rune into a blood-colored long spear. Lin Ye attached the concept of piercing to the spear's tip and then hurled the spear in the direction of the captain and the others.
The spear's tail began to burn. The energy generated by Blood Burning propelled the spear forward at an accelerating speed. The spear pierced through the wall formed by blood vessels. Rampant spiritual energy tore apart the nearby vessels, leaving a passageway along the path the spear traveled.
The captain and his team members hurriedly grabbed the researchers and passed through the passageway at their fastest speed, arriving near the pool.
Lin Ye continued to gather the nearby corrosive blood. Those flesh pillars interfered with his ability to manipulate flesh and blood; otherwise, this place would have been his absolute home turf.
"Thanks! You take them down. I'll wait here a bit longer!"
The captain was breathing heavily. To protect those three researchers, he had expended a massive amount of spiritual energy and mental energy.
"You should take them down. I'll try to wait a bit longer."
Lin Ye molded two more blood spears and began working on a third.
Seeing this, the captain didn't waste any more words and jumped into the pool with the others.
Lin Ye sat on the edge of the pool, opened his faceplate, took out a can of ice-cold cola from his loot space, and took a sip.
Those thick, pitch-black blood vessels were slowly inching closer to the pool. But under Lin Ye's suppression, a safe zone was still maintained near the pool.
The flesh pillars gradually rose higher. The menacing, dark blood vessels blotted out the sky. The sound of blood flowing constantly echoed around. Lin Ye's perception range was compressed by the surrounding flesh pillars, allowing him to sense only a small nearby area.
'Feels like everyone outside is already dead.'
Lin Ye casually tossed away the empty cola can and jumped into the pool.
……………………………
"You go ahead. We're done for."
Two researchers collapsed on the ground, their bodies covered in wounds corroded by the corrosive blood.
"If I could leave, I would have run long ago!"
Regina barely managed to hold up a spiritual energy shield and used a spiritual energy longsword to cut through the thick blood vessel in front of her.
A large amount of corrosive blood sprayed onto the spiritual energy shield from various directions, quickly depleting the spiritual energy sustaining it.
"I still have one spiritual energy grenade here. It was originally prepared for... certain situations, for suicide. Blow open the blood vessels ahead, then run forward as far as you can. Maybe someone staying near the pool will come to help you."
One of the researchers slid a spiritual energy grenade to Regina's feet.
"... That's the only way."
Regina gathered the last remnants of spiritual energy in her body, slashed forward with her sword, then picked up the spiritual energy grenade, activated it, and threw it forward.
*BOOM!*
This spiritual energy grenade was extremely powerful. The shockwave nearly knocked Regina off her feet.
Barely steadying herself, Regina wanted to thank her past self for persistently exercising. She grabbed the two researchers and charged into the gap blasted open by the explosion.
"Leave us! We're beyond saving!"
One of the researchers shouted loudly.
His voice was full of agony. The corrosive blood was eroding his various organs.
"Cough, cough... It's the same. I can't run far alone anyway. I can't just leave you there to die."
Regina forcibly sucked air into her lungs. She was now running forward purely by relying on her physical strength.
But a large number of thick blood vessels blocked their path ahead. The surrounding gaps began to be filled by blood vessels. These vessels contracted slightly, preparing to spray corrosive blood at them.
"Should have just used the grenade to kill myself."
The researcher said despairingly.
Regina hadn't given up yet, but she could no longer stand steadily.
The surrounding blood vessels sprayed corrosive blood at them.
At that moment, a blood-colored spear passed overhead, piercing through the surrounding blood vessels. Rampant spiritual energy blew away the nearby corrosive blood.
Through the passage left by the blood spear, they saw a three-meter-tall, gray humanoid armor. Faint, indistinct, light-red patterns surfaced on the armor's exterior.
"Holy shit!"
The researcher couldn't help but exclaim.
Regina grabbed the two researchers and rushed toward the passage. But she was completely exhausted. She only managed to stagger a few steps before collapsing.
Lin Ye looked at the surrounding flesh pillars. He sensed something akin to consciousness within these pillars, but it wasn't as defined as consciousness; it was something even more vague and indistinct.
If possible, Lin Ye wasn't planning to continue provoking these flesh pillars. But unfortunately, when he jumped into the pool, he sensed an explosive fluctuation in the distance.
"What a pain."
Lin Ye hurled another blood spear, clearing the blood vessels near those three people. Then he flung out the Dragon Fishing Rod, wrapping it around Regina, who was holding the two researchers.
But just as Lin Ye prepared to reel in the line, a large number of flesh spikes suddenly grew from the surrounding flesh pillars. These spikes didn't attack Lin Ye but instead stabbed toward the three survivors.
"Shut up, can't you be quiet for a moment?"
*THUD!*
Lin Ye struck the ground with the Cross Scepter. Then, through the Cross Scepter, he fully manipulated the rules of flesh and blood. Under the influence of the flesh and blood rule, all blood vessels within a hundred-meter radius burst open at that moment. The corrosive blood began to burn. A massive amount of energy, under Lin Ye's control, began to be rapidly consumed. A city ruin appeared beneath Lin Ye's feet. Ash flickering with dark red firelight manifested in the sky.
The surfaces of the surrounding flesh pillars began to turn to ash. More spikes grew from the surfaces of the pillars. The flesh pillars bent toward Lin Ye's location, but under the influence of the ash, this movement was extremely slow.
Lin Ye used the Dragon Fishing Rod to pull the three people to his side. After briefly treating their wounds, he took the three of them and jumped into the pool, then deactivated the World of Ashes.
Just for that short moment, his mental energy was almost completely drained dry by these flesh pillars.