Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 22p2

Chapter 22 p2:

On the other side, Ling Yun and the others found it increasingly difficult to walk. The town, which had been bustling during the day, was now flooded with seawater, and the fog was thicker. The dense sunflowers were like a jungle. Although they were by the sea, it felt like they had stumbled into a miasmic rainforest.

The most terrifying thing was that as they advanced, the sunflowers all lowered their heads and watched them silently, like some kind of threat.

They were both shocked and afraid and could only quicken their pace.

And what they didn’t see was that the sunflowers around the inn were growing faster than the others.

As if someone were deliberately guiding them, all the nutrients were concentrated here. In just a dozen minutes, the rapidly climbing roots had inserted themselves into the bricks of the inn, enveloping it like a cocoon.

The hot water had stopped. It was unclear if the reserved hot water had run out or if the pipes had been destroyed by the roots.

But no one cared. Ji Yulin’s consciousness was pulled elsewhere.

Based only on the blurry images from the dream, the unconscious octopus naturally couldn’t grasp the key.

So, the tentacles wrapped around her legs hovered outside. The varying degrees of force did not bring Ji Yulin any pleasure. Instead, she was left hanging, neither up nor down, which was the most frustrating.

Her brows were knitted, her half-closed eyes struggled to stay awake. She leaned back and raised her hand, stroking the other’s cheek, constantly murmuring, “Li An, wake up.”

“Wake up.”

“Li An.”

The tentacles probed repeatedly but remained clueless. They could only unwillingly leave deeper marks with their suckers, their agitation growing.

Suddenly, there was a crisp sound. The closed window actually shattered under the pressure of the roots, revealing a hole full of fragments.

At the same time, the ever-growing sunflowers lowered their heads and looked in through the hole.

The fog grew thicker, almost condensing into water vapor, and continuously seeped in.

In the end, it was a little difficult to see Ji Yulin and Li An clearly. Only a half-section of a restless tentacle could be seen occasionally, and Ji Yulin’s low, hoarse hums, and her desperate but useless attempts to stop her.

“Don’t, Li An,”

“Wake up. Let’s leave here first, okay?”

“Wake up. It’s dangerous here.”

Roots squeezed in from the bricks, and debris kept falling. If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that this place, which now looked like a ruin, had been a warm and comfortable bathroom not long ago.

Suddenly, a sharp, urgent alarm blared, shaking the entire town.

This alarm was not simple. It was developed by the Research Institute and concealed the cry of a special mutated beast that could break people free from a hallucinatory state.

A moment later, a person who had woken up let out a tragic scream, completely unable to accept their current appearance. Then more voices sounded, desperate cries of anguish and weeping, all mixed in with the heavy rain, unable to stir up even a ripple.

But there was no time to delay. A broken broadcast sounded, transmitting Ling Yun’s voice, which had been distorted by the electricity.

“Plant mutation in the town, plant mutation!”

“All conscious townspeople, quickly head to the southwest hill for shelter.”

“I repeat, plant mutation. All conscious townspeople, quickly head to the southwest hill for shelter.”

Ling Yun closed her eyes and said in a heavy voice, “The Thirteenth District has received the request for help and will dispatch a rescue team immediately.”

—Rumble.

The sound of thunder was heard again. With a crackle, the only means of communication was destroyed by the bad weather.

Ling Yun opened her mouth and then closed her eyes in despair.

Her teammates behind her were also silent.

Everyone knew that the chances of survival were very slim. This disaster had come too quickly, too suddenly. Not only was it concealed by the bad weather, but it had also chosen to erupt when everyone was asleep, leaving them with no ability to resist.

And the rescue from the Thirteenth District…

Even with an important person like Ji Yulin here, it would take the rescue team a day and a night to rush over.

By then, it would be too late.

Ling Yun took a deep breath, pushing all distracting thoughts to the back of her mind. Then she said, “Return to the inn immediately and take Professor Ji to a safe area.”

One person hesitated and said, “What about the townspeople? Should we help them?”

At this, the others all looked at Ling Yun, clearly having wanted to ask for a long time.

Ling Yun was silent for a moment. A struggle flashed in her eyes, and then she became resolute, “Professor Ji is our protection target.”

She emphasized, “Has this kind of thing happened so rarely?”

Of course not. Since the apocalypse and the mutation of the surrounding species, this kind of thing was very common. Especially in the first dozen years, villages and towns would often disappear overnight.

There was even a fully armed human base that was completely wiped out in a single day by a suddenly mutated willow tree.

You could die at any time, but you had to try to live.

This was a survival rule that almost all post-apocalyptic people tacitly agreed on.

“Professor Ji is more important than anyone else. She is our hope.”

With that, Ling Yun turned and left. Her gaze fell on the open bedroom door. The town mayor’s wife, who had exchanged the little yellow duck with Ling Yun, was holding her granddaughter, long since fallen into a permanent sleep.

And the cries in the town had disappeared. Just like that survival rule, sadness was the most useless thing. After waking up, everyone began to use whatever tools they could find to build simple wooden boats and paddleboards and flee in a panic.

The seawater had now reached the edge of the second-floor windows, and the sunflowers were still growing, almost blocking out the sky.

“Li An.”

The call in the bathroom continued. A raised hand touched the smooth skin and was then grabbed and held.

“Don’t, I beg you,” a sobbing gasp.

The tentacles, vying to get in, almost broke the skin between her legs.

Although she didn’t understand at all, her suckers were big enough to envelop everything, sucking and rubbing.

The indescribable sensation almost drowned Ji Yulin. Her abdomen rose and fell. She wanted to bend her legs and press down, but they were pulled apart and held on both sides of the bathtub.

“Don’t, no.”

“Li An,” the low cry was a plea. The woman who had been mischievous during the day, deliberately ignoring and misunderstanding the little octopus, was now being paid back time and time again.

One sucker after another. Even in her unconscious state, Li An understood the principle of fair distribution and would not let any of the other suckers be left out.

It was just that a certain person was suffering. Her parted lips were pressed red, and the only remaining fabric was completely useless. Her slender waist was like a flower stem that could be snapped with a gentle pinch, constantly trembling.

“Li An, that’s enough, enough.”

“We have to get out of here.”

The last shred of sanity was stretched tighter and tighter. Ji Yulin was on the verge of sinking but had to hold on.

The surrounding walls were becoming more and more dilapidated. The tiles were pried open, and roots enveloped every brick. The window was completely blocked by sunflowers, turning this place into a completely enclosed space.

Her chaotic consciousness cleared for a moment, and she felt a strange absurdity.

Outside was like the apocalypse. The rain was not stopping, and there was even a faint sound of thunder. The seawater had submerged everything, and the dense sunflowers were bloodless executioners. The sound of explosions from the resistance would ring out from time to time.

And they were hiding in the middle of it…

A tentacle touched again. This time, Ji Yulin suddenly hissed, her brows knitting together. The creature, acting only on subconscious impulse, didn’t understand the principle of taking it slow and had finally broken the skin.

Hearing this, the octopus finally stopped, belatedly realizing something.

Seeing this, a flicker of joy flashed in Ji Yulin’s eyes. She quickly said, “Li An?!”

Logically, the sunflower shouldn’t have had such a big effect on the little octopus, but Li An just couldn’t wake up.

“Li An?” The urgent voice was cut off before it could continue.

She saw a tentacle on the other side hook into the water, actually pulling over the shower gel. After easily unscrewing the cap, it poured it on Ji Yulin.

Where did she learn this?

She clearly didn’t understand anything, yet she had thought of this on her own.

Ji Yulin was anxious. With no time for anything else, she pressed down on the tentacle and tried to force herself up.

But the octopus wouldn’t allow it. Just as she was about to pull Ji Yulin back, she heard a terrifying roar.

This is…

The darkness they had encountered before.

The waves crashed against the walls. Even the “forest” of sunflowers was battered and bent. The fog had dissipated a little, and the low roar grew closer. It was rushing toward them, wanting to devour the prey that had escaped from its mouth.

The shower gel, about to be poured out, stopped in mid-air. Without physical contact, she could still feel the octopus’s sudden alertness, completely different from her indifference when she was enveloped by the sunflowers.

Go or stay?

The octopus clearly struggled for a moment. An agitated tentacle slapped the floor. In the end, she reluctantly stopped.

Before Ji Yulin could say anything more, a tentacle first hooked the most important Ji Yulin, then the things Ji Yulin had touched before—luggage, glasses, needle and thread, even the bedsheets and bedding—were all grabbed by the octopus.

Just when Ji Yulin thought it was over, a tentacle suddenly slammed into the bottom of the bathtub and, with a hard pull, it was lifted up.

Why is she even taking the bathtub?!

Ji Yulin had no time to stop her. She was wrapped in the tentacles, completely shielded. Then, the octopus used a free tentacle to swing at the window. The seemingly sturdy roots instantly exploded.

Then the octopus squeezed through, jumped into the sea, and quickly swam in one direction.