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墨書 Inktalez
I glanced at him and said, "How would I know? But it looks a bit like a Tropical Rainforest carnivorous plant."
Jiao Ba whispered in my ear, "That flower is indeed cultivated by humans; Changshan is right about that."
I was taken aback, my eyes widening as I asked him, "Cultivated by humans? Who would raise such a terrifying flower on this deserted island? Could it be... that Shriveled Old Man is the one taking care of it?"
If that bizarre row of flowers was indeed nurtured by that Shriveled Old Man, then he was truly frightening. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine. What kind of normal person could cultivate such a thing? That old man was definitely twisted.
"I can't say for sure, but it's possible that old man is the one behind it. And that thing isn't just any carnivorous plant; it's far more terrifying than that." Jiao Ba's expression darkened, looking ominous. I had rarely seen him like this.
"So what exactly is that flower?" I felt a sense of impending trouble; this Demon Island was fraught with danger.
"Changshan is correct; it's not really a flower. It's a type of grass, an extremely evil entity cultivated by ancient sorcerers, known as Soul-Devouring Grass. It feeds on human souls and is specifically designed to consume them."
"Once a person is attacked by Soul-Devouring Grass, they won't die but will become a soulless shell, much like the Walking Dead," Jiao Ba said coldly, almost gritting his teeth.
After hearing this, I was left dumbfounded. It wasn't just shock; there was also an underlying panic. Soul-Devouring Grass? How could such a sinister thing exist in this world? If I hadn't known Jiao Ba, I might have gone my entire life without realizing that such terrifying entities existed.
"Lao Ba, it's not that I doubt you, but how do you know all this?" I still found it hard to accept. Although I wanted to believe him, I needed to clarify the truth.
Jiao Ba smirked and said, "When I first started out, I had a friend who raised this stuff. I saw it with my own eyes. However, he only had immature Soul-Devouring Grass, which posed no threat to people and served merely to beautify the environment."
I shot him a disgusted look and said, "Get out of here! Are you kidding me? That ghastly thing can beautify the environment? It looks repulsive."
Jiao Ba placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "You're mistaken, Brother Yi. The immature Soul-Devouring Grass is even more beautiful than Poppy; it's stunning. It's only when it matures that it turns into this ghastly form."
I filtered through what Jiao Ba had said in my mind and began to understand. "But where does this grass come from? It can't be like Corpse Grass, growing around dead bodies, right?"
Jiao Ba shook his head. "Of course not. Corpse Grass and Soul-Devouring Grass are two different plants. One grows naturally near corpses while the other also grows naturally but requires human care. Soul-Devouring Grass is a rare herb that can only be found deep in the mountains and forests and needs the abilities of a sorcerer to thrive. Anyone who cultivates Soul-Devouring Grass usually meets an untimely end; my friend died in an accident—he was practically torn apart."
After hearing this, I felt a chill run through me and couldn't speak for quite some time. Jiao Ba patted my arm and said, "Brother Yi, this Demon Island may hide unimaginable secrets. We must be extra cautious as we move forward; let's keep going."
I nodded at Wood Sodium, but suddenly remembered another crucial matter. "By the way, Lao Ba, I just thought of something. The collective slaughter of Bearded Man's subordinates—could it be related to the Corpse Incense I encountered earlier?"
Jiao Ba chuckled and said, "You really think of a lot of things, jumping to conclusions. I can responsibly tell you that I don't know. If what you say is true, then we can only wait until we catch those two men in black to unravel this mystery."
I sighed and chose not to say more. Right now, I wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else; all I wanted was to lift this curse that had befallen me. With everything going on, I had no choice but to turn this deserted island upside down.
I had to find the person who cast the curse, no matter who they were. If it turned out to be that Shriveled Old Man, I would have to settle the score with him; this was a serious matter.
"Brother Yi, don't worry. I will definitely find a way to help you lift the curse," Jiao Ba said, sensing my thoughts. But he didn't know that I was worried about something even more terrifying.
What Jiao Ba mentioned earlier—that the entire island was cursed—did that mean all of us could potentially be cursed as well?
I hesitated to think about it. I had intended to share these thoughts with Jiao Ba, but upon reflection, it seemed better not to say anything. If others found out, the consequences would be unimaginable; it was better for me to bear this alone.
The deeper we went, the harder the path became. The uneven and rugged jungle trail not only tired our feet but also weighed heavily on our minds. We had no idea where the end lay. Almost no one spoke along the way; the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, matching the surrounding environment and creating a sense of irritation.
I called out ahead, "Does anyone know how much farther until we reach the foot of the mountain?"
"Yeah, why is this road so long? The island looks small, but walking it feels entirely different," Jenny said as she wiped sweat from her forehead, sounding somewhat fatigued.
At that moment, Mai Lao stopped and turned around. "It should be close now. Look, we can see the peak from here; it must not be far."
Li Xin pointed ahead and said, "If we get through this patch of jungle in front of us, we'll reach the foot of the mountain."
I walked over to take a look and estimated there was still a little distance left. "Let's get through this patch of jungle first."
Mantou squatted on the ground and cursed, "Damn it! I think this Long March of twenty-five thousand miles is nothing compared to how tired we are now. I've never seen a place worse than this."
Changshan calmly replied, "This place isn't just tiring; it's fraught with danger at every turn. We need to be extra cautious along the way, which naturally makes it exhausting."
Mai Lao called out to everyone, "Alright, let's hold on a little longer; we'll be there soon."
Everyone cursed under their breath and got back on their feet, continuing forward. When we finally emerged from the jungle and reached the base of the mountain, I was once again taken aback—no, we were all taken aback.
We all stared wide-eyed, fear etched on our faces as we looked at this bizarre jungle area. This was no ordinary jungle; it was filled entirely with Soul-Devouring Grass. Other trees were nowhere to be seen, and the Soul-Devouring Grass stretched endlessly, densely packed to the point that it made our heads spin.
“Oh my God, why is it all these strange flowers?” Mai Lao said, his expression turning grave as he surveyed the jungle before us.
“It seems that if we want to get through, we have to pass through here,” Changshan calmly stated from the side.
“Mai Lao, we’d better find a way around. These flowers look too strange,” Jenny said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“There’s no way to go around. If we want to reach the mountain, we have to go through here; it’s the only path,” Changshan decisively declared.
“Isn’t there any other way?” Jenny still clung to a glimmer of hope.
Mai Lao slowly shook his head. “There shouldn’t be. This area is too vast; we can only find a way to get through. Everyone, be careful along the way. As long as we don’t touch these strange flowers, I think we should be fine.”
“This is bad; we’re in big trouble now. The entire jungle is filled with Soul-Devouring Grass. Getting through will be tough. It’s easy for Mai Lao to say; once we enter, he’ll know,” Jiao Ba whispered in my ear.
“Do you have any ideas? We can’t take such a huge risk,” I replied, glancing at the environment ahead. There seemed to be no path at all; the Soul-Devouring Grass was too dense, tightly packed together, leaving almost no space to walk.
“Let me think for a moment; I don’t have any solutions right now,” Jiao Ba said, looking equally frustrated. This was indeed a dilemma.
At that moment, Li Xin suddenly spoke up. “Mai Lao, are you confident you can safely pass through this jungle area?”
“Well… not really. You all see it too; this area isn’t filled with ordinary trees but those strange flowers we encountered before. They are very dangerous and can attack people. No one can guarantee absolute safety,” Mai Lao replied to Li Xin with a calm gaze.
Li Xin scoffed lightly and said, “Well, if there’s no confidence, then we shouldn’t recklessly go in. With such a large area, if something goes wrong, none of us might make it out alive.”
Li Xin’s words were spot on; as long as nothing went wrong, everything would be fine. But if something did happen, it would definitely be serious—turning into mindless Walking Dead would be worse than death itself.
“So what do you suggest?” Mai Lao asked Li Xin.
"I don't know. We can all think of a solution together, but rushing in like this is definitely not an option. I don't want to die just yet." Normally, Li Xin rarely contradicted Mai Lao, but this time she directly overturned his decision.
"Alright, if that's the case, let's come up with a foolproof plan. I hope each of us can make it through safely," Mai Lao said, looking at everyone with a weary expression. It seemed he had been under a lot of pressure lately.
Big Guy was the first to speak up. "I can't think of anything. You all decide."
"I knew you wouldn't come up with anything; your head is full of mush. No one expected anything from you," Mantou mocked from the side.
"Hey, you fatso, what do you mean by that? Looking for a fight?" Big Guy angrily moved toward him.
"Who knows who would win? What’s the matter? Want to throw some punches?" Mantou refused to back down.
Mai Lao stepped forward and pulled Mantou back, shouting, "Enough! What the hell are you two doing at a time like this? Do you want to die? We have such a huge problem in front of us that we can't solve, and you two are here bickering. What’s wrong? Want to fight?" Mai Lao rarely got angry, but this time he was genuinely furious.
Big Guy stammered, "He started it by insulting me."
Mantou muttered, "Who insulted you? You brought it on yourself."
"Shut up! If you want to fight, I'll give you the chance. Once we get through this jungle, you can fight however you want. I won't care who ends up dead. For now, just behave yourselves."
Mai Lao shouted again, glancing at the two of them. Big Guy and Mantou fell silent, both lowering their heads as if playing dead. Mai Lao always had an overwhelming aura that made it hard for anyone to dare contradict him...
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