The terrifying eight-eyed monster suddenly let out an ear-piercing, high-frequency screech that made their eardrums ache.
Just a moment ago, it had only caused dizziness.
But now, the sharp screeching was like countless sharp steel needles piercing directly into everyone's heads.
It felt as if their very souls were being attacked by a powerful external force, causing unbearable agony.
Their faces turned as pale as paper, sweat pouring down.
Li Xichen was burning with anxiety and looked at Chu Liuyue with worry.
He asked with concern, "Sister Xiaoyue, are you alright..."
When his gaze fell upon her, he found that Chu Liuyue looked completely calm.
She was the only one among them who remained unaffected.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yu'an, whose superpower was strength enhancement, was already in a semi-conscious state.
The monster seemed to possess a bizarre ability to accurately sense their level of resistance.
Seeing that Zhou Yu'an was too weak to struggle, it quickly retracted the vines wrapped around him. The vines were like ferocious giant pythons, carrying a terrifying strength.
At the same time, that bizarre eight-eyed face slowly split open right down the middle.
Within the split, a ring of sharp, dense teeth gleamed with a cold light.
They looked like countless sharp little knives, making one shudder with fear.
Seeing this, Li Xichen's eyes widened.
He hit the nail on the head, "Is this freaking thing a man-eating flower?"
Just as the monster opened its bloody maw, preparing to stuff Zhou Yu'an into its mouth, Chu Liuyue suddenly let out a laugh.
The laugh was brief.
In a split second, a miracle occurred.
The vines that had tightly bound their waists were cleanly severed, as if by some invisible, razor-sharp blade.
The moment the vines broke, a crisp snapping sound could almost be heard.
The group rolled and landed safely on the ground.
Zhou Yu'an, who had been about to fall into the monster's mouth, also plummeted heavily from high in the air.
Chu Liuyue stepped forward and slightly raised her hands in the air.
Instantly, it was as if a soft magic carpet materialized in the air, catching him steadily.
The carpet gently swayed and brought Zhou Yu'an safely to the ground.
Li Xichen watched this scene, completely dumbfounded.
Wait, no one ever said Sister Xiaoyue was this strong!
Meanwhile, the semi-conscious Zhou Yu'an vaguely knew what was happening.
He weakly opened his eyes and squeezed out a faint voice from his throat.
"Thank you for saving me, Liuyue."
Chu Liuyue supported him and then handed him over to Yan Qingdu, who was standing to the side.
She placed her fingertips to her lips and gently made a shushing gesture.
She said softly, "Shh, get some good rest first."
"An'an, you have always protected me. Now it's my turn to protect you."
The corners of Zhou Yu'an's lips curled up slightly.
His gaze softened, and he nodded with full trust. "Okay."
With its prey escaping right from its mouth, the monster let out another sharp, high-frequency screech.
But this time, it was of no use.
Because Chu Liuyue had already deployed a mental barrier in the air.
It acted like an invisible wall, completely blocking the sonic attack.
The monster before them seemed powerful, but it actually had a major limitation.
Since its true form was a tree, its lower body could not move.
It could only rely on extending its vines to attack.
Yan Qingdu supported the dying Zhou Yu'an, stared at the monster, and couldn't help but whisper:
"Fire counters wood. Too bad none of us has a fire-type superpower..."
Almost the instant he finished speaking.
A scorching fireball soared from the palm of Chu Liuyue's hand, carrying a blazing aura, and shot fiercely toward the monster's tree-trunk body.
Li Xichen's eyes widened.
He was completely speechless!
Yan Qingdu was the same.
He muttered softly, "No way, could it be a dual superpower? Mental power plus fire?"
Just as he said this, when the burning flames seemed about to extinguish, Chu Liuyue said softly, "Wind, come."
The flames, which had just been like small flickers, began to rise as they met the wind. The fire grew larger and larger, quickly turning the monster into a giant ball of fire.
The high-frequency screeches continued endlessly.
It struggled, extending its vines in an attempt to launch a sneak attack on the men behind her. But just as the vines shot out, the corners of Chu Liuyue's lips curled into a smile.
Sharp metal spikes sliced the vines into pieces.
Yan Qingdu started counting.
"Mental superpower."
"Fire superpower."
"Wind superpower."
"Metal superpower."
He grew increasingly silent.
Li Xichen's eyes, on the other hand, grew brighter and brighter.
As expected of his Sister Xiaoyue! So amazing!
"Is that all?" Chu Liuyue rubbed her wrist, a mocking smile appearing on her lips.
The monster in the flames let out an even more furious, high-frequency roar.
Chu Liuyue laughed.
"Let's end this here!"
As her voice fell, the massive burning flames seemed to be compressed to the extreme by the air, followed by a loud bang as they exploded. Sparks flew everywhere, and pitch-black liquid burst from the plant's branches.
But the smell was thicker and more putrid than the ordinary zombies and mutants outside.
After doing all this, Chu Liuyue's legs gave out, and she completely passed out.
By the time she woke up, it was already the night of the third day.
She found herself lying on a bed in a lounge at the research institute, with three men sitting or standing around her.
The moment he saw her, Li Xichen roughly pushed the other two aside and said excitedly:
"Sister Xiaoyue, you're finally awake."
He paused, then said somewhat sheepishly, "I said I was going to protect you well, but in the end, you were the one who protected us."
Just as Chu Liuyue was propping herself up on her elbows to sit up, Zhou Yu'an considerately placed a pillow at the head of the bed for her to lean against.
She glanced at him.
Her tone was slow. "Will you hate me?"
Zhou Yu'an was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What?"
Chu Liuyue spoke.
"I killed that monster, but it was using your father's body as nutrients. They had already fused together."
"So with the monster dead, your father is also..."
Zhou Yu'an's tone was firm as he suddenly reached out and held her hand.
He said word by word:
"You said it yourself, it was already a monster, not my father."
"So, I have to thank you for killing it and giving my father peace."
Li Xichen looked at their clasped hands and suddenly cleared his throat.
Yan Qingdu was also somewhat displeased.
The three of them had clearly been keeping watch together, yet when Yueyue woke up, she only cared about whether Zhou Yu'an would be angry.
He spoke up:
"Dr. Zhou, you are a man with a fiancée from an arranged marriage. Holding Yueyue's hand like this probably isn't appropriate, is it?"
In front of the other two men, Zhou Yu'an did not back down this time.
He stared earnestly at Chu Liuyue.
"Liuyue, I will make things clear to Gu Man."
"From now on, there will absolutely be no arranged marriage!"
Chu Liuyue forcefully pulled her hand back.
She glanced at him.
She said softly, "An'an, what do you mean by this?"
Her expression was full of confusion.
A faint, almost imperceptible blush flashed across Zhou Yu'an's fair face.
He continued:
"I want us to have the kind of relationship where we can share the same piece of chocolate."
