Chapter 266 - Run (1/2)
Chapter 266 Run
“What the h.e.l.l?!” exclaimed Ma Wei’s imposter in disbelief and horror. Zhang Heng, on the other hand, was already in grave danger.
Having witnessed how the wall engulfed an old lady before, he instantly noticed it moving and managed to pull the clueless girl away from danger. If that was his first encounter, he wouldn’t have been certain, but now, Zhang Heng confirmed that since it hunted it’s victims so strategically, whatever that thing was, must have some sort of higher intelligence. When the wall began to ripple like boiling water, it caught Zhang Heng’s attention. He swiftly shoved the woman away before the oozing black fluid could reach her. However, the creature was actually feigning an attack, as its real target was actually Zhang Heng. The curious creature seemed to be able to control how fast it melted, where the wall’s corners dissolved more quickly than its body.
Unbeknownst to Zhang Heng, the black liquid had already wrapped around his feet when he grabbed the collar of the woman. He had seen how efficiently the thing hunted, taking less than ten seconds to completely engulf the old scavenger. He knew he was running out of time.
Even at this juncture of life and death, Zhang Heng remained as calm as a millpond. He turned away as he threw the woman aside, then quickly tried to pry the creature away from his feet. However, as he suspected, the beast could switch forms freely between solid and liquid. After wrapping itself around Zhang Heng’s ankle, it instantly hardened and became as hard as concrete. Now, Zhang Heng felt as if his left foot was encrusted in plaster, and he was completely stuck in place, unable to move an inch.
This was also the same reason why Zhang Heng couldn’t save the old lady. Now, it was his turn. He realized that this wasn’t something he could possibly fight against. The black liquid spread like wildfire, running up his ankles, unhindered.
In a blink of an eye, the tar-like substance had engulfed his calf. If this were to continue, he would soon be dragged into the wall alive, a horrible way to die, to say the least – not something anybody would want to endure. To Zhang Heng’s greatest surprise, Ma Wei’s imposter had a little more loyalty than expected. Although scared to death, she didn’t run even after getting back on her feet. Instead, she shouted at Zhang Heng, “What’s its weakness? What should I do?!”
In response, Zhang Heng simply stared at her, pointed to the direction of the field’s exit, and said, “Run!”
Had this been a Qiong Yao opera, Ma Wei’s imposter would have been deeply moved by Zhang Heng’s oh-so-sacrificial, tough-guy act. She would have been tugging on Zhang Heng’s other thigh, crying and screaming at the top of her lungs, begging, “No, I’m not leaving you! If one must die, then we die together!”
However, this was hard reality, not some stage show. After staring Zhang Heng in the eye, she hesitated for a moment before turning around to run toward the gate as fast as her legs could carry her.
At a time like this, there was no time for second thoughts. She could only trust his judgment. There could only be two reasons why he told her to run. First, the action of running could be useful against the creature, or second, Zhang Heng knew that he was a lost cause and didn’t want to drag her down with him, the reason why he made her leave while she still could.
After running for a bit, tears started pouring out of the woman’s eyes. She stopped and, at the same time, cried out to Zhang Heng, “Dude! I don’t have the key!”
Zhang Heng had brought her to the field to prevent her from attempting any more tricks, locking up the gate for good measure, and effectively keeping outsiders from entering. However, that meant that n.o.body was getting out either. The key to that lock was still with Zhang Heng, and as the woman turned around, what she saw gave her a chill.