C20 Under the Gold Tree Monster

With a thunderous boom, the concrete ground shattered, and a tree root over ten meters long and as thick as a water bucket whipped through the air toward the trio.

Charge!

Lin Yuan didn't flinch but instead activated his skill, transforming into a blur as he charged at the tree root.

"Kill!"

With Lin Yuan's battle cry, the Jungle Blade cut through the air like lightning, severing the massive tree root in two!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The ground rocked like a ship at sea, and three stout tree roots burst forth like pythons, rearing up and slamming down toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan rolled to dodge the descending tree root and, with another Charge, cleaved another yet-to-fall root in half!

"Bang! Bang!" Two resounding crashes echoed as the fallen tree roots gouged out two deep, ten-meter-long trenches in the earth.

The two grounded tree roots swiftly lifted their tips, coiling toward Lin Yuan like serpents.

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes. Despite their intimidating appearance, the tree roots moved sluggishly, and their killing power was limited.

He advanced with a rush, spun with a slash, and followed with a Bow Step and Blade Draw, effortlessly slicing the remaining two tree roots in half.

The four pillar-like tree roots spewed milky sap as they trembled and withdrew into the soil.

Lin Yuan gasped for air, his muscles still quivering from exertion. Each move had demanded his full strength; the roots' extraordinary girth meant anything less wouldn't make the cut.

His arms continued to shake, the thick veins crisscrossing his skin like writhing earthworms.

Miao Yihong and Wu Yue approached, Wu Yue eyeing the four thick roots sprawled on the ground and grimacing.

"Are these whiskers from that freakish tree?"

"If the whiskers are this thick, how tall must it be?!"

"What happened to your face?"

Lin Yuan jumped at Wu Yue's appearance, a deep red welt running from his forehead to his flattened nose.

"I wasn't careful and got whipped by a root tail. Broke my nose, but it's just a minor issue."

Lin Yuan's lips twitched involuntarily, thinking to himself that Wu Yue really was tough as nails. Had Miao Yihong taken such a hit, she might not have been so lucky.

"Boss, is this the Golden Tree Monster? I'm not seeing any gold here."

Miao Yihong tapped on the unyielding tree roots, her voice laced with skepticism.

"I'm not sure. I've only heard rumors, and I don't have a clear picture of what the tree monster actually looks like."

Lin Yuan shook his head, recalling the vague rumors from his past life that offered no clear description of the Golden Tree Monster.

"Boss, why do you call it a tree monster instead of a strange tree?"

"... What does it matter what we call it? It's just a name. You, on the other hand, focus on the oddest things!"

Miao Yihong snapped at Wu Yue, which quickly escalated into a full-blown argument between them.

Lin Yuan scaled a barren pole to survey the area. The forest was dense with trees, none taller than ten meters, and all were lush green—no sign of gold anywhere.

Descending from his lookout, Lin Yuan's brow furrowed deeply. With no leads, how were they to find it?

"Acting like kids with your pointless bickering. Spend that energy on figuring out how to locate the tree monster," Lin Yuan scolded as he separated the two sparring partners.

There's wisdom in the old saying that three heads are better than one—anyone could have a stroke of genius.

"I think we should just chop down all the trees."

Wu Yue mused, scratching his scruffy beard.

"If we clear the area thoroughly, the tree monster won't stand a chance of hiding!"

Lin Yuan gave a slight nod. The idea might be crude, but upon reflection, it wasn't a bad strategy.

"That's the kind of dumb solution I'd expect from you. It's actually simple—just find Mo Sanqiu."

Miao Yihong shot Wu Yue a look of contempt before turning to Lin Yuan with a serious suggestion.

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement, impressed by Miao Yihong's suggestion. She might seem a bit dense at first glance, but there was a sharp mind beneath that facade.

"Oh, please. The zoo's huge. Mo Sanqiu could hide out in any nook or cranny. How would you even start to look?"

"My plan's still better. Cut down all the trees, and the Golden Tree Monster is bound to reveal itself!"

"My strategy is solid!"

"Mine's better!"

"Thud! Thud!"

Lin Yuan delivered a resounding knock to each of their heads.

"Chop trees and search for people simultaneously. Whichever we encounter first, so be it!"

"...Oh."

The trio chopped trees and scoured for individuals, making their way deeper into the zoo.

They occasionally encountered tree men adorned with large blossoms. Lin Yuan surmised that the vanished ones had been consumed for nourishment, while the flowering ones were meant to propagate their species.

Several tree men bore withered flowers, beneath which lay seeds as large as watermelons, likely the offspring of the Gold Tree Monster.

They ventured further, finding more and more tree men, not just human, but also a multitude of monsters transformed into arboreal beings.

The thickets of tree men formed a harrowing sight, their eerie smiles sending shivers down one's spine.

"When will we ever finish chopping all this?"

Wu Yue, who had proposed the idea, was gasping for breath. The zoo seemed to have few trees at first glance, but as they began to chop, the sheer number became apparent. It wasn't in the thousands, but certainly in the hundreds.

"This was your bright idea, wasn't it, you fool!"

Miao Yihong, wielding the axe she had retrieved, spoke between labored breaths.

Lin Yuan, needing to remain vigilant with his blade, had delegated the chopping to Miao Yihong and Wu Yue.

"Boss, I can't go on. If I keep chopping, I'm going to drop dead."

Wu Yue collapsed to the ground, heaving for air.

"A grown man, and you're less useful than me. Shameful!"

Miao Yihong also plopped down, casting a scornful glance at Wu Yue.

Lin Yuan tuned out their bickering, suddenly overtaken by an inexplicable sensation. He looked up to see clusters of basketball-sized green dandelions floating through the air like jellyfish, a sight both comforting and enchanting.

Miao Yihong felt it too. Following Lin Yuan's gaze, she was moved to admiration:

"How gorgeous, what's this?" Miao Yihong said, reaching out to caress a descending dandelion. Girls simply couldn't resist these adorable, fluffy objects.

With a swift "swoosh," the blade sliced through the air, cleaving the dandelion in two, and a pale green liquid splattered across Miao Yihong's face.

"Boss, what the heck? My fluffy puff!" Miao Yihong cried out, frantically wiping her face with her sleeve.

Lin Yuan paid her no mind and crouched down, probing the dandelion with a stick.

Buried within the thick fuzz was a golden orb the size of an egg, now bisected by Lin Yuan's precise cut. The fluid from the burst bubble drained away, unveiling a seed no bigger than a peanut.

Lin Yuan prodded the seed with the stick, but it remained still. After a moment's thought, he took out a piece of smoked meat and touched it to the seed. Instantly, the inert seed transformed into a tiny snake that burrowed into the meat. The meat began to quiver intensely as a mass of roots emerged, writhing like the tentacles of a sea anemone swaying in the current.