"Fusion"
The Human-faced Tree seemed to have a decent compatibility with the flesh corpses, so this Tentacle-faced Monster should be no different.
As the fusion command was issued, thin silken threads began to appear on the vines, continuously seeping into the body of the Tentacle-faced Monster, merging it bit by bit.
Minutes passed, and amidst the Tentacle-faced Monster's weak resistance, it was completely absorbed by the Human-faced Tree.
Tentacle-faced Monster Fusion Degree 4%
A single Tentacle-faced Monster accounted for only 4%, not high but not too low either; Su Han found this result acceptable.
"Continue."
Su Han ordered the fusion to proceed, with the Human-faced Tree's vines extending towards the bodies of the seven other Tentacle-faced Monsters around, slowly merging and devouring them.
About twenty minutes later, the Tentacle-faced Monsters' corpses on the ground had vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the Fusion Degree of the Tentacle-faced Monster had risen to 28%, with the material required for each percentage point increasing slightly.
The Fusion Degree wasn't full yet; Su Han glanced at the dim Summer Garden Mall lobby and prepared to continue onwards, exploring and killing monsters to serve as fusion material for the Human-faced Tree.
Footsteps echoed inside the trade mall; the car showroom and clothing stores on the first floor were already a mess.
Rustle rustle rustle
Suddenly, there was a noise. Su Han's expression became stern as the Human-faced Tree sprang into action, rushing toward the clothing store around the corner.
"Wait, I'm a human, not a monster."
A woman's voice suddenly rang out, and a large cat with six blood-red claws and a bald patch stood protectively behind her.
"Swoosh"
The Human-faced Tree didn't stop its action immediately; several vines shot out, assaulting the woman from both sides.
The Six-clawed Blood Cat tried to pounce in defense but was whipped by a vine and knocked to the ground, then bound by the vines.
The woman's expression grew desperate as she attempted to step forward, but vines shot out from left and right, directly piercing the walls and pinning her in place, leaving her unable to move.
She stood frozen in place, too scared to move, knowing this was a warning.
Only then did Su Han approach, scrutinizing the woman who was under control.
She was fairly attractive, looking quite bedraggled, with a ponytail, wearing sweatpants and a windbreaker – quite sharp.
"What's your name? What were you trying to do just now?"
The women were about the same age as Xu Wenqian, in their twenties, but none were as attractive as she was.
"We're all escapees who temporarily took refuge here. It's been half a month, but there's no way to run out. There are too many flesh corpses outside."
Xu Wenqian explained briefly, then the younger man asked, "Wenqian, did you find any fever-reducing medicine?"
"There was a little mishap; use a towel to cool Xiaolin down for now. I'll go again in a moment."
Xu Wenqian frowned slightly before comforting Tang Bo.
Tang Bo became visibly anxious, "Should, should I go with you? There are many monsters inside, I can cover you. Xiaolin has a serious fever; I'm afraid it's going to fry her brain."
Sun Xiaolin was Tang Bo's girlfriend. The three of them, along with Xu Wenqian, were all co-workers and got along well.
But upon hearing this, Xu Wenqian rejected the idea without a second thought.
"Only you and Uncle Li have contracted with an Angel Envoy. What happens if everyone leaves and those monsters come attacking? Can you really protect Xiaolin then?"
Su Han frowned upon hearing this; a month into the apocalypse, and only three people had contracted with Angel Envoys—it was quite severe.
"Tell me about the monsters inside the building."
Su Han interrupted the conversation, causing Tang Bo to glower with dissatisfaction; after all, he was trying to save someone.
Seeing where this was going, Xu Wenqian quickly pulled on Tang Bo, patting him firmly, "Don't mess around, I'll help with Xiaolin's situation."
Tang Bo wasn't malicious, just frantically confused, "Okay, okay. I'll go check on Xiaolin."
After Tang Bo left, Xu Wenqian said, "The Tentacle-faced Monster you saw in the lobby is just their guard. There are a few on each floor. If you go further inside and disturb them, it'll attract more monsters, including their leader."
"Have you seen it?"
Xu Wenqian nodded, showing a hint of fear on her face.
"Originally, the building was safe. In the beginning, there were many Contractors, and some people organized to defend against the monsters outside."
Her words made Su Han think of the isolation zone outside. Setting up such an isolation zone indeed indicated some form of organization.
"You kept the monsters outside, relying on Summer Garden Mall, you should've been able to stay for quite a while. What happened?"
"You're right; with dozens of Contractors protecting us, even if some people didn't have a Contract, it wasn't a problem at first. Although it was chaotic, but... but it was bearable."
Her voice paused at this point; 'chaotic' seemed to be euphemistic—there was a significant disparity between those with Contracts and those without.
She continued, "Everyone was waiting for rescue, and couldn't leave because of the heavy fog. Then, everyone forgot about one place, the underground parking lot.
People began disappearing gradually inside the building, more and more went missing, and by the time everybody realized there was something wrong in the underground parking lot, those Tentacle-faced Monsters rushed out from there, like an army, killing many, many people."