◇A Pearl Among Greenery◇

"So you're telling me this thing is a temporal space?" Claudius was beginning to look dubious, "An earring that's like a really small inventory bag that's actually the size of a room inside!?"

Lu Xing sighed, but nodded.

"I need to get going...my friends are waiting for me," Lu Xing finally said, "and Chief Tian should have already gotten the buses settled."

"I'm still confused. My instincts tell me that you're not an enemy, but what you said about the Chief...?" Claudius spoke as he scratched his chin, "I don't get why...hmmm..."

"Because..." Lu Xing started, as he got up, "Mutants aren't considered human...the breathing technique I showed you earlier...use it as soon as your eyes turn like mine." His eyes solemn, "Allow no one to know the truth."

Claudius felt the boy's honesty...and nodded, "Fine, but one day we must have a friendly match, I get the feeling you're much stronger than what you've shown me...those three zombie dogs you killed proved it."

Smiling from the heart, Lu Xing disappeared from Claudius sight.

Claudius scratched his head, "Could've at least said bye."

Claudius replaced his old earring with the new one, his connection to it strengthened.

"Amazing." He said in a low voice before realizing something...he glanced at the broken walkie lying on the floor.

'You could've at least spared it.' Claudius inwardly cried, as he recalled how Lu Xing had suddenly appeared and thrown the walkie to the floor...

'Agh...the Chief is going to scold me again.' Claudius cursed Lu Xing's impulsiveness.

☆☆☆

Using shadowstep was begining to exhaust Lu Xing, but with the realization of Chief Tian being nearby...

His determination to get Xiaolang out of here grew into urgency.

'Chief Tian didn't seem surprised with my ability...but neither did he recognize me.' Lu Xing pondered as he jumped from rooftops to walls, and back again, 'He wasn't reborn... then...maybe he's met someone who was though..?'

Finally getting to the place with less buildings, Lu Xing spotted the truck that Xiaolang and him had ditched on the actual grass in a park. All around it, the greenery had grown chaotically, none of the undead had approached anywhere near it. Looking at the mummified remains scattered around it, Lu Xing could make a rather good guess as to why...

Jumping to the ground from where he had stood upon a nearby building, Lu Xing began to walk to the truck's location. The park seemed still... Till Lu Xing got within an arms length of it, then the greenery came alive, like serpents having lied in wait.

Without flinching, Lu Xing allowed the vines to wrap themselves up around his right arm.

He didn't light his flames...no he was waiting for something...

"Sskaaskaasharaaha..." The noises came from within the thickness of tangled vines, to which a rustling came about.

Suddenly a bunch of vines moved away to reveal a large humanoid head made out of greenery, its eyes dark sockets, and it's mouth a slithering mesh of vines, wood, and rocks.

'It should be the main body.' Lu Xing thought with a slight turn of his lips, 'A level 4 Green Queen...perfect.'

The thing formed a tongue made of a root like material. There dripped a slimey green substance from it, almost like saliva. It pulled Lu Xing in closer as its mouth opened wide, the vines acting as hands.

'You plan on making me into dinner...sorry I doubt I'd taste any good.' Lu Xing thought as his glare, his arm bursting into blue flames that within seconds had devoured the vines that had previously been wrapped around him.

The Green Queen shook as though seemingly apprehensive, it attempted to move back towards its nest. But before it could snap its mouth shut, Lu Xing had already placed his left hand inside it. The green slimy saliva was actually acid as a few drops touched Lu Xing's shoulder. There was a burning sensation from it as it melted skin and bone that caused Lu Xing to wince, but he persisted in his action. His hand in sheer agony as he dug into the Green Queen's center.

These plant's were Evolutionary...not Mutants.

They carry no cores.

So why was Lu Xing doing this?

"Argh!" His left fist leaving the thing, the flesh and bones of his left arm barely hanging intact, "Finally!" Lu Xing let out, ignoring the pain.

Soon after his hand had left the mouth, the Green Queen began to wither and die.

It didn't even have a chance to shriek as it shriveled up and collapsed onto itself. All the greenery around it also began to do the same, until finally the truck could be seen. Lu Xing walked over, the flame being used to heal his left hand, acid having corroded it to mere bones.

'Good thing I know how to properly use my ability in this lifetime.' Lu Xing thought, his mind going back to a time when he had been forced to live with a crippled leg.

Within minutes, his left arm reverted to its healthy appearance...

Up to the wrist alone.

He had his flames dissipate.

'I can't risk my hellfire destroying the Eternal Pearl.' Lu Xing mused as he forced his skeletal fingers open to reveal a shiny pearl the size of a pingpong ball, 'With this, we'll be able to live comfortably...'

His thoughts turned to the others at Qigong Warehouse...

Only for a brief moment before taking a look to see if the chickens were fine.

Xiaolang and him had covered up the cage prior to leaving it, but the chance that they had gone unnoticed by the Green Queen and its servants...was slim.

What he found, surprised him, he glanced to see several carcasses, with only three hens and the rooster alive.

Blank faced, he stared at the shivering rooster...

"Well...it seems your quite the chicken." Lu Xing said with an evil smile, "I haven't had fried chicken in a long time..."

The rooster went into a dead faint.