Chapter 2025: Light Up Dreams in Heart (18)_1

The lobby entrance and exit of the Ghost Mansion were incredibly high, somewhat similar to a medieval church, and could undoubtedly be described as magnificent.

Strange and Stark moved a bit closer. Honestly, from close range, it was not at all apparent that this was a broccoli plant; it was an incredibly robust and towering tree.

A trunk as thick and powerful as a giant's arm, a canopy that blocked the sky. If one was to draw a comparison, this was the World Tree of ants and caterpillars.

Shiller also moved closer, looking up at the massive broccoli plant, then shook his head saying, "I should not have chosen broccoli, it's too intimidating when enlarged."

While the group was still immersed in the awe of these magical plants, their animal friends could not wait any longer. The Black Panther came forward first, swished its tail, and said, "Since you can't enter the battlefield at the moment, let us help you transport these plants to the designated positions and start setting up for battle."

Shiller turned back and saw excitement flickering in the eyes of the Animal Gods. Clearly, they were also affected by the atmosphere in the park.

However, unlike humans, beasts are more driven by their animal instincts. Even though they have become gods, they cannot escape their animal instincts.

Humans feel fear in dark, oppressive environments because human brains are more developed, with stronger associative abilities, and knowledge of ghosts and the like.

But the Animal Gods are different, they are animals. Abstract thinking in animals is not developed, and they are not good at drawing associations, let alone sharing ghost stories. Therefore, when they feel tense and depressed, their hunting instincts are often stimulated, increasing their desire to attack to preserve themselves in the perilous natural world.

The terrifying atmosphere in the Ghost Mansion has been amplified, and their instincts have also been enhanced. In short, they are now in a state of blood-thirst.

Bruce immediately laid out a piece of white paper on the reception desk in front of them and began sketching a map. Although the line for the ride was in the morning, Bruce remembered every detail of the front and backyard.

They were standing in front of the main entrance of the Ghost Mansion, while across the front courtyard was one of the attractions, the mansion garden. To their right was a sizable pond, and to their left, a graveyard.

Retreating would lead them to the main entrance to the elevator, and if they took the side door, they could get to the backyard. Strange had already taken a look earlier, and the backyard was also filled with monsters.

This structure had an advantage, that is, whether it was the creatures from the pond or the graveyard, they would have to pass through the garden of the front yard to attack the main entrance. The disadvantage, however, is that everyone must pass through the garden, where the troop density is the highest, to reach other locations.

The garden wasn't particularly large, shaped rectangularly. There was a fountain in the center and two pathways lined with shrubs, one of which had an irregular shrub maze, and behind it, several statues.

Bruce rapidly sketched all the terrain on the white paper. When everyone leaned closer to look, they found that the scale was nearly perfect, even the details of the shrubs were depicted.

"We don't know when they'll start attacking, but we should take advantage of this free time to build our defenses. If we have to attack and defend simultaneously, we'll definitely be overwhelmed."

"I think Pamela's suggestion is very valuable. We must have a last resort to ensure the lobby isn't attacked, so we can plant wheat around the main entrance to create a frozen layer."

"Wait a minute." Stark raised a question. He said, "The path before us is paved with bluestone, there's no soil. Can we really plant anything?"

"When I modified the plants, I naturally considered this issue." Pamela spoke up, "The plants I brought here have been infused with nutrient solution in advance, so they can survive for a long time without soil. However, there's one problem with wheat. It must stand upright, lying down is no good."

"So we do need some soil, don't we?" Bruce looked at her and asked.

"I can use magic to get some." Strange assured, "Just digging should not trigger the rules. But, to be on the safe side, I will weave a usable basket with the Crimson Band and let the Animal Gods dig."

After resolving that issue, Bruce continued, "You also brought the Guard Vine, right?"

Pamela nodded, saying, "However, that has not been modified and needs a trellis to have a certain defensive retaliation capability."

"What kind of trellis do you need?" Stark promptly asked.

"An eagle frame is best. If that's not possible, a household scaffold works. However, the horizontal bars and vertical bars must be perpendicular to each other, or the vines might grow unevenly."

Stark immediately pulled out a card from his armor, saying, "This is a miniaturized, engineered steel frame used to build the Mercury Base. Made from Molten Steel, it is very strong and can be freely assembled."

After finishing his explanation, he reluctantly handed the card to Pamela, saying, "There isn't much of this material available so far, this is the last piece here."

"Moreover, its compression and reversion process is one-time. Once it's expanded, it can't be compressed again, so remember to place it correctly... Never mind, you tell me where to set it up. I will mark the location with a drone and air-drop it, I really can't trust these fluffy... uh..."

Thinking that he would need the Animal Gods' help later, Stark abruptly stopped talking, but his eyes continued to express, 'Aside from me, no one else could operate it correctly.'

In reality, it's almost the same. Technological experts Pamela and Bruce didn't have experience using this kind of mini-engineering equipment, the others were from the Magic Side and also wouldn't know how to use this kind of emerging engineering equipment, so, in the end, it was decided that Stark would do the deployment.

After establishing two layers of defensive, Bruce began to consider an offensive strategy. He stated, "First, our close combat cabbages must be strategically placed to take out the skeletons. The punches they pack are extremely effective against those boney critters."

"I've plotted five deployment points, surrounding the entire front yard garden. At each point, we'll station twenty standard cabbages."

"Their role isn't to defeat the skeletons directly but to herd them towards the center through their attacks. Then we'll deploy our Brawler Cabbages aiming to eliminate them all at once."

"The zombies in the rear have too strong of a defense. I suspect our cabbages won't be able to breach them effectively, not even with explosive wheats. The explosions would have to be up close and personal for them to even have a chance at breaking their defenses."

"Once we clear out all the skeletons in one fell swoop, the zombies are bound to step in immediately. But the garden's area is enormous. If they scatter around, things will get tricky. So tightening up our front door is crucial and detonating explosive elements there would be the most profitable choice."

"Perhaps, we could place some vines there." Lucifer tilted his head, studying the map, "They should be enough to reduce the width by about four meters."

"But the climbing rack unfolds in one go." Stark emphasised once again, "In order to be sturdy, the rack must be hammered into the ground. It isn't movable, and even if it were, the density of the material makes it hefty. It's impossible to move it around using conventional methods."

"And we only have one rack. We can't simultaneously block both entry points. If it is off, we don't know whether or not explosives in the pond or graveyard could perform the same function."

After a moment's thought, Bruce said, "If we can get a mold, maybe we could use the freezing capabilities of Icy Wheat to create two ice walls..."

Upon hearing that, Shiller's gaze slowly moved onto the crimson cape draped behind Strange.

The crimson cape seemed startled and attempted to retreat, yanking Strange along with it.

Everyone in the room lit up at this nimble action, it was so Disney-style!

Finding no place to hide, the cloak hung dejectedly, with its two ends twisted in anxiety.

Just then, a burst of light emanated from the portal used by the Animal Gods to come from the Celestial Realm, signaling the arrival of the second batch of animal friends. Their journey had been long, hence their late arrival.

Leading the way, the Hippo Goddess stepped out, her hands clasped together and placed on her chest. She cried out, "Good heavens, has Disney evolved to this? All these monsters! What if they scare the kids?!"

Stark and Strange exchanged glances again. Clearly, she was also quite Disney-style.

After Black Panther briefly explained the situation, the Hippo Goddess let out a high-pitched shout as she rushed over to cradle the cloak, "I understand of course, it's too risky for such a soft and lightweight piece of fabric to do such heavy-duty work."

"But I believe that your soft and resilient nature will come in handy right now, won't it? You have to protect the children here from these monsters."

"By the way, how old are you? I seem to recall seeing you with the previous Supreme Magician, you must be at least 300 years old, right? I have an adoptive daughter near the Baltic Sea who is a local textile goddess. She loves all sorts of fabrics, so I think you two would be a perfect match; how about..."

The cloak let out a 'whoosh', leaving the hall and radiating a fighting spirit. It even used its own corner to strike a pose like a strongman flexing his muscles.

The Hippo Goddess immediately applauded for it. Strange couldn't help but cover his forehead with his hand and murmur, "Don't remember appealing to children that way in my youth… Does this kind of coaxing actually work on kids?"

"Forget the kids," sighed Stark, "Believe it or not, if Peter was here, his cheers would be heard throughout the entire realm. He is that kind of people who would praise everything here and never repeat a single compliment. He would be even able to rejuvenate people dressed up as cartoon characters."

Hearing this, Bruce paused and looked at Lucifer, "...do you have a phone?"

Half a minute later, two figures slowly landed at the entrance of the hall, and, before they even walked in, Clark had already started expressing his disbelief.

"Oh my God, doesn't anyone care about what's happening out there? What's up with those skeletons? What if someone trips over their littered bones? And the zombies, for God's sake, what if an astronomy enthusiast sees them through a telescope? They'd lose their lunch! If this was Metropolis, they'd be taken away by the police for disorderly conduct!"

"And what's the deal with those goblins? They aren't trying to ruin the land, are they? My dad always said if you see a goblin in a field, give it a good whack with a shovel... Do you have a shovel around here?"

Clark started looking around for a tool to smack the goblins back into the earth. Meanwhile, Diana was fixing her hair and turned to Bruce, "I thought your 'Plants vs. Zombies' remark was a metaphor. What the hell is happening here?"

At that moment, Pamela who was originally studying the map, drifted her gaze towards the glamorous Natasha. Upon noticing Pamela's stare, Natasha shot back a seductive smile.

Diana immediately detected alarming vibes emanating from the lady agent and stepped forward to challenge, commanding Natasha: "Stay away from her."