The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 138

Thanks to the Hunter's excellent battlefield analysis skills, Haida completed the count of the enemy's numbers in just a moment.

Looking at these strange and grotesque arcane creations, Childe narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You said no more than ten, and then there were exactly ten...?"

His firearms were not very effective on this kind of openwork structure, and they were also very noisy, making them inconvenient to use here.

Normally, these ficus mimics would be terrified of fire. But the library was currently filled with wood dust, and the ground was covered with winding, twisting plant veins. Playing with fire in this environment... was clearly unwise.

While he was still debating whether or not to fire, Haida had already leaped towards the group of banyan-like creatures like an arrow released from a bow. The power sword in her hand slicing through the air with abandon, emitting a howling, whistling sound.

“Nietzsche, how can we let a lady keep worrying about our safety?”

Albert glanced at Nigel beside him, who nodded knowingly and then took out a book sealed with bark and began to recite a prayer.

As the second type of lower-level secret technique, [Wood Manipulation], was completed, the plant roots on the ground seemed to receive a decree, twisting into several snake-like chains that pierced into the simulated body in another direction, binding it firmly.

As the sharp banyan branches pierced the mimic's head, completely destroying its most active part, the doves quickly lost all ability to move.

"Peng."

A creature with a wooden branch piercing its skull crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

At the same time, a pool of sticky, reddish-black blood gushed from the punctured area. The foul stench of rancid blood gradually filled the air.

Upon seeing this, Albert, who had been relaxed, frowned, and a hint of doubt appeared in his eyes.

"what is that?"

"What's wrong, Mr. Albert?" Elsa asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That mimic is bleeding? It's purely a plant; it shouldn't have blood. Even sap should be white or colorless..."

At this point, a hint of bewilderment appeared on the face of the son of Suki.

"It's weird."

Terence also noticed something amiss, and his expression turned serious.

Meanwhile, he also noticed that new mimics were constantly emerging from the veins of the banyan tree on the ground. In addition to the nine that Haida initially discovered, there are now at least fifty banyan tree mimics surrounding the group.

Moreover, this number continues to increase over time...

"There are far more than ten of them."

"Watch out, these things are closing in. Don't make physical contact with them. Child, prepare to engage!"

Upon receiving the order, Child disregarded his concerns about wasting sniper bullets and began suppressive fire on the heads of these mimics. Even without using the solidification technique [Redundant Consciousness Intrusion], this gun still possessed an extremely high level of firepower.

Flames, sudden explosions, smoke, and writhing shadows... The once silent library was plunged into unprecedented chaos in an instant.

Even Vivian picked up her pistol and began assisting with the shooting, while Raven hid back in her breast pocket. In the Hunter's Order, all departments except for clerical and medical staff were required to undergo firearms training.

Her marksmanship is excellent; she ranks among the top even in the Hunter's shooting assessment.

However, the pistol's accuracy and power are limited, and even a headshot cannot completely destroy these already crazed arcane creations.

Fran and Elsa were surrounded in the middle of the group, clearly becoming the ones being protected.

"This is..." Elsa didn't expect the change to happen so suddenly, and for a moment she was at a loss.

Thinking that she had become a burden to the team, she couldn't help but lower her head, overwhelmed by a strong sense of guilt.

If I don't insist on going in, will I be able to reduce some trouble for the professors?

Just then, Fran handed her a gun. The pistol was exquisitely crafted; even the wooden handle was etched with the horizontal ridge emblem of the Hunter…

“Miss Elsa, don’t be discouraged or doubt yourself. As a member of the team, everyone has their own responsibilities and value. Here, take this… Try to learn how to protect yourself.”

"Thank you, thank you, Ms. Flamel..."

Elsa took the pistol; it felt solid and heavy in her hand. The wooden grip even retained a trace of her body's warmth.

She was a complete novice when it came to firearms, but she could still aim and pull the safety. She also knew her shooting accuracy was poor, so she would only pull the trigger after Xu Rong had closed the distance to a point where she was absolutely certain of her accuracy.

Fran still had another gun in her hand, but she didn't fire it. She just followed the group as they broke through the encirclement.

As Haida, who was wielding a power sword and cutting through the battlefield at the forefront of the group, inexplicably felt a void at her waist, as if something was missing.

Taking advantage of a brief moment of respite, she checked and discovered that her two guns were nowhere to be found...

-

-

I fell asleep while making soup yesterday, and I guess it's because the blanket was too comfortable...

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Old Sanctuary

Haida gripped her power sword "Nie" tightly, a flash of dark sword light streaking across the air, the sudden sound of the sword pressing down and tearing through the air accompanied by a wailing wind.

Whether it was the mimicry of banyan tendrils or the fragments of collapsed buildings, everything that touched the sword's edge was instantly cleaved in two.

Furthermore, due to the sword's ability to absorb spiritual energy, those slain by it quickly wither and perish. This allowed her to remain at the forefront of the group, showing no signs of fatigue even as the mimics surged towards her; in fact, she handled them with ease.

What an astonishing number...

Those mimics seemed to grow out of thin air from the veins of the banyan tree on the ground, and in an instant they completely surrounded the entire group.

Its twisted and bizarre form stretched from the light into the darkness, seemingly without end.

Haida's eyes narrowed slightly as she quickly analyzed the constantly changing situation.

The team had already advanced some distance into the library, but hadn't gone all the way in yet, and there was still room to turn back. Rather than facing the completely unknown situation ahead, withdrawing from the library in time was the safest option.

However, the path they came from behind was blocked by a curtain of banyan tendrils, and even if it could be removed, it would take a considerable amount of time.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, we must make a quick decision to prevent the situation from deteriorating further...

If this nun were alone, her exceptional battlefield mobility would make it easy for her to escape the current situation. However, the others in the group clearly lacked her mobility.

Elsa was an ordinary person, while Terence was elderly and had difficulty walking. The two sons of the Fiery Tree also seemed to have physical abilities not much different from ordinary people…

“Albert! Didn’t you say there wouldn’t be more than ten of these figurative figs?”

Terence swung his thick ebony staff, smashing a simulated head so hard it dented, while questioning the Son of the Bearded Tree beside him.

His voice was loud, not because of anger, but to make sure the other party could hear him amidst the deafening gunfire.

"I also want to know, how come there are so many of them..."

"Impossible. The Susi Rong Mimicry is an extremely sophisticated secret technique creation, impossible to mass-produce in the Dust Order Era... Zero"

Albert's eyes were full of doubt, so much so that his voice sounded somewhat unconfident.

"Don't think too much about it. The most urgent thing is to break through."

Nigel, who was beside him, quickly calmed his colleague down before looking toward the path leading into the depths of the library.

"The way we came is blocked... so let's proceed in the original direction! The rooms in different areas of the library are isolated from each other; once we reach the next level, we can get rid of these things..."

"What if it's even more dangerous inside?"

Taking advantage of the moment when her mimicry was cleared, Vivian, who was standing next to her, asked a question.

Should we turn back now?

Nigel pointed to the retreat route behind him, which was now blocked by layers of banyan tendrils like a curtain, and his words carried a hint of urgency.

Before the group could reach a consensus on whether to stay or leave, something creeping and hiding beneath the figurative canopy of a banyan tree quietly approached them. It moved its tentacle-like limbs, patiently observing these intruders.

The monster, hidden in the shadows, narrowed its huge, horizontally shaped eyes, then extended its twisted and extremely resilient claws and suddenly attacked the group.

"Qiang!"

With a clang of metal striking metal, Haida swung her sword and severed the tentacles along with the hard scales covering them.

Only then did the others notice what was quietly approaching.

Its body was twisted and slimy, resembling a cephalopod, that is, an octopus... only much larger, with layers of overlapping black scales covering its body.

"Evil creatures from the Abyss..."

With her extensive knowledge of natural history, Elsa quickly recognized it, but her expression became even more confused.

"How did this thing get here? Shouldn't it live in the sea?"

"嘤——"

Seemingly enraged by the severed tentacles, the evil creature of the abyss let out a sharp screech. It then lashed out at Haida with its tentacles like a whip.

The nun raised her sword to parry the lashes, then thrust her power sword forward.

The sword, constructed of fine gold, pierced through the skull along its ring-shaped mouthparts filled with sharp teeth.

8 Although she had completed the hunt for this evil creature, Haida felt neither joy nor relief. Her eyes sharpened, and she raised her wrist to wipe away the remaining bloodstains from her sword.

"Be careful, there's more than one like it."

Several other similar evil offspring were hidden among the mimicry group that had come from the direction Si Lai had come from, though they had not yet revealed their forms. However, their scale-covered tentacles could be seen moving silently on the ground.

After a moment's thought, Fran offered his suggestion.

"Time is of the essence. Let's follow Mr. Nigel's advice and break through to the next region."

"Okay."

5. Haida nodded slightly, expressing her agreement quite decisively.

In situations where hesitation equals death, making a quick decision is even more important than the decision itself.

And the more dangerous the situation, the more reliable the doctor became... therefore, the nun was more accustomed to following her advice.

Quite in sync, no one raised any objections. The entire group then began to quickly make its way to the depths of the archives, following the original route.

The deeper they went, the thinner the vegetation became, until the cold, bluish-black stone surface was revealed. The number of mimics also decreased, so Haida only needed to guard against the strangely behaving evil creatures of the abyss.

After slaying a few more strange evil offspring, the group finally arrived at the edge of the library area.

It was a high wall made of wooden bookshelves, with countless broken and scattered books placed inside.

There is a heavy door in the middle of the wall. If you can open it... you can leave this dangerous room.

Albert quickly picked up a lancet, pricked his index finger, recited a prayer, and then imprinted his blood on the ritual array on the door.

"Flourishing flowers and leaves, covering branches and foliage, nurturing the buds of spring."

"The ancient banyan tree that splits all things, I offer the blood of your descendants as a sacrifice, please open a path for me."

The massive, heavy door began to loosen, and wisps of dust leaked out from the cracks.

And in the next instant... the ground in front of the door collapsed and crumbled without any warning!

The change was sudden, unpredictable, and caught everyone off guard.

The collapse of the stone slabs and wooden beams happened in an instant, and over a vast area, making it impossible for even Haida to leave the area with others. She had no choice but to resort to a less ideal solution, pulling Elsa and Vivian, who were not far away, and then falling into the collapsed pit.

Fran was also nearby, but she was light and steady, and clearly did not need help.

Just as it was about to hit rock bottom, several jet-black tentacles sprang from the doctor's sleeves, clinging to the surrounding walls with their adhesive properties and resilience. The tentacles spread like a spider web, incidentally pulling at the nearby Haida.

As the "Reaching for the Moon" device shook violently up and down, the group fell to the bottom of the deep pit.

-

"His heart rate is stable and he is breathing on his own. Apart from a few marks left by the mimicry of the Ficus microcarpa, there are no other injuries on his body... He should not need any emergency measures such as artificial respiration or CPR."

"Hai Da, what number is this?"

In a daze, Haida saw a slender index finger with stitches through her blurred vision, and then regained a sliver of clarity from the intense dizziness.

"one."

After giving a brief response, she slowly sat up. Her grey-chestnut eyes refocused as she looked at Fran, who was sitting in front of her.

"Ms. Flamel, what's the situation now?"

"We've fallen deep into the library. As for the people... we only found the two you were carrying earlier."

As he spoke, Fran pointed to Vivian and Elsa, who were still unconscious beside him.

Seeing that the two were alright, Haida was somewhat relieved.

She immediately frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by her sudden mental lapse.

"When I was first pulled by [Reaching for the Moon], I didn't feel anything unusual... Why did I suddenly lose consciousness afterwards?"

"The inside of the deep pit is a low-oxygen environment. Being quickly placed in such an environment before the body has adapted can easily cause dizziness. This can be understood as acute altitude sickness."