The wild grass was growing vigorously, the bedboards trembling incessantly, and already the crackling sounds of grass tips splitting the boards could be heard. Chang Dong supported Ye Liuxi as she sat up. Suddenly, she remembered something and exclaimed, "My knife!" It had slipped from her grasp when she was dragged down and had landed by the bed's edge. Regretting immediately, she added, "Well, never mind, I'll leave it." Chang Dong asked, "Where did it land?" This wasn't a question of whether to keep it or not—things had taken a sudden turn, and she didn't know what lay ahead—perhaps something perilous. In times of danger, weapons were for survival, not mere accessories. Ye Liuxi pointed to a spot. "Right there." Chang Dong clutched her tightly, almost pushing and throwing her onto Ding Liu's bed. "You go first." Ye Liuxi hesitated slightly, but she never liked to hesitate in moments of crisis. She climbed to the window ledge, glanced back hurriedly, and Chang Dong swiftly pulled the bedsheet and wrapped it around his arm, then bent down to search beneath the bed. Ding Liu waited at the roof to receive her, and Ye Li She was a bit moved by Ding Liu’s plight—how life had truly driven her to such extremes. Just after surgery, she’d been so delicate that even a slight breeze had been enough to unsettle her. Now, she had to climb up through the window to reach the roof. Ye Liuxi braced her hands against the eave, rolled over, and leapt up. Standing straight, she first caught sight of the city. The moonlight flowed like water, the tall grass surged and swayed, stretching and writhing, sweeping over the entire city—not just these few houses, but as if the whole city were being overwhelmed. There was another sound at the eave. Turning back, she saw Chang Dong climbing up after her. As he reached the roof, he lifted his hand and tossed the knife to her. Ye Liuxi caught it with both hands, her gaze returning to the courtyard. Nearby, Gao Shen had already climbed up and was pulling Fat Tang upward. A little lower down, the one struggling wildly— Ye Liuxi suddenly realized. She couldn’t help but let out a soft, startled laugh. That was the Mountain River—hence the sound always seemed as though something were being caught: the Mountain River was tethered by the door, and as grass grew upward, it struggled fiercely to rise, fearing it would be ensnared by the vines. The rope had a fixed length, so it hovered, neither rising nor falling, and thus it could only constantly flap its wings in an effort to maintain a steady, perpetual motion. For a chicken, that truly was a tough situation. Fortunately, at the far end, Gao Shen soon noticed and grasped Fat Tang’s ankle, gently lowering her step by step to meet the Mountain River. At that very moment, the house seemed to shift slightly, and Ding Liu shrieked, scrambling with both hands and feet to reach the center of the roof. Ye Liuxi felt his scalp prickle—this grass was like countless tendrils, determined to pierce through and collapse the compacted earth walls. It wouldn’t take long before the house was completely torn apart. Chang Dong said in a steady voice, “I need to drive the car. I have to keep this grass growing. If it keeps spreading, the whole city will be buried. Then we’ll never be able to get out.” He estimated the distance between the several rooftops and the vehicle, took a deep breath, and stepped back. As he watched, Chang Dong suddenly surged forward, charging straight out, maintaining his momentum until he reached the edge of the roof, where he spun mid-air, rolling onto the roof of another building some four meters away. With his final momentum, he reached out and grasped the edge, swinging down swiftly and precisely—landing exactly inside the vehicle's broken window, which had been shattered by the giant scorpion. It seemed they had to hurry and pull back. Changdong gave another sharp swerve, the car pressing close to Gao Shen's side. Fei Tang hadn't quite reacted yet, when Gao Shen had already leapt onto the roof and turned to shout, "Jump!" That... seemed a bit far. Fei Tang's legs wouldn't stop trembling; he was about to speak when a sudden fluttering sound erupted—Zhen Shan He charged straight for the roof with the determined urgency of a moth扑ing into a flame. Damn it! The little creature! They asked me to jump, not you! Indeed, competition brings pressure—no one should ever be outdone by a chicken. With a determined heart, Fei Tang leapt down like a dumpling being dropped. But before he could steady himself, the car had already started moving. Fei Tang nearly tumbled off. Fortunately, he caught hold of the luggage rack in time. By the time they reached Ye Liuxi's side, the roof had partially collapsed—now it was easier. She pulled Ding Liu along, sliding down like on a slide, and landed precisely on the roof. The car kept moving, charging straight ahead toward the outer area. Ye Liuxi was the first to翻身 into the car, working with Gao Shen to get Ding Liu inside. Fei Tang didn't get the same treatment—he was shoved into the window like a bundle of straw, yet he was still quite satisfied, since even Zhunshanhe hadn't managed to get into the car and was still blowing cold air from the roof. Everything depended on the chicken claws; without a firm grip on the luggage rack, they'd be separated forever. As the vehicle entered the street, the sight was breathtaking—wild grass had grown nearly to the level of a person's chest. Without the modified chassis of Changdong's vehicles, which raised the overall height of the body, visibility would have been severely compromised. Changdong said, "As always, I'll just drive. Any issues on the road will be your responsibility." Just as he finished speaking, Fei Tang suddenly cried out, "Look!" Under the car lights, a door on the roadside was slightly ajar, and a person stood outside, their posture twisted, swaying but not falling, inclined at about a 30-degree angle to the ground—like a wooden stake inserted diagonally into the earth—fully wrapped in wild grass, resembling a scarecrow. Ye Liuxi said, "This person must have been startled or had been awake all along—yet still didn't make it out." Most people probably slept soundly on their beds and were unaware, already ensnared in thick, tangled grass. Ding Liu felt a pang of relief: "Thanks to the Mountain River—it would have been terrible if it hadn't sounded the alarm, wouldn't it?" She involuntarily shivered. Fei Tang gritted his teeth: "That's why we've been carrying a chicken along—chickens are genuinely sensitive to these kinds of maladies. I'm not sure how I'm still standing..." Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine: "The city's been suffering from a chicken flu recently—chickens have all perished. Could this be a deliberate plot?" Chang Dong replied: "It's possible. If the chickens were still alive, the outbreak would have triggered widespread alarm, waking up many people." Regardless of who the mastermind was, this method amounted to a city-wide massacre. Fei Tang glared out the window: "East Brother, don't mind if I waste some gas—burn it to the ground!" Chang Dong didn't object: "Just use it sparingly." Fei Tang knelt on the back seat, dragged over the oil bucket, opened the lid, dipped a cloth used for wiping the car, then lifted it outside and, as the flame from the lighter just ignited, quickly threw it out: "Die, you!" Turning back, he saw the spot where he had thrown the cloth burst into flames, and with a confident air, said, "Mao Zedong once said, 'A spark can start a wildfire.'... Wow, Dongge!" He suddenly stared in disbelief. A flame, as if it had legs, surged straight from the point of ignition, chasing after, licking the path it took and drawing a straight line of fire. This wasn't just a natural phenomenon—Chang Dong noticed it in the rearview mirror, his heart suddenly tightening, and instinctively pressed the accelerator. Ye Liuxi turned to watch, and the flame kept pursuing, branching out on its own at about ten meters behind the vehicle, spreading into two arms that kept extending, opening their arms as if embracing—within this embrace, the off-road vehicle kept advancing. Watching as those two fiery arms nearly caught up with the front wheel, wave after wave of flame crashed against the vehicle, Chang Dong roared, "Hold on!" Just two bends away from the city gate, Chang Dong maintained high speed through the curves, quickly steering outward, then instantly pivoting inward—his rear lost traction instantly, sending the fiery arms sweeping half a vehicle length away. The car surged forward like a floodgate released, charging straight into the next bend, executing another slide and cut-out maneuver. The city gate came into view, and the heavy creaking sounds were almost audible. Fei Tang cried out in a frenzy, "The gates are closing! The gates are closing!" Chang Dong saw it—the two gates were closing simultaneously, pushed steadily by the wild grass growing at the gate entrance. One gate, having split in the middle and pressing down on a vehicle, closed more slowly. The gap between the two gates might just be wide enough for him to pass through… Chang Dong's palms were damp: perhaps, he'd end up crashing head-on, the vehicle destroyed and himself killed. There was no time to hesitate anymore. The flames behind the vehicle grew intense. The car roared forth like a great beast unleashed. The vehicle shook violently, and the overturned car was thrown clear. In that very instant, Changdong suddenly noticed—the badge on the door of that car was a… a mountain tea flower with a stem? Chang Dong shivered, only then realizing he was leaning against the steering wheel, his vision blurred and his head pounding. He glanced toward the passenger seat and froze: "Where's Liu Xi?" Ye Liu Xi supported him as she stepped out. "I'm right here." The impact had been fierce—the force knocked her off her feet for a moment, and she’d been momentarily dizzy. Fortunately, the collision occurred just outside the city, and beyond the city limits, there was nothing to obstruct their path. The car, propelled by inertia from the gas pedal, surged forward at high speed before finally coming to a slow stop. Ye Liu Xi awoke first and looked back. Far off, the city lay still and lifeless—she didn’t know what had happened, but whether it was overgrown grass or flames, there was no sign of the disturbance spreading outward. Inside the vehicle, everyone seemed unconscious. She was most concerned about Ding Liu, so she quickly helped her get out and lay her down. Then she turned to support Chang Dong. Chang Dong pushed her away. "Liu Xi was sitting in the passenger seat—where is she?" Ye Liu Xi, who frequently drove and had seen many car accidents, knew that She dragged him off the car with all her strength, "I've told you it's me—don't keep looking!" The man was so heavy, and he didn't cooperate. Just two steps, and suddenly he stumbled, crashing down onto the car's roof. There was a tremor in his waist, as if his hands were still gliding there. She reached out and touched her lips—warm, swollen, with a faint tingling sensation. She looked down at Changdong. Did you pass out halfway through? You didn’t even finish, did you? Ye Liuxi clenched his fists angrily, exhaled a sharp breath, then released them, and looked down at his palms. It came back to her now—the edges of the wild grass were sharp. When she had pulled at them with her hands earlier, she had been so tense that she hadn’t noticed the pain. Only now did she realize that her palms were already cut. Suddenly remembering something, she crouched down and reached for Changdong’s hand. His hands were warm, the backs broad and solid, but when she touched the palm, it was all blood and mangled tissue.