Apocalypse: Transmigrated with an Overlord System
Chapter 170: The Guardian and the Swarm

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: The Guardian and the Swarm

As they started going deeper, the forest was so quiet that even the sound of the wind seemed to be covered by someone.

"Are we really going to enter this deep?" a young survivor asked in a low voice, and his voice was infinitely amplified in the silence.

Liora did not look back but raised her hand slightly to stop everyone’s steps.

"Stand still." Her voice was as calm as a blade.

"There’s something ahead of us."

Before she finished speaking, a dark shadow flashed through the forest without making any sound. Several survivors who followed her turned pale and almost instinctively took a step back, but seeing that Liora did not move, they had to grit their teeth and stand still.

But as the shadow came closer, it revealed itself—a twisted beast with pale skin stretched over its jagged bones. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and strange vines grew out of its back like broken wings. It was a Level 5 mutant, dangerous to most survivors, but not to her.

Without a word, Liora stepped forward. The moment the creature lunged, her blade was already out.

A single slash.

The wind barely stirred, and the mutant’s head slid from its shoulders. Its body staggered for a moment before collapsing silently into the undergrowth.

She wiped the blood from her blade without emotion.

"Just a Level 5," she said softly, almost to herself.

Standing at the front at this moment was her - Liora. Her right hand was always on the black blade at her waist, and the slender scabbard was like a sleeping animal.

And Xu Kai, who stood behind her, had a cold expression and a slightly tight mouth. He was always taciturn, but at critical moments, he used the blade to protect the team. There was no extra emotion in his eyes, as if all his judgments were hidden in his heart.

Yang Ming was a little further away, standing in the shade of the trees where the sun could not reach, but his curious eyes were really filled with amazement as he looked here and there. It was his first time after the apocalypse in the forest.

He never thought that the forest had changed so much after the apocalypse, and not in the worst way at all.

And Eli, the child, was quietly standing beside Liora at this moment, holding the corner of her clothes. He was also very vigilant. He dared not leave Liora’s side, afraid that something would happen to his aunt. After all, his father had left a responsibility on him.

"This is... not a normal forest," an old man whispered. He was a researcher and had experienced hundreds of experimental areas before the world collapse. He had an instinctive uneasiness about this land. "The color of the soil is wrong, the smell is wrong... too many unknowns."

"The more wrong it is, the more valuable it is," Yang Ming whispered behind him. A glimmer flashed in his pupils. "If we can find new mutant herbs, we may be able to break through the current bottleneck of our powers."

After all, he was not a normal person. He had also seen far more wonders and many pernicious things. The world had not only changed for the worse... there were also things to help them. Just take the example of the aether fruit. So he was looking forward into this forest.

"But the price may be life," another man frowned, but his expression was not fearful, but a rational assessment of the risks.

But now, the survivors showed a rare look - excitement.

Because this forest, although unfamiliar, was surprisingly beautiful.

The further they went, the more vines there were on the ground, but they were not ordinary green vines, but a light silver-blue color, and some were still slowly creeping, as if absorbing sunlight.

The trees were towering into the sky, and some branches were twisted, as if growing in a certain direction. Even at the intersection of several tree roots, they could see light golden mushrooms, exuding a smell similar to milk.

"It’s amazing..." a young girl squatted down and tried to collect some mushrooms.

"Don’t touch it!" Xu Kai’s voice was low and cold, but very coercive.

The girl’s hand trembled, and she quickly retracted it, her face pale.

"Every ’gift’ here could be a trap," he said.

Liora didn’t say much, just observed whether there were any abnormal fluctuations in the shadows of the trees around.

A few minutes later, the team advanced another hundred meters. The atmosphere changed subtly.

The sun couldn’t get in.

They had quietly entered the deeper part of this forest.

Deep in the woods, the air became damp and cold, and seemed to have the smell of decay and blood iron. Some trees actually had crystal-like red spots on their bark, like dried wounds.

"This... shouldn’t be a natural product," the old man murmured.

At this moment, Eli, who was walking in front, gently pulled the corner of Liora’s clothes.

"There, there is something."

Following the direction he pointed, under a twisted old tree, the ground glowed slightly.

It was a green and blue light intertwined, beating like a pulse. Fungus-like objects crawled all over the tree trunks, and some vines had transparent red buds, like solidified blood beads.

"...It’s a mutant herb." The old man almost rushed over excitedly. "If we can collect it completely, it will be a very good medicinal resource!"

A gleam of light flashed in Yang Ming’s eyes. "There is high heat energy flowing inside these buds. I can feel it - it’s not just medicine, it may even be a source of energy replenishment."

Liora squatted down and observed the lines on the ground. Suddenly, her face changed slightly. "Wait a minute, something is wrong..."

"What?" Xu Kai stepped forward immediately.

She pointed to the glowing ground. "These lines... are not naturally generated. They are traces of breathing of some creatures."

The surroundings were instantly quiet.

Then, they saw it.

Behind the tree, there was a vague "rock" - no, it was breathing.

It was a huge mammoth, with a body as big as a mountain. Its eyes had been corroded and blinded, but its long tusks reflected the light of fungi. Its skin was covered with a thick layer of bone armor, like a sleeping guardian.

Everyone gasped.

"Don’t get close." Liora’s voice was light but cold as ice.

But at this moment -

"Click -"

There was a crisp sound behind them.

Everyone turned around suddenly and saw a survivor stumbling out from behind the tree, his face pale.

"I, I didn’t mean it... I just wanted to see what you were looking for..."

Before the words fell, the ground trembled slightly.

Some kind of trap was triggered.

The ground was shaking, and under a pile of rotten leaves, a black crack slowly opened -

Countless giant ants swarmed out from the ground.

Their shells shone with metallic luster, their jaws were as sharp as knives, and they rushed towards them like a tide.

In just seconds, the ground turned into a sea of black as the giant ants surged out from the crack, rushing towards them like a living tide.

The mammoth did not move.

But the ants moved.

Panic spread through the group like fire.

The girl who had tried to collect the mushroom earlier gasped and stumbled back, her hands trembling violently. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Her face turned white, as if all the blood had drained from her body.

The old researcher froze in place, clutching the strap of his bag tightly, his knuckles white. He muttered something under his breath—an old habit from before the apocalypse.

Yang Ming narrowed his eyes, the excitement from earlier gone. He took a cautious step back, calculating something quickly, but his breathing had already sped up.

Lin Ci’s face turned pale, and her mouth opened slightly as she tried to speak. Her voice got stuck in her throat. She grabbed at Yang Ming’s arm without thinking.

Xu Kai stood in front with an grim expression . His right hand had already drawn his weapon. His jaw was clenched, and a thin line of tension appeared on his forehead. His eyes remained locked on the ants without blinking.

Eli held tighter to Liora’s clothes but did not show any panic at all, just stuck to her.

And Liora—

She didn’t move an inch.

Her black blade was already in her hand, as if it had always been there. Her eyes were calm, too calm for the chaos building around them. She looked not at the ants, but at the path behind them, judging the terrain and their chances.

"Form a line," she said quietly, but the steel in her voice was unmistakable. "No one runs."

If they took action carefully, nothing would be wrong. But what she feared most was that if these survivors decided to run in different directions and create chaos. If they stayed put in their positions, it would be easier for her to protect them rather than running behind them.