Chapter 267: The Treeman's Defection, Third Tier Within Reach

Behind the damaged gate of the research institute, over a dozen pale skeleton warriors acted together, tearing down the entire gate and the adjacent wall, creating a larger breach.

Immediately after.

Over a dozen pale skeleton warriors jointly lifted a huge mass of flesh and walked out from behind the gate.

The surface of this flesh mass was uneven, composed of dozens of different body fragments.

These fragments varied in size and shape; some resembled human arms, some like monster skulls, and even included pieces of avian feathers and scales.

These fragments were not simply piled together; they were tightly bound by a flesh-colored, fine yet tough thread, forming a massive biological mosaic.

These flesh-colored threads looked like both biological tissue and some unknown synthetic material, crisscrossing inside the mass to ingeniously link the fragments, creating an eerie harmony.

This method of connection ensured the mass's integrity while granting it a twisted vitality.

Viewed as a whole, the mass resembled a deformed living creature, evoking both fear and disgust.

"This is too ugly; I have no idea what Boss Su Hao wants this thing for..."

The treeman looked at the mass of flesh on the pale skeleton warriors and involuntarily shivered, feeling extremely nauseated.

Even if this mass of flesh were just an ordinary object, he would keep his distance; merely glancing at it made his sanity plummet, and he could not understand why anyone would want such a thing.

But after a moment's thought, he felt this was actually reasonable.

Although he had never met Su Hao and did not know what race Su Hao was or what his personality was like...

... but seeing how many undead creatures served under Su Hao made it likely that he himself was a supernatural being skilled in necromancy.

Or perhaps he was simply an undead creature; to someone like him, the flesh mass that seemed horrifying and sanity‑draining to others might be a splendid thing.

Moreover, for one versed in necromancy, this mass of flesh could serve as a useful medium for summoning powerful undead beings.

"Roar——!"

But just then, the disgusting mass of flesh suddenly let out an angry roar, startling the treeman, who reflexively stepped back several meters.

Come on, this is a Third‑Tier supernatural monster; a casual swipe could kill a Second‑Rank supernatural being.

Even though the treeman had considerable confidence in his own defenses and survivability, a casual strike from a Third‑Tier supernatural would seriously wound him, so how could he not be afraid?

"Don't be afraid, it can't hurt you."

An intelligent bronze robot walked out from the shattered gate and nodded at the frightened treeman.

Although his words were still delivered in an emotionless mechanical synth, his attitude made it clear he was quite friendly toward the treeman.

Before setting out, Ling Xue'er, following Su Hao's instructions, had told these intelligent bronze robots that upon encountering troublemakers they should show no courtesy—fight if they must, kill if they must.

But if the other party came with sincerity to trade, then we would not deprive them of their benefits, and they would be our partners.

The intelligent bronze robot, following the clues provided by the treeman, successfully located this Third‑Tier supernatural Stitching Monster, which shows the treeman did not lie; he indeed came with sincere intent to trade.

Given that, the intelligent bronze robot's attitude was naturally also very friendly.

After hearing the intelligent bronze robot's reassurance, the treeman then noticed that the Stitching Monster had merely let out a roar and performed no attack.

He looked up and saw that the Stitching Monster's body was pierced by hundreds of black bone spurs.

Even though the Stitching Monster's body was huge and somewhat like an irregular soft‑bodied creature, being pierced by so many bone spurs made it difficult to perform any extra movements.

Moreover, the treeman clearly felt that the Stitching Monster's aura was extremely weak, even weaker than his own as a Second‑Rank supernatural, as if it were gravely injured.

Precisely because of this, the treeman had not realized that the Stitching Monster was still alive.

What puzzled the treeman was: if these undead beings could so quickly gravely wound the Stitching Monster and pin it down with these black bone spurs, why not just kill it outright? Could it be...

They still wanted to capture a Third‑Tier supernatural monster alive?! No way, that's a Third‑Tier supernatural monster—keeping such a creature nearby, aren't they afraid it might suddenly retaliate? It seemed the intelligent bronze robot that had just walked out of the research institute sensed the treeman's thoughts, nodded at him, and said in a voice devoid of emotion: "To ensure this Stitching Monster meets the lord's requirements, we need to bring it back alive."

"But you needn't worry; according to my calculations, given his current condition, there is a 99.81% chance he cannot break free of the bone spurs' restraints and will pose no threat to us."

"Even if he managed to break free and launch some counterattacks, he would still be completely incapable of inflicting any effective harm on us, let alone affecting our mechanical transport warship."

Treeman: ……

Perhaps this is the confidence of the strong: even a Third‑Tier supernatural monster, in their hands, is like a toy—kill it if they want, capture it alive if they want, unable to stir any trouble.

Thinking this, the treeman felt a greater yearning to join Su Hao's domain.

If he could join, his life would surely improve vastly; at least Third‑Tier supernatural enemies could threaten him no longer.

Even Fourth‑Tier supernatural foes would likely have to tuck their tails and flee within Su Hao's territory.

But what ability of mine could possibly catch Su Hao's eye?

His only presentable skill is cultivating supernatural plants, but in this context such an ability is truly useless.

Unless Su Hao's territory just happened to be that small untouched patch free of the ominous curse—yet how likely is that coincidence? As the treeman pondered, the intelligent bronze robot that had emerged from the research institute approached him and, in an emotionless mechanical voice, said: "Please place a video call to Lady Ling Xue'er; we need to report the situation here."

"Ah, oh, okay, okay."

The treeman came to, took off the communicator ring on his finger, placed a video call to Ling Xue'er, and then handed the ring to the intelligent bronze robot.

After a few beeps, the video call was connected.

Ling Xue'er looked at the intelligent bronze robot on the other end of the video and involuntarily frowned slightly.

Could this liaison be ill‑intentioned as well, with no news about the Stitching Monster?

Before she could dwell on it further, she heard the intelligent bronze robot say:

"Report to Officer Ling Xue'er: the Stitching Monster has been captured alive; shall we bring it back now?"

As he spoke, the intelligent bronze robot aimed the camera at the Stitching Monster.

Ling Xue'er: ……

Looking at that disgusting mass of flesh, Ling Xue'er felt her stomach churn. Actually, there's no need to specially verify this for me……

Fortunately, during the recent slaughter of the undead army, Ling Xue'er had also encountered many bloody, gruesome zombies and had built up some tolerance, so she did not vomit on the spot.

"Phew!"

She took a deep breath to calm her churning stomach, and a hint of joy appeared on her face.

If the treeman's side were also not sincere in wanting to trade, but had instead laid a trap, spread false information, and lured them in...

... then all three of their operations this time would end in failure, and they would have gone through all that trouble for nothing.

Although Ling Xue'er knew Su Hao wouldn't blame him for this, she would still blame herself, after all wasting so much time, sending out three squads to such a distant place, and ending up with nothing.

Fortunately, the tree people's side sent back good news: they not only had relevant information, but also successfully captured an Aggregated Stitching Monster, completing the task Su Hao had assigned.

"Well done, give the tree people what they need, then hurry back—make sure to bring the Aggregated Stitching Monster back alive!"

After saying that, Ling Xue'er was about to hang up, but at that moment, a head covered in flowers, visible on the face of the intelligent system robot, spoke weakly:

"Lady Ling Xue'er, I heard that Su Hao's territory is recruiting new members here; I don't know if I can join."

Ling Xue'er fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said:

"... Since you are sincere in dealing with us, I'll give you a backdoor—briefly tell me your Supernatural Grade, talent, Supernatural Sequence, and your field of expertise."

This tree person, unlike the other two traders who harbor ulterior motives, at least shows his conduct is decent, meeting the basic recruitment requirements.

If this tree person has any distinctive trait—whether strong individual combat ability, skill in command, or benefit to the territory's construction—she will report it to Su Hao.

Coincidentally, she also needed to report the capture of the Aggregated Stitching Monster, so she could mention this together.

Of course, the premise is that this tree person has sufficient value.

Otherwise, she would unhesitatingly reject the application, have the intelligent bronze robot leave the trade goods, and then depart.

Upon hearing Ling Xue'er's words, the tree person felt nervous yet a spark of hope rose, at least Ling Xue'er intended to prioritize reviewing him.

Others are in the preliminary round, while he directly advanced to the second-to-last round, so his chance of being selected is naturally higher than others'.

Only a few hours have passed since Ling Xue'er posted the recruitment notice.

Even if many have signed up, most are likely stuck at the preliminary stage.

He entered the second round a step earlier, undoubtedly reducing many competitors; perhaps he could leverage this temporal advantage to advance to the next round and be selected by Su Hao.

Afterward, he composed himself, quickly organized his thoughts in his mind, and answered Ling Xue'er's questions one by one:

"Lady Ling Xue'er, my Supernatural Grade is Second Tier."

"My Supernatural Sequence is innate to my race, called Forest Tree Person; it lets the surrounding supernatural plants become stronger and also allows me to control them."

"Additionally, I can choose a region to take root, accelerating the growth speed of surrounding plants."

"My talent is called Symbiotic Tree Person; it can bind a supernatural plant or a plant‑type structure, establishing a symbiotic relationship."

"After forming the symbiotic bond, the abilities of the entity I am symbiotic with will increase, and my physique and mental strength will also be enhanced."

"Furthermore, I can use part of the symbiotic target's abilities; the effect is stronger the closer we are, and within a certain range, as long as either I or the symbiotic target remains alive, I will not die completely."

"Lastly, I specialize in planting; I'm not very skilled in combat, but my defense is decent, with no obvious weak points, and if needed I can serve as a front‑line meat shield."

"I've said all that; my personal situation is as such, Officer Ling Xue'er—do you think my abilities meet the recruitment requirements?"

After speaking, the tree person actually breathed a sigh of relief—having said what needed to be said and striven for what could be striven for; the outcome now rests on fate.

He said no more, looking with anticipation at Ling Xue'er inside the communication bracelet.

"Being skilled at planting and able to command surrounding supernatural plants is a fairly useful ability; wait a moment, I will report this to Boss Su Hao, and the specifics still need his decision."

Ling Xue'er nodded and then hung up the phone.

Following Su Hao's instructions, among the recruits, Supernatural Grade and combat ability are considered lower‑priority evaluation criteria.

With Su Hao's current foundation, even if the other party is merely an ordinary person, he has the ability to quickly turn them into a supernatural being.

In the future, there is even hope of reaching Third‑Tier Supernatural, so he does not pay much attention to the opponent's current strength.

Instead, the field in which the other party excels and their potential are the most important evaluation criteria.

The tree person's area of expertise is the ability to aid in territory construction, which meets the recruitment requirements; it can be reported upward, and Su Hao will decide whether to recruit him.

Afterward, Ling Xue'er dialed Su Hao's phone, informing him of the captured Aggregated Stitching Monster and the tree person's abilities.

"Did you catch the Aggregated Stitching Monster?"

Su Hao's face lit up with joy; he now possesses a Third‑Tier Supernatural Necromancer's Magic Potion, and the heart of the bloody octopus is also in hand.

Now a Third‑Tier Aggregated Stitching Monster has also been captured; once we return, we will be able to refine the Third‑Tier Supernatural Blood Mage's Magic Potion and the Third‑Tier Supernatural Healer's Magic Potion.

After synthesizing these potions accordingly, Su Hao's Supernatural Sequence will be able to break through to Third Tier, granting his abilities a new breakthrough.

"Well done; try to bring the Aggregated Stitching Monster back alive if possible, but if not, you must bring back its corpse."

"As for that tree person, bring him back; his abilities can ease some of the pressure on Hua Yao and her group, and increase the scale of supernatural plant cultivation."

Su Hao's reason for accepting the tree person is, on one hand, his skill in planting supernatural plants, and on the other, the tree person's symbiotic ability, which has given him an idea.

Afterward, Su Hao hung up the phone, glanced at the time, and realized he had slept most of the day.

The synthesis count has been reset; he began today's first synthesis, preparing to combine the Blood Sea Magic Robe and that drop of crimson essence blood.

(End of chapter)