Dark Queen Of Apocalypse (by Morgan Hale) novel Chapter 272

Chapter 272

Chapter 272

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As soon as they stepped into the fog, saber–tooth sharks attacked. Everyone unleashed their full power, and the air was thick with carnage and swirling blood mist.

Chloe glanced around. Phantom Zombie and Jagger, who had been right by her side, had vanished, and Noah was nowhere o be found as well.

Clearly, this fog was more than it seemed.

nstead of tangling with the saber–tooth sharks, she used her spiritual space ability and teleported straight to the land on the ‘pposite island.

As soon as Chloe stepped onto the island, a chill wind raced down her neck. Despite the blazing summer heat, she felt a cold hiver run down her spine.

thin layer of ice formed around Chloe, acting as her armor as she slowly and carefully moved forward.

The fog here was just like when she first entered Riverside, and there were probably zombie tigers lurking inside. Maybe the ombie tigers from Riverside had actually come from this place.

he could only see about sixteen feet around her; beyond that, everything was swallowed up by thick, white mist.

Relying on memories from her previous life, Chloe advanced with caution.

Every step she took was over broken rubble and crumbling debris.

Iven after ten minutes, the sounds of fighting still rang out behind her, mixed with the waves slapping against the shore.

t felt like she was still right by the coast.

Chloe pressed her lips together and stood there, scanning the area.

Suddenly, a blood–red beetle popped up right under Chloe’s feet, looking almost identical to the ones she’d seen back in Riverside.

t was about the size of a fly, but its color was even darker. Up front, its huge, razor–sharp pincers were bigger than its whole >ody, flashing with a chilling gleam.

As the beetle moved along, those pincers easily sliced through hard stone, splitting it in half like it was nothing.

After surviving so long in the apocalypse, Chloe was still a bit stunned, but nothing really fazed her anymore.

Honestly, it felt like the most normal thing ever.

Suddenly, a needle appeared from behind and stabbed forward, piercing the beetle’s belly. Fresh blood spilled out, soaking

into the earth.

A woman’s voice, full of pride, came from behind.

dripping with arrogance.

“No need to thank me,” the woman said, her tone dripping with arrogance.

Chloe turned around to see the woman dressed in vivid red, and with her makeup exaggerated, lips blazing like fire, she looked almost supernatural.

The woman was watching Chloe with a look of smug satisfaction.

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Chapter 272

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Chloe didn’t say a word. She spun around and bolted, moving so fast it was like she’d just seen the devil himself.

The woman let out a “tsk.” Then she thought, ‘Seriously? What a scaredy–cat, running off like that…‘

But she stopped mid–sentence, her voice dying instantly. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she stared at the ground.

Right next to the mutant beetle she’d just killed, something was pushing up through the earth.

It was a swarm of beetles, bursting out of the ground like cockroaches from a crack, so many that just looking at them was enough to give anyone with trypophobia a panic attack.

And the worst part? Every single one of those mutant beetles was at least level two. With a swarm like that, they could take down anything, no matter how huge.

“Help!” the woman screamed.

Chloe kept running, the woman’s screams ringing out behind her, but she never looked back.

What an idiot,‘ Chloe thought.

She kept running for ages, and when she was pretty sure that woman was nowhere near her now, only then did she stop, gasping for air.

Glancing around, she saw thorns and wild weeds everywhere, and it looked like she’d wandered straight into some ancient jungle.

Suddenly, a shallow crack split open beneath her feet, and two black hands reached out, grabbing Chloe’s ankles and trying to drag her under.

It felt like she was sinking into quicksand. Chloe swung her blade, severed the black hands, and bolted forward.

But no matter how hard she pushed herself, it was like she was stuck in a loop, and she just couldn’t escape this place.

‘System, what the hell is this?” Chloe snapped.

Lucky you, Host! You’ve stumbled onto a spot where the Blood Lotus grows, something that only happens once in a thousand years, the system chimed in.

‘Blood Lotus? What even is that?” Chloe asked.

She’d been through two lifetimes and still had never heard of it.

“The Blood Lotus is usually buried deep underground, in the abyss. No idea why it’s showing up here. When it blooms, it lets out a ton of trippy illusions to protect itself,” the system explained.

“So, I wasn’t actually grabbed by those creepy hands? And I never really got stuck in a swamp? Was it all just an illusion?” Chloe asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Clink! You need to spend 10 points to get the answer,” the system chimed in.

“Deal!” Chloe said.

Only then did the system reply, “You’re actually standing on a pile of corpse bugs and rotten meat

Just hearing those words made Chloe’s skin crawl.

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“What did you just say?” Chloe blurted out, her voice sharp with disbelief.

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“After the apocalypse hit, Lakeside was the first city to fall. Everyone died, and a pile of corpses got dumped right here…” the system explained.

The Blood Lotus thrives by absorbing all those corpses as its nutrients, growing bigger and stronger.

‘So how do I get out of this illusion?” Chloe asked.

The system has a potion that makes you immune to the illusions, but it’ll cost you 5000 points,” the system replied.

Chloe felt her heart ache. She’d spent ages scraping together those spiritual space points, only to blow them in one go.

Nope,” Chloe said.

In exasperation, Chloe stomped her foot, and her whole body sank even deeper. Suddenly, another pair of ghostly hands lamped onto her ankles, yanking her down with terrifying force. Fear shot through her.

But they pissed off the wrong person–this was Chloe.

With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a wind blade, severed the ghostly hands, and in a flash, slipped straight into her piritual space.

nside her spiritual space, a glowing screen let her see what was happening outside. It was one of the perks that came with eveling up her spiritual space.

But what she saw inside was nothing like what she’d experienced outside. She clapped a hand over her mouth, barely

olding back the urge to puke.

Ugh,” Chloe gagged.

t was a field of human corpses, and right in the middle of all that rotting flesh and severed limbs, a single black flower ›loomed.

The flower was about three feet across, with yellow stamens shaped like a skull, and just looking at it sent a chill down her pine.

Ugh, this thing is seriously nasty, Chloe thought, feeling her stomach turn.

Even if she managed to grab it, there’s no way she’d ever swallow something like that.

Just as Chloe was about to leave, the system piped up, sounding desperate. “Host, you need to pick the Blood Lotus!”

‘Forget it. I’m not eating that–it’s way too gross,” Chloe replied, her expression icy.

Chloe refused flatly, her face stone–cold.

“The Blood Lotus is a level 7 mutant species,” the system explained.

Chloe stopped in her tracks. “Level 7? What does it do?”

“It can be used to make hallucinogenic drugs that manipulate minds and control people’s will.” the system replied.

Her eyes lit up.

‘Control people’s minds? That’s perfect, Chloe thought.

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‘No matter how dangerous it is, I’m taking that thing,‘ Chloe thought, her determination rock solid.

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She moved her spiritual space right up to the Blood Lotus. Since the outside was full of trippy illusions, she wrapped a strip of cloth over her eyes, going by feel alone.

Sure enough, the second she stepped out, her head started spinning and the world spun around her.

Good thing she was quick. She kept her sense of direction as she emerged, threw down a plank, jumped onto it, and then sliced through the Blood Lotus’s roots with a wind blade. In the next instant, she darted back into her spiritual space.

“System, the Blood Lotus isn’t gonna mess with my spiritual space and turn it into some illusion, right?” Chloe asked, sounding uneasy.

“It can’t do that,” the system said.

Chloe let out a long sigh of relief. ‘Guess I can finally relax,‘ she thought.

Outside, the sounds of fighting suddenly cut off. When they finally came face to face, everyone jumped in surprise.

“Wait, wasn’t I fighting mutant beasts? Why are you guys here?” someone blurted out, totally confused.

The others looked just as lost. “I thought you guys were mutant beasts!”

“What the hell is going on?” another person asked, still dazed.

The instant the Blood Lotus was taken away, all the illusions faded away instantly.

Chloe pressed on, and up ahead, she could hear the sounds of intense battle and the tortured roars of zombie tigers.

Chloe redeemed some points for a spray, then used it on herself to cover her scent.

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