A caravan of vehicles, with two container trucks trailing behind, was heading south. According to Xu Song and their original plan, they were supposed to return to the temporary riverside residence and travel southwest, collecting sacks from the mutated insect creatures as they passed through J City, before making their way back to Base B.
However, their current location was in C City, which was a bit out of the way. Fortunately, by heading south from here, they would pass by D City before returning to B City. D City was situated in a mountainous area and had an abundance of wildlife. It seemed likely that there might be insect creatures inside. If they couldn’t find any there, they could rush to J City to join the efforts to subdue the insect army.
Compared to C City, which was located farther north and had a relatively dry climate, D City was nestled among mountains and forests, offering a habitat for numerous creatures. In this area, it seemed that the strange humanoids, who had been taken over by mutated organisms, had driven most of the native creatures away from their territory.
At least, the forest they had encountered on the way was teeming with wildlife, and that forest was north of D City.
The weather seemed to have turned significantly warmer overnight, and while the wind still carried a slight chill, the lush green vegetation signaled a burst of life.
A plant with thorns blocked their path, and Tiancheng, lying on the rear window, communicated with it, closing his eyes and exchanging words with the plant. After a short while, Yue Zheng dropped a large piece of animal meat that Abu had recently hunted, still oozing fresh blood. The plant was satisfied and left a few seeds, clearing the way.
Food in exchange for seeds, along with a small bribe, both sides expressed their cooperation with pleasure.
Tiancheng enthusiastically accepted the seeds, saying, “It says the fruits it bears are sweet and delicious! And, if it stings an animal, the entire body becomes powerless!”
Since Tiancheng had discovered that his ability to communicate with plants was now even smoother, and he could bring a friendlier atmosphere to the plants, they no longer needed to rely on Xu Song’s violent approach to move forward. Generally, after communicating peacefully, non-hostile plants would willingly make way for them. More violent plants, on the other hand, couldn’t withstand Xu Song’s fiery attacks and had no choice but to yield.
When they encountered “cooperative” creatures like this, Tiancheng would negotiate with them. He would use fresh meat, sometimes with the blood of their prey, to exchange for seeds.
Although they could obtain these items through violence, they felt awkward when dealing with “considerate” creatures like these.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Coafg qjgxlcu atf nftlmifr, atf ugbeq qgfqjgfv ab tjnf iecmt. Coafg Wewbatfg tfjafv atf obbv, fnfgsbcf ujatfgfv jgbecv j mbooff ajyif ab fja.
Qtlif atfs kfgf fjalcu, Tef Itfcu’r kglrakjamt revvfcis wjvf rfnfgji yffqlcu rbecvr, jcv atf kglrakjamtfr kbgc ys atf gfra bo atf ugbeq jirb oijrtfv j ofk alwfr.
The information received by the team leader was naturally slightly different from that received by the team members. After opening the message and reading its contents, they were all taken aback.
“Migratory birds?!”
After the base confirmed the migratory bird’s northward route, they immediately held discussions and issued a unified message to the entire base.
The message that Yue Zheng received differed slightly from what Xu Song and his group received: “It’s about the migratory birds migrating north. It’s an emergency mission issued by the base. We have to return to the base within five days.”
This was a mandatory mission, and it was issued as a compulsory mission to all the team leaders. They were required to return to the base within five days to participate in the collective defense. Others received an alert about the approaching migratory birds. Besides the members of various teams, there were also many independent explorers and ordinary people living in the base who had exchanged points for wristwatches. These wristwatches could be used to send distress signals during dangerous situations and served as communication devices in normal times.
As long as they had some ability, most people were not stingy with their points. Lower-grade wristwatches were relatively inexpensive, and an average person working diligently for a month could easily accumulate enough points to exchange for one.
The message received by Xu Song and his group indicated that if the recipient of the message was not inside the base, it was best to return to the base within eight days. Otherwise, if they encountered danger outside after the time limit, it was likely that no one could come to their rescue in a short time.
If they couldn’t make it back, they could only leave their fate to chance and hope that the birds wouldn’t attack them directly.
Everyone was well aware of how fierce these remaining birds in the northern regions had become. Those who were cautious while collecting supplies could barely avoid the large insect armies. Those who were brave enough could kill the attacking mutated creatures. However, when facing bird attacks, even the military would suffer heavy losses. In their last mission, Xu Song and his group had their vehicle roofs smashed by the aerial assault units. Some unlucky individuals even lost their lives.
“What should we do?” Xu Song looked at Yue Zheng with concern.
“Return to the base,” Yue Zheng decided decisively. “We don’t need to worry about the bird swarm, but we’re at risk if we encounter a large group. Although Tiancheng has recently communicated with many plants, our group has a bigger target with three vehicles. If the birds detect us, even if we fight back, the losses could be unbearable.”
“But can the base hold up?”
“Whether the base can hold up or not, it has to. We’ve seen many cities in the vicinity of B City, and now, those cities have become ghost towns. If even Base B can’t survive, everyone’s future will be bleak. When facing the bird swarms, even if an individual is incredibly strong, it’s unlikely that they can keep themselves unscathed. While finding a cave or a hiding spot is possible, we still need to rely on the base for various essentials. Without these components, we can’t even repair our vehicles if they break down. Over time, we might have to lead a primitive life.”
Therefore, no matter what, they had to return to the base.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Song nodded and looked at his own mother.
His mother waved her hand, saying, “You decide.” Whether they lived or died, she would never leave her son. If they were to die, they would die together, and perhaps they would be a family again in the next life. Wait… No, if they were to be reborn together and become peers in the next life, it wouldn’t be worth it!
Xu Song didn’t know what his mother was thinking again, something that would make him feel like he was going to spit blood. He smiled at Yue Zheng, showing his support. The twins also extended their little hands and cheered, “Let’s go together!”
They could understand some of the information on the wristwatch but couldn’t read all the words. They only knew that some birds were coming, and everyone had to return to the base. Wherever their dad and the others were going, they wouldn’t object!
After lunch, a green grasshopper-like creature with a shiny exoskeleton darted in through the window and landed on Tianyou’s shoulder. It shook its green front wings and folded its transparent hind wings.
“What’s the situation?” Xu Song casually asked as he saw the grasshopper returning.
Tiancheng’s sensing range was extensive, but it couldn’t detect the exact identity of the creatures ahead. While Xu Song could scan, it had a relatively limited range, and once he scanned, it would encompass both the terrain and all the living beings within that area. Furthermore, he could only differentiate the shapes of the creatures. Although he could tell the difference between living and non-living entities, once it exceeded the detection range, there was nothing he could do.
Now, they needed specific creatures to defeat and loot (pouches), so they decided to use another method — the Grasshopper.
Even though the Grasshopper didn’t have the radar scanning capabilities of Tiancheng and Tianyou, insects had their unique communication methods. With its long, sensitive antennae, it could distinguish the presence of other creatures through various distinct odors in the air. It was especially sensitive to its own kind.
Although its detection range was smaller, after its transformation, its flying speed had become astonishing. Due to its small size, even the mutated mosquitoes it encountered were about the same size as itself. So, there was hardly any creature that would actively prey on it. Therefore, it was the most convenient member of the group for reconnaissance.
During lunch, the idle Grasshopper was dispatched to conduct reconnaissance work. It was now returning with its findings.
“To the southwest, about six or seven kilometers away, there are many of its kind,” it reported.
In the insect world, there was no concept of fellow feeling like humans had, so the Grasshopper had no problem betraying its own kind. It had no complex emotions.
After reporting its reconnaissance findings, it opened its green wings and flew onto a piece of fruit that Tiancheng had just cut. It began to nibble on it.
Since the Grasshopper had developed dual-type abilities and had become even faster in flight after its transformation, it seemed that it never encountered real danger. Even if it accidentally touched a spider’s web, it could quickly free itself using the corrosive saliva secreted from its mouth.
When they heard there would be a spider’s web up ahead, Yue Zheng, who was preparing to drive, became more cautious. However, as they drove the car closer to the spider’s web, they were still shocked by what they saw not far away…
Cliffhanger!
Wonder what they saw? A place full of 🕸️?🤢😱