In the vast wilderness, there was an endless expanse of dry yellow grass that was about knee- and thigh-deep.

These things should have been natural fire starters, but the scene as the exploration team members imagined lasted less than ten minutes.

The flames did spread, but not as violently as imagined.

Those withered yellow plants seemed to be that color originally, and were not very interested in the invasion of flames.

As time passed, the fire that no one put out gradually died down on the vast grassland.

"Nian" fell from the sky, looking at the open area around him that was burned, his brows involuntarily frowned.

"What happened? Why did it go out?"

"have no idea……"

Everyone was confused by this.

Liusha picked up a bunch of dry grass that had not yet been burned from the ground, twisted it vigorously and said to himself:

"It's really strange... The texture and appearance are no different from ordinary green plants after drying, so why doesn't it burn?"

"Vansheng", who knows the most about plants in the team, thought for a moment and said:

“According to the data, most of the organisms on the entire planet have undergone varying degrees of mutation.

"This grass is most likely alive, it just looks different than our stereotype."

"But even living plants should be able to continue burning. Besides, there is no sign of rainfall nearby..."

The bomber rarely took action, but the flame went out silently, which made him very unhappy, so he joined the discussion.

"Captain, the grass ahead is getting deeper and deeper. Should we continue forward?"

At this time, the scout "Gecko" who was responsible for exploring the way put away his stealth ability and returned to the team from the edge of the extinguished fire.

Listening to everyone's discussions and questions, Captain "Nian" fell into silence for a rare time.

The grass in front of me was endless, and even looked a little strange under the flames. Logically speaking, such an abnormality was not a reason to retreat, but...

Being cautious by nature, he began to ponder in his mind.

It has been less than ten hours since the team set out. If they return to Hope City now, they can even catch dinner in the special canteen for super-powered people.

But... no one wanted to retreat.

This is an important step for humanity to take again, and no one in the team wants this step to fall due to their own cowardice.

If he went back rashly, the enthusiasm of the people in the morning would be matched by the ridicule in the evening. He could figure this out with his knees.

The exploration team seemed to be in a dilemma at this time, but there was actually a very embarrassing but effective solution:

Relying on the crop seeds carried by "Vane" and its ability to grow quickly, they will have no problem staying here for five days.

As long as they can survive these 120 hours, they will be able to return to the City of Hope, back to the cage where there is no freedom but people can sleep peacefully.

But if this is the case, what is the point of this exploration spot that my team has worked so hard to obtain?

If the team hesitates to move forward, it will only cost more human lives in the future.

Thinking of this, Nian also made up his mind.

"Form up and keep moving forward. Don't worry about the tall grass. I'll be your reference point in the sky."

"clear!"

The exploration team recorded their current encounter in their notes and then continued on their journey.

This is not only for comparing with the content received by the monitoring device, but also a means to prove that one is sane.

The team continued to move forward, and sure enough, like a surging sea, the height of the tall grass gradually increased.

And on the grass where everyone passed by, the withered yellow grass leaves touched and rubbed against each other, as if whispering something.

By nightfall, the fine and dense grass was enough to scratch the chin of the shortest "gecko" in the team.

"Confirm the direction."

The "thought" in the air gave an order, and several team members acted quickly, reconfirming that they were heading north.

"The direction is correct."

“Okay, let’s stop here for today.

“Come on! Our entire journey only takes five days. We only need to move forward one and a half days to return.

"We'll take turns on night duty as planned, is that ok?"

"No."

Everyone agreed in unison, and the quicksand once again turned over the earth, creating an empty area without any grass.

However, the energy he consumed this time seemed to be several times that of last time.

Liusha panted slightly, looked at his teammates and said:

“As the height of the grass increases, the root system beneath the ground feels a lot more complicated.

"There are so many roots that they are entangled with each other, making the soil in a large area clumped together."

"This is indeed a problem. I will make a note of it. Now everyone, get ready and start resting."

Following the captain's orders, the five-man team began to operate in an orderly manner.

For the team going out for exploration, rest does not mean rest. On the contrary, as the number of people on guard decreases, the personnel on night duty are under greater pressure.

As well-trained professionals, the team's training also follows fixed procedures.

While the others were preparing their sleeping bags, Vampire began using his abilities to produce fresh vegetables.

He had a lot of crop seeds he brought from the city. After burying them in the soil, he only needed to use his ability for about ten minutes to get enough food for five people.

"What is this called?"

An hour later, everyone finished grilling the food with the flame of "Bomber". "Liusha", who had not tasted the delicious food for a long time, asked "Mansheng" in an admiring tone.

“This is said to be called potato, and the seeds were donated by a councillor from Bordeaux.

“This is my first time eating it this way, and it feels really good. I hope I can have another chance to eat it after I go back.

"By the way, remember to leave one or two unroasted. Burying the tubers in the soil while I stimulate their growth can save a lot of time. We will still eat them tomorrow."

"No problem, I want to eat it for every meal!"

"Quicksand" gave a very positive response.

It was already dark, and the four team members were eating by the fire, while the captain was keeping watch on the surroundings.

After everyone had finished eating, he came to the fire, picked up his own portion, and began to chew in silence.

"Gecko", who has the most sensitive five senses and the widest range of abilities in the team, is on duty in the first half of tonight, while "Mansheng" will be on duty in the second half.

As the two people with the worst combat capabilities in the team, they naturally became logistics personnel.

A whole day of hiking was very tiring even for a super-powered person, so after confirming that everything was correct, everyone quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The "gecko" looks around with its eyes and moves its body irregularly in the safe area without any pattern at all.

In his hand he was playing with a dagger that was glowing blue.