Two days earlier, it was a rare sunny day. Of course, it was considered sunny as long as there was no wind or snow. Since the war, the sun hadn't truly broken through the clouds for a single day. The station's weather forecast predicted clear skies for five to six hours, so the Deep Blue search team's leader immediately decided to launch a surface exploration.

"Are you new here? Why does your protective suit look familiar?" an uncle in the team asked Xiao Wu.

"Well, a friend of mine lent it to me. He couldn't come because of something, and I happened to want to come out and take a look." Xiao Wu replied.

Their destination was the mushroom forest southwest of the site, a spectacular display that had formed in just two weeks after the war. Initial investigations suggested the mushrooms would grow near waterways and appeared harmless to other organisms. They had received several missions to obtain samples, but even if they failed, simply exploring this biome would still be a bonanza.

Their vehicles couldn't rush into the woods, so after a drone survey, the team leader ordered some people to stay behind while others took their equipment and went into the woods to investigate. Xiao Wu was one of the lucky ones; he was just a newcomer to the search team.

By the time Xiao Wu regained consciousness, they were already in the dense forest. These mushrooms were all reddish-purple under the light, as they had a high absorption rate for the green wavelength of sunlight. It was said that to prevent sunburn, these mushrooms stored large amounts of water in their caps.

His search team follows a typical veteran-led-new model, with each newcomer paired with a veteran. The person walking silently to Xiao Wu's left is the veteran assigned by the team leader, named Lao Zhao. The two of them are in the middle of the team, and this search team is very friendly to newcomers, which has earned them a good reputation at the site.

Since Xiao Wu was just a newcomer, tasks requiring complex skills were naturally not assigned to him. Naturally, he became the team's two-legged livestock. He carried a lot of bottles and jars on his back, which were used to store samples.

Upon entering the forest, the unknown surroundings kept the team silent for a long time. However, the captain's decision to conduct his investigation on a "clear day" was undoubtedly a good one. There were no shadowy figures lurking about, and the white noise of the tiny creatures only brought peace of mind. Under the reign of light, after a brief period of acclimatization, the complex environment of the mushroom forest became less intimidating, and the sounds of conversation began to reach Xiao Wu's ears.

"What do you think? Will some forest fairy appear here?" asked a person in front in an obscene voice.

"How could you possibly have seen a fairy? A woodland nymph might be a possibility," another person replied. "Besides, you don't have a beautiful fiancée. Even if a seductive fairy did appear, she'd probably be after your sixty-plus pounds of flesh."

"Hey~ What are you talking about? After having that enchanting night, it doesn't matter if I give up this body! Now? Bring me some more female demons!" It seems that the man has the desire but not the courage.

"Then you'd better be careful, in case you run into a powerful character who is willing to eat people without leaving any bones. Forget about having a night of ecstasy, you'll probably be scared to death. I'm afraid that those two pounds of meat of yours will never stand up again." This time another person joined the conversation.

"Hahaha~" Everyone laughed. These people's topics are always so vulgar and boring.

"Okay, stop making noise! ​​Pay attention. This is an unexplored area. Can't you just be quiet?" Old Zhao spoke, and the laughter around him gradually died down.

The chirping of insects that was interrupted by human voices once again reached everyone's ears. Some of them were equipped with an instrument that could extract sound, and they could capture sounds even from several kilometers away.

"Wait a minute! Stop for a moment, be quiet! It's best to stop breathing!" A team member holding a machine shouted to the people. The leader reacted immediately and the team quickly stopped.

"What did you hear?"

"...The sound of footsteps and wings." He looked up at everyone and found that they were holding their breath. "There are mutants nearby!"

"Everyone, alert!" the leader shouted. "Keep your eyes open and draw your weapons! Don't miss any tiny details!"

Everyone immediately dispersed, transforming from the original long snake formation into the current tortoise shell formation. A few veteran members who had seen mutants placed the newbies and the academy personnel in the middle, with the other team members arranged in two staggered circles around the perimeter. This was their conclusion after research, and it was very effective against some mutants.

Silence reigned, even the chirping of insects vanished. Soon, those with keen ears could hear an unusual sound: a chaotic clattering sound, some like the sound of objects falling into water, but the source of the sound came from the sky.

They gathered in a relatively open woodland, surrounded by only a few tall mushroom trees. If the threat came from the ground, their formation would give small to medium-sized mutants a hard time, but if it came from the sky, it would be hard to say.

"Look up! Your forest nymph!" shouted one of the men in the formation.

All they saw was a flock of black birds circling overhead. These birds were about the size of volleyballs, with a wingspan of about half a meter. Their heads were covered in red feathers, which stood out against their black bodies.

"It's the Blood Crows! Why are they gathering here?" shouted the researcher in the middle of the formation.

"Gathering? You mean they are targeting us?" the leader asked puzzledly.

"No, they don't eat living things. These are scavengers. They're lazy and will only catch stupid insects!" the researcher explained. He also didn't understand why these mutant crows would become like this. Although crows also eat carrion, they don't eat to this extent.

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