Chapter 178 Leading the Way and Gathering Resources Simultaneously

The truck stopped at the end of the main road, and Zuo Shan got out to give directions to the mercenary group.

She remembered the route she took that day very clearly.

Actually, what she remembered wasn't the road, but the plants along the way. After all, she had gone there that day to collect seeds, and she had been carefully observing which wild vegetables were edible so she could collect seeds to cultivate back home.

Soon, they arrived near the large pit where the mutated wolf had been killed that day.

Before leaving that day, Mao Li dug up some soil from the surrounding area and filled it into the pit, and also transplanted a few fast-growing wild vegetables.

Pandora infused Sui Sui with a bit of life, ensuring that the plants could survive.

Only three days have passed, and there is almost no trace of the battle that once took place here.

Zuo Shan seemed to have unintentionally bypassed this area and continued walking towards the edge of the No. 21 collection point. That day, they were targeted by the wolf pack after collecting a lot of acorns from the mutated oak trees.

The wolves were cunning; they must have spotted them, assessed their fighting ability, and then decided to track them down.

If they were strong enough to hunt the wolves, the wolves would surely flee immediately. But since they chose to run away, the wolves began to pursue them relentlessly.

The oak trees are still there, but almost all the acorns on them have been harvested, leaving only a dozen or so scattered acorns.

Kang Zhenghao stared at the oak tree, frowning, and said, "I remember that in previous years this tree bore a lot of poisonous and unpalatable fruits, which even mutated field mice avoided eating. Why are there so few fruits this year?"

One of the mercenaries said, "Vice-captain, could it be a bug infestation? Some of these mutated bugs are incredibly powerful; even poisonous fruit can't kill them."

Left fan: I feel like I've been subtly insulted.

Today, Kang Zhenghao led a team to wipe out the wolf pack, while the leader of the Fearless Mercenary Group led his men to patrol other distant gathering points.

After all, they usually neglect the collection points in the distance, which could easily lead to the breeding of second-tier or higher mutated beasts.

"Zuo Shan, are you sure this is where you encountered the wolves that day?" Kang Zhenghao asked, glancing at the overgrown, stubble-like weeds around them.

“Yes, this is the place,” Zuo Shan said.

"But there doesn't seem to be anything worth collecting here, right? Why did you come here?" Kang Zhenghao asked, puzzled.

"Would you believe me if I said we came to see the scenery?" Zuo Shan said with a smile.

Kang Zhenghao turned his head away angrily, panting heavily, and silently thought to himself: A good man doesn't fight with a woman!

Of course, the most important reason was that his brother-in-law had repeatedly warned him not to provoke that Miss Zuo Shan, because she had won the favor of Old Madam Gu and was not someone to be trifled with!

What District Chief Pan didn't mention was that, for her sake, Old Madam Gu had managed to extort an invitation code for the Ninth Forum from him, along with the registration deposit.

Kang Zhenghao wasn't a fool. He had someone throw a fresh, bloody leg of a ibex that had been gnawed on by a wild animal under an oak tree, and then led his men to ambush them on an unusually tall tree more than two hundred meters away.

"Why don't you come up the tree with us?" Kang Zhenghao said to Zuo Shan.

"I don't have that much time to waste. I'll first see what seeds we can collect around here. Seeds are easy to preserve and they're filling," Zuo Shan said.

She didn't come along for the two hundred yuan reward; she had a lot more to do.

Zuo Shan was wandering around nearby when Kang Zhenghao secretly rejoiced. He was worried that a single leg of rock goat wouldn't be enough to attract the wolves.

However, if too much meat is thrown here, the wolves will be less likely to fall for it. After all, the bait can't be too fake. Who would have that much raw meat in the wild?

This left-handed woman looks rather frail and doesn't seem like a strong fighter. She's wandering around alone, and being a living creature, she's more likely to attract the wolves.

If we can lure a prairie wolf over and scare it away, then the speed-type ability users in the group can follow the trail and definitely track it down to its lair.

Zuo Shan, who was under the tree, was unaware of his wicked intentions. At that moment, her attention was drawn to a few mutated wild amaranth plants not far away.

They were clearly too old, bearing clusters of yellow and yellowish-brown amaranth seeds, which looked like clusters of mature wheat ears from a distance, a very joyful sight!

Amaranth seeds are very small, about the size of sesame seeds. Even the mutated amaranth produces seeds that are not very big, each one about the size of a mung bean, round and cute.

Zuo Shan spent a quarter of an hour collecting more than thirty clusters of amaranth seeds. Each cluster consisted of about a dozen tufts of flower buds and was more than one meter tall.

After cutting the left stalks with a cutting knife, I picked out the seeds and put them into a sack, then threw away the useless stalks.

The mercenaries, who were hiding in the trees waiting for the prairie wolves to appear, began to feel sorry for the girl. What kind of hardship must she have faced to collect such unpalatable amaranth seeds? They were hard and astringent; they wouldn't eat them even if they were given to them for free.

Left Fan: These are amaranth seeds, very nutritious. For a while, they were always featured in soft advertising, saying they were diuretic, good for bowel movements, good for liver and eye health, good for blood replenishment, and could even cure diabetes.

Most importantly, its growth cycle is extremely short. As long as it is warm and humid enough, the seeds will germinate in three to five days after being sown, and can be eaten in one to two weeks.

Even without large fields, just using planting boxes to grow food is enough for the whole family.

Zuo Shan was extremely satisfied after harvesting most of the amaranth seeds. Looking back at the tree where Kang Zhenghao and the others were hiding, he felt a sense of familiarity.

She leaned closer to the ground, found a side branch, and made a cut on one of the leaves: "Beep! A poplar leaf with moderate radiation detected. It is fibrous, tastes bitter, and is not suitable for consumption. Picking is not recommended."

"Poplar tree? My God! Isn't this the legendary guardian tree of the northwest frontier that can purify soil pollution, reduce radiation, and resist wind and sand?" Zuo Shan exclaimed excitedly.

She had previously told the old housekeeper that some plants could reduce radiation levels, and she never expected to encounter them on this trip.