Chapter 67

Back in the car, Qiao Ning brought two large space backpacks this time, carrying everything she might need, including dichlorvos and paraquat.

These two medicines are actually called "Special Effect Dichlorvos" and "Panacea". They were obtained from the reward chest given after the last natural disaster.

She was given 20 gold chests and 5 diamond chests, expecting to get a lot of new supplies. However, she only received four items: Special Effects DDT, Paraquat, Serum Extractor, and Antibacterial Antidote.

However, Qiao Ning knew that most of the resources given by the system would not be useless, especially the settlement rewards, which were often resources that would definitely be needed in the next natural disaster.

So she didn't put these things in the glove compartment; they were kept in the storage compartment in the car, so she could access them anytime.

The storage box was upgraded again in Lu Di City, now boasting a massive 1000 cubic meters of space. Due to its increased size, the upgraded storage box no longer allows for immediate retrieval; the system must now input the item's name, and the item will be instantly teleported out. While this is quite intelligent, Qiao Ning still finds it slightly cumbersome.

So she bought several more spatial items, just ordinary props that all players have. These included items that don't easily spoil and could be stored inside. Once opened, anything could be taken out. The downside was that they couldn't stop time, had durability, and needed to be repaired periodically by incorporating various materials in the system's crafting menu.

Upon re-entering the jungle, Qiao Ning changed direction. Not long after she entered, she stepped on an unknown plant, and her ankle was then tightly entangled by vines that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Icescale sensed something amiss and roared angrily in a certain direction of the jungle. Its fur form was inconvenient in the jungle, so it was now covered in scales, which, perhaps to adapt to the environment, had turned a dark green color.

The dark green color blends into the jungle, and sometimes Qiao Ning almost overlooks it when she's not paying attention.

With a flick of her wrist, Qiao Ning severed the vines with an ice blade. She took a few quick steps and leaped several meters away, landing on the back of the distant ice scale.

Thanks to her proficiency in basic body tempering, after upgrading to intermediate body tempering, she could almost fly. She could easily do things beyond human limits, and with her superpowers, she was just like a cyborg or superhero from a science fiction movie.

Qiao Ning stood on the back of the ice scale and looked ahead, only then realizing what was attacking her.

That was a blood-sucking tree.

During the day, some players encountered this tree and uploaded images and related information to the server.

This tree is clearly a new species that has evolved through mutation. Based on some characteristics, it should belong to the gymnosperm family, but it has mutated to exhibit features of angiosperms. Half of its trunk even resembles a large banyan tree.

This would be completely unimaginable in the modern world. But in this bizarre, evolved version of the Carboniferous period, it seems perfectly normal.

There wasn't a single giant insect around the vampire tree; it's likely that it ate them all.

Qiao Ning generally doesn't want to provoke these creatures that look intimidating, provided they don't attack first and are willing to keep to themselves.

This vampire tree probably has no natural enemies in the vicinity. It's used to being domineering and directly treated Qiao Ning as prey, showing no intention of letting them go. In just a few minutes, it had spread its vines all over the ground.

Qiao Ning had more important things to do and didn't have time to fight it. She pretended to be dragged away by the vampire tree and poured a bottle of herbal remedy at the base of the vampire tree before Bing Lin got angry.

The enormous vampire tree withered and died in the blink of an eye, showing no signs of life. Even the plants near it were rapidly decaying and dying.

"I must have used too much medicine. I'll have to use less next time." She thought that the tree was so big that one bottle of herbicide might not be enough, but she didn't expect the medicine given by the system to be so powerful.

This area of ​​land will likely be affected.

Having been instilled with the idea that humans must protect the environment since childhood, Qiao Ning realized after a few seconds that this was a game world.

Perhaps this world is real, but in the ancient world, she was all alone. No matter how much destruction she caused, it would be insignificant to the entire world.

Nature has a strong ability to recover, provided it is not subject to prolonged destruction by countless humans.

Qiao Ning cut down the withered vampire tree and put it into her spatial backpack, then continued walking forward.

After walking a few steps, he realized that Ice Scales behind him hadn't followed.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned around to look for it, only to see a dark green Qilin dog squatting in front of a tall fern, doing something she couldn't quite place.

Qiao Ning ran to its side and patted it, but Binglin didn't even glance at her, turned around and continued to squat.

Qiao Ning then realized that Gouzi was sulking.

The dog was probably upset because of the fact that she had deliberately let herself be dragged away by the vampire vines.

Qiao Ning changed her position and stood in front of its face.

Seeing this, Binglin turned his head away and refused to look at her.

Qiao Ning wanted to laugh, but she was afraid that if she laughed, it would make Bing Lin even angrier. So she could only think of all the sad things in her life and barely keep her expression in check.

"Binglin, don't be angry with me. I promise you, I will never do it again."

Ice Scale exhaled a breath from its nose, as if it were snorting coldly.

"I promise there won't be a next time."

Ice Scales began scratching the ground with its claws.

Seeing it like this, Qiao Ning couldn't help but lean over and kiss its big head. She patted its mane-covered neck and said, "Okay, don't be angry. I know you're worried about my safety. My dog ​​is the best, the most obedient, and the most considerate. I'll stir-fry some insects for you later, using your favorite spicy crayfish seasoning."

After being coaxed, Binglin turned to look at her.

Qiao Ning met its round, dark green beast eyes and found that the anger and resentment within had long since faded, leaving only an endless, sincere, and clear affection for its master.

“Woo…” Ice Scale let out a soft cry.

Qiao Ning understood what it meant; it was telling her not to take such risks again next time.

It was afraid she would get hurt, and even more afraid of losing her.

Qiao Ning hugged its big head and stroked it vigorously to comfort it for a while before letting go.

"Let's go, we still need to find edible insects and plants."

Along the way, Qiao Ning would record and edit every edible plant and insect she encountered using the system's recording function, adding information such as their attack methods and the effects of eating them.

Various plants, giant insects, and giant arthropods are also classified into different danger levels and harmless categories.

Ice Scale followed her closely. Once, they encountered a troublesome insect that was moving too fast for Qiao Ning to react to. In a panic, Ice Scale used its remote control to strangle the insect.

Qiao Ning then realized that Ice Scale had unlocked a new attribute.

Around three or four in the morning, Qiao Ning stopped to set up camp. The journey had been filled with constant vigilance and the constant threat of battle, taking a toll on both her mental and physical strength. She needed to eat something and rest.

Icescale thoughtfully cleared a large open space with its claws, saving its owner the trouble of cutting down trees and weeding.

They didn't even spare any insects, big or small; they cleaned them all up.

After confirming that there were no aggressive creatures around, Icescale crawled into the makeshift bathroom made of wooden sticks and cleaned itself from head to toe.

Then it picks up its special bib, puts its head inside, sits upright, and waits for its owner to start the meal.

The strange fire that Qiao Ning used to start a fire, although not as useful as Bing Lin's special ability and unable to precisely control the heat, was superior in that it saved energy.

Ice Scale was also tired after a long night, and Qiao Ning wanted it to get some rest.

This time, we ate bracken fruit soup, spicy stir-fried insect meat, and grilled insect skewers. In addition, Qiao Ning made some thin pancakes specifically for grilling, which she used to wrap the skewers.

Different insects have different tastes and textures. Some taste light and refreshing, while others taste like shrimp. Still others have a good balance of fat and lean meat, making them suitable for slicing and grilling, where they taste almost exactly like slices of pork belly.

In short, no matter how many times you eat it, you never get tired of it. After eating it, you feel warm all over, and all the energy you consumed is restored. Some of the mutated giant insects are very nourishing, and some can have the effect of medicine.

Qiao Ning had a limited appetite, so after she finished eating, she focused on stir-frying insects for Bing Lin. These insects were extremely filling; Qiao Ning could only eat about ten skewers before feeling full, but Bing Lin could eat them one after another.

Its stomach is like a bottomless pit.

"I'm not cooking anymore. You've already eaten twenty or thirty pots. You've eaten all the bugs in this area. There aren't any left to catch."

Ice Scale licked its lips, wiped its mouth and paws, and then helped its owner wash the pots and pans.

Qiao Ning glanced at the time. It would take about two hours to cook the rice, and in about three more hours, it would be dawn.

"Let's go, let's collect some more insect carcasses and plants." The darker or brighter the color of the plants here, the better the fertilizer they will produce.

She will soon be able to cultivate the carnivorous flower king.

Just as it was almost time, Qiao Ning was preparing to return to the highway with Bing Lin when she suddenly felt a pain in her calf. Immediately afterward, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

"Awooo—"

A drop of rain fell from the dark sky and landed on Qiao Ning's face; the icy sensation brought her back to her senses.

Qiao Ning struggled to open her eyes, feeling dizzy, nauseous, and in pain all over her body. Especially her legs; she couldn't get up and couldn't check the injuries on her legs, but she could barely feel anything in her right leg, leading her to suspect that her right leg was useless.

Ice Scale lay sprawled beside her, surrounded by the corpses of various insects and plants. Clearly, these had been killed while Qiao Ning was unconscious; it had probably killed any creature that tried to approach.

As soon as Qiao Ning woke up, she met the beastly eyes of the ice scales. Its big eyes were watery, as if it had cried several times while she was unconscious.

Qiao Ning had little strength, but she still tried her best to raise her hand and touch its mouth and nose.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

The creature that bit her was a reptile, probably an ancestor of snakes. Perhaps its ability to hide was too good after evolution; Qiao Ning didn't notice it and didn't even get a clear look at what it looked like before she was bitten.

For some reason, the protective gear she was wearing failed to work; her clothes were bitten through, and the toxins entered the wound.

Ice Scale had already killed the creature and even took out an antidote from its own storage space for its master, but it had no effect. It could only watch its master fall into a coma, its heart filled with anxiety.

It doesn't even dare to roar or howl loudly, for fear of attracting more poisonous insects or reptiles to attack it. It is not afraid of getting hurt itself, but it is afraid that its owner will be hurt.

After a while, the rain started to pour down.

Ice Scale grows its body larger, transforming into a fluffy form to shelter its owner from the rain and keep it warm.

But Qiao Ning still felt her body getting colder and colder, and her consciousness began to become muddled again.

To make matters worse, she developed a high fever.

I must not die.

She told herself.

She still has Ice Scales; she cannot die.

If she dies in this world, even if she breaks free from the Ice Scale before she dies, it will remain here forever.

The Carboniferous period was destined to lead to a mass extinction.

Ice scales cannot be left here.

Qiao Ning struggled to wake up and found that she had regained slight feeling in her right leg—the ice scales were constantly licking the wound on her leg.

Since its owner was bitten, it has been licking the wound from time to time to disinfect it, but the poison can't be neutralized. It can only lick the wound every now and then to provide a little relief.

When Binglin saw that she was awake, he quickly brought his big head closer and kept making low whimpering noises.

Qiao Ning looked at the water droplets constantly falling from its face, not knowing whether they were rain or tears.