Xie Tianlang waited until 7 p.m. before Fugui Yuanyuan, who had transformed back, finally returned to normal.
He was holding a still-warm insulated lunchbox containing braised pork ribs, stir-fried wild vegetables, a bowl of tomato and egg soup, and fragrant white rice, all prepared by the research institute's chef.
Normally, Fu Gui Yuan Yuan, with her inexplicably sensitive nose, would immediately grab the lunchbox from his hand and start eating. But today, Xie Tianlang noticed that Fu Gui Yuan Yuan's expression was very complicated, like anger but more so, heavy.
Xie Langren raised a sharp eyebrow and handed over the lunchbox in his hand: "Braised pork ribs. What did you see?"
Gou Fugui took the lunchbox, opened it on the tree stump bench next to him, and plopped down on the ground to start eating.
But when he saw the fragrant, glistening braised pork ribs, his chopsticks paused for a moment.
He can still eat ribs, but the sky overlord's child is starving to death.
If it were me, I would also want to kill these culprits of humanity.
Gou Fugui sighed, muttering to himself as he ate his meal: "He just followed that eagle to its lair. It's on a cliff at the southernmost edge of the forest, near the sea. The eagle had three chicks with it, but its three chicks were about to starve to death."
Xie Tianlang raised an eyebrow. He quickly understood why the three chicks were on the verge of starvation, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his usually cold and hard eyes.
He reached out and ruffled his own round head, earning a disapproving eye roll in return. He then said in a tone of gentleness he would never use with a teammate, "Didn't you know that's how the world is?"
Don't we all know that this world is heading towards its end?
Why are you so unable to bear seeing pain and misery?
Gou Fugui chewed the cartilage in his mouth fiercely: "Because I'm a handsome guy who combines talent, good looks, and kindness!"
Xie Tianlang laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, those more talented than you aren't as handsome, those more handsome than you aren't as kind, and those kinder than you aren't as capable. You are the one and only Fugui."
Even though Gou Fugui was incredibly narcissistic, he couldn't help but laugh after being flattered in an even more shameless way by this werewolf.
My heavy mood, which had just started, has finally eased a bit.
However, the image of the eagle's grief and the fledgling's lament remained a shadow in his heart, one that would not dissipate for at least a short time.
That evening, Song Sanchuan used his computer to calculate the approximate losses of the major bases attacked that day.
"Almost every base has been attacked by those zombie wolf packs and flocks of birds. The soldiers with special equipment are okay, but many of the ordinary people who have come here in recent days have died."
Old Niu, holding his teacup, slowly added, "They're not exactly ordinary people. Apart from the soldiers and elites dispatched by various countries, those ordinary people were among the first to arrive in the Latin American forest by chartered plane."
At this time, having the money and resources to charter a plane is a sign of either immense wealth or exceptional ability.
Song Sanchuan shrugged: "But those who died were all the rich and powerful guys who thought they were safe once they came here."
"However, those people will probably stay holed up in their bases and not come out after that. Also, because of the zombie animal attacks on various bases today, the bases in the Americas, Europe, and Russia came here this afternoon to discuss things."
"The news Si Ming told me is that the major bases outside the valley are preparing to cooperate in building a high wall to stop the mutated beasts, and they also plan to collectively install a powerful electric fence on top of the wall."
Qin Feng nodded: "This is an inevitable result. A disorganized group can't function properly. In addition, each faction will basically build its own high wall of uniform height, and then connect them together. It won't interfere too much with other factions."
"The Huazhou base had already issued the mission to build a high wall in the mission hall in the afternoon. Lu Hu, Lao Qi and I went to participate in the wall-building mission, while Lao Ma, Lao Niu, Hu Wen, Lao Xia, Zhang Yuan and Liu Ran continued to explore the various bases and the surrounding areas to look for possible items in the world core."
"Sanchuan is still guarding the main camp."
The other elites in the second team nodded, but Song Sanchuan couldn't help but blurt out, "So what exactly is the core of this world? I used to think that as long as that genius kid Si Mingri developed the antidote, it would definitely be the core and could repair the world, but it's been sixteen days already, and the complete antidote still hasn't been developed."
Hu Wen paused for a moment after hearing this: "I've been observing Brother Si Mingri's expression, and the antidote for the Golden Liquid might not be easy to make."
Everyone immediately turned their attention to him. Hu Wen pushed up his glasses. "Do you remember the expression on his face when he came out of the lab this morning? Even though he had already figured out how to quickly block the third-order drug by synthesizing the second-order and second-order drugs, his expression at the time did not show the ease and joy of success or a phased success."
Even his slightly furrowed brow and confused, dim eyes suggested a tense and agitated state of mind. These were signs of anxiety and unease, indicating that something was troubling him.
"Undoubtedly, what troubles him is the creation of the antidote."
“Si Mingri said before that ‘under normal circumstances, he would be able to successfully develop the antidote for the fifth generation of golden liquid if given half a month,’ but now half a month has passed and he has only produced an extended and faster blocking agent.”
I don't believe that the genius boy is the type to break his promise, so it can only mean that he encountered problems in the process of researching the antidote.
And this problem is likely unsolvable.
Everyone in the alloy house fell silent for a moment. Of course, they had considered this possibility, but they still felt somewhat frustrated when it was pointed out.
Gou Fugui had also thought of this, and he had even noticed that Si Mingri's expression was off in the morning.
But Si Mingri said he wasn't sure yet and needed to confirm things before making a decision...
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the alloy house.
"None of you are asleep, are you? I am Si Mingri."
Gou Fugui's eyelids twitched. He walked over and opened the door. Si Mingri's wheelchair automatically pulled in, and she immediately said:
"I can't figure out the antidote for the fifth-generation gold liquid."
Gou Fugui sighed, but soon he wanted to reach out and pat the boy's head to comfort him, but Si Mingri dodged him with disgust: "Don't touch my head! I still want to grow to 1.88 meters tall in the future."
"And, I'm not particularly upset or sad, so I don't need your comfort. I'm just here to tell you the facts."
The boy in the wheelchair still had a cold and arrogant expression, but compared to the first few days when Gou Fugui first met him, he was much less gloomy and stubborn.
"My point is that not only can I not develop an antidote for the fifth-generation Golden Liquid, but that guy Sanchez could never develop one either."
The boy's words made everyone present feel uneasy. Zhang Yuan, who was somewhat impatient, asked directly, "Why can't any of you figure it out? Didn't that honey badger already steal enough golden flowers for you?"
Si Mingri glanced at this guy who was obviously bigger than he was intelligent, and only after seeing him shut up awkwardly did he say, "In the past two weeks, Grandpa Zhong, Grandpa Zhang and I have studied the composition and sequence changes of the Golden Flower and all the Golden Liquid from the first to the fifth generation."
Although Sanchez and his mentally challenged team added a lot of miscellaneous, seemingly expensive and precious but actually useless new ingredients to the fifth-generation Gold Liquid, the fifth-generation Gold Liquid was essentially no different from the first four generations of Gold Liquid.
If I had to say something, it would be that the fifth-generation Gold Liquid was purified to the extreme by Sanchez, and the result of this purification was that the fifth-generation Gold Liquid could explosively exert its beneficial effects in a very short time.
"Make the slow growth so fast it's visible to the naked eye."
As Si Mingri said this, the mocking and angry look on his face reappeared: "So they are just stupid people who only care about results!"
"The vast majority of drugs that take effect in a short time are accompanied by irritating side effects that rapidly damage human cells! Moreover, the faster the drug takes effect, the greater and more numerous the potential side effects may be!"
"I clearly told them beforehand that the fourth-generation Golden Liquid had unknown changes, which might be related to the dosage and human tolerance over long-term use, but those guys still made the fifth-generation Golden Liquid and even purified it!!"
The wheelchair-bound boy almost roared as he finished speaking.
However, he eventually managed to control himself.
Hu Wen then spoke up: "So the problem with the fifth-generation gold liquid is simply because the human body cannot withstand the sudden increase caused by over-purification?"
Si Mingri glanced at the bespectacled, refined man and felt that this guy was also inexplicably a bit like a fox, except that he wasn't like Gou Fugui, who mocked Tibetan foxes.
No, that's not true.
Si Mingri slowly exhaled: "If it's just a problem with the enhancement caused by purification, then although the antidote will be more difficult to make, it will only take a little time, but it won't be impossible to make."
"Previously, I only studied the Golden Flower to discover its beneficial effects, and then I didn't study it in detail again. But this time, I carefully studied, analyzed, and re-produced the Golden Flower."
I just realized that this flower... is subtly changing.
Si Mingri's face showed confusion and even disbelief: "...It's hard to discover, and hard to believe, that some components in the petals of this golden flower are different at different times."
Although the change was small in scale, it was indeed a transformation. And after the change, an extremely minute, unknown toxin appeared within the golden flower's body.
"The toxins contained in the golden flower are most abundant at dawn. As the sun shines for a long time, the toxins in the golden flower will gradually disappear."
"When I mixed the extremely refined gold liquid with the golden petals of dawn..."
The boy listened to the wolf howls that could still be clearly heard outside in the night, and twitched the corner of his mouth: "I obtained a high-purity gold liquid virus."
"The kind that can mutate a hundred people with just one drop."
"What's worse is that this poison is not man-made, but a 'plant toxin' naturally present in the golden flower."
In such cases, to neutralize the poison of the golden flower, it is usually necessary to find another plant that counteracts the toxins in the flower itself.
“If we can’t find a plant that can counteract the poison of the golden flower,” Si Mingri said, sitting in his wheelchair and pursing his lips, “then it’s practically impossible to find an antidote.”
That's why he said that no one could create an antidote.
This is why he and Sanchez could only create drugs that prolong the onset of illness and provide short-term blocking, but could not completely eliminate the virus.
At this moment, everyone in the room fell silent.
It wasn't until the long-haired youth spoke up: "If we find another plant that counteracts the golden flower, wouldn't the antidote be made quickly?"
"I remember a saying, what was it again? There's always an antidote within ten steps of a poison. Maybe there are some herbs around the Golden Flower Field that can help with the antidote?"
Gou Fugui was about to ask the Wild Man Brother, but Xie Tianlang interrupted him directly: "No."
Gou Fugui looked at Xie Tianlang.
Xie Tianlang's excessively deep eyes also looked at him: "I remember there were no other plants around the Golden Flower Field. At that time, I only thought it was beautiful, but now..."
Surprisingly, even within that extreme beauty, there was a chilling aura.
The long-haired youth pursed his lips: "Are you sure you saw it clearly? Did you even see the weeds on the ground clearly? Maybe you're mistaken."
Xie Tianlang shook his head, as if to say something, but Song Sanchuan had already opened his computer and presented irrefutable evidence—
"High-resolution satellite photos. And high-resolution images of golden flower fields taken by drones from other bases that I hacked."
Gou Fugui and everyone in the house looked at the golden flower field that shimmered in the sunlight. As the view zoomed in, they all saw that apart from the golden flowers and their pale yellow stems, there were no other plants or trees on this land.
It was at this moment that Gou Fugui suddenly discovered that this beautiful golden flower was actually a leafless flower.
It was as if all beauty and vitality had been piled up on those intricate petals.
A long silence fell over the room, as if everyone was frozen in place by the magnified golden flower field before them.
Even Gou Fugui didn't know what to say at this moment. After he opened his mouth several times, Xie Tianlang's voice rang out from inside the room:
"It's 9:30. You can go back to the lab and sleep now."
These words were directed at Si Mingri, but Si Mingri seemed a little confused and asked, "What?"
Xie Langren's inhuman resilience meant that his expression remained almost unchanged at this moment: "Go back to sleep and rest today, and continue researching the Golden Flower and antidote tomorrow. If that doesn't work, we'll work on various weapons and even fertilizer that can quickly grow crops."
"If you can't find the corresponding antidote herbs, are you just going to do nothing?"
Si Mingri immediately frowned: "Of course not."
Xie Tianlang nodded: "So, we understand about this. You can go back now. We'll continue tomorrow."
Gou Fugui then spoke up: "That's right, you've been researching for half a month straight and you probably haven't had a proper rest. Today is a good day for you to get some rest."
"Since there are no corresponding antidotes in the Golden Flower Field, we'll search the entire primeval forest. You're sure to find antidotes in this forest, it's just a little slower."
"Besides, we don't know much about the Golden Flower Field, but Wild Man Brother must know a lot. Does anyone in our team know how to communicate in a language or sign language? Ask him more questions, and maybe we'll find the answer."
Gou Fugui glanced at the wild man who was silently sharpening his knife. The wild man looked up at Gou Fugui sharply, then listlessly looked away.
Since he has no way to directly seek revenge on Sanchez, the Wild Man has recently started throwing a tantrum.
Si Mingri glanced at the wild man over there, and finally clicked his tongue in disgust: "...Fine. I'll take him with me."
Although language is not his most proficient skill, his lack of proficiency far exceeds that of many ordinary people.
“I will learn their tribal language and expressions in three days, and in ten days I will teach him to express himself accurately.”
Gou Fugui twitched his lips. This kid really knows how to stir up hatred no matter what he says.
But at least the obviously depressed atmosphere had recovered a lot, and Qin Feng, Song Sanchuan and the others quickly cheered up and set their own goals.
"So, exploring the entire forest and bringing back all sorts of plants and flowers will be our next task. Let's start tomorrow. You old oxen and old horses who go out, you must carefully mark the route and assign directions. Hopefully, we can find the antidote herb as soon as possible."
Si Mingri nodded at this moment: "Grandpa Zhong will also tell the legion commander of the Huazhou base about this matter, and the base should also send people to look for the plant afterwards."
He paused for a moment, then said, "...I'll also have Grandpa Zhong talk to Sanchez about it."
"Although I loathe him and may kill him with my own hands in the future, his laboratory is still usable. Many research elites from various countries are in his valley laboratory."
"I actually hope he can find the antidote herbs faster than I can."
Faced with the loss of life in this world, he was willing to put aside his personal grudges for the time being.
Hopefully, that guy won't die before him.
***
The next day, the Huazhou base issued a task to find the plant early in the morning and sent out two-thirds of the soldiers in the base to find the plant corresponding to the Golden Flower.
After all, it concerns the antidote for the Golden Liquid, and no one would take this task lightly.
Many ordinary people who considered themselves somewhat capable and were among the first to arrive at the Central China base also saw this mission. Although they dared not stray too far from the base, they could still wander around and look for inconspicuous flowers and plants.
Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang also went out.
Originally, Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang were on the same team by default. However, Gou Fugui felt that he could transform into Owl Fugui, Honey Badger Fugui, or even Tibetan Fox and Fainting Sheep Fugui and roam freely in the forest. No matter how elite Xie Tianlang was, he could not fly, could not go into holes, and could not play dead.
"So you know you can't keep up with your dad anymore? Let's not waste this great resource, let's split up."
"Use your watch to contact me if anything happens."
No matter how far they walk, they can't possibly go more than 100 kilometers.
Although Xie Tianlang always kept his Yuanyuan in his heart, he never restricted or dominated her. After all, from the very beginning, when he met this proud, long-haired young man, he always looked at him with equality and respect.
In many ways, Fu Guiyuan was a strong and resilient person who could rival him.
So Xie Tianlang could only shrug: "Like I said, be careful. Don't be too reckless."
Fu Guiyuan rolled her eyes unhappily. Who's being naughty?
Xie Tianlang took out two more jars of honey from his backpack: "Pure natural wild honey, take two more jars with you."
He remembered that this should be a good thing that could replenish Yuanyuan's demon power?
Before transforming into the honey badger Fugui, Yuanyuan said, "...Tsk. I know, stop nagging. Also, don't be too reckless."
"If anything happens, just call for help, and Dad will fly over to rescue you immediately."
Xie Tianlang raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled and said, "Well, I'll be waiting."
Gou Fugui clicked his tongue and turned to leave.
A moment later, Xie Tianlang saw a night owl take flight from the jungle, spread its wings, and looked up at the sky before chuckling softly.
"It will have to change back in a little while."
In broad daylight, drunk driving could easily lead to a car crashing into a tree.
...
"grass!"
After Gou Fugui flapped his wings and flew crookedly for more than ten minutes, almost crashing into a big tree, he cursed and cursed, transforming from Owl Fugui into Tibetan Fox Fugui.
Actually, he initially wanted to become a honey badger named Fugui, since his fighting ability was much higher and he could run faster.
But as he crouched in the tree, he suddenly discovered a den of forest foxes.
There were about nine foxes in the den. Two adult foxes each had a cub in their mouths and were herding five other cubs, running quickly in one direction as if they were in a hurry.
Gou Fugui looked at the little cubs and a thought struck him; he wanted to follow them and see what was going on.
Thus, a Tibetan fox, which only appears in high-altitude mountain areas, was added to the tropical forest.
But the fox was fearless.
Fugui the Tibetan fox raised his little paws, flicked his tail, and nimbly followed behind the fox family. Although he was spotted by the larger fox along the way, the larger fox was slightly suspicious and wary for a moment when it saw that he was also a fox. After confirming that he had no intention of attacking, the larger fox ignored him.
As a result, Fugui the Tibetan fox was able to follow this den of foxes to a place that humans could never reach.
He followed the fox den for almost two hours.
During those two hours, he gradually noticed that many forest animals were heading in the direction the fox family was running.
It was as if these animals were all heading to a forest convention, except that they were all carrying their young.
Along the way, Tibetan fox Fugui saw many animals such as foxes, wild deer, wild boars, and wild rabbits.
When he arrived at his destination with the fox family and other animals, behind the thicket of bushes and mud hidden by dense forest thorns, Tibetan fox Fugui witnessed a scene that deeply shocked him—
In this natural valley within the dense forest, countless forest animals have gathered.
In the center of the natural valley, there are clusters of cubs, subtly surrounded and protected by adult animals.
The cubs cried anxiously, seeking protection and food from their parents, but there were very few adult animals around them.
Most of the adult animals left the valley after releasing their young and then returned to their own groups.
And then the cubs are gathered together, and the adult animals are also gathered together.
Four powerful animal leaders appeared one after another on the four stone platforms on the outer edge of the valley.
"Yo-yo!"
First came a robust male deer with antlers like tree branches.
"Hah! Hah!"
Then there was a wild boar in the forest, constantly pawing at its hooves.
"Awooo!!"
A striped lion roared.
Finally, there was the wolf king, half-zombie, standing on the highest stone platform.
"Awooo—"
When the four leaders roared in unison, the entire forest seemed to tremble at their voices.
The herd behind them also began to roar and call out in unison. Then, half of the adult animals followed the four leaders and ran in one direction, while the other half began to be on guard against their surroundings.
Fugui, the Tibetan fox who chose to stay, looked around warily, initially unaware of what the animals were about to do.
But soon, he saw even more zombie animals running out of the forest.
The vast majority of the zombie animals followed the adult animals, such as the wolf king and deer leader, who made the noise, while a small number of the remaining animals discovered the valley and headed towards it.
So the adult animals that remained behind began to bare their teeth in alarm.
Even if they are facing their former kind who look almost identical to them.
As the angry cry of the eagle rang out again in the sky, Zanghu Fugui raised his head and saw that huge, familiar figure, behind which were still countless zombie birds.
In that instant, Zanghu Fugui thought of a possibility.
The mocking fox face also revealed an expression of utter shock, even awe.
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