Chapter 610: Cause of the Strong Wind
This is the first time that Zhuang Mingxu has come to the surface properly since entering the underground.
The thick and robust trees around were rustling in the strong wind, and their branches were intertwined as if they were woven together artificially, with bits of soil and rocks passing through the gaps.
Zhuang Mingxu had to cover his mouth and nose tightly to be able to breathe normally. Even so, the strong earthy smell still made him feel sticky as if he was in a swamp.
There were no living creatures around them except for the few of them. The thermal imager could only show the interlaced trees with bared fangs and claws, and no useful information could be observed.
Apart from the whistling of the wind above my head, there was the sound of something huge constantly hitting the branches above, causing huge vibrations. Everywhere I looked was darkness, which in turn gave rise to infinite fear in my heart.
Human beings are always too small in the power of nature.
"I can't see anything. Why don't you go back first?" I heard Zhou He's shouting voice.
They had not been on the ground for a long time and ignored the fact that it was already night and they could not see anything.
Zhuang Mingxu shook his head, but still followed the group.
With such huge trees covering the sky, there wouldn’t be enough light even during the day, so it wouldn’t make much difference.
Most of the weeds on the ground have withered, but the ground in the deep mountains and old forests is not flat. Fortunately, there are many earth-type ability users following them, and they don’t care about filling the ground directly under their feet, avoiding the possibility of them encountering deep pit traps.
In this kind of weather, the most dangerous thing is encountering mutant animals. The thermal imaging device gave them great help. After checking the surroundings, the group quickly returned.
In less than half an hour, several psychics were shivering all over, not to mention Zhuang Mingxu, an ordinary person.
"Are you okay?" Zhou He asked someone to bring warm water for Zhuang Mingxu to soak his hands and feet.
Zhuang Mingxu didn't hesitate, soaking in the water to slowly return to the temperature while drinking a cup of hot ginger soup, "Do you find it a bit strange?"
"What?"
"The hurricanes around here are a bit strange," Zhuang Mingxu looked at him thoughtfully, "The temporary base we initially chose is at the foot of Lao Mountain, close to the primeval forest. It's possible that fog will form in winter, but hurricanes..."
He frowned and said, "The conditions for the formation of strong winds include many aspects. First, there is the temperature gradient. When there is a difference between the surface temperature and the high-altitude temperature, the airflow becomes unstable. This situation generally exists in mountainous areas and oceans, but it does not exist here."
"What about the air pressure? Huge differences in air pressure can also form strong winds. The overall mountain range of Laoshan is not low, and there is a difference in air pressure with the foot of the mountain, which may cause strong winds, right?" After all, Zhou He is a special talent trained by the country. He looks stubborn at ordinary times, but he has not fallen behind in professional things. He quickly caught up with Zhuang Mingxu's thinking.
"It's possible, but the trees here are towering, and the entire mountain has a buffer slope. In this case..." Zhuang Mingxu shook his head. While he was talking, the basin of hot water had become warm. He quickly dried his hands and feet, applied antifreeze oil, and stuffed them into his shoes.
Zhou He stretched out his nose and sniffed it, surprised, "So particular?"
"Homemade antifreeze oil made from mutant badger oil, would you like to try it?" Zhuang Mingxu handed him a palm-sized bottle.
Zhou He looked at the small bottle and knew that this thing was not so easy to get. He shook his head and said, "The chance of a mutant getting frostbite is very low. You can keep it and use it slowly."
After that, he changed the subject again, "Could it be caused by the topography? Isn't it said that passing through mountain ranges and canyons will form a wind outlet effect?"
Zhuang Mingxu picked up a half-dry branch from the ground and drew a line on the ground, saying in a contemptuous tone, "This entire canyon along the Laoshan Mountains..."
He still felt that the possibility was a little low. The strong wind here came for no reason. This disaster, whose source could not be found, made him feel an indescribable sense of urgency.
"Boss, base commander, don't you think that talking about science in an era where people with superpowers are everywhere is a bit... out of place?" Qu Zhu came over with two large bowls of stew, handed one bowl to each of them, and said with a smile, "I think there is nothing in this world today that can be explained by science."
"Haha, you're right. Who cares how it was formed? We'll just take it one step at a time." Zhou He laughed and changed the subject.
Zhuang Mingxu didn't mention it again and held Taotao in his arms and fed him.
I thought Zhou He hadn't thought of this, but before leaving, when no one was in the toilet, Zhou He whispered, "Lao Zhuang, are you worried about our base..."
Seeing that he had thought of it, Zhuang Mingxu did not hide it. "The base was originally chosen to prevent zombies from getting close, but being close to the sea also has disadvantages. Once there is a typhoon or something like that..."
Zhuang Mingxu did not continue speaking, and Zhou He also understood what he meant. The two were silent for a while, and Zhuang Mingxu was the first to calm down and said, "Just take care of us first, I believe they will be able to deal with it."
"There must be a way. Li Zhuang and the others have been upgraded, and Ning Yuan and the others must not be far behind. SS-level water-based psychics may be able to turn the tide," Zhou He said.
"..."Zhuang Mingxu looked at him helplessly, "Maybe you can say, call the wind and rain."
"Haha...same meaning, same meaning."
The two of them walked arm in arm towards the main group, planning their next journey.
They stopped and walked along the way without encountering any danger. The thermal imaging device they brought with them became a decoration, which surprised Zhou He.
"In this weather, mutant animals can't move around outside. Where else would they be if not hiding underground?"
"It could be a place like a cave. We haven't even come across a cave along the way. Could it be that caves are only found around where we live?" Yun Bai, who was standing next to Zhuang Mingxu, looked around and responded without taking a breath even though he was walking quickly.
"Taotao helped you guys avoid it." Taotao, who was held in her arms the whole way, proudly raised her chest to take credit.
"Really? Is Taotao so powerful?" Qu Zhu himself is a high-level wood-type mutant. He can feel that they have avoided mutated plants along the way, but as for avoiding mutated animals, he thinks it is not something that a little girl like Taotao can do. But since she is a child, he is still happy to coax her.
"Of course, Dad said that Taotao will protect you." Taotao said in a serious tone, which made the grown men laugh.
Although Zhuang Mingxu could keep up with the team, he was just an ordinary person and felt tired. Even though he knew they didn't believe him, he didn't explain for Taotao - he wished everyone would look down on the little boy's ability.
After traveling safely for a day and a night, just when everyone's vigilance had dropped, the earth-type mutant who was leading the way in front suddenly shouted, "Be careful--".
"Defend quickly!" a person with super powers spoke.
Before anyone could ask what was happening, they saw countless moving roots suddenly emerge from the surrounding passages they had opened up by manipulating the land, like living worms, and attacking the team.
"It's a mutated plant, fire-type mutants, get ready." Qu Zhu was the first to feel the energy brought by the roots and immediately gave a reminder.
But the mutant plants moved too quickly. While they were talking, they had already tied up several earth-type mutants, dragged them into a large group, and crashed into the earth wall.
As a conditioned reflex, the first reaction of several earth-type ability users was to manipulate the soil layer. As a passage with one person walking together appeared, several people disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.
As an S-class fire-type mutant, Zhou He instantly made the flames circle around his body, freeing several mutants who had been bound by the roots.
Stuffing Taotao into Zhuang Mingxu's hands, he stepped forward and said, "Several people were captured. The earth-type mutants immediately sensed their location, and the wood-type mutants stimulated plants to grow and brought the people back."
"yes!"
"Yes!" The well-trained people executed the order decisively.
Zhou He patted a few earth-type psychics beside him and said, "Let's go to the ground." Earth-type psychics need to use their psychics to maintain their underground life. Fighting under such circumstances would be too exhausting for them.
"I understand." Several earth-type ability users looked at each other and did not use their abilities to build a passage. Instead, they squatted on the ground. The ground above their heads suddenly opened up. The group of people did not move, but clearly felt that they were rising rapidly.
As soon as they emerged from the ground, a strong wind blew directly towards them. The few psychics in front were caught off guard and floated up, hitting the people behind them.
Under the force of the wind, the group of people who had been well prepared were blown to and fro in an instant, and some people were even blown away by the wind without noticing.
"Wood element - help - me -" Zhou He grabbed a tree as thick as his wrist beside him with his other hand, and grabbed the person next to him with his other hand, leading to a group of human figures floating in the air. The wind force plus the weight of several people made it extremely difficult for him to speak.
"Taotao, help me." The moment Taotao in Zhuang Mingxu's arms felt the strong wind, her hands turned into countless tender green branches, binding herself and Zhuang Mingxu together while the other parts were firmly rooted in the ground.
"They were blown away. Should we catch them?" Zhuang Mingxu was unable to open his eyes due to the wind, but Taotao was not affected at all. Except for the hat on her head flying away, which made her pigtails float straight up, she could still help him explain the current situation in Zhuang Mingxu's arms.
"Catch" Zhuang Mingxu felt that the child was tied to him, so he loosened his hands that were holding him, put on his goggles, and then he could see the situation clearly.
They did not check the terrain before coming up. Unfortunately, they were located in a narrow strip of land between two mountain peaks. The vegetation on the ground was short and the trees were no thicker than an arm. The draft had been blowing for an unknown amount of time and the branches of the trees grew in the direction of the wind, as if they were lying on the ground.
A group of psychics were scattered in different places, some were holding on to the trees beside them, some were tied up by plant-type psychics, most were hanging on the branches lying on the ground, and some completely disappeared from sight.
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