Chapter 43
"Hey, do you think this is edible?" Xiao Shengyun picked a purple fruit from a tree and waved it at Zhou Zhi.
"Don't touch it! Throw it away!" Zhou Zhi frowned, seemingly very dissatisfied with this reckless behavior. In this world, any creature could harbor hidden dangers, like this fruit; who knows if it might be poisonous.
"Okay, then I'll throw it away." Xiao Shengyun threw the thing on the ground. He had been an obedient teammate all the way, only occasionally teasing Dean Zhou.
It's so boring here. For someone who loves socializing, not speaking for ten days or half a month would be suffocating.
Zhou Zhi read some of the pollutants' memories. They were moving in a certain direction, and the further they went, the less wasteland there was, and the more trees there were.
The vitality of life on this land is gradually increasing.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing for the two of them; it shows that they are on the right track, but it also shows that their enemies are increasing.
The two lit a campfire. The dry branches and green leaves were used as local materials, while the fire was generated by the red source core in Zhou Zhi's hand, which contained a large amount of fire-type energy.
This time it was Xiao Shengyun's turn to keep watch.
He threw a large leaf into the flames and watched it be consumed by the flames. The leaping flames warmed his whole body, and he was as if bewitched. For a moment, he even wanted to pounce on it.
The creatures of the wasteland had never seen fire before, and they fled the moment the flames appeared.
"I've been here before," the person on the ground with their eyes closed suddenly spoke.
Xiao Shengyun's hand trembled slightly as he was caught off guard and licked by the flames, feeling a slight stinging pain.
"You're not asleep?"
"Maybe I slept too much and can't sleep." Zhou Zhi opened his eyes. There was no clear night sky or stars above him, only a gray chaos.
"I don't believe you." Xiao Shengyun gave him a skeptical look.
They rarely rested these days. The two divided the work: Xiao Shengyun killed pollutants, and Zhou Zhi read memories. They would only rest for a while when they were really exhausted.
“I’ve been here before,” Zhou Zhi said, looking at the chaotic sky. He was unusually interested in chatting. The huge dome made him feel extremely small, and it seemed that only by talking to another human could he find a sense of reality.
"How is that possible?" It would be almost impossible for humans to survive in such an environment, let alone return unharmed.
"It was like a dream. I walked here for a long time. Even without monsters, I might have died of thirst or starvation. But I was lucky. Not long after I arrived here, I found human protective suits and nutrient solutions."
"It's hard to imagine there were human footprints here, but I didn't see any corpses; they were probably swallowed by monsters. After that..."
Zhou Zhi's voice stopped abruptly because something was approaching.
That's a mushroom.
This little thing has such a colorful cap; it must have wandered in by mistake. It didn't attack humans but instead moved closer to the flame.
This is a "moth" attracted by the fire.
Xiao Shengyun quickly disposed of the mushroom. A second before eating it, he hesitated for a moment: should he eat it directly or make it into a barbecue?
After he finished eating, he asked, "And then?"
This story is very intriguing.
Traces of humanity? Their footsteps have extended this far?
"And that's it, I don't remember anything after that."
Xiao Shengyun "..."
Telling a story in half is like being a eunuch, isn't it?
The air became quiet again.
Xiao Shengyun felt he had nothing to talk about; he had truly "kept a low profile" all these years, being cautious and mediocre.
Is it about how you amazed everyone with an essay titled "My Mirror Suddenly Could Talk," or how you attracted a crowd of onlookers in the whole neighborhood by eating ten baskets of steamed buns in one go?
Zhou Zhi lay not far from the flames, his head resting on his crossed hands, looking at the chaotic sky.
What is he thinking?
Xiao Shengyun was somewhat curious. Under normal circumstances, he could understand human behavior, including their emotions and choices, but this man was shrouded in mystery, revealing only a glimpse of his true self in the smallest details.
He thought for a moment and started humming a song, a cheesy love song he'd heard online. The melody was soft and lingering, but he couldn't remember the lyrics and could only hum a vague tune.
Flames leaped up and fell. As Zhou Zhi listened to this song, his wandering heart seemed to calm down. He was not afraid of death, but when a human comes to an unimaginable world, some inexplicable emotions always arise.
Humans need something tangible to combat the void, even if it's just a song.
...
When Zhou Zhi woke up, the first thing he saw was a brown wooden roof. Perhaps because he was too tired, he had slept very soundly. When he realized where he was, he suddenly sat up.
roof?
He looked down and saw that he was firmly bound to the tree trunk by soft branches, which were extremely resilient, like cow tendons, making it impossible for him to move.
"You're awake? I thought you'd sleep until the afternoon."
A soft laugh came from the side. Xiao Shengyun was also tied up in the same way, but this person was not afraid at all. Instead, his eyes were smiling.
Zhou Zhi was somewhat annoyed. Wasn't this the man on night duty? Why didn't he call him if they couldn't win?
"These are the people under that tree. We don't have to travel so hard anymore. We finally managed to get a ticket."
Xiao Shengyun gestured for him to look outside.
Zhou Zhi then realized that they were in a swaying wooden cart. Outside the window, a group of lush green vegetables served as guards, and the cart was not on wheels, but on a clump of vines moving back and forth.
"It's a new variety!"
"I wonder if it tastes good. I really want to sneak a bite."
"This is an offering to the gods."
It seems that even in a different location, this tree still needs constant worship. However, the sight of a bunch of vegetables excitedly discussing the issue is rather comical; they seem to have stumbled into a strange fairy tale world.
"Are you sure you can beat it? These things outside aren't very strong, but once we see its true form, we won't be able to escape even if we want to."
Xiao Shengyun felt he had gone mad, daring to bet his life and fortune on another person.
If he had a source core, he wouldn't be so constrained.
"I'm 70% sure, but I need your cooperation."
The car stopped, and a very short mushroom walked in. "Be good and listen to me. It is your honor to become a sacrifice."
After saying that, it turned around and said, "Come in and bring the offerings to the banquet."
Two mushrooms entered, and they untied part of the ropes binding the two people, separating them from the tree behind them. Then Xiao Shengyun took off all his clothes.
The ingredients don't need any outer packaging.
"Wait?" Just as the mushroom was about to pull down its underwear, Xiao Shengyun finally couldn't help but stop it.
Why did you only strip mine?
He stripped naked, while the man next to him was still fully clothed.
“It doesn’t have an outer skin, so you can eat it directly,” the mushroom replied.
Xiao Shengyun: "..."
Mycelium grew from the mushroom and surrounded the two people, quickly forming two white cocoons.
These two mushrooms lifted the cocoon—
It didn't lift up.
It was too heavy. Xiao Shengyun could only look at the bent mushroom stem with his eyes, wondering if it would break in half.
How tragic, even the polluting industry has its share of corporate slaves.
"You actually want to eat us too, so why offer us as sacrifices to that so-called god?"
These mushrooms are very powerful, but they're also quite silly. Xiao Shengyun wanted to try and see if he could turn them against him first.
The mushroom's mycelium-covered brain suddenly burned.
Yes, why did they take the food and not eat it themselves, but instead shared it with others?
It thought for a moment: "Because the gods will give us energy, and if we don't have the gods' energy, we will go hungry."
"But this energy comes from the sacrifices you offer. For example, if you offer two sacrifices today, the energy it gives you may not even be as much as that from one sacrifice. Won't it take all the rest soon? If you leave it, won't you soon be able to enjoy these sacrifices all to yourself?"
"That seems to make sense," Mushroom nodded blankly.
“In this way, you can bring us before the gods and help us remove it.”
Xiao Shengyun narrowed his eyes, appearing extremely gentle. What he didn't say was that this entire ecological zone was centered around the mother tree, and if it were removed, the environment here would deteriorate further.
"But……"
The mushrooms stared wide-eyed, as if they had stepped into a completely new realm. They relied on their mother tree for survival and had never thought about this question before.
They were carried to the center of a large lake, where a towering tree stood, its lush green branches growing everywhere.
Beneath the green leaves, piles of bones formed small hills.
"My Lord, the offerings have been brought."
The mushrooms weren't sure whether they should agree with Xiao Shengyun's words, but if he could be eliminated... that would be ideal.
Two cocoons were placed in the center of the lake.
Through the gaps in the mycelium, they could see the entirety of the enormous creature in the center of the lake.
This tree was nowhere near as terrifying as the one outside. Xiao Shengyun held his breath; the moment he saw it, he felt suffocated.
Just as ants see humans, just as humans face the universe, they are too weak to even muster the slightest thought of resistance.
This instinct is ingrained in their genes; antelopes will not confront cheetahs, and when faced with the next level up in the food chain, they can only struggle to survive.
The tree swayed its branches and leaves slowly, and a seed fell, transforming into a human figure.
It has no facial features; its face is a patch of green.
They unwrap their two cocoons, like peeling off the outer skin of food; the next step is probably to fry, stir-fry, or cook them.
"What are you waiting for?" Xiao Shengyun gave him a look.
Waiting for the food? If we wait any longer, they'll become food themselves!
The moment the mycelium parted, Zhou Zhi took something out of his pocket and threw it directly towards the mother tree.
The eight-sided die is a source weapon derived from a Class A pollutant and further modified.
Just as ancient humans used the teeth of wild beasts to make blades, contaminants contain many useful parts that can be used to develop weapons with special abilities. However, compared to research in the field of life sciences, the theoretical and applied achievements of the weapons research institute are not numerous.
These dice are considered one of the most powerful weapons.
The eight sides of the die separated and expanded exponentially, eventually forming an eight-sided cage that trapped the mother tree inside.
The moment the cages merged, a familiar spatial fluctuation emanated from them.
"What is this thing?" Xiao Shengyun asked in surprise. Has technology become this advanced?
"Do you remember me saying why the fragments are much weaker than the original body?"
"Because the spatial dimensions are different," Xiao Shengyun answered subconsciously.
He suddenly realized that if reducing the dimension could weaken the pollutants, then why not repeat the same trick on the original entity?
The roots of the mother tree struggled and wriggled frantically in the cage. Xiao Shengyun condensed his source essence into a knife and stabbed the mother tree with all his might. Green sap flowed out like human blood. He seized the opportunity and cut off its roots as much as possible.
A crack appeared in the cage.
The source weapon is made from Class A pollutants; it's already good enough if it can last for a dozen seconds.
The mother tree broke free of its cage. It seemed to realize that it couldn't confront the creature in front of it head-on. Dozens of vines rushed towards Xiao Shengyun's back. The latter quickly turned his knife into bullets, but they didn't hurt or itch when they hit the vines.
Perhaps angered by the insects' retaliation, the ground shook rapidly, and large and small trenches appeared on the land.
With a tremendous roar as the earth split open, a colossal beast emerged from the soil, its massive back supported by the roots of the mother tree deeply embedded in its brown shell.
Are there any living creatures under the tree?
Xiao Shengyun dodged a round of attacks and watched as the giant beast carrying a large tree emerged from the ground. Its eyes widened, as if it had just been woken from a sweet dream.
When the behemoth opened its mouth, he saw the source core, deep inside its oral cavity.
The behemoth had a huge shell and black, uneven skin. From the skirt-like part beneath the shell, tiny tentacles extended out, dancing lively as if greeting someone.
“The source core is in His mouth, I can get it.” Xiao Shengyun ran to Zhou Zhi’s side.
It's not easy to get there, because the wall formed by the vines surrounds the mother tree and the giant beast in the center, and they must pass through the wall to reach the core area.
"I'll burn the vines."
"Why are we heading towards the center? Go to the lakeside!" Xiao Shengyun manipulated the silk threads to remotely cut down the vines, escorting Zhou Zhi forward, but soon realized that the direction was wrong.
Then he saw a glimmer of light.
A faint flame quickly ignited in the very center, and before the mother tree could react, the flames rapidly spread along the vines to the trunk.
A crackling sound came from the center, the sound of the vines breaking as they were charred and brittle. Xiao Shengyun suddenly understood why Zhou Zhi had lit the fire in the very center of the lake instead of by the lake. He wasn't sure if the burning vines could transfer the flames to the tree trunk, so the center was the place with the highest success rate.
Is this guy out of his mind?
He desperately wanted to rush into the flames and bring the person out, but there were more important things to do at that moment.
As the protective wall disappeared, the giant beast's head was within reach. The burning pain from its back caused it to roar in agony. In the brief moment the giant beast opened its mouth wide, black tentacles swiftly entered and wrapped around the source core.
The monster closed its mouth, leaving a tentacle inside.
A sharp pain shot through his nerves. If pollutants had nerves, Xiao Shengyun dodged the monster's teeth and leaped onto the giant beast's back.
He's probably a bit tougher than humans, so losing a tentacle isn't a big deal, except for some pain.
He was in a safe spot where he could catch his breath.
Scattered with charred branches lay on his back, and the air heated by the flames rushed towards him. His back resembled a small island. Xiao Shengyun stood up unsteadily and looked at the devastation in the distance.
Is Zhou Zhi dead?
He wasn't sure if it was ironic, yet also quite reasonable, that the other person died in such a place.
Xiao Shengyun had never realized so deeply that Dean Zhou was truly a "selfless fool" who seemed to have a spirit of self-sacrifice and even shoulder responsibilities that did not belong to him.
Whether it was for research that led to his own contamination, or to save people time and again, this person appeared calm and indifferent, yet one could inexplicably sense the burning passion within him.
Xiao Shengyun even wished he could be a little selfish.
The mother tree in the distance was still trembling. The fire had burned its trunk, and it had driven its roots even deeper to draw nourishment from the giant beast.
Xiao Shengyun flipped down. He didn't have much time. The moment the giant beast opened its mouth, he leaped directly into its jaws.
It was reckless, dangerous, and completely contrary to his principles of being afraid of death.
I probably caught it from someone.
The monster's mouth was pitch black, and a large amount of liquid was gushing out; academically speaking, it was probably saliva, but in layman's terms, it was called spit.
This liquid is highly corrosive. Xiao Shengyun ignored all of that, grabbed the source core, and then forcefully plucked it off.
The mouth is one of the most vulnerable parts of the giant beast. The moment the source core was removed, it struggled violently, and a large burst of air surged up from below, blowing Xiao Shengyun away.
Along with the source core in his hand.
Black threads rapidly extended from Xiao Shengyun's body, using the force to fall.
At the highest point of the mother tree, under layers of green shade, Zhou Zhi tugged at the vines wrapped around his body, but couldn't budge them.
"Still alive?" a voice rang out from above.
Xiao Shengyun sat in the air, his eyes filled with anger. The two of them were now dressed in tattered clothes, looking at each other in a disheveled state amidst the pollutants.
"I'm lucky to be alive." Zhou Zhi was open and honest, with a clear conscience and no remorse.
The next second, he was thrown to the ground.
It wasn't their teammates who took action, but the mother tree.
This thing is half-dead now, barely clinging to life.
Xiao Shengyun was also startled. Before the mother tree could attack again, he grabbed Zhou Zhi and crushed the source core.
The source core shattered, and the source matter gradually overflowed and dissipated into the world. The once lush and verdant leaves instantly turned yellow and withered, falling from the branches and creating a golden rain.
A powerful space storm appeared, just like it had been years ago.
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