Chapter 54: Pioneer (Catching Bugs) Come to the bowl, my friend!
Deep in this vast wasteland, a dark figure was crawling on the ground in an almost pious posture, as if he was struggling to dig something in the soil.
This strange humanoid creature was tightly wrapped in an extremely thick black material, leaving only a translucent film at the eyes. Its mouth and nose were connected to thick pipes. From a distance, it looked like a wriggling mummy.
After some effort, the pioneer - 517 finally succeeded in digging out an ugly piece of plant rhizome from the barren land.
This food's surface is covered in dense bumps, as if cursed, and the taste is utterly terrible. Furthermore, it even contains trace amounts of neurotoxins that, once consumed, can cause paralysis and hallucinations in the body.
If it were in the resource-rich world of the past, I'm afraid no one would be willing to put something like this in their mouth. Even just a slight sniff would make people nauseous.
However, on this land where almost all life has been drained away, this is an extremely rare thing that can provide water supply.
There is no doubt that 517 is a wasteland pioneer——
Just as the cormorants domesticated by falconers store food in their throat pouches, pioneers store the energy they glean from the wasteland in their bodies.
Only when these energies are brought back to the underground mother nest to feed the entire tribe, can they untie the knot that binds their skin, get a real chance to "eat", and gain a moment of liberation.
So, 517 was like a cold machine with survival instructions set. He skillfully removed the inedible parts and stuffed the food into his own pipe without hesitation.
With a dull thud, the iron chain with scales around his throat finally loosened a little, but it still bound him tightly like a ruthless rope.
After absorbing some energy, 517 took a heavy breath, then he collapsed on the ground with his face up, and subconsciously curled up to disguise himself.
Although his stomach was still gnawing at him with hunger, he knew in his heart that he had successfully survived the difficult day.
A gentle breeze blew by, and 517's keen senses suddenly caught a glimpse of something glittering on the ground in the distance. He peered closely and saw it was a chalcedony-like ore!
This mineral is a special product formed after the bones of large surface creatures have been eroded by radiation for a long time. It is an extremely important source of energy for the mother nest deep underground.
As long as he could get it, he could return to the underground at least half a month earlier... This thought suddenly popped up in 517's mind.
In this wasteland full of dangers and extremely scarce resources, being able to return to the relatively safe nest early is simply a great temptation.
Thinking of this, he was shamefully moved.
After all, survival is the top priority, and any opportunity that can make you live a little easier and longer is worth seizing.
517 then began to slowly move away in a stealthy manner, his entire body crawling on the ground, like an ordinary, inconspicuous worm-like beast.
This common wasteland monster is strange and difficult to kill, with thick skin and little meat, making it of no value to other predators. Because of this, pioneers often disguise themselves as this creature to reduce the chance of encountering danger in the wasteland.
Soon, 517 successfully obtained this precious piece of chalcedony.
However, before he could put it away, his whole body became extremely stiff as if he had been cast under a spell, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
Because not far away, there is another piece of chalcedony lying quietly. Under the cover of night, this precious mineral emits an alluring brilliance.
This ridiculous bait was like a very crude trap set by a child, seemingly designed to lure people in that direction.
But, how is that possible... There are no intelligent creatures on the surface of the earth anymore...
An unprecedented and unknown fear was like a surging tide, completely swallowing up 517 in an instant.
He lay there, not daring to move, like a corpse that had become extremely stiff after being weathered, and could only wait quietly for the verdict of an unknown fate.
…
"Ahhh, 030, I'm so nervous..."
Bombbell subconsciously held his breath at the sight in the distance. He opened his eyes wide, and the tentacles on his head stood up straight. "Why is that human so still? Could it be that... he has discovered me?"
Although he was so anxious that he started biting his nails, Bumblebee still didn't dare to take the initiative to attack. The painful experiences in the past kept ringing the alarm bell in his mind:
The new humans of the wasteland are a very difficult creature to approach. They are extremely vigilant, extremely sensitive, and have a strong ability to camouflage. Even the slightest disturbance may make them disappear without a trace in an instant, as if they had never appeared.
"Two months have passed, and this is only the third human I've met..."
Looking at the familiar figure, Bomburbell seemed lost in his own thoughts. He muttered anxiously, "Don't be afraid... I, I just want to find a talking creature to chat with. I really won't hurt you..."
This sounds obviously more suspicious, okay?
I told you not to just throw something in there so crudely to lure them in. Pioneers aren't fools. In the wasteland, a trap like this would only catch a bird—no, I'm afraid it wouldn't even catch a bird...
However, looking at the pitiful appearance of the host, the system could only helplessly hold back its words. It knew that Bombbel really had no ill intentions.
During the past two months, Bombbel has been diligently killing monsters and gaining points, like a busy bee puppy, working hard to build his own sphere of influence bit by bit.
At this rate of progress, if nothing unexpected happens, there should be no problem in achieving the minimum task standards within a year.
However, it is absolutely impossible for nothing to happen unexpectedly.
Due to the lack of any social activities for a long time, Bombber's mental state became more and more depressed day by day, and his mood became more and more depressed - he was like a sunflower without the sunshine, and the whole insect became depressed.
To make matters worse, Bumblebee Finger had entered his decline prematurely, and while the system could treat his physical ailments, it was powerless to address his psychological problems.
After all, bumblebees are semi-social insects, in the middle stage between solitary bees and semi-social honeybees. Social isolation would have a detrimental effect on their brain development.
Similarly, the admiration and followership points required to complete the mission must be provided by thoughtful and rational creatures. The deformed monsters in the wasteland who only know how to eat are obviously unable to do it, which makes the system very anxious.
After some serious discussions, Yi Chong Yi Tong officially launched their human tracking plan.
At this moment, 517 in front of them is their latest target.
"Or, I'd better go over there..."
During the long wait, Bombubbel's furry tentacles twisted together in a tangle, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly shook violently without any warning. Then, a worm monster suddenly jumped out from the ground, and its jagged turbine-shaped mouth rushed straight towards 517 to bite!
These worms are social omnivores. They have no reason, only a crazy appetite, and even have a cruel habit of cannibalism. Among their long list of food items, pioneers are prominently listed.
Oh no! 517's breathing suddenly stopped, and his heart seemed to stop beating at that moment.
He no longer cared about anything else, relying solely on instinct to tumble around. His movements were extremely agile, like a nimble hare, bursting out with astonishing speed in a life-or-death moment.
However, luck did not seem to favor him.
Just where he landed, the ground surged again, and another worm crawled out from the ground.
This strange beast seemed to have been waiting there for its prey to come into its mouth. It bit 517's foot at an extremely fast speed, making him gasp.
"Are you okay—"
Seeing this scene, Bombbel finally couldn't help but rushed out, completely forgetting the plan he and 030 had carefully formulated to approach humans.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to save this "companion" who was in danger!
The strength of the bumblebee army worms was obviously not to be underestimated. Bombbel easily dealt with the two worm monsters, but when he looked up to look for humans again, he found that 517 had already taken advantage of this opportunity to disappear without a trace.
Although he was mentally prepared, Bombber suddenly became dispirited.
He sniffed the air carefully, trying to find the distinctive scent left by humans. His furry tentacles swayed constantly, as if picking up the slightest information from the air, but unfortunately, he still found nothing.
"Ah..." Bomburbelle lowered his head and stood there silently. His honey-colored hair seemed to have dimmed a little.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, like a cabbage hit by frost, 030 couldn't help but comfort him: [Host, there will be opportunities later...]
Hearing this, Bombber's clear, ice-blue eyes instantly filled with tears, which fell from his eye sockets and landed heavily on the ground. His throat choked a few times, and his abdomen hummed.
But in the end, Bombbel said nothing. He just spread his two pairs of membranous transparent wings and flew away.
The bumblebee's figure gradually blurred in the sky, and finally turned into a small black dot and disappeared into the horizon.
What Bombbel didn't notice was that on the soil wet with his tears, several tender green sprouts suddenly broke through the soil, growing at an astonishing speed and soon blooming several beautiful flowers.
These plants looked very fragile, their slender flower stems looking as if they could be broken by a slight breeze, but they devoured the two worm corpses at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they were enjoying a sumptuous meal.
After swallowing it, the flower suddenly bloomed more beautifully. Its oval leaves were covered with a layer of light and dense hairs, which secreted dense mucus, just like morning dew.
A breeze blew, and the hairs trembled twice, as if conveying some secret signal. Then, all the flowers seemed to be endowed with consciousness, and they all turned in the direction where Bumblebell had flown away.
Something seemed to be surging in the center of the flower, and a faint, moist whisper floated out: "Sweet......"
The sound was very soft, as if it came from far away underground, carrying a strange and sticky breath.
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