Chapter 18 Oh my god, that was close!
Zuo Shan gently shook her head and whispered to Mao Li, who was hiding on her shoulder, "Help me choose a tree."
"Go straight for 20 meters to your left front, then move forward 50 meters at a 45° angle to your right. The energy fluctuations I sensed from that tree were the strongest."
"But don't get your hopes up too high. That energy value is only 15 points, so it's probably not an energy stone. It's likely the wood spirit core of a newly formed mutated plant, only good enough for the little master as a snack for the day."
Mao Li gave the direction, and Zuo Shan, adhering to the principle that "even a small fly is still meat," headed in that direction.
The tree that Mao Li chose was relatively shorter than the surrounding trees, and it had fewer pine cones, so no one competed with her for it.
Zuo Shan unfolded the portable folding ladder that the mercenary group had lent her, propped it up on the tree trunk, climbed up the ladder, and began cutting pine cones with her inspection knife.
I had assumed that such a big tree would have countless edible pine nuts to harvest, but to my surprise, after cutting it ten times, I didn't find a single edible one.
The pine trees in this mutated pine forest are generally about 200 meters tall, and each pine cone on the tree is as big as a pineapple. Zuo Shan thinks that this forest can support at least a hundred of those man-eating mutated giant squirrels.
In reality, there aren't that many mutant squirrels, because their offspring are exposed to high levels of radiation, making it extremely difficult for them to survive.
Compared to animals and humans, plants are more likely to survive under high radiation and even grow larger and denser.
Unfortunately, the leaves and fruits of plants exposed to high levels of radiation are mostly highly radioactive and inedible.
Take this mutated pine forest in front of us, for example. It produces many large pine cones, but even after testing my left arm until it ached, I couldn't find a single edible one.
"Mao Li, where is the Wood Spirit Core you sensed?" Zuo Shan asked in disappointment, then thought of the 15-point Wood Spirit Core that he had previously overlooked.
"Master, it's hiding at the base of that shrub, about 1 meter from the ground," Mao Li said, sounding a little guilty.
With such a low energy level and such a deep location, it seems like it's not worth digging it out.
Zuo Shan was immediately deflated upon hearing this, and to make matters worse, her stomach started growling again. Extremely frustrated, she took out a dried yam strip from her backpack, chewed it, and also broke off a piece of low-radiation alfalfa leaf and stuffed it into her mouth.
She brought twenty yam strips and a low-radiation alfalfa leaf with her today; that was her rations.
The dried yam strips are about the same size as the sweet potato strips I used to buy online. Each one is about the size of my little finger. Twenty strips may sound like a lot, but they can only keep you full for a few hours.
But she thought that she was out collecting pine nuts today, which could fill her stomach, so there was no need to work herself to death carrying too much dry food.
I ate five yam strips and a quarter of an alfalfa leaf in one go, and drank several mouthfuls of water. My stomach finally felt less empty.
Zuo Shan raised the testing knife again and continued the test. With one slash, a "thud" was heard as the knife entered the flesh, and a line of blood spurted out.
Luckily, she dodged in time, otherwise the spray would have hit her face.
The detection device broadcasts: "Beep! Highly radiated pine nematode, highly poisonous, inedible, please discard immediately!"
This species is harmful to humans. Be careful to avoid its mouthparts piercing your skin or being scratched by the male's claws. If this happens, seek immediate medical attention at the nearest hospital; otherwise, it may cause a systemic skin allergy!
Oh my god! That was close!
Zuo Shan felt a wave of fear wash over her. Luckily, her knife had severed the two-centimeter-long mutated pine nematode in two.
Otherwise, if she were to fall victim to its effects, she might have to switch to allergy medication after a whole day's work.
"What bad luck! Not a single edible pine nut was detected, and we even ran into this wretched pine nematode!" Zuo Shan cursed angrily, while casually tearing two leaves from the parasitic vine off the branch and repeatedly wiping the detection knife clean.
Still not satisfied, she took out clean water from her backpack and poured it on the surface, rinsing it several times.
Who knows if the blood of pine nematodes is poisonous? And this testing knife of hers is also used to test edible pine nuts.
Perhaps her bad luck had finally come to an end. The next time she cut it, she found a pine cone that was moderately irradiated and edible. Pine nuts grow inside pine cones, and since pine cones are edible, then pine nuts are naturally edible as well.
On the planet Green Algae, before the cataclysm, no one ate pine cones because they tasted bitter and astringent. After the pine trees mutated, even fewer people ate pine cones because, in addition to being bitter and astringent, they also had a numbness.
No one would eat pine cones unless they were about to starve to death.
However, Zuo Shan knew that although pine cones tasted terrible, the pine oil extracted from them was a treasure; it was not only edible but also highly nutritious.
The only drawback is that it cannot be consumed in excess, as it can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain and intestinal discomfort.
Furthermore, dried pine cones can be used in medicine, possessing antitussive, expectorant, antiasthmatic, and anti-inflammatory effects.
In conclusion, pine cones are extremely precious.
Unfortunately, the people here don't seem to know its benefits, because she saw some people dig out the pine nuts directly after collecting the edible pine cones and throw the pine cones under the tree.
This is such a huge waste!
However, even if she told anyone, no one would believe her, so she didn't intend to cause any trouble.
Zuo Shan first dug a pine nut out of the pine cone, and wow! It was as big as a pecan!
She couldn't wait to pry open the pine nut shell and taste the giant pine nut, only to discover, to her dismay, that she couldn't open it at all.
Stones can't crack it open, and even a cutting knife can only leave a shallow scratch on the pine nut shell. Trying to pry it open is basically a pipe dream!
No wonder the mercenary group was so at ease letting the scavengers pick the scavengers; they weren't afraid they would steal the food!
Having given up on stealing pine nuts, Zuo Shan simply threw the moderately radioactive pine cone into a sack. Some people who had less to eat did the same, in order to save time so they could continue testing the next pine cone.
After a good start, five more moderate radiations and one low radiation were detected on the left side, which she was already very satisfied with.
It was midday, when the sun's radiation was at its strongest. Even though the pine branches and leaves could provide shade, there were times when the sunlight would still shine through the gaps.
The mercenary group sounded the call to rest, and except for a few who came up empty-handed, everyone else obediently put away their ladders and went to rest in the mercenary group's makeshift radiation-proof tents.
As Zuo Shan walked in front of a tent, she heard a little girl's clear voice calling from a tent behind her: "Sister Shan, come here quickly, we're here."
Zuo Shan turned around and saw Ding Yi waving enthusiastically at her. She smiled and walked over to sit down next to her.
"Sister Fan, did you have any harvest today? If you didn't find any pine nuts, we have some here, I'll give you two!" Ding Yi said very generously.
"Thank you, Xiao Yi. I've gained something, though not much, but at least it wasn't a wasted half-day," Zuo Shan said with a smile.
"Then try the green rice dumplings we brought. My uncle steamed them with a mutated buckwheat flour and fresh mugwort. Although they are a bit bitter, they are much more filling than ordinary wild vegetable leaves!"
Ding Yi took out a small ball wrapped in grass leaves. It was dark green and about the size of a ping-pong ball. The little girl insisted on stuffing the ball into her palm.
Zuo Shan could sense her pure kindness, and even though he still felt resistant to strangers, he couldn't bear to refuse her goodwill.
In return, she took out four yam strips and handed them to the little girl: "Take these home and eat them. When we're out, we can't just eat things given to us by strangers, remember?"
Ding Tai listened from the side without offering any opinion. To be fair, Zuo Shan was right to do so.
The little girl was a little disappointed, but she still followed her advice and put the yam strips into her pocket.
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