103 Chapter 103
Chapter 103
While waiting for the official ability team to complete the handover, the members of the Daxi Village ability team led by Tang Rufeng were taking the time to read the information Tang Rufeng sent them.
At first glance, these materials seem very complicated and are incompatible with this world after the resurrection of spiritual energy and mutations everywhere. But if you really look at it carefully, you will find that no matter how much the world changes, it still changes according to the original rules. These materials are still of great reference value.
After knowing this, they watched more seriously.
Even the members of the official ability team who had a good relationship with Tang Tang came forward to get a copy out of curiosity after hearing about what they were seeing.
"Great stuff! We have to apply for this kind of information here, and have the data organizers put it together so meticulously. It takes a lot of time. This one looks very detailed, so we can just take a look at it. We're really getting a bargain."
Although Tang Rufeng said that following their official team would provide security.
But all the teams present who had come into contact with them knew that Tang Rufeng's team had many people with special abilities, and their strength could be considered above average among the existing people with special abilities.
It would be more accurate to say that Tang Rufeng was cooperating with the official team and ensuring his life first while exploring, rather than relying on the official team to seek protection.
Because of what happened in the past, no one cares about the lives of those around him more than Tang Rufeng.
Even if his decision may seem overly cautious to some and not suitable for this ever-changing world.
"Brother Rufeng, the official team has finished the handover and is preparing to depart. Should we follow them now?"
Just as the team members were carefully looking at the information given by Tang Rufeng, Tang Tang ran back from outside and brought back the news that the official team was about to set off.
"Okay, let's follow."
After hearing Tang Tang's words, Tang Rufeng nodded and set off with his men.
The official team travels in the customized vehicles mentioned above, which are very suitable for driving on roads that are not even safe after the mutation.
The official modified car for the team was definitely useless to Tang Rufeng and others. There was no other way. They could only continue to follow behind in the second-hand car rented at a high price from the town at the foot of the mountain.
Fortunately, there is a Tang Tang in their team. If they put Tang Tang on the roof of the car, she can use her turtle shell to protect against most attacks from the side and above. As for attacks from below the vehicle, it depends on whether the remaining ability users in the team can react quickly enough.
"I'm catching up, Captain. You said that the team behind us is really capable. Why didn't they think of responding to the official call and joining the official team? Look at them now. They can't even travel conveniently."
The official team members who had communicated with Tang Tang before were paying close attention to the team that said they would set off with them when they set off.
I couldn't help but sigh when I saw the way Tang Rufeng and his team traveled.
"Don't worry about it. Just seeing how they can drive such a shabby car across several provinces and rescue multiple earthquake-stricken areas shows their strength. We can't guess their thoughts, so let's not speculate."
The ability of the official team captain himself is definitely not comparable to that of the top-ranked teams above, but he also has his own way of survival.
How to preserve his own strength and how to help his team members complete the mission without getting hurt are things he racks his brains on every day, so he has a lot of say.
After thinking about it, he guessed why the powerful team of people behind them would act together with their team. After all, they never concealed their purpose.
He even guessed why the team behind him chose their not-so-strong team.
It's simply because his team is official. Apart from anything else, the official team still has a strong sense of basic morality, and they will not fight with their own people for some resources.
Of course, the premise of not fighting with one's own people is that one's own people have not bullied them and robbed them of their things.
The official team led the way in front because their cars were in good condition. Considering that Tang Rufeng and others following behind them had poor cars, they were afraid that they would be smashed to pieces by mutant animals and plants when they got in their cars halfway, so they deliberately knocked the mutant animals and plants that were closer to the cars away.
This little bit of consideration, so subtle that it might not be noticeable unless you look carefully, was noticed by Tang Rufeng who was sitting in the passenger seat. He pursed his lips slightly, with a slight smile between his eyebrows.
He didn't know the people in the previous team. The reason he chose them, besides the fact that they were an official team, was that they were recommended by Captain Qing's comrades.
A team that can be recommended in such an environment and under such circumstances, apart from anything else, has absolutely no problems with their character.
Tang Rufeng is not afraid of anything else, but he is afraid of those who like to play tricks behind the scenes, and he is hard to guard against.
In today's world, it is dangerous enough to go out and face those mutated animals and plants. He doesn't want to cause trouble for himself and have to be on guard against irrelevant people.
With the official team's modified car leading the way, Tang Tang felt much more relaxed sitting on the roof facing the attacks of the mutated animals and plants.
When they came out before, Tang Tang was the only one sitting on it. Faced with the endless attacks while the vehicle was driving, she was so scared that she could only open the protective shield to the maximum and curl up on the roof of the car, so that she was not thrown out of the car by the attacks of those things.
If we ignore the attacks of mutant animals and plants that did not have much impact on their group, this trip did not have much impact on them.
"We're almost there, we can start preparing now."
Tang Rufeng sat in the passenger seat and looked at the scene outside. When he saw an environment similar to the newly uploaded environment photos on the information page he had looked up, he spoke up to remind the people in the car behind him.
"Don't mention it, with the government paving the way, we've even increased our speed!"
Tang Tang was on the roof of the car. After hearing Tang Rufeng's words, he leaned down and talked to his relatives and friends who were preparing to get off the car.
"Are you going to say later that your turtle shell has received fewer beatings on the road?"
After hearing Tang Tang's words, an older brother in the village teased him with a smile.
"It's the truth!"
As they were talking, they had already arrived at the place. Tang Tang saw that the car had stopped steadily and hurriedly jumped off the roof.
She was lying on the roof of the car the whole time and couldn't put anything around her, so a brother from the village helped her carry Tangtang's things.
After Tang Tang jumped out of the car, the brother handed her bag.
It’s not that they didn’t want to help Tang Tang carry the bag. They all knew that Tang Tang was the most tired on this journey. The reason they didn’t help carry it was because they were afraid that if they got separated, the separated people would have resources available to help them hold on until rescued.
Tang Tang of course knew this, so when faced with the backpack handed to him by the village brother, he had no objection at all. He followed the height of the other party holding the bag, turned around and put on the backpack.
After making sure she had it on her back, she hurried in the direction of the official team.
The reason why their car stopped was because the official team stopped after reaching the front. Their current location was still some distance away from their destination, so Tang Tang wanted to go and ask.
"Captain, where do you want to go now?"
This was the first thing Tang Tang said when she asked, and only after she finished asking did she remember to add something.
"Our previously planned destination wasn't here. Did the car have problems and we stopped here? Or is there some other mission we need to complete?"
Hearing Tang Tang's question, the team leader turned around and answered with a smile in his tone.
"Don't worry, little girl, nothing's wrong. The car is fine too. We just need to find a safe place to park the car and other things, set up a camp, and leave some people outside to meet us.
We can't just go in without any preparation. We're not those big teams that have the strength to back us up."
When the team leader said this, he did not seem embarrassed at all because of the lack of strength of his team. On the contrary, his tone was very calm, and his words were full of considerations on how to complete the task based on his own strength.
"I understand. I'll go back and tell our captain."
After listening to this, Tang Tang nodded to show that he understood. After saying goodbye to the official team captain, Tang Tang returned to the team.
When Tang Rufeng and his friends go out, they always call themselves a team, and no matter what they call Tang Rufeng in private, he is called the captain in public.
Since they need repairs, let's stop and sort out the things in the car.
After hearing the news brought back by Tang Tang, Tang Rufeng thought for a moment, turned around and gave instructions to the people with special abilities who were waiting for him to make follow-up arrangements.
Although they spent most of their time participating in rescue operations when they went down the mountain, the world they lived in was after all a world full of mutated animals and plants. Even if they were just passing by, they got a lot of things that they could use at this stage.
Now that I have time, I will sort out those things again and put them in order. I will take them with me in case I need them when I enter the forest later.
The official team has experienced many tasks and practice makes perfect. They haven't even finished sorting out their tasks yet, but they have already arranged the garrison points.
After receiving the departure order, Tang Rufeng and his men hurried to follow.
Since the earthquake, most of the teams, both official and private, have been wandering around the periphery of this forest, and no one has actually entered the interior.
"So the information we know so far cannot be fully trusted."
As they walked, Tang Rufeng and his teammates following behind him gave instructions.
"Yes, yes, yes. We all know that. You said before that the information you gave us was from before the mutation. Now that so many things have changed, it can only be used as a reference. Even the so-called information posted online by others cannot be fully trusted. We all know that."
Hu Zi listened to Tang Rufeng's repeated instructions and saw that his lips were almost dry, so he hurriedly continued to speak along with Tang Rufeng's words.
Just after Hu Zi finished speaking, the people standing next to him nodded in agreement, indicating that they understood and had remembered it.
Seeing that they had packed up, the official team in front did not delay and headed straight towards the forest ahead.
"Come on, let's catch up."
Perhaps their luck was used up on the way to this place, or perhaps, Tang Rufeng believed that it was because the mutated plants here were stronger, so their journey was so difficult.
When Tang Rufeng and his group reached the edge of the forest, that is, when they were about to leave the forest and enter the forest, they encountered an attack of an intensity they had never encountered before.
Not only was the official team, who had been well prepared, taken by surprise, but even Tang Rufeng and others were caught off guard.
After all, no matter how good their plans are, they cannot resist the unpredictable behavior of this world.
"Brother Rufeng, I can't hold on any longer. Is your Captain Qingzhi feeling better?"
Tang Tang's tone was a little difficult when he said this. Looking at the mutant plant vines that had trapped him, this was the first time Tang Tang felt that if this mutant plant was stronger, it would be able to crush his protective shield.
But now, although her protective shield was not directly shattered, it was not much better. It was just a simple and rough way to shatter her protective shield and consume her energy to see which side had more energy storage.
If Tang Tang has little energy stored, the opponent will crush Tang Tang's protective shield and kill him after exhausting his energy.
But Tangtang only has defense and does not have powerful means of attack.
If there was no one to help Tang Tang, the final result would be that he would be consumed to death by this mutated plant.
"It's almost there. Captain Qing said he'll be ready soon. Tangtang, hold on a little longer."
Hearing Tang Tang's question, Tang Rufeng, who was protected by Brother Fan, raised his eyes and sensed Captain Qing's current condition. After confirming Captain Qing's reply through the ability link, he answered Tang Tang's question.
"Okay, Captain Qing, hurry up! I really feel like my shield is going to be shattered by this damn thing!"
Knowing the situation, Tang Tang nodded, but still emphasized her current condition to Tang Rufeng.
She is not the type to hide her situation and persevere in secret.
The position they were in did not allow Tang Tang to show off, so telling Tang Rufeng the truth about their situation was the best way for Tang Rufeng to formulate their battle plan.
"Don't worry, it will be right away."
Tang Tang's howling made Tang Rufeng laugh, but he also knew that it was not easy for Tang Tang to hold on until now.
As soon as their conversation ended, Tang Rufeng learned about Captain Qing's current situation through the ability link.
He has now attacked the core of the mutant plant's storage capacity. Now he just needs to hold on for a little longer, allowing the mutant plant to struggle one last time. After it has exhausted its own capacity, it will be time for it to die.
Thinking of this, Tang Rufeng looked at the mutant plant in front of him that was attracted and attacked by Tang Tang, and whose vines were tightly wrapped around Tang Tang's protective shield, with a cold look in his eyes.
It was this mutant plant that attacked them without warning as soon as they entered the center of the forest.
They managed to hold on because of their own abilities, but the official team was not so lucky.
Official people with special abilities were ordinary people before they became official personnel. Even if they had received training and possessed special abilities, they were still somewhat weak.
There were also a few people who responded that they had just met the requirements and joined the team to carry out missions. They had only experienced a few missions when they encountered such powerful mutant plants. They were entangled almost as soon as they came into contact with the mutant plants, and their necks were directly twisted.
There were also some people with slow reactions among the capable people in the village brought by Tang Rufeng. If it weren't for Tang Tang's quick reaction, their fate would not have been much better than that of the other side.
Thinking of this, Tang Rufeng turned his head to look at Tang Tang who was playing a tug-of-war with the mutant plants.
I don’t know what this girl was thinking at the time, how could she react so quickly.
At that time, even Captain Qing, who was floating next to him and had rich combat experience, reacted a little bit late. Tang Tang actually reacted faster than Captain Qing.
Unbelievable!
As Tang Rufeng just said, the source of the mutant plants' power has been attacked by Captain Qing, and the mutant plants' entanglement with them is just a final entanglement to delay time.
In just ten minutes, they ended the battle.
Looking at the mutant plant vines spreading out on the ground, the people with special abilities were all silent.
It is undeniable that after this mutant plant is killed, there must be some good parts on its body that can be used as resources, but they are all a little listless now.
After the mutation, people are dying all the time in this world.
Not to mention that they often encounter people who died from attacks by various mutated animals and plants when they are on missions, just take the earthquake zone where they have been to rescue before. There, every few steps you take may reveal a once-living life buried underground.
However, even though they have seen a lot in this world and often encounter people dying, it does not mean that they will become numb.
Especially to those who were talking to them just a moment ago, seriously discussing the dangers in the forest, and who took the initiative to walk behind them because they were concerned that those walking behind them might encounter danger.
"Let's bury him right here and move on."
The silence and sadness only lasted for a short period of time. The team leader knew where they were now and knew that they could not continue to be sad here. He reached out and closed the eyes of the team member on the ground, which were open before he died, and finished his words with a low voice that sounded like a sigh.
Although the sound was small, the people around heard it clearly. The members of the official team had seen their companions leave many times, and this time they handled it in an orderly manner, just like their Anza base.
The group walked forward in silence, with a clear division of labor to bury those who had left. Finally, the team leader found a slightly larger stone and used his ability to cut it into the right size, so that the several team members who were sleeping forever underground would have a small channel to let the outside world know about them in the future.
The team leader believed that the forest they were in would be fully explored by them and would become a treasure trove of resources for flower growers.
And now the exploration team members who have passed away here are heroes.
Although Tang Rufeng and others had dealt with the bodies of the deceased in the earthquake zone before, they had no intention of stepping forward to help. They just watched silently as the official team took advantage of the limited time to send away their comrades who had fought side by side with them.
In fact, when Tang Rufeng saw these people die before, he tried to use his ability to summon their departed souls, but unfortunately, he was unsuccessful.
His summons is two-way, requiring Tang Rufeng to have a strong obsession with them, and also requiring the deceased to respond to Tang Rufeng's summons with the same obsession.
Unfortunately, his obsession with these people was not strong enough, and their souls did not respond to his call.
Thinking of this, Tang Rufeng sighed lightly.
"fine."
Captain Qing, who was standing next to Tang Rufeng, was undoubtedly the one who knew best what Tang Rufeng had just done. Now when he heard him sigh, he knew the result and reached out to gently place his hand on Tang Rufeng's shoulder to comfort him.
"Keep going."
The official team's grief did not last long. After burying the team members, Captain Che placed the two candies he carried with him in front of the newly carved tombstone.
Then he stood up and called out to the remaining team members, as well as Tang Rufeng and others who were standing far away and looking in their direction.
"good."
After Tang Rufeng responded, he didn't say anything else. He just raised his spirits and followed the official team more cautiously.
"There are too many poisonous insects in here, so be careful."
Captain Qing used his ghost energy to fan away a poisonous insect that was flying towards Tang Rufeng. After making sure that there were no poisonous creatures or insects within a meter of Tang Rufeng, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave some advice.
"Well, I'll be careful. Don't watch me all the time. Take a break."
When Tang Rufeng heard what Captain Qing said, he looked at him helplessly and said something in a tactful way.
He was surrounded by Captain Qing who was on high alert. No poisonous creatures could get close to him. Instead, Captain Qing kept his eyes on him and surrounded himself with ghost energy for protection at all times without stopping. Even if Captain Qing was a ghost, he would get tired if he used too much ghost energy.
"good."
Captain Qingzhi responded to Tang Rufeng with a single word, which he didn't react to.
Obviously, Captain Qing didn't take his words to heart.
The deeper you go into the forest, the more you can feel the power of those mutated plants.
This forest seems to be a paradise for the growth of mutant plants. Even the strength of the mutated poisonous creatures and insects is far inferior to that of these mutated plants.
For now, apart from some mutated poisonous creatures and insects that can complement the mutated plants, the rest of the mutated animals that appeared in some tropical rainforests in Tang Rufeng's data and are likely to appear here at the same time have not appeared.
"So, the main mutations in this forest are the mutated plants, and all the remaining mutated animals exist to serve these mutated plants?"
After a day of exploration, the two teams found a relatively safe place to camp and rest. They also began to summarize what they had encountered during the day, analyze the situation of the forest, and the path they would take next.
After listening to Tang Rufeng's analysis, the team leader agreed with it, but he also wanted to ask for more details about why he was so sure.
In fact, Tang Rufeng didn't think about why the forest was like this at first. The final conclusion was confirmed after careful observation.
There are many kinds of plants in this forest. Not counting those mutated plants that have mutated to a high degree and have strange shapes, there are only those plants that have not mutated to a high degree and whose original appearance can still be vaguely seen.
It can be clearly seen that the varieties of these plants are very complete.
To use an analogy, after the entire tropical rainforest was moved here, many mutations occurred among the plants, and there was no shortage of them.
The only things missing are the animals.
"Look, that mutant plant over there that looks a lot like a pitcher plant?"
After Tang Rufeng gave a brief explanation, he found that the team leader on the opposite side was still waiting for him to continue. He frowned and thought for a moment, then pointed to a small area. That was the pitcher plant area that they had passed by before and did not dare to touch at all.
That plant can catch prey. If they get close, they will be paralyzed on the spot after being caught, without even a chance to escape.
Just like the mutant frog that is now caught by the mutant pitcher plant and stuffed into the barrel lid.
This mutant frog is colorful all over, and you can tell that it is poisonous without touching it. However, even if it is a master of poison, it is powerless to resist when it encounters a mutant pitcher plant. It can be seen that mutant plants are overwhelmingly powerful in front of mutant animals.
The team leader looked in the direction of Tang Rufeng's finger and observed for a while. With Tang Rufeng's simple explanation, he understood why Tang Rufeng came to the initial conclusion.
If they were left to figure out the answer themselves, Captain Che and the others would still be able to come up with it, but it's far from what they can figure out now. At the very least, they would have to stay in this forest for a few more days and thoroughly battle with the mutated plants and animals here before they could come to a conclusion.
He is not like Tang Rufeng, who draws conclusions through careful observation and then directly verifies them through actual combat if he has any questions later.
"It would be great if we could get some of these mutant pitcher plant seeds, or even seedlings that aren't very lethal. We could take them back, study them, and plant them in areas with weaker defenses. This would be a good way to ward off mutant animals that like to attack vulnerable areas."
When saying this, Tang Rufeng was looking at the team leader opposite him, who was also looking at the mutated pitcher plant thoughtfully.
"Well, unfortunately, we are not strong enough. Even if we fight them, we can only kill them, not capture them alive."
The team leader paused for a moment before continuing, "Also, mutant plants and animals grow very quickly. We can't guarantee that after we transplant them, these mutant pitcher plants will only target those mutant animals."
After hearing Tang Rufeng's words, the team leader thought carefully about the characteristics of these mutant plants and couldn't help but feel a little tempted, but these thoughts only lasted for a short moment, and he gave up.
He couldn't guarantee that the mutant plants they had brought back with great effort and possibly serious injuries might not serve as a defense in the future, but instead become a dangerous part.
After saying this, thinking about the possible role these mutated plants might play, the team leader still felt a little regretful that he couldn't make full use of them.
"Well, these considerations are necessary. That's enough. We should move on."
After listening to the team leader's words, Tang Rufeng knew the other party's concerns, so he didn't say anything else and changed the subject.
"The best evolved plants in this forest are the mutant plants. I wonder if there are any good things in there that are good for plants?"
The two teams set off again. Tang Rufeng still led the team in front, and Tang Tang walked beside Tang Rufeng. Because she had the protective shield on, she didn't have to be alert to possible attacks from mutant plants around her at all times. Now she had time to observe the surrounding environment.
Looking up at the sky covered by the treetops, with not much sunlight shining through, Tangtang murmured softly as he thought of something.
"There must be something that's good for plants, but we definitely can't get it."
Tang Rufeng was right next to her, and of course he heard Tang Tang's words clearly. He frowned and thought about it, then judged the strength of the people with abilities he brought with him, and concluded that he had no choice but to give up.
With their current strength, it would be great if they could make this trip and collect some resources they could use. They cannot expect too much.
"Keep this in mind. Once we are strong enough to guarantee our lives, we can move on."
Tang Rufeng was trying to comfort Tang Tang with his words, but he knew that he was thinking the same thing.
Whenever possible, he would come here again and find out why the plants in this forest have such high mutation strength. He was a little greedy and wanted to take that thing back to his godmother!
Walking all the way to the back, the plants also had a sense of chassis. They walked for a long time before they almost walked out of the territory of the mutant plants that had been dealt with before.
"Be careful!" Tang Tang looked around, and the next moment she didn't even react, and subconsciously rushed towards the person in front of her who was being attacked.
The moment they realized they had stepped out of the territory of the mutant plants, they were attacked.
This attack came suddenly, just like the mutant plant before, and was extremely fast.
If they had not encountered these mutated plants many times since entering the forest and knew their attack habits, they would have probably suffered again.
Tang Tang rushed forward to block the damage, and this movement also allowed others to react and launch a very fast defensive counterattack.
Tang Tang's luck was not so good this time. She was pulled up into the sky by tree roots that suddenly emerged from the ground. After rolling a few times in the sky, she fell on the branch of a mutant tree and got stuck.
She was now in a state where she could neither go up nor down. Fortunately, the mutant trees around her were focusing their attacks on the crowd below and not on her, which gave her a moment of peace.
But she couldn't do anything now and could only watch helplessly.
The battle below started quickly, and it would not be easy to end it so quickly.
In just ten minutes, two more people were tied to the tree where Tang Tang was. After hanging them upside down, the mutant trees stopped attacking them. Tang Tang finally understood that these mutant trees were not too busy to pay attention to her, but were busy catching people.
These mutated trees are also smart. After knowing that humans cannot escape once they are hung on the trees, they simply hang them one by one.
Relatively speaking, Tang Tang was lucky among these unlucky guys. At least she was not hanging upside down, but was stuck on the tree at an angle. As long as she relaxed her body, she would lie at an angle on the tree. The comparison between the two was very comfortable.
They just stayed on the tree and watched the team leader and Tang Rufeng and his men fighting with the roots of these mutant trees. For a long time, there was no hope of victory and they were about to fail. There was a high chance that all of them would be hung on the tree as fruits.
After seeing this, Tang Tang felt very bad. He stared at the battle situation below, praying in his heart that they would not be caught. If they were caught, no one would be able to find them in such an environment and rescue them.
Even if the captain of the official team had left a few people at the base before coming in and asked those people to pick them up, he was actually asking those people to be prepared to seek help if they were unable to get out of the forest, and to pass on the information that their group had been killed.
While Tang Tang was thinking about these things, the battle situation below was not optimistic. Their strength was not as good as those mutant trees, and they did not have an advantage in numbers.
They stepped into a mutated forest with numerous tree roots attacking them. Until now, they still haven't figured out how many mutated trees there were attacking them.
Tangtang was hanging at a relatively high place. Normally, her field of vision was wide and she could provide some clues to help the battle below. Unfortunately, she couldn't see anything after looking for a long time.
Thinking that he was in a high position and might be able to spot a breakthrough point, allowing Tang Rufeng and others below to break out, Tang Tang almost blinded himself.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. She couldn't find any pattern in the attacks of those mutated plants, and couldn't even see their weak points.
Tang Tang looked at her fellow villagers and members of the official team being hung up by the mutant trees one by one. She had no way to stop them and was almost crying in frustration.
"Is this the only way we can go?"
They had just come down the mountain, and this was the first resource area they explored, yet they encountered such a crushing attack by mutant plants.
After they are all caught, how will these mutant trees treat them?
These thoughts swirled in Tang Tang's mind, making his whole head feel a little swollen and painful.
"Something's wrong, my emotions aren't right..."
Tang Tang's thoughts and emotions unconsciously slid towards negativity, which was not like Tang Tang's character.
She has been unlucky for many years and has basically been trained. Even if she is so unlucky that she can only sit at the bottom of a pit, she can think about how this pit is different from the previous ones and use the comparison and analysis to get out of the pit the fastest.
But now, after Tangtang was hung on the tree, this idea slowly disappeared.
This disappearance was so terrifying that even she herself could not notice it. She tried every possible way to get out from the beginning, and later she only wanted to find a way to help Tang Rufeng and others break through.
Until now, she had no interest in finding a flaw to allow Tang Rufeng and the others to escape. All she could think of was, "The attacks from these mutant trees are too intense. It's impossible to escape."
How is it possible? She is still alive, and her companions around her are still alive. As long as she is alive, there is hope. How could she give up struggling so quickly?
After realizing that there was something wrong with his idea, Tang Tang shuddered, his hair stood up, a layer of white sweat broke out, and he felt creepy.
"Brother Rufeng, there's something wrong with these trees. They have more than one way of attacking!"
After Tang Tang reacted, he immediately shouted loudly to the people who were resisting below.
"They can influence thoughts!"
After saying that, Tang Tang looked eagerly at Tang Rufeng and the others below, hoping that they were not affected like she was.
Tang Rufeng and others who were chopping the roots of the mutant trees under the trees frowned when they heard Tang Tang's words.
"Influence thoughts?"
Tang Rufeng muttered softly, and in the interval of resisting the attack, he raised his eyes and looked at the people around him, trying to see if there was anything different on their faces.
It turned out that these people's faces were full of surprise, and the speed of their resistance did not change at all, and they did not seem to be affected at all.
"It's probably not our problem, it's the trees."
However, after just a few glances, Tang Rufeng figured it out.
Why are these trees so powerful in attack, but they stop attacking after hanging Tangtang and the others on the trees, and instead the people under the trees are continuously beaten by the roots?
I'm afraid these trees don't want to kill them, they just want to tie them up.
Thinking of this, Tang Rufeng was not paying attention and was hit by the end of the tree root again.
With Captain Qing protecting him, he wasn't seriously injured, but the others in the team weren't in much better condition.
The physical energy consumption was extremely great, and the high-intensity defense and counterattack had made them mentally exhausted, and even their speed of action had slowed down a lot.
But in just a moment, two people who had exhausted their energy and were forced to slow down were picked up by the tree roots and hung on the tree in a few seconds.
Only after they were hung on the tree did they realize how important Tang Tang’s words were.
As soon as they were hung up, their minds began to be involuntarily filled with the thought that their resistance had failed and they would never be able to get out of the forest.
"We were forced to change our minds after we were caught. We didn't have that worry down there because we were still fighting them and didn't have time to think too much."
Ever since those people were hung on the tree, Tang Rufeng had been observing their expressions. After noticing something was amiss, he figured out why they had changed so quickly.
Unfortunately, even if Tang Rufeng figured out why Tang Tang and the others had such inconsistent ideas, it would not be able to stop the crisis before them.
"There's no other way. What can we do? These mutant trees are too powerful. They're just trying to kill us now. They don't want to kill us. Otherwise, we would have died long ago."
The team leader watched helplessly as the deputy captain who was fighting beside him with his back to him was hung upside down on the tree by the mutant tree leg bandages. The sweat that was almost drying on his face broke out again due to fear.
As a result, goose bumps all over the body are visible to the naked eye.
"Since we can't resist under the tree, let's climb up."
After hearing what Captain Che said, Tang Rufeng glanced in his direction, scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that they could barely resist under the tree, he turned around and thought of Captain Qing who was following him.
Since resistance is impossible, then save some energy. You can rest for a while after being hung on the tree. After Tang Rufeng said this, he did not defend against the mutant tree roots attacking him.
"Captain Qing, please help me watch them. If there's anything wrong with their expressions, slap them."
While being hung on the tree, Tang Rufeng calmly gave instructions to Captain Qingzhi.
"Okay, don't worry, this tree can't do anything to me. Be careful and don't move it. If you move it, it will tie me tighter and it will be uncomfortable."
Captain Qingzhi, who was under the tree, stopped using his ghost power to protect Tang Rufeng after Tang Rufeng said he wanted to climb the tree, and let him be tied up by the roots of the mutant tree and hung on the tree.
Tang Rufeng was speechless after hearing what Captain Qingzhi said. They were all hanging upside down now. Even if he tried to relax, it would not be comfortable because of the lack of blood circulation when hanging upside down.
The reason why Tang Rufeng gave these instructions to Captain Qing was because Captain Qing was no longer a human being. As long as he didn't want to, these mutant trees couldn't even touch him.
Once all of them are hung on the mutant tree, the mutant tree will know that there is nothing to resist and will relax a little. That will be the chance for Captain Qing to find a flaw and rescue them all.
This was the only solution Tang Rufeng and his companions could think of after trying many times under the tree and failing to break through or leave this mutated forest.
When the team leader and his men saw Tang Rufeng personally practicing, they did not hesitate after being tied to the tree and gave up resistance. One by one, they were hung on the treetop by the mutant tree.
After they were all hung on the tree, the tree roots that had been constantly growing on the ground below finally stopped.
After a while, the tree roots on the ground were slowly retracted underground by the mutant trees.
Only a few tree roots that looked obviously more spiritual seemed to be somewhat puzzled by the existence of Captain Qing. The tips of the roots poked the ground a few times, as if trying to imitate the appearance of Captain Qing.
In the middle, he seemed to accidentally poke in the direction of Captain Qing, but found that he didn't hit anything. There was no one in that place, and he poked the air. Then he hesitantly retracted his roots.
The people hanging upside down on the tree just watched with their eyes wide open.
"Qingzhi, that tree!"
Tang Rufeng was hanging on the tree with a wide field of vision. With Brother Fan supporting him, he could see the situation below very clearly.
When he saw the roots shrinking towards the ground, he began to observe the direction of the roots.
The roots have retracted into the ground, and it is very difficult to find them by observing above the ground. Fortunately, Tang Rufeng himself does not have this ability, but Huidou who follows him has it.
Before coming to Tang Rufeng, Huidou was originally a wild mouse. It had the ability to dig holes underground to find its way and resources for survival. Even though it no longer needed to keep digging holes to safely store food like before, these things had become engraved in its genes and would not be lost.
So when the group of people who were also hanging on the tree didn't see anything, Tang Rufeng, with Huidou's reminder, quickly determined the direction of the roots and warned Captain Qingzhi.
Hearing Tang Rufeng's words, Captain Qingzhi turned around without hesitation and attacked the tree that Tang Rufeng pointed at.
Although Tang Rufeng didn't know why the mutated forest was so strong, and only this tree would become a possible flaw in the end, he just knew that if they didn't seize this opportunity, they would definitely be trapped and die here.
It is even more likely that the official rescue team who will learn of their situation will come in to rescue them, and then more people will be trapped here.
One group of people continuously implicated another group of people, causing them to sacrifice themselves in order to save them. This was not what Tang Rufeng wanted to see, nor was it what the official team wanted to see. Therefore, the team leader quickly gave the team command to Tang Rufeng by default.
Since he couldn't think of a way out, he would leave it to someone capable to arrange it, and he would obey and cooperate. As long as the team members he led could survive, nothing was more important than life, and strength could only be ranked second to life.
The mutant tree did not fail to react when attacked by Captain Blue. Before, it was a little hesitant in front of Captain Blue, and it was difficult to judge Captain Blue's composition. Now seeing Captain Blue attacking it, it also used the fastest speed to control its roots to start defending.
But Captain Qingzhi and Tang Rufeng spent so much time looking for this one flaw, how could they not cherish it?
Captain Qingzhi's attack speed is fast, and Tang Rufeng acts decisively. He directly transfers all his abilities to Qingzhi through the connection with Captain Qingzhi. While strengthening his ghost power, he also increases Qingzhi's ability level by one degree.
Qingzhi's first attack directly hit the waist of the tree that he and Tang Rufeng had locked onto from the beginning.
The defense of this section of the tree is not strong. At a higher position, the leaves can emit a smell that affects the mind, and the branches can also have a certain degree of defense effect.
Further down is the mutant tree's root system. As soon as it sensed Qingzhi's attack, it began to retract its roots with all its strength to prepare to resist the attack. Attacking that position would simply make things easier for the mutant tree.
In the end, Qingzhi and Tang Rufeng both tacitly chose a position in the middle, so that the chances of a successful attack would be greater.
The fact was just as they thought. Captain Qing's attacks hit the mutant tree. The mutant tree's roots were unable to rush back to resist in such a short time, and could only watch Qing's attacks reach the waist of the tree.
The ghost power enhanced by Tang Rufeng's ability and Captain Qingzhi's full effort, the attack hit the waist of the tree, directly blasting a hole in the tree. If it hits it down again, I'm afraid the mutant tree will break directly at this point.
Under such an attack, the mutant tree and the mutant forest went into a state of frenzy.
Tang Rufeng and others were still hanging on the tree. The mutant forest's violent way was to twist its crown all over the place, and the roots also emerged from the soil, swinging on the ground with their fangs and claws.
Tang Rufeng and others who were forced to become shaking accessories were shaken so hard that they were dizzy. Those who couldn't bear it anymore vomited directly.
Fortunately, they were hanging upside down, so if they vomited, they would just go straight to the ground and would not vomit on themselves because of the swinging of the violent tree.
The ground looked a bit unfriendly, with vomit everywhere.
It’s okay for the people hanging on the trees. After all, they are all hanging on the trees. Even if someone vomits in a jet-like manner, he can’t reach others. It’s the trees on which they are hanging that suffer.
Moreover, it was obvious that as the people hanging on the trees began to vomit, the crowns of the trees hanging them were shaking, as if they were struggling over whether to throw these people down.
Although some of the nutrients they need come from the decomposition of animal feces and insects and plants, all of this happens underground and never comes into contact with the trees.
If the mutant trees had brows, they would definitely frown when they encountered it suddenly.
'These humans are so dirty.'
This idea was expressed by one of the trees, and was echoed by other mutant trees in the mutant forest.
The mutant animals they had hung on trees before were never so dirty. They only needed to hang the mutant animals, and after they died, they could be dragged to the roots of the trees and they would become excellent waste.
But these humans don't seem to work. They are too noisy and too dirty, and they can't handle them.
"King, throw these humans away. The trees don't want them anymore."
When the mutant tree king, who was being attacked by Captain Qing, heard what his own tree said, the whole tree was speechless.
After being speechless, it became completely furious. This time, it not only targeted Captain Qing who had attacked it before, but also beat up the mutant tree next to it that had just shouted that it didn't want humans and wanted to throw them away.
Seeing this scene, Tang Rufeng turned around and looked around while hanging upside down. Among those present, except for the humans who had been hung up and were not beaten, the only ones who were not beaten were the mutant trees that were some distance away from the tree king.
"Hey, this mutant tree has a really bad temper!"
Brother Fan floated beside Tang Rufeng, holding him to prevent him from shaking, so as to prevent him from vomiting like other people.
As long as he had his hands on it, he had nothing else to do. Since he was free anyway, he focused his attention on Qingzhi and the mutant tree.
Seeing the mutant tree become so violent now, one can't help but be surprised.
"Although we don't know what happened inside without our knowledge, we can be sure that it must have been provoked by other mutant trees, otherwise the other mutant trees would not have been so quiet to be beaten."
As Tang Rufeng spoke, he stared at a tree root on the ground that was trembling in pain because its trunk had been hit, but it didn't dare to fight back.
The place where Tang Tang was hung was not far from Tang Rufeng. After hearing Tang Rufeng's words, he followed Tang Rufeng's line of sight and glanced in the direction he was looking. He also saw the appearance of the mutated tree root and inexplicably felt that it was a bit pitiful.
"It's hard to believe. I actually feel that this tree is both pitiful and foolish."
Tang Tang shook his head, looked away, and began to organize his thoughts.
She suspected that the reason she had such thoughts just now must be that the mutant trees were controlling her mind again.
Thinking about it, in order not to be controlled, Tang Tang thought for a long time in his mind, and from an unknown corner of his mind he took out the half-memorized Heart Purification Mantra and started chanting it.
She didn't mutter loudly, but it was like a mosquito buzzing non-stop.
'The tree doesn't want her anymore; she's like a worm.'
Before Tang Tang could sort out his thoughts, which he thought were being controlled, and was still rapidly chanting the Heart Cleansing Mantra in his mouth, he felt the branch he was hanging on tremble.
Although the mutant tree was twisting before, it was quite restrained. It knew that the dead humans were its nutrients, so no matter how hard it shook, it couldn't throw anyone off.
This time it’s different. It can be seen that this mutant tree really dislikes Tang Tang.
In particular, it discovered that since Tang Tang was hung on the tree by it, no matter whether Tang Rufeng and others were fighting with the mutant trees before, or the fight between the Tree King and Captain Qingzhi now, if it was not paying attention, it would be hit by a rope or punched by Qingzhi.
Counting the trees around it, it is the most unlucky one.
Of course, the mutant tree would not waste its energy internally, thinking whether it was unlucky today. It simply did not have such thoughts and directly chose to consume externally, blaming Tang Tang for being an unlucky human who had implicated it.
Before Tang Tang could react, she was thrown down by the mutant tree and landed directly in the inner circle where the Tree King and Captain Qing were fighting. Just as she was about to dodge a little, she turned around and was whipped like a top. The Tree King hit Tang Tang's protective shield with a rope and whipped her far away.
"The tree knew it was definitely this human who had caused trouble for the tree."
The mutant tree that had Tangtang hanging on it saw that it was no longer the tree that was hit after it threw the human down, and it was secretly proud of its own sharpness.
But before it could feel proud for long, the Tree King, who had just been fighting with Captain Qing, whipped it.
Although trees cannot make sounds like humans, they will still cry when they are in pain.
The tree king was very angry because Tangtang was thrown away by someone, and he beat the tree without holding back, making the tree howl.
Not only did the mutant trees around it hear it, but even the mutant plants that were a little further away from the mutant forest heard the tree's screams.
"Are those trees over there drying their nutrients again?"
"Well, I heard a mutant plant say that humans have entered the forest again. They should have reached the mutant tree king's territory by now. So, are those humans that strong? Could they make the trees scream so miserably?"
"Those humans are so strong, the mutant trees can just kill them directly, why do they have to hang them and kill the nutrients?"
"Who knows? But I asked the mutant plant that could run. I heard that it's because the tree king used to live in a human settlement. Those humans liked to hang up delicious food. I heard that if you hang it like this, you can have delicious food all year round."
"I see, the Tree King is truly clever. No wonder the mutant trees are so powerful."
…
The other mutant plants in the forest started discussing the screams of the mutant trees they had just heard, but no mutant plant wanted to step forward to help the mutant trees.
The mutant plants in the forest all have their own territories and will not easily go to the territories of other mutant plants. If they do, they may be attacked as invaders, so it is normal that they will not get close.
Of course, the mutant plant that can run as the mutant plants say does not count.
Tang Rufeng and a group of people were still hanging on the tree. The remaining mutant trees, having seen the miserable state of the mutant tree that threw Tang Tang being beaten, became very obedient. They pretended to be still small saplings, carefully folded up their crowns, and quietly stayed beside a bunch of humans hanging there.
Watching the Tree King and Captain Qing fighting each other.
The reason why Qingzhi was able to fight so many battles with this powerful mutant tree king was not because Tang Rufeng gave all his abilities to Qingzhi, nor was it because Captain Qingzhi’s own ghost power was so strong.
Looking around, the reason why Captain Qingzhi could fight with the mutant tree king so well was because Captain Qingzhi was a ghost. He didn't want the mutant tree king to touch him. The tree king couldn't do anything no matter how hard he tried. The roots he pulled towards Qingzhi could only miss, and he couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.
It is easy for Captain Qing to defeat the Tree King. He just needs to use his ghost power.
If Qingzhi were stronger, their current situation would be a one-sided beating.
Unfortunately, Qingzhi's strongest attack was only used at the beginning when he hit the waist of the mutant tree king. The rest of the time, he needed to save some of his ghost power and leave a little as insurance, so his attack power was not as high as at the beginning.
"It's not good. Captain Qing has started a war of attrition with that mutant tree."
When Tang Rufeng saw this, he couldn't help but think of what happened when they first entered this mutant forest.
Although the remaining mutant trees around now have no intention of joining the fight between Captain Qing and the mutant tree, judging from the fact that the other trees did not even dare to fight back after the mutant tree hit the surrounding trees, the strength of this mutant tree is extremely strong.
Fighting a war of attrition with this mutant tree, even if the tree had fought with them at the beginning and had consumed some of its strength, Captain Qing might not be able to consume the remaining part.
Thinking of this, Tang Rufeng felt a little anxious.
They have tried every possible way to break out, and Captain Qing's approach is the last method they can think of.
"It still doesn't work... there must be another way."
Tang Rufeng looked up at the battle below, his heart aching with anxiety. His hand subconsciously reached for the locust leaf hanging in front of his chest...
“!!!”
Lost?
Tang Rufeng felt a little panicked when he found nothing in his hand.
This locust leaf was given to him by his godmother when they were going down the mountain. Although he never expected his godmother to come all the way to save their lives, it was inevitable. Carrying some things given by his godmother with him would not only make his fellow villagers and friends who followed him down the mountain, but also himself feel much more at ease.
But now, at this critical moment, the locust leaf that he had always kept in mind disappeared!
"Brother Fan, have you seen the locust tree leaves I've been hanging?"
Tang Rufeng panicked a little and turned to ask Brother Fan who had been staying by his side to protect him.
"The leaf is lost?"
Hearing Tang Rufeng's words, Brother Fan frowned and took a closer look at Tang Rufeng's neck. The locust tree leaf that had been hanging there was really gone.
"I remember it was still hanging when we came in! Maybe it was lost when we were fighting those mutant trees just now? Rufeng, don't worry, I'll look for it, and you just be careful."
Seeing that Tang Rufeng didn't react on the surface because of the loss of the locust tree leaf, but a hint of uneasiness unconsciously revealed between his brows, Brother Fan decisively let go of Tang Rufeng's hand and went to the place where Tang Rufeng had stood when they had fought with the tree before.
"I'll go look for it. Don't worry, we hung it on me before we came in. Even if it's lost, it can't be lost far away."
Before going to find locust leaves, Brother Fan comforted Tang Rufeng.
Brother Fan rushed into the battle circle between the mutant locust tree and Captain Qingzhi to look for something. Tang Rufeng felt relieved when he saw that the mutant tree could not hurt Brother Fan and Captain Qingzhi deliberately let the attack avoid him.
But the anxiety in his heart did not decrease much.
Since he fell ill, Tang Rufeng's sense of security has come not only from the unconditional love of his family, but also from his godmother.
This sense of security was so strong that even when he awakened his abilities and his condition improved, it didn't diminish in the slightest in his heart.
It's normal for him to panic after losing the locust tree leaves that gave him peace of mind.
The mutant tree was very annoyed when it saw an untouchable figure suddenly appear in the battle circle where it was fighting. Unfortunately, no matter how angry it was, it could not touch Captain Qing and Brother Fan. It could only wait for Captain Qing to attack and use its ability to resist.
The fight between the mutant tree and Captain Qing lasted for quite a while. In addition, the mutant tree's attack method was to extend its roots from the ground to attack. The two of them made the ground, which seemed barely flat before, into potholes. Even though Brother Fan tried hard to find it, he still couldn't find the small locust leaf.
"No, let Hu Zi and the others come down and look for it. I haven't found it myself. Maybe it's buried down there."
With a frown on his face, Brother Fan searched for a long time but couldn't find the locust leaves he was looking for. Helplessly, he muttered something in a low voice and looked up at the group of people hanging.
He didn't know what abilities the people on the official team had, but he knew that some of the neighbors and relatives from the same village who followed Tang Rufeng down the mountain had earth-related abilities.
Seeing that he couldn't find the person in a short time, Brother Fan couldn't help but feel anxious as the color on Tang Rufeng's face gradually disappeared. At this time, he was thinking about how to get the earth-type ability user down from the tree.
But just as Brother Fan flew up, before he could get close to the person hanging upside down on the tree, he saw an uninvited guest coming into the battle circle below.
There was a sudden movement on the ground that was messed up by the roots of the mutant tree. A clod of earth shot upwards, and then a small hole appeared on the ground. From the hole came out a muddy thing that looked like the root of some plant.
"Tree, here I come! A mutant tree boss said you bullied its little brother!"
As it spoke, it patted the leaves that were wrapped by its roots.
Upon hearing its voice, the mutant tree king who was fighting with Qingzhi in front froze.
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