Chapter 169 The 169th Day of the Beginning [Two-in-One] "Thirteen"
Day 169 of the game [Two-in-One]
"Is this land reclamation?!" Zhou Zhou and the others exclaimed in surprise, looking up sharply, unsure of where to look.
Yin Yu relaxed his shoulders as if relieved, looked up at the cluster of small flowers above his head. The stamens swayed slightly in the wind, and soon more branches and leaves stretched out to block the wind and rain.
Zhou Zhou murmured in disbelief, "No wonder we haven't been able to find it. It's up there, not near the ground at all."
Yin Yu responded softly. He had never imagined that the land reclamation they had been searching for for so long was actually so close at hand.
He stroked the leaf, closed his eyes slightly, and sincerely thanked it for responding to his request.
The red stamens on its head trembled and happily unfurled their petals.
"But how could it suddenly appear in this form?" Zhou Zhou asked again, completely certain that these branches and leaves had appeared out of thin air.
"It's sheltering us from the wind and rain," Fan Bei whispered.
Fan Nan covered his face, which had just been slapped, and stammered, "It slapped me."
"You said it looks like cabbage." Fan Bei rolled his eyes.
"Didn't you say Fan Nan was hungry and wanted to eat it?" Zhou Zhou pointed.
Fan Bei paused, then Fan Nan said, "..."
He Lianzhou let out a snort of laughter, agreeing with Zhou Zhou.
Listening to the three people's murmurs, Yin Yu slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, shook his head helplessly, and urged, "Stop talking nonsense, take off your wet clothes and warm up quickly."
With the cold wind gone and their damp, chilly clothes removed, the group did about ten burpees on the spot to stimulate blood circulation in their hands and feet and quickly warm up their bodies.
The land reclamation enveloped them completely, like a giant green cicada pupa. Inside, they could only faintly hear the ceaseless sounds of wind and rain outside.
The temperature was still very low, but the absence of wind was a great help. Their most intimate clothing was made of quick-drying material, and it had dried in a short time, making everyone a little more comfortable.
The group broke off their energy bars and water, and even though they were so wet and cold that they were hard to swallow, they had to force themselves to eat them.
The land reclamation provided them with branches suspended above the ground, allowing Yin Yu and the others to even climb up and rest against the branches.
Zhou Zhou and Fan Nan and Fan Bei were surprised, but also felt a sense of fear and unease, as they had never seen such a sentient plant before.
No one dared to lean against the branches that stretched out from the reclaimed land, for fear that if they got too close, they would be immediately entangled and rolled up by the vines, or pulled into the strange mouth of the creature hidden in the shade that could digest and corrode.
Until He Lianzhou and Yin Yu lay down on the tree branch without any qualms.
The tree branches firmly supported their weight, preventing their feet from being soaked in the cold mud.
“Whatever you think, I’ve decided to climb up. It looks so comfortable,” Fan Nan muttered to Zhou Zhou, then found a branch that looked thick enough and climbed up as well.
As Fan Nan climbed up the vines that were creating the land, they made a creaking sound as if they were about to snap, which startled Fan Nan so much that he dared not move.
When the snapping sound stopped, Fan Nan carefully climbed down and then climbed up another one that looked thicker. This time, there were no more strange noises.
Seeing this, Fan Bei and Zhou Zhou looked at each other, hesitated for a few seconds, and then followed suit, clinging to a tree branch, with thick, dry leaves covering them.
Fan Nan strained his ears but didn't hear a single creak, even though it was clearly the weight of two people!
He felt that Zao Lu didn't like him very much.
It's all Fan Bei's fault.
Fan Nan muttered to himself, shivering from the cold. He rubbed the tree branches and muttered softly, "I never thought of you as food, it's all a misunderstanding. How could I dare eat you, right? You're such a life-saving tree, please give me some leaves to warm me up, I'm freezing!"
He talked a lot in short, broken sentences, and his voice was so low that no one else could hear what he was saying.
Fan Bei tossed a stone at Fan Nan, puzzled: "What are you muttering about? Are you out of your mind from the cold?"
"Bullshit!" Fan Nan cursed.
While the two were chatting, a sudden shower of leaves began to fall from above, as if the surrounding "cocoon walls" were shaking, which immediately made Zhou Zhou and the others tense.
"These leaves are all dry. Grab some and stuff them inside your clothes to keep warm." Yin Yu subconsciously grabbed a few fallen leaves, then realized what was happening and reminded the others with some surprise.
This land reclamation seems to possess human-like qualities.
Fan Nan exclaimed "Eek!" and quickly gathered up a large handful, stuffing it all into his clothes and pants. He gasped softly, looking around with more surprise than astonishment, and said in a low voice with delight, "Goodness, you really understood everything?"
After he finished speaking, he immediately realized that the slap he had just given him was also intentional.
hiss.
You can't say a single bad word about land reclamation.
He Lianzhou and Yin Yu huddled together, instinctively seeking warmth. Yin Yu grabbed some leaves and stuffed them into their clothes. He Lianzhou tried to dodge, but Yin Yu grabbed his collar and wouldn't let him break free.
"Still complaining about being dirty at a time like this?" Yin Yu clicked his tongue, suppressing his dizziness as he spoke in a low voice.
He Lianzhou struggled slightly, then wrinkled his nose and chuckled softly with a helpless expression: "It's not that I'm afraid of getting dirty. It's just that..."
He paused, then could only sigh, "I'm ticklish."
Yin Yu was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then clicked his tongue and awkwardly looked away, saying, "Then do it yourself."
This time, He Lianzhou didn't say anything and obediently stuffed a bag of leaves into his pocket.
The five people sheltered from the wind and rain for more than five hours under the temporary fuchsia tree that had been extended during the land reclamation project, until the wind and rain finally stopped and the land reclamation plant began to spread its branches again.
The forest was filled with moisture, damp and humid, and the ground was covered with puddles. The large tree that had been struck by lightning not far away was even half-submerged by the torrential rain.
Although Zhou Zhou and the others were still frozen to a pulp, at least they were still alive. Everyone was incredibly grateful and shivered. Taking advantage of the rain and wind stopping, they hurriedly started a fire to warm themselves up.
The lighter was completely ruined by the heavy rain. It was probably burned out by trying to light it for half a day, which burned out the last fuse. Only a few wet flints were still usable.
Finding dry firewood in the forest after the rain was like a dream. Yin Yu tore off the damp bark of the felled tree, used a dagger to chisel a few centimeters into it, split the trunk, and chiseled out the dry core.
Seeing this, the others immediately sprang into action. After gathering enough dry firewood, Yin Yu used a knife to carefully scrape and grind the heartwood, producing fine, wispy wood shavings.
He gathered a whole handful of sawdust and carefully struck it with a flint and steel to create sparks, trying to ignite the fluffy, dry embers.
The sparks flickered faintly among the wood chips, making them particularly noticeable in the still dim light.
Upon seeing this, Yin Yu's eyes lit up. He quickly cupped the object in both hands and carefully and solemnly brought it to his lips, gently blowing on it.
Wisps of white smoke slowly rose from Yin Yu's palm. Zhou Zhou and the others rubbed their hands together, hurriedly preparing all the "matters" for receiving the fire, making sure that this hard-won fire could burn truly and thoroughly.
Flames shot out from Yin Yu's palm. Yin Yu carefully and quickly transferred the handful of wood shavings to the campfire. Fan Nan and Fan Bei immediately poked the fire with small branches to let in enough air and intensify the fire.
"We've got a fire!" Fan Bei cheered happily.
Fan Nan grinned and said, "That's for sure. Once Captain Yin worships the fire, the fire will be there."
Zhou Zhou and Fan Bei had obviously heard this before, and they laughed as soon as they heard it.
Yin Yu rubbed his hands and covered his ears to warm them up, when he heard Fan Nan's words and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and ask, "What kind of fire are you worshipping?"
Fan Nan chuckled and imitated Yin Yu's gesture of blowing on the fire earlier: "Foxes worship the moon, isn't Captain Yin worshipping fire?"
Yin Yu: ""
"It's quite similar." He Lianzhou smiled, approving of Fan Nan's imagination.
A campfire at night almost dispelled the chill and fear that had hung over them half an hour earlier. The group immediately brought their water bottles and anything edible to the fire to roast, just waiting to have a hot meal.
After the rain, there are an unusually large number of insects, crickets, and moths, especially around fire spots, where they all come chasing after the firelight and warmth.
"So many bugs are jumping around the campfire." Fan Nan shook his head. Just as he finished speaking, he heard Zhou Zhou and Fan Bei cough at the same time.
He looked up and saw the two men glaring at him warningly.
He paused, then subconsciously looked at Yin Yu, only to see Yin Yu staring at the campfire and the insects jumping around it.
Fan Nan chuckled dryly and immediately said, "Captain Yin, are you hungry? We brought plenty of supplies this time! We have whatever kind you want to eat!"
It's not acceptable to eat insects to supplement protein.
What I fear most is that Captain Yin also loves to share.
Yin Yu felt drowsy and had a headache. He was spacing out when Fan Nan suddenly called him to eat. He waved his hand and said, "I'm not hungry, you guys eat."
Fan Nan and the others exchanged glances and, without prior arrangement, left a packet of barbecue-flavored supplies for Yin Yu.
He Lianzhou received the supplies that Fan Nan and the others had given him. They were mixed with vegetable flavors. He took a small bite and couldn't help but click his tongue. It was no wonder that Yin Yu's taste was so strange.
As the sun rises, the mist in the mountains clears, swirling and billowing as the sun rises, creating the illusion of being in a sea of clouds. Yin Yu and his companions sit among the clouds, rubbing their hands and bodies around the campfire, feeling their bodies gradually warming up.
Zhou Zhou shivered every now and then, watching the golden mist slowly dissipate around him, and chuckled: "If it weren't so cold, this scene would be so beautiful."
"Come on, if it weren't cold, you wouldn't be in the mood to enjoy the scenery right now. You would have been urging us to leave long ago," Fan Nan said knowingly.
Zhou Zhou choked: "Don't you have any romantic sense of escaping death?"
Fan Nan rolled his eyes.
He hugged his knees, carefully propped up the kettle that was heating with a branch, wrapped his hands with a few leaves to protect them from the heat, and finally took a satisfied sip of the boiled water, letting out a long sigh.
“Now that’s what I call romance,” Fan Nan concluded, pointing to his kettle.
Fan Bei grinned.
"The rain in Huailing is something you only know if you get caught in it. This time I really suffered a big setback. I never expected to be in such a sorry state." Zhou Zhou sighed, listening to the tinkling sound of raindrops falling beside him.
Yin Yu nodded slightly. He had to admit that this situation was also beyond his expectations. Even though he knew that a heavy rain was coming, he still did not expect to end up in such a difficult situation.
Fortunately, land reclamation was carried out.
He Lianzhou shrugged and said, "At least there was no flood this time."
Zhou Zhou choked for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed: "You're so optimistic."
"Who could be so unlucky as to be caught in a flood during a downpour? You'd have to be incredibly grateful," Fan Nan complained.
Upon hearing this, He Lianzhou twitched the corner of his mouth and turned to look at Yin Yu with a half-smile.
If you crash twice, how high a height of incense would you have to burn?
Yin Yu: ""
The group gathered around the crackling campfire, and as the warmth returned to their bodies, they had to start planning their next steps.
Zhou Zhou looked around and asked, "So what do we say now? The land reclamation site has been found, so what's next?"
Fan Nan and Fan Bei quieted down upon hearing this, and remained silent for a moment.
According to Guanshan's consistent rules, if you find a monster, eliminate it.
Although the reclaimed land consists of plants, and although they had previously joked about transplanting the reclaimed land to desert areas for afforestation, they all knew in their hearts that once reclaimed land was actually discovered, they should eliminate and eradicate it in accordance with regulations.
But now, this incredibly intelligent plant hid them for an entire day, and just when they were about to freeze to death, it stretched out its branches to protect them.
What should they do?
Zhou Zhou, Fan Nan, and Fan Bei all looked at Yin Yu simultaneously.
Yin Yu was not surprised, nor did he hesitate much. He simply said, "I will be in charge of overseeing the land reclamation."
“But it’s rooted in this old forest, how can we take it away? The situation in Guanshan is unclear right now, and we can’t spare the resources and manpower to deal with its relocation and resettlement,” Zhou Zhou said in a low voice.
As he was speaking, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He instinctively shrugged and looked over, only to see a cluster of old tree roots, entwined with small red flowers and covered in mud, fall onto his shoulder. As he turned his head, a thin, long branch snapped at him with a "snap."
Zhou Zhou gasped in pain, and at the same time, another gasp was heard from Fan Nan.
This hurts much more than whipping him with leaves before.
After the old tree root, covered in mud and adorned with a small red flower, was finished being pulled, it was moved to Yin Yu's shoulder. The drooping branches, like willow branches, sprouted tender green buds and hung on Yin Yu's shoulder, giving off an inexplicably arrogant attitude.
Zhou Zhou's eyes widened.
Yin Yu rubbed his temples, ignoring Zhou Zhou's reaction, and simply said, "Its ability to migrate and survive is more flexible and mobile than other plants, so that's fine. The most urgent thing now is to confirm the situation on Guanshan's side. Let's get the car first, and then head out of Huailing."
"Okay, Captain Yin!" Fan Nan responded first, quickly following behind Yin Yu. Then he turned around, made a face at Zhou Zhou and Fan Bei, and waved to them to hurry up and follow.
Zhou Zhou touched his face, still a little dazed: "Am I frozen and confused, or has the world gone mad? Or is Captain Yin out of his mind?"
Fan Bei nudged Zhou Zhou and said, "Let's go quickly. Captain Yin must have his reasons for doing this. When has he ever made a mistake?"
"Then what happened to me just now?" Zhou Zhou gasped as Fan Bei pushed him forward. "I was really whipped by a plant just now?"
"If you insist on using the word 'whipping,' then that's all we can do." Fan Bei's lips twitched.
Fan Nan waited for Zhou Zhou and the others to catch up, and laughed when he heard this: "Hey, I think you're the human object that Zao Lu hates the most now."
"Why aren't you surprised?" Zhou Zhou glared at Fan Nan.
“He was the first one to get slapped by Zao Lu, remember?” Fan Bei said.
Zhou Zhou: ""
Fan Nan snorted, "But it still stuffed a lot of dry leaves into my trunk to keep me warm."
After he finished speaking, he turned to Zhou Zhou, clicked his tongue, and shook his head: "But you can't say for sure. I think you must have angered it."
Zhou Zhou: ""
What is all this nonsense?
The group found the mountain bikes they had parked earlier. Yin Yu and He Lianzhou rode the sidecar motorcycles, while Zhou Zhou and the others led the way, returning the way they came.
It took the group about six hours to finally leave Huailing safely.
After leaving Huailing, the group immediately found a small guesthouse nearby, booked a room, took a hot shower, and then asked the guesthouse owner to order four meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. They made whatever was available, just so they could have a meal as soon as possible.
After taking a shower and eating, the group finally looked like normal people again, as if they had finally recovered.
Yin Yu asked the guesthouse owner for a strip of painkillers and put it in his pocket, then asked Zhou Zhou and the others, "Have you received Fang Bo's message?"
"No, it's been a long time since I received anything. What's the latest news from you guys?" Fan Nan asked.
Yin Yu frowned slightly, fiddling with the communicator in his hand; only two small squares were lit up on the signal bar.
"The signal is bad," Yin Yu said, as the screen remained on "loading."
Upon hearing this, the guesthouse owner came over with an antenna cat: "Come closer."
Sure enough, as soon as the antenna was placed nearby, the communicator immediately displayed a message notification.
"Got it!" Yin Yu replied.
The owner chuckled and placed the antenna next to the table, then turned and went back into the kitchen to bring out the soup that was cooking.
Yin Yu let out a breath and looked at the latest message displayed ten hours ago. At that time, they were in Huailing, getting rained on and freezing, with no signal at all, and only received it now.
"Was it Fang Bo? What did he say?" Zhou Zhou asked quickly.
Yin Yu's expression darkened slightly as he read the message. After a few seconds, he tossed the communicator to Zhou Zhou, letting him read it himself.
"Director Meng hasn't returned yet?!" Fan Nan exclaimed after only one glance, and suddenly stood up.
Zhou Zhou, with a stern face, pulled Fan Nan down: "Don't shout."
Fan Nan took a deep breath and continued watching.
Yin Yu began, "The other party is demanding the handover of the deep-sea monster and the public right to conduct joint research."
"Go on, what handover? It's like we're raising those monsters. These are huge deep-sea behemoths, and not just one, but a whole group. They can go wherever they want. Do you think we're going to escort them to the other side?" Fan Bei cursed under his breath.
Zhou Zhou sneered and mocked, "Clearly they really believe we can do it. The mysterious Eastern power."
Fan Nan frowned and asked, "What is Director Meng's stance?"
“Director Meng refused,” Yin Yu said. “Ten hours ago, Director Meng last contacted Guan Shan to explain that the two sides could not reach a consensus. Logically, Director Meng should have returned to Guan Shan by now, but there is no new information from Fang Bo indicating this.”
Zhou Zhou pursed her lips and looked at Yin Yu: "What does this mean? Director Meng has been taken hostage by them? They dare to do this?!"
Yin Yu recalled Fang Bo's earlier warning. He took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and gripped the edge of the table slightly: "Fang Bo said before that if Director Meng does not return to Guanshan safely within the next seventy-two hours, they will issue a warning and, if necessary, use force to deter him."
He glanced at his watch and pressed a countdown button: "This means that from now on, we're entering the final twelve-hour countdown."
Zhou Zhou and the others were stunned. They all knew very well what military intimidation meant.
"Is it really going to come to this? Just for those few deep-sea monsters that appeared out of nowhere?" Fan Nan muttered to himself.
He Lianzhou glanced at him coldly, but remained silent.
Yin Yu said in a deep voice, "It's not just those few deep-sea creatures. The other countries are just using them as a starting point to launch their attack. Even if we hand them over, they will only demand more and more until we resist or a conflict occurs, giving them a legitimate excuse to fire the first shot."
Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement: "All they want is to start a war and gain more benefits. They've always been like this. Last year, Director Meng was dealing with them. The war situation was tense, and although it was later resolved, it didn't stop them from making their moves."
"What can we do?" Fan Nan asked.
"We can't even get back to Guanshan, what can we do?" Fan Bei shook his head with a bitter smile.
Zhou Zhou paused, then looked at Yin Yu: "Returning to Guanshan isn't difficult; there are still Guanshan ships docked at the Yanjing military port. But the problem is, even if we get back, what can we do?"
He Lianzhou smiled slightly upon hearing this. He turned to look at Yin Yu and said calmly, "At least someone can do something."
Zhou Zhou and the others looked at Yin Yu, puzzled, but their almost blind trust in Yin Yu meant they didn't need to think twice. They knew that Yin Yu and Director Meng must have a backup plan!
After a few seconds of silence, Yin Yu nodded in agreement: "Return to Guanshan."
"Return to Guanshan!"
Yin Yu left a message for Fang Bo, and the group headed towards Guanshan with a plant for land reclamation.
Fang Bo, on the other hand, was repeatedly preparing for the attack and checking the defense system. By the time he noticed Yin Yu's message, several hours had already passed.
Fang Bo cursed, but before he could contact Yin Yu, he suddenly heard his subordinate's urgent communication come through: "Commander Fang! Come to the deck quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Bo immediately dropped everything he was doing and rushed to the deck.
The sea was as turbulent as ever. This is Nemo Point, the most turbulent and deserted place in the world, although it is much more "lively" now.
Less than three nautical miles away from them, three ocean-going ships belonging to the Monster Research Joint Team were anchored. At this moment, as if they were threatened, they all went on high alert and raised their cannons.
On the deep blue, almost black sea, one after another, giant sea monsters slowly rose up, some coiling up their long tentacles, others spewing out huge columns of water. Even as the water jets cascaded onto the decks of the ocean-going ships opposite, those ships with their cannons raised did not dare to move an inch.
Even a small portion of the body of any one of these deep-sea monsters is nearly the size of the entire ocean-going warship.
This was the first time these people had ever seen these deep-sea monsters in person.
"All thirteen behemoths have surfaced," his subordinate whispered urgently to Fang Bo. "These deep-sea monsters haven't surfaced since those three ocean-going ships appeared. Today is extremely unusual."
Before he finished speaking, a faint halo of light slowly expanded and rose from beneath the sea amidst the giant beasts.
A deep-sea exploration vessel suddenly surfaced.
Upon seeing this, Fang Bo suddenly took a step forward and raised his hand to stop his subordinate from speaking.
His breathing suddenly quickened, and he saw the upper hatch of the exploration submarine pop open, and a figure slowly appeared in his field of vision.
“It’s Yin Yu.” Fang Bo murmured, both expecting and surprised. He didn’t even realize that he had smiled, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
The group of giant deep-sea creatures on the surface of the sea suddenly became agitated!
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