Chapter 104
Upon hearing that they were talking about enclosing land, Ah Kuan's face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled as he said, "Brother Shu... this... this isn't right!"
His eyes were filled with terror. "When I was a child, I heard the old people in the village say that those who went into the mountains and never came out did just like this... They would walk and walk until they ended up back where they started, unable to find their way out, and in the end... they would just die of exhaustion in these mountains, leaving only a skeleton..."
His voice was strained, his eyes darting into the mist, as if afraid something might emerge from that white expanse, "Are we in that kind of situation right now...?"
Jiang Shu didn't understand either. They had clearly gone downhill, so how did they end up back where they started?
He gritted his teeth.
"I refuse to believe this! Let's try again!"
Han Lei also felt something was off. He looked up at the increasingly thick fog around him and said, "Let's find a rope and tie everyone together around our waists." He lowered his voice, "This fog is really weird. If we get separated, it's no joke."
Jiang Shu didn't object, and took out a climbing rope from his satchel and threw it to Han Lei.
The rope is made of thickened nylon and was a package that came with a camping kit that Jiang Shu bought before.
Han Lei quickly tied the men's waists tightly.
Jiang Shu picked up a sharp stone from the ground and scratched a deep gash into the trunk of the old pine tree in front of him. "Let's go! Let's go again!"
The fog remained thick.
The temperature display on the detector changed to 0 degrees.
The temperature started to drop from 3 o'clock.
If we were really trapped here, we wouldn't know how low the temperature would drop at night.
A chill crept up the five people's legs.
They were walking downhill, and after only ten minutes, the slope beneath their feet gradually flattened out, even showing a slight upward incline. Jiang Shu's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly stopped. The two people behind him were pulled by the rope and almost bumped into him.
"W-What's wrong?" Ah-Kuan's voice trembled as if it were about to fall apart.
Jiang Shu didn't speak, but slowly turned around.
A few steps away, an old pine tree stood quietly in the mist, the newly drawn deep mark on its trunk standing there crookedly.
Han Lei raised his hand to wipe the condensation from his face. "This is weird... what's going on?"
The rope was suddenly tugged; it was Ah Kuan pulling from behind: "Tree, Brother Tree...look under that tree..."
Jiang Shu followed his gaze and saw that there were several fresh footprints among the gnarled roots of the old pine tree.
It was just left behind by them!
The five people stood frozen in place, the damp, cold mist seeping into their collars, and they instinctively lowered their breathing.
The seven or eight meters they had just trudged downhill, clearly a solid downhill path, turned out to be a complete circle around them.
No one dared to speak.
The fog grew thicker and thicker, blurring their faces. Only the old pine tree appeared as a faint black shadow in front of them, watching them motionless behind.
Regardless of how Jiang Shu and the others felt at that moment, Jiang Zhi was facing the same situation on the other side.
She had been wandering around in the same spot for half a day, but she always ended up back at the flat slope.
Jiang Zhi had heard of the miasma in the Qiling Mountains before.
The scientific explanation is that the hot and humid environment, the growth of microorganisms, and the accumulation of air due to the terrain make it easy for fog to not dissipate, which leads to visual distortion and makes people feel like they are spinning in place.
Although she didn't know if this theory could still explain the miasma now, Jiang Zhi tried different methods, but none of them could get her out of the area.
No wonder so many mutants the base sent in before couldn't even get out of the Qiling Mountains.
At this concentration, it's easy to get lost even from two meters away, let alone seven or eight meters.
She took a deep breath, and the mist, carrying the pungent smell of decaying leaves, filled her lungs, causing her to cough lightly twice.
So he stopped struggling and found a relatively clean rock to sit on.
Currently, the biggest threat to the Qiling Mountains is not the mutated creatures, but rather these unpredictable miasma.
According to Jiang Zhi's observation, the fog gradually increased starting at 3 PM.
By now, it's so thick that you can't even see your fingers when you stretch out your hand.
I wonder how her brother and Niu Dali are doing now.
There is no threat from mutated creatures in this area, so it should be safe for the time being.
With that thought in mind, Jiangzhi calmed down and tried to sense the chirping sound to see if she could find a way out of this predicament by following its location.
The moment I sensed the other person with my mental power, I felt a scorching and powerful aura.
This is different from the vague connection we had before.
This time, Jiangzhi could feel the restless vitality of the chick.
A thought struck her.
The little guy had obviously run off to the Qiling Mountains and stolen something that could boost his energy, and was now focused on digesting it.
It's fine, it just can't move for the time being.
Jiang Zhi let out a long sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing slightly.
She deliberately avoided looking at the road beneath her feet, relying solely on the directions she could find in her mental pool, moving forward step by step with utmost care.
More than ten minutes passed.
When Jiang Zhi caught sight of that all-too-familiar stone again, her heart sank.
—It still didn't work, and I was back to square one again.
Is there really no way to break through this fog?
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips.
Sitting idly by and waiting for death has never been her style.
Jiang Zhi remembers there was a rather tall dead tree above the flat slope.
Now that the fog has settled, maybe we can see some clues if we climb up a tree.
Jiang Zhi quickly walked to the dead tree based on her memory, grabbed the rough branches, and started climbing up the tree.
The rotten wood edges hurt her palms. She held her breath and carefully moved up the crisscrossing branches, finding a relatively stable foothold halfway up.
Looking up, all around was still a thick white fog, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Jiang Zhi frowned, gripped the branch tightly, and climbed another three or four meters.
The closer you get to the treetop, the thicker the fog seems to grow. Even your breath is enveloped in a musty, woody smell that sticks to your throat and is particularly unpleasant.
Suddenly, she stopped moving.
Just a few meters above their heads, wisps of white mist were slowly seeping out from the very top branches of the withered tree.
It wasn't fog blown in by the wind, but rather wisps and strands of mist seeping out from the cracks in the rotten, black bark and from the broken ends of the withered branches, like the dead tree breathing silently.
Jiang Zhi's pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart trembled violently.
She stared at the ever-flowing mist, a chill creeping up her spine—could it be... that this thick, impenetrable mist wasn't some mountain weather phenomenon, but rather emitted by these dead, mutated, withered trees?
She couldn't resist reaching out and breaking off a nearby dry branch. The branch was already completely dry, and it snapped easily with a crisp "crack" sound.
Then, two wisps of very faint white mist rose from the broken edge, quickly mixing with the surrounding mist. If Jiang Zhi hadn't been staring intently, she would have doubted that she was seeing things.
Just as Jiang Zhi was thinking about whether to try a few more times, a sudden, urgent fluctuation came from the mental pool.
Ginger Branch is a delight.
Chuchu has responded!
She immediately composed herself.
Within the pool of spirits, the warm light belonging to Chiu Chiu was trembling slightly, as if trying to convey something.
"Chirp chirp? Where are you now?"
Nuanguang trembled even more violently upon hearing Jiangzhi's voice, and then a faint but clear thought came through the spiritual bond.
Soon, some images flashed through Jiang Zhi's mind.
These scenes are actually from ChiuChiu's unique perspective.
The image evokes a sense of vastness, soaring between heaven and earth, with clouds swirling beneath its wings and the wind carrying the scent of the mountains.
The images unfolded in my mind like a movie.
Jiujiu led Ershun up the peak of Min'an Mountain.
At the summit, the gnarled roots of the mutated giant tree twisted menacingly around the cliff face, and atop the tree was a gilded, wondrous flower.
Jiang Zhi watched as the eagle and the dog fought together against the tree for a long time, finally gaining the upper hand.
The scene changes.
At the heart of the tree, a wondrous flower, enveloped in shimmering golden light, slowly unfurled—a trophy of this fierce battle.
The final scene shows Chirp, now nearly twice its previous size, nestled in a sheltered rock crevice with its wings folded. Golden light still lingers among its fluffy white feathers, clearly digesting its spoils.
The scene ends abruptly here.
Even so, Jiangzhi had learned enough information.
——
First, when Qiuqiu flew to Qiling Mountain Range, it was indeed for some good stuff.
Second, now Chiu Chiu is digesting her spoils at the top of Min'an Mountain.
Jiang Zhi was pleasantly surprised that Qiu Qiu could leave such a picture in her mind.
Could this be a new ability that ChiuChiu has awakened?
She tried to convey her current situation to Qiuqiu through that subtle spiritual connection.
I don't know if it got through or not, because then there was no further news.
Jiang Zhi had no choice but to climb down the tree trunk first.
Now that she could contact Qiuqiu, Jiangzhi was no longer in a hurry.
To verify her earlier idea, Jiang Zhi took out a hoe from the spaceship and swung it at the dead tree roots.
The hoe fell, splitting a large gash in the hard, dry root.
Strangely, the expected overflowing mist did not appear.
Jiang Zhi took a closer look and found that the dead tree was just like any other tree, with no apparent problem.
This mist—is it only coming out from the treetops?
Jiang Zhi seemed to be deep in thought.
Just as she was pondering this, the dashboard suddenly issued a notification:
"Beep—Level 6 mutated golden retriever detected."
On the dashboard, the bright green dot was hurtling through the fog at an alarming speed, hurtling toward them.
Ginger Branch is a delight.
"Er Shun!!"
The next instant, a gap was suddenly torn open in the thick fog ahead!
A tall, golden figure burst forth, accompanied by the wind!
Er Shun was clearly running too fast. After rushing over, he couldn't stop his momentum. His huge body, with a kind of clumsy and straightforward force, crashed into Jiang Zhi, causing her to stagger back a few steps and fall heavily to the ground.
The ginger twig was completely covered by it.
"Woof woof woof!"
Jiang Zhi laughed heartily.
"Er Shun! How did you find your way here?"
I thought there was no chance of contacting Qiuqiu, but I didn't expect that Ershun would be sent over first.
The Er Shun in front of her was much stronger than before, its shoulder height almost reaching her chest. Its originally fluffy fur had a layer of dark golden luster, and the muscles in its limbs were even more prominent. The tips of its claws gleamed faintly, and even its gentle eyes had a bit more intimidating sharpness.
Jiang Zhi was taken aback. Remembering the dashboard notification from earlier, she quickly got up. "Ershun! You've passed Level 6!?"
When I first met Ershun, he was a level 5 mutated beast. I never expected that he would become a level 6 beast in such a short time.
It seems that Sister Qiuqiu hasn't mistreated her little brother Ershun!
"Woof woof!!" Ershun responded excitedly.
It kept rubbing its head against her face, clearly very happy to see her.
Jiang Zhi smiled and reached out to pet it, her fingertips tracing its thick fur, making Er Shun squint and purr, its tail wagging even more enthusiastically.
After she had finished masturbating, Jiang Zhi finally spoke up: "Er Shun, let's go find my brother!"
It's unclear whether the fog has no effect on the mutated beasts or whether Er Shun is immune to it.
But since Er Shun was able to find her, he must also be able to find her brother.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ershun suddenly sat up straight, his ears perked up, and he made short "woof woof" sounds in his throat, his tail wagging so hard it was almost a blur.
It hopped around a couple of times, scratching at the ground with its front paws as if searching for the scent of ginger. After a moment, it turned its head and barked twice in one direction, clearly eager to lead the way.
Jiangzhi deftly flipped over and mounted its broad back, Ershun barked softly, and its four paws pierced through the thick fog like a gust of wind.
Before she could even grab Ershun, she was already back in the pine forest where Yue Daojiang and the others were.
Jiang Zhi looked closely and saw that the people unconsciously going up and down a pine tree in front of her were none other than Jiang Shu and her group.
Jiang Zhi was somewhat stunned.
Is it really that simple?
On second thought, that makes sense; they were only seven or eight meters apart to begin with. If it weren't for the fog, they wouldn't have been unable to find each other.
Before Jiang Zhi could speak, Er Shun beneath her had already rushed over impatiently.
"Woof woof woof!"
Ershun's cheerful barking broke through the stagnant fog, and the group circling the pine tree turned around abruptly.
Jiang Shu was stunned at first, but then the confusion on his face was instantly dispelled by ecstasy, and he took a few steps forward.
"A-Zhi—Er-Shun?!"
Jiang Zhi's outline gradually became clearer in the mist. A-Kuan was stunned at first, then rubbed his eyes violently, "It's...it's Sister Zhi?!"
Seeing that everyone was alright, Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It's me."
The laughter was like a warm current crashing into the deathly silence of the fog, and everyone's tense backs relaxed instantly.
The chilling feeling of being trapped by the thick fog was mostly dispelled by this sudden reunion.
The anxiety and fear on everyone's faces faded, replaced by expressions of surprise and joy.
They all crowded around.
Ah Song took a half-step forward, his voice booming, "Sister Zhi! Are you alright? We couldn't find you anywhere, we were so worried—"
His words trailed off when he saw the mutated golden retriever under Jiang Zhi.
His eyes widened in disbelief, and after a long pause, he stammered, "Sister Zhi... this... this is the mutated golden retriever you were talking about earlier?"
Han Lei and A Kuan were also filled with shock.
Jiang Shu chuckled, stepped forward, and ruffled Er Shun's hair. "That's right, come here, Er Shun, say hello to your own people~"
Er Shun excitedly wagged his tail, rubbed his big head against Jiang Shu's arm, and then turned to the others, making purring sounds in his throat.
They had expected the mutated dog Jiang Shu mentioned to be larger than a normal dog, but when they actually saw Er Shun's appearance, they were still shocked—this was not just "larger"; it was unimaginably enormous!
Just by squatting there, it looked almost like a baby elephant, completely overturning their perception of "dog".
Jiang Zhi looked around and saw the fog that Er Shun had just broken through was now surging back like a living thing. She interrupted the others and said, "This fog is strange. Let's go down the mountain first and then talk about other things."
When the fog was mentioned, Ah Kuan and the others became a little nervous.
I still vividly remember the dizziness and panic of being lost in the fog.
Logically speaking, Jiang Zhi and they were only seven or eight meters apart before, and they hadn't gone far, but when they turned around, they couldn't find her.
If Jiang Zhi hadn't rushed in with Er Shun, they don't know how long they would have been trapped there.
Looking at Ershun's large body, Han Lei asked tentatively, "Can Ershun take us down?"
Jiang Zhi said, "Er Shun probably found us by his sense of smell. It's hard to say whether we can get down the mountain safely."
Er Shun seemed to understand, raised his head and barked, his tail gently sweeping the ground, his tongue lolling out as if in response.
Jiang Shu was overjoyed, "Er Shun said it's okay!"
Han Lei was both surprised and delighted. "Then let's go down the mountain now."
They wandered around for over an hour, and it was already 5 p.m. If they didn't leave soon, who knew what might happen that night.
Jiang Shu patted Ershun's fluffy head and said loudly, "Ershun, lead the way!"
Er Shun turned his head and barked in response, flicked his tail lightly, and kicked off down the mountain with his four paws.
Its gait was unusually light for a creature of its size, and it moved so quickly on the mountainside that it made almost no sound.
Han Lei and the others, still bound by ropes, followed closely behind Jiang Shu, barely daring to breathe.
When they encounter a place with thick fog, Er casually turns his head to sniff.
Occasionally, he would look up towards the summit of Min'an Mountain, as if confirming something.
It was fine once or twice, but after it happened a few times, Jiangzhi began to notice something amiss.
—Is Er Shun following Qiu Qiu's orders?
Jiang Zhi suppressed her doubts and followed Er Shun, walking and stopping intermittently.
After an unknown amount of time, the fog finally began to thin, and a mountain breeze could be faintly felt.
The group stumbled and realized they were standing on flat ground at the foot of the mountain.
Looking at the withered branches and twigs around them, Ah Kuan asked in a hoarse voice, "Are we... at the bottom of the mountain?"
Han Lei leaned against a tree and caught his breath: "It's at the foot of the mountain."
Jiang Shu slumped to the ground, patting Er Shun and laughing, "Good brother, you really brought us out!"
Er Shun's eyes lit up when he was praised.
It barked, and its tail, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly stood up and swayed happily from side to side, its fluffy fur making a rustling sound as it swept the ground.
Upon arriving here, Han Lei and the others finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief, their legs going weak and almost unable to stand.
The scene of being trapped on the mountain just now is still vivid in my mind.
Han Lei felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it. He raised his hand to wipe his face, his fingertips covered in cold sweat.
If they had lingered any longer on the mountain, those ordinary people would probably have been driven mad by the mountain fog.
Jiang Zhi and Jiang Shu are siblings who are mutants, and their mental resilience is much higher than that of ordinary people in that extreme environment.
But they couldn't. Under that kind of smog, ordinary people felt like they were being slowly cut by a dull knife, their spirits gradually worn away, and they were on the verge of collapse.
No wonder the base forbids ordinary people from going up the mountain.
Seeing that Han Lei and the others didn't look well, Jiang Zhi asked, "Brother Lei, how are you? Can you still walk?"
After winter sets in, it gets dark very quickly. By 5 p.m., only a little light remains in the west.
Han Lei paused for a moment, then said, "I can still hold on. Let's go back to the base first, and we can talk about the rest when we get back."
Jiang Zhi nodded and looked at Er Shun, who was squatting to the side.
She raised her hand and ruffled the fur on Er Shun's neck, her voice softening: "Er Shun, we need to go back to base."
Er Shun seemed to understand, gently brushing her hand with its tail, letting out a low whimper, and nuzzling its head against her palm.
Jiang Shu stood aside, watching Er Shun rub his hand against Jiang Zhi's palm. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.
When Ershun stood up and looked at him, he suddenly took half a step forward, his hand hovering in mid-air, and finally patted Ershun's neck heavily: "Silly dog, go back and stay there, don't run around. We'll come see you another day."
Er Shun barked in response, wagged its tail happily, and rubbed its nose against the back of his hand.
Time waits for no one.
The six quickly packed their things, and Jiang Shu patted Er Shun's ear one last time before heading towards the base.
Er Shun squatted down in place, watching their backs until they had walked quite a distance, and he could still hear a clear "woof" coming from behind him.
Han Lei and the others looked back, and the outline of Min'an Mountain had already disappeared into the dissipating mist, as if the scene of being trapped on the mountain just now was just a dream.
The giant mutated golden retriever was sitting quietly and obediently at the foot of Min'an Mountain, watching them.
By the time we got back to the base, it was already past 7 p.m.
The cold wind was even more biting at night.
I didn't see many people moving around in the several areas I passed through.
Only four or five windows in the low-rent housing area let in warm yellow light, and you could see the shadows of flames cast on the walls.
When they returned to their own territory, they could see Ye Qingyun sitting on the threshold of their own house, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, with a hot water bottle in his hand.
Jiang Shu, with her sharp eyes, shouted from afar, "Mom! We're back!"
When Ye Qingyun saw that the group had returned safely, he stood up and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were unharmed.
"You're finally back! Come in and warm up."
As soon as the six people stepped into the hall, they were greeted by the heat rising from the brazier, mixed with the faint smell of burning charcoal, which completely blocked the chill outside.
Han Lei and the others practically shuffled over, and as soon as they stretched their hands to the fire pit, their frozen fingertips felt a tingling warmth.
Jiang Shu simply took off his frost-covered coat, sat down on the stool, and even moved his feet closer to the brazier. He felt so comfortable that he wanted to lie down: "The brazier at home is still the most comfortable!"
At this moment, Wu Xiu brought over several bowls of soup from the kitchen. "Come on, here are some hot buns and soup. Eat them first to warm yourselves up."
The hot soup was made from field mouse entrails, and Ye Qingyun added a lot of ginger to remove the fishy smell, making everyone feel warm and cozy after drinking it.
The buns were made with mixed flour, and the dough wasn't very fluffy. When you bit into one, you found chopped field mouse innards mixed with some oil residue inside, and the salty and savory flavor slowly spread in your mouth.
Even though Jiang Shu had already eaten in the morning, eating it again on an empty stomach would still give her a different feeling.
Jiang Shu ate five in a row before he felt full.
Ah Kuan and Ah Song, who were standing nearby, were also starving.
Although I brought a lunchbox, I was busy collecting pine cones and needles or finding a way down the mountain all day, and I didn't have time to eat anything.
They're wolfing down their food now.
"Auntie, these steamed buns are delicious! Your cooking skills are amazing!"
Ye Qingyun smiled and said, "Eat slowly. The fire on the stove hasn't been turned off yet. I'll heat it up for you if you want."
Everyone at home is here.
Jiang Zhi discovered that the mahogany furniture she had taken out earlier had been almost completely dismantled by her second uncle, Jiang He, and part of it had been reassembled into a rectangular dining table that could seat more than ten people.
Some of them were made into small stools, and the rest were piled up in the corner. Judging from the initial design, they were intended to be used as storage cabinets.
Seeing that the others had recovered, Jiang Shan asked, "How was it? Did you find anything on this trip?"
The brother and sister exchanged a glance and then released all the spoils they had collected that day from their spatial storage device.
In an instant, the room was filled with the scent of pine resin.
Grandma Jiang's eyes widened. "You found so many pine trees today?"
Jiang Shu quickly said, "Grandma, you don't know, we climbed the mountain for several hours and only saw these pine trees still alive. The rest were almost frozen."
Jiang Hai picked up a few pine cones and smelled them. "The mutated pine trees are more cold-resistant, so it's not surprising that they can survive the cold wave."
Wu Xiu was quite happy. "It's good that we can find some food. Otherwise, it's unsettling to just sit here and eat our savings away."
Jiang Shan was more concerned about something else. He looked at his daughter and asked, "Did you find anything unusual when you went up the Qiling Mountains today?"
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Dad, I was just about to tell you this. I suspect that the fog in the Qiling Mountains is related to the dead trees in the mountains."
After she recounted what she had just discovered, everyone was somewhat shocked.
Han Lei was the first to react, "If it's true, does that mean that as long as the base gets rid of all the dead trees on the mountain, we can go up the mountain to collect them?"
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