Chapter 114
Ginger Branch is a delight.
Chiu Chiu's breakthrough is truly a timely help!
Hu Yang drove at high speed towards the outside of the base and soon parked the car on a relatively flat open space at the foot of Yangkui Mountain, which is close to the base in the Qiling Mountains.
Jiang Zhi pushed open the car door and got out. As her gaze swept across the road ahead, it quickly landed on the tent pitched in the open space.
Luo Yonghui and Wu Bing were standing in front of the tent discussing something when they saw Jiang Zhi, and they all showed a hint of joy.
Wu Bing: "Zhiya, we've been waiting for you to come. When we first heard you were going to Haishi, we were worried we wouldn't be able to get you here in time."
Jiang Zhi's lips twitched. "Brother Wu, you should just call me by my name. It feels awkward when you call me that."
Wu Bing chuckled.
Chen Shaoting greeted Jiang Zhi with a smile, "Jiang Zhi, it's been a long time."
Yan Liang squatted down beside her and nodded, which was considered a greeting.
Luo Yonghui, standing behind them, looked somewhat tired: "Zhi'er, you've come at the right time. We're in trouble this time; we still can't get in touch with the person. Do you have any ideas on how to solve this?"
More than 72 hours have passed since the teams went up the mountain and lost contact.
Although they are all mutants, there is no guarantee that there will be no danger during these 72 hours.
If they cannot find the person, the base will lose more than thirty mutants.
As the person in charge, Luo Yonghui was under a lot of pressure.
Jiang Zhi: "Yang Zi has already told me the general situation on the way. Those who have lost contact are probably trapped by the miasma on the mountain, which is a bit tricky."
“We went up there once before, and even mutants couldn’t do anything about that miasma.”
Luo Yonghui looked surprised: "You guys went up there? When was that?"
Since the ginger twigs can be harvested, there must be another way to resolve this.
Jiang Zhi briefly recounted what she had learned from her previous investigation and her own guesses, and continued, "The miasma gets worse every afternoon around 3 PM. If I'm not mistaken, it's probably coming from the dead trees up there. I originally planned to wait until Qiu Qiu had a bowel movement before going to verify it, but I didn't expect you to have already taken action."
Upon hearing Jiang Zhi's words, Luo Yonghui rubbed his temples. "If I had known, I should have come to you for help first."
"Today too, I originally wanted Yangzi to ask your brother to come along, but I was afraid it would delay your business. If I hadn't had no other choice, I wouldn't have felt comfortable asking you."
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Uncle Luo, you're being too polite."
She looked up into the distance, where the mountain range was shrouded in thick fog, its outlines blurred, as if the entire mountain region was submerged in a white, chaotic void.
Next, Luo Yonghui explained the situation of each of the teams one by one.
The seven teams entered seven mountains at roughly the same time, and all of them lost contact after 3 p.m.
Now not only can't people get down, but even the ropes binding them have broken.
This is the most troublesome part.
Luo Yonghui sighed heavily at the end: "The situation in the mountains is unclear right now. We definitely can't force our way in, but if we keep dragging this out, something might happen..."
He turned to look at Jiang Zhi: "How did you guys get down here back then?"
Jiang Zhi frankly admitted, "We were able to come down here entirely thanks to Er Shun and Qiu Qiu."
Luo Yonghui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, "Then I'll have to trouble you again this time. Please ask them to help bring everyone down from inside."
Jiang Zhi nodded in agreement: "No problem, I'll contact Qiu Qiu."
Then Jiang Zhi closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into the mental pool.
This time, Jiangzhi could clearly feel that her connection with Qiuqiu was several times clearer than before. Even Qiuqiu's actions of preening its feathers were clearly reflected in her perception.
It seems that this spiritual connection has become even stronger after Chiu Chiu's upgrade and breakthrough this time.
"Chirp—" A clear, melodious eagle chirp rang in my mind, carrying a hint of joy, clearly indicating that it had received her call.
Jiang Zhi could clearly "see" that Chiu Chiu flapped its wings and soared into the sky, its sharp eagle eyes piercing through the clouds, gazing at the mountain range shrouded in miasma. Then, it suddenly turned and sped towards their direction.
Ten minutes later, Luo Yonghui and his group appeared as a white shadow breaking through the clouds, and Qiuqiu's huge figure came into view.
As everyone looked up, they realized that the white eagle was much larger than they remembered. When its wingspan was spread, it almost covered half the sky. Its snow-white feathers gleamed coldly in the dim light, giving it a somewhat ferocious appearance.
Wu Bing clicked his tongue in amazement and couldn't help but exclaim, "Goodness, this size... it's almost as big as its mother!"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Because Qiu Qiu has leveled up."
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a few seconds.
Hu Yang couldn't help but rub his eyes, then looked up at the majestic white eagle in mid-air, his face filled with disbelief.
Chen Shaoting and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock at how quickly they had leveled up.
Wu Bing: "Zhi Yatou, tell me honestly, do you have something that can accelerate evolution?"
Jiang Zhi blinked.
Believe it or not, she actually does.
She still has more than ten dewdrops from the level 9 air sac hydra in her hand.
These dewdrops no longer have much effect on her and the ginger tree; even if they are used, they can only increase their energy slightly.
She had used it on Jiang Jun and Jiang Wen before.
However, it can only improve Jiang Jun's sensitivity to the space stone, and it doesn't seem to have much effect on strengthening his body.
While Jiang Wen's mental and physical health improved somewhat, it didn't seem to have much effect.
Therefore, the ginger twigs were not given to other members of the Jiang family for the time being.
Later, she also considered that these dewdrops were not of much use to them, so should she simply hand them all over to the base?
But considering how much effort Luo Yonghui and his team had put into the base, having more resources would be more secure. After weighing the options, they decided to divide it into three parts—
One set was reserved for her own family—Jiang Sui and Jiang Si were still young, and no one could say for sure whether they would have the opportunity to become mutants in the future, so she had to prepare some resources for the children in advance.
One document should be submitted to the base for overall coordination. After all, the stronger the base's overall strength, the more secure everyone's future will be, and the smoother the development will be.
The rest were distributed among Luo Yonghui and a few others.
Now that the matter has been brought up, Jiang Zhi simply took out five dewdrops from her spatial storage and handed them to them one by one.
He said in a calm tone, "This was obtained from a level 9 mutated creature. It should be effective for you. Keep it."
As they were talking, Chiu Chiu had already arrived above where everyone was.
Each flap of its enormous wings stirred up a gale, causing the clothes of the people on the ground to flutter and even the pebbles under their feet to roll.
Jiang Zhi stared at the broad back of the white eagle, as gusts of wind swept over her, almost making her lose her balance.
Taking advantage of the gap in its wing flapping, Jiangzhi suddenly crouched down and darted forward like a cheetah poised for battle.
Just as her hand touched the feathers covered in fine down, Chirp flapped its wings and lifted herself up, a powerful force lifting her off the ground.
She rolled over and landed steadily on the center of her back.
After its breakthrough, the feather root of the chickpea is as tough as sinew, yet its surface is surprisingly soft.
As soon as Jiangzhi stood firm, Jiujiu let out a clear "jiujiu" chirp.
Jiang Zhi looked at Luo Yonghui and the others on the ground: "Uncle Luo, I'll go find them first—"
She hadn't finished speaking.
Luo Yonghui said, "Zhiyatou, wait a minute!"
He quickly pulled a silver-black bird saddle from his spaceship and threw it to Jiang Zhi.
"Here you go. These are some high-grade materials that we exchanged with the base. We used them to make this for you. We know you often go out with Chirp, and you can't go without a suitable ride. This bird saddle is perfect because it can adjust itself to fit the white eagle's body shape."
Jiang Zhi looked down and saw that the edges of the saddle were sewn with fine anti-slip velvet, and the sides were fitted with smooth, polished footrests. Even the matching reins were decorated with subtle patterns for easy gripping, clearly indicating that it was a meticulously crafted product.
What was most surprising was that when the saddle was still half a foot away from Chirpy's back, it suddenly emitted a faint golden glow.
Before she could reach out to help, several flexible straps automatically popped out from both sides of the saddle, deftly wrapping around Qiuqiu's broad body as if they were alive, crossing and tightening below her abdomen. The movements were fluid and smooth, and in the blink of an eye, they were firmly tied to Qiuqiu's back.
The buckle at the end of the strap clicked shut, fitting perfectly as if it were meant to be there.
Chirp fluttered its wings, seemingly unaffected, and affectionately nuzzled Jiangzhi's arm with its beak.
Jiang Zhi was pleasantly surprised.
"Uncle Luo, thank you!"
Just as Luo Yonghui was about to speak, Jueguo felt the dewdrop in his palm suddenly seep into his flesh.
He suddenly froze.
A tremendous surge of energy struck him, causing him to lose his senses instantly.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhi smiled slightly.
She raised her hand to press down on the saddle bridge, and with the help of the airflow from Chiu Chiu's flapping wings, she lightly leaped and sat steadily in the saddle that fit her body perfectly.
The moment she sat down, the hidden seat belts on both sides emerged like nimble snakes, wrapping around her waist and knees twice before snapping into the saddle buckles with a "click." The tightness was just right, providing both stability and freedom of movement.
This is really a great thing. With this, she no longer has to worry about Qiuqiu falling off.
She reached out and stroked the smooth feathers on the back of Chiu Chiu's neck, glanced at the group still absorbing the dew, and smiled at Chiu Chiu, saying, "Chiu Chiu, let's go."
Chirp chirped loudly, and its huge wings flapped suddenly.
Jiang Zhi felt a sudden sinking sensation, followed by being lifted up again, as a gust of wind rushed in.
Soon, the figures and noise on the ground became rapidly shrinking, blurry spots of light.
The group of people who were standing still absorbing the dew did not come to their senses until they had completely absorbed it.
Chen Shaoting suddenly looked up, her pupils slightly contracting, as she was shocked to feel this new energy.
Wu Bing, standing to the side, instinctively gaped, his rugged face filled with disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, looked down at his palms, then at the others, his lips moving for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a trembling sentence: "You... your mental pools are also..."
The overwhelming joy of their increased strength made them all feel like it was all unreal.
The resources they risked their lives to acquire at the base to enhance their strength were easily given to them by a single bead that Jiang Zhi casually tossed to them, allowing them to break through a bottleneck that had been holding them back for so long...
Hu Yang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Didn't Sister Jiang Zhi just say that this thing came from a level 9 mutated creature?"
Level 9... Just how terrifying must that be...?
Yan Liang's expression was complicated: "They've become this powerful? They can actually deal with level 9 mutated creatures?"
A silent shock filled the air. The group looked at each other, their eyes filled with the same emotion—disbelief.
However, the improvement in their strength forced them to believe it.
Wu Bing smugly said, "The guy we've latched onto is incredibly powerful. Boss, it was a brilliant decision of yours to bring him over!"
Since meeting Jiang Zhi and her brother, their team's status and strength have skyrocketed.
This time, his strength has increased significantly again. Other mutants must be green with envy.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhi was completely unaware of the shock that Luo Yonghui and the others were experiencing.
Jiangzhi didn't see Ershun anywhere, so she asked:
"Chirp chirp, where's Ershun?"
The white eagle tilted its head, its golden eyes glancing towards the mountain in the northwest, then flapped its wings twice, emitting a series of rapid and clear "Chirp-chirp!"
Jiang Zhi immediately understood: Er Shun was still on Min'an Mountain.
Judging from its appearance, Er Shun is probably alright.
Jiang Zhi felt relieved.
With this bird saddle, and the nictitating membrane that the base had previously rewarded her with, Jiangzhi was much more comfortable on Qiuqiu's back.
Even if Chirp flies very fast, the saddle can hold her steadily. The cushion underneath is soft, and the headguards on both sides can protect her body. Whether flying fast or turning, she sits steadily without having to grip her feathers tightly, which is much more comfortable.
After getting used to Chirp's speed, Jiangzhi realized that she could now see Chirp's abilities on the dashboard.
"Beep—Level 7 mutated creature detected, variant white eagle, ability 1: Precise positioning. Ability 2: Eye of Time. Ability 3: Consciousness Imprint."
Jiangzhi sat on the bird saddle, her brows furrowed.
A variant of the white eagle?
Chirp is... a mutation in genes?
To Jiang Zhi's surprise, Qiu Qiu also had three special abilities.
She was able to accurately pinpoint this superpower.
Whether it was flying from the giant tree in the cloud nest to Shashi to find me, or recently directing Ershun to lead them away from the Qiling Mountains, it was all thanks to this ability.
But what about the "Eye of Time" and the "Imprint of Consciousness"?
Judging from the words alone, one should be related to time, and the other to consciousness.
She gently tugged at the rope around Qiuqiu's neck, and Qiuqiu made a "chirp" sound, which didn't sound particularly special.
Jiang Zhi was even more puzzled: Does Qiu Qiu even know he has these abilities?
Jiang Zhi studied it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.
So I simply put the matter aside.
She didn't ask Qiuqiu to demonstrate her abilities. There were important matters to attend to right now, and if they encountered a troublesome mutated creature later, things would get complicated. She needed to conserve her strength for now.
Jiangzhi patted Qiuqiu's neck and pointed to the rolling mountains in the distance: "Qiuqiu, there are people trapped in those mountains by miasma. Can you find them?"
Chirp tilted its head and chirped twice, as if in response.
Then, with a flap of its enormous wings, it soared into the air, circled halfway around, and then its sharp golden eyes swept across the misty mountains.
Moments later, it suddenly swooped down toward the mountain on the left, which was mostly shrouded in thick white miasma, at a speed as fast as lightning.
Jiangzhi gripped the saddle tightly from behind, feeling the wind whistling past her ears. Just as they were about to plunge into the miasma, Jiujiu suddenly flapped its wings and stopped beside a relatively thin cloud of air, chirping twice towards a hidden ravine below.
Jiang Zhi peered down and, through the misty miasma, could vaguely see several figures circling in place in the mountains.
The seven or eight mutants were divided into three groups, separated by only five or six meters, yet they seemed unable to see each other.
Their steps were unsteady, as if they were being pulled by invisible threads. The miasma had turned their faces pale and their eyes unfocused. They would stagger a few steps if they turned too fast, but they could never break free from this vicious cycle.
Jiang Zhixin was delighted.
We've found the first group of people!
Unexpectedly, even through such thick miasma, Qiuqiu accurately located these people.
This positioning capability is amazing.
Unfortunately, despite its large size, Chiu Chiu remained steadily suspended in mid-air with its wings outstretched, yet the miasma below showed little fluctuation.
The mist only swayed slightly at the edge of the eagle's wings, as if blocked by an invisible force, showing no sign of being blown away, and continued to heavily envelop the mountains.
Jiang Zhi didn't dwell on it, after all, the fog could even block out the dashboard warnings, so you can imagine how eerie it was.
Jiangzhi unfastened the buckle on the bird's saddle and pulled a thick rope from the space device. She quickly slid down from Qiuqiu's back, hanging upside down on its claws, then wrapped one end of the rope around Qiuqiu's claws several times, tying a tight knot to ensure it wouldn't slip off.
"Wait here, don't fly around," she ordered, then grabbed the other end of the rope and jumped down. The rope tightened slightly as she fell, just enough to cushion the impact of her landing.
The group of people trapped in the mountains were being entangled by miasma and were feeling restricted when they suddenly heard a whooshing sound above them. They were startled and could vaguely see a white shadow in the sky. Its huge wings carried an imposing aura, and it was clearly a high-level mutated beast.
"Mutant bird! Be on alert!" someone shouted, immediately gripping their weapons and exchanging glances—such a large creature must be of a high level.
Before they could even get into position, a figure slid down the rope hanging below the white figure.
The rope swayed slightly in mid-air, cushioning the fall as the person landed steadily. He then patted the dampness off his clothes and looked up to meet their wary gazes—
The group was somewhat taken aback.
It turned out to be a young girl, still clutching the rope connected to the blank shadow above her hand.
The men holding their weapons froze, watching as she straightened up, looked up, and shouted something at the white figure in the sky. The imposing giant obediently responded, showing no intention of attacking.
The leader of the mutants hesitated for a moment before asking, "Who are you...?"
Jiang Zhi straightened up and said with a smile, "I was sent by Captain Luo, specifically to take you down the mountain."
As she spoke, she pointed to the chirping bird in the sky, "That's my partner, Chirping. We'll use it to get you out of here later."
Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, Jiang Zhi pulled out a longer rope from her spatial device. Without saying a word, she walked over to the nearest person, flicked her wrist, and the rope nimbly wrapped around the person's waist twice, tying a tight slipknot.
"Stand firm," she said without looking up, then quickly walked to the next one.
Someone was about to ask a question, but before they could even open their mouth, they saw that Jiang Zhi had already finished tying the ropes and it was time for the next person.
After tying up three people, Jiang Zhi was about to have Qiu Qiu pull them up so she could look for the others in the air when...
Suddenly, I felt like there were several blurry points of light in my mind, with their location and distance clearly marked.
Jiang Zhi's heart skipped a beat—Chirp's location ability... why does it look so much like a dashboard prompt?
However, compared to the dashboard, this capability is more singular and more practical.
Could it be because when Qiuqiu hatched and was about to die, I hastily channeled my spiritual energy into it, causing this to happen?
The thought flashed through Jiang Zhi's mind.
She quickly suppressed it.
Based on the location shared by Qiuqiu, she quickly found two other groups of people.
Before anyone could react, Jiang Zhi straightened up, dusted off her hands, and looked up at the sky, shouting, "Chirp chirp, it's ready!"
After Jiang Zhi finished shouting, she turned around, grabbed the dangling rope, and climbed up using both her hands and feet. Her movements were as fast as a nimble ape. In no time, she flipped onto the saddle and fastened the safety buckle again.
"Chirp chirp, fly up, back to Captain Luo's!"
The white eagle responded, its wings flapped suddenly, and it lifted the group of people into the air.
The mutants were suddenly pulled into the air, and they all instinctively cried out in surprise, frantically grabbing the ropes around their waists.
Once they had regained their balance, the group managed to open their eyes. Using the light filtering through the gaps in the miasma, they finally managed to see what was pulling them along—
Its outstretched wings were over a hundred meters wide, and its snow-white feathers were dazzling. In particular, its sharp golden eyes shone like two flames in mid-air.
It's actually a level 7 mutated white eagle!
On the eagle's back, the little girl who had tied the ropes for them earlier suddenly sat steadily on the back of this high-level mutated beast, gently pulling on the leash as if she were riding some docile animal.
"This, this is..." someone's voice trembled, and the hand gripping the rope tightened.
In all their years of missions, they had never seen a mutated beast tamed by humans, let alone such a high-level mutated beast.
The group was so shocked that they were speechless for a long time, filled with disbelief.
—Just who is this little girl? To make such a ferocious creature so docile, she must be even more powerful than this white eagle?
However, they couldn't think any deeper into it.
As the white eagle flew at breakneck speed, the mountain wind instantly filled our ears, and the scenery below shrank rapidly.
As the speed increased, the airflow was so strong that people couldn't open their eyes, and the people hanging below felt their internal organs churning.
—This speed is too fast to bear; if we fly any further, I'm afraid I'll really throw up.
However, the white eagle above showed no sign of slowing down. With a flap of its wings, it quickly pulled them towards Luo Yonghui's location.
From a distance, a string of people appeared to be suspended in mid-air, swaying from side to side as the white eagle flew by, like gourds hanging on a rope.
In just a moment, the white eagle landed steadily at its encampment at the foot of the mountain.
Jiang Zhi untied the knot, watched as the people who had been lowered staggered to their feet, and nodded to Luo Yonghui who came to greet her: "Uncle Luo, I'll leave the people to you for now, I'll continue looking for the others."
Before Luo Yonghui could ask any more questions, the white eagle had already taken flight again and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
The rescued people were still in shock.
After a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "Captain Luo, who exactly is that girl? She can actually ride a level seven white eagle..."
The people around also looked over, their eyes full of curiosity.
Luo Yonghui gazed in the direction where the white eagle had disappeared, a smile playing on his lips, his tone smug: "Her? You all know her, she's Jiang Zhi, who went on several missions with us before."
Everyone present was stunned upon hearing this, then suddenly realized—it was her! The one who had awakened a rare superpower and whom even the base's higher-ups treated with respect!
Previously, I thought she was just lucky to have acquired a rare ability that others couldn't obtain, but I never expected her to be so powerful.
The ability to tame a wild and unruly level-seven mutated white eagle is far more admirable than any rare superpower!
The group exchanged glances, their shock deepening. Recalling the composed figure in mid-air just moments before, they suddenly realized that the rumors about her were probably less than a tenth of her true abilities.
For the next hour or so, Chirp's figure darted back and forth among the miasma-shrouded mountains.
Sitting on the eagle's back, Jiangzhi used the location shared by Qiuqiu to accurately locate the trapped mutants.
Jiang Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief four hours later when the last trapped person was brought back to the open space of the encampment.
She patted Qiuqiu's neck: "Okay, that's a wrap."
Luo Yonghui quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Zhi'er, this time it's all thanks to you and Qiuqiu! Bringing everyone back safely in such a short time is something no one else could have done."
No mutants were injured this time, but they were clearly in a daze after being trapped for so long.
It will probably take some time to recover.
He turned to look at the team members who were gradually recovering on the open ground, and knew in his heart that he had only managed to resolve the matter by using his relationship with Jiang Zhi.
He turned back to Jiang Zhi and said, "If it weren't for you being willing to give me this face, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to put my mind at ease. When we get back to the base, I'll treat you to a proper meal to thank you!"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Uncle Luo, we're all family, no need to be so polite."
After saying that, she flapped Chirp Chirp's wings. "Everyone here is safe and sound. If there's nothing else, I'd like to take care of some things first."
"By the way, I'll leave the source of the miasma to Uncle Luo to report to the base. I'll be going now, bye-bye."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chirp suddenly raised its head and let out a clear, melodious cry.
Then, a hurricane swept by, and Jiang Zhi, sitting on the eagle's back, instantly became a smaller and smaller white dot in the sky.
Luo Yonghui's unfinished words stuck in his throat.
Chen Shaoting chuckled from the side, "Jiang Zhi is getting more and more dashing."
Once Jiangzhi was away from the ground, she touched Qiuqiu's feathers and said, "Let's fly to the center of the mountain range."
Chirp responded with a not-so-loud chirp.
It flapped its wings twice, adjusted its direction, and flew towards the center of the mountain range.
Jiang Zhi only discovered this while rescuing the person.
After the cataclysm, the Qiling Mountains, which originally ran north-south, were torn and squeezed by violent tectonic movements, and their original course was forcibly changed, transforming into a ring-shaped mountain range with its ends connected.
From a distance, the continuous mountain range resembles a lurking giant python, its back undulating and enclosing the central area completely.
As Jiang Zhi traversed the outer mountain peaks, she discovered that all the mountain ranges were shrouded in a white miasma, while the central area was not heavily affected by the miasma and was even considered relatively clear.
Out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely saw something glimmering in the thin mist at the center of the ring mountain range.
The light was faint, only vaguely revealing a few colorful outlines, before being swallowed up by the surging miasma in an instant.
She was busy locating the trapped people at the time and thought it was just an illusion caused by the refraction of light. She didn't dare to be sure—after all, the miasma in the Qiling Mountains could distort vision, and she couldn't say for sure whether that light was an illusion or something like that.
But the closer she got to the center, the clearer the light and shadow in her memory became, making her even more certain that the glance she had just seen was not an illusion.
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