Chapter 92
Jiang Shu nodded vigorously, "Absolutely!"
Neither he nor his sister had ever considered joining the official organization. Now that they had the opportunity to purchase Suyuan cakes at a 30% discount, they certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass them by.
Luo Yonghui waved his hand, "Alright, you should leave now. Don't stay in front of me, or I'm afraid I'll regret it."
Jiang Shu chuckled, then mounted Er Shun and followed Huang Xianming.
When the soldiers saw Jiang Shu walking towards them, they cheered.
"Great!! Comrade Jiang Shu is on our team now!"
"That golden retriever is so well-behaved! I really want to pet it..."
"Our team will definitely finish the mission and return here soon, right? We can get some more rest!"
...
Meanwhile, Luo Yonghui was furious and started cursing.
"Hypocrite! Traitor! You betrayed your teammates, don't you have a conscience?!"
The most crucial question is, why don't we betray him?!
What a greedy and treacherous fellow!
He finally managed to form a team with his brother and sister, but Luo Yonghui turned around and sold them to Huang Xianming.
Thinking about this, Zou Minghua was so angry that his teeth itched.
Luo Yonghui retorted, "Why don't you just say it's because you have a bad temper! Nothing happens when you don't come, but as soon as you arrive, people run away. Isn't that your fault?!"
Jiang Zhi watched from the side, finding it both funny and absurd.
It seems these two have a good relationship; they even managed to argue over such a small matter.
Fortunately, a hurricane swept through the sky at that moment, interrupting the two men's argument.
Jiang Zhi was delighted, "Chirp chirp!"
Chirp really can sense her thoughts!
Previously, I had only expressed my desire for the other person to return in the Spirit Pool, but I never expected that Chiu Chiu would actually fly back.
She jumped onto Qiuqiu's back and called out, "Captains, stop arguing, we're about to set off."
The two exchanged a glance, then both snorted and went straight back to their respective vehicles.
Jiang Zhi smiled and patted Qiu Qiu's head. "Qiu Qiu, let's go! Head north!"
With a long whistle, it flapped its wings, flew in a small circle in place, and then sped off to the north.
Luo Yonghui got back into the car. "Let's go, we'll follow behind Jiang Yatou."
Hu Yang was stunned for a moment. "Boss, where's Brother Jiang Shu?"
Luo Yonghui: ...
*
After the explorers left, the professors discussed the issues surrounding this space again.
It didn't take long before I felt unbearably hot.
One by one, they took off the military overcoats that their assistants had just put on them outside.
The temperature displayed on the detector is 27 degrees Celsius.
After taking off his clothes, Professor Yang felt refreshed and said, "If this place were closer to our base, we could hide here to escape the cold when winter comes."
Professor Liang didn't give him any face: "You're dreaming. We don't even know how we're going to get out of here yet. We might have to stay here forever."
Professor Yang spat a few times, "Don't jinx it!"
Professor Ning, impatient with this pointless chatter, said, "Stop talking about this nonsense and hurry up and figure out how to get out."
As the professors were talking, Jiang Shan squatted down and rubbed the black soil under his feet.
It was soft and slightly moist, filled with humus.
It still smells very fresh with an earthy aroma.
A surge of joy welled up in Jiang Shan's heart. Although he hadn't done farm work for many years, his affinity for the land hadn't diminished at all—the black soil beneath his feet was glossy and looked like high-quality material; if he planted crops here, the yield would definitely be plentiful!
Thinking about it this way, Jiang Shan habitually brought the detector closer—
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
The unintelligent electronic sounds are light and inconspicuous on the boundless grassland, like fine sand that is easily scattered by the wind.
For some reason, even though the volume wasn't loud, it made everyone around freeze in place.
Professor Liang was the first to react.
He walked over in a few steps and asked Jiang Shan, who was squatting on the ground, in a trembling voice.
What did you test?
Jiang Shan patted the dirt off his hands and stood up. "It's this black soil."
Professor Liang's eyes widened suddenly, and he staggered, only managing to steady himself by reaching out to support his assistant.
He pointed to the ground, his voice trembling even more, his gray eyebrows shaking: "Black, black soil? You mean... black soil that can grow crops was found on this vast grassland?"
Upon hearing this, the professors behind him all squatted down and began to examine the soil beneath their feet.
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
A series of electronic sounds rang out.
The crowd could hardly believe their ears.
So much black soil—and it's all moderately toxic!
You should know how many days and nights and how much cost that agricultural and aquaculture expert, one of the few in the Dragon Kingdom, spent studying the medium-to-high degree mixed soil that exists today on land that was not fully irradiated at that time.
And here—it's all moderately toxic.
what does that mean?
This means that if they can grow crops on this land, their base can be self-sufficient and feed everyone!
The professors exchanged glances.
They could see the excitement in each other's eyes.
Professor Shen stammered after a long pause, "For so many years... I haven't seen such good black soil! This... this is simply a gift from God!"
"Quickly, within an hour, dig up some soil and collect it to take back to Professor Liu for research."
Upon hearing this, the assistants immediately sprang into action.
Professor Liang was agitated for a while before wiping his face to calm down.
“If our base weren’t so far away, I would want to move everyone here.”
Because of its lower latitude, the Southern Base has a hot and humid climate year-round. Although the surrounding food is much more abundant than that of the Ancheng Base, the mutated creatures there are also more concentrated.
Every time they went out to search for supplies, many people died or were injured.
It can be said that self-sufficiency is a common goal for almost every base.
Professor Liang's words made Professor Yang and the others somewhat interested.
Their Ancheng base is close by, but it's obviously unrealistic to move so many people there.
Their Ancheng base has twice the number of personnel as the southern base, and its infrastructure and defenses are very well-developed.
Even with abundant black soil here, it's unlikely that everyone will agree to move here and build a new base.
It's such a pity...
Just as the professors were expressing their regret, the assistant Xiao Shi suddenly exclaimed, "It won't work, professors! We can't hold all this soil!"
Everyone was startled.
What does it mean to be unable to put on a show?
Several professors hurried over.
The soil that had been filling the burlap sack gradually emptied out.
Meanwhile, the pit that had been dug half a meter deep next to it gradually healed.
This scene was astonishing not only to the professors, but also to the warriors and mutants who had seen many strange and mutated creatures.
Jiang Shan also tried grabbing a handful of soil and stuffing it into his pocket.
Unexpectedly, after more than ten seconds, all the black soil in my pocket returned to the ground.
There wasn't a single trace of clay left in the pocket.
Upon seeing this, Professor Ning exclaimed in surprise, "This...this means they won't let us take it with us?"
Lin Yuan watched this scene from a distance and frowned.
What was initially just a guess has become even more certain after seeing the results of the professors' experiments.
This is definitely not any location on Earth.
It is very likely just an alternate dimension that appeared by chance.
Even more surprisingly, this alternate dimension might even possess its own consciousness, much like a high-level mutated creature.
If that's the case, will they still be able to get out?
*
On the other side.
Jiangzhi, perched on Jiujiu's broad back, went ahead to scout the situation.
The wind whistled past my ears, carrying the dry scent unique to the grasslands.
When the wind blows, it creates ripples, and occasionally you can see mutated beasts jumping out from the sky, some like sand foxes and others like jackals.
But the numbers are not many.
Jiangzhi flew forward for ten minutes and found that there was still no end to the grassland ahead.
So they made Chiu Chiu slow down.
"Chirp chirp, do you know where all those mutated beasts went?"
"Chirp chirp!!"
This means "to know".
Jiang Zhi was overjoyed. "Could you take me there?"
"Chirp—!" Chirp chirped happily in response.
Then, with a sudden flap of its wings, it transformed into a white blur in the next second, "whoosh" breaking through the airflow and speeding forward.
As Jiangzhi lay on Qiuqiu's back, she felt as if her internal organs had been overturned by the sudden acceleration.
The howling wind stung my cheeks, and the surrounding scenery had long since blurred into a blur of colors. The entire grassland had become a rapidly receding phantom.
After a while, as the churning feeling in her chest gradually subsided, Jiang Zhi finally dared to slowly open her eyes.
The gale still howled in her ears, and Jiang Zhi slowly got used to the pressure the wind exerted on her body.
The wings beneath it flapped steadily, each flap seemingly carrying the power to break through the clouds.
She couldn't help but loosen her grip on the feathers, feeling the wind slip through her fingers.
Upon seeing the rolling green waves below, the previous discomfort vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhilaration.
Jiang Zhi felt completely immersed in this world, and even her heartbeat became more excited with the rhythm of the wind.
So this is what it feels like to soar through the air.
There was no sign of threat in the surroundings, only the rustling of the wind through the grass.
Facing the howling wind, Jiangzhi couldn't help but call out, "Chirp chirp! Thank you!"
Chirp seemed to understand her meaning. The white feathers around its neck trembled slightly, and then it let out a clear and melodious cry that pierced the sky.
It suddenly folded its wings and then spread them out again, finally turning into a phantom and disappearing into the air.
Fifteen minutes later, Chiu Chiu suddenly slowed down.
Then Jiang Zhi heard a series of notification sounds.
"Beep—Four Level 5 mutants detected."
"Beep—A level 6 mutated cheetah has been detected."
"Beep—Seven Level 5 mutated antelopes detected."
"Beep—Found..."
A series of prompts made Jiang Zhi dizzy.
at last.
"Beep—Level 7 mutated rhinoceros detected."
Jiang Zhi's heart pounded violently.
—These mutated beasts had all gathered in front of us.
She couldn't help but clutch Chirp's feathers tightly and whispered, "Chirp, fly higher."
Upon hearing this, Chirp immediately folded its wings, raised its head, and, carrying Ginger Branch, soared into the sky a thousand meters above the clouds like an arrow.
When Qiuqiu regained its footing and hovered above the group of beasts, Jiangzhi looked down and was instantly stunned by the scene before her.
Below is a vast, mirror-like lake, with a circular piece of land floating in the middle, separated by smaller lakes.
Like a mirror embedded inside, reflecting the hazy sky.
The normally ferocious mutated beasts were now all off guard.
A dozen or so mutated deer were drinking water, their antlers gleaming warmly in the light.
Not far away, several enormous grizzly bears were leisurely basking in the sun on the grass by the lake, occasionally splashing the water with their paws.
Even the wolves and antelopes that they would normally fight on sight, rested a few steps apart, undisturbed by each other.
The largest and highest-ranking mutated rhinoceros was soaking in the water.
Its massive body occupied almost half of the bay, and its thick, bluish-gray hide gleamed wetly in the light.
Its enormous head was slightly lowered, and two puffs of white steam occasionally escaped from its nostrils, splashing water onto the surface and creating ripples.
The other mutated beasts seemed to be born with a certain wariness; when they saw the mutated rhinoceros soaking in the water from afar, they all consciously avoided the waters around it.
Jiang Zhi was stunned.
Why did she feel like she was watching a real-life African wildlife park?
These mutated beasts...aren't they a bit too harmonious?
So many mutated beasts... far more than the number we saw outside the sinkhole before.
There are at least several hundred to several thousand mutated beasts around this lake.
This does not include those further away from the lake.
etc!
Jiang Zhi's gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure in the distance of the lake—there lay a mutated tiger missing its tail!
Her heart skipped a beat.
She remembered the mutated tiger.
Three years ago, on the night their family of four had just fled to Wuxu Town, it was this mutated tiger that came down from Wuyu Mountain that chased them to the brink of madness.
Finally, he practically scrambled into that room.
Jiang Zhi still feels lingering fear when she thinks about how disheveled she looked.
Strangely, the mutated tiger disappeared without a trace after the second day.
Jiang Zhiye never expected to run into him here.
She suddenly had a guess.
She nestled on Qiuqiu's back and carefully observed the mutated beast below.
It has been confirmed in the final stages—
Almost all the mutated beasts that had passed through Wuyu Mountain before have now arrived here.
But then I thought about it again. Wuyu Mountain is at least a thousand kilometers away from Shashi. These mutated beasts are leaving their territory undefended and have actually traveled all the way here...
Jiang Zhi felt increasingly uneasy. Their behavior didn't seem like they were wandering aimlessly; rather, it was as if they were being led or guided here by something.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when Jiang Zhi's heart skipped a beat and started pounding.
Could it be... related to that "good stuff" that Uncle Luo mentioned to them before?
Jiang Zhi quickly asked, "Chiu Chiu, why did you come here back then?"
The white eagle tilted its big head in an adorable way and chirped.
Jiangzhi: ...Okay.
This question is too complicated for a baby.
I wonder if these humans will be attacked if they encounter these mutated beasts here...
Jiang Zhi had only thought about it casually and hadn't taken it seriously.
But to her surprise, this time Chiu Chiu accurately caught her thoughts.
It made a "whoosh" sound and, before she could react, it carried her and hurtled rapidly toward the ground.
Jiangzhi was so frightened by its bizarre actions that she almost lost her mind.
"Wait—cheep cheep—"
It's too late.
Chirp had already flapped its wings to slow down and landed precisely on the broad back of the mutated rhinoceros.
Its claws gently touched the rhinoceros's wet, thick hide.
Chirping, whose size was not small, stood on this level 7 mutated rhinoceros, just like an ordinary bird perched on the back of a regular rhinoceros.
The mutated rhinoceros's massive body was like a perfect resting place for it.
At that moment, Jiang Zhi was so nervous that her heart felt like it was going to stop beating.
This is a level 7 mutated beast.
You know, that's on the same level as my mom!
The scene of my mother dealing with the mutated viper is still vivid in my mind...
She gripped the feathers behind Chiu Chiu's neck tightly, her fingers clenching so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
We'll wait for any unusual movement from this mutated rhinoceros, ready to send Chiu Chiu back to the sky at any moment.
The mutated rhinoceros simply exhaled a loud breath from its nose, lazily flicked its tail behind it, and didn't budge its massive body.
After a while, the mutated rhinoceros remained motionless in the water.
Not satisfied with that, Chirp flapped its wings and flew straight to the top of the mutated rhinoceros's huge head, stomping its little paws back and forth on the rough skin.
Jiang Zhi's eyes twitched: ...
Her little chick seems to love repeatedly teetering on the edge of danger.
Regardless, this mutated rhinoceros has a really good temper.
Even though Chiu Chiu was like this, she didn't get angry.
Could it be that some kind of fight or brawl here might trigger something?
Otherwise, Jiang Zhi would find it hard to imagine that a dominant creature like a mutated rhinoceros would allow a tiny creature like Qiu Qiu to jump and stomp on its head without any temper.
But this is where the problem arises—
If all the mutated beasts lived in harmony, what would they eat?
Just as Jiang Zhi was wondering, she heard a faint rumbling sound.
—The sound, like a car driving over grass, drifted closer and closer.
Jiang Zhi was startled.
Uncle Luo and the others arrived so quickly?
She was standing on high ground, so she looked up and followed the sound.
She saw a military pickup truck approaching from afar.
Luo Yonghui's car was a Jeep, while only a few other teams drove military pickup trucks.
Jiang Zhi didn't see Er Shun and her brother, so it was clear that the group ahead wasn't Huang Xianming's.
Those must be people from the Southern Base.
She was somewhat surprised.
Shouldn't the people from the southern base be responsible for the east and south? How did they end up in the north?
Just as Jiang Zhi was wondering what was going on, another rapid car sound came from the other direction. This time, she immediately spotted Er Shun speeding ahead, with Jiang Shu sitting steadily on its back, waving at her.
Jiang Zhi was dumbfounded.
Didn't we agree to split up?
Why are they all heading north?
Unexpectedly, the other teams, upon seeing the chirping creature and ginger branch on the mutated rhinoceros's head, immediately drifted and stopped in place, clearly quite surprised as well.
A thought suddenly popped into Jiang Zhi's mind—
The four teams set off from different directions—east, west, south, and north—would they all end up converging in this place?
Sure enough, not long after, two more groups of people came from other directions.
The teams that had originally split up from the four directions—east, west, south, and north—had actually managed to assemble into four neat teams in this open area.
However, all the vehicles were blocked by the herd of animals resting by the lake, and no one dared to approach rashly.
Although the mutated beasts by the lake did not launch an attack, they either pricked up their ears or squinted their eyes.
Each one of them had eyes fixed on the convoy like thorns, their muscles taut.
It seemed as if they would pounce on them at the slightest movement.
The convoy members, located in various directions, dared not make any rash moves.
After a moment, people from Huang Xianming's convoy raised a small red flag from the car window and waved it.
Tang Mao immediately responded by flashing his car lights twice.
Then, Luo Xianming honked his horn briefly, while the rest of the convoy from the southern base simply leaned out and waved.
The four groups of people looked at each other across the open grassland and instantly reached a tacit understanding to "not move for now".
Just as everyone was still assessing the situation, the mutated rhinoceros beneath Chiu Chiu's feet suddenly moved.
First, its sturdy horns slowly emerged from the water, then its upper body suddenly lifted, and its massive head was completely pulled out of the water.
Its massive body stirred up waves that spread outwards in the lake, splashing water half a foot high onto the shore.
Then it stood up, water cascading down its body along the folds of the lake, creating a sparse splashing sound.
Every step they took made a loud noise in the water and on the grassland.
Once ashore, the mutated rhinoceros slowly shook its head, sending water droplets clinging to its skin flying off like scattered beans.
Jiang Zhi felt a sudden, earth-shaking tremor.
If it weren't for Chirp's claws holding on tightly, she suspected that the bird and the person would have been thrown out.
As soon as the mutated rhinoceros came ashore, the other mutated beasts stood up.
Those parked on the perimeter held their breath.
The team captains were all thinking about their chances of winning if a fight broke out.
Jiang Zhi's heart was pounding, and even her breathing became heavier.
Just then, a soft and pure white light suddenly appeared on the crescent-shaped lake in the inner circle of the lake.
The light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable vitality.
The light caused the surrounding beasts to stop what they were doing and all look toward the center of the lake.
A quiet, almost pious stillness filled their eyes, and even the level 7 rhinoceros raised its massive head. Chirp chirped a joyful "Chirp."
Jiang Zhi's gaze was also drawn to the sudden beam of light.
The next second, that familiar, fleeting voice resurfaced from the depths of his heart, carrying a strange allure: "Find it... obtain it..."
Jiang Zhi was jolted awake and suddenly came to her senses.
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning—could the treasure Uncle Luo mentioned be hidden in this lake?!
Before Jiang Zhi could think further, she saw the enormous mutated rhinoceros slowly turn to face the center of the lake.
First, it lowered its head and gently touched the water's surface with the tip of its nose, then bent its front legs and "plop" knelt down into the soft mud on the bank.
Then its hind legs slowly sank, its massive body gradually lowered, its head slightly raised above the water, and its panting became lighter.
The thick horns hung docilely, and water droplets dripped into the lake along the folds, as if paying a silent tribute to the lake.
The surrounding beasts also lowered their bodies towards the center of the lake, and the entire lakeshore was immersed in a solemn silence.
This scene gave Jiang Zhi a chill down her spine.
There was something in the water...
Even level 7 mutated beasts willingly submitted and pledged allegiance...
How powerful would that be?
Taking advantage of the fact that many mutated beasts had lowered their heads, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but look down at the bottom of the lake.
What exactly is it...?
The moment Jiang Zhi's eyes met those of the lake.
Suddenly I felt an invisible force pulling me down, and then my feet suddenly lost their footing.
Before she could even cry out, her body was already falling forward uncontrollably, plunging into the icy lake with a "plop," the water instantly washing over her head.
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