Chapter 61
The words "mutant crayfish" startled everyone present.
Zhang Ji stammered, "Can...can I eat this? No, I mean, is there any danger?"
These words calmed Jiang Shu down.
“Those mutated crayfish are about the same size as the old crayfish. Even if they attack people, the few of us should be able to handle them. However, that's a swamp, which is too dangerous. We could easily get stuck. Let's just forget about it.”
Zhang Ji hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can make tools, so I'm not afraid of getting stuck."
An eerie silence fell over the scene.
Jiang Zhi and her brother looked at Zhang Ji and his wife, and saw the longing in their eyes.
Jiang Shu: ...Actually, he was also craving crayfish.
They bought all the ingredients, so making crayfish isn't too much to ask, right?
He looked at Jiang Zhi with longing eyes.
Jiang Zhi glanced around and found that apart from those level-four mutated plants, there was no other threat, so she said, "...It's not that we can't go."
With Jiang Zhi's confirmation, Jiang Shu excitedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now!"
Jiang Zhi was worried that her brother might do something reckless, so she said to Zhang Ji and his wife, "Since we're already here, let's go and see what's going on."
How could Zhang Ji and his wife refuse?
However, there are level four mutated plants ahead.
The four could only return to the path leading to Collection Area 10 and go through it from the other end.
Fortunately, the road developed by the base was not far from this swamp, and Jiang Shu and Zhang Ji were responsible for clearing the way ahead.
Before long, a large patch of reeds came into view.
Jiang Shu was overjoyed.
Where there are reeds, there is the edge of a swamp.
Unexpectedly, joy turned to sorrow. Before the group could even get close, Jiang Shu, who was walking at the front, stepped into the swamp.
Jiang Shu's left foot sank into the mud instantly, and the black mud quickly gurgled up to his ankle.
The speed startled him, and he immediately shouted, "Azhi, quickly pull me up!"
Jiang Shu struggled to pull himself up, which was originally just an instinctive reaction, but he didn't expect to sink deeper and deeper.
Jiang Zhi rushed over and pulled the person away.
But the swamp seemed to have a magical power; even with Jiangzhi's strength, she couldn't pull the person up.
Zhang Ji, standing behind him, was startled by the scene and, without thinking, reached under Jiang Shu's armpit. "Lie down quickly and don't move! A-Qing, go find a stick."
Upon hearing the order, Yin Qing rushed to the side to find a stick. She was in such a hurry that she tripped and fell face-first into the mud. Without even bothering to wipe the mud off her face, she scrambled to her feet to find the stick.
But all that was nearby was a waist-thick elm tree and weeds, and she couldn't break the elm branches no matter how hard she tried.
Seeing that Jiang Zhi, who had been lying down, was no longer sinking further, Jiang Zhi told Zhang Ji, "Brother Ji, help keep my brother steady," and then rushed over, jumped onto the tree, and snapped off a branch as thick as a thigh with a "crack."
This scene left Yin Qing speechless.
After obtaining the branch, Jiang Zhi rushed back.
"Brother Ji, what should we do?"
Zhang Ji broke out in a sweat. "Throw it in, let the ginger tree cling to the wood and pull itself up."
Jiang Zhi immediately did as instructed.
"Jiang Shu, relax your body first, and don't use brute force. Wait until you feel the sinking speed slow down before you exert force."
Following Zhang Ji's instructions, Jiang Shu slowly climbed onto a nearby branch.
Unexpectedly, this time, he easily pulled his left leg out of the hole.
Jiang Shu himself couldn't believe it.
"What happened? They just came out like that?"
It made it seem like he was acting.
Zhang Ji breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow.
After Jiang Shu climbed up the branches and jumped over, he smiled and said, "That's how swamps are. The more you struggle, the easier it is to sink in. And this swamp has a high water content and the mud is dense, so it's easy to get into trouble."
The brother and sister understood this principle, but when they actually encountered it, they were still caught off guard.
After recovering from his shock, Jiang Shu quickly returned to the shore.
"Brother Ji, you seem to understand."
Zhang Ji was a little embarrassed. "I used to enjoy fishing and often passed by some swamps, so I have some experience."
The brother and sister immediately looked at Zhang Ji with new respect.
I didn't expect this to be a seasoned angler.
Jiang Shu laughed and said, "Anyway, that was really thrilling. Thanks, Brother Ji!"
The wild is indeed unpredictable, and after visiting many gathering areas, the brother and sister have become much less wary.
Although they still had cards up their sleeves and couldn't reveal their hand earlier, leaving them with no choice but to wait for their doom, this experience served as a warning to them.
Zhang Ji glanced at Jiang Zhi and asked in a low voice, "Shall we still catch crayfish?"
Yin Qing, standing to the side, also looked at them expectantly.
The brother and sister looked at each other in bewilderment.
—Why do I always feel like this couple is a bit greedy…?
Jiang Shu said somewhat awkwardly, "We wanted to catch them too, but those mutated crayfish were too far from the shore to reach."
Zhang Ji quickly replied, "With some tools, we can walk on it too."
The brother and sister were now certain that the couple was indeed craving it.
If you can actually walk on swampy ground, it's not impossible.
Jiang Shu immediately said to Zhang Ji, "Brother Ji, what tools do you need? I'll go find them."
Happiness came too suddenly.
Zhang Ji didn't react for a moment, but his wife Yin Qing nudged him and brought him back to his senses. He exclaimed with joy, "We need at least a three-meter-long stick and a branch about 1.5 meters long, the more the better. Oh, and it would be best to make a net too."
That's easy.
You can cut branches from the surrounding elm trees, but it will take some effort to use the net.
Fortunately, Jiangzhi always carries the fishing net she made from the hammock with her when she goes out, so she can modify it and use it.
Jiang Shu took out a cleaver from his waist and chopped down seven or eight thin sticks, which he then threw to Zhang Ji.
Without needing any instructions, Zhang Ji proactively gathered some resilient grass vines and tied the sticks together, quickly making four 3-meter-long sticks.
Since there were no planks available in the wild, Jiang Shu could only cut suitable branches from the elm trees nearby, then trim them to make planks that were barely two or three centimeters thick. Zhang Ji then laid these planks directly on the swampy ground, creating a temporary "road".
Jiang Zhi was stunned by Zhang Ji's actions.
That simple?
"Brother Ji, what's wrong with you...?"
Zhang Ji laughed and said, "Oh, that's because the density of wood is less than that of swamp, which helps to distribute the body's weight, so even if a person steps on it, they won't easily sink in."
As he spoke, he jumped on the wooden plank, which sank a centimeter before slowly floating back up.
Although it's impossible to do strenuous activities on the wooden plank, walking is not a problem.
After the three-meter-long pole was finished, Zhang Ji picked one up and probed it into the swamp.
The depth is only a little over 1 meter within ten meters of the shore, but beyond that distance, a three-meter-long pole can penetrate more than two meters.
Zhang Ji said, "Everyone will have a long pole later. Remember to be careful when you go in."
Zhang Ji was an ordinary person, so Jiang Shu naturally wouldn't let him walk in front.
The ginger branch, being strong, lifted the last plank at the back and passed it to the ginger tree in front.
The four of them carefully moved little by little to the center of the swamp.
The closer you get, the more moisture the swamp contains.
Seeing that the surrounding area was full of mud holes, Jiang Shu stopped and said, "Let's stay here."
You don't even need to try it to know how dangerous this muddy pond is; once you step in, it's almost impossible to get out.
The surface of the muddy pond was covered with a layer of sticky green moss, like spoiled mung bean porridge.
Scattered bits of withered grass lay sprawled in the mud, while half-eaten reeds, reduced to mere fibers, lay beside the grassy nest, covered with dense, dark red crayfish claw prints.
You can tell at a glance that there are a lot of mutated crayfish here.
You can even see them popping out from time to time.
Zhang Ji and Jiang Shu have both caught crayfish before and have a lot of experience.
The two of them specifically chose a beach with lots of aquatic plants and shallow water.
The four of them then worked together to place seven or eight pieces of wood together, expanding the area they could move around in.
Jiang Shu turned around and asked, "A-Zhi, do you still have some dried meat in your hand?"
Jiang Zhi was stunned for a moment. "Brother, you're not thinking of using dried meat as bait, are you?"
These words stunned even Yin Qing, who was standing in front of him.
Using dried meat to hang crayfish? That's such a waste of money!
Jiang Shu smiled apologetically, "A small piece is enough. Grind it into powder and sprinkle it on our rice balls, and we'll definitely catch a lot."
Jiang Zhi refused: "No, you have your own, use your own."
Ginger Tree: ...
He reluctantly took a small piece of jerky from his pocket, muttering, "You have way more jerky than me, you're so stingy."
Seeing that Jiang Shu was willing to bring out the good stuff, Zhang Ji felt embarrassed to be stingy and quickly took out a few rice balls from the basket on his back. "I... let's contribute rice balls... and the crayfish we catch later... just a few will do..."
The rice balls that Zhang Ji and his wife brought today were also barley dumplings. Jiang Shu didn't stand on ceremony. After taking them, he pinched the rice balls into small pieces and evenly stuck them on the basket. Then he sprinkled the ground meat powder evenly on top.
Jiang Zhi had never seen crayfish caught before, and upon seeing this, she asked, "Will you be able to catch crayfish this way?"
Jiang Shu said smugly, "It's definitely possible, just you wait and see."
As Jiang Shu spoke, he and Zhang Ji cut the netting of the hammock and tied it to the basket. After digging a hole the size of a bowl in the middle, they slowly sank the basket, which was tied with rope and filled with stones, into the water.
The two made another cage using the same method and sank it to the other side.
Jiang Shu patted the mud off his hands. "It should be ready in about half an hour."
Jiang Zhi: "...Are we just going to wait here?"
Jiang Shu: "Of course not, we have long poles that we can use to fish for crayfish."
Yin Qing asked timidly, "How do we fish? We're out of bait..."
Jiang Shu still had two rice balls in his hand, with small pieces of meat containing low levels of toxins that Ye Qingyun had specially added for them.
Jiang Shu gritted his teeth – you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
Let's give it our all!
"Use my rice ball!"
They still had ropes, so they managed to make four fishing rods.
Each one was tied with a small piece of rice.
Yin Qing was very excited when she got the fishing rod, showing no fear of being in an unfamiliar environment.
...I don't know if this couple is just bold or clueless.
Zhang Ji whispered to his wife how to catch crayfish.
Jiang Shu would find a spot near the water with lots of aquatic plants and mud holes, and gently put the bait in his hand into the water.
Then his eyes were fixed on the floating buoy on the water.
Following suit, Jiangzhi threw bait into the water.
I originally thought this was like Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for those who were willing to take the bait.
Unexpectedly, in less than a minute, Jiangzhi's fishing rod began to wobble and sink.
Jiang Zhi was momentarily at a loss and quickly asked, "Brother, what should we do now? Pull up the lever?"
Seeing this, Jiang Shu forgot about his fishing rod and went over to direct, "Quick! Azhi, the crayfish must have caught the bait."
"Hey—don't rush to lift the rod. Wait until it pulls harder, stabilize the rod, and then slowly lift it up."
Listening to Jiang Shu's words, Jiang Zhi slowly pulled the fishing rod up and sure enough, she saw a mutated crayfish the size of a green lobster holding the rice ball in its claws.
The people on the wooden board held their breath, afraid of startling the mutated crayfish.
Just as it was about to surface, Jiang Shu quickly scooped it up with a dip net and caught a bright red mutated crayfish!
The four of them excitedly surrounded them.
The mutated crayfish looked dark red all over, covered in mud, with an exceptionally large head that took up almost half of its body. It had two long, thin antennae on its head, and its shiny black eyes bulged out, making it look rather intimidating.
Especially its two thick claws are covered with sharp spines, giving it an amazing grip.
After Jiang Shu scooped the crayfish out of the water, he discovered that the rope binding the rice ball had been broken.
If we hadn't used the net in time, we probably would have let that crayfish escape.
Yin Qing stared at the crayfish in the net with bright eyes and whispered, "These mutated crayfish seem to be no different from the old ones except that they are a bit bigger."
Jiang Shu was bold enough to grab the crayfish by the neck, pick it up, and examine it.
Indeed, it's not much different from before, with eight thin legs on its abdomen. The fan-shaped tail fin is flat when spread out.
"Ah Zhi, quickly take a test and see if it's safe to eat."
Jiang Zhi suppressed her excitement and scanned herself with the detector.
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
Hearing about the repeated high levels of poison, Jiang Shu felt a chill run down his spine.
Surprisingly, there wasn't a single part of it that was edible.
Zhang Ji and his wife also looked disappointed.
The next second, Jiang Shu cheered up again, "It's okay. Although we can't eat this crayfish, we can use its meat to catch another one, so it's not a waste."
That's right!
The other three immediately regained their confidence.
They tore off the crayfish's head, took out the meat from its body, and tied it to the ginger branch's fishing rod.
Before it was even tied up properly, Jiang Shu's fishing rod, which he had placed to the side, started to move.
The thing below was extremely strong, and it dragged the fishing rod into the water in one go.
Zhang Ji quickly grabbed the crayfish, and after a few tries, he successfully caught one.
This time, Jiang Shu rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands together, and prayed, "Heavenly spirits and earthly spirits, bless me to ship this time!"
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Poisoning toxin, can be consumed in moderation."
The final notification sound brought a sigh of relief to everyone.
Fortunately, it wasn't a complete loss.
Except for the body, the crayfish in this batch were highly toxic.
Jiang Shu happily removed the crayfish's head and then threw the moderately poisoned body into the basket.
The shrimp's body is about the size of an adult's forearm, so judging by this, there must be a lot of shrimp meat.
The four of them used the same trick again and each caught about ten crayfish with their fishing rods, but unfortunately, not many of them were edible.
Half an hour later, they had only managed to collect four shrimp claws with moderate toxins and three shrimp bodies with moderate toxins.
The ginger twigs and ginger tree were not very satisfied.
Zhang Ji and his wife, on the other hand, couldn't hide their joy.
The ginger tree was discovered.
These mutated crayfish prefer to eat rice balls mixed with low levels of toxins. As for the corpses of their own kind, it seems they are just eating a few bites because there is no other food available.
Unfortunately, they didn't bring much low-toxin jerky this time, so they have to keep some just in case.
It was at this moment.
A bubble suddenly appeared on the water about a meter away from them.
The reeds near their logs rustled and swayed.
The four of them stopped what they were doing in perfect unison, exchanged glances, and Jiang Zhi noticed a hint of fear in the expressions of Zhang Ji and his wife.
She gestured with her chin toward Jiang Shu, indicating that he should use his abilities to check the situation over there.
Jiang Shu understood, glanced in the direction of the reeds, and a look of surprise was visibly revealed on his face.
He said softly, "It's a giant salamander."
They had encountered giant salamanders before in the Weihe River in Collection Area No. 8.
Jiang Shu remembered that the giant salamander could use sonic attacks.
However, this giant salamander is much bigger than the one we saw before.
But now that Jiang Shu has become a mutant, he inexplicably feels that the level-two mutant giant salamander can't hurt him.
Seeing that no warning sound came from the dashboard, Jiang Zhi knew that the salamander was below her level and could not hurt her, so she did not stop it, but simply gestured for Zhang Ji and his wife to cover their ears.
Jiang Shu tiptoed closer.
Gently parting the reeds, one could see the giant salamander curled up in the murky mud, its grayish body resembling a bloated piece of old tree bark.
Jiang Shu held his breath, drew the bone staff from his waist, and aimed the tip at the salamander's head.
He thrust the spear with all his might, but unexpectedly, the salamander suddenly twisted its heavy body and slid into the bubbling mud pit, leaving only its flat head floating on the surface, its small eyes staring at the mosquito larvae swirling around on the water.
If Jiang Shu hadn't reacted quickly, the bone club in his hand would have been completely driven into the swamp.
"squeak---"
The giant salamander suddenly opened its mouth wide, emitting a huge sound wave.
The surrounding plants were instantly broken apart by the impact.
Jiang Zhi suddenly opened the protective shield, covering Zhang Ji and his wife.
Jiang Shu, who was at the forefront, didn't react quickly enough and almost went deaf.
But it was just a minor irritation to the ears.
Jiang Zhi, with her strong mental fortitude, was largely unaffected.
Jiang Shu felt provoked and yelled, "Damn it, you stinking fish, how dare you attack me? I'll kill you!"
As he spoke, he thrust the fork at the spot where the giant salamander was several more times.
The giant salamander was incredibly fast. After dodging the attack, it raised its front legs, opened its large mouth, and spat a mouthful of dirty water at the ginger tree.
Ginger Tree: ...
He wiped his face, jumping up and down in anger, "Damn it! This is utterly insulting!!! I'm not going home until I've killed this rotten fish!!!"
Jiang Zhi was speechless. Jiang Shu's childish behavior was simply unbearable to watch. Despite having a much stronger mental strength than this mutated salamander, he was still made to look so pathetic.
Jiang Zhi tried to lock onto the giant salamander with her mental power, and then slowly covered the surface of the giant salamander like a thin film.
An unexpected scene unfolded.
The giant salamander originally tried to twist its body and slide away, but it was frozen in place.
Without thinking twice, Jiang Shu seized the opportunity and thrust an arrow through the salamander's head with a "whoosh".
The giant salamander struggled for a moment, splashing muddy water, before finally sinking into silence.
Jiang Zhi removed the protective shield from Zhang Ji and his wife.
The two were stunned, having never seen such a method before.
Jiang Shu dragged the one-meter-long giant salamander from the swamp to his feet, its long tail leaving a trail of water.
After dragging the giant salamander onto the log, Jiang Shu quietly asked, "A-Zhi, what did you just do? Why is this giant salamander just sitting there obediently waiting to die?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just tried to project my mental energy outwards."
Jiang Shu gasped.
He had heard of projecting his mental energy before; it was said that only level six mutants could do it.
"Ah Zhi, your mental strength has broken through again?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and nodded, "I just broke through these past two days."
Actually, she had just had a sudden idea to use her external mental energy to control the salamander, and she didn't expect it to work.
She recalled the impact the salamander's resistance had on her mental strength.
Like a tadpole swimming in a pond, her resistance only caused a ripple in her mental sea.
This mutated salamander is only a level two mutated creature, and it's unknown what level of mutated creature she can control with her current mental strength.
Jiang Shu gritted his teeth upon hearing this, "You're going too far! Are you trying to kill us all?"
He secretly vowed that he must practice hard when he returned from Hunan Province, otherwise it would be too embarrassing to fall too far behind his sister.
At this moment, Zhang Ji and his wife walked over hesitantly, "Ginger tree, ginger branch...can we take a look at this giant salamander?"
They had never seen such a large salamander before, and they thought that Jiang Zhi and her brother were amazing for taking down a mutated giant fish with superpowers so easily.
Jiang Shu smiled and said, "As long as you're not afraid, it's fine."
Zhang Ji and his wife cautiously approached, and upon seeing that the giant salamander was indeed beyond dead, they exclaimed happily, "This giant salamander has so much meat!"
Jiang Shu: ...Why do these two look like they're even more hungry for meat than he is?
Jiang Zhi said, "If the test results show it's safe to eat, we'll split it equally."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji was startled and quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, we were just enjoying the view. We didn't do anything, so we can't accept it, or my mother will beat us up."
Jiang Zhi: ...This couple is kind of cute.
Since the other party said no, Jiang Shu didn't try to persuade him any further.
They weren't particularly close. If it were Niu Dali and his wife, they would share with each other without even asking.
However, they had only spent a short time with Zhang Ji and his wife, so what was rightfully theirs would naturally not be shared.
Jiang Shu: "Okay, I'll get tested first."
He then adopted a "thank you" expression, rubbed his hands together, and began the test:
"Drip—Poisoning toxin, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
Even Jiang Shu, the person involved, was stunned by this series of poisoning toxins.
They were all moderately toxic!
Is this... an incredible stroke of good luck?
Jiang Shu revealed an expression of ecstatic joy.
This giant salamander must weigh at least 70 or 80 pounds, enough for them to have a good meal before they set off!
Zhang Ji and his wife showed envious expressions. Jiang Zhi observed them discreetly for a moment, and seeing no greed in their eyes, she looked away.
"I wonder if the meat of the mutated giant salamander tastes good..."
As Yin Qing spoke, she swallowed hard.
Zhang Ji swallowed hard. "It probably won't taste good. It's so big, the meat might be tough."
Jiang Shu and Jiang Zhi: ...If they didn't know a little about the two of them, they would have really thought that the couple said this on purpose.
Zhang Ji noticed the complicated expressions on the brother and sister's faces and quickly said, "Jiang Shu and Jiang Zhi, don't worry, we don't like to eat fish."
Jiang Shu: ...Goodness, your mouth is watering so much it's practically dripping down your chin, and you still don't like it.
Fortunately, although the couple had a sweet tooth, they weren't shameless.
To divert attention, Yin Qing directly shifted her gaze.
As a result, they discovered quite a few mutated crayfish in the surrounding mud burrows.
"Ah, Ah Ji! Am I hallucinating? Why am I seeing so many crayfish waving at me?"
Zhang Ji was about to say that she was overthinking it, but when she saw a mutated crayfish that was foaming at the mouth and the size of a cat, she was stunned.
What the heck is going on?
Why are all these crayfish floating to the surface, foaming at the mouth?
The ginger tree and ginger branches were also seen.
Jiang Shu's eyes widened. "A-Zhi, could this be the effect of that salamander's sonic attack?"
Believe it or not, it's actually quite possible.
Jiang Zhi: "What are you waiting for? Get them out of there! If you dawdle any longer, these crayfish will wake up."
Zhang Ji and his wife suddenly realized what was happening.
The two of them hurriedly pulled the crayfish out of the nearest mud hole.
The salamander's sonic range is 10 meters. The four of them used the method they had used to slowly move the wooden planks under their feet and scooped up all the crayfish that were foaming at the mouth.
By the time it was over, more than an hour had passed.
Seeing the meter-wide wooden frame teeming with mutated crayfish, Zhang Ji and his wife never stopped smiling.
Jiang Zhi roughly calculated that there were at least thirty crayfish that had been attacked by the sound waves.
They were all just peeking out, ready to hunt.
Jiang Shu was overjoyed. "Come on, Brother Ji, Sister-in-law, let's get tested together. After the test, we can go and scoop the basket out."
Jiang Shu could already imagine how sumptuous tonight's dinner would be.
The four of them huffed and puffed as they got to the test.
Jiang Zhi then picked up a small crayfish about the size of her arm.
This mutated crayfish was dark red and glistening with oil, covered in clay. Its body was segmented, with four spiky legs on each side that could easily scratch someone.
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
...
Very well, it's definitely not edible.
Jiang Zhi was already used to hearing a few pronouncements of "highly toxic" to dampen expectations, so she calmly tossed aside the crayfish in her hand and moved on to the next one.
"Drip—Poisoning toxin, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
...
Jiang Zhi frowned; sure enough, it was another highly venomous one.
It's okay, the next one will be even better.
As Jiang Zhi was thinking this, she prepared to throw away the one in her hand, when she suddenly realized something.
Hmm? Did she just hear something?
"Wait, did I hear that right? Why did I hear a warning about moderate toxicity?"
Jiang Shu rolled her eyes at her. "It's just moderate poisoning, Azhi. Are you out of your mind? What are you thinking?"
He snatched the crayfish from Jiang Zhi's hand and began examining its body.
It was indeed moderately toxic.
Jiang Shu skillfully removed the highly toxic shrimp heads and claws, then tossed the shrimp bodies into the basket.
"Wake up! We've finally managed to snag a bargain, don't waste it."
As the brother and sister were talking, Zhang Ji's notification sound was even more noticeable.
"Drip—low level of toxin, edible."
"Drip—low level of toxin, edible."
"Drip—low level of toxin, edible."
A series of low-toxicity toxins left everyone present dumbfounded.
The crayfish in Zhang Ji's hand was the best of the whole place. It was about the size of a four- or five-year-old mongrel, and the whole crayfish was a bright red color.
I thought it would be highly toxic, but to my surprise, the test showed that my whole body was only at a low level of toxicity.
Jiang Shu's eyes widened. "Holy crap, Brother Ji, your luck is off the charts!!!"
Zhang Ji just kept grinning foolishly.
He didn't expect to be so lucky today, considering he hadn't encountered a low-level toxic mutant creature in a long time.
But he wasn't blinded by the bountiful harvest.
His mother had always said that when teaming up with others, you must agree on a distribution plan beforehand. If you encounter a skilled player, you'll take whatever the other person offers.
Zhang Ji always remembered those words.
He handed the low-toxin mutant crayfish to Jiang Shu, saying, "Jiang Shu, here you go."
Jiang Shu was somewhat surprised, but seeing only envy and no reluctance on the other person's face, he said nothing.
He felt it was too early to discuss the assignments now, and that they could deal with it after the process was over.
It took the four of them more than ten minutes to finish testing the thirty-three mutated crayfish.
This time the catch was better than the one I caught by fishing.
Besides the crayfish with low levels of toxins, we also harvested four whole crayfish with moderate levels of toxins. The rest of the crayfish were either only edible by their claws or only by their heads, and there were about seven or eight edible parts in total.
All in all, it weighed about twenty pounds of meat.
Jiang Shu laughed so hard his face twisted as he recalled ordering crayfish for late-night snacks in the past.
"Let's keep going and scoop up those two baskets too, and see how many crayfish are in them."
Zhang Ji was somewhat annoyed, "If I had known there were crayfish this big, I should have made the holes on them bigger."
Jiang Zhi didn't have much hope.
"Digging too deep probably won't help; their pliers could cut off an ordinary person's hand at a glance."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji and his wife turned as white as ghosts.
"Wow, that's incredibly powerful!"
Jiang Shu couldn't help but laugh, "You two are quite something, daring to come with us even though you don't know anything about the situation here."
Zhang Ji stammered, "That's because I saw how good you guys are..."
Yin Qing nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Well, I don't know if this couple is just bold or thick-skinned.
Jiang Shu shook his head, pulled up the rope placed on the wood, and with a strong pull of his arm, the basket that had sunk in the swamp was slowly pulled up.
Before long, the basket, covered in clay and smelling of fish, was pulled back to the wood by Jiang Shu.
Because of the clay, Zhang Ji and his wife couldn't see what was inside the basket, but when they heard the clattering noises inside, they were immediately delighted.
—With such a big commotion, there must have been a lot of gains.
Sure enough, when Jiang Shu untied the net that had been ravaged by the mutated crayfish, the red-shelled crayfish wrapped in water plants and mud jumped out, baring its teeth and claws.
The fishy smell mixed with the smell of pond mud was overwhelming. Good heavens, there were two or three lively crayfish stuck in the mesh of the net.
Jiang Shu eagerly began counting, using a bone stick to knock the still-living crayfish unconscious. "One, two, three..."
After counting, all four of them were somewhat disappointed.
There are only seven crayfish in one basket.
Despite their disappointment, everyone knew there was nothing they could do. After all, the basket that had been modified into a fish trap was only so big, and it was already quite good that it could hold seven mutated crayfish.
The second basket contained even fewer crayfish, only three.
The two baskets combined didn't even amount to as much as the mutated giant salamander's attack.
Jiang Shu was extremely annoyed: "If only I hadn't killed that giant salamander... otherwise we could have collected so many crayfish."
Yin Qingxin had a question and asked in a low voice, "Were those mutated crayfish in the mud stunned and unable to burrow in?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi seemed to be deep in thought.
She crouched down and scooped some clay onto her hand; there was nothing particularly special about it.
"Brother, can you see what's going on down there?"
Jiang Shu sighed, "I already checked earlier, but I can't see anything. I don't know why. I guess the density of this swamp is too high, and my superpower can't get through it."
Jiang Zhi frowned.
is that so?
She subtly infused her mental energy into it, but unexpectedly felt a faint resistance. Normally, she only needed to use one part of her strength, but now she had to use seven or eight parts.
Moreover, the range of her mental power has shrunk by two-thirds.
The feeling of resisting with mental power was similar to that of the bracken they had brought back before.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhi said to Jiang Shu, "Brother, when we go back, shall we take some of this clay with us?"
Jiang Shu was about to ask why, but seeing his sister's expression, he immediately shut his mouth.
"Okay, I'll install it for you in a bit."
Jiang Zhi silently thought to herself: This is just for you.
She remained calm and said, "Put it in a bag."
The bag she was referring to was a snakeskin bag.
Each bag weighs at least two or three hundred pounds, enough for Jiang Shu to practice with.
If Jiangzhi is not mistaken, this clay can also train one's mental strength, and it is much safer than the bracken fern.
But this only works on Jiang Shu. As for her, unless she practices in this swamp, it won't be of much use.
It's a pity we're leaving for Hunan Province tomorrow... Otherwise, if she practiced here every day, her mental strength would definitely have improved even further.
Jiang Zhi felt a pang of regret.
After testing the crayfish in their hands, the four of them sat on the assembled wooden planks and rested for a while.
Since the daytime temperature dropped yesterday, people can now be exposed to sunlight even at midday.
Jiang Shu wiped the sweat from his neck, only to find his face and neck covered in mud, making him look disheveled.
But seeing the crayfish next to him, he couldn't stop smiling.
After all the crayfish had been tested, Jiang Zhi asked Zhang Ji and his wife, "What are your opinions on the distribution method?"
Zhang Ji and the other man shook their heads repeatedly.
They didn't help at all, so it's only right that the siblings don't give them any. How could they dare to have any objections?
They would feel incredibly happy if they could drink the soup with them.
Zhang Ji: "You guys decide, we both have no objections."
Just as Jiang Zhi was about to say something, Yin Qing suddenly exclaimed, "Brother Ji, look over there! Isn't that a water chestnut?"
Zhang Ji's face lit up with ecstatic joy.
"It really is true!"
Jiang Shu asked Jiang Zhi, looking bewildered, "Sister, what is a water chestnut?"
"It's the water chestnut that my mom used to peel for us all the time."
Jiang Shu suddenly realized.
etc!
There are horse hooves in this swamp!?
Jiang Shu used to love eating water chestnuts. They were from the southern region and were very prone to getting a sore throat, so Ye Qingyun would buy water chestnuts from time to time to either boil them with sugarcane to help them get rid of their ailments or eat them directly as fruit.
However, the ginger sloth hates peeling things; if his mother doesn't peel them for him, he'd rather not eat them at all.
But upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Jiang Shu couldn't help but swallow hard.
It's juicy and sweet, and tastes better than many fruits.
"Sister-in-law, where are the water chestnuts you mentioned?"
Yin Qing pointed again.
About seven or eight meters away from them, there was a small patch of dense green plants, which looked like clumps of scallions from a distance.
The slender leaves, like green straws, shoot straight up, densely packed together.
Jiang Shu thought it was some kind of weird mutated plant, but it turned out to be water chestnut leaves.
Zhang Ji asked cautiously, "Ginger tree, should we go over and dig some up to take back?"
The ginger tree looked at the ginger branch.
His special abilities were completely useless in this swamp, as he couldn't see all the creatures inside.
The dashboard did not display any red warning points, indicating that the level of biological mutations in the vicinity was below hers and within a controllable range.
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Let's go."
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were immediately delighted and said, "Let us move the wood, you two take a rest."
Moving logs in a swamp is not an easy task.
The seven or eight pieces of wood weighed more than 200 pounds, but Zhang really wanted to take some water chestnuts back with him, and he couldn't do it without putting in some effort.
Jiang Shu wanted to say no, he could handle the weight, but before he could say it, Jiang Zhi stopped him.
Jiang Zhi whispered, "Brother, just let them do it."
Zhang Ji and his wife are not people who like to take advantage of others; on the contrary, they are quite self-aware.
If we don't let them do some work, they might feel uneasy.
Seeing that the couple were working hard but their faces were full of smiles, Jiang Shu let them continue.
After more than ten minutes, the four of them finally got close to the patch of lush green "scallion tubes".
After scanning the area and finding no danger, Jiang Shu eagerly parted the leaves.
There was nothing below except swamp soil.
To dig up horseshoes, you obviously need a shovel.
Jiang Shu strained his eyes to look into the clay and, sure enough, he could see dark, murky bulbs hidden underneath.
Zhang asked nervously, "Jiang Shu, are there any water chestnuts under there?"
Jiang Shu grinned broadly. "Yes, not only do we have them, but they're also very big."
Zhang Ji and his wife exchanged a glance, and they could see the joy in each other's eyes.
Jiang Zhi laughed and said, "Then let's split up and each dig our own. Whatever we dig up is ours."
How could Zhang Ji not know that this was also a way for Jiang Zhi and her brother to take care of them?
A look of gratitude immediately appeared on his face. "Okay!"
Jiang Zhi once again infused her spiritual energy into the swamp and discovered that there were indeed quite a few horse hooves.
She brought a space device with her this time, but she doesn't know how high the odds are of winning with these horseshoes.
Jiang Zhi took out an iron shovel from the spaceship.
Yin Qing, who lived next door, saw it and was immediately startled.
She seemed somewhat alarmed that she had seen something she shouldn't have, and quickly turned her head away as if she hadn't seen anything.
But in his heart, he felt even more respect for the brother and sister.
They had seen other mutants before, but the tacit understanding and abilities of Jiang Shu and his sister were far superior to those of the mutants they had ever encountered.
In Yin Qing's mind, the fact that Jiang Shu and Jiang Zhi could navigate such a dangerous swamp with ease was something that ordinary low-level mutants could not match.
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