Chapter 502: Mutant Banyan Tree ( 1 )
While Jin Xuyan and his team were harvesting the crystal cores, Zhang Yuan, Yin Yusheng, Fu Guai, and Pei Yixie arrived in the northeast area.
Their mission location was fifty kilometers away from the Lin’an City Base and surrounded by several small mountains. This mountain was part of the government’s conservation project. Besides the rare and endangered fauna, there were also various flora from all around the world.
While the size of the mountains was only one-fifth of the other conservation mountains in the country, the total area of all of the mountains was as big as half of the city.
After parking the car, Xiao Qi stored it in his space. The members carried their backpacks and pulled out their weapons.
Standing outside the entrance of the conservation area, Zhang Yuan reminded the members, "Be careful. After the second rain, the animals and plants inside might have mutated."
"Understood," the members nodded and replied in unison.
Without Qin Luzi, they could only walk slower while observing the surroundings. As soon as they walked past the gate, they saw a small guard post on the roadside.
The group walked over and saw that the guard post was unlocked. Inside the guard post were several pieces of rotten flesh scattered on the ground. Judging by the situation, the mutant that killed the guard must have been small in size.
The distance from this guard post to the gate was less than twenty meters. If the mutant had left this area, the entrance would have been damaged. But when they entered, the gate was in good condition. So, the possibility that the mutant was still around was high.
When they reached this conclusion, Fu Guai’s eyes suddenly flashed with a cold glint as he turned his body and reached out his hand.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Everyone was shocked by the sound of a bone breaking. Turning around, they saw Fu Guai holding a mutant fox’s neck. The mutant fox kicked its feet several times before the light in its eyes dimmed and it took its last breath.
Crack!
To make sure that it was completely dead, Fu Guai tightened his grip and shattered the fox’s neck. The crushing sound echoed inside the guard post.
Seeing how calm he was while crushing the fox’s neck, Pei Yixie couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat.
She always treated him as a child and never took him seriously. Only after witnessing his neat killing move did she realize how dangerous this person was.
Not noticing the members’ reactions, Fu Guai opened his backpack and stuffed the fox inside. When he noticed their gazes, he took out his phone and typed for a moment.
"This fox’s fur is of high quality. It can be made into boots or a jacket."
After reading his message, Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "What you said made sense. Since we are lacking winter clothes, let’s take back the mutant animal. Maybe we can pay someone to make clothes or boots for us using it as material."
When they heard this, Yin Yusheng added, "It would be best if we can hunt a tiger or a bear. I heard that tiger or bear fur is best made into jackets or blankets."
"We have to clear the mutant plant, so we have a lot of time to look for them," Zhang Yuan said with a smile.
The group left the guard post and continued their trip. Besides the mutant fox, they didn’t encounter any mutant animals even after walking for three hours.
When they reached the small stream, Zhang Yuan said, "Let’s take a break here."
Opening the map, he said, "After we walk past this small stream, we will enter the mountain area. There will be no more cement road, so we have to leave some marks later."
Yin Yusheng took out his compass and saw the magnetic needle spinning like crazy. He let out a sigh and said, "Vice Captain, we can’t use the compass."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and took out his satellite phone. After he was sure that the phone was still able to function normally, he said, "Make sure to keep your satellite phone and flares ready."
"Understood."
While the members were resting, Fu Guai went to search for firewood. Half an hour later, he returned with a bundle of firewood and two strange fruits.
Seeing this, Pei Yixie asked curiously, "Brother Fu, what are you doing?"
"I’m going to clean up the fox and roast its meat," Fu Guai replied.
After the zombie virus on his body had been completely removed, his mental state had improved significantly. Now, without his initiative, Pei Yixie wouldn’t be able to read his mind anymore even with direct skin contact.
"Brother Fu, let me help you," Pei Yixie offered.
Fu Guai nodded and said, "Then go make a bonfire. I will go clean up the fox first."
"Okay!"
Using his dagger, Fu Guai started bleeding the fox before he skinned it. His movement was fast but trained, as if he had been doing this for a long time.
He stored the fox blood inside two bamboo tubes. After he sealed the bamboo tubes, he tied them to his backpack. During an emergency, this blood might be useful.
When he was done, he washed the fur in the stream and cleaned the bloodstain. Since the sunlight was abundant here, he hung the fur on a branch and dried it under the sun.
Twenty minutes later, the bonfire was ready and Fu Guai had already seasoned the meat. The bones of the fox were made into soup with the strange fruits.
Looking at the fur, Pei Yixie said, "Brother Fu, do you want me to keep your fur for you?"
Hearing this, Fu Guai just recalled that besides her psychic-type ability, Pei Yixie also had a space-type ability. With her space, it was easier for them to store things. So, he nodded and said, "Keep the fox blood, too."
"Okay."
Not long after the roasted meat and soup were ready, Zhang Yuan and Yin Yusheng returned from the nearby forest. Each of them brought back a backpack full of mushrooms.