Chapter 3 Mushroom Forest

Chapter 2 Strange Things <TOC> Chapter 4 Bird's-Eye View

Translator: SumTLMan

Traversing the sandy expanse, Zhou Yi pedaled leisurely on his bicycle.

Young A Jin walked ahead, leading the way, his mind brimming with questions along the journey.

“Master, did you pick up all these things yourself?” he asked.

“Yes,” Zhou Yi replied.

“Including the clothes you’re wearing, and this… walking vehicle?”

“Precisely. It’s called a bicycle.”

A look of admiration spread across the young man’s face: “So scavengers can live so elegantly,” he mused.

“As the saying goes, ‘Every trade has its master,'” Zhou Yi remarked.

“What does ‘master’ mean?” A Jin inquired.

“It means being the very best,” Zhou Yi explained.

“Oh, I see.”

Curiosity getting the better of him, A Jin asked again: “Master, you came here by boat, didn’t you? Are there cities to the east?”

“I only know that east of Grub Grain Town, there’s a market village. If you travel even further east, there’s a city far, far away. But the elders always say that to the east lies only the Dead Sea, and no one can survive there.”

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment: “In the Dead Sea region to the east, there are indeed many monsters, and the land stretches endlessly. There are also some islands where people might be living.”

“I hired Warrior Crabs to swim across the Dead Sea. We encountered quite a few storms along the way. All in all, if you’re not well-prepared, it’s best not to consider crossing the sea.”

A Jin couldn’t help but glance back.

Twelve Warrior Crabs, wielding long spears, iron rods, and large shields, were arrayed on both sides. Their shells were imposing, and their forms robust. With them around, there was indeed no fear of other monsters causing trouble.

He turned back and said: “They say that many ancient relics are preserved under the Dead Sea. Have you seen them?”

“I have,” Zhou Yi nodded: “There are all sorts of buildings, many of which are well-preserved. Many items stored inside are still there, but they’ve all been halted by the power of the Dead Sea.”

Zhou Yi hadn’t chatted with humans for many years, and he wasn’t bothered by A Jin’s barrage of questions.

“Merchants say that beneath the Dead Sea are palaces left by the gods after they departed, the heritage from the Age of Gods. Many strange artifacts possess incredible powers that humans couldn’t possibly create. Ordinary people entering the Dead Sea will suffer divine punishment and die; only those who have been strengthened are qualified to undergo the Dead Sea trials and obtain various treasures left by the gods.”

A Jin continued: “There’s always been a rumor among scavengers that there were once humans under the Dead Sea because there are human statues and carvings there.”

“You’ve seen a lot, so… was there really ancient humanity?”

Zhou Yi replied earnestly: “I personally believe there was.”

After all, he himself was an ancient human.

Zhou Yi awoke from an eternal slumber to find himself in this wasteland era.

The entire world was enveloped in a layer of fluid light mist, a dense luminescent fog covering the surface, known as the Dead Sea by the inhabitants.

Only the Light Absorber species could survive in the Dead Sea; other lifeforms entering it would be solidified. It was a most peculiar light that could seal various substances, forming a wax-like light film on their surfaces, halting the movement of the encased object, an effect similar to time standing still.

The whole world resembled a colossal amber fossilized in resin.

Traces of human civilization remained clearly visible.

Skyscrapers and highways submerged beneath the sea largely maintained their original appearance.

BYD and Volkswagen cars, bus stops and residential gates inscribed with Chinese characters, heaps of shared bicycles, advertisement phone numbers on broken walls, utility poles strewn haphazardly… only humans were missing.

Ordinary lifeforms would be decomposed here; only inanimate objects devoid of self-awareness could be preserved long-term within the light film.

Only the mutated creatures of the Dead Sea, the Light Absorber species, could move freely. Warrior Crabs and Claw Boars belonged to this category.

Zhou Yi had merged with the stone lion ornament from his home.

His late grandfather had said it was a treasure bestowed by a monk, called the White Suan Ni, capable of warding off evil spirits.

After becoming the stone lion, Zhou Yi couldn’t move, maintaining a peculiar state of neither sleep nor wakefulness.

The stone lion slowly absorbed the power within the Dead Sea.

He didn’t know how many years had passed; Zhou Yi gradually restored his human form from the lion shape and regained mobility. So he clawed his way out from deep underground.

He was no longer the flesh-and-blood mortal he once was.

He didn’t need to eat, didn’t need to sleep, and didn’t even need to breathe.

By absorbing the naturally occurring free energy in the Dead Sea, one can sustain life and gradually become stronger.

Zhou Yi now had an initial status panel.

……

[Body]

Health: 600

Defense: 5

Energy: 100

……

The only attributes that could be enhanced were Health, Defense, and Energy.

For safety’s sake, he allocated all the free energy he obtained to boost his Defense and utilized various structures in the Dead Sea as cover and defensive fortifications.

After increasing his defensive strength, the Light Absorber species at the seabed couldn’t break through his defenses and kept their distance from this incredibly resilient human.

But passive defense still brought Zhou Yi a lot of trouble.

Because there were always reckless ones who would come over to test him, suddenly biting or tackling him; although it didn’t hurt or itch, it affected his mood.

Isn’t this just bullying an honest person?

Zhou Yi tried to fight back using human methods, but ordinary punches and kicks were useless against the Light Absorber species and couldn’t cause any damage.

He didn’t have an attack attribute on his panel.

This frustrated him for a long time.

Later, Zhou Yi noticed the Warrior Crabs on the seabed.

They were fierce and fearless, daring to attack creatures stronger than themselves; one could say they were the honey badgers of the seabed.

After Warrior Crabs laid eggs, they let the next generation fend for themselves until the young grew up; only then would they be incorporated into the group as official family members.

A pure survival-of-the-fittest rearing method.

Zhou Yi captured some weak and dying young Warrior Crabs.

They were only the size of a finger, their semi-transparent bodies were very soft, and even moving was strenuous.

Originally, he wanted to eat some crab to improve his meals; relying on absorbing Light Seeds to survive for so long made him feel like he was turning into a plant.

Even the smallest crab is still meat.

During the process of catching crabs, Zhou Yi discovered that he could transfer his energy to these little crabs, reviving them and even making them full of vigor and vitality.

So he embarked on the path of crab farming.

These crabs, saved from a young age, regarded Zhou Yi as their leader.

The Warrior Crab clan has a strict internal hierarchy. In a group, all Warrior Crabs obey an absolute core leader, following any commands until the leader dies; this is also the reason they maintain competitiveness in the Dead Sea.

As long as they were not far apart, they could maintain a telepathic connection with him.

All the various commands Zhou Yi issued were faithfully executed by the Warrior Crabs.

After exploration and repeated comparison, he determined the reason.

The key was the process of inputting his energy.

Through the connection between bodies, long-term energy input into other organisms would form this peculiar synchronization effect, as if consciousness was invading like a virus.

Zhou Yi immediately thought: he could create a monster squad this way, serving as his attack force.

He began directing the Warrior Crabs to equip and use simple weapons, besieging and ambushing other solitary creatures on the seabed, officially turning from defense to offense strategically.

In the process of fighting to sustain fighting, the Warrior Crabs acquired a considerable amount of precious spoils, the Light Seeds.

This is a highly condensed substance produced after the Light Absorber species absorb energy; it could enhance Zhou Yi’s body’s status panel attributes and could also be absorbed by the Warrior Crabs to enhance themselves.

Over ten years, Zhou Yi cultivated a crab army, leading them to fight across the seabed, conquering south and north, encountering no opponents in the seabed regions where the Light Absorber species were weaker.

The twelve beside him now were only a small part of it.

Having gained the power to protect himself, Zhou Yi decided to head toward land.

He was still accustomed to life on land and missed the taste of rice, noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, and meat pies.

The Dead Sea had a strange smell; everywhere was heavy smog and light pollution.

It feels like everyone is inhaling second-hand smoke every day, their eyes assaulted by countless laser lights.

The living conditions are truly deplorable.

“Master, we’ve reached the Mushroom Forest; we can’t get any closer.”

Zhou Yi’s thoughts were interrupted by A Jin.

He brought the bicycle to a halt.

Ahead lay an expanse of continuous dense forest, but the woods were composed entirely of tall, straight mushrooms with red caps and white stems. The tallest reached nearly twenty meters, while the shortest stood over a meter high, each one robust and sturdy.

A layer of faint red mist flowed within the Mushroom Forest, obscuring the view inside.

There were hardly any animals in the vicinity.

A Jin pointed ahead: “The Mushroom Forest has been here since before Grub Grain Town existed. The territory of these mushrooms is even larger than the oasis. It’s filled with poisonous gas; few who enter ever come out alive.”

“From what I know, there are three dangerous types of mushrooms here.”

He explained: “The first is the Giant Mushroom, those terrifyingly tall red mushrooms. The poisonous mist is emitted by them; if someone walks in and inhales just a few breaths, they’ll pass out.”

“The second is the Black Hand Mushroom. They’re smaller but can move around, imitate human forms, and are skilled in theft, deception, and ambush. They’re actually more dangerous than the poisonous mist.”

“The most terrifying is the third kind, the Exploding Mushroom.”

The young man spoke in a low voice: “They are fiercely tempered mushroom monsters. If outsiders step into the ground area they cover, they’ll explode with terrifying power. Just five days ago, a seven-member hunting team led by an Enhancer entered the Mushroom Forest. As soon as they went in, they stepped on an Exploding Mushroom on the ground and were blown to pieces…”

Zhou Yi silently took note.

He glanced at the remote control in his hand.

The screen indicated that Red Falcon was at the edge of the Mushroom Forest, very close by.

Worth a try.

Zhou Yi commanded the Warrior Crabs to start digging beneath his feet.

These gigantic shelled creatures wielded their double pincers deftly, rapidly burrowing tunnels. They often worked under the sea as well, and were highly skilled.

The Warrior Crabs delved into the underground tunnels, searching beneath the Mushroom Forest.

After over two hours of labor, they brought back a small metallic cube.

The moving red dot on the remote control confirmed that this was indeed Red Falcon.

A Jin looked stunned: “We can… do this? By avoiding the ground, we really won’t step on the Exploding Mushrooms…”

He suddenly glanced at the darkening sky and said: “Um, Master, I’ll head back to town first. From here, if you turn back and walk in the direction opposite the Mushroom Forest, you’ll see the entrance to Grub Grain Town’s cave. I live in town, the eleventh cave on the left side from the outside.”

The young man was very sensible, knowing when to make his exit.

Zhou Yi nodded: “Come find me tomorrow night, same place, by the beach.”

“Alright, alright.”

A hint of joy appeared on the boy’s face. He turned and left, quickly disappearing to the north.

Zhou Yi toyed with the silver cube in his hand.

It looked like a metallic Rubik’s Cube, with a nice texture.

He considered himself lucky for guessing correctly.

Red Falcon must have crashed after running out of energy, buried underground over the years, with mushrooms growing above it.

Better activate this thing and see.

Chapter 2 Strange Things <TOC> Chapter 4 Bird's-Eye View

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