TRCP 219 PART 1

Chapter 219: The Qinghai Mystery PART 1

The initial assessment of the restricted zone creatures’ evolutionary direction further heightened everyone’s tension. The situation was far worse than they had anticipated. First, they didn’t know the Puppet Jade’s location and could only search blindly. Second, they might face numerous powerful, multiply-mutated creatures. Currently, they were appearing one by one, but if they encountered more inside the cave… the scenario was unimaginable.

Wu You pointed at the insects still crawling in the earthen ring. “What do we do with them?”

Mr. Sun said, “Burn them.”

Shen Changze dropped a fireball. The 1500-degree Celsius heat incinerated the insects before they could even make a sound.

Yao Qianjiang frowned. “This evolutionary path is truly disgusting.”

Zhuang Yao said gravely, “Disgusting, yet extremely powerful. A single organism fusing the characteristics and abilities of several species, especially if they complement each other, could achieve near immortality, or at least the ability to escape any situation. For instance, the rat last night might have fused with some kind of coelenterate, allowing it to survive even after being bisected. Today’s creature, although fused with a human, was a child, hence its low intelligence. It was foolish enough to attack so many people in broad daylight, and its attack methods were flawed. Yesterday’s creature was much smarter, attacking at 3 am when everyone was most tired, its small size advantageous in the darkness. It fled immediately upon encountering strong opponents, played dead, and then attacked Mr. Sun. Our failure to kill it last night leaves a serious hidden danger.”

“You mean it might have companions?”

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Hbwydt Zys pbssj bkp blye. “Lsv dlnlppyakzu. Mbl vos nalyvwalp ol’hl ldnswdvlale blal ps qya byhl ynvle kdelrldeldvzu. R pwprlnv vblu yzps ralu sd lynb svbla. Usxrydksdp xyu dsv lmkpv, cwv kq vbyv ayv kp pxyav ldswtb, kv jdsop vbyv kd vlaxp sq kdekhkewyz pvaldtvb, kv’p ds xyvnb qsa y dyvwal yckzkvu wpla. Ms elhswa yzz sq wp, kv dllep blzr. Mblalqsal, swa nwaaldv zsnyvksd yde pkvwyvksd xktbv byhl yzalyeu pralye yxsdt vbspl nalyvwalp. Mbkp alnjzlpp zkvvzl xsdpvla pweeldzu yrrlyakdt yv vbl nyhl ldvaydnl kp rassq sq vbyv.”

Usdt Dky pbkhlale. “Zsw xlyd ol, vbkp taswr sq qalpb xlyv, byhl clld vyatlvle cu psxl xwzvkrzu-xwvyvle xsdpvlap?”

Hbwydt Zys dseele. “Rv’p bktbzu zkjlzu.”

Usdt Dky zssjle yv vbl eyaj nyhl ldvaydnl. “Gal ol pvkzz tskdt kd? Eswzed’v vbyv cl oyzjkdt kdvs y vayr?”

Ubw Dkdtgbsw tyhl y pyaesdkn pxkzl. “El oyzjle kdvs y vayr vbl xsxldv ol ldvlale vbl alpvaknvle gsdl.”

Usdt Dky pktble. Ubw Dkdtgbsw bye y rskdv. Wasx vbl xsxldv vblu pvlrrle sdvs vbkp zyde, vblal oyp ds vwadkdt cynj.

Ya. Fwd pktble. “Mbkp kp vbl sdzu ldvaydnl ol nswze qkde. Mblal’p ds svbla oyu. Ohld kq kv’p y vktla’p eld sa y oszq’p zyka, ol byhl vs ts kd.”

Ubldt Mkydck pyke, “Nlv’p ts. Mblal’p dsvbkdt zlqv vs nsdpkela.”

There was nothing left to consider. Since they decided to retrieve the Puppet Jade, they were prepared for the possibility of not returning.

The group entered the cave.

They turned on their lighting equipment, illuminating the limited area within the cave. The cave was indeed tall and vast. Even with the equipment set to wide-beam mode, they couldn’t illuminate the ceiling. In focused mode, they couldn’t illuminate the entire cave wall. After several attempts, they finally accepted reality. They couldn’t see the whole cave at once and could only proceed cautiously in the limited light.

The water from the East Taijinar River flowed into the cave, guiding them deeper. This saved them the trouble of finding their way; they just had to follow the downstream current.

They walked for an entire day.

Day and night were indistinguishable inside the cave, but their watches showed it was almost 11 pm. Everyone had been on high alert, not even feeling hungry until Mr. Sun ordered them to camp for the night. Only then did fatigue wash over them as they rested by the river.

The cave was damp, and oxygen was scarce. To conserve oxygen, they couldn’t light a fire and could only gnaw on hardtack and drink icy river water. Mealtime, usually the most enjoyable part of their day, was silent. Only the flickering, dim light and rustling sounds filled the cave, the darkness oppressive, weighing heavily on everyone’s hearts.

After a long time, someone whispered, “I wonder how long this cave is.”

“Why doesn’t Master Sun go and see?”

Mr. Sun immediately objected. “We shouldn’t split up at a time like this.”

Rong Lan, initially silent, finally spoke up. “I’ll go take a look. I’ll be back within five minutes. Five minutes is enough for me to run dozens of kilometers. I don’t believe this cave is that big.”

Mr. Sun sighed. “Alright, go. But if anything happens, don’t react. Return and regroup with us immediately. Understand?”

Rong Lan nodded, his body transforming into a golden light as he flew downstream, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Cong Xia wondered if Rong Lan would one day truly become light, perhaps when breaking through to the seventh level. If that day ever came, would Rong Lan possess the true speed of light? That would be incredibly overpowered. But then he thought of the other nature ability users, not just Rong Lan, who were also extraordinary. This thought somewhat “comforted” him.

After a few minutes, Rong Lan returned, his face pale, his expression strange.

Mr. Sun asked anxiously, “Rong Lan, what’s downstream?”

Rong Lan hesitated. “A city.”

“What? A what?”

“An ancient city, submerged in a vast mushroom forest.”

Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded. What was going on?

Rong Lan seemed dazed as well. He composed himself. “Downstream is a large wetland. There’s a ruined ancient city in the wetland, filled with shade-loving and moisture-loving fungi. The cave seems to end there, replaced by this underground city. Don’t ask me why these things are in a cave. I don’t know.”

Cong Xia took a deep breath, recalling the words spoken by the desolate voice when he broke through to the third level. The voice had said, “Everything is in the Place of Origin.” Based on Rong Lan’s description, that strange place must hold the answers to many things. And, fungi? He obtained the ancient jade when he and Cheng Tianbi stumbled into a cluster of mutated mushrooms growing in underground water pipes. Was there a connection between the ancient jade and fungi? It couldn’t just be a coincidence that they both liked mushrooms.

“Did you see any mutated animals?”

Rong Lan shook his head. “But I sensed them. There are many inside. I suspect the evolved animals here, due to multiple crossbreeding, have fused with small insects or similar creatures, allowing them to easily conceal themselves and making them difficult to detect.”

“What about the Puppet Jade? Did you sense anything?”

“I couldn’t sense the Puppet Jade, but I could feel a very high concentration of Cambrian energy there. If nothing else, the Puppet Jade should be there.”

Cong Xia smiled wryly. “Tianbi and I have encountered mutated fungi before. They’re aggressive and corrosive.”

Liu Fengyu raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? You’re most worried about the mushrooms? Not the things hiding within?”

Cong Xia’s legs were weak with fear, but he maintained a calm facade. Over the years, all his skills had improved, but the most significant improvement was his ability to feign bravery. He knew if he showed fear, his teammates would worry unnecessarily.

Deng Xiao chuckled. “Cong ge, don’t be afraid. Maybe the mushrooms are edible. I haven’t had a single mushroom since the apocalypse began. I must try them this time. Mushroom stew is the best, plump mushrooms soaked in meat juices, one bite, and mmm…”

Abu meowed excitedly in agreement.

“Xiao Deng, don’t be reckless. What if they’re poisonous?”

“Poisonous? I’ll see if those mushrooms are more poisonous than me.” Deng Xiao rubbed his hands, his eyes gleaming.

Others weren’t as optimistic, especially the brain domain ability users, their expressions grave. This cave was becoming increasingly strange. Continuing further, who knew what bizarre things they might encounter? But the more bizarre it became, the closer they were to the truth. The truth of the apocalypse they had been exploring for nearly three years might be just around the corner. Moreover, the Puppet Jade was also waiting for them there. This was a path that required many sacrifices, but did they have any other choice?

After the shock wore off, no one could sleep. According to Rong Lan, the underground city was only a day’s journey away. That meant tomorrow they might face a major battle. In this dark, hidden cave, unknown to anyone else in the world, many of them might be buried here, perhaps others, perhaps themselves.

Cheng Tianbi and the others rested against Abu, a long silence hanging between them.

Abu, seemingly sensing the oppressive atmosphere, let out a soft, uneasy meow, as if afraid to break the silence yet wanting to attract their attention.

Cong Xia rubbed the soft fur on Abu’s chin. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Zhuang Yao murmured, “There must be a connection… Both involve fungi…”

Cong Xia sighed. “We’ll find out when we get there.” He unconsciously reached out and touched the ancient jade in his pocket, hoping the warm, ancient treasure that had saved him twice and helped them countless times would bring him peace of mind.