RNP Chapter 198 Vortex Cow
Chapter 198 Vortex Cow
Yang Fan dared not breathe loudly, only daring to glance at Fu Xiaojian's profile out of the corner of his eye.
The marks of pain still lingered on his face, his bangs were soaked with cold sweat and clung to his skin, but his whole demeanor was different—he had lost some of the composure of a team leader and gained a sharp, almost divine insight into the road ahead.
Fu Xiaojian touched his lower abdomen and then grimaced. He had advanced in rank, but his injuries hadn't healed!
"Captain Fu, how... how are you feeling?" Yang Fan finally found his voice.
"It's alright." Fu Xiaojian exhaled a breath of stale air, sat up straight, and looked out the car window at the treacherous mountain road and the bottomless canyon to his left.
"Better than ever," he added.
He was getting closer and closer to the median sequence, and he had previously wondered if there was a chance to be promoted to sequence 4.
Now he saw it; it was no longer a vague and unreal hope.
He closed his eyes, and the newly acquired "Unknown Hammer" property operated silently.
"Ahead..." Fu Xiaojian opened his eyes, a light in them.
"About five kilometers ahead, there is a relatively open valley with a water source where you can rest for a while."
His voice was clearly transmitted through the walkie-talkie to every car.
The oppressive atmosphere instantly dissipated.
"Received," Wang Hu said.
"Really?" Jiao Jiao was the first to exclaim, her voice still a little weak, but her excitement was undeniable.
"Is there water? Can we take a shower?"
"Let's talk when we get there." Su Su's voice was still cool, but it carried a hint of relaxation that was hard to detect.
The team desperately needs a break.
Fu Xiaojian's first judgment after his promotion was based on such specific location and details, which means that the "Pioneer" sequence is probably stronger than imagined in terms of navigation and prediction.
This is a qualitative leap for the team.
"Yang Fan, drive slowly and be careful. Everyone stay close and keep a safe distance," Fu Xiaojian said again.
The convoy started moving slowly.
The mountain path remained narrow and treacherous, but everyone felt much more at ease.
Five kilometers
It took almost half an hour to drive on the rugged mountain road.
As the lead warrior rolled through the last bend, a breathtaking view suddenly appeared before him.
It was a small valley nestled among mountains, with gentle slopes and a shallow, crystal-clear stream meandering through the center.
The stream was lined with low, unidentified shrubs, the first time their convoy had ever seen such vibrant plants.
The convoy drove into the valley one by one and slowly came to a stop in an open space beside the stream.
Everyone got off the bus, greedily taking in the small "oasis".
Tashan shuffled off the bus, his bandaged body resembling a clumsy giant. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "This place... is comfortable!"
Supported by Su Su, Jiao Jiao's face was still pale, but her eyes sparkled as she stared at the stream, muttering, "Water...it's running water...can I drink it? Can I wash my face with it? Yes..."
"Stay away from those plants!" Xu Si warned.
He saw a unique and eerie flow of energy in those plants.
The babbling brook flows clear and melodious among the pebbles at the bottom of the valley.
The moisture mixed with the fresh scent of plants spread out, which should have been a refreshing sight.
But in Xu Si's starry eyes, within the veins of those low shrubs, flowed an extremely faint, eerie energy with a sticky, life-giving quality.
It's not aggressive; it's more like a... latent, slow-moving assimilation.
"Everyone, step back." Fu Xiaojian naturally trusted Xu Si's judgment.
However, Xu Si did not feel any malice.
"Brother Dao, what's wrong?" The little girl had almost run to the stream, but she had to stop when she heard Xu Si's words.
"Since the apocalypse, have you seen any plants?" Xu Si asked.
Before she finished speaking, a leaf with serrated edges from the dark green shrub closest to her suddenly and very slowly turned at an angle toward her, even without any wind.
Su Su's eyes narrowed, and almost instinctively pulled Jiao Jiao back half a step. At the same time, she slightly raised her right fist, and dark golden energy appeared on the tip of her fist.
Xu Si's star veins have spread out like a spider web, taking every inch of soil and every plant in the valley into his perception.
These plants are not numerous, but their root systems are extremely developed, covering almost the entire valley.
The leaf rotated very slightly; if Xu Si hadn't reminded her early on, Su Su might have overlooked this.
"Back up! Everyone back up to the side of the car!" Fu Xiaojian shouted in a low voice.
However, Xu Si was puzzled as to why the system had not given any indication. The rank of these plants was clearly not high enough for the system to fail to provide any indication.
Then there's only one possibility: these things might not be weird at all.
So, where does the eerie aura flowing around him come from?
[Level 3 Anomaly Detected: Vortex Bull]
【Characteristics: Habitat, whirlpools, cave sleeping】
When the system's voice sounded, Xu Si even suspected that Yi Yi had skipped work. The strange thing was right in front of him, but Yi Yi's malicious perception didn't react at all.
"Why……"
Suddenly, an extremely joyful voice rang out in the canyon, and the convoy couldn't immediately pinpoint the source of the sound.
"Why……"
"Why……"
Then two more sounds followed, but the sound could be heard without seeing the person. Xu Si thought Fu Xiaojian was playing music again.
Xu Si's star trails searched the entire canyon but found nothing.
Xu Si's detection-type properties seem to have all lost their effectiveness.
"Here, here, above, above!" The voice rang out again, and everyone looked up.
Xu Si's star-like eyes were the first to notice the anomaly.
A snail the size of a building clung to the cliff face, its entire body seemingly becoming part of the cliff itself.
Curious heads peeked out from the opening of its shell.
Xu Si even spotted a few little guys among them who were even smaller than Xiao Luo.
The people in the two convoys looked up and down at each other, as if they were in a two-dimensional space!
"You are human, right? Yes, right?" The voice rang out again. It was a girl about the same age as Xiao Luo, who seemed eager to find the right answer.
Xu Si finally realized that these people were actually living in a strange body.
Did they migrate using some strange vehicle?
"Don't be nervous!" The girl waved her hand vigorously, her voice echoing through the valley.
"Niu Niu doesn't bite! It just... just walks a little slowly!"
Fu Xiaojian and Xu Si exchanged a surprised look.
Yi Yi's senses told Xu Si that these people, including the strange ones, had no ill intentions.
That only proves one thing: these people tamed a monster.
Xu Si finally understood just how slow the little girl meant by "slow."
From the time they started talking until now, the whirlpool-like creature seemed to have never moved from its original location.
However, under Xu Si's starry eyes, the vortex bull did indeed move a tiny bit, but only a tiny bit.