Chapter 169
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Chapter 169: Everything is Normal
In the vast wilderness, the withered, yellow grass reached up to the knees and thighs, stretching endlessly.
These should have been natural fire starters, but the scene imagined by the exploration team lasted less than ten minutes.
The flames did spread, but not as fiercely as they had anticipated.
The withered plants seemed to naturally possess that color and showed little interest in the flames’ assault.
As time passed, the flames on the vast grassland, left unattended, gradually died out.
Nian descended from the sky and looked around at the scorched area, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
"What happened? Why did it go out?"
"I don’t know…"
Everyone was equally baffled.
Quicksand picked up a clump of unburned dry grass from the ground and, while twisting it vigorously, muttered to himself,
"This is quite strange… It looks and feels just like ordinary dried green plants, but why won’t it burn?"
Vine, the team member with the most knowledge about plants, pondered for a moment and said,
"According to the data, most organisms on this planet have undergone varying degrees of mutation.
"This grass might still be alive; it just looks different from what we’re used to."
"But even living plants should still catch fire. Besides, there’s no sign of rain around here…"
Bomb Man rarely joined discussions, but the silent, Sleepless extinguishing of the flames left him feeling dissatisfied, so he chimed in.
"Captain, the grass ahead is getting deeper. Should we continue forward?"
At that moment, the scout Gecko retracted his stealth ability and returned from the edge of the now-extinguished fire to the group.
Listening to everyone’s discussions and questions, Captain Nian fell unusually silent.
The grass ahead stretched endlessly, even appearing somewhat peculiar in the aftermath of the flames. Logically, such anomalies wouldn’t justify retreat, but…
Being naturally cautious, he began to reflect inwardly.
The team had set out less than ten hours ago; if they turned back to Hope City now, they might still make it in time for the special dinner provided to superpowered individuals.
Yet… no one wanted to retreat.
This was an important step for humanity, and each member of the team did not wish this step to falter due to their own weakness.
If they were to rashly return, the warm enthusiasm from the morning crowds would only be overshadowed by the sharp ridicule come evening—this was something Nian could easily grasp.
The exploration team seemed to be in a quandary, but in reality, there was a shameful yet effective solution:
With the crop seeds and rapid growth abilities carried by Vine, staying here for five days was absolutely feasible.
As long as they endured these hundred and twenty hours, they could return to Hope City, back to that cage which, though lacking freedom, allowed for a peaceful sleep.
But if that was the case, what meaning did the exploration quota they worked so hard to obtain hold?
The team’s hesitation would only lead to more lost human lives in the future.
With that thought, Nian made up his mind.
"Form up, let’s move forward. Don’t worry about the tall grass; I will serve as your reference from the sky."
"Understood!"
The exploration team recorded their current encounters in their notes and then set off again.
This was not only to cross-reference the information received from the Listening Device but also a way to prove their own alertness.
As the team advanced, the height of the tall grass gradually increased, resembling the ceaseless rolling of the Sea.
Along the grassland they passed, the withered yellow grass leaves touched and rubbed against each other, as if whispering secrets.
By the time evening arrived, the dense grass had grown tall enough to brush against the chin of the shortest member of the team, Gecko.
"Confirm direction."
Nian gave the command from the middle of the sky, and several team members quickly acted to recheck that they were headed north.
"Direction is correct."
"Alright, let’s stop here for today.
"Let’s go! We only have five days in total; just another day and a half forward and we can start our return."
"We’ll take turns keeping watch through the night, that’s okay, right?"
"Yes."
Everyone responded in unison, and Quicksand once again shifted the ground, creating a Barren Area without any grass.
However, this time, the energy he expended seemed to be several times more than before.
Quicksand panted lightly and looked at his teammates.
"As the height of the grass increases, the root systems underground feel much more complicated.
"A large number of roots are intertwined, causing a significant portion of the soil to become one solid mass."
"This is indeed a problem; I will note it down. Now everyone prepare; we can start to rest."
With the Captain’s command, the five-member team began to operate in an orderly manner.
For an exploring team, resting did not mean sleeping. On the contrary, with fewer people on watch, those responsible for the night shift carried a greater burden.
As trained professionals, the team’s rest procedure followed a fixed routine.
While the others prepared their sleeping bags, Vine began to use his ability to create fresh vegetables.
He had brought several crop seeds from the city, and after burying them in the soil, he needed only to activate his ability for about ten minutes to produce enough food for the five of them.
"What’s this called?"
An hour later, everyone finished cooking their food over Bomb Man’s flames. Quicksand, savoring the long-awaited deliciousness, asked Vine with admiration.
"This is called a potato, and the seeds were gifted by Councilman Bordeaux.
"This is my first time trying it this way, and it does taste good. I hope I have the chance to eat it again when we get back.
"By the way, remember to leave one or two unroasted; if I bury the tubers in the soil, I can stimulate their growth and save quite a bit of time. We’ll eat this again tomorrow."
"Sure, I hope we can have it every meal!"
Quicksand replied enthusiastically.
It was now dark, and the four team members were gathered by the campfire eating, while the Captain stood guard around them.
Once everyone had finished eating, he walked over to the fire, picked up his share, and began to chew in silence.
Gecko, the most sensitive among them and adaptable with his abilities, took the night watch for the first half, while Vine would take over for the second half.
Being the two members with the weakest combat abilities, they naturally became the support personnel.
After a day of walking, even superpowered individuals were quite fatigued, so after confirming everything was alright, everyone quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Gecko scanned the surroundings with vigilant eyes, moving about in the safety zone without any particular pattern.
He played with a dagger that glowed with a blue light in his hands.
