Chapter 240
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Chapter 240: The Journey Home
As the conversation progressed, the fierceness in Wang Xiao’s eyes gradually faded, and thought and reason began to return to his body and mind.
He seemed to have reverted from a non-human monster back into a human, as if he had merely donned a human-like guise.
He had experienced something like this before.
That was in the basement of the research institute, after being fused with the bodies of about thirty people and becoming a flesh blob.
Whether it was the last time or this time, Wang Xiao distinctly felt the madness within his body.
Last time, someone had helped him reshape his body, whereas this time, he was rescued with the assistance of his teammates.
Both instances involved power increases along with experiences that came close to losing control.
This feeling was frightening, yet it held a hint of reminiscence.
Wang Xiao did not know if this was the negative effect of being bestowed a blessing or if his abilities were inherently like this. He also wasn’t sure whether he should accept or resist such a consuming desire.
He only knew that if he chose to fully accept everything, something bad might happen.
Those things did not align with his expectations, nor with the teachings of that preacher, nor with the will of the seemingly existing deity.
Therefore, he ultimately chose to refuse.
Walking alongside Fresnel, Wang Xiao knew he was completely safe.
The countless plants behind them, after repeatedly reaching out with their branches in vain, reluctantly chose to give up.
Their survival range seemed to have certain limits; even though they could move significantly with the help of the quicksand ability, they would no longer pursue them.
As the two of them drew nearer, the remaining three female teammates in the group politely averted their gazes.
After briefly confirming the situation, Wang Xiao picked up the life pod with one hand, and they began to retreat southward.
They had managed to escape danger, and everyone started to sum up the gains and losses of this mission.
First and foremost, they had all survived, which made everyone very happy.
However, Wang Xiao and the Puppet Master faced a significant issue: they had lost their exclusive equipment.
This was not a huge problem; after all, the loss of equipment was not due to anyone’s subjective choice, but a decision made in a critical moment.
It would not lead to punishment, but upon returning, they would have to write several reports detailing the circumstances.
In terms of gains, an old life pod specifically pointed out by the Deputy Director of a research institute and a notebook presumably left behind by a fallen superpowered individual undoubtedly raised the task evaluation for the team.
Yet compared to that, the Puppet Master’s experiences seemed to hold even more research value.
Wang Xiao’s reaction at the moment of crisis was originally intended to allow the Puppet Master to try and control a few branches to ensure his plan could proceed smoothly.
After receiving a hint from Lin Qingliu, Wang Xiao could roughly infer that these plants possessed a unified higher consciousness.
He did not expect the Puppet Master to interfere with this consciousness for a long time; he merely hoped to delay time as much as possible.
But some things tend to coincide in such a way that, in the illusory world formed by consciousness, the Puppet Master saw the last moments of the Mind reader and the Bomb Man.
If one were to ask what was the most valuable thing the team gained from this trip, the answer would surely be the Puppet Master’s precious memory.
"So how far are we from Hope City?"
Walking through the vast wilderness, Shi Jin suddenly asked.
"Last night, we ran quite a distance. Although our escape completely deviated from the original route, making it hard to determine the exact distance now, I estimate it to be about one hundred kilometers."
"So, do you think there’s a problem? Or have you made any special discoveries?"
Fresnel replied.
"Actually, it’s nothing much. I just feel that the grass on the ground is a bit taller than before."
Shi Jin bent down and gestured a few times, confirming that the dried yellow grass leaves reached the middle of her calves.
—
"Fulan, I think I forgot something."
In the forest, Lin Qingliu walked while muttering to himself. Although it sounded like he was asking the cat, he did not truly expect a reply.
"Do you need Fulan to help you think about it?"
"Wow, you’re good at this too?"
"Not really, I just wanted to help you solve your problem, meow~"
"Then what do you think, are there still any issues with Shi Jin’s team?"
"Fulan thinks that, aside from not having food to eat for the next two days, there’s nothing else to worry about. Humans are so fragile; three days without food could lead to starvation."
Fulan pondered for a moment and responded, half explanation, half reflection.
"Even among all animals, humans are the most unique.
"Long-term evolution has indeed helped humans develop the good habit of eating on time. Actually, three days without food may not lead to death, but three days without water definitely has a certain probability…"
Lin Qingliu found himself at a loss for words.
He remembered that he had really forgotten something!
In the midnight catastrophe, the Fresnel team had fled in disarray, throwing away all their food and water.
Now, they needed to face not only a one hundred kilometer trek but also a terrifying expanse of tall grass that was a one-way ticket!
The five superpowered individuals from the sixth squad had gotten lost here, and if Lin Qingliu did not do something, this place would also become the graveyard for the Fresnel team.
"Let’s go! We need to find nutritional paste and water!"
—
"Captain, don’t you feel something is off around us?"
By noon, Shi Jin asked again.
Unlike their previous regular routine, without food and water, they had only two options: walk and rest.
"If I hadn’t noticed something was wrong, then the captain should let someone else take over."
Though Fresnel’s tone was not very friendly, he indirectly confirmed Shi Jin’s observation.
At that moment, anyone with normal eyesight could see that the dried yellow grass leaves had grown to knee height.
What would happen if this continued? The group felt a deep-rooted concern.
Just then, the Puppet Master said, with a serious expression:
"I remembered something the Mind reader’s consciousness told me."
"What?"
"Be careful of the tall grass, be careful of the wilderness, be careful of biological field corruption."
Everyone fell silent as the team shifted back into combat mode, their alertness heightened to the maximum.
"Rest in place. Form pairs for cognitive testing, and report any anomalies quickly after completing it.
"Hope City is just ahead; our gains are significant. We cannot stall; everyone must maintain a steady mental state."
Fresnel’s tone turned unusually tense and serious. Compared to the invisible corruption of biological fields, he preferred facing visible enemies like extraordinary beasts and mutated plants.
Meanwhile, in areas they couldn’t see, Lin Qingliu, disguised as a delivery person, was rushing to make his deliveries.
