Chapter 424: Chapter 208: Expedition Army Crisis (Part 2)_2
Li You frowned as he looked at the message. He didn’t feel displeased with the other’s words, but...
"The data on this planet is incomplete; saying it’s fraught with crises wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I’m uneasy with you staying here alone." Li You replied to Gu Ningzhi while sending a cease-work order to the exploration team, "And we still don’t know what the environment will be like after nightfall. You’re being too reckless. Tell me exactly what’s wrong!"
"This is just my personal speculation. If I discuss it casually, it might cause panic." Gu Ningzhi replied evasively, knowing that after a standoff with Li You, it was always the other who backed down, and this time would be no exception. "I’m confident I can protect myself, little squid, so don’t worry so much. Otherwise, you’ll double the wrinkles on your forehead... If you’re uneasy, I’ll report every hour..."
Even though Li You was angry, he couldn’t do anything about the other person. Forget it; this guy never does anything without certainty, so worrying is just a waste of emotion! Thinking this, Li You barely suppressed his inner worry and maintained a stoic expression.
After this, Gu Ningzhi shrugged at the other, saying, "Though I’m joking with my life, curiosity killed the cat, and if I don’t witness it, I’d find it quite regrettable. I think, even if what you say is true, these things aren’t that terrifying, right? Otherwise, how have you survived here?"
The other stood quietly, for a long time, then turned around with flair and simply said, "Follow me," swiftly heading in a certain direction. To Gu Ningzhi’s surprise, despite looking "malnourished," the other person’s skill was quite impressive.
"To witness the truth, this position offers a nice perspective." Upon reaching a barren and steep mountain peak, using the vantage point of the high altitude, Gu Ningzhi could easily see the strange "trees" clustered together, their density abnormal. "I hope after seeing this you can still stay calm... Just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist..."
Gu Ningzhi recalled the last sentence sounded somewhat familiar, as if a woman named Su had said it.
Waiting for nightfall was a very agonizing time. Gu Ningzhi sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the "forest" below the cliff. At this time, the mysterious hooded figure had removed the cloak, revealing a slightly thin and somber face.
"Hey, you’re actually a woman?" Looking at the other’s simple yet strange attire, with a long, slender object hanging from the waist, Gu Ningzhi couldn’t help but express surprise, "You... really couldn’t tell, I thought you were a man."
"What does it matter to you if I’m a woman?" The other person pulled out a small elongated item from her pocket, revealing a syringe filled with deep red liquid upon opening it. Under Gu Ningzhi’s shocked gaze, she expertly injected it into her arm’s vein.
"You... is that... nutrient concentrate?" Gu Ningzhi suddenly understood how the other had managed to look so malnourished. Nutrient concentrate is typically used for emergency relief, providing the body with necessary nutrition, and lasting several days. It’s rare for anyone to use it as "food," not even the Expedition Army would do this. But judging by her appearance, she seemed very familiar with it.
"The things on this planet are nearly inedible. If I don’t do this, am I just waiting to die?" She lifted her eyelid slightly with a smirk, "Don’t tell me when you landed on this planet, you planned to replenish supplies..."
"Isn’t that obvious?" Gu Ningzhi instinctively felt the other seemed to know many secrets. This planet’s location is too remote; if not for mission needs, the Expedition Army wouldn’t bother coming to this godforsaken place.
But what about this person opposite? What’s her purpose? Why appear on this remote planet?
"Those things... though they appear numerous, they’re actually just one plant, called the ’Mother Tree.’" She spoke with rough antiquity, "Initially, there’s only one, deeply rooted underground, absorbing energy while its root system grows upward, developing countless ’sub-trees.’ These ’sub-trees’ and ’Mother Tree’ are one entity; to grow and evolve, they need to consume more energy. This energy can be animals, plants, or energy-filled minerals..."
At this time, the twilight slanted, slightly dimming the view. Gu Ningzhi watched the distant "trees," as if summoned, awaken from slumber, stretching their bodies... vast branches writhing and intertwining, the rustling sounds sent a chill down his spine. Connecting it to what the woman said... the "trees" on this planet are actually just one "Mother Tree"...
If that’s the case, then how enormous must this "Mother Tree" be?
"In the depths of the earth, there is endless energy. Given dozens of years for this ’Mother Tree’ to absorb, the entire planet will fall into total extinction, and this ’Mother Tree’... will reveal its most vicious malevolence!"
If Su Jiameng were here, she’d probably agree strongly. The Mother Tree, among the Insect Race, is an oddly rare existence, also forced to be rejected by all Insect Race. A Mother Tree developed to its fullest eventually monopolizes the entire planet, with all other living beings within its devourable range. Hence, often the Mother Tree is attacked by swarms and ultimately dies.
In a past life, Su Jiameng came to know the Mother Tree because the Human Alliance had once faced an Insect Imperial Level Mother Tree, suffering heavy casualties.
The Mother Tree is also one of the fastest-evolving and most threatening among the Insect Race! Since it roots deep underground, finding and destroying the main trunk isn’t an easy task. Without destroying the core, the Mother Tree, killing as many sub-trees as possible is all in vain.
"I think I’ve heard of such a creature..." Gu Ningzhi muttered, recalling Su Jiameng mentioning something similar in the past. Wasn’t it this sort of terrifying species that evolves quickly through devouring? (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
