Chapter 48 Mutation

Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Mutation

"PHEW..."

Han Ning let out a long breath and said, "Boss Lin, is this southern side still the relatively safer one among the three entrances?"

If even the monsters in the south were this strong, wouldn’t exploring the two northern entrances result in even more casualties?

Lin Qianqian shook her head. "No, Vortex Shell Crabs usually only live in the areas three hundred meters deep into the Fog Area. I have no idea why that one wandered to the outskirts.

"Furthermore, Vortex Shell Crabs generally prefer to move alone. It’s rare to see two or more acting together, and we haven’t encountered any during our exploration so far.

"Perhaps something unusual happened deep within the Fog Area." At this, she sighed in amazement. "Han Ning, your strength exceeded my expectations. In the past, to deal with a Vortex Shell Crab, we had to deploy at least six people, three of whom were Vice President Level Awakened.

"I didn’t expect that just the three of us would be able to kill one."

"So that’s how it is." Han Ning nodded. "Boss Lin, what’s the plan next?"

"I see you still have energy to spare. Why don’t we hunt some Crocodile Lizards nearby?" Lin Qianqian smiled, looking Han Ning up and down as his breathing gradually returned to normal.

"Sure."

Since it was still early, they spent the rest of the time hunting more than ten Crocodile Lizards in the southern area. They relied on snow cake’s ability to sense its own kind, along with Yu Na’s tracking methods. Only when their Energy was practically depleted did they return to the resort.

Because the Energy flying out from the Crocodile Lizards was split among the three of them, according to Lin Qianqian’s theory, all three posed a very high threat level to ordinary Crocodile Lizards.

Therefore, the dozen or so Crocodile Lizards brought Han Ning the following gains:

[Druid Growth Progress +120] (Current Level 4, 227/600)

[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +36] (Current 71/200)

[Vine Technique (High Level) Skill Level +20] (Current 38/500)

[Animal Companion Skill Level +25, Current 105/200]

...

Upon returning to the resort, the trio sat in the rest area, eating food to replenish their stamina. Han Ning held a few slices of beef jerky, washing them down with milk as he chewed in large mouthfuls.

Yu Na held an extra-large, extra-thick block of instant noodles in both hands, going CRUNCH CRUNCH, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster.

In contrast, Lin Qianqian appeared much more elegant. She delicately held a compressed biscuit between her fingers, taking a small bite followed by a sip of milk. It was as if she were enjoying afternoon tea in a cafe.

"Boss Lin, what is the use of this pair of crab claws?" Han Ning finished off his beef jerky and milk in a few quick bites. He opened his backpack, took out the white crab claws wrapped in a bag, and examined them closely.

Lin Qianqian stopped eating and replied, "You can sell them to Awakened who have awakened a Water Element Superpower.

"These claws seem to contain a certain amount of Water Energy. Combined with their unique structure, if a Water Awakened obtains them, it can slightly enhance the power of their Water Superpower."

"They have that kind of effect?" Han Ning asked in surprise, gently tapping the arm-thick crab claw. Wasn’t this essentially equivalent to a Mage’s Magic Staff? Just a poor man’s version.

He carefully set the heavy pair of claws aside and turned his gaze to the bag of snow-white crab meat. "What about this meat?"

Lin Qianqian answered, "The meat of the Vortex Shell Crab contains the aura of the Black Tide. Awakened can consume it in small quantities, and it provides a strong sense of satiety.

"Ordinary people absolutely cannot eat it. Their bodies cannot resist the erosion of the Black Tide aura. If they eat it, in mild cases, they will suffer from Spirit derangement and uncontrollable malignant mutations in their body tissues. In severe cases, they will turn directly into mindless monsters. In the early days of our association, someone secretly fed a little bit of low-level Mirage Insect meat to their family, and the result..."

She didn’t continue. She fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "If you don’t want to eat it, you can feed it to your pet."

If ordinary people couldn’t handle it, then Xu Ming and Yinyin absolutely couldn’t touch it.

"HISS HAA, HISS HAA..."

As if to prove her words, snow cake let out a series of urgent, hissing sounds from its throat. Its vertical yellow pupils stared intently at the meat bag in Han Ning’s hands. Its tail lightly thumped against the ground, and its large head continuously rubbed against Han Ning’s leg, drool practically dripping from its mouth.

Seeing snow cake’s impatient demeanor, Han Ning couldn’t help but smile. He took out a few heavy pieces of snow-white crab meat and brought them to snow cake’s mouth.

"Here, a reward for you. You did a good job today."

"ROAR!" snow cake let out a happy, low growl. It opened its large mouth and precisely snapped up the crab meat. It disappeared into its mouth at a visible speed, and a feeling of immense satisfaction was transmitted through the Soul Contract.

[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +3, Current 74/200]

He thought, "The crab meat can actually increase snow cake’s growth progress. Not bad..." Han Ning nodded to himself.

After resting for a while and feeling his Spiritual Power slowly recovering within his body, Han Ning didn’t linger any longer at the Biyun Resort. Taking snow cake with him, he activated the [Fish Gills Technique]. His figure submerged into the murky rainwater, swimming swiftly toward the apartment building.

On the way home, Han Ning couldn’t help but think. Running back and forth for several kilometers between the apartment building and the resort every day was simply too troublesome. Apart from Liu Feng’s small group, there was hardly anyone left in the apartment building where he currently lived. There was basically no need to stay there any longer.

Han Ning made up his mind. "It’s time to relocate."

The Biyun Resort offered a stable communication platform and a market. Whether in terms of safety, information gathering, or future development, it was much better than an apartment building isolated in the floodwaters. There were plenty of people there. Once Xu Ming and Yinyin moved over, they wouldn’t have to stay in an empty room all day staring blankly, like they did now. Xu Ming could also help gather various information and build some connections. In the future, bringing back some live small animals for him to help raise would also be feasible.

Inside apartment 803.

Han Ning walked to the planting area in the corner of the balcony, as usual. He first released Accelerated Growth on the other crops. Finally, his gaze fell on the two plants that served as his primary experimental subjects.

Han Ning channeled his Spiritual Power, and an emerald green halo, brimming with the aura of life, began to glow in his palm. The beam of light accurately enveloped the potato seedling on the left. As the green light seeped in, the veins of its leaves became clearer and greener. The stem stood tall, exuding vigorous vitality, but there were no other unusual changes.

[Natural Blessing (Basic Level) Skill Level +1, Current 31/200]

He turned to the tomato seedling on the right and continued to cast Natural Blessing. The green light flowed, and the branches and leaves of the tomato seedling greedily absorbed the Energy in the same way, swaying gently.

[Natural Blessing (Basic Level) Skill Level +1, Current 32/200]

Everything seemed exactly the same as before. Han Ning sighed inwardly, preparing to cast another blessing on the potato seedling.

However, just as he gathered his Spiritual Power and his gaze swept over the tomato seedling, his movements paused slightly. He saw that on the tomato seedling which had just received the blessing, a few seconds after the emerald radiance completely faded, the edges of several older leaves near its roots quietly began to emit an extremely faint, yet incredibly striking, red halo.