Chapter 74 Seed Experiment Center

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Seed Experiment Center

SQUELCH!

A few seconds later, sharp tiger claws pierced through the chest of the last Fishman Leader.

THUD!

Three halos of aqua-blue Energy flew out of the Fishman Leaders’ corpses one after another and sank into Han Ning’s body.

[Druid Growth Progress +265] (Current Level 5, 1071/2000)

[Mental Power +0.15] (Mental Power: 3.55)

This included the Energy obtained from killing the ordinary Fishmen earlier. The amount wasn’t much—roughly 3 to 4 points each—but it added up to a few dozen points. As the Energy entered his body, a warm current surged. All added together, it was only just about equal to that Big Tuna.

Han Ning deduced inwardly, "Looking at it this way, the strength of these three Fishman Leaders is roughly stronger than the Vortex Shell Crab but weaker than the Tuna. They’re probably between Level 4 and Level 5..."

Witnessing the tragic death of their leaders, the scattered remaining Fishmen fled without hesitation. Unlike the monsters Han Ning and the others had encountered in the Fog Area previously, they did not continue to attack.

Zou Yu and his subordinate Awakened looked at Han Ning in absolute awe. The dissatisfaction on their faces had long since vanished. The monster leaders they had to fight with all their might just to stall couldn’t even survive a few exchanges against Han Ning.

Han Ning ignored their gazes. The Dark Gold fur around his body rapidly receded, and his bulging muscles returned to normal, reverting him back to the young man wearing tattered shorts. He took a few steps to the wall where the Fishman Leader wielding the Magic Staff had died. Bending down, he pulled the twisted Magic Staff, which had a strange dark green fruit growing at its tip, from its claws.

It was slightly heavy in his hand. The texture was warm and possessed the resilience of a plant. Under the faint glow of the fruit, countless fine green roots on the staff seemed to be slowly writhing. He carefully examined the pulsating dark green fruit, sensing the faint moisture and Life Energy contained within. He was highly intrigued.

"It should be an aquatic plant. How interesting. I wonder if I can take it back to plant?" Han Ning’s eyes lit up. As a Druid, he was now very sensitive to plants. Moreover, that green-skinned Fishman had just used this thing to release seaweed. There was a high probability that it was an Extraordinary fruit.

Next, he picked up the fragments of the Shell Curved Blade and the charred remains of the Bone Spear dropped by the other two Fishman Leaders, stuffing them into his waterproof backpack. These items all contained mysterious Energy and held great research value.

After gathering his loot, Han Ning broke the silence. "Are these three Fishmen the strongest creatures entrenched here?"

GULP...

Zou Yu swallowed hard, recovering from his shock. Meeting Han Ning’s placid gaze, the slight frustration and anger in his heart from being used as bait vanished into thin air. Only deep lingering fear remained. He nodded, his entire demeanor significantly weakened. "I’m not entirely sure, but the strongest monsters we’ve observed on campus so far should be these three leaders."

"Then take your people inside and see if there’s anything still usable," Han Ning replied.

"Alright..." Zou Yu averted his eyes, avoiding Han Ning’s gaze. This time, they didn’t dare to refuse. Helping up their injured companions, they waded together into the second floor of the cafeteria.

Han Ning followed closely behind. Su Mingke bit her lip and followed silently, staying a few steps behind him.

The interior of the cafeteria was a complete mess. The first floor was completely submerged. Rotting remains of tables and chairs, along with unrecognizable garbage, floated in the murky water. The group climbed through a windowsill to the second floor, where the stagnant water only reached their ankles.

This used to be the dining area, but now it looked like a massive, damp nest. The floor, the walls, and even the crevices in the ceiling were covered in a slimy layer of dark green seaweed—essentially a supersized version of the seaweed on the Fishman Leader’s Magic Staff—exuding a strong fishy stench. In some relatively dry areas, there were crude nests piled up with rags, rotten fishing nets, and shattered bones. Curled up inside were quite a few Fishman cubs, no bigger than kittens, with translucent skin and unopened eyes.

Sensing the presence of strangers, these little creatures emitted faint SQUEAKING sounds.

Everyone searched around the five-story space. Because it had been nearly a month since they crossed over to the Otherworld, coupled with the humid environment, all the fresh food had either rotted or been devoured by the Fishmen. Almost nothing was left. Only some chewed-up, empty packaging bags remained. In the foul stagnant water, rotting garbage and indistinguishable chunks of flesh and blood could be faintly seen, giving off an unbearable stench.

After searching for a few rounds, they found that most of it was useless trash. Probably the most valuable items were the weapons held by those three Fishman Leaders.

Han Ning shook his head secretly. Tools from the cafeteria, such as kitchenware and batteries for emergency lights, could be found elsewhere. Considering they still had to go to the seed bank later, he simply gave up on them.

While the Awakened from the Agricultural and Forestry University were banding together to clear out the relatively weaker Fishmen, Han Ning spoke up. "The Fishmen here no longer pose a threat to you. Take me to the seed bank now."

Zou Yu and the others stopped what they were doing, exchanged glances, and nodded silently.

After leaving the central cafeteria, there were still quite a few Fishmen wandering nearby. However, none of them possessed the strength of the three Fishman Leaders from earlier, so they didn’t pose much of a threat to the group.

About ten minutes later.

"The seed experimental center is just ahead," Zou Yu pointed to a relatively independent, quite modern-looking seven-story building not far away. The first floor of the building was already submerged, while the windows on the second floor were mostly intact and tightly shut.

Han Ning opted to smash a window on the second floor and enter directly, with the rest of the group following closely behind.

Upon entering, a scent mixed with desiccants, disinfectants, and faintly stale wood rushed at their faces. In stark contrast to the cold, damp, and filthy environment outside, a stuffy sensation of long-unventilated air permeated the facility, but it was relatively dry. Although the experimental building was spacious, it mostly consisted of laboratories filled with bulky experimental equipment.

Led by students from the relevant major, Han Ning arrived at the warehouse where the seeds were stored. Rows of tall metal shelves were neatly arranged. On the shelves, countless transparent glass bottles, sealed bags, and aluminum foil pouches were densely yet systematically organized. Some special varieties were even stored in low-temperature refrigeration areas. However, now that there was no electricity, it was unknown whether those seeds had been damaged.

Above each seed sample, printed labels were affixed, detailing their names. For example: "Super Rice - Fengyou No. 1," "Disease-Resistant Corn - Jinsui No. 8," "High-Oleic Peanut - Luhua 99," "Storage-Tolerant Tomato - Ruby Improved Type," and so on. The dazzling array of labels saved Han Ning a massive amount of time in identification and categorization.

His gaze swept over the vast collection of seeds, and he already had a plan in mind.

"Take them all," Han Ning instructed, gesturing for the others to help.

Zou Yu and the others hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately choosing to pitch in. The collection work proceeded efficiently and methodically. Thanks to the warehouse’s excellent sealing and management, the vast majority of the seeds were perfectly preserved, meeting the required dryness levels with no obvious signs of mildew.