Chapter 348

Although by actual elapsed time, the Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue of this world had known Shen Ge for less than a month combined.

But in just that less-than-a-month, they had pretty much figured out Shen Ge’s personality. So the moment those words left his mouth, Deng Yuqi nearly blurted out, “I don’t want to hear either of them.”

Fortunately, reason prevailed over the urge to snark. After all, Shen Ge had just come back from the blockade zone, and even someone of his strength had ended up badly wounded—clearly the situation there wasn’t optimistic.

Right now, Dajing had an awakened Seventh-Tier Eerie to the west and another high-tier Eerie mutating toward Seventh-Tier in the northeast. Deng Yuqi genuinely couldn’t imagine what “good news” there could possibly be.

“Good news.” Deng Yuqi didn’t have much hope for good news, but she also didn’t want to jump straight into bad news and feel despair.

Shen Ge briefly explained the Eerie energy storm he’d triggered inside the Sixth-Tier Eerie’s stomach, then said: “The Eerie energy storm is far worse than expected. Right now, the two Eeries are fighting over final control of the fused body, and they’ll definitely fight to a decision. But given the storm’s destructive power, even the winner won’t reach the original standard. In other words, a second Seventh-Tier Eerie won’t appear.”

Shen Ge’s meaning was simple. If he hadn’t triggered this Eerie energy storm, then according to the Sixth-Tier Eerie’s original plan, it would have cultivated a “high-tier delicacy” inside its body. Once successfully absorbed, it could complete the final mutation and leap to Seventh-Tier, contending with Dajing’s other Seventh-Tier.

And the Alien Queen inside the Sixth-Tier Eerie’s stomach had also been scheming to lie low and find a chance to devour the Sixth-Tier Eerie and complete Seventh-Tier mutation.

But now the Eerie energy storm had disrupted both Eeries’ original plans. The storm’s tremendous destructive power meant that even after a winner emerged, both would pay an enormous price. So by Shen Ge’s estimation, there was a high probability neither would complete Seventh-Tier mutation.

Dajing losing a Seventh-Tier Eerie—that really did count as “good news” for the shelter. It was just that Deng Yuqi looked rather surprised.

What surprised her wasn’t the high-tier Eerie matter, but… actually hearing a “good news” from Shen Ge’s mouth!

“Wait! You’re saying… you went into a Sixth-Tier Eerie’s stomach and found another high-tier Eerie inside it? The high-tier Eerie was cultivating an Eerie in its own stomach, hiding underground to develop secretly, and its target was that Seventh-Tier Eerie?” The more Deng Yuqi heard, the more alarmed she became. She’d assumed Shen Ge dealt with high-tier Eeries by hiding in the shadows and shooting. Who knew he’d actually crawl straight into an Eerie’s stomach?

Fang Mingyue was equally shocked, but her reaction was a bit better than Deng Yuqi’s. After all, when she’d accompanied Shen Ge on operations before, he’d been constantly teaching her experience for dealing with high-tier Eeries. The point he mentioned most often was how to avoid the parasitic Eeries and find the weak points and “heart” after entering an Eerie’s stomach.

“Then… what’s the bad news?” Now Deng Yuqi was even more afraid to hear the bad news, because if the good news was genuinely good, that meant the bad news would be terrifyingly bad!

Shen Ge said gravely: “Although the blockade zone prevented a Seventh-Tier Eerie from appearing, their battle likely already drew the attention of the Seventh-Tier Eerie. When I was escaping the blockade zone, I noticed dense Eerie energy black mist in the sky, originating from the west—very likely the Seventh-Tier Eerie is on its way.”

“Actually, after learning the Seventh-Tier Eerie had awakened, I already felt Dajing would sooner or later be destroyed by it. That’s also why I suggested you evacuate the shelter from Dajing ahead of time.”

“Although the Sixth-Tier Eerie in the blockade zone can’t complete its mutation, its Eerie energy intensity is still there. Once the Seventh-Tier Eerie successfully absorbs it, there’s a very high chance it’ll develop toward Eighth-Tier.”

“Based on my past encounters with Eighth-Tier Eeries, by then—never mind Dajing… I’m afraid even the surrounding provinces and cities won’t escape disaster.”

“So have you chosen an evacuation point? When do you plan to start? By my estimate, Dajing will disappear from the map in seven days at most.”

Deng Yuqi suppressed the urge to ask Shen Ge “you’ve actually seen an Eighth-Tier Eerie?!” and steered the topic to the most critical issue at hand—choosing an evacuation point: “Actually, we’ve already found an excellent evacuation location. It’s just that the place still needs further exploration, because the situation is also quite complicated.”

Deng Yuqi briefly explained the situation of the “great mountain” that had appeared out of nowhere in Sanshen City and the New Council’s idea of a “paradise holy land.” Shen Ge listened with his brows tightly furrowed.

“You’re saying… is it possible that the ‘great mountain’ that appeared out of nowhere is actually itself a high-tier Eerie, and that’s why no low-tier Eeries appear nearby?” Shen Ge asked.

The moment Shen Ge said this, Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue suddenly saw the light. After pooling all the intelligence they’d gathered so far, such a “conclusion” wasn’t impossible.

“But… if that ‘great mountain’ is an Eerie, how do you explain the lush plants and fertile land on it?” Fang Mingyue asked, puzzled.

Shen Ge said: “This is just my guess. Since the Eeries appeared, there’s only been one circumstance in which terrain changes—when affected by the ability of a high-tier Eerie called a ‘Trait Eerie.’ So I suspect that even if that ‘great mountain’ isn’t a high-tier Eerie, the high-tier Eerie should be nearby—underground, among the mountains, anywhere. Or perhaps that black passage you mentioned.”

“Trait Eerie?” Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue both became interested upon hearing this new term and hoped Shen Ge would reveal more information about Trait Eeries.

Shen Ge didn’t hold back. Although they were in different worlds, fundamentally they were both fighting Eeries. Helping this world would also help his shelter plan proceed more smoothly.

So Shen Ge explained the “reality” research on Trait Eeries to the two of them. When they heard that Trait Eeries could affect geographical environments starting from Fourth-Tier, transforming them into environments related to their “trait,” they truly felt how terrifying Trait Eeries were.

Fang Mingyue sounded a bit disappointed: “Ugh, I thought Heaven really left humanity a paradise on earth, but in the end it’s still an Eerie…”

“That’s not necessarily true. Who says you can’t live on an Eerie’s body?” Shen Ge was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. A bold idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

Although he hadn’t said the rest yet, when Deng Yuqi heard those words, she’d already vaguely guessed what he was going to say.

“The first thing to confirm is whether the high-tier Eerie is the ‘great mountain’ itself, or just hidden beneath the ‘great mountain.’ If it’s the former, that means this Eerie is a Trait Eerie. Based on my past experience with Eeries, Trait Eeries are far stronger than ordinary ones. I’d estimate this one is at least Seventh-Tier or above.”

“A Seventh-Tier Eerie would at least deter any Eerie below Seventh-Tier from coveting it. And the fact that it’s survived in Sanshen City for so long means Sanshen City currently has no Eighth-Tier or above Eeries. Even if there are, it has special means to avoid being tracked.”

“So as long as we confirm that the lush plants and fertile land on its body won’t harm humans, then building a new shelter on its body would mean inexhaustible resources—at least we’d never have to worry about food again, right?”

“Besides, a bunch of furries can build a nation on an elephant’s back—why can’t humans live on an Eerie’s back?”

Deng Yuqi fell into thought at these words, then nodded after a moment: “Your idea is bold, but I have to say it’s actually a good choice. The New Council wants us to form a vanguard team to scout ahead. As long as we confirm those two points, even if there are Eeries in that cave on the ‘great mountain,’ defending a single cave is still better than defending a city against Eeries that could appear from all directions.”

At this point, Fang Mingyue suddenly spoke up: “Do you think there’s a possibility that the Eeries in that cave… are like the Sixth-Tier Eerie in the blockade zone—the Eeries in the cave are ‘food’ it cultivated?”

Shen Ge nodded: “That’s possible. So this vanguard mission, besides examining whether the plants and land are harmful to humans, thoroughly exploring that passage is also very important.”

Fang Mingyue hesitated: “But even an expert like Captain Tu lost contact after entering the cave. That shows how complex the cave is. Figuring out the cave’s situation probably won’t be easy.”

“Someone like Tu Doupi counts as an expert?” Shen Ge’s tone didn’t show contempt for Tu Doupi—it was more like an adult elder evaluating his kindergarten child.

“…”

This left Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue speechless. Tu Doupi’s strength was at least top ten in the shelter, if not top three. If he didn’t count as an expert, then the shelter had barely any experts at all.

But coming from Shen Ge’s mouth, it was hard to argue. After all, the entire shelter’s combined strength could barely confront a Fifth-Tier Eerie head-on, yet Shen Ge could not only handle Fifth-Tier Eeries but also take a day trip inside a Sixth-Tier Eerie’s stomach—and come back “alive.”

The two women could only sigh inwardly: a big shot’s confidence really was on another level. Captain-level experts were like kindergarten kids in his eyes.

Deng Yuqi sighed: “It’s a pity you’re injured now. Otherwise, with you leading the team, we might actually be able to figure out that mysterious cave.”

“Injured? Who says I’m injured?” Shen Ge spread his hands, showing off his healthy body.

Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue’s attention had been fixed on their conversation the whole time—neither had noticed that the corrosive wounds on Shen Ge’s body were now mostly healed, and most of the corroded flesh had grown back.

The eeriest part was his severed right hand. Both women clearly remembered the break was around the elbow before, but now the arm had grown out to almost wrist length.

This terrifying self-healing ability—probably only high-tier Eeries could manage it!

Deng Yuqi was horrified inside and quickly shoved the thought of equating Shen Ge with an Eerie out of her head, then said: “But your hand…”

“Not a big problem. I’m like a gecko—if my hand comes off, it grows back. Judging by the distance from here to Sanshen City, it might grow back by the time we arrive.” Shen Ge said calmly.

“…”

Bro, geckos can’t regrow severed limbs either!

“Then…” Deng Yuqi was still a bit hesitant.

Shen Ge waved his hand carelessly: “Not a big problem. Leave this to me. I happen to be very interested in Trait Eeries.”

In fact, although Shen Ge had “escaped” the blockade zone, he wasn’t very happy. The biggest reason was the appearance of the Eerie energy storm and being targeted by the Seventh-Tier Eerie. This increased the difficulty of his crisis mission and made his plan to save points and transfer trait equipment look bleak.

Trait equipment—ah, over several years of his Eerie-fighting career, Shen Ge had only ever obtained a few pieces of trait equipment combined. And this time there was one with a very tempting name: “Endless.” How could he not feel the pain?

Unfortunately, Shen Ge had barely managed to escape. With the Seventh-Tier Eerie watching like a tiger, he couldn’t go back to salvage equipment.

So the best choice was to note the coordinates and, after returning to “reality,” immediately sneak into the underground research institute to find “Endless” before the Eerie disaster broke out in Dajing.

So now, upon learning that Deng Yuqi’s side had discovered a “great mountain” that appeared out of nowhere—very likely another high-tier Trait Eerie—he set his sights on this trait.

If the “great mountain” really was a Trait Eerie and could truly, like some elephant named Zunesha, have a nation built on its back, then even without absorbing the trait, Shen Ge would essentially have a mobile shelter—with a natural Eerie energy barrier for defense.

Whether devouring or building, either way, Shen Ge really needed to make the trip himself and investigate this Trait Eerie’s situation.

Although Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue were somewhat worried about Shen Ge’s condition, the two women clearly couldn’t override him and could only agree to his plan.

With Shen Ge joining, selecting personnel became much easier. After Deng Yuqi discussed with the city defense team and the Eerie Hunters Corps commander and told them the intelligence Shen Ge had revealed, they finally settled on Fang Mingyue as the vanguard captain, then selected trusted confidants to join the team and cooperate with Shen Ge’s operation.

Once preparations were complete, everyone rode modified combat vehicles toward Sanshen City. In less than ten hours of travel, Shen Ge’s injuries had completely healed. His right hand, after consuming some system points to assist recovery, had fully grown out—indistinguishable from the hand originally corroded by the Eerie.

When Shen Ge’s group arrived at the destination—the outskirts of Sanshen City—they indeed saw the “great mountain” circled in the map from Tu Doupi’s transmitted footage.

What should have been hilly terrain was blocked by a towering mountain piercing the clouds. From the mountainside upward, the area from mid-slope to peak was hidden within Eerie energy black mist.

Ahead was a dense “primeval forest.” Most of the plants in view were ones none of them had ever seen, yet they were abnormally lush.

For example, a “weed” was nearly five meters tall; a large tree was comparable to a thousand-year-old tree; and between the trees, lush vines tangled—each one as thick as an adult.

And when this lush forest and great mountain appeared in Shen Ge’s field of vision, without any surprise, the system’s warning alert sounded in his mind!