Chapter 334 - 166: Mountain Forest and Verification

Chapter 334: Chapter 166: Mountain Forest and Verification

’The secret of the Red Star Industrial Zone... maybe this is it! And the origin of the Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast... maybe this is it, too!’

An image surfaced in Xu Mo’s mind—two worlds overlapping, with countless zombies pouring through the fissures into this one.

’That would explain the Crystal Core in the Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast’s head. In that other world, Crystal Cores must be standard for zombie-like creatures, just as creatures in this world have hearts.’

’That would also explain why the zombies in the Red Star Industrial Zone keep respawning. The connection point must be there, with new zombies crossing over periodically. And the fog at the heart of the industrial zone... perhaps it’s a boundary phenomenon caused by the two worlds overlapping.’

After a moment of silence, Xu Mo let out a soft chuckle.

"Things are getting a little too intense, aren’t they?"

Xu Mo’s voice echoed through the mountain forest, but there was no reply.

Intense? It was definitely intense.

Traveling alone through the apocalypse, awakening abilities, practicing a Cultivation Technique—that was all surreal enough. But now, to be told that wasn’t the whole story, that an entire zombie world was invading, with more things ready to pour through at any moment... this was no longer surreal. It was absurd.

But that thought lasted only a moment. Xu Mo let out a sigh and then began to think about what to do next.

First, his theory needed to be verified. He needed more evidence to prove the existence of that other world. Perhaps he would encounter more "Otherworldly Creatures" in the future. Perhaps he could find the connection point. Or perhaps he could get more information from other survivors.

Second, should he report this news to Jiang City?

Xu Mo thought of Major Li, of Director Wang, and of all the people fighting to preserve civilization. If this news was true, they needed to know. But if it was just a theory without concrete evidence, reporting it rashly could cause a panic.

’Finally, what should I do?’

’Continue the mission? Or investigate this first?’

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds before he made his decision.

’First, I’ll complete the mission. The Dandelion Plan is the top priority. I still don’t know the situation at Ming Pearl Port; there might be more information there. Once I get there and complete the mission, I can consider my next move.’

’As for these Otherworldly Creatures... if I run into them, I’ll kill them and look for a Crystal Core. I have to travel anyway, so I might as well collect evidence along the way. Kill two birds with one stone.’

Xu Mo put away his Triangular Spike and returned to his parked off-road vehicle. His combat suit was in tatters, completely unwearable. He opened the trunk and rummaged for a set of spare clothes. Then, Xu Mo started the engine and continued onward.

Xu Mo no longer went out of his way to engage mutated creatures; they were meaningless to him now. He needed evidence, not a high body count. Since he had confirmed that native mutated creatures didn’t have Crystal Cores, killing more of them was a waste of time.

So, for the rest of the journey, Xu Mo changed his strategy. When he encountered mutated creatures, he would evade if possible or lose them if he could. Only when he absolutely couldn’t shake them off would he open fire.

After driving for another two hours, the sky had grown completely dark. Xu Mo had no choice but to slow down and start looking for a place to spend the night.

After about twenty more minutes, he finally found a suitable location—a relatively flat clearing behind a massive boulder. The rock was over three meters tall; it would block the wind and provide some cover. Xu Mo got out, inspected the area, and began to set up his tent.

That night, Xu Mo chewed on his rations and thought about the day’s events, the firelight flickering across his face.

Suddenly, Xu Mo’s ears perked up. He heard a strange noise in the distance.

RUSTLE—

It was very faint, very subtle. If Xu Mo’s hearing weren’t far beyond that of an ordinary person, he wouldn’t have heard it at all.

RUSTLE— RUSTLE—

It was the sound of something moving through the grass, rustling through dead leaves. Judging by the direction, it was in the woods to his left and was slowly drawing closer.

Xu Mo didn’t move. He remained seated, his gaze fixed on the campfire, but his ears were focused entirely on tracking the sound.

RUSTLE— RUSTLE—

The sound drew closer and closer, then suddenly stopped. Xu Mo’s pupils contracted slightly.

’It stopped?’

’The creature had stopped. What did that imply? It meant it was intelligent. It knew how to observe, how to wait, how to find the perfect moment to attack. This was no brainless beast that would just charge blindly.’

The corners of Xu Mo’s mouth curved upward slightly.

"Enough with these pointless games."

He muttered, then pulled a glowing red piece of wood from the campfire and hurled it in that direction.

The piece of wood traced an arc through the air, landing in a patch of shrubs about twenty meters away.

"WHOOSH—!"

The sustained high temperatures and drought had left the forest tinder-dry. The moment the wood landed, it instantly ignited the surrounding dead grass and shrubs. The flames roared to life, illuminating the entire area.

"RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE..."

The creature moved. Xu Mo clearly saw a black shadow dart out from the firelight at an astonishing speed, vanishing into the darkness on the other side in the blink of an eye.

"A cunning little prey."

Xu Mo stood up, pulled another flaming piece of wood from the campfire, and threw it in the direction the shadow had vanished.

Another patch of fire erupted. The black shadow appeared once more, only to change direction again.

Just as Xu Mo was about to throw a third piece of wood, he froze.

He realized that the surrounding fire was getting a little... large.

The flames were spreading rapidly from the two spots where he’d thrown the wood. The dry grass, withered shrubs, and cracked tree bark were all perfect fuel. Tongues of fire licked at everything flammable, crackling as they spread quickly in every direction.