Chapter 134: The Ice Queen Gets Jealous

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: The Ice Queen Gets Jealous

Everyone turned toward the sound.

The forest ahead suddenly thinned out.

Sunlight poured down in broad swathes, illuminating an open area that shimmered with a dark green luster.

It was a wetland swamp.

The water was murky, its surface covered with thick, oily green algae and decaying plant matter.

Occasionally, bubbles rose from the depths, popping with soft plop sounds.

Several dead giant trees leaned crookedly in the water, their branches bare like desperate arms reaching toward the sky.

And at the edge of the swamp, on the muddy banks near the waterline...

Lay some creatures.

They were motionless, their rough, dark brown skin almost blending into the mud.

Only the raised, tumor-covered outlines of their backs were visible, along with their massive jaws that occasionally parted slightly, revealing rows of sharp, pale teeth.

"Crocodiles..."

A girl from the Rose Society whispered, her voice tight.

"So terrifying..."

Another girl added, her face already turning pale.

The group came to a halt.

Everyone stared at the wetland swamp.

And at those silent, massive predators lurking in the swamp and on the muddy banks.

The wetland was wide, almost blocking the path ahead.

To proceed further, it seemed they could only traverse the narrow, firm ground along the swamp’s edge.

Or, step directly into the murky, unfathomable muddy water.

Either choice meant coming into close contact with those lurking monsters.

Several of the weaker girls had already begun to shrink back.

Their eyes were filled with fear.

The fierce winds in the mine shaft had already left them shaken.

Now they had to face so many clearly dangerous mutant crocodiles...

"President... should we still go forward?"

A girl with a ponytail timidly asked Ye Xinglan.

Ye Xinglan didn’t answer immediately.

She stared at the swamp, her brow furrowed.

She was assessing the risks.

And observing Lin Ji’s reaction.

Lin Ji stood at the very front of the group.

His gaze swept across the entire swamp, finally settling on the lurking crocodiles.

His eyes were calm.

Qin Yao walked up beside him and said quietly:

"There are quite a few of them."

"And from the looks of it, their levels won’t be low."

Her voice held no fear; instead, there was a hint of eager excitement.

Su Qingyue also approached.

The light blue tracksuit she had changed into, contrasted with the swamp’s damp air, made her cool, pale skin appear even more aloof and ethereal.

"There’s Frost Energy in the water."

She said softly.

"A lot of it."

Shen Manyun, meanwhile, instinctively moved closer to Lin Ji.

Her body almost pressed against his arm.

Lin Ji could feel the warmth radiating from her, along with that faint milky scent mixed with her natural fragrance.

He glanced sideways at Shen Manyun.

Shen Manyun’s face flushed slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Instead, she moved a tiny bit closer.

Lin Ji smiled.

He didn’t say anything, just naturally raised his hand and briefly wrapped it around Shen Manyun’s waist.

The movement was quick, fleeting.

But it was enough to make Shen Manyun’s heart race.

And enough to make the eyes of several Rose Society girls who had been secretly watching Lin Ji from a distance light up.

"Scared?"

Lin Ji suddenly spoke.

He was asking Shen Manyun.

But his voice was just loud enough for those nearby to hear.

Shen Manyun was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head.

"With you here, I’m not afraid."

She said it naturally.

Her tone carried a sense of reliance.

Lin Ji smiled again.

He turned to look at the pale-faced girls from the Rose Society.

"What about you?"

He asked.

His voice held a hint of teasing.

"Are you afraid?"

The girls were caught off guard by the question.

They glanced at each other.

Then, a slightly bolder girl with short hair whispered:

"A... a little."

"Those crocodiles look really fierce."

Hearing this, Lin Ji nodded.

"They are quite fierce."

He said.

"But..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the girls’ faces.

"Didn’t your president say?"

"Follow me, and you’ll be safe."

He said it casually.

Yet it made Ye Xinglan’s lips twitch involuntarily.

When had she ever said such a thing?

But the girls from the Rose Society, upon hearing this, brightened even more.

The admiration in their eyes as they looked at Lin Ji was almost overflowing.

In this perilous world...

A man who was handsome, strong, and could still laugh and joke in the face of danger...

Was truly too attractive.

Some of the girls were already itching to move closer to Lin Ji.

But just then—

A cold gaze swept over.

It was Su Qingyue.

She stood at Lin Ji’s side, her light blue tracksuit accentuating her cool and aloof demeanor.

Her eyes swept coldly over the Rose Society girls who wanted to approach.

There was no emotion in her gaze.

Yet it made those girls freeze in place.

Instinctively, they stopped in their tracks.

Su Qingyue withdrew her gaze and naturally shifted half a step closer to Lin Ji.

Almost touching him.

Then, she raised her hand and gently tugged at the corner of Lin Ji’s clothes.

The gesture was subtle.

But the meaning of staking her claim was clear.

Lin Ji felt it.

He glanced sideways at Su Qingyue.

Su Qingyue didn’t look at him, only stared ahead at the swamp.

Her pale profile, bathed in sunlight, had elegant lines.

But at the base of her ear, there was a faint, barely noticeable flush of red.

Lin Ji found it somewhat amusing inwardly.

But he didn’t say anything.

He simply let Su Qingyue hold onto the corner of his clothes.

At that moment, Granny Fu, leaning on her cane, took a few steps forward.

Her aged eyes fixed on the depths of the swamp.

They grew brighter and brighter.

Even her breathing became slightly hurried.

"A good place..."

Granny Fu murmured softly.

"Truly a good place..."

Ye Xinglan looked at her.

"Granny?"

Granny Fu snapped back to reality.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her eyes.

"Xinglan."

Granny Fu’s voice was very low.

"This kind of terrain, this kind of environment..."

"Often hides something valuable."

"Those mutated beasts guarding this place have a reason."

Ye Xinglan’s eyes flickered.

She understood Granny Fu’s meaning, of course.

Greater danger often meant greater opportunity.

This was common knowledge in the apocalypse.

She looked at the swamp again.

The hesitation in her eyes gradually gave way to a trace of resolve.

Lin Ji took all of this in.

He didn’t speak.

Instead, he looked once more at the lurking crocodiles.

Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Eye of Insight, activate.

In his vision, the details of the swamp instantly sharpened.

The murky water became transparent.

He could see the thick, coiled roots underwater, the half-buried white bones in the mud.

And he could also see the dark red energy channels flowing within the bodies of those crocodiles.

And...

The pale golden text floating above their heads.

[Mutant Iron-Clad Crocodile]

[Level: LV4]

[Traits: Keratinized skin, extremely high defense. Bite force is astonishing. Can burst into high-speed charges for short periods.]

Well, damn.

Lin Ji muttered to himself.

All LV4.

And just from the name and traits, he could tell these were thick-skinned, power-type monsters.

Not easy to deal with.

Especially with so many of them.

Lurking in the swamp, lying on the mudflats—a rough glance showed over a dozen.

And in the deeper waters, it seemed like even larger shadows were slowly moving about.

Lin Ji withdrew his gaze.

He looked at Ye Xinglan.

"President Ye."

Lin Ji spoke up.

"What do you think?"

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