143 Almost Blind
Du Yue thought for a moment and said cautiously, “I’m not sure, but if it’s because of these plants, can we humans eat them? If we eat them, will there be changes to our physiques?” Du Yue enunciated each and every word. She seemed to be asking He Xing a question in return, but she was actually asking herself.
“Don’t think too much.” He Xing’s tone was gentle as he said, “Let’s first collect the plants and bring them back. There are so many scientists in the base. They’ll definitely have a way to study them. We just have to wait for the results.”
“You’re right!” Du Yue’s eyes were unusually bright as she looked ahead.
Whether it was because she had not heard of this in her previous life or because of the butterfly effect brought about by her rebirth, if these plants could really change human genes, would the chances of survival be higher? The continuous natural disasters were the punishment given to humans by nature. However, would they also be given a chance of survival?
…
In addition to the snow-sweeping vehicles, Zuo Mingdong and his team drove a total of four cars. He Xing drove the car and followed at the back of the convoy. They set off from the base and drove for more than four hours without stopping. In between, Du Yue suggested that she take over his position so that he could rest for a while, but He Xing did not agree.
He Xing only stepped on the brakes when he saw the car in front of him slowly come to a stop. The two of them packed their things and got out of the car together. In order to make it easier for them to move, they left their mountaineering bags in the car and each carried a satchel. The satchel did not look big, but it could still hold a lot of things. In this way, if the two of them needed weapons later, they could take them out in a justified manner.
Du Yue had even brought the Tang sword along with her, hanging it on her satchel. The two of them got out of the car and saw Zuo Mingdong and his group already standing aside. Zuo Mingdong was assigning tasks to them. Seeing He Xing and Du Yue walking over, Zuo Mingdong said, “I’ve already divided the people here into small teams for the operation. You two will be in one team with me.”
He Xing and Du Yue had no objections to this arrangement. After Zuo Mingdong explained the things to take note of, the dozen of them split up into groups of four and headed in different directions.
Along the way, Zuo Mingdong handed He Xing a photo. “The fruit that wild boars eat looks like this. This is the photo taken by the people who came to check the situation.”
The white spherical fruit was the size of an egg. It had no flowers or leaves, and it just grew on a white vine. Everywhere they looked, there was a vast expanse of white. It seemed that they would have to spend some effort to find this fruit.
“When you’re looking for it later, make sure to rest your eyes every once in a while or you might get snow blindness.”
Zuo Mingdong’s instructions were detailed, and Du Yue and He Xing listened attentively. They even thanked him after he was done. He Xing took the photo from Zuo Mingdong but did not rush to look at it. Instead, he first handed it to Du Yue. Du Yue did not stand on ceremony with him. She held the photo in her hand and studied it for a long time before returning it to He Xing.
He Xing took the photo and looked at it carefully as he walked. After looking at it, he returned the photo to Zuo Mingdong. As they walked, they lowered their heads to look for the fruit, so they were not fast. Most people would not be able to take it if they were bent over for a long time. Not only would their necks and backs be sore, but they would also feel uncomfortable staring at the white snow. Du Yue stood up straight and rubbed her eyes. She felt that this was not the right method.
“Do your eyes hurt?” He Xing’s eyes were filled with concern. Du Yue nodded at him.
“I think we’ll be blind before we find the fruit if we keep looking for it like this.”
He Xing nodded in agreement. “Indeed, it’s not a good idea to keep looking like this. Even if my eyes aren’t blinded by the fatigue, my waist won’t be able to take it.”
Du Yue shifted her eyes. “He Xing, do you know what a rake is?”
“Is it the thing that was used to plow the land in the old era?”
“Right! Look, what’s the difference between the snow in front of us and the fields of crops? If we use a rake, it’ll definitely be much faster than bending over and searching with our eyes!”
When the two of them were talking, they did not hide from Zuo Mingdong, so Zuo Mingdong naturally heard them. Zuo Mingdong stood up, closed his eyes, and moved his body. ” I was so anxious to look for this fruit that I became muddle-headed. You young people are smart! But we’re in the middle of nowhere now. Where are we going to find a rake? If we go back to the base to get it, it’ll take another four hours. We would’ve wasted our time today.”
“Although it’s not realistic to go back and get a rake, we have steel wires and iron bars in the car. It’s not a problem to make a simple rake,” Du Yue said.