"What exactly is the purple crystal? And that shadow which possessed the intention of malicious invasion, what was that as well? Does it have something to do with the disappearance of my mutation point?"
Xu Qing didn't understand. While he was muttering to himself and analyzing, Captain Lei and his comrades returned one after the other. All of them looked at him as they passed by.
Xu Qing composed his thoughts, and there was a glimmer in his eyes.
Regardless of what that was, it was not important right now.
After reconditioning, it was his turn to continue fighting.
Xu Qing stood up and wiped the iron stick on his body. Once the cold gleam returned, he rushed out the instant Cross passed him.
His speed was quick, and he neared the pursuing wolf pack immediately.
After that, the sound of fighting and blood-curdling screeches were mixed together, as though it was a baptism session for the youth.
Under the scattered afterglow of the sunset, it made him, who had survived the opening of the god's eyes and the blood rain, display the sharpness gained after gradually improving.
This time, he persisted for even longer.
Time slowly slipped by with the Thunder Team's ceaseless retreat and rotational resistance.
p Now, the setting sun had disappeared and the bright moon hung up high. Night had fallen in the forbidden zone, but the sound of fighting continued.
This lasted until... their exhaustion reached an extreme and all the white pills had been consumed. Just when the concentration of anomalous substances in their body was about to reach the critical point of mutation, dawn arrived.
The wolf pack finally began to retreat.
Following the sprinkle of the first rays of the morning sun, the last black-scaled wolf in the jungle of the forbidden zone looked at them tiredly and disappeared in the distance. Their surroundings then quietened down slowly.
At this moment, all of them were covered in a thick layer of blood and were lying on the ground, panting.
Xu Qing was no exception. Even with the restorative power from the purple crystal, the psychological tension still caused his entire body to be exhausted beyond comparison.
"Finally… we survived." At the side, Luan Tooth mumbled and struggled to sit up. When she looked at Xu Qing, she spoke softly.
Barbaric Ghost was also panting and flashed Xu Qing a thumbs up.
During the night of fighting, the duration of Xu Qing's turn exceeded Captain Lei and Cross. It could even be said that without him, one of them might have already mutated before the wolf pack retreated.
Now, Xu Qing lay looking at the sky. He was tired, but at the same time, he felt profound doubt from the bottom of his heart.
The accumulation rate of anomalous substances in his body was slower by a lot compared to before.
It even made him feel as though the anomalous substances in his body were disappearing on their own at times.
While everyone was resting, Captain Lei rubbed the area between his brows. His serious gaze swept across Cross and the others before he said hoarsely.
"This incident couldn't have happened by chance. The continual pursuit of the black-scaled wolves seemed as though something was attracting them. So, you all, take out any external objects you have gained during this time. Let us inspect them carefully. I suspect that something… or someone is the cause of this."
Listening to Captain Lei's words, Cross and the others thought that it could be true as well. Hence, all of them began taking out their items in succession and started checking themselves.
Something clicked for Xu Qing as well. While he was considering if the reason behind this could be that metal plate in Horse-Four's belongings, Luan Tooth who was at the side suddenly let out a surprised cry and pointed toward Barbaric Ghost.
Among the items that Barbaric Ghost had obtained was a wooden box.
The wooden box was broken and seemed to be corroding on its own. Also, a wisp of faint scent emanated from it. As it was mixed with the scent from within the forbidden zone's jungle, they didn't take a closer sniff since it would be difficult to distinguish.
"How did this thing corrode on its own?" Barbaric Ghost was flabbergasted.
Captain Lei immediately stepped forward and took the wooden box before passing it to Luan Tooth. Luan Tooth took a careful sniff and nodded with an unpleasant expression.
"How did you get this?" Captain Lei looked at Barbaric Ghost.
"I bought it on the day I came back to the campsite from one of the street vendors. It should contain insect repellent powder…" Barbaric Ghost scratched his head.
"This was made from the feces of butterfly rabbits. When in contact with the outside world, it would self-ignite and attract scale-type lifeforms… the black-scaled wolf is also considered a type of scale-type lifeform."
Luan Tooth looked at Barbaric Ghost and said slowly.
Barbaric Ghost was dumbfounded.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere of their surroundings seemed to freeze. Even Xu Qing narrowed his eyes.
After a long time, Captain Lei shook his head.
"Barbaric Ghost was deceived. To be able to lay such a trap for us within the campsite, it is easy to imagine who it could be."
"Bloodshadow Team!" Cross spoke up coldly from the side.
"For the Bloodshadow Team to set such a trap, it would be hard to say that they didn't have a way to escape. And we are not in good shape right now…" Luan Tooth hesitated.
"Then, do we continue to the harvest point and complete the mission, or do we withdraw at this point? What do you all think?" Captain Lei lifted his head and gazed at a faraway place as he asked slowly.
Xu Qing looked thoughtful but did not speak.
The others also made eye contact with each other. Ultimately, it was Cross who spoke with difficulty.
"Leader, we are not far from our harvest point and everyone has lost too much this time around. If we return empty-handed…"
Captain Lei was silent as he regarded Barbaric Ghost and Luan Tooth. The former lowered his head in guilt, while the latter seemed reluctant. After a while, he sighed softly.
"Continue forward. When we arrive at the harvest point, do your best to collect them as quickly as possible. Thereafter, everyone will spread out and take a different route. Everyone will leave on their own and meet back at the campsite."
Captain Lei made the final decision. After a simple reconditioning, everyone proceeded once more within the jungle of the forbidden zone.
On their way, Xu Qing walked close to Luan Tooth. He then took out the amber he had obtained from Fat Mountain and sought her advice on what the object was.
At the sight of the amber, Luan Tooth was surprised. She took it and inspected it carefully before informing Xu Qing that the item was the stinger of the ghostface scorpion.
This scorpion was venomous, but it didn't mean that its poison couldn't be neutralized. It also had great medicinal properties. After being poisoned, it could cause the potential of the user's body to erupt in an instant, but it couldn't be sustained. After the eruption, the poison needed to be detoxified immediately. Hence, it was reared by people for the most part and was worth a considerable amount of value.