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Chapter 200: Chapter 200 The Primeval Forest
In such a situation, those who still had the financial, material, and human resources to conduct experiments must inevitably wield a massive power.
Han Jiaojiao felt a vague unease in her heart.
She was almost certain that Long Yueze was the Mr. Long from the banquet last time. The surname Long was not common.
Although they had only met twice, each time he had made a very bad impression. Her intuition told her he was not someone to be trifled with, his actions and gestures were full of aggressiveness, and his eyes also contained blatant invasiveness and possessiveness.
Yet, she knew nothing about this Long Yueze.
Han Jiaojiao couldn’t help feeling annoyed with herself, the news about the Ability Potion had been hot in her previous life, yet she had never paid attention to it, nor cared about who was developing these potions. Even a tiny bit of knowledge from her past life might be of some use now.
Alas, thinking about this now was meaningless; the only thing she could do was to be more cautious around Long Yueze in the future.
...
As night deepened, everyone quickly washed up and started to rest without setting a night watch.
One reason was that the steel-structured mobile houses had a certain defensive capability; should something occur, it wouldn’t be able to directly break in;
The second reason was the Space-Time Beast.
The Space-Time Beast’s biological instinct made it highly sensitive to danger. Han Jiaojiao always believed that if there was any real danger approaching, the Space-Time Beast would surely be the first to detect it.
This mentality was like, once a dog is kept in the yard, you no longer worry about thieves... Although this attitude was somewhat capricious, since setting out, every night had been safe, and as they approached the earthquake disaster zone, the surroundings became more desolate, and the dangers relatively lessened, so everyone felt there was nothing inappropriate.
Han Yi was the first to start suspecting.
During the journey, Han Yi frequently used his Ability to monitor the environment and the road ahead. Sometimes Alien Species would appear on their mandatory path, but as they approached, these creatures would automatically leave.
After encountering this situation many times, Han Yi couldn’t help but speculate that perhaps Pepper had a power that could drive away Alien Species?
Was it Pepper’s scent that made the Alien Species feel danger and unease? It might even be useful against Mutant Beasts, though they weren’t as intelligent as Alien Species and wouldn’t know how to avoid danger correctly even if they sensed it...
The reason he suspected Pepper and not Cotton Candy or Xiaogua and Xiaodou was because he had never encountered such a thing when bringing the other three out before. Things seemed to change after Pepper emerged from the ground.
Cotton Candy used to deliberately lure several Alien Species for hunting; now, it seemed as if this ability had been suppressed by Pepper, forcing it to hunt thousands of meters away when it was originally so lazy...
After making the bed, Han Jiaojiao found Han Yi absorbed in thought, seemingly in a trance, and couldn’t help but ask him softly, "Brother? ...Are you using your Ability?"
Han Yi came back to his senses, his face showing a gentle smile, "Yes, I did a Mental Search to check, and it’s very safe around here."
As he had estimated, they had stayed here for only three hours, and the nearby Alien Species had already started to leave, cleanly and entirely.
It was as if they had automatically dispersed.
Did they smell Pepper’s scent? Were they... afraid of Pepper?
Han Yi did not know the answer.
"Jiaojiao." Han Yi suddenly called Han Jiaojiao’s name.
Han Jiaojiao lifted her head to look at him.
Han Yi said, "No matter where you go or what happens in the future, you must always take Pepper with you, understand?"
Han Jiaojiao smiled with curved eyes, "Of course. It’s so clingy that I can’t even shake it off." After saying that, she pointed towards the direction above her head.
Pepper and its siblings were lying on the roof sleeping. Despite being the smallest one, it always acted as if it were the boss.
Han Jiaojiao came over and hugged Han Yi’s arm, smiling, "Why would brother suddenly say something like that? No matter where we go, or what happens, brother will be by my side, right?"
"Mhm, right." Han Yi kissed her little cheek and said with a smile, "Such a good girl."
The next day, everyone reorganized and set off once again.
When they came across impassable terrain, they would stow the vehicles into the space and proceed on foot or by driving interchangeably. Like this, they finally reached the foot of Baiyun Peak before sunset.
The team stopped once more for rest and recuperation. Considering that they would be entering the mountains tomorrow, they needed to plan a sensible route for climbing the mountain in advance.
The surrounding environment had already changed dramatically, with hardly a trace of human activity in sight. Everywhere one looked were towering and majestic green mountains whose vegetation was luxuriant and thriving much more than before the apocalyptic world. It seemed that, without humans, these plants were growing better than ever.
Suddenly arriving amidst these verdant mountains and waters, even the air didn’t feel as hot and dry, and everyone felt refreshed. Despite knowing that the mountains were certainly rife with dangers, it couldn’t dampen everyone’s spirits; even the four Space-Time Beasts were noticeably more energetic than before.
Han Jiaojiao excitedly suggested that they have a barbecue the same evening, and Yan Xiao teased her, saying she was here for a picnic rather than a mission. Regardless, this suggestion was unanimously agreed upon by everyone—outdoor barbecues were truly delightful.
A roaring bonfire, the night sky glittering with stars, Han Jiaojiao and Tian Xinyue lay shoulder to shoulder on the thick, lush grass, gazing up at the stars.
"So beautiful," Han Jiaojiao murmured in awe, looking at the star-studded sky.
"Yes, so beautiful..." Tian Xinyue similarly gazed enraptured at the night sky, "I have never seen so many stars before. They’re like diamonds, so bright and so big."
Han Jiaojiao stretched out a hand, making an OK sign as if she were pinching one of the stars between her fingers, and laughed, "I really want to pick one off."
Tian Xinyue chuckled, turning her head to look at Han Jiaojiao, "You can tell your brother. He’ll surely make your wish to pick stars and moons come true."
Unabashed by Tian Xinyue’s teasing, Han Jiaojiao felt a touch of pride. She retracted her hand, corners of her mouth lifting, "Better put the star back in place, though—it’s prettier hung up in the sky."
"You are all really amazing," Tian Xinyue marveled, "Your brother is amazing, you are amazing, Yan Xiao, Xiao Jian, all of you are so amazing..."
Han Jiaojiao laughed, "You should say we, you’ve already joined us."
"Right, we are all really amazing." Revising her wording, Tian Xinyue felt a warmth in her heart, "We are so amazing..."
After quietly watching the stars for a while, Tian Xinyue spoke, "Jiaojiao, with your brother being so strong, why do you still want to go to the settlement? With more than enough food and plenty of ammunition... With your abilities, you could easily find a place to stay, it would be a hundred times better than those dirty, chaotic settlements."
Han Jiaojiao stayed silent for a moment before murmuring, "It’s easier said than done..."
After all, humans are social creatures. Even if she was willing to live in isolation with her brother, what about Lu Changyuan and the others? Were they willing to leave the community to live together with them? And as for food and ammunition, these resources are non-renewable. Even if there was a large stockpile of supplies in the Ring Space, it would all eventually run out one day.
The settlement, despite many frustrating aspects, nonetheless met everyone’s basic needs for life.
Blinking in perplexity, Tian Xinyue asked, "Is it that difficult?"
