Chapter 93: Shadow Frog

Chapter 93: Shadow Frog

After giving his instructions, Zhou Yun was about to leave the herb garden, but the four of them were reluctant to go: "President, you can go ahead with your business; we'll stay and delve deeper into it!"

Zhou Yun said, "Alright. But don't choose this plot anymore; switch to another herb field. The mutated kudzu herb field next door is quite good—don't waste it."

The four of them were thrilled: "Yes!" They immediately huddled together to discuss their recent experiences and the specific methods of using their psychic abilities, but their gazes at Zhou Yun were fervent.

Zhuo Haiqing exclaimed excitedly, "This technique is really powerful, President! Can we teach it to other members of the guild?"

Zhou Yun replied, "Of course, that's why I brought you here—to teach other members. Otherwise, how would we assist in the north?"

This resonance requires gathering many talented wood psychic ability users, familiar with the flow of psychic abilities. In his past life, he had run classes, and generally, only those at the third tier or above could perform it. But now, he lets them explore on their own; they might even discover a method themselves.

In this life, he doesn't plan to do everything himself. If you spoon-feed students, they won't value it and might even dodge learning.

They need to have a strong internal drive to learn, to want to master it—that's when it's good to teach.

The teacher was right; he had wasted too much time on mediocrities in his previous life.

Ye Zeyu said, "The President is incredibly selfless."

Chen Huijun added, "President, this should still be limited to teaching within the guild members, so we can recruit more members."

Teacher Chen's eyes sparkled: "I was worried they wouldn't want to go out, fearing the risks were too great. But with this resonance, I'm sure members will jump at the chance to sign up!"

Lu Lulu also praised passionately: "It's so practical!"

Zhou Yun: "..."

Under the four's intense gazes, he left the herb garden, got on his mountain bike, and returned to the special detention quarters.

On the grass in front of the detention quarters, Comet was tossing a frisbee with Zhao Yi. Although Zhao Yi couldn't see, he could feel the frisbee he threw with force being brought back by the big dog, laughing joyfully, his pale face flushing with color.

Comet ran over to Zhou Yun with the frisbee in his mouth, wagging his tail proudly.

Seeing Comet enjoying himself, Zhou Yun gave him a pat and some praise, then let him keep playing.

He went upstairs to check on Shen Lan and the others in the detention quarters, and while they were asleep, he replenished their energy before leaving.

Zhu Zhuan looked out the window and smiled: "Xiao Sheng's back with a fire truck; let's head down."

Zhou Yun and Zhu Zhuan went downstairs and saw Qin Mu already there, having loaded up an off-road vehicle with mountain climbing and camping gear, food, and more.

Qin Sheng parked the fire truck, got out, and came over, puzzled: "Why a fire truck? It was a hassle to borrow, and refueling wasn't cheap."

Qin Mu explained: "That mutated shadow frog is huge; witnesses said it's like a leopard."

"Holy cow!" Qin Sheng was shocked: "Such a big frog!" He began to worry: "What do we feed it—mutated flies, mutated mosquitoes?"

Zhou Yun: "...When the witness saw it, it was eating a snake, a five-step snake. It's a carnivore, so feeding it meat should be fine."

Qin Sheng winced: "Feeding Comet is tough enough. Ducks are the cheapest option."

Qin Mu said, "Don't just focus on its appetite; it's a powerhouse too. And if we're lucky and it's a mutated shadow frog, we could have many shadow tadpoles."

Qin Sheng stroked his chin, pondering deeply: "Is that mutation a male or female frog? If it's a female, where do we find such a big male frog to mate with it?"

Zhou Yun: "..."

Zhu Zhuan remained silent...

Qin Mu, however, agreed with his brother, "Male frogs are a hassle too... where would we even find a female frog..."

Zhu Zhuan explained, "Frogs are capable of external fertilization. The male frog's sperm and the female frog's eggs can combine in water to form fertilized eggs, which then develop into tadpoles."

Qin Sheng suddenly understood, "I see, but wouldn’t that also mean the sizes might not match up..."

Qin Mu said, "We’ll figure it out when the time comes. You can test it out gradually."

Zhou Yun couldn't stand these two brothers anymore and changed the subject, "Let’s go catch more of those mutated pheasants and wild birds."

Qin Sheng, watching Comet running around catching frisbees, said, "Comet’s going to be bummed out. It loves catching those, and now we’re taking them away without letting it have any. That’s just mean."

Zhou Yun looked at Comet, a slight smile on his lips, "We’ll save some other food for it." He waved his hand, "Come on, Comet, we’ll play more later."

The three of them hopped into the car with Comet and headed for Zhaoyao Mountain, not far from Beiming. Normally, it’s an hour’s drive, but post-apocalypse, the roads are a mess, making the trip more of a hassle.

Maybe because their car was too flashy and bold, they didn’t run into any roadblocks or robbers, but they kept getting ambushed by mutated creatures and zombies.

They used the car’s bulk to plow right through them.

Zhou Yun said, "Last time we went into the mountains, the roads were crawling with robbers."

Qin Sheng said, "Since the heatwave hit, it hasn’t rained in days, and it’s way too hot outside for ordinary people to handle. On top of that, with mutated beasts and insects popping up everywhere, and getting more toxic by the day, it’s nearly impossible for ordinary people to leave the base."

"Nowadays, the only ones brave enough to stay outside are psychics, and when they cross paths, it’s anyone’s guess who’s stronger. So, who’d even dare to rob? We’ve got it pretty good, all things considered."

Zhou Yun reflected on his past life, always cooped up in the base doing research, treatments, and growing mutated herbs, barely paying attention to the world outside.

Back in his past life, locust plagues and base takeovers were probably happening all the time in places he never saw, and Guan Yuanfeng must’ve been busy dealing with it all.

He couldn’t resist pulling out his phone again, itching to send a text, but then he remembered Guan Yuanfeng was probably swamped. If they started chatting, he’d end up mentioning the mountain trip, which would just worry and distract him.

Better to lay low.

He made up his mind cheerfully and grabbed a book to read.

Two hours later, they finally reached the base of the mountain and started their climb. To speed things up, they sent Comet ahead to clear the path, sending chickens and snakes scattering, while the smarter beasts steered clear of these lethal hunters.

Following the witness’s hand-drawn map, they quickly located the cave, hidden by thick shrubs, though the massive maple tree growing out of the rock was hard to miss.

Once inside, they flicked on their headlamps and cautiously made their way across the slippery rocks.

The cave was a classic karst formation, packed with stalactites, stalagmites, and jagged rocks.

The floor was rough, and the deeper they ventured, the tighter the space got.

Deep inside, they came across a dark pool. Beaming a powerful flashlight into the water, they could just make out chambers stretching into the depths, leading who knows where.

They swept their flashlights around, scouring every nook and cranny, but only turned up a few geckos and bugs. Comet sniffed around too but came up empty—no sign of the mutated cave frog.

Qin Sheng said, "This cave is underwater, we can't go in, maybe the frog is underwater too."

"Are there other caves in this mountain? Should we check them out?"

Zhou Yun said, "This kind of cave frog is quite rare because it has very high requirements for water environments for reproduction and living, and the tadpoles are often eaten by snakes, so they're very rare. If we can't catch this one, it will be hard to find another non-water attribute frog."

Qin Sheng said, "What if it doesn't come out? We should have brought a fishing rod." Qin Mu said, "I have a fishing rod, I brought it. The problem is what to use as bait? Crystal Cores? You need live bait to catch frogs, we can't just use a snake."

Qin Sheng rubbed his hands together: "That makes sense. Comet and I will go catch a snake." Comet seemed to understand, letting out a howl.

Zhou Yun: "..." He was always stunned by the brothers' wild ideas.

He thought guiltily, using psychic ginseng honey pills as bait shouldn’t count as breaking the rules—it’s the pills, not him.

He said, "Grab the fishing rod. I’ve got the bait."

Soon, Qin Mu unfolded the fishing rod he had been carrying and handed it to Qin Sheng: "It’s a high-end sea fishing rod—carbon fiber, anti-slip, anti-lock reel, strong load capacity, and a great price. This is my prized possession. Don’t wreck it—they’re hard to come by these days."

Qin Sheng was speechless: "Why don’t you do the fishing, bro?"

Qin Mu said, "Nah, the fun’s in watching someone else fish."

Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a fragrant scent. Turning around, he saw Zhou Yun crushing a wax pill, taking out a medicinal pill, and attaching it to the hook. He was shocked: "What’s that? It smells amazing."

Qin Sheng also sniffed: "It smells incredible—medicinal but sweet. I kinda want to eat it."

Zhou Yun said succinctly: "Psychic ginseng honey pill. Hurry, cast the line!"

The hook sank, and in less than a minute, the water boiled as if swarms of cave fish were racing toward it from the depths. The float moved.

Qin Sheng yanked the line frantically, the rod bending under the strain.

A huge shape emerged. Lit by the camping lamp, the cave frog was leopard-sized, its yellow and green skin shimmering eerily.

Its glowing golden eyes, like a demon’s, locked onto them with a fierce glare.

A net flew overhead, trapping the frog. Qin Mu, quick as ever, yanked it tight.

The frog thrashed in the net, its muscular limbs straining, black mist spewing from its mouth.

Zhou Yun unleashed a purification spell, and the trio fanned out, encircling the frog. Zhou Yun held back the eager Comet and shouted to Qin Mu: "Shadow type! You handle it! Subdue it now!"

Qin Mu waved his hand, releasing Snow Bean, a shadowy figure with glowing ember-like eyes. It lunged at the shadow frog, swift as smoke. The frog’s cheeks bulged, and with a guttural roar, it unleashed a black shockwave, energy rippling outward.

The net exploded, unable to handle the blast. Snow Bean darted in, unfazed by the shadow attack. It leaped and spat out a concentrated shadow energy ball, striking the shadow frog's vital spot.

Each clash of shadow energy warped the air, shadows dissolving into bursts of power.

Qin Mu stood still, calm and focused, his eyes fixed on the fight, shadowy mist swirling around him.

Qin Sheng looked worriedly at Zhou Yun: "Should we jump in?"

Zhou Yun said, "Let him handle it."

After about half an hour, the shadow frog finally began to tire, its skill frequency decreasing. Qin Mu suddenly extended his hand, releasing a black shadow sphere that swallowed the shadow frog like a black hole. The frog froze, its body dissolving into black smoke, then condensing into a floating shadow crystal.

Qin Mu gently raised his hand, and the shadow crystal slowly flew towards him, finally merging into his palm.

Qin Sheng's mouth hung open: "What... what is this?"

Qin Mu smiled: "Shadow taming. I've absorbed and tamed it, feeding it with my own shadow energy. From now on, it will obey my commands."

Zhou Yun pondered: "So, is it still a living creature?"

Qin Mu's proud smile faltered: "...Probably not alive, more like a shadow creature, summonable at any time."

Qin Sheng gloated: "So much for the shadow frog’s legacy."