Chapter 146: Volcanic Spiders

Chapter 146: Volcanic Spiders

The sun was about to set, and Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng returned to their car, preparing dinner and tallying their loot.

A large box full of fire crystal cores, Zhou Yun picked out a top-grade one and tossed it to Comet, who happily swallowed it and then ran to the back seat of the car to sleep.

As for the fire crystal core from the giant volcanic spider, he handed it to Guan Yuanfeng: "It's hard for you to advance in tier now, perhaps absorbing such a high-quality core will help you reach the fifth tier."

Guan Yuanfeng didn't refuse, knowing that such powerful mutated creatures might become more common in the future.

If they hadn't come today, these thirty or so psychics would have been silently defeated by this spider. While it was partly due to the foolishness and overconfidence of Luo's group, the spider's skills were indeed bizarre, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. The massive volcano endowed it with high-temperature resistance and devastating attacks, making it extremely difficult to kill.

Zhou Yun was at the fifth tier, Guan Yuanfeng at the fourth, and with Comet, they had to be cautious, first using drones for reconnaissance and setting traps before they could win.

Just one... if these four or five thousand small spiders grow up, this place won't be able to contain them. Would they expand their territory endlessly for survival?

Just like Yanling back then...

Humanity must grow stronger swiftly.

He opened the car's trunk, took out a tent, and started setting it up. Seeing Zhou Yun staring blankly at the simmering soup in the pot, he said, "We don't know what other mutated beasts are here. It might be safer to return to the Xining base. So many psychics couldn't defeat this volcanic spider. I'm afraid there might be others, and we can't guard against everything."

Zhou Yun seemed to be deep in thought, only snapping back to reality when Guan Yuanfeng spoke: "When I was collecting the spider sacs today, I saw many mutated creatures inside the cocoons. I think there must be other mutated beasts here. There's no need to leave so quickly. Tonight, I'll summon a few cacti to stand guard. Don't worry too much."

The mutated volcanic algae from the previous life hasn't been found yet. This algae can survive in extreme volcanic environments with high temperature, pressure, and acidity, showing exceptional adaptability.

If this thing grows and spreads on corpses, it's possible that it was ingested by the beasts and then flourished on the energy from the mutated creatures' bodies, becoming so vigorous and full of energy.

The volcanic spider has been killed by them, so in the previous life, there should have been another mutated creature that could match it.

Having come all this way, they must conduct a thorough search. Too much time was spent today on fighting and rescuing, but fortunately, Fu Shaogang came and took those people away.

Thinking of the metal manipulator with the scarred face today, he said to Guan Yuanfeng: "That metal manipulator today, from the Ye family, must be Ye Yuqing's cousin, Ye Shiqing. I used to think Ye Yuqing was deceitful and unreliable, not to be believed entirely. The Ye family is mostly a case of internal strife, and those who evoke pity often have their own flaws."

"But after meeting this person today, Ye Yuqing actually seems normal, at least he's human."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..."

He explained, "Ye Yuqing actually has a decent reputation, managing his public image well, and knows how to act. It's just that people who deal with him always inexplicably follow his rhythm. Direct individuals like Fu Shaogang, after being taken advantage of a few times, don't want to deal with him anymore."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh: "I wonder how Ye Yuqing would react if he knew Ye Shiqing is disfigured. Is Fu Shaogang also a psychic?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Yes, a wind manipulator. Before I returned to Zhongzhou, he had already gone to the Xining base. This place is an energy center, with oil and gas fields, wind, and photovoltaic power stations that need protection. It's too important militarily. He just doesn't have the heart for political maneuvering, and his abilities are unquestionable. He offended too many people in Zhongzhou, so General Tan sent him to Xining... the conditions here are harsh, and others don't want to go."

Zhou Yun glanced at him: "I see you don't have much desire for power either."

Guan Yuanfeng smiled without speaking. From the moment he decided to leave Zhongzhou and establish his own path, he was no longer the Guan Yuanfeng without ambition of the past.

Zhou Yun, however, was thinking that in the previous life, Ye Shiqing never came into the spotlight. Could it be because of his disfigurement? Judging from today's situation, if it weren't for him and Guan Yuanfeng, Fu Shaogang would probably have arrived with his men, using some method to lure the spider away and rescue people, but it would have taken more time, and the physical damage would have been greater.

The method of tormenting Qin Sheng is the same as tormenting Ye Yuqing. It seems that after being disfigured, his psychology became even more twisted.

It might be necessary to send Ye Yuqing back to the Ye family sooner. Otherwise, with the Ye family's influence, this madman might cause even more havoc—originally, they just wanted to let them fight among themselves, but now it seems this person can hold grudges even towards those who saved them, repaying kindness with enmity. His character is too malicious to be ignored. But for now, they have more important matters.

Too tired today, they had a simple dinner, and it was already pitch dark. Zhou Yun summoned cacti and morning glories near the tent to keep watch, and the two went to sleep.

The night passed without incident, with no mutated creatures causing trouble. Early the next morning, after breakfast, they went to the volcanic canyon to count their spoils and search for other mutated creatures and plants.

There were far fewer spiders in the canyon, and Guan Yuanfeng killed the remaining small volcanic spiders with a few lightning chains.

They discovered some undigested human belongings, weapons, and backpacks beneath the spider webs, though not many. It seemed that only the most daring psychics would venture here in the apocalypse.

The spider silk was pliable and tough, and Zhou Yun tried burning it but found it fire-resistant. He folded some and stored it in a container.

However, there were many clustered egg sacs within the webs, containing unhatched spider eggs.

Zhou Yun carefully wore gloves and placed the egg sacs into custom experimental glass containers: "We'll find biologists to hatch these when we return."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." He cautiously asked, "How long until these hatch?"

Zhou Yun: "I’m not sure how long volcanic spiders take, and I don’t know if they can hatch successfully outside the volcanic environment. For regular spiders, it’s usually within a week." He had just checked the encyclopedia on his tablet.

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." So, we could end up with baby spiders hatching on the way back?

He cautiously suggested, "Why don’t we wait until we get back to the Xining base and have Fu Shaogang arrange for biologists and researchers to collect them? Including that massive exoskeleton outside. The Xining base has military factories, and this exoskeleton looks heat-resistant and durable. It might be worth trying to develop new materials. They have the local edge, and we can collaborate on research outcomes."

The massive volcanic spider exoskeleton was too hard and large to move, so it had to be left in place. Zhou Yun’s eyes lit up: "Right! Remember the issues we had with the crystal core weapon? I think this spider silk could be worth experimenting with, but the issue is whether it can grow outside the volcanic environment. And this exoskeleton, while tough and heat-resistant, poses the same challenge in terms of shaping..."

"We’re still short on talent. We need more research talent... If we put this out there, it could draw in some research experts who are passionate about this field..."

As he took photos, he drifted into deep thought, seemingly talking to Guan Yuanfeng, but Guan Yuanfeng knew he was mostly sorting out his own ideas.

But he liked this feeling of Zhou Yun chatting with him.

Under his persuasion, Zhou Yun finally gave up on the idea of personally carrying the spider eggs back to Guixu, said regretfully, "When we reach the Xining base and contact Guixu, we’ll have researchers come over and collect samples together with the researchers from the Xining base."

Zhou Yun carefully examined the corpses of other mutated prey that had been dissected but not taken away the previous day. A mutated rabbit drew his attention.

The rabbit was covered in mucus. He had been too busy rescuing people to notice it yesterday, but after rinsing it with water, he saw that the rabbit’s fur was a deep red, each strand shimmering brightly. Its size was also noticeably twice that of a normal rabbit.

He took out a dagger, wore gloves, and dissected the rabbit’s abdomen. Sure enough, he found a fire crystal core near the heart, of good quality.

A mutated volcanic rabbit? Rabbit mutations typically lean toward earth psychic abilities. He dissected the rabbit’s stomach, carefully searching for undigested food.

After sorting through moss, wild grass seeds, and other debris, he quickly found what he was looking for—filamentous volcanic algae, dark red strands. He picked up the algae strands and carefully placed them into an experimental container.

In his previous life, he had researched this. Mutated volcanic algae could synthesize organic matter using carbon dioxide and water under light conditions, engaging in inorganic phototrophic nutrition. This meant it could survive with just light, but it needed a fire psychic-rich environment to generate fire energy. Outside this environment, it might not work.

So, there must be a place here where volcanic algae grows.

He glanced at the rabbit. Rabbits have strong reproductive abilities... If the creatures that could challenge the dominant volcanic spiders here were a colony of mutated rabbits... it seemed plausible?

He perked up: "Take Comet, let’s find the rabbit burrows! There should be a fire psychic king rabbit nearby!" With a hunting dog, locating rabbit burrows would be a breeze.

Finally able to leave the spider nest, Guan Yuanfeng let out a long sigh of relief, genuinely grateful for the rabbit that diverted Zhou Yun’s research focus.

With a clear goal and Comet energetically sniffing the mutated rabbit’s corpse, they quickly found the mutated rabbits’ lair.

A valley with hot springs, the ground covered in thick volcanic ash, the air faintly smelling of sulfur. This place had been taken over by the volcanic rabbits, who had dug an extensive network of burrows.

The valley was as warm as spring, with lush green shrubs and grass thriving, wildflowers blooming, and small rabbits occasionally darting through the grass at incredible speeds.

Deep in the valley, there were hot springs emitting mist. By the hot springs, thick volcanic moss and dense volcanic algae grew, their filamentous leaves bright red and translucent, like flames burning along the shore, a stunning sight.