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Chapter274
The armored vehicle had eavesdropping capabilities, and the two listened to their conversation from halfway up the mountain.
"I recall the last time it appeared was about fifty miles deep in the mountains. How could it travel so far in just a few hours?"
"It has become sentient; it didn't walk here, it flew."
"Do you think that little creature might be one of the main bosses? If we capture it, we could get a hefty reward, right?"
"Not necessarily. The major threats are definitely dangerous to human lives. What harm can a thousand-year-old ginseng cause? It's not like it's a real spirit that can drain human energy."
"Who knows? What if it gains intelligence and commands other mutant plants to attack human bases? In this world, what's truly impossible?"
"If mutant plants become sentient, the world would indeed be in chaos. But the first to suffer wouldn't be us, but the mutant beasts living in the mountains."
Zhou You looked around. The valley was flanked by thick shrubs, and the tall wild grass could easily conceal a person. Searching for a ginseng that could move in such a place wouldn't be easy.
Zhou You backed the vehicle up a few steps and said to Shao Qi, "We have an hour left. Why don't we search nearby? I'm really curious about what a mobile ginseng looks like."
Shao Qi had seen ginseng before, often as an ingredient in many elixirs. But those were dried and presented in gift boxes. He had never seen one in its natural habitat.
"Alright, if you think it's a good idea, then let's do it."
Zhou You whispered, "Do you have any method to lure it out? It'll take forever to search inch by inch."
"Lure it out? We'd need to think about its biggest temptation."
Zhou You thought for a moment. The primary lure for animals and plants is food. For animals, it might be meat. For plants, perhaps something like spirit water or fertilizer.
But how would that help? They couldn't just sprinkle it everywhere, could they?
Shao Qi purchased a bottle of spirit water from the store. This water could significantly enhance a game character's physical attributes and speed up leveling up. Its only downside was its price.
Zhou You was used to Shao Qi's lavish spending habits. He watched as Shao Qi cleared a patch of land and poured the spirit water onto it.
"Park the vehicle farther away. We'll stake out here."
Zhou You hid the vehicle in the forest. When he returned, he noticed that new green shoots had already sprung up from the patch where the spirit water had been poured.
The two didn't get too close, lying in the bushes on either side. They were occasionally bothered by four-legged snakes which they captured and sold in the store. These venomous creatures were also valuable ingredients for medicines.
Just as Zhou You was running out of patience, he noticed a green plant slowly moving towards them. Had he not been observant, he would have been fooled by this clever disguise.
The spot where the holy water was spilled earlier now boasts tall wild grass. The transplanted sprout bears a resemblance to the grass here. At a cursory glance, one might mistake it for just another blade in the wild.
Zhou You and Shao Qi exchanged a look, their understanding apparent. One of them drew a large circle on the ground with a knife and then dug a trench around it. Should it attempt to flee, without the soil, it wouldn't get far.
With dagger in hand, Zhou You cautiously approached. As soon as he noticed a slight movement, he lunged, thrusting his dagger into the earth and giving it a forceful twist. A large chunk of dirt came out, and with his other hand, he tightly grasped the wild grass.
However, upon extracting the grass, he only found ordinary roots beneath. There was no sign of ginseng.
Zhou You wasn’t disheartened. His eyes remained fixed on the grassy patch, being especially vigilant at the slightest rustling, ready to pull and inspect.
“Could this little thing be creating an illusion?”
“It wouldn’t be surprising for a millennia-old mutant plant to have some tricks up its sleeve. What's puzzling is how it managed to hide right under our noses.”
Gripping his dagger, Zhou You slashed away the wild grass, revealing the bare earth beneath. If the ginseng was there, any movement would now be clearly visible to them.
“Is it still here?” Zhou You inquired.
“It must be. We haven't seen it in the surrounding trench, so it's probably still beneath this patch of soil.”
“Then let's go for the brute-force method.” Zhou You fetched a Luoyang shovel and turned the soil over, confident that it couldn’t remain hidden from them.
Chapter 140: Murder
Zhou You's shovel struck with great force, digging up the whole area encircled by Shao Qi. He finally spotted the thousand-year-old ginseng. When the soil was lifted, the ginseng, about the length of an adult's arm and resembling a robust radish with two slender legs but no arms, took off like it was on wheels. Apart from its ability to move, which seemed rather surreal, its appearance was quite ordinary.
“Quick, grab it!”
Shao Qi, ready for this moment, darted forward and secured the ginseng. Upon completing the task, his game account was instantly credited with ten points, along with an additional bonus.
With this additional ten points, Shao Qi overtook Zhou You in the rankings. The game’s announcement promptly broadcasted the event, spreading the news of the ginseng's capture, leaving the players in the valley below in complete shock.
“What just happened? Wasn't the ginseng here with us? How did he catch it?”
Someone with keen eyesight pointed to a silhouette on the mountainside, “Look up there! Is that the guy?”
“Qilin! The one from Lizhi Villa, who killed General Zhu's nephew, right?”
“That's him. I was at Young Master Wang's birthday banquet. It's definitely him. Damn, we've wasted so much time down here!”