Unlike the Living Zone, the entire Nature Zone was "brightly lit" throughout the night.
Xin Ye accidentally stepped on a small, glowing mushroom.
"Were there always this many bioluminescent plants here?" he asked.
【There were, but they all grew in the corners. They were herded out specifically for this competition.】
They really were putting the flora and fungi through the wringer.
To avoid bumping into the teams entering the Nature Zone the following day, they spent most of the night trekking into the heart of the region. It wasn't until they found a suitable cave that they finally stopped to catch their breath.
Having just dealt with a sentry, deciding who would keep watch tonight became a difficult choice. Ultimately, Xin Ye handed the arduous task to Leng Xianye, who gave a silent nod and took his post.
Xing Yue couldn't sleep and went out to keep him company. The scene felt like a carbon copy of the night after the Sparrow Vine mission. Lian Muyun, feeling like the abandoned third wheel of the childhood friend trio, tried to escape reality by pulling his hood over his face and forcing himself to sleep.
Tang Qiuqiu had dug up a cluster of precious Ant Streetlights to use as a nightlight. The green glow of these mutated fluorescent mushrooms was even brighter than usual, providing more than enough illumination.
Xin Ye plucked a piece of a green mushroom cap.
【Tonight, I’ll tell you a story you definitely already know, even if I don’t tell it.】 Seeing him sit down against the stone wall, a certain bedtime story expert began his diligent work.
【As everyone knows, the Devil took the form of a serpent and climbed the Tree of Wisdom, tempting Adam and Eve who stood beneath it to swallow the forbidden fruit. From then on, humanity committed the original sin, praying for God’s salvation through every generation.】
【There is also a towering giant tree in the Nature Zone. However, things are slightly different from the myth. It seems there’s more than just one snake in that tree.】
...
After a day and night of rain, the entire Nature Zone felt as though it had been soaked into a state of damp softness.
Although the rain had slowed to a drizzle by morning, umbrellas were still necessary.
The leaves beneath their feet were too sodden to make much noise. Lian Muyun, who had rejoined the group, initially led the way with great interest, but he soon grew bored. He drifted back a few steps and asked, "Where are we heading?"
"East," Xin Ye replied, checking his watch map to verify their heading. "Haven't you noticed? The closer we get to the east, the more lush the vegetation becomes."
Xing Yue leaned down to inspect the weeds on either side and found that it was exactly as Xin Ye said; the difference was quite striking.
Generally, the southern side received the most sunlight and should have the best growth. For the east to look like this suggested there was something special in that part of the Nature Zone—perhaps a water source or a specific mutated species.
In the absence of clues regarding the white material, this choice of direction was perfectly logical.
While the team members were moved by their captain’s meticulous considerations, the captain himself was simply closing his eyes and following the GPS in his head.
【There’s a large colony of mutated squirrels living in the pine trees ahead. Those fluffballs have terrible tempers and are extremely territorial. Watch your faces; they won’t show any mercy with those claws.】
Xin Ye casually glanced at the pine trees ahead, spotting shadows darting through the branches amidst the misty rain. "You’re still so concerned about the protagonist’s face."
【It can’t be helped.】
The phrase "fighting fire with fire" suddenly popped into Xin Ye's mind. He picked up the cat wearing the tiny raincoat with one hand and whispered a few instructions into its ear, letting it climb the tree.
Tang Qiuqiu’s claws gripped the rough bark, and he ascended with little effort.
As the cat leaped between the branches, Xing Yue looked up curiously. "What did you send him up there for?"
Xin Ye tilted his chin toward the pine trees. "You’ll find out in a moment."
Before long, sharp cries rang out from ahead.
Lian Muyun instinctively tried to run forward, but Xin Ye grabbed him. "What are you doing?"
"That sounded like a cat! Is Qiuqiu okay? I have to go check." Lian Muyun looked genuinely worried.
More noise erupted from the front.
Leng Xianye rubbed his chin. "Sounds like a dog barking."
Lian Muyun pulled his leg back. "Then it’s definitely not Qiuqiu. Qiuqiu’s meow couldn't possibly sound that ugly."
Xin Ye, the most knowledgeable of the group, knew exactly what a squirrel's cry sounded like. He walked forward with unruffled composure, bypassing the ignorant Lian Muyun.
When they reached the base of the tree, Tang Qiuqiu was sitting on the thickest pine branch, swinging his legs playfully.
Perched on his head was a mutated squirrel, frozen stiff with terror.
The mutated squirrel had very long ears and blood-red eyes, looking somewhat like a rabbit. Its teeth were exposed as always, looking quite lethal—but only looking the part.
The other squirrels in the surrounding trees were either huddled in their hollows, occasionally poking their heads out to let out dog-like barks of intimidation, or had already been swiped, fallen into the puddles below, and were now playing dead.
Seeing his teammates arrive, Tang Qiuqiu hurriedly tossed the squirrel on his head behind him.
He squeezed out a smile. "Captain, mission accomplished. The squirrel colony has been intimidated."
"I think I can take Lian Muyun's place as the team's eyes while we're in the Nature Zone. Is that okay?"
"Nice work, Qiuqiu! You've got skills. Let's make it official, Xin Ye," Lian Muyun said with a grin. He was about to ask Tang Qiuqiu to toss down a couple of squirrels to play with, but he needed to confirm the scout role first. He turned to Xin Ye. "Give us an answer... Holy—! Captain! Friendly! Don't draw your gun!"
Xin Ye held his umbrella in his left hand, resting the handle against his shoulder, while his right hand gripped his pistol. The muzzle was pointed slightly away from where Tang Qiuqiu sat, as if he hadn't quite found his center yet.
Tang Qiuqiu’s face went pale. Thinking he had done something wrong but not daring to move, he figured if he had messed up, he’d just have to take the shot like a man.
In contrast, Leng Xianye and Xing Yue, standing behind, remained calm, though both were staring intently at Tang Qiuqiu.
The boy on the branch was so nervous he nearly fell off.
Xin Ye fired.
His hand was steady; at such close range, his margin of error was practically zero.
Lian Muyun, who was still clutching the arm Xin Ye used to hold the umbrella, was speechless when he saw what fell from the tree.
"...A snake?"
Tang Qiuqiu opened his eyes. Seeing he was unharmed, he looked around and realized the mutated squirrel that had been near him was gone.
It was at the base of the tree, clamped in the jaws of a snake whose pattern closely mimicked the bark.
"Scared you? I didn't want to alert it prematurely, sorry," Xin Ye said, holstering his gun, his eyes fixed on the wounded snake. "I approve of what you suggested. But it was my fault for firing without warning. You can come down and rest on my shoulder for a bit."
"I-I'm fine. No need to rest." Tang Qiuqiu breathed a sigh of relief and shifted back into a cat.
Xin Ye’s goal with that shot had been to protect Tang Qiuqiu rather than kill the creature, so the snake had only suffered a graze.
The wood-colored serpent wasn't large, looking like a juvenile racer. It refused to let go of the squirrel. After waiting a moment and seeing the humans make no further move, it suddenly turned and vanished into the leaf litter, fleeing deep into the east.
While they waited, the Mirror had already come out to collect everyone's umbrellas and replace them with rain ponchos.
Having achieved the desired result, Xin Ye signaled behind him. "Follow it."
The snake moved fast; the team had to run to keep up.
The significant commotion drew the attention of other mutated creatures. Numerous rodents and birds gathered near them, their numbers peaking as they moved. However, as the red dot representing the team neared the eastern edge, the surrounding small animals actually began to decrease.
Xun Yin asked: 【Are you ready to enter Eden?】
Xin Ye was about to reply that he was currently at a full sprint intending to kick Eden's door down, but then he saw only a bit of a canopy ahead. There was no sign of a towering giant tree.
Canopy but no trunk...
Oh, there’s a hole.
Realizing something was wrong, he tried to slow down, only to be slammed into by Leng Xianye from behind.
Leng Xianye: "You..."
Xin Ye: "...Sorry."
Two generations of protagonists, due to excessive speed, committed a series of low-level blunders and tumbled into the pit one after the other.
Behind them, Xing Yue only had time to grab Lian Muyun—who, thinking Xin Ye and Leng Xianye had jumped on purpose, was about to imitate them. She thought for a moment, failed to find a better solution, pushed Lian Muyun down, and then jumped in herself.
Qiuqiu the cat leaped from a tree, barely managing to snag Xing Yue's shoulder.
The depth of the pit was terrifying. Fortunately, the slope was gradual. Xin Ye tumbled until he was dizzy, his body aching from collisions with protruding rocks.
If his body hadn't been strengthened by his ability awakening, he probably would have died.
The first two to reach the bottom were a tangled mess, their silver raincoats covered in mud. Xin Ye scrambled up, intending to apologize to Leng Xianye again, only to look up into a pair of pink eyes.
Slit pupils.
He coolly tossed the snake aside, only to find that Leng Xianye was also brushing away a small snake that had reared up in front of him.
Xin Ye: "I am truly sorry."
Leng Xianye: "It's fine."
Before long, Lian Muyun slid down, covered in mud. Only Xing Yue, carrying Tang Qiuqiu, had used her silk threads to achieve an elegant landing. Showing utter disregard for her teammates' well-being, she gave each of the three men sitting on the ground a kick. "Get up. Look up."
Xin Ye shook the dirty water off his poncho and stood up to look where Xing Yue was pointing.
Before Xin Ye’s parents divorced, they used to take him on trips during the holidays to broaden his horizons. He remembered a scenic spot called a *tiankeng*—a giant sinkhole—that looked very much like where they were now.
The bottom of the pit was carpeted with various grasses and leaves, interspersed with small white or pink flowers. At a glance, they all appeared to be medicinal plants. The most abundant was *Clinopodium chinense*; this perennial herb, which usually grows less than a meter tall, averaged two meters here, towering over the heads of the men.
Leng Xianye stood on his tiptoes and looked up, seeing the canopy he had spotted before they fell. The shape of the tree felt familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Let's head toward the tree." Xin Ye looked down at the snakes gathering around his feet and decided that lingering in one spot was a bad idea.
The ground beneath them was extremely muddy, making Xin Ye’s progress difficult. But he found the persistent snakes and the increasingly tall wind-wheel herbs more annoying than the terrain itself.
The floor of the sinkhole was quite large. It took them half an hour to reach the base of the tree.
The field of medicinal herbs ended there. Xin Ye looked up and saw the true face of this "Tree of Wisdom."
A fig tree.
Countless brightly colored snakes slithered through the branches of the tree, which was laden with green fruit. White vines or sap flowed down the trunk, merging into the ground.
"Is this the second material—the white one?" Xing Yue took a photo of the fig tree.
Leng Xianye also felt this had to be the material. He turned to consult with Xin Ye on how to collect it, only to see Xin Ye biting his lip.
Xin Ye asked Xun Yin in his mind, "...The mutated species carrying the material... it can run, right?"
***
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Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 41 | The Tree of Serpents | Novela.app | Novela.app
