Chapter 111: Raiding the Lair |
Furnace Bunker?
Just hearing the name, it sounded like a grand, imposing structure.
Its footprint probably wouldn't be small.
An ordinary building wouldn't merit being called a "bunker."
After taking down the card, Qin Ziwen took the flashlight and swept its beam around the surroundings.
This cave was somewhat gourd-shaped: the entrance was narrow, the interior grew increasingly spacious, but deep inside, there was another narrow, small opening. Judging by the flashlight's beam, there seemed to be another world beyond this new small opening.
The ground had shallow puddles of water. The deeper they went, the lower the terrain became.
Arriving before the small opening deep inside, Qin Ziwen discovered that while this opening was small, its "smallness" was relative. It was only smaller compared to the outermost cave entrance. In reality, it was still about four to five meters high and nearly ten meters wide.
"Sir, there are signs of friction here," Du Yu spotted a clue. At the edges of this opening, the rock walls had some freshly ground marks, and there were some new, small pieces of broken stone on the ground.
Considering the giant toad's size, it wasn't hard to imagine that it had probably scraped against the walls when exiting, widening the opening further.
A layer of accumulated water flowed on the ground, trickling down the sloping entrance into the inner space. As the flashlight beam shone, a shallow pool came into view.
There were even some fish swimming in the pool water. They seemed uncomfortable with the strong light.
Flicking their tails, they quickly hid deeper into the cave passage.
This flowing water had accumulated over time in the depths, forming this shallow pool through days and months.
To the right of this cavern hall before them, the terrain gradually rose, forming a platform at a higher elevation.
At the edge of the platform grew some mushrooms that looked like stones.
Behind the platform, a two-meter-tall dwarf tree grew from a rock crevice.
Although the tree wasn't tall, its trunk was thick enough for one person to embrace. The top of the trunk had few branches, only sprouting several thick, sturdy limbs at a slant from about one and a half meters above the ground. These limbs sparsely bore some palm-sized leaves.
First, Qin Ziwen carefully observed the surroundings with the flashlight, confirming that aside from a few fish in the water, there were no other living creatures.
Qin Ziwen then climbed up onto the stone platform on the right.
The stone platform was very clean. A large area in the middle had almost no dust. By referencing the outline of this dust-free area, one could roughly confirm the outline of its "owner."
It seemed this was where the Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad had previously rested.
Although resources here were scarce, the environment met the habitat standards for the Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad.
Moreover, the older their species got, the more they preferred hibernation. This giant toad probably spent most of the year hibernating.
Qin Ziwen first went to the side of the stone platform, looking at these grayish-brown mushrooms. From their appearance, they looked like mushrooms carved from stone. "These should be the Stone Mushrooms."
According to the illustrated guide's records, Stone Mushrooms have a plump, full appearance, a rubbery texture, are difficult to chew, inedible, and poisonous.
Could this thing be the reason the giant toad grew so large?
Qin Ziwen thought for a moment, took a nylon bag from his backpack, shook it out, and then collected some Stone Mushrooms through the bag.
"Sir, there are signs of something being gnawed here."
Qin Ziwen looked in the direction Du Yu pointed.
Behind a concealed branch of the tree growing from the wall crevice, there was a small, severed fruit stem.
The lower end of the fruit stem was empty; there should have been something there originally.
Judging from the break on the fruit stem, the fracture was fresh, likely having been torn off very recently.
Qin Ziwen pondered thoughtfully, "It was probably eaten by that toad. I remember toads don't eat fruit, right?"
Qin Ziwu clapped his hands. "A toad that doesn't eat fruit specifically ate something from this tree. That means this thing was attractive to it. Big brother, maybe it nested here precisely because of this tree."
He grew more excited as he spoke. "I suspect this might be the 'heavenly treasure' it was guarding!"
If it were the Qin Ziwen from before, he would have scoffed at such a notion. But now, having transmigrated and with these clearly mutated giant creatures appearing, he was analyzing every word.
Circling the tree once, perhaps due to psychological suggestion, the more he looked, the more extraordinary it seemed.
This bark, these leaves, these roots.
Qin Ziwen decisively said, "Dig!"
"We didn't seem to bring any shovels."
Qin Ziwen said without hesitation, "Then chop. Even if we have to chop through the roots, we're taking it."
That giant toad might return at any moment. If they didn't dig it up now, they might not get another chance later.
Even if it couldn't be transplanted, the plant's material itself might be useful.
Even dead ginseng still has medicinal properties.
The three of them sprang into action, working efficiently.
Roots that could be pulled out were pulled; those that couldn't were chopped.
After busy work for over half an hour, they finally managed to move the tree.
Its root system was extremely exaggerated, dense and extensive, extending deep into the rock crevices.
But now, it was basically just the root mass left. The three of them combined their strength to carry the tree away.
Exiting the cave, Li Tieshan stared in shock as the sir and the others carried out a tree.
They dug up a tree from inside the mountain cave?
But this tree looked quite beautiful.
Although not tall, its bark appeared pale yellow under the sunlight, with a smooth texture that refracted fine, sparkling light, as if sprinkled with gold dust.
Li Tieshan gently tapped the tree trunk with his finger. The sound was dull; the density of this tree was probably not low.
The four of them carried the tree down the mountain.
A little after four o'clock, they reached the outside of the residential complex. The swarm of mayflies above the complex was no longer visible, but over the distant river surface, the mayfly swarm was still dancing.
Their dance, their mating rhythm, still lasted for three days.
Entering the residential complex, the sight of four people carrying a tree was somewhat unusual, but it didn't attract excessive attention.
After all, news that the complex would undergo a second transmigration had spread throughout the entire community. Although no one knew where the next transmigration would take them, these past few days, everyone's desire to gather supplies had noticeably surged.
Some were digging soil, some storing water, and others were moving various plants into their homes.
While entering the complex, Qin Ziwen felt a bit guilty. He had essentially raided the Stone Burrow Ancient Giant Toad's lair.
Right now, that giant toad was by the river. If it discovered this, the consequences could be quite serious.
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and they safely carried the tree back home.
After bringing it home, Qin Ziwen's first action was to plant the dug-up tree in the farmland.
Considering this tree previously grew in rock crevices, perhaps that kind of environment was what it preferred.
So he went to the stone quarry, transported several large stones over, and piled them up nearby to create a sort of rocky scree area. He placed part of the tree's remaining root mass into the crevices between the stones.
Then he poured some water over the roots.
After finishing all this, Qin Ziwen clapped his hands, put them on his hips, and expressed satisfaction with his handiwork.
Qian Muzhen heard that this tree was something the sir had found in the giant toad's nest and came over to take a look. He leaned in and sniffed. "There's a faint, pleasant fragrance. This tree might serve as some kind of medicinal herb."