Chapter 381: Can you answer? |
On the other side, after the vines and branches were carried back, Qin Ziwu attempted to test their fire resistance.
Watching the vine's skin remain unchanged for a long time under the scorching of the flames, Qin Ziwu let out a long sigh. "This thing is way too fire-resistant. If Meng Huo's rattan armor back then had been this fire-resistant, maybe it would have been Meng Huo capturing Zhuge Liang seven times."
Cao Biansheng was amused. "Being fire-resistant alone isn't enough. What about its flexibility? If it's good, do you think it could be made into rattan armor?"
"Actually, making it into rattan armor is secondary. It could be woven into a large net, and then we could throw fire into the net. The prey would not only be trapped but also burned. What do you think of my idea?" Yuan Ming said.
"Your idea might fall through, because this vine's flexibility isn't strong enough." Qin Ziwu put down the vine in his hand that had been cut in two by a knife.
"Then what's the use of this vine? It can't be used as firewood, and it can't be woven into armor." Cao Biansheng immediately felt bored.
"There's nothing useless, only things used with the wrong method. These vines can't be used as firewood, but these branches can." Qin Ziwu raised the gray branches in his hand. These branches caught fire when they touched the flames.
Although not as good as pine, they were still decent, belonging to the category of combustible plants.
Much better than this vine.
"As long as they're useful, then this underground forest still has value."
..
"You need to demonstrate your own value so we can take better care of you. Think about it, we're using so much food to feed you. You don't even have to take risks to hunt. Hunting is so dangerous. Are you really okay with eating for free?" Qin Ziwen stood in front of the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle, giving it a PUA talk.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle lay on the ground, feeling somewhat confused.
Was this... not right?
But it had always been like this before.
"You need to correct your thinking. Before, you were a carefree bug. Now it's different..." Qin Ziwen, riding on the back of the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle, activated Resonance, chattering incessantly.
Jia Liangcai walked over and said at his feet, "Guild Leader, something has happened at the Bluestone Fortress."
"Something happened again?" Qin Ziwen paused his movements, raising an eyebrow.
He glanced at the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle beneath him. "I'll talk to you later."
After saying that, he jumped down.
Watching Qin Ziwen's retreating back, the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle actually let out a human-like sigh of relief.
As Qin Ziwen walked out, listening to Jia Liangcai's explanation, he learned what had happened.
He shook his head slightly. "Our new neighbor is really plagued by disasters. It hasn't been long, and something has happened again."
"I heard it's the underground river to the south. Many leech-like bugs have appeared inside."
"Underground river..." Qin Ziwen pondered. "Judging by the direction, their south should be the same direction as our south, right?"
"Probably. In such a close area, the two bodies of water are most likely connected."
"Do we have leeches over here?"
"No, our side is relatively clean. The patrol teams haven't paid much attention to the south, and they haven't found anything either." Qin Ziwu shook his head.
"That shouldn't be. In such a close area, they have them, but we don't. Could it be that something attracted them over there?"
Jia Liangcai said, "It's not necessarily attraction. It's also possible something is commanding them from behind."
"Let's go, take a look." Qin Ziwen turned around.
Jia Liangcai bowed. "Master, it's not necessarily a case of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold'."
"I know. I'm just going to check their situation first." Qin Ziwen shook his head, signaling Jia Liangcai not to overthink it.
After gathering the personnel, Qin Ziwen led the team towards the Bluestone Fortress.
A quarter of an hour later, when he arrived at the castle gate,
flames shot into the sky ahead. Below the city wall, a dark, dense mass, large shadows piled up at the base of the wall. They continuously squirmed, climbing towards the inside of the castle.
Shouts of killing and cries of despair were everywhere, a chaotic mess.
"They've fallen so quickly." Du Yu was solemn. The wall of the Bluestone Fortress before him was four meters high, with battlements and arrow platforms on top. If the fortress had enough grain, even an army several times their size would have found it hard to capture.
Yet, under the siege of these monsters, the castle had fallen so quickly.
"Master!" The short young man beside Du Yu roared and was about to charge into the castle.
Du Yu patted his shoulder and pulled him back.
Bai Sanshi's feet left the ground as he was dragged back to his original spot.
"Let me go."
Du Yu said coldly, "With your limited skills, you'd probably be devoured, not even leaving scraps, the moment you entered."
After speaking, Du Yu looked towards the front of the team, waiting for the Master to issue orders.
"Attack from the periphery. First, test the weaknesses of these things." Qin Ziwen spoke up.
"Bang! Crash!"
As the team advanced, the pushed-forward vehicle-mounted crossbow was activated.
The heavy crossbow bolt turned into a black afterimage, crossing a hundred meters in an instant.
A giant leech was torn apart by the crossbow bolt!
Its body was directly ripped in half from the middle, and the leech behind it was also pierced through.
If it were an ordinary animal, such a heavy blow would be fatal.
But this torn leech was still squirming.
"These leeches have very high resistance to physical attacks, but they seem to be very afraid of fire." Qin Ziwu pointed to a certain section of the city tower. There, flames were burning, and an empty zone had formed near the fire.
"Interesting. Are the creatures underground all afraid of fire?" Qin Ziwu rubbed his chin. He recalled that the Black Beetles before were also afraid of fire. It seemed these creatures living underground were all weak to fire.
Qin Ziwen suddenly turned his head to look in the direction from which these leeches came.
It was pitch black over there, at least three to four hundred meters away from the Bluestone Fortress.
He gazed for a moment, a trace of confusion flashing across his face, then turned his head back.
Only after he shifted his gaze away did a faint sound come from the depths of the cave, the place shrouded in darkness. "His perception is quite sharp."
"Xiang, among these humans, there always occasionally appear individuals with peculiar powers."
"So what? These Giant Water Leeches specifically counter their kind." The owner of the voice sounded somewhat relaxed.
"How long do you think these humans can hold out?"
"At most a quarter of a ground hour. This group of humans hasn't lasted as long as the previous batch. They're too weak."
"What previous batch?"
"The ones before..." The owner of the voice gradually hesitated, because the voice that had just asked it sounded somewhat unfamiliar, and the source seemed to be behind them.
"Before what? Continue." The voice came from behind. Immediately after, the two figures standing side by side in the darkness felt their waists tighten, and they were lifted into the air. Looking back, behind them stood a towering figure, majestic like a deity.
A faint smile appeared on Mogu's cold face. "Interesting. Judging by your tone, these Giant Water Leeches are being controlled by you. Could you answer a question! What is this 'previous batch' you mentioned?"
As his words fell, he raised both hands. In the palms of his hands, he held two creatures, each with snow-white bodies, slender and long limbs, and standing less than 1.2 meters tall—dwarves.