The rain had stopped, but the water on the ground was not going to recede so quickly.
The dirty water and the potential dangers that lurked in it were obviously not suitable for them to go out. However, everyone's mood became better as the sky cleared up. Even Luo Yuan's expression was not as serious as before. He took the initiative to look for food for the first time.
In fact, as long as one was careful enough, they could still find a lot of food in the flooded forest. Of course, they had to know that it was not poisonous.
There were all kinds of weeds and tubers, sweet milk-like tree sap, and some scattered wild fruits. Luo Yuan also found a stranded big fish that had swum out of nowhere.
This discovery surprised and delighted Luo Yuan.
He was surprised because the water had connected the rivers and lakes together. The water had become extremely dangerous. He was delighted because the light blue level fish was so big that they could eat it for a few days. At least before the water receded, they would not lack food.
Luo Yuan dragged the big fish back to the tree hole. The tree had been badly damaged. In just one night, its leaves had turned yellow, giving off a feeling that it was in its twilight years.
The fish was too big to be moved into the cave, so Luo Yuan had to cut it into pieces of white fish meat in advance.
Seeing that Luo Yuan had returned, everyone came over to help. Some lifted and some carried the neatly cut fish to the corner of the tree hole, piling it up to a meter high. Luo Yuan kept the whole fish skin. It was thinner than mutated beast skin and was very tough, so it was suitable for storing water or other things.
Huang Jiahui and Cao Ling collected the remaining firewood and started a fire. The tree hole was very humid, so there was no need to worry about a fire.
Huo Dong used the available materials and cut a few wooden sticks from the hollow of the tree. He speared the fish and began to roast it. Under the licking of the flames, the fish fat made a sizzling sound and dripped continuously. The whole hollow of the tree was filled with an alluring aroma.
Huang Jiahui gave everyone a cup of milky-like tree sap and kept the rest.
This refreshing tree sap tasted pretty good. After tasting it, many people were reluctant to drink it all at once. They just drank it in small mouthfuls. The tubers of the weed were also very tasty. Apart from the slightly coarse texture, they could be eaten as rice or as a fruit.
Perhaps it was because they had been starving for a long time, but everyone's appetite had increased. They ate until their stomachs were bloated and they couldn't eat anymore. Only then did they stop. Even Wang Shishi, who usually ate the least, ate three times the usual amount of food.
Luo Yuan, on the other hand, had eaten more than 10 catties of fish to make up for the food he had not eaten in the past few days. A person with such a powerful physique like him could no longer be measured from the perspective of an ordinary person. Now, he could go days without eating and still be full of energy. Similarly, he could also eat for days at a time.
… …
As the days passed, everyone's injuries recovered one by one.
On the third day, the water finally receded, revealing the muddy soil. In the distance, a few mutated fish that looked like piranhas kept jumping on the spot, beginning their final struggle.
Huang Jiahui checked the luggage again and again, as if she had OCD. She only stopped when there was nothing missing.
In fact, there wasn't much luggage. There was a bag of several dozen kilograms of tree sap packed in fish skin, a dozen pieces of smoked dried fish that were about half a kilogram each, three lighters, their respective weapons and bullets, and a few pieces of cloth that had been washed so white that even beggars wouldn't look at them.
That was all the luggage they had!
Luo Yuan put a dozen short spears that he had made recently into his bag and carried them on his back. He pulled out the Zhanmadao that was stuck in the heart of the tree and jumped out of the hole.
Everyone anxiously walked to the giant lizard that was already lying on the ground. They grabbed the rope that was hanging from the carpet and climbed onto it weakly.
It was not that they had not done anything for the past few days. At least the giant lizard's back had been covered with a layer of rough carpet made of the skin peeled from vines. Once they were on it, they did not have to worry about it slipping off.
With a low growl, the giant lizard stood up and walked forward slowly.
In the forest where the flood had receded, dirty water was everywhere. Flies and mosquitoes were everywhere, and everywhere they passed, there were small insects. These insects were smaller than grains of rice, but there were many of them, and they were in groups, floating around like smoke. However, these insects did not dare to come close to Luo Yuan. Sometimes they even fell to the ground because they were too slow.
Luo Yuan had noticed this a long time ago. In fact, this phenomenon had already existed when they were in the tree hole. Because the space was too small and there was not enough oxygen, there was a small hole in the tree hole even at night. However, regardless of whether it was day or night, not a single insect would fly in.
The reason why the insects retreated was not because of the giant lizard or Luo Yuan, but because of his Zhanmadao.
Ever since his Zhanmadao had evolved to the green level, there had been an inexplicable, faint power. This was not an illusory psychological suggestion, but a real existence.
However, this power was still very weak. Ordinary people could only feel that it was sharp and intimidating, and they could tell at a glance that it was very sharp. But to these small insects that were as weak as sparks, they were a great threat. Ordinary flies didn't dare to approach them at all.
After walking for half an hour, the trees gradually thinned, and the sky appeared above their heads again. The weather was still gloomy, and the sky was covered with dark clouds. Due to the volcanic eruption, it would be difficult to see the sun for the next few days.
However, everyone still felt refreshed.
"We're finally leaving," Huo Dong said excitedly.
"I think we'll be out of the forest in less than 10 minutes," Cao Ling said with a smile.
"We must find a bed and a blanket and have a good sleep. I've been waking up from the cold every night for the past few days," Wang Shishi said softly. Huang Jiahui smiled gently.
She had suffered a lot in the past few days. She had slept in the open air every day, as if she had returned to the primitive society. She had not brushed her teeth for a few days now, and every time she opened her mouth, she would smell bad. Fortunately, everything was about to end. At the very least, when they were on the highway, they wouldn't be without blankets like now. Every fortification there had a large number of beds, blankets, and all kinds of toiletries.
Everyone talked and laughed along the way, but the smiles on their faces soon disappeared.
As they continued deeper into the forest, the trees in the forest became sparser and weirder. Their trunks were extremely twisted, and their leaves were much fewer than normal trees. Most of them had already withered. They looked like malformed creatures that had not developed well.
Along the way, they could see piles of bones of mutated creatures everywhere. Most of them were half-buried in the mud because of the flood. At first, they only saw some small bones, but as they continued to move forward, they started to see some large skeletons.
It seemed like something had happened here.
Unlike the others, Luo Yuan was not afraid of anything as long as there were no creatures that were light green level or above. Although he felt a little strange, he did not stop moving forward. This road was the closest to the highway. If they went around this wide area, it would take them a long time to reach the highway.
About ten minutes later, the trees around them began to fall in a certain direction. There were more and more withered trees around them. Except for a few that were still alive, most of the trees were dead. The few that were still alive were even weirder. They were completely bare, and their branches were like ghostly claws that were struggling in the air.
The air seemed to be filled with the smell of death. It was eerily quiet, and even the usual sounds of insects in the forest had disappeared. Everyone felt like they were walking into hell.
The giant lizard seemed a little restless. Its nostrils were snorting, and thick smoke was coming out of it. It seemed like it did not want to go any further.
Huang Jiahui suddenly said in a shocked voice, "Wait, let's go back. This is the location of the nuclear explosion!"
Luo Yuan was shocked. "What did you say?"
"Don't you remember? A few nuclear bombs were dropped in the wilderness of Hedong City. I'm afraid this is the place where the nuclear bombs exploded," Huang Jiahui said anxiously.
Everyone's face turned pale. They looked at their surroundings in horror, and their hearts were filled with fear.
No wonder it was so quiet, and the plants had become so strange. They did not expect the nuclear bombs to explode here. There must be a huge amount of nuclear radiation left here. Luo Yuan quickly patted the giant lizard's head. It stopped, and at Luo Yuan's signal, it turned around and quickly went back the way they came.
"We've been here for so long. Will anything happen to us?" Wang Shishi asked worriedly. She had seen pictures of nuclear radiation in school, and the deformed people in the pictures had left a deep impression on her.
"No, our bodies are much better than before. Besides, we've only been here for about ten minutes. We'll be fine," Huang Jiahui said. Huang Jiahui said. Rather than comforting others, it was better to say that she was comforting herself. "Look, aren't there still some trees alive here?"
"But they've become so strange. Did they mutate?" Wang Shishi asked anxiously.
Huang Jiahui was silent for a while, and then said, "They are mutated plants."
Wang Xiaguang's body shook, and she almost fell off the giant lizard. Luo Yuan quickly held her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wang Xiaguang shook her head and said in a trembling voice, "I'm just feeling a little dizzy."
"I think so too, and I feel like vomiting," Wang Shishi said softly, her hand holding the corner of Luo Yuan's shirt tightly.
Everyone looked uneasy, because they had the same feeling.
"Hold on a little longer, we'll leave soon." Luo Yuan looked at everyone, and his heart sank. Even Wang Shishi was showing symptoms of radiation. Other than himself and Lin Xiaoji, no one else would be able to escape.
The nuclear radiation this time was not the same as the previous nuclear explosions. That time, it was tens of kilometers away, and the dose could be said to be pitifully small. Even ordinary people could withstand it, but this time, it was too close.
Mutated plants had strong vitality, and normal nuclear radiation would not cause much harm to them. If there was such a large number of deaths, it could only mean one thing: they were very close to the edge of a nuclear explosion.
"Brother Luo, can you help me break a branch from here?" Cao Lin suddenly asked as she looked at the strange-looking trees.
"What do you want a branch for?" Luo Yuan asked.
"I see that most of these trees have no leaves, and the radiation is very strong. Life is rare here, and they don't feed on living things like the lantern grass. The biggest possibility is that they can absorb nuclear radiation," Cao Lin analyzed, looking excited.
"I think it's very possible. What's the saying? There's always an antidote within seven steps of a poisonous insect," Huo Dong interrupted, as if he had felt hope.
Luo Yuan looked at the strange trees in the distance, and felt that Cao Lin's analysis was right. He quickly said, "Wait for me, I'll go take a look."
He jumped off the giant lizard's back and walked quickly towards a strange tree in front of them.
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