The hot weather made everyone sweat all the time, and there were so many of them that water consumption was tremendous. It was almost five to six times higher than usual. Although they had collected a few drops before by using leaves, the amount was limited and the process was very time-consuming. Plus, that water was only sufficient for survival, not for daily use.
The high temperature made everyone very uncomfortable when they did not shower for a whole day. If anyone fell sick under those conditions, he or she would have to struggle to survive. It was very risky and unreliable to collect water that way. If there was any strong wind at night, or the leaves were destroyed by mutated beasts, it would be a disaster. Finding a steady source of water had become the biggest problem the team was facing.
This time, even Luo Yuan had lost his patience. While he was walking around, he was also sniffing the air, carefully analyzing the moisture level in it. Humid air often carried a mist while dry air smelled of soil. Considering his powerful skill, it was not difficult for Luo Yuan to tell if there was mist in the air or somewhere in the distance.
He closed his eyes, followed the airflow that contained the most concentration of humidity, and listened. Everyone looked at Luo Yuan's strange actions and expression, but no one dared disturb him. That was the first time Luo Yuan had showed his Sensory Perception skill in public. Luo Yuan was very concentrated. Even if there had been a system notification then, he would have promptly ignored it.
"The water source should be somewhere around here. I seem to hear the sound of water!" Luo Yuan shouted loudly as he suddenly opened his eyes. His whole face had lightened up.
He walked towards the cliff up ahead right away, everyone quickly following him. After walking along the cliff for about one hundred meters, everyone could vaguely hear the sound of flowing water. The sound was indistinct. If they didn't pay close attention, they could hardly hear it. They suddenly realized that the gap between Luo Yuan and themselves was huge. Normal people could hardly hear if someone was shouting from a hundred meters away, let alone be able to hear the soft sound of flowing water.
They continued to walk for another ten meters. The sound of the water was getting louder. Some of them could already see the pond in the reflection of the moonlight.
Spring water was flowing out from half a meter high from the cliff into the pond. The pond was not big. It was about three to four square feet, but the water kept flowing, and it looked very clean and clear.
"Spring water! That's great!" Cao Lin shouted in surprise. She seemed to lose control of her emotions as her body trembled slightly.
"It's so clean! I think it must be sweet," Zhao Yali said, also looking excited.
These days, after the exhaustion of all water sources near the camp, everyone had been drinking sewage. When they mixed it with the soup, it was almost edible, but when they drank it directly, the water mixed with the odor of corpses and soil and tasted really disgusting. When they saw the crystal clear spring water, they were all ecstatic.
Even Mu Wenwen, who never expressed many emotions and always lived in her own world, couldn't hide her joy and smile. The moment she expressed her feelings, the mysterious power surrounding her somehow broke. Several people looked at her subconsciously, stunned by her beauty. All this while, no one had noticed what a stunning woman Mu Wenwen was. She was slightly shocked, and seemed uncomfortable with the attention she was getting from everyone. She quickly changed back to her normal, expressionless face. Several of them remained stunned for a while, but were quickly distracted by something else. Luo Yuan was also distracted by this mysterious power. Suddenly, he switched his focus and saw a black shadow somewhere in the distance. He was both shocked and surprised.
It was a tree.
It was an unusual sight considering that the giants had cut all the trees near their home. There had been nothing left except for some grass, so seeing a lone tree about seventy to eighty meters away was an eye-catching sight.
The roots of the tree were thick and bulky. Most of them were exposed, and they were knotted with each other, forming the shape of a ball. They looked just like giant cobras tangled together. When Luo Yuan looked through the gap between the roots, he realized it was actually growing on a ten-meter high rock. As the roots grew, the rock cracked, but it still managed to maintain its original shape, because the roots were keeping it together.
Compared to the tree's huge roots, its trunk was relatively small. It was about eight to nine meters high with sparse leaves, and there were several pieces of fruit hanging on its branches. After the end of the world, most plants had mutated and rarely reproduced anymore, so Luo Yuan felt curious when he saw the fruit on that tree.
"Everyone stay here. Let me go and take a look," he said.
Apparently, it was not a normal mutated plant. He could see many bones scattered around its roots, looking creepy under the moonlight. He told Huang Jiahui and the others about what he had just seen and warned them not to go any closer, no matter what happened. Then he took the Zhanmadao with him and walked towards the tree.
He stopped at a spot seven to eight meters away from it. The area in front of him was full of bones. Most of them were bones of mutated beasts, there were also some bones that belonged to giants. This tree looked too mysterious. Other than its roots, its trunk was also in a weird shape. It was greatly distorted, as if the entire trunk had been wrung like a towel into a spiral shape.
Although the tree did not seem dangerous, Luo Yuan did not go closer. The nature of plants made mutated trees the most patient hunters. Most of the time, they looked just like normal plants, but when they hunted, they showed their ugliest side.
Luo Yuan used his mind to exude a strong force field. The air seemed to have solidified, and the entire area felt oppressive. While he exuded the force field, he carefully observed the tree.
When the blade of the Zhanmadao had advanced to expert level, his momentum had gotten quite strong. Even light green level mutated beasts would have been shocked by it, but the tree didn't move. It looked just like a normal plant.
Luo Yuan still had his doubts. He hesitated for a while before he started walking forward slowly. The bones under his foot were very fragile, and they produced a breaking sound as he stepped on them.
His Sensory Perception was like a radar, scanning everything around him, including the tree's roots under the ground. He held the handle of the sabre tight and tensed up his muscles. His every step generated force. If the tree attacked him, he would be ready to fight back.
Still, he was getting more doubtful as he got closer. All indications showed that the tree was harmless to humans and animals. Even when he stood in front of it and touched its trunk, the tree still did not react.
"If this tree is really a normal plant, how come there are so many bones here?" Luo Yuan picked up a bone gently, but it was too fragile to break. "These bones are too fragile. Even a wooden stick before the mutation outbreak would have been stronger than this. Apparently, all nutrition inside it must have been lost."
Luo Yuan used the Zhanmadao to cut down a palm-sized piece of bark from the tree. A blood-like liquid slowly flowed out while an unusual aroma spread out gradually.
He picked up the tree bark and performed identification on it.
"Wisdom Bark"
"Rarity: Blue"
"Weight: 300g"
"Properties: None"
"Additional Abilities: None"
"Remarks: This is a rare piece of Wisdom Tree bark. There is Knowledge in every wild Wisdom Tree, whose value cannot be measured. This piece of tree bark is most likely a good sample. "
Luo Yuan was startled for a while. When he came back to his senses, he looked up at the fruit and brought one down to perform identification on it.
"Wisdom Fruit"
"Rarity: Blue"
"Weight: 100g"
"Properties: None"
"Additional Abilities: Wisdom Generation"
"Remarks: This is a rare Wisdom Tree fruit that can slightly stimulate brain development to generate wisdom. Valid for creatures with Intelligence level under 11."
His face darkened, and he felt heavy-hearted.
"Why is there such a mutated tree? And this fruit? Is it natural evolution, or has it been deliberately arranged by some mysterious force?"
In fact, Luo Yuan had always had a feeling that this mutation outbreak had been targeting mankind. Animals, insects, even plants could evolve. Only humans were unable to. It felt like there was some mysterious force trying to suppress or eliminate mankind.
From a biological perspective, humans and other creatures were not that different. Even mice were 80% genetically identical to humans and shared 99% of the same genes with them. When it came to primates, their genes were almost exactly the same as humans'.
Those days, though, primates could evolve while humans were still pretty much the same. Only a handful of individuals had been able to evolve by consuming the flesh and blood of other mutated beasts and unlocking their powers. Reality was too cruel. Mankind seemed to have been forgotten by nature. There was no evolution. All they could do was just struggle to survive.
"I'm afraid that this is being arranged by some mysterious force. Their purpose must be to support another race and replace humans," Luo Yuan thought doubtfully.
He looked at the fruit in his hand as if it was evil. He pressed and pinched it until pink pulp was flying everywhere. The air suddenly filled with a seductive fragrance. Luo Yuan looked at the tall Wisdom Tree again before he flashed out his Zhanmadao and started chopping it.
Things had changed.
As time passed slowly, he stood there like a stone without moving. Eventually, he slowly put the sabre back into its sheath and looked at the corpses on the ground.