Alternative

In the alternative room, it was warm. At first, Old Man Liu was mostly talking, Qin Ming listened quietly, and finally, the two of them studied together.

Qin Ming was quite expectant and a little excited. In this dangerous environment, he longed for a third New Life and didn't want to experience being chased by giant beasts again.

If he were strong, the people from Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect wouldn't dare to force them, treating them like consumables and sending them underground to mine.

Old Man Liu took a sip of water and said, "After entering the mountain later, we must carefully observe the terrain, plan our escape route, and then take action."

"Why do I feel like you're not so confident, old man?" Qin Ming asked suspiciously, worried that he would drop the ball at a critical moment and cause problems.

Old Man Liu said, "It's always better to be careful, because we can't afford to lose. The place we're going to has rare spiritual substances, which is very dangerous. If we fail, people will die."

Qin Ming also became cautious and said, "Does Silver Vine Town have any homemade explosives? Let's buy some!"

"Now that you mention it, it really opens up my mind. We can consider those other places as well," Old Man Liu actually had alternative plans.

"Tell me about them."

"In the mountains, there's a lake in the West Gully area where a mutated Old Turtle that has undergone three transformations is hibernating. Its whole body is a treasure, and its blood is full of spiritual substances. It's hibernating now. If we can dig it out and take advantage of its deep sleep, we can throw the homemade explosives into its cave first. I think it's very likely to succeed!"

Old Man Liu became excited when he said this, and even wanted to replace the first plan and go deal with the spirit turtle instead.

Qin Ming cooled him down and reminded him, "The turtle shell has amazing defense. Homemade explosives may not be able to blast it open. The main thing is, the lake is so big, how do we find it? Are we going to dig until the end of time?"

"You're right. Spiritual creatures are inherently stronger than other creatures of the same level. A spirit turtle that has undergone three transformations probably can't be blown up, especially since this breed has long legs. When it goes crazy, it's not slow."

Old Man Liu calmed down and denied it himself. That spirit turtle had already undergone three transformations twenty years ago, and it should be even more powerful now.

When Qin Ming heard this, his face changed suddenly, and he felt something was wrong. He said, "Old Man, the information you're providing isn't all from twenty years ago, is it?"

"Don't worry, I'm not that unreliable," Old Man Liu shook his head and denied.

He mentioned another alternative plan, which was to use homemade explosives to blast monkeys, using the huge explosion to scare away all the Long-Armed Apes, and then go to their nest to take away the spiritual substances.

Qin Ming looked at him with a strange look. How could these plans be so alternative?

Old Man Liu said, "From my heart, I really want to wipe out this nest of apes. They're too hateful!"

Qin Ming asked, "Have you been bullied by monkeys, old man? Aren't they more than twenty miles away? That's far from here."

Old Man Liu tapped the table and said, "Eliminating harm for the people, do you understand? In Emei Town, many people who enter the mountains have their prey snatched by the Long-Armed Apes, and some are even dragged away."

As soon as Qin Ming heard this, he immediately knew that he must have encountered those monkeys and was still indignant! "I don't think it's reliable. If we don't scare away the Long-Armed Apes and instead arouse their ferocity, they'll chase us all over the mountains. That would be terrible. Monkeys are the most vengeful creatures."

Old Man Liu said, "Although it's not that stable, it's still feasible. Thirty years ago, someone made a big commotion, lured the tiger away from the mountain, and successfully visited the Mountain Lord's lair. It's a similar method."

"So fierce? That's really amazing!" Qin Ming couldn't help but exclaim. That Mountain Lord was more powerful than the Old Bear and the Old Bull of Wild Bull Ridge.

Old Man Liu shook his head and said, "The Mountain Lord is even more vengeful. Although it wasn't as powerful as it is now, it was very fierce. Three months after the incident, it directly broke into Silver Vine Town one Deep Night and tore those two people to pieces."

Qin Ming had just thought those two people were amazing, and his mind was also active, but now he was forced to calm down and said, "I think these alternative plans of yours are not reliable. The first one is more suitable. Let's go into the mountains!"

As soon as the two of them went out, they saw people from Golden Chicken Ridge entering the village. Riding Walking Chickens was too obvious; they were the only ones who did that.

"Golden Chicken Ridge still has people available? How come they didn't all die in the Great Rift Valley?" Old Man Liu whispered.

After these two people arrived, all the villagers were very nervous. After all, the predecessor of Golden Chicken Ridge was a bandit, and even if they were recruited, their nature hadn't changed much.

"We're here to assess how many New Life individuals there are in your village. Come over and register," said a middle-aged man on a Walking Chicken.

Everyone's heart sank. Were they going to retaliate?

Because everyone knew that this time, almost all the people from Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect who entered the Great Rift Valley were wiped out, while none of the mountain people died; they all escaped.

Given Golden Chicken Ridge's usual style, it was very likely that they would vent their anger on the New Life from the surrounding villages who had escaped.

Xu Yueping said in a low voice, "Some of the larger villages have been scouted since yesterday."

Qin Ming said, "What does it matter to us that the people from Golden Chicken Ridge couldn't escape? They were in a position of strength, yet their survival skills were not as good as those of the oppressed mountain people. Who can they blame?"

Old Man Liu said, "They won't reason with you. That's just the way of the world. If you are strong enough, high-level creatures in the mountains might personally attend any wedding or funeral you hold. If you are weak, even monkeys will bully you when you go up the mountain. People still have to rely on themselves."

He added, "The old monsters in the depths of the mountains and the higher-ups in Red Haze City have dealings with each other. Don't disbelieve it. The old Mountain Patrol I knew told me that himself."

After registering, the two from Golden Chicken Ridge didn't stay long and left immediately.

"I reckon they might be trying to replenish their manpower," Xu Yueping said.

Everyone thought it made sense. Golden Chicken Ridge had suffered heavy losses this time and urgently needed to replenish New Life.

Old Man Liu said, "Trouble is coming. Besides people, they will definitely demand wealth. Recruiting new soldiers and buying horses won't be cheap."

People's hearts were heavy. The bandits of Golden Chicken Ridge had always put great pressure on the surrounding villages, and this situation was always difficult to change.

Qin Ming and Old Man Liu entered the mountain. On the way, they still felt uncomfortable and cursed the people of Golden Chicken Ridge together, believing that they had always been a bunch of bandits from the past to the present.

"I really want to wipe out Golden Chicken Ridge!" Qin Ming said.

"Don't talk nonsense. It would be a disaster if someone heard you," Old Man Liu stopped him.

"Oh, right, Old Man, you said that the higher-level creatures in the depths of the mountains and the higher-ups in Red Haze City have close ties. Is that true?"

Old Man Liu said, "Anyway, someone said that. I don't know the specifics."

"Then why was there the Great Rift Valley tragedy?" Qin Ming looked at the silent place ahead. Three days ago, many people and creatures died there, and the valley was filled with a bloody smell.

"I reckon that the creatures besieging the Great Rift Valley may not have been without the tacit consent of the higher-ups on both sides."

Qin Ming looked at him and said, "Why do you say that?"

Old Man Liu said, "There are more and more creatures in the mountains, but there is not that much territory. Some of them should be consumed. And the big families in Red Haze City have developed rapidly in recent years. According to those traveling merchants, each family has its own monopolistic industry. It would definitely be inappropriate for the city lord to directly suppress them. Now that the Great Rift Valley bloodbath has occurred, it seems reasonable."

"Uncle Liu, you really dare to think!" Qin Ming looked at him sideways.

"I, this old man, also traveled to Red Haze City back in the day. I know it very well and have seen the world. If my foundation hadn't been torn apart by a claw from that Famous Beast in the mountains, I wouldn't be so down and out."

The two walked and talked.

After going ten miles deep into the mountain, Old Man Liu said, "Don't say any more. Once we get here, we can't mention those old monsters in the deep mountains."

After walking another distance, the two appeared in a primeval forest and then came to the foot of a mountain.

"There is a Fire Spring in this mountain belly," Old Man Liu said. Only someone who knew the mountain extremely well would know the situation here.

Moreover, Old Man Liu had already scouted the way and knew that the Fire Spring here was affected by the geomagnetic disorder in the mountain and had become dimmer. This was one of the reasons why he chose to act here.

There was a nest of Silver-Headed Ants in the mountain, which were very dependent on the Fire Spring. Otherwise, in the severe cold, their activity would be greatly reduced, and they would not like to move.

From the Blood Snake to the Old Turtle, to the Long-Armed Ape, plus the Silver-Headed Ants here, the targets Old Man Liu chose were relatively unique.

However, Qin Ming had to admit that this was indeed the best option currently.

Silver-Headed Ants were fierce, and the number in a nest was terrifying. Winter was the best time to deal with them.

Another crucial reason was that there could only be one queen in the entire nest. Although there was extra spiritual material that could allow other Silver-Headed Ants to undergo a third mutation, the queen did not allow it.

Old Man Liu said, "We need to get some steel plates to protect our bodies later. Just wearing armor isn't safe. If you get bitten by a Silver-Headed Ant, although it won't kill you, half of your body will be numb for a long time. Once they overwhelm you, you'll be bitten to death."

These Silver-Headed Ants were much stronger than the black ants Xu Yueping used for making tea. You could see them ranging in size from a baby's fist to an egg, and they were extremely ferocious.

Their heads had silver markings, which was how they got their name.

The most amazing thing about these ants was that they brewed mead, collecting various pollens and wild fruits from the mountains, and even going down the mountain to steal grains. Then, with the help of the Fire Spring's spirituality, they could brew a liquid that was like wine and honey.

They could extract the essence from the mead again and again, allowing the essence to ferment again, repeatedly purifying it, and fermenting it multiple times. Finally, a special spiritual substance, a light golden liquid, would be produced.

In some large cities, the mead brewed by Silver-Headed Ants was shockingly expensive, not to mention the spiritual substance fermented from the essence that had been purified again and again.

Qin Ming and Old Man Liu followed the cracks in the mountain and went in to take a look. Qin Ming's scalp tingled. By the dim Fire Spring, there were only large ants. People with trypophobia would definitely not be able to stand it here. The silver markings flowed with a cold luster, and at this time they were motionless.

The two silently retreated and began to observe the surrounding terrain, planning their escape route.

In the next two days, they constantly went in and out of the mountains, bringing in the necessary supplies.

"Success or failure depends on this!" In the freezing weather, white mist filled the air between their mouths and noses as they prepared to take action.

Qin Ming was uneasy, not because of nervousness or fear. His thoughts were fluctuating. If he succeeded here, and the fragmented memories of his past reappeared after the third New Life, what would he see this time?