Late at night.
Torrential rain.
Darkness and lightning filled the ruined, deserted wasteland, which was drowned out by the patter of rain and the howling wind.
Yet in this utterly dark region, viewed from above, a few areas emitted eerie red, pink, or purple light.
A closer look.
revealed some kind of virus-like structure—living plants with a degree of antigravity.
The main body of these plants seemed to be a prototypical sarcoma, with writhing tentacles growing across their surfaces and cell-like lumps of flesh on their roots and stems.
The cores of the small lumps, along with the main sarcoma-like body of the plant, were the sources of the eerie light.
These living plants were called Mana Flowers by The Cage.
Hundreds or even thousands of Mana Flowers gathered together in clusters, with Extinction Beasts of various forms nearby, turning such areas into Mana Ecology.
Mana Flowers did not actively attack humans. Only when they detected that a human was in a weakened state or came into contact with human blood would they trigger their self-protection mechanism—
Xirang.
Xirang normally remained inert, but once triggered, it transformed into a liquid-like state and attacked and devoured every living thing nearby.
In The Cage, there was a line that went:
"Mana Ecology in dense zones will be more sensitive to our presence. Treat any wounds immediately after being injured. Avoid letting open wounds come into direct contact with the environment, and do not leave blood behind."
This showed that The Cage had some understanding of Mana Ecology. Moreover, a female Wilderness Hunter communications officer had broadcast those words to everyone, including the Dust People who worked as porters.
Yet even after receiving the warning, what had 4068 done when he followed Mo Cheng and the others deep into the medical storage area