Tracking Through the Forest (Part 1)

Xiang Kun, disregarding the wasted opportunity for tracking, carefully examined the spot where the "blue dot" had stopped, but found nothing unusual.

What puzzled him was that, although the smell indicated that the Mutated Creature had indeed stayed there, there were no obvious traces on the ground.

Without investigating further, Xiang Kun dropped a bead on the ground that had established a "Super-Sensory Link" and continued his frantic pursuit with his bow and arrows.

Barefoot, Xiang Kun moved very fast through the forest. Sometimes, when the grass or obstacles in front of him were too high, he would simply step on the trees next to him to leap over them. He would even hold a bow and arrow in one hand and swing his body out like a monkey by hanging from a tree branch with the other.

But the "blue dot" moved faster, and the distance between the two gradually increased.

However, Xiang Kun was not worried. He had enough patience and stamina to track the other party. As long as it could not hide its scent, it would be difficult to shake it off once it had been discovered and locked onto.

Compared to big cities, there is far less interference from olfactory sources in the mountains and forests. The mountains and forests are not as isolating as reinforced concrete. In addition, Xiang Kun is more sensitive to the "special smells" of other Mutated Creature. Unless the "blue dot" is much faster than him or uses the environment to block and eliminate the smell, Xiang Kun will not be able to catch up with it in a short time, but he will not be left behind.

However, after chasing for more than an hour, Xiang Kun suddenly realized something was wrong, because based on his judgment of the surrounding terrain, if they continued in this direction, they would soon reach a cliff.

After chasing for a while, Xiang Kun stopped speeding up, because he knew that if the "blue dot" was really heading towards the cliff, he definitely wouldn't be able to catch up. So he hung his bow on his body and began to climb a very tall tree next to him. Using both his hands and feet, he quickly reached the top, then took out his bow, nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and gazed in the direction of the distant cliff.

A dozen seconds later, in Xiang Kun's infrared imaging vision mode, the "blue dot" rushed out of the forest and "flew" towards the edge of the cliff.

Based on its flight trajectory and speed, as well as the wind speed and the distance between them, Xiang Kun instantly made a prediction and shot the arrow.

Although the arrowhead was linked to Xiang Kun through a "Super-Sensory Link," he already had a basic understanding of its trajectory and knew where it would ultimately land the moment it was released.

However, the distance was indeed too far, strictly speaking, it was beyond the firing range. Moreover, his prediction of the "blue dot's" gliding trajectory after it entered the air was not very accurate, so whether he could hit it or not still depended on a certain amount of luck.

A moment later, Xiang Kun sighed softly. Luck was indeed not on his side; the arrow had missed the "blue dot."

And that "blue dot" quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Xiang Kun nimbly climbed down from the tree and ran to the edge of the cliff. Gazing at the distant mountains and forests, he quickly switched between night vision mode and infrared imaging mode, but the "blue dot" had vanished without a trace.

"Another one that can fly?"

Xiang Kun couldn't help but want to spit.

If they were both running on the ground, even if he couldn't keep up in speed for a short time, he was confident he could stay close. But this thing could fly? What could he do?

Moreover, based on his prediction, if the "blue dot" glides after rushing off the cliff, the arrow would have a good chance of hitting its target.

However, judging from the trajectory of the "blue dot" later, it seemed to be able to control its own posture and direction in the air, thus completely deviating from Xiang Kun's predicted trajectory.

This doesn't seem like the result of plant mutation.

Xiang Kun recalled the shape of the other party when he switched to night vision mode. It wasn't the shape of a flower, grass, or tree, but rather like a giant spider!

Or is it that it just looks like a spider, and those legs are actually mutated roots and tendrils that facilitate movement?

Otherwise, how do you explain those "branches" scattered throughout the mountains and forests? A spider can't possibly "graft" plants everywhere, can it?

Or perhaps this is an ability that the spider "evolved" in this forest? While other spiders weave webs, this one "weaves" a part of the plant?

It's also possible that it once devoured mutated plants with similar abilities?

Xiang Kun made various guesses, speculating about what kind of Mutated Creature he had encountered.

But what annoyed Xiang Kun the most was that this thing could actually fly! Surely it hadn't devoured other mutated birds before? Xiang Kun had swallowed an owl, so why couldn't it fly?

The other abilities are fine, but the ability to fly is just too unfair. Of course, if they are close enough, Xiang Kun believes that with his "archery skills," he might be able to shoot it down with his bow and arrow before it flies too far away.

The distance before was simply too far.

However, Xiang Kun recalled the trajectory of the "blue dot" as it "flew" off the cliff, and the extent to which it controlled its changes of direction. This guy's flying ability should also have some limitations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to go to the edge of the cliff to "fly." He could have just taken off when he was being chased.

But what is the principle behind its flight? It doesn't seem to have wings or any other structure that can utilize wind power.

As Xiang Kun pondered, he carefully made his way down the cliff edge to find the arrow he had just shot, and also to see if he could find that "special scent" again.

Because of the established "Super-Sensory Link," Xiang Kun quickly found the arrow in the forest after descending the mountain. He was also lucky; it hadn't been damaged by rocks or anything, and it was still usable after being salvaged.

As dawn broke, Xiang Kun did not continue searching further afield. Instead, he turned back and retraced his steps, searching for any traces left by the Mutated Creature as it fled.

He has realized that his previous judgment may have been wrong; this Mutated Creature, whether it is a plant or not, may be much more intelligent than he had thought.

At least last night, when this thing was about to approach Xiang Kun, it suddenly sensed something and chose to run away immediately. Otherwise, if it had gotten any closer, it might not have been able to escape even if it wanted to.

On his way back, Xiang Kun still couldn't find any traces of the "blue dot" moving so quickly, but he did discover many roots or branches that had suddenly appeared between two trees on his way there. Without exception, these parts all carried that faint "special smell" - obviously "branches" that the Mutated Creature had "grafted" beforehand.

If Xiang Kun were an ordinary human or a wild beast, he would very likely be hindered or tripped by these branches and roots.

Using the ball he had thrown down as a reference, Xiang Kun returned to the location where the "blue dot" had suddenly stopped moving forward the previous night.

Daylight had broken, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the branches and leaves into the forest. Just like last night, Xiang Kun found no obvious traces in that place.

He stood there, gazing at the large rock on the hillside not far away—the place where he had been the previous night.

It's normal for the Mutated Creature to discover him; Xiang Kun intentionally wanted it to be discovered and then "lure" it over. The question is, why did it come and then try to escape?

As the saying goes, since we're already here, why not get to know each other, exchange ideas, or even have a fight? The Mutated Creature in the mountains and forests should be even wilder and more aggressive, right?

Xiang Kun speculated that there were two possibilities:

1. The Mutated Creature, realizing that some unfriendly creature had invaded its territory through the destruction of those "branches," came to investigate in the middle of the night through several "branches" that Xiang Kun had deliberately left nearby. It determined from that distance that Xiang Kun was also Mutated Creature and, not daring to provoke him, fled.

2. The Mutated Creature already knew that Xiang Kun was also Mutated Creature through those "branches". It rushed over overnight with the intention of making Xiang Kun its food. However, after arriving at this location, it judged that Xiang Kun might be stronger than it. Not only could it not "eat" Xiang Kun, but it might also be "eaten" instead. Therefore, it chose to run away.

What was the meaning of its long, lateral movements? Was it testing Xiang Kun? But Xiang Kun didn't make any move while it was moving, so why did it ultimately choose to run away?

Judging this distance by smell is unlikely.

It doesn't seem like you can figure anything out just by looking at it.

Or does it have other ways of judging by the "branches" around Xiang Kun?

For example, Xiang Kun's gaze followed its long lateral movement, and his neck might have turned slightly, so he was discovered?

A Mutated Creature capable of detecting and locking onto it in advance is likely more powerful than it—perhaps this is its method of judgment?

Picking up the beads from the ground, Xiang Kun returned to the boulder where he had sat the day before, put on his shoes, grabbed his quiver, and continued his journey through the mountains and forests.

Occasionally, based on that "special scent," one or two grafted "branches" could be found, but Xiang Kun didn't touch them. Clearly, this area was already the territory of that Mutated Creature, its habitat. Although Xiang Kun couldn't pinpoint its location for the time being, he believed that if he continued searching, he should eventually find its lair—after all, judging from the habits of Xiang Kun himself and the other two Mutated Creature he had seen, they all had one thing in common: they needed time to rest after drinking blood. That Mutated Creature must have a place where it could rest peacefully after drinking blood.

After walking for a while, Xiang Kun suddenly stopped, pondered for a moment, and then turned back, returning to the area he had passed through a dozen minutes earlier.

In this area, there are more of those "branches" with a "special smell" compared to other places, and their distribution density is relatively higher.

Xiang Kun sat down against a tree, placed his bow and quiver beside him, closed his eyes, and looked like he was resting.

Time passed slowly, Xiang Kun slowly opened his eyes, looking at a plant about half a person's height three or four meters away, where several red fruits the size of eyeballs had sprouted.

The fruit was an incredibly vibrant red, as if it contained blood that was about to seep out.

He clearly remembered that these fruits had not been there before.

The branch from which those few red fruits sprouted was one of the "branches" left behind by the Mutated Creature.

After taking a picture of the red fruit with his phone, Xiang Kun didn't do anything else. He wanted to see what the Mutated Creature was up to.

Before long, Xiang Kun knew what the Mutated Creature was up to. A leopard appeared on a nearby tree, looking at the fruit while keeping a wary eye on Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun, holding a bow in one hand and a quiver and shoes in the other, slowly stood up and then backed away from the red berries.

Actually, he had already sensed the leopard's presence nearby by smell and sound.

He wondered if the sprouting fruit was meant to lure the leopard away, or if it was simply there for the leopard's sake.

Xiang Kun had been observing the leopard's posture and movements, knowing that its attention was mainly on the red fruit, so he wasn't too worried. He slowly retreated, indicating that he posed no threat.

Sure enough, after Xiang Kun retreated ten meters away, the leopard leaped down from the tree, keeping a wary eye on Xiang Kun as it slowly approached Hong Guo.

Watching the leopard swallow several red fruits in one gulp, Xiang Kun roughly understood how the Mutated Creature "hunted." Even a carnivorous leopard was attracted to eat the fruits, not to mention the omnivorous wild boar, and the three lost Host Xue and his companions, in the mountains and forests.

He speculated that these red berries must be very attractive to other creatures, enticing them to eat them, but he couldn't feel it because he had no appetite for food other than blood.

After eating the red fruit, the leopard did not leave. It shook its head, stared at Xiang Kun, and let out a threatening growl.

The red berries didn't seem to incapacitate the leopard; rather, they seemed to have aroused its ferocity.

Despite being stared at by a feline weighing around 30 kg, with the potential to attack at any moment, Xiang Kun remained completely calm. He had been prepared since he first sensed the leopard, and when the leopard appeared in a nearby tree, he compared its size and movements to his own.

It can be basically determined that even without using a bow and arrow, this leopard is no match for him in close combat. In terms of both reaction and strength, he has the ability to completely suppress it. As long as he doesn't get bitten in a vital area, he is confident that he can kill it with a piece of the salvaged arrowhead.

But would it make sense to take it down?

It's not that Mutated Creature; killing it and drinking its blood would only lead to a deep sleep, which would be suicide.

Simply killing is meaningless.

Of course, Xiang Kun also had other ways to deal with this leopard, such as "Mental Intimidation"—although it was unknown whether it would work if the leopard was already affected by the red fruit.

But after a moment's thought, Xiang Kun made the following choice:

He turned and ran.

Xiang Kun ran, the leopard naturally darted out in hot pursuit.

Even an average person, a sprinter, wouldn't be able to outrun a leopard in this kind of terrain and would be pounced on very quickly.

But Xiang Kun seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, always managing to dodge the leopard with a sudden change of direction just as it was about to pounce on him, and then continue his "frantic" escape.

Before long, the leopard couldn't keep up and could barely stand.

Xiang Kun continued running forward without looking back, showing no intention of coming back to take advantage of the situation.

After running for a while, Xiang Kun slowed down, then let out a scream and rolled down a hillside, his bow, quiver, and shoes flying off.

Xiang Kun lay in the grass at the bottom of the hillside, hugging his knees and howling in pain. Indeed, the fall had caused many new wounds on his body, and his forehead was also broken, making him look quite miserable.

Xiang Kun let out a miserable howl, he gathered sensory information from his surroundings, paying attention to the direction the Mutated Creature might be coming from.

He had previously underestimated the Mutated Creature's intelligence, and this time he wanted to try again to see if being chased by the leopard and falling down the hillside and getting injured could make the Mutated Creature reassess his strength.

A humanoid Mutated Creature that dares not confront a leopard head-on;

A humanoid Mutated Creature that had already fallen and was in great pain;

A humanoid Mutated Creature that no longer has any lethal weapons at hand;

This is a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

Because I only have time to start writing around 5 or 6 pm lately, and if I update after finishing a chapter, the interval is a bit too short, so I've been combining two chapters into one update. It's not that I've suddenly become lazy and only update one chapter at a time. I remember all the extra Hamburger I owe and will try to find a way to make up for them as soon as possible. I will also try to fix the update time and increase the frequency of updates to avoid the update time being too unpredictable and affecting the reading experience.