Tracking Through the Forest (Part 2)

Xiang Kun lay in the grass at the bottom of the hillside, hugging his knees and occasionally groaning. More than three hours passed, but there was still no sign of the Mutated Creature appearing.

There was a branch emitting a peculiar scent not far from Xiang Kun, so he wasn't worried that the Mutated Creature wouldn't be able to find him.

It seems that the Mutated Creature was either quite intelligent or exceptionally cowardly and cautious.

However, judging from the previous experiences of the three Host Xue, if they were killed by that Mutated Creature, then this thing is actually quite ferocious—it is unlikely that it killed the three of them simply to drink blood.

Xiang Kun stopped pretending to be pitiful, got up, patted the weeds and mud off his clothes, and gave the middle finger to the "branch" that looked like an ordinary weed. He didn't care whether the Mutated Creature could see the scene through the "branch" or whether it could understand what it meant, even if it could.

After picking up the compound bow, bow case, and shoes, Xiang Kun ripped off the "branch," threw it on the ground, and crushed it with his foot.

If that Mutated Creature is determined to avoid him, then Xiang Kun will probably leave empty-handed this time. He can't stay in this uninhabited mountain forest for too long. Given the presence of other Mutated Creature, drinking blood and sleeping here is no different from courting death.

Clearly, this Mutated Creature is different from the Giant Owl and Guo Tianxiang. The latter two were already in a state of extreme thirst for the blood of other Mutated Creature before encountering Xiang Kun, so Xiang Kun was the one who seized the opportunity to fight back, rather than being in the position of the hunter.

But this Mutated Creature, like Xiang Kun, is probably not in that state now, so we can be more rational and cautious.

Xiang Kun had initially thought that the Mutated Creature might have originated from a plant and would follow more primitive instincts than possess high intelligence. But now it seemed that its intelligence was probably not low, and might even be much stronger than that of the Giant Owl.

Xiang Kun planned to search the area for another day. If he still couldn't find the Mutated Creature or its lair, he would leave.

But to his surprise, before nightfall, he followed a scent of blood and found the leopard that had been affected by the red fruit and tried to attack him.

The leopard lay dead in the grass, with a small wound on its body, just like the wound on the wild boar in Host Xue's video.

Xiang Kun stroked the leopard's fur and sighed softly, "This is a nationally protected animal..."

Clearly, it was also hunted down by that Mutated Creature —a fact Xiang Kun confirmed from the leopard's carcass and the lingering "special scent" around it. This scent was much stronger than the "branches" "grafted" onto other plants, indicating that the Mutated Creature itself was responsible.

It drank blood?

In other words, the red fruit that appeared earlier to lure the leopard wasn't necessarily targeting Xiang Kun, but rather it was simply time for the leopard to drink blood and was "hunting" its prey?

According to the natural order, shouldn't it be going into a dormant state by now?

After all, feeling sleepy after drinking blood is a characteristic that all Mutated Creature like them possess, at least in the case of Xiang Kun, the owl, and Guo Tianxiang.

After drinking blood, the Giant Owl will pick up pebbles and swallow them to suppress its drowsiness before flying back to its nest on the cliff.

Although this Mutated Creature had previously demonstrated the ability to fly, Xiang Kun speculated that its flight was likely subject to certain limitations, unlike birds which could fly whenever they wanted. Therefore, its nest was probably not too far away, and they could try to track it.

Of course, if it is very careful to block the smell through a cliff or other fault, then there's nothing that can be done.

Following the scent left on the leopard carcass, Xiang Kun quickly located the Mutated Creature's possible "nest".

It was a towering tree. Looking up, if Xiang Kun exceptional eyesight, it would have been difficult for an ordinary person to notice that a "large ball" seemingly wrapped in various vines was "hidden" among the branches and leaves.

The "special odor" on it was very strong, clearly different from other "grafted" "branches," suggesting that the Mutated Creature's main body was likely dormant inside.

But Xiang Kun was somewhat suspicious, because he had just examined the leopard's carcass, and blood was still seeping from the wound, with pools of blood nearby. Compared to the wild boar in Host Xue's video, this leopard had far too much blood left.

If that Mutated Creature previously drank the blood of a wild boar weighing over 100 kilograms dry, there's no reason it couldn't finish the blood of a leopard weighing around 30 kilograms.

Xiang Kun even deduced from the amount of blood on the leopard's carcass that perhaps the Mutated Creature hadn't drunk blood, but had simply killed the leopard.

So, his ability to find this place by following the scent in less than twenty minutes might not have been luck, but rather a deliberate lure by the Mutated Creature?

Could it have imagined that Xiang Kun, seeing it hunt its prey, would assume it was looking for a place to sleep, and thus followed the scent to find the "big ball" in the tree?

If it can actually set traps using this logic, then Xiang Kun will have to raise its IQ a bit more.

Judging from the smell, the Mutated Creature should be inside that large sphere woven from branches and vines, resembling a nest, on the tree. Is it waiting for Xiang Kun to climb up before launching a surprise attack? Or is there some other trap hidden in the tree itself?

Knowing that this was most likely a trap deliberately set by the Mutated Creature, Xiang Kun naturally wouldn't be careless. Instead of climbing directly up the tree trunk, he carried his bow and found a nearby tree to climb.

Having climbed halfway up the tree, Xiang Kun activated the infrared imaging vision mode, hoping to see if the "blue dot" was inside the "big sphere." However, the outer branches and vines were wrapped around it, perhaps too many times, blocking out the heat source and making it impossible to see inside.

Xiang Kun found a position on the tree, clamped his legs between the branches to stabilize his body, then took down the compound bow, took out two arrows, bit one in his mouth and held the other in his hand, slowly nocked them on the bow, then pushed the bow, drew the bow, and aimed.

The arrow left the bowstring and arrived in an instant, piercing into the green "big ball".

With his keen hearing, Xiang Kun could even hear a crisp "thud" as the arrow pierced through three-quarters of its length.

Then, something unexpected happened to Xiang Kun. After being hit by the arrow, the branches around the "big ball" burst out with a green liquid. Then, in Xiang Kun's infrared imaging vision mode, a large area of red appeared out of thin air, just like a sun had suddenly been born.

White smoke rose up, and the liquid in the layers of vines seemed to have mixed with another liquid. The temperature quickly reached the boiling point, spraying and bursting out, like a water-filled balloon bursting on a tree. However, the "water" inside was a highly corrosive liquid.

Watching the tree rapidly corrode and smoke where the liquid had touched it, Xiang Kun couldn't help but curse under his breath.

That Mutated Creature, was it really that insidious?

If Xiang Kun had been careless and climbed up the tree, trying to pry open the layers of vines with some tools, and then the liquid exploded, pouring corrosive liquid over his head, he would probably have fallen straight down from the tree. Even if he didn't die from the fall, being soaked would likely have seriously injured him.

That's fucking ruthless!

That's incredibly cunning!

However, this guy's abilities are quite powerful in this forest full of plants! Obviously, those "branches" are not just used to explore or lure other creatures to eat them.

If other organisms cannot distinguish which "branches" are "grafted" from Mutated Creature by "special smells" like Xiang Kun can, they are more likely to fall victim, making it completely impossible to defend against.

Furthermore, how was this highly corrosive liquid produced? Did this plant already exist, or did it "create" it itself?

In the animal kingdom, Xiang Kun remembered seeing a "bombing beetle" with similar abilities before, but he had never seen one in the plant kingdom.

While still in shock, Xiang Kun began to search around using his sense of smell, hearing, and sight, because after the "big ball" exploded, there was no trace of the Mutated Creature; it wasn't inside.

Thinking back, the strong smell that he had mistaken for the Mutated Creature's own body was probably some of its body tissue left inside, and it's possible that that body tissue was also directly related to this highly corrosive liquid.

Since it set up such a trap, it should come over to "kick someone when they're down," "reap the spoils," and "strike while the iron is hot" once the trap is triggered.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Xiang Kun saw a "blue dot" appear on a tree in the distance through infrared imaging vision mode.

However, the "blue dot" disappeared as soon as it appeared in Xiang Kun's sight—it had obviously realized that Xiang Kun hadn't been hit and had run away without hesitation!

Damn it!

Xiang Kun cursed under his breath, somewhat regretting that he hadn't climbed down from the tree immediately and pretended to be injured while lying on the ground.

Although that might not completely fool the Mutated Creature, it should at least lure it a little closer, giving it a chance to shoot with its bow and arrow.

Xiang Kun didn't chase after the Mutated Creature. Given the distance between them and their speed comparison from last time, he knew that chasing it would be pointless.

Going in this direction, it won't be long before this thing "flies" away again, using the terrain. Because he can't keep up with its speed, Xiang Kun can't get within range of it before it "flies" away and take it down with his bow and arrow.

Moreover, after witnessing that scene, Xiang Kun once again raised his assessment of the Mutated Creature's intelligence by one level. He needed to be more cautious in dealing with it. Its direct combat power might not be very strong, but this mountain forest could be considered its carefully prepared "home ground." A highly corrosive liquid like that was something Xiang Kun couldn't ignore.

After climbing down from the tree, Xiang Kun immediately noticed a large number of dead insects of various sizes around him. Most of these insects had not been in direct contact with the highly corrosive liquid, indicating that in addition to its corrosive properties, the liquid was also highly toxic, which explained the strong stench.

Xiang Kun subconsciously lowered his breathing rate. The toxicity of the liquid after it evaporated should not be enough for him to feel anything, so he would not have any effect or sensation, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Xiang Kun carefully dipped his little finger into the still-reacting liquid and felt a stinging sensation on his skin. Clearly, his flesh and blood couldn't withstand such a corrosive liquid. If he were to be sprayed with such a large amount, it would definitely be extremely uncomfortable and have a significant impact. In particular, if his vital organs such as his eyes and nose were injured unexpectedly, his combat effectiveness would be severely affected in the short term.

However, judging from the Mutated Creature's behavior, producing so much corrosive liquid at once shouldn't be an easy task for it; otherwise, why didn't it use it when it was being chased earlier?

That big tree looked terrible; judging by the extent of its corrosion, it probably wouldn't last long.

Xiang Kun carefully examined the areas on the tree trunk that had been stained with the corrosive liquid, as well as the extent to which the liquid had spilled onto the ground. He quickly discovered that a small portion of the liquid was turning into gray powder.

Those liquids were mixed with other corrosive fluids, and would have been difficult to spot if Xiang Kun hadn't been extremely observant.

This shows that some of the liquid that just burst out came from the body tissue of that Mutated Creature.

Xiang Kun picked up his arrow from the ground; the arrow shaft hadn't been corroded by the liquid. Although it had fallen from a height, it had been cushioned by the branches and leaves in the middle, and the ground was soft, so it hadn't suffered any damage.

Xiang Kun looked up and observed the original location of the "big ball." He speculated that the Mutated Creature must have started preparing here beforehand, then killed the leopard to create the illusion of bloodlust, returned here, made its arrangements, and then "flew" away from the tree, using other trees to quickly leave and hide, waiting for Xiang Kun to fall into its trap.

However, judging from its later "reappearance," the surrounding "branches" were probably unable to directly transmit image information to it, and thus could not allow it to truly know the situation on the ground.

As dusk fell, Xiang Kun went back to the spot where he had just discovered the "blue dot" and followed the scent for a while. Sure enough, he found that it was heading uphill again.

Xiang Kun didn't follow any further. He knew exactly what it was doing; there were definitely no clues to be found there, and going there would only be a waste of effort.

He had made his decision; the main objective for the next day would be to find the Mutated Creature's "nest."

If you can't find it, leave immediately and return to your city before the blood-drinking season.

Xiang Kun knew that the key to catching the Mutated Creature lay in its blood-drinking period.

If it has to drink blood and then fall into a deep sleep within the next 24 hours, then Xiang Kun's opportunity will come. Otherwise, if it deliberately tries to hide, Xiang Kun really has no confidence in catching it in this mountain forest.

As for its blood-drinking period, Xiang Kun had been active in this area during this time, and apart from the leopard today, he had not found any animals that had recently been killed and whose blood had been drunk by that Mutated Creature. To determine whether an animal's carcass had been drunk by the Mutated Creature, he only needed to sniff it to see if there was that "special smell".

The various "branches" scattered throughout this area indicate that this is the territory of the Mutated Creature. Its hunting grounds and resting nests should also be located within this area. It is unlikely that it would abandon its territory and leave unless absolutely necessary.

Perhaps it was because it was eager to drink blood that it went to such great lengths to set up this trap to deal with Xiang Kun after escaping yesterday.

Thanks to Book Friends Book Friends 20170605124103154, Breathe Freely, Book Friends 20190926151738618, Rainy Night Black Cat, Xiong Lansan, rorschach for the reward.