"Captain, I think he's trying to scam you."
"Shut up." Zhong Xuezhi jabbed an elbow backward into Qiu Cai behind him. "You never stop talking."
Then he turned to An Beize beside him and asked, "How's he doing?"
An Beize studied the data panel projected from his Identity Bracelet and replied slowly, "Captain, he's only unconscious. Also, the full scan results show that he isn't a Variant."
"Not a Variant?"
"Right. At least, that's what the scanning system says. He has neither of the two readings all Variants must have: 'feeding drive' and 'infection level.'"
"But he's not a Mutant either," Wenren Jin, their team's tank, suddenly chimed in.
"Look, his scan results don't have a 'Mutation Value' field, and the system can't detect an energy core in him either."
After hearing both sides' analysis, Du Jing, who stood at the back, scratched his head and asked, "Not a Variant, not a Mutant, and he can use abilities without an energy core. What the hell is he?"
Zhong Xuezhi put away his ice scythe and answered, "A miracle man."
"He had no protection, no preparation, and spent all that time right next to a Hallucinogenic Mushroom, even getting covered in its spores. Anyone else would've hallucinated eight hundred times over by now, but he just passed out."
"Most importantly, his Mental Value only dropped by one percent."
"Hey! You're right!" Qiu Cai shifted his gaze to the target's Mental Value field, clearly amazed. "That's insane. I've been popping Hallucinogen Antidote the whole way, and mine's still been plummeting!"
"That's because you suck!" Zhong Xuezhi mocked him, then stepped on the Hallucinogenic Mushroom as it tried to sneak away.
Next, he picked up the Hallucinogenic Mushroom with his combat-gloved hand and flashed it a perfectly fake smile. "Where do you think you're going, you quirky little thing?"
The Hallucinogenic Mushroom trembled all over and opened its mouth, ready to unleash its power with a shriek.
But Zhong Xuezhi swiftly tossed it into a soundproof box and sealed the lid in a flash.
Then, looking at the white label on the box, Zhong Xuezhi exhaled and said, "669 Experimental Sample successfully captured."
"Haaah-" Qiu Cai tipped his head back and let out an enormous yawn, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. "Good lord, we can finally rest!"
His yawning proved contagious, and the other teammates began yawning one after another, each more dramatically than the last.
Zhong Xuezhi stretched, his bones cracking and popping.
"Back to the Resting Place."
With that, he shifted his backpack to his chest, then bent down, pulled Mu Yi up from the ground, and hoisted him onto his back.
Seeing this, Du Jing stepped forward and offered, "Captain, want me to carry him?"
"No need." Zhong Xuezhi turned aside to avoid him. "I'm afraid he'll wake up without a sound and zap you medium-rare."
"Captain, is that your roundabout way of calling me careless?"
"Oh, you actually caught that? You're improving."
"..."
When Mu Yi opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight. It looked like noon.
His first reaction was: I'm actually still alive.
His second reaction was: These ropes are digging into me.
Only after his head cleared a little did he realize he was trussed up tight.
Getting tied up twice in one day was pretty rotten luck.
Still, whoever had tied him up had shown some decency. There was a clean stone slab beneath his bottom and a sturdy tree trunk behind his back.
He briefly closed his eyes to ease the lingering dizziness, while pricking up his ears to listen to the conversation nearby.
"Captain, the coordinates for Team 403 and his group are showing up in the Ruined City now."
"Hmph. They sure move fast."
"Fuck, those bastards do nothing but stir up monsters without fighting them. Every time, they run off and leave us to cover their retreat. Of course they're fast!"
"Exactly! They burned through all my reserve energy!"
"Mine too... I'm out of Shard Crystals, and I've only got half a bar left in my Energy Slot. Captain, what do we do?"
"Go hunting. Isn't there a group of low-level plant Variants on the west side of the woods? We'll snack on them first."
After saying that, Zhong Xuezhi seemed to sense something and looked toward Mu Yi, then smiled. "Awake?"
Before you continue