A strange seed
The cold wind from the riverbed swept across the rocky beach, swirling up small pieces of ice that slid lightly across the ground, creating a soft, rustling sound.
Lu Heng stepped forward, steadily thrusting out his Bronze Hunting Blade, which precisely pierced the bear's vital spot at the back of its head.
The heavy beast's body suddenly tensed, convulsing violently several times, its thick limbs scraping against the rocky beach, kicking up scattered stone fragments. In an instant, all struggle ceased completely, its chest stopped rising and falling, and its pupils became unfocused and lifeless. This ferocious beast that had entrenched itself in the riverbed was now completely dead.
A faint smell of blood mingled with the damp, cold air from the valley, spreading out and leaving the empty riverbank utterly silent.
Lu Heng bent down to confirm that the ferocious beast had completely lost its life. Without making any unnecessary movements, he raised his wrist and activated the blue light of his Wristband. The entire massive bear carcass was instantly stored in his Storage Space, leaving only a few crushed pebbles on the ground. It was a clean and efficient process, leaving no trace of waste.
After finishing his work, he didn't stop for a moment and continued quarrying.
After the snow melts, large sections of the middle riverbed are exposed. Due to years of water erosion and freeze-thaw cycles, the Stone here are hard and dense, making them the best material for repairing Shelter walls and digging drainage ditches. The risk of seepage due to delayed snowmelt remains, and the risks of damp foundations and water accumulation are imminent. The reinforcement and repair of the Shelter cannot be delayed.
Lu Heng bent over and lowered his body, wedging the crowbar into the crevice of the boulder, and steadily pried it open using the strength of his waist and back.
A dull thud of stone grinding against soil echoed through the valley as the thick rock layers slowly crumbled, the frozen soil clinging to the bottom falling away in a soft rustling sound. He casually stored the entire flat boulder into his spatial storage and was about to continue cleaning the cracks in the rock when his gaze was suddenly drawn to an object at the bottom of the rock layer.
At the very bottom, where the boulder had been pressing down for so long, lay a small, round stone.
The surrounding riverbank is covered with stones, all jagged and irregularly shaped by the flow of water and the frost of wind and frost, rough and chaotic, without any order. Only this round stone is different, with a uniform curvature and a smooth and delicate surface, so regular that it is too deliberate, completely lacking the mottled texture of natural mountain stones.
A sense of unease instantly washed over me.
Lu Heng bent down and held the round stone in his palm. The stone was slightly cool, firm, and heavier than ordinary pebbles. It was completely intact without any cracks.
The riverbed environment here is extremely and repeatedly subjected to flooding, freezing and cracking, and hot wind drying in alternating cycles. Natural rocks would only become more broken and rough, and it would be impossible for them to form such a perfect and regular shape.
Without thinking much, he held the small round stone and gently tapped it against the sharp pebbles beside him.
Several crisp cracking sounds rang out, revealing that the seemingly hard stone shell was actually quite brittle, crumbling and peeling off layer by layer with the slightest impact.
After the outer layer of stone was completely peeled off, a single seed lay quietly in the center of the empty stone shell in the palm of the hand.
The seeds were dark in color, with tight and plump outer shells. They were not rotten, shriveled, or showed any signs of dampness or decay. Their condition was unusually good.
Lu Heng's gaze darkened slightly.
He knew the environment of this riverbank well. It was dark and damp in the crevices between the soil and rocks, sometimes submerged by deep water, and sometimes exposed to extreme cold and strong winds. Ordinary seeds buried here would either rot in the water, germinate prematurely and die, or become completely inactive and dry out.
Being compressed and sealed by a giant rock for many years, and enduring endless cycles of heat and cold, it still retains its complete vitality, which in itself defies the laws of nature.
He raised his wrist to illuminate the pale blue screen of his Wristband, then aimed it at the single seed in his palm to initiate item identification.
A flash of blue light appeared, and a few lines of cold, gray text popped up on the screen.
[Unknown aquatic organism seeds]
[Unable to read product category, attributes, efficacy, and other related data at this time]
[Growth Restrictions: No soil planting required; can only hatch and grow in flowing water environments]
[Unlock Condition: All species data will be unlocked after the seed completes the initial growth stage in the water]
The entire document is unknown, with no further explanation provided.
Lu Heng stared at the screen for two seconds, then put away the Wristband. The post-apocalyptic wilderness was never short of strange and abnormal phenomena; pointless speculation was meaningless, only actual cultivation could reveal the truth. He carefully tucked the only seed into his inner pocket, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and bent down again to focus on quarrying.
Prying stones, tidying up, cleaning cracks—the movements are repeated in a steady and efficient rhythm.
The wind whistled through the valley as pieces of hard Stone were collected and stored one after another. Taking advantage of the last rays of daylight, Lu Heng tried to stockpile as much stone as possible to ensure sufficient materials for the subsequent work of seepage prevention, reinforcement, and drainage repair of the Shelter.
The sky grew completely dark, the light in the forest dissipated, and the cold wind in the valley grew even more biting.
Having confirmed that the amount of stone to be quarried that day was more than enough, Lu Heng did not linger. He turned around and steadily returned to the Stone Cave Shelter along the familiar path through the forest.
Avoiding the soft, slippery soil from the melting snow, and traversing the sparse, remaining snow-covered woodland, the familiar Double-Layer Stone Cave Shelter soon came into view.
He pushed open the stone door, shutting out the cold, damp wind from the outside, and the warm, moist air from inside the cave rushed in. Lu Heng locked the door behind him, sealing off all external threats, and walked straight into the independent Planting Room inside the cave, which was made up of multiple sets of building modules.
The Planting Room has a regular structure and comes with its own complete water circulation cultivation area, which is dedicated to the cultivation and breeding of aquatic species.
Lu Heng took out the unique, unknown seed from his inner pocket, walked to the water circulation area, and loosened his grip slightly.
The dark seeds detached from my fingertips, slowly falling and disappearing into the flowing water.
A gentle current carries the seeds, which float gently until they settle steadily at the bottom of the water, where they quietly settle in the circulating water.
He glanced quietly at the seeds in the water, without making any unnecessary movements or pondering.
Simply maintain a stable aquatic environment and wait for the seeds to hatch and grow autonomously in their dedicated aquatic environment; at that time, the Wristband will naturally unlock all unknown information.
After finishing all this, Lu Heng turned and left the Planting Room to prepare to process the ferocious beast supplies harvested today.
Leaving the Planting Room, the indoor Geothermal continued to radiate a gentle warmth, driving away the damp chill brought back from the riverbank. In the storage compartment lay the complete carcass of the Black-Eyed Bear; its skin, flesh, tendons, and bones were all high-quality resources. It should have been dismantled and processed while there was still a sliver of light, skinned, butchered, and sorted for storage.
After an afternoon of continuously prying and moving stones, his back, limbs, and waist were heavy with soreness. The pain from swinging the pry bar in his arms pierced his bones, and a layer of exhaustion washed over him. Lu Heng abandoned the idea of immediately dissecting the beast carcass and decided to rest his strength first.
He walked to the bathroom area attached to the bedroom, simply wiped his limbs with water, washed away the mud and ash stains from the rock strata on his hands, and the sticky dusty feeling on his body faded away, allowing his tense body to relax slightly.
After washing up, he took out the remaining exotic venison from the day and heated it up to eat. Prying up the heavy Stone relied entirely on his physical strength, which was extremely exhausting. Right now, the most important thing was to replenish the lost energy, and other trivial matters could be put aside. The warm and tender pieces of meat filled his stomach solidly, and the warmth spread through his intestines, greatly easing the fatigue that had left his limbs feeling weak.
After the meal was finished, the area outside the cave was completely shrouded in darkness, with no light in the forest and only the faint, hoarse whistling of the cold wind blowing through the stone walls.
The idea of dismantling the bear carcass was completely shelved and forgotten. Lu Heng walked to the empty practice area of Shelter, steadied himself, and calmed his mind to practice the Tiger Breathing Technique.
His breaths were steady and long, following a fixed rhythm as he inhaled and exhaled, gradually gathering and settling the scattered energy within his body, relieving the strain accumulated deep within his muscles. After completing one round of breathing exercises, he picked up the Bronze Hunting Blade leaning against the wall and repeated a set of basic slashing, horizontal cutting, and blocking movements.
There were no fancy moves; every swing of the blade was tailored to the user's own power generation habits, honing muscle memory for combat. After a short training session, the blood circulation throughout the body improved, and the stiffness and soreness from quarrying during the day dissipated considerably.
Exhausted, drowsiness washed over him. Lu Heng carefully put away his Hunting Blade, tidied up his surroundings, and lay down on the bed. The stone cave was warm and quiet, free from the noise of ferocious beasts in the forest. His tense mind, which had been on edge for many days, completely relaxed, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.