The armored vehicle still had some liquid left from the severed mutated plant; Sang Luoluo glanced at it and then put it away.
Continue in the direction we went yesterday.
Here, Sang Luoluo discovered many Crystal Core, many of which were inside the trunks of the mutated plants, and some were in the roots. She pulled them directly into the space as long as her spiritual power could reach them.
However, in many places, 100 meters underground, and some even 200 meters deep, she is powerless. There are also burrows of mutated animals underground, which are interconnected. Those small mutated animals can only live underground. Once they come up, they are likely to be preyed upon by mutated plants and become nutrients.
After walking for an hour, they had been attacked dozens of times. Fortunately, their armor was sturdy enough that even if they were knocked down, they could struggle to their feet and were not seriously injured.
Sang Luoluo thought of her mental power and tried to erect a barrier with it. When the mutated plant's vines approached, they touched the mental barrier and were hindered, thus stopping their extension.
Sang Luoluo never expected that just trying it would have such an effect.
Next, she used her mental energy to create a protective shield, enveloping everyone inside. They continued walking forward, and it actually worked. The mutated plants, upon touching the mental energy shield, automatically changed direction. It was as if their perception was obstructed, their natural growth direction was hindered, forcing them to change course.
Sang Luoluo really found mental energy to be very useful.
Qi Feng's gaze lingered on Sang Luoluo for a moment. "I think their senses were affected by your mental power. They couldn't detect our presence through the mental barrier. After all, while they have senses, they don't have hearing."
Sang Luoluo agreed, "No matter what, it's good that my mental energy is useful. There's just one downside: maintaining this state consumes too much of my mental energy, and it won't be long before I run out of energy. I'm also very tired."
Upon hearing this, Qi Feng said, "Then use it when you sense danger. We should handle what we can ourselves; recovering mental strength is troublesome."
Knowing Sang Luoluo's mental strength, it was also known that she had exhausted her mental energy, making her look extremely tired, weak, and drowsy.
Sang Luoluo sensed the presence of the Crystal Core again. "This time I found a larger Crystal Core, at the base of the plant, about the size of two people."
"It's a bit deep, 40 meters below the surface. We need to dig down 10 meters. It would be a shame to miss it," Sang Luoluo said.
Qi Feng said, "Then let's dig. Leave it to us. You just need to use your mental power to protect us."
Sang Luoluo pointed in a direction and led them to a giant tree. They only needed to dig 10 meters down from the base of the tree.
With a wave of his hand, Qi Feng produced his tools and beckoned Lei Qi to join him, while the others remained on guard.
Chapter 242 The Mutant Ape: There aren't even enough for just a few of them...
This wasn't the first time the two of them had dug a hole; they were quite experienced.
There are few mutated animals around, but the mutated plants are visibly moving, claiming territory, and competing with other mutated plants for nutrients.
Qi Feng and Lei Qi carefully avoided digging the pits to prevent them from touching the tree roots. If they did, they would likely be attacked by the mutated plant, which would cause a lot of trouble.
Of course, digging down to the bottom inevitably involves bumping into some roots. There was no other way but to Sang Luoluo and use her Mental Power to form a barrier when the mutated plants attacked.
When the vines touched the Mental Power, they encountered resistance and had to change their direction of attack, spreading in other directions.
Lei Qi: "That was close! How did the plants become so ferocious?"
Qi Feng: "Hurry up and dig."
With previous experience and new tools, it only took less than half an hour to dig to a depth of ten meters. Sang Luoluo entered the pit and used her Mental Power to pull the Crystal Core inside into her space, then flew out and refilled the soil stored in the space.
It had no effect on the mutated plant next to it.
Sang Luoluo sensed that there were other Crystal Core nearby, many of them, large and small. Although there weren't many mutated animals, the distribution of these Crystal Core seemed more primitive, and few people passed by.
"What's wrong?"
Qi Feng asked, noticing that Sang Luoluo beside him was acting strangely.
Sang Luoluo looked ahead and said truthfully, "There are many Crystal Core here, big and small."
"I can take things away directly with my Mental Power Mental Power within my range. However, I'm powerless beyond 30 meters. For example, inside the roots and leaves of mutated plants, I have no way to remove the Crystal Core; we can only extract them manually."
Qi Feng said, "Before coming here, I checked the information about this place. Very few people from Base No. 32 have entered this deep area. Many Crystal Core here have not been discovered, and Crystal Core with extremely high energy. Ordinary people would be exposed to radiation before they even get close. You are an exception. Look at the display on your wristwatch, the radiation level here is significantly higher."
Sang Luoluo looked at them. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Qi Feng said, "I feel fine, there's nothing wrong with my body."
Sang Luoluo nodded and said, "If you feel unwell, please let us know immediately."
"Um."
The group agreed. Sang Luoluo led them forward, only collecting Crystal Core within a 30-meter radius that she could control. She would leave the deeper ones for later, once her Mental Power improved. It would be too troublesome to dig a hole for every Crystal Core; it would be easier to do it once her Mental Power was stronger.
Fortunately, the group decided not to linger and continued deeper into the area.
"Wait a minute, I sense a huge energy fluctuation, it seems to be... a giant Crystal Core."
"Are you sure?" Qi Xue asked.
Qi Feng checked the instrument readings. "The radiation levels have been steadily increasing."
"Let's go in that direction," Sang Luoluo said confidently. She could sense the source of the Crystal Core.
The group followed.
The mutated plants nearby sensed the invasion of living beings and began to spread, trying to kill them. The ground was littered with debris, and one could vaguely make out that it must have been an abandoned city before, with brick fragments and some buildings whose original appearance was no longer recognizable. Now, the ground was covered with vines, making it quite difficult to walk around.
Sang Luoluo exclaimed in surprise, "Found it! There's a pit over there. You guys cover me while I go get the Crystal Core."
Qi Feng directed everyone to spread out, Sang Luoluo flew over directly, her toes barely touching the ground. As she flew through the air, she attracted the attention of the nearby mutated plants, whose vines spread out and some huge flowers, which had now mutated into hunting tools.
Sang Luoluo used her Mental Power to wrap herself up. After being attacked, her mind went blank and she was somewhat affected. She staggered and flew to the vicinity of the giant Crystal Core.
The Crystal Core is underground, and it may have been there for quite some time, as it has been buried by soil. Moreover, many mutated plants that have grown nearby have undergone new mutations by absorbing the energy of this giant Crystal Core. Unlike the ordinary mutated plants on the periphery, these mutated plants themselves carry strong high radiation.
Sang Luoluo's Mental Power was just enough to reach the giant Crystal Core underground. When she touched the edge, she immediately pulled it into her spatial dimension, and a section of the underground space was emptied, causing the ground to suddenly collapse.
Sang Luoluo remained suspended in mid-air, sensing that the mutated plants around her seemed a little agitated, as if their nutrients had disappeared. Sang Luoluo sensed the active mutated plants around her.
Remembering the Spirit Spring Water in her space, and noting that the mutated plants seemed to really like Spirit Spring Water, Sang Luoluo poured a basin of Spirit Spring Water onto the ground.
As she expected, these mutated plants really liked the Spirit Spring Water. Their roots extended over this area, and their initial aggression immediately turned into a struggle for it, as they all wanted this piece of Spirit Spring Water.
Although these mutated plants are conscious, their consciousness is still at a relatively low level. Whenever the environment changes, their first reaction is always to adapt to the new environment and compete for resources and nutrients that are conducive to survival.
The Spirit Spring Water distracted the mutated plant, Sang Luoluo flew back immediately.
"What you just spilled... wasn't it mineral water from the farm?" Lei Qi asked.
"The mutated plants suddenly rushed towards the mineral water. They stopped attacking you."
Sang Luoluo nodded. "The mineral water produced by the farm is truly amazing."
Before they could think further, Sang Luoluo discovered some Crystal Core inside the mutated plant.
There's no good way to deal with this; we'll just have to take it by force.
"There's Crystal Core inside the trunk of that tree. It's in the middle," Sang Luoluo said.
"And there."
As she spoke, Sang Luoluo used her Crystal Core to attack several locations and marked them.
After discovering that the Spirit Spring Water was very attractive to these mutated plants, she had a new idea: to use the Spirit Spring Water to attract the attention of the mutated plants and make it easier for them to move around.
The fact that just a basin of water could produce such an effect means the cost is really low for her.
Qi Feng had already taken Lei Qi to retrieve the Crystal Core, while Sang Luoluo, in this area densely populated with mutated plants, used her Mental Power to control the pouring of a basin of water.
The next moment, the nearby mutated plants sensed the water source and rushed to extend their roots. Some of the mutated plants that were farther away even began to strangle the weaker mutated plants that were closer in order to seize this small amount of water.
Sang Luoluo and the others watched in alarm.
After luring the mutated plant aside, Qi Feng and Lei Qi Qi's operation went smoothly. Although the mutated plant could now move, its consciousness was still hazy. After its body was damaged, its first instinct was not to attack, but to try to grow new parts. Its main goal was still to survive.