Wen Jing initially made two preparations for this.
One factor is time. It's already very close to 6 PM. If the spiritual body breaks through 50 points and still can't resist the Queen Ant's mental control, then it will enter the Nighttime Ancient Wilderness Awakening phase.
Although the Ancient Wilderness Night was indeed dangerous, she wanted to gain benefits, so she shouldn't lack the courage to take risks. Besides, her current strength was not what it used to be.
It was only because of the Wilderness Weapon change that occurred with the artifact that she was not freed from the queen ant's control. Instead of falling randomly into some space, she would have entered the palace where the bronze chime bells were located.
On the other hand, Wen Jing doesn't have to worry about being controlled and impulsively 'offering' the Wilderness Weapon to the Queen Ant.
As for her backup plan, it was naturally the small piece of reddish-brown mushroom she carried with her.
It wasn't to eat mushrooms to resist the ant queen when she got close—she remembered that last time she was controlled by the ant queen, she couldn't even access the control panel.
In Wen Jing's subconscious, this "lower-class specialty" was definitely a good thing.
However, for other creatures, it is a highly poisonous substance with strong hallucinogenic effects!
If you were to offer it to the queen ant, you would need to consider whether the worker ants that feed the queen would be poisoned and die before they could even deliver the mushroom to her.
As they approached the core area of the ant nest, Wen Jing slowed his pace, inching forward little by little, estimating the distance.
Finally, she crossed the area first controlled by the queen ant.
A ruby-like, lustrous body appeared in the corner of Wen Jing's compound eye.
"Give me everything, give me everything, give me everything..."
The insect's body stiffened.
But after a moment, she resolutely took a step back, thus breaking free from the queen ant's mental broadcast.
They held on!
Wen Jing rustling its antennae, I felt a surge of joy.
As expected, attribute values undergo a qualitative change when they break through a certain level.
Of course, being able to barely resist it doesn't mean you're completely immune to its effects.
So she tentatively took another step forward.
Upon entering the area, the queen ant broadcasted again.
Just like when he ate the red mushrooms, Wen Jing began to repeatedly jump back and forth on this line, testing the maximum range within which he could maintain his own will.
Although this distance is a significant improvement over the past, it is still not enough to attack the queen ant.
In the confined space of an anthill, it's impossible to conjure an effective Wind Blade for attack; this ranged ability can only be used in open areas.
Wen Jing plans to go to the Integral mall to find a ranged skill that is suitable for close-range combat.
Of course, she's not just jumping around in the same spot anymore.
As a highly efficient individual, after determining the Queen Ant's sphere of influence, she did not stay in one place, but instead moved between several nearby passages, becoming a sentry at the checkpoints.
A worker ant carrying Emerald Crystal Rice Grain was transporting food to the storage area when it was suddenly blocked by a horizontal bar in the passageway.
The worker ant stopped in its tracks, bewildered. Its antennae explored the air; according to the signals it received, this was a passable passage!
Just as it was about to secrete pheromones to mark the passage as 'impassable' and then detour away.
The horizontal bar in front of it disappeared, and the aura of its 'kin' gave it a push from behind.
"Go in, next."
The mysterious little insect's mouthparts, almost blending into the tree hole, open and close like a dutiful sentinel.
The worker ants, unaware of what had happened, diligently continued their work once they realized the passage was normal.
While it was being blocked, Wen Jing had already eaten more than half of the Emerald Crystal Rice Grain it was carrying.
While accepting the toll, she also attached a finely torn red mushroom mycelium to a grain of Emerald Crystal Rice Grain, allowing it to be carried into the anthill's storage.
"Tearing it so small, I wonder if the worker ants can withstand it..."
If they can't withstand the attack, the worker ants feeding the queen will die, affecting feeding and perhaps weakening the enemy.
A plan doesn't have to be old, as long as it's useful.
Even if it's useless, Wen Jing won't lose anything.
After using up a small piece of crimson mushroom, sensing that it was almost 6 o'clock, she crawled out of the ant nest, spun a cocoon, and returned to reality.
It wasn't until I saw the familiar counter at the registration center that I instinctively reached for the packaging box from the staff.
Wen Jing spread out her empty hands and realized that after experiencing the strange transformation of the Wilderness Weapon and exploring the ant nest, she had completely forgotten to bring anything back with her.
Not only that, but they also lost their Wilderness Weapon...
At this thought, she was overcome with grief.
The staff member on duty nearby was familiar with Wen Jing. Seeing her situation, he took back the sealed box and gently comforted her, saying, "It's already very good that you've returned safely."
She was taken aback as soon as she said it.
Others who return from the Ancient Wilderness lands would be overjoyed to be safe and sound, even if they didn't find anything. But when it came to Wen Jing, it was as if she was already comforted that she hadn't brought back any treasures.
When did the exploration of the Ancient Wilderness become a way to acquire treasures?
*
In a villa halfway up the mountain, Wen Jing leaned back on a lounge chair by the pool and browsed the Integral mall.
After updating the compatibility score to over 10%, the number of items she could see in the shop also increased.
Many high-end products that were previously unavailable are now being offered at auctions.
The mall still boasts a dazzling array of goods, but the prices are equally astonishing.
She initially thought her current 213 Integral were quite a lot, but when she actually browsed the prices of courses that weren't offered at the Red Earth Academy and could only be learned through videos, she realized that her Integral were simply not enough.
Those elective courses offered by the college to students are already at discounted prices.
The elective courses Wen Jing took all had a premium ranging from 50% to 200% when purchased as online courses.
These online courses typically cost 50 Integral or more, with some powerful and useful combat techniques and secret methods costing hundreds or even thousands of Integral.
Considering the ant queen's ability to control the mind, Wen Jing searched for secret methods to achieve 'mental resistance'.
When she saw the popular secret technique ' Rock Secret Scroll ' priced at 99999, she initially thought it was a price set to prevent bidding wars.
However, this month's Trial Tower features melee combat skills, so after some deliberation, Wen Jing spent 65 Integral to purchase a ranged combat skill, [ Beginner Energy Pulse ].
Of the many ranged combat techniques she could see, this one had the widest range of applications. Although the attack trajectory was limited to a straight line, the principle was a powerful pulse wave composed of its own energy, which had strong penetrating power and was not affected by media such as vacuum or fluid.
Moreover, since there is a beginner level, there is naturally an advanced level. This combat skill is jokingly called the Death God's Finger, and the more proficient one is in its cultivation, the greater its power will be.
Wen Jing can delve deeper into this high-potential combat skill, he can gain more Skill Points from it, making it undoubtedly more cost-effective.
Integral: 213 → 148
The moment the purchase was completed, all the details of this combat skill were simultaneously unlocked for her.
It not only contains summaries of key points and practical video demonstrations, but also uses smart terminals to generate virtual tutors to guide and teach beginners step by step.
Wen Jing stood up and headed to the training area in the basement to begin his studies.
Suddenly, someone sent me a communication request.
Upon seeing that the caller was Song Zhi, the Student Council president, Wen Jing shifted, and she answered the call.
That seemingly insignificant move back then appears to have yielded some results?
Sure enough, as soon as the communication was connected, the other party's holographic virtual projection smiled.
Having had previous contact with Wen Jing, Song Zhi understood his personality and went straight to the point. " Wen Jing, our Operations Department recently discovered traces of civilization while exploring the Ancient Wilderness. Based on our previous agreement, we've come to ask if you'd be interested in joining the team exploration?"
The contract was signed with her more than a month ago, but encountering ancient ruins is not a common occurrence, so the Student Council has not contacted her since.
Wen Jing remained noncommittal, only raising an eyebrow. "What exactly is the situation?"
"The first person to discover that space was an ordinary member of our Student Council. After learning about it, we sent a member of the Operations Department with a lower compatibility score than him to conduct the initial exploration, which confirmed that there were indeed remnants of civilization there."
"Here's the thing..." Song Zhi briefly explained to Wen Jing the intelligence gathered by the Operations Department after their initial exploration, "We're organizing an in-depth exploration, and I'd like to invite you to participate."
Although the other party's words sounded as if they were specifically waiting for Wen Jing to participate, in reality, if the initial exploration went smoothly, why would there be a need for a deeper exploration? Locator Stone aren't cheap things.
Of course, both sides tacitly agree on this and won't say it out loud.
As an invited outside helper, Wen Jing did indeed become interested after listening to Song Zhi's account.
"So it's a remnant of a Stone-level civilization?"
"That's right, it's a stone-level or bronze-level ruin. The depth of a bronze-level ruin is not something an ordinary third-year college student can enter," Song Zhi said with a smile, somewhat surprised by her knowledge of the ruins.
After all, this knowledge requires Integral to purchase, and he thought Wen Jing suggested exploring only civilization ruins because he had heard that this type of exploration yielded high returns.
However, the more she learns, the better it will be for the exploration mission.
Wen Jing nodded. "I can go. When will it be?"
"We're tentatively scheduling it for seven days from now. If you need to adjust the time, you can let me know in advance," Song Zhi said.
"Okay, then seven days from now."
Wen Jing readily agreed and hung up the call.
A trace of Ancient Wilderness daylight would be less dangerous than a mysterious palace, and it might even contain 'writing' that could increase Skill Points, so she naturally couldn't miss it.
The seven days in between would give her another chance to visit the giant tree and see if she could capture the queen ant.