Little Yu Acts Cute, Little Bird's Soul Takes Flight

If such creatures exist, and there are enough of them, they could likely alter the existing landscape of the mutated monster world.

This wasn't the only thing that puzzled Tao Qiu.

The Green Python said that before he appeared, the spider only ate those kinds of insects, but as soon as he went over, he was immediately targeted by the spider. This spider had clearly seen that he was different from other mutated monsters.

--So it was because he ate that glowing fruit that his entire physique changed. He can now use his powers to accelerate crop growth, and his blood has powerful healing properties.

Rather than saying the spider wanted to eat him, it's more accurate to say it wanted to eat the fruit.

He had already learned from other mutated monsters that the glowing fruit actually contained both life and destruction energies, but he hadn't sensed them at the time, which is why he ate it without hesitation.

He survived, thus gaining a chance at life. The spider's eventual madness and even explosion—was it because it ate his flesh and blood, thus gaining a sense of destruction?

Chapter 76 The Little Yu can be affectionate, the little bird's soul can float

After thinking about it, Tao Qiu was no longer sure about the answer.

The spider essentially completed the life cycle of a high-level mutated monster in a short period of time. Just like other mutated monsters can also get that kind of madness, the spider's illness and eventual explosion might also be due to its special constitution, and have nothing to do with whether or not it ate its flesh or blood.

As for the spider treating him as food, it's possible it's just greedy for him; whether he eats the glowing fruit or not, the outcome won't change.

Tao Qiu sighed. There were simply too few. A single spider's behavior could be explained by a thousand different reasons, and he couldn't guess which one was the truth.

When spring arrives, Lou Yu come over, and he will hand over this spider leg to him so that humans can study it.

Professional matters should be left to professionals.

After examining the spider legs, Tao Qiu placed them in a low-temperature environment for preservation, fearing they would rot and affect her research.

Apart from this spider, nothing else major happened this winter.

Tao Qiu and her children enjoyed a leisurely New Year, and before they knew it, another Spring Festival had arrived.

As the last vestiges of snow disappeared from sight, the children bid farewell to the snowman at the gate and welcomed the long-awaited Black Rabbit.

Almost as soon as it crawled out of its burrow to fill its belly, the Black Rabbit couldn't wait to find its babies.

Looking at their still rosy and chubby faces, Black Rabbit knew that Tao Qiu was taking good care of them, and she felt relieved.

The kids were very enthusiastic about Black Rabbit; they surrounded him as soon as he arrived.

The Third Cub transformed into bird form, excitedly circling the Black Rabbit, their bright purple eyes sparkling as they chirped, "Chirp, chirp!"

--Uncle Black Rabbit, do you still remember that little lamb that jumped into the lake?

Tao Qiu, who was preparing to dig the ground nearby, froze upon hearing the question and quickly moved to the side.

He hadn't expected that the kids would actually remember this!

Black Rabbit was a little confused. "Huh?"

--What lake has lambs jumping into it?

Third Cub relayed the joke his father had told to Black Rabbit, and Black Rabbit immediately understood that Snow Bird was using him to amuse the child.

The Third Cub whined sweetly, "Chirp chirp~ Chirp chirp~"

--We've been curious all winter~ Uncle Black Rabbit, please tell us~

The Second Cub Eldest Cub looked up at the Black Rabbit with expectant expressions.

Black Rabbit: "..."

It's not that he doesn't want to tell you, the key is that he doesn't know either.

Black Rabbit glared fiercely in Tao Qiu's direction, hoping that the culprit would come and solve the problem. However, when he looked over, Tao Qiu was no longer there.

Looking up, I only caught a glimpse of a white figure on the cave platform.

This guy actually hid in a cave!

Black Rabbit was so angry she wanted to curse the bird, but considering the three baby birds beside her, she had to swallow her anger.

Even though Black Rabbit said he didn't know and that the joke was made up by Snow Bird to fool them, the kids still believed Tao Qiu wholeheartedly and were convinced that Black Rabbit must have encountered a lamb that was about to jump into the lake.

Black Rabbit, worn down by their persistent teasing, had no choice but to start making things up like Tao Qiu.

He said, "Roar..."

--I said to the little lamb, "Since you're going to jump into the lake and commit suicide anyway, why don't you let me eat you?"

After hearing this, the kids were like, "..."

The Third Cub forced a smile, "Chirp, chirp."

--So that's how it is? Ah, that's really funny.

The Second Cub Eldest Cub also put on professional fake smiles. Since they had forced Black Rabbit to say it, they naturally had to give them face.

Black Rabbit was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a cave to hide in.

It's all that wretched Snow Bird's fault! I'll definitely beat him up when I catch him.

Speaking of beating up the Snow Bird, Black Rabbit remembered the incident of killing the spider in winter, and he quickly asked his cubs, "Roar?"

--Your dad brought home half a spider leg, did you see it? Did he secretly eat it?

As soon as Tao Qiu recovered from her injuries, she told the children everything that had happened since she left with Black Rabbit that day. She was terrified to hear that there was such a terrifying mutated monster. She said that if it hadn't exploded for no reason, her father, Aunt Green Python, and Uncle Black Rabbit might have been killed by it. The children were so frightened that they had nightmares.

The kids had seen that spider leg before.

The Third Cub chirped in response.

--Dad didn't eat it, and he wouldn't let us eat it either, but he would often take it out to look at it. When we asked him what he was looking at, he said he didn't know, because he didn't understand it.

Black Rabbit could understand Snow Bird's feelings, because that battle had left him with lingering fear, and he also felt apprehensive about the spider, that monster among monsters, and had thought many times about its origins and whether it had any of its kind.

But to this day, no similar mutated monster has appeared again, and Black Rabbit prefers to believe that it was just an exception.

If it were a large-scale group, Black Rabbit couldn't even imagine how terrifying such a scene would be.

In early spring, humans remain the most sought-after food for resource-poor mutated monsters, and the base defense battle continues.

But with Zhao Tao joining this year, Lou Yu's pressure has been greatly relieved.

Although Zhao Tao didn't get to eat any of Tao Qiu's crops all winter, his superpower had actually stabilized, and he was becoming more and more proficient in using it.

After receiving assurances from the doctors, Lou Quan agreed to let Zhao Tao join the battle.

Zhao Tao finally realized his dream of fighting alongside his idol, and he was so happy that he smiled even in his dreams.

However, his identity as a superhuman cannot be revealed at present, so he cannot use offensive methods and can only use more covert skills.

After Zhao Tao transforms into a beast, his five senses are enhanced. He can use them to detect what kind of mutated monsters are about to arrive at the base, and to guard against those who try to infiltrate and ambush. This provides a lot of useful information for the battle, reduces property losses, and increases the survival rate of combat personnel and ordinary people.

Occasionally, when the two were alone, Lou Yu asked him, "You can't yet use your special abilities openly on the battlefield like I can. Many people don't know you're a hero, don't know you saved their lives, and haven't praised or complimented you. Don't you feel resentful?"

Zhao Tao shook his head and said sincerely, "From the moment I decided to participate in the awakening experiment, I was prepared to die. But not only did I survive, I also gained superpowers. My ideal is to protect humanity and our home. Now that my ideal has been realized, and there's nothing I can't have, so why would I feel unbalanced?"

Lou Yu was very pleased with his answer; it was good that he had figured it out himself.

After saying that, Zhao Tao looked at the weariness in Lou Yu's eyes and said with some heartache, "I think keeping my identity a secret is actually the best protection for me. Look at you, Brother Lou, you have to use your abilities to fight mutated monsters while also being wary of those malicious people behind the scenes. I know all that. The Central Base has been trying to get you back. If it weren't for the Commander-in-Chief mediating, they would definitely have taken forceful measures."

Zhao Tao lived in the research institute and was well-liked, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to get information about these things.

Lou Yu said helplessly, "If you cut off your own flesh to feed the wolf, one day the wolf will not be satisfied and will want to possess it all."

"Brother Lou, what do you mean? Is it...?" Zhao Tao wasn't stupid. Lou Yu's words clearly referred to the Central Base. The pressure on Lou Quan from there was increasing, and sooner or later, he wouldn't be able to protect Lou Yu either.

Zhao Tao's eyes reddened. "I don't want you to leave. Everyone at the Yong'an Base wants you to stay."

Zhao Tao wasn't unaware that some things are beyond one's control, but these were his true feelings. He wanted Lou Yu to know that everyone in the entire Yong'an Base loved and respected him.

Of course, this doesn't include those bad guys; they're not even part of Yong'an, just bloodsucking maggots.

Lou Yu's eyes were deep and his tone was firm. "I will do everything in my power to stay. This is my home too."

His wife and children were not far from the Yong'an Base; how could he possibly want to leave?

Zhao Tao said, "I believe in Brother Lou, you can definitely do it."

Zhao Tao has an almost blind faith in his idol.

Looking at Zhao Tao, who was like a little sun, Lou Yu's mood always improved a bit.

Since arriving at the Yong'an Base, he has gained so many feelings, which constantly warm his heart.

But their wishes are just wishes; reality is never in their control.

Bad news keeps coming from the planting areas: many crops are suffering from diseases, and a reduction in grain production this season is already a foreseeable fact.

In the second half of last year, the base was in turmoil due to food issues, and Lou Quan was even tricked by those informants.

The people at the base are scrimping and saving, eagerly awaiting the new grain harvest. If this news gets out, the base will descend into chaos without even those with ulterior motives needing to lift a finger.

Life and food are the two most important things for people in this era.

With almost the entire population mobilized for war, the intense banditry fostered by the fight against mutated monsters is also a characteristic of people in this era.