Chapter 56
Wen Zhaoming had an injury on his hand and couldn't join them fully. He leaned against the car, gazing at the vast, limitless Water Mirror Lake.
"Wen Ge, is your hand okay?" Miao Jia stored his electronics and jumped down.
Wen Zhaoming raised his hand, saying, "It's fine, probably just a fracture. A little rest will do."
Earlier, Tang Xuhai had bandaged it. Now, their physical resilience had improved significantly; it would likely heal in less than two months.
Tang Xuhai's skills weren't as good as a professional doctor's, but in situations like these on the battlefield, he could manage to some extent.
"Don't you need a splint or something?" Miao Jia grinned, looking at the arm wrapped in layers of gauze, resembling a mummy.
"It's fine, hanging like this without movement will do," Wen Zhaoming said. "Don't worry about me, go and have fun."
The advanced aliens had summoned most nearby ones away from the highway, guided by Miao Jia's satellite images. They encountered only sporadic scattered alien activity.
Perhaps it was the perfect timing for them. They set out just the day after the celestial dome opened, and the advanced aliens were busy gathering the regular ones, making their journey on the road much safer.
One had to admit, Tang Xuhai's impromptu decision to stop was spot on.
Water Mirror Lake was enormous, surrounded by a resort that easily accommodated over ten thousand people.
After settling their belongings, these people were almost impatient to stroll by the lake, relaxing after being tense for over two months.
"Resting is for traveling farther," Tang Xuhai said, grinning, arms crossed, addressing Fu Shiwu, who stood enjoying the gentle breeze.
"You're right," Fu Shiwu said, somewhat resigned.
Even if he were slow to grasp things, Fu Shiwu realized Tang Xuhai's decision was made for his sake. Just like that time when Tang Xuhai had brought a bunch of stuff to him, openly displaying his intentions.
Seeing Fu Shiwu finally understanding, Tang Xuhai contentedly eased up. The two stood by the scenic lake, silently admiring the beautiful view.
Liu Peiqi held some grass seeds, furrowing his brow in thought.
Yesterday, when he caught a rabbit, he noticed how resilient this grass was. He wondered if he could use these seeds for something.
Currently, he only had seeds from the Corn King, which seemed intimidating but didn't prove very effective.
But these grass seeds were different, especially useful for making traps.
Liu Peiqi attempted to stimulate the seeds. Instead of rushing their sprouting, he tossed them on the ground. The grass seeds sprouted instantly, roots burrowing into the soil, growing rapidly.
"These grasses seem more efficient than the corn," Liu Peiqi muttered to himself, crouching there.
"What are you doing, Liu Ge?" Miao Jia passed by, curious, and approached.
He was the youngest among the team; even Zhen Zi, the newcomer, was older.
Miao Jia was sweet-mouthed, naturally addressing everyone as "older brother" or "sister" - except for Olande. Initially, it was because foreigners didn't follow that custom, and later, Olande's disbelief in certain technologies made Miao Jia harbor a complete dislike for him.
"I'm experimenting with these seeds," Liu Peiqi said, looking up.
"Are these yours?" Miao Jia also crouched down. "They don't seem much different from other grasses."
"Put your foot over there and try," Liu Peiqi smirked.
"?" Miao Jia didn't understand. He stood up and stepped over.
In moments, the wild grass he stepped on vigorously surged, rapidly entwining around his foot.
Miao Jia was dumbfounded, let out a loud "Ah," and then vigorously tried to free his foot.
"Hahaha!" Liu Peiqi laughed, holding his stomach.
Miao Jia exerted too much force, wobbled, and then plopped onto the ground.
In disbelief, he stared at the grass binding his foot. "Liu Ge, is this under your control?"
Liu Peiqi, feeling great from the laughter, grinned and proudly said, "How's that? Your Liu Ge's got some tricks, huh?"
"You're amazing! This thing's trap is so sneaky," Miao Jia praised, giving a thumbs-up.
"Hehe, I just followed this direction!" Liu Peiqi and Miao Jia were like kids with new toys, excitedly experimenting everywhere.
These wild grasses were all around, making it hard to distinguish which were Liu Peiqi's and which grew naturally.
But Liu Peiqi could discern by the energy residue left by the seeds he stimulated.
Liu Peiqi, somewhat regretful, said, "Unfortunately, these grass seeds are mutants, not paranormal, lacking autonomous attack consciousness."
"Don't dwell! Liu Ge, here come the rabbits, let's catch them!" Miao Jia, thrilled, nudged Liu Peiqi.
Liu Peiqi and Miao Jia didn't need to chase rabbits. Once they spotted one, Liu Peiqi would activate the grass in that area, tangling the unsuspecting rabbits.
Most of the rabbits were caught off guard, ensnared instantly.
The two enjoyed themselves, capturing more and more rabbits, drawing the astonishment and participation of their other companions.
"Hahaha~ Over here, hurry, Liu Ge!" Zhen Zi's voice echoed from a distance.
Fu Shiwu and Tang Xuhai curiously glanced at them.
"What are they doing?" Tang Xuhai casually remarked, arms crossed.
"I don't know, probably catching rabbits," Fu Shiwu replied nonchalantly.
"Let's go over there," Fu Shiwu was curious about the commotion.
However, Tang Xuhai held him back. "Wait, the rabbits were dinner yesterday. Catching more today won't change the meal."
"So what?" Fu Shiwu looked puzzled.
"Wanna eat fish?" Tang Xuhai raised an eyebrow.
"You're fishing?" Fu Shiwu looked surprised.
"No need to fish, just spear the fish!" Tang Xuhai acted on his words, rolling up his pants and removing his long-sleeved jacket, revealing a vest, then waded into the water.
Immediately, Fu Shiwu forgot about the commotion elsewhere, eagerly watching Tang Xuhai slowly extending a steel spear. Tang Xuhai proceeded deeper into the lake.
As a scenic area, Water Mirror Lake had been well preserved in recent years. Usually, someone like Tang Xuhai diving in directly wouldn't be allowed by the staff.
But currently, the entire resort had only their transient visitors; naturally, no one would interfere with Tang Xuhai's actions.
Standing calmly in waist-deep water, Tang Xuhai held the steel spear without movement. After a while, he abruptly plunged it into the water. When he lifted it, the spear was firmly clutching a thrashing, struggling big fish!
"Such a big fish!" Even Tang Xuhai was astonished; this fish easily weighed five or six pounds, quite a sizable catch inland.
Seeing
this, Fu Shiwu couldn't hold back. He took off his combat boots and stepped into the water barefoot.
"You could've stayed on the bank," Tang Xuhai came back, spear in hand.
"I want to give it a try too," Fu Shiwu said, eager to experiment.
"Oh?" Tang Xuhai looked at him with a smile, suggesting mischief. "Sure."
Once on shore, after stunning the fish and tying its gills with grass, Tang Xuhai glanced toward a distance and called out, "One of you, come here and find a bucket."
Seeing such a big fish, Zhen Zi, who had been enjoying herself, brightened her eyes and hurried over. "Hai Ge, did you catch this?"
"Yeah, find a bucket and let's soak it. We'll barbecue fish this afternoon," Tang Xuhai said.
"That's awesome!" Zhen Zi was delighted; she hadn't eaten fish since the apocalypse began.
Miao Jia, at this moment, also approached, tired from chasing rabbits. Spotting something fresh, he ran over.
"Perfect timing. Hold onto this fish, don't let it wriggle back into the water," Tang Xuhai instructed Miao Jia.
"I got it, no problem!" Miao Jia assured, grabbing the grass rope.
Seeing Miao Jia, Tang Xuhai couldn't help but add, "Don't be careless; this fish has absorbed source molecules, much stronger than a fish of the same size."
Carefully, Miao Jia used both hands to tug at the grass rope.
Fu Shiwu held Tang Xuhai's steel spear, standing with Tang Xuhai in the water.
"Watch closely," Tang Xuhai gestured to him, then swiftly thrust the spear into the water as a fish swam by.
When he retracted, the spear held a three-pound grass carp.
"Did you see clearly?" Tang Xuhai asked.
"Yeah," Fu Shiwu nodded earnestly.
"Then give it a try," Tang Xuhai mischievously said before turning and walking toward the bank, holding the spear.
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