Lu Xian, a seasoned hunter, spotted the flaws in Xiao Sheng's meticulously laid trap at first glance. The trap was designed to capture treants, but simply tossing a few baits at a distance in the mountain gully wouldn't fool many. Only one or two treants might fall for it; the rest wouldn't, as the prey would be snatched up by the treants in front, leaving nothing for those behind.
Upon hearing Lu Xian's advice, Xiao Sheng fell into deep thought. With the mountains sealed by heavy snow, finding enough prey to lure twenty to thirty treants at once would be incredibly difficult. He immediately frowned, pondering the problem.
"How can I find enough prey to attract the treants now? If the number of prey is too small, it will be useless," Xiao Sheng mused silently.
During spring or summer, catching enough prey wouldn't be a problem. Siberia's plains and forests were teeming with wildlife, making it easy to find prey. Siberia might lack other things, but its animal resources were undoubtedly among the richest in the world. Despite its cold climate, Siberia could certainly be described as vast and resource-rich.
Lu Xian had already explained the trap's shortcomings. After standing in the snow for ten minutes, both their heads and shoulders were covered in snowflakes. Seeing the heavy snowfall, Lu Xian continued, "Also, the captured prey absolutely cannot be left in the snow for too long. Otherwise, in just a few minutes, the prey will be buried. Speaking of which, it's a serious issue whether the treants will even come out to hunt in such heavy snow."
"The treants will definitely come out to hunt. I am absolutely certain of this," Xiao Sheng stated earnestly. Xiao Sheng seemed unwavering in his conviction about the treants' movements, his attitude resolute as he spoke.
Lu Xian, puzzled by Xiao Sheng's confidence, quickly asked, "How do you know?"
Xiao Sheng explained, "Mutated plants are, after all, living organisms. All living organisms undergo metabolism. Therefore, mutated plants underground cannot obtain energy. This means mutated plants rely on external prey for their energy. Without prey, their energy supply will be problematic. So, even if it snows, the treants will definitely go out hunting."
After hearing Xiao Sheng's explanation, Lu Xian suddenly understood. So that was it. Without external food supplements, it was indeed difficult for mutated plants to sustain their normal energy consumption. Thus, the treants would inevitably venture out to hunt in the snow, presenting an opportunity for Xiao Sheng's trap.
With this realization, Lu Xian no longer doubted the success of Xiao Sheng's plan. With such precise arrangements, if it still failed, the trap would be useless. As for the required prey, although it was a world of ice and snow, there was always a way to catch prey if one put their mind to it.
"Next is to catch the prey as bait. This will require a good plan," Xiao Sheng thought to himself.
Following this, Xiao Sheng immediately began preparing for the operation. Catching prey was something that required more people to brainstorm. Strength in numbers applied to ideas as well.
Ultimately, Chai Kefu had a solution. He told Xiao Sheng, "I can release induction waves. With these waves, nearby animals will be drawn towards me. But as you all know, I don't have much combat power. So, when I attract mutated beasts towards this area, someone must protect me. I think Jin Ziju is a good candidate to protect me."
Upon hearing this idea, Xiao Sheng quickly said, "This is a good method, capable of capturing a large number of mutated beasts. But there's one point: when capturing mutated beasts, they cannot be killed. They must be kept alive. This should be achievable, right?"
As he spoke, Xiao Sheng looked at Jin Ziju beside him, clearly entrusting the task of capturing prey to Jin Ziju as well.
Jin Ziju, upon hearing this, retorted, "Whenever it's my turn, there's never anything good. It's just catching prey, no problem. But I'll remind you of one thing: you must be careful of Shen Feng causing trouble. I've noticed that Shen Feng has been acting mysteriously these past few days, often disappearing. I don't know what he's up to."
However, Xiao Sheng was rather unconcerned by this reminder. Instead, he confidently replied, "Don't worry, Shen Feng will at most stand by and watch. How could he cause trouble? Besides, Shen Feng is my brother-in-law, he wouldn't harm me."
With Xiao Sheng having said this much, Jin Ziju couldn't say much more. After all, it was Xiao Sheng's family matter, and as an outsider, he couldn't say anything bad about someone's brother-in-law. There's a saying that distance doesn't sow discord between relatives, and his relationship with Xiao Sheng was merely that of colleagues. There was no need to speak ill of another's brother-in-law, and even if he did, Xiao Sheng might not appreciate it.
Subsequently, Chai Kefu and Jin Ziju began their operation to capture prey. Xiao Sheng, meanwhile, led the remaining people to refine the trap. To weaken the mutated plants' power, the treants needed to be killed. And when it came to killing treants, they had to succeed in one attempt. Otherwise, if the treants became wary, they wouldn't fall for it a second time.
Although Chai Kefu's ability was related to electromagnetic waves, his combat power was not very strong. While he could release induction waves to attract mutated beasts, he needed someone to protect him. Otherwise, he would certainly be killed by the mutated beasts.
After Chai Kefu activated his ability, the surrounding mutated beasts immediately sensed it and emerged from their dens, heading towards Chai Kefu's location. However, it was the season of heavy snowfall, with over a meter of snow on the ground, slowing the mutated beasts' approach. Jin Ziju grew impatient, and only then did the distant mutated beasts finally arrive. Without a word, Jin Ziju began electrocuting the mutated beasts.
When the mutated beasts appeared in the sight of Chai Kefu and Jin Ziju, Jin Ziju would immediately act. Electric arcs would slice through the air, hitting the mutated beasts and instantly paralyzing them. Beside them, helpers from the ability user team quickly moved forward to tie up the paralyzed mutated beasts.
Jin Ziju's ability was very powerful. Even if a large wild deer appeared before him, Jin Ziju could strike it down with a lightning bolt. This was the result of Jin Ziju holding back. If Jin Ziju were to show no mercy, all the mutated beasts present would be killed by a single lightning strike. Lightning was not powerful enough against treants, but it was very effective against ordinary mutated beasts. This was because trees were good insulators, but the fur on animals could not provide insulation.
In just half an hour, Jin Ziju had electrocuted dozens of mutated beasts into unconsciousness. However, in Jin Ziju's eyes, this was far from enough. He needed to capture enough prey for thirty treants, and he couldn't kill the prey, otherwise, the treants wouldn't sense the surrounding prey.
"What rotten luck, having to do such hard work in the snow. I wish prey would just fall from the sky," Jin Ziju felt cold all over. At this moment, Jin Ziju couldn't help but envy Shen Feng, who was hiding in the cellar and warming himself by the fire. Happiness is born of comparison; when others have what you don't, you feel unhappy.
If possible, Jin Ziju also wanted to stay in a warm room on a snowy day, perhaps roasting potatoes by the fire. If conditions allowed, he could even brew tea over the fire, enjoying the warmth and tea. When hungry, he could eat roasted potatoes. What a wonderful thing.
While Jin Ziju was lost in his thoughts, dark birds indeed began to descend from the sky. After landing, these birds immediately started pecking at the unconscious and bound prey. Before long, the prey's flesh was torn open by the birds' long beaks.
Chai Kefu was also stunned by the sight. He thought to himself, "Is Jin Ziju's prayer so effective? Just when prey was needed, these crows all descended. If he had wished for a pie to fall from the sky earlier, I wonder if that wish would have come true."
What fell from the sky amidst the wind and snow were not just any birds, but crows. These crows were extraordinary, with wingspans that could reach 1.2 meters. Such wingspans were comparable to eagles, no, even larger than eagles before their mutation.
Upon witnessing this situation, Jin Ziju was overjoyed. This was truly a case of "when you need a pillow, one appears." He had been worrying about how to obtain enough prey, and at that moment, prey was falling from the sky.
However, just as Jin Ziju rejoiced, these prey falling from the sky began to attack humans. Mutated crows had previously appeared in swarms, and in the Siberian region, they had even destroyed several cities. Thus, the mutated crow swarms were fearfully referred to as "World-Ending Black Dragons" by people. This was because when these mutated crows moved, they covered the sky, making them appear like legendary black dragons descending upon their prey. This superstitious legend, influenced by the Orthodox Church, had spread widely.
Some reckless crows began to attack humans. To the crows, humans had become a delicacy. As winter had just begun, the crows had already eaten many humans. These humans, upon seeing the crows, immediately hid, completely afraid to appear outside. Now, the crows saw humans and immediately thought of delicious prey appearing before them.
A crow swooped down rapidly in the snowstorm, flying directly towards Jin Ziju's face, seemingly intending to peck out his eyes.
Upon discovering this, Jin Ziju became furious. He thought, "What dare to provoke the tiger? A mere crow dares to have such ambitions towards me?"
Immediately, Jin Ziju began to unleash his ability. An electric arc shot from his hand, directly hitting the swooping crow. The electric arc flickered across the crow's body, and the crow instantly fell to the ground. For a moment, a burnt smell emanated from the crow, which had been mercilessly charred by Jin Ziju. The air was filled with a pungent odor.
However, perhaps these mutated crows were too bold. Upon seeing Jin Ziju take action, realizing he was a powerful individual, they began to fly from all directions to attack Jin Ziju. Perhaps they believed that by attacking this human from all sides, they could achieve victory.
Jin Ziju coldly said to the people around him, "Everyone get down!"
When the others heard Jin Ziju's words, they knew he was angry. He was known in the Ability Administration Bureau for his arrogance, and there were few people he held in high regard. Now that Jin Ziju was enraged, it was even more important not to provoke him.
With this thought, everyone quickly lay down in the snow, seemingly afraid of friendly fire. This wasn't a game where friendly fire was often absent. In reality, there was no such concept, and teammates could often be accidentally injured by others' abilities.
After everyone lay down, Jin Ziju unleashed a move called "Thunderous Might." His entire body turned white, arcs of electricity constantly leaping around him, transforming the surroundings into a world of lightning. With such violent currents, the birds in the sky began to fall. Weaker birds were directly electrocuted, while the larger crows were paralyzed and fell onto the snow, twitching intermittently.
Although Chai Kefu and the others had quickly ducked, they were not spared. Their bodies felt numb, and they were on the verge of losing control of their bodily functions. Fortunately, the current this time was not exceptionally powerful; otherwise, they might have been electrocuted to death.
"Catch these crows, and we're done!" Jin Ziju's face was slightly pale, clearly having exerted himself too much. But thanks to the mutated birds, the hunt was over.