Plants cannot directly absorb energy from corpses. However, in places like mass graves, plants typically grow very lushly. This is partly due to a lack of interference, and partly because the corpses are decomposed by bacteria and other microorganisms, allowing plants to absorb nutrients from the soil. In this sense, plant growth is closely related to microorganisms.
However, the situation seems to have changed. Many mutated plants have altered their survival methods. Their mutated characteristic is to bypass the decomposition process by microorganisms and directly break down corpses for energy. The many roots entwined around the corpses that Shen Feng observed are evidence of this.
Shen Feng began searching the forest, but after walking a considerable distance, almost traversing the entire forest, he found no saplings. The thinnest cypress he could see had a diameter of one meter. Such a sturdy tree would be impossible for even Lu Zhishen to carry away.
Looking at the sturdy cypresses in the forest, Shen Feng started searching the ground for seeds. Since he couldn't find cypress saplings, he decided to focus on finding seeds. As long as he could bring back seeds, there would be a chance to cultivate cypresses.
There was a lot of pollen accumulated on the ground. The forest lacked sunlight, and besides cypresses, no other plants could grow. After all, all plants need sunlight to survive, even seaweed in the ocean. In the dark depths of the sea, apart from anaerobic organisms, plants do not exist.
Shen Feng dug through the thick layer of accumulated pollen on the ground but couldn't find any cypress seeds after searching for a long time. He had to give up.
"This is truly strange. Do these cypresses not reproduce? Why can I find neither saplings nor seeds?" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Unable to find what he was looking for, Shen Feng had to return to the military camp. Before leaving, Shen Feng summoned a strong wind to blow away all the pollen from his body. He then removed his gas mask and felt a sense of ease breathing the fresh air.
The gas mask Shen Feng was wearing completely isolated him from the outside air, preventing pollen from entering his respiratory tract. The oxygen inside the mask came from a self-contained oxygen bag, allowing him to breathe for over an hour. If the oxygen ran out, he could replace the oxygen bag.
Although wearing the oxygen mask did not hinder Shen Feng's breathing, it was extremely stuffy, and Shen Feng disliked it. He would not wear it unless absolutely necessary.
Upon returning to the military camp, the hospital director was still waiting for Shen Feng's good news. However, upon hearing from Shen Feng that he had found neither saplings nor seeds, the director was extremely disappointed. He was now worried that the hospital would no longer be able to easily obtain anesthetics.
Although pharmaceutical factories and the like were still producing medicine, their output was very low. Surgery was impossible without anesthetics. Therefore, after hearing about the effects of the mutated plants, the director immediately requested that the forest not be burned.
Shen Feng saw the expression on the director's face and quickly comforted him, "Director, please listen to me. I will find a way to purchase anesthetics in the future. Don't be so sad. We don't necessarily need these anesthetics. I also saw many dead mutated beasts in the forest, which suggests that cypress pollen may not be safe either."
The director lowered his head and remained silent. He did not dare to obstruct Shen Feng's plan but felt a sense of unwillingness.
At this moment, a soldier reported, "City Lord, Mr. Lu Kaiwen is here, and he's brought someone unfamiliar. They request an audience."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "Please invite them in. Why is Lu Kaiwen here instead of doing experiments in Yuzhou?"
At the same time, the director began to take his leave. He had come to the military camp hoping that Shen Feng would postpone the decision to burn the forest. Now that the tree seeds couldn't be brought back and no seeds could be found, it seemed that setting fire to the forest was inevitable. After much thought, he realized he couldn't stop Shen Feng's decision, especially since it was a suggestion supported by tens of thousands of soldiers who wanted to end the war sooner and return home to rest.
As Lu Kaiwen entered Shen Feng's tent, he spoke loudly, "City Lord, I've brought you an acquaintance."
With that, Lu Kaiwen lifted the tent flap and brought in a person who was heavily bundled up. This person was wearing thick clothing, a padded cotton jacket, a winter hat with ear flaps, sunglasses, and a mask, leaving almost no skin exposed.
"Who is this?" Shen Feng asked with a frown.
At this moment, the person dressed in bulky clothing slowly removed their sunglasses and mask and said, "It's me, Ke Yiming. It's really not easy to meet the great City Lord Shen Feng. I needed a familiar face to bring me to you!"
Seeing Ke Yiming appear, Shen Feng felt a headache coming on. He said helplessly, "Why is it you? I've been saying I've been seeing crows cawing in the sky these days, and it turns out a troublesome guest is arriving. Alas, perhaps this is my bad luck!"
Hearing this, Ke Yiming became somewhat angry and couldn't help but say, "We fought together as brothers, can't you be a little more polite to me? Why do you call me a troublesome guest?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Shen Feng sighed helplessly and said, "When have you ever come to me without causing trouble? The first time, you came with orders from headquarters to reprimand me. The second time, you forced me to go to Yanjing to fight. The third time, you took me to kill the Dragon King. Now, this is your fourth visit, and it's definitely not for anything good!"
"You're mistaken about that. I've brought you good news. Look how cold it is now, and it's summer in Australia. I'm inviting you for a trip!" Ke Yiming said with a smile.
"A trip?" Shen Feng was stunned by this unfamiliar word. He was a shut-in who had never traveled, but he always saw people posting photos on social media. He felt that traveling would never be a part of his life.
However, when Shen Feng heard about traveling, he was immediately tempted. But thinking about his current mission, he quickly shook his head. "No time, no time. You go by yourself, don't look for me. My battles here haven't ended yet, and I don't have time to go that far."
If he had the time, Shen Feng would have liked to see more of the world, but he was currently fighting mutated beasts in the mountains with his men. He had no time for travel, so he decisively refused.
"Don't be so rigid. You need to relax occasionally. Leave the battles here to others. You can't wear yourself out. Sometimes, you need to delegate to those below you!" Ke Yiming urged.
"What exactly do you want? Stop beating around the bush! If you're offering favors without reason, you're either a cheat or a thief!" Shen Feng said unceremoniously, questioning Ke Yiming's true intentions.
Shen Feng didn't believe Ke Yiming was inviting him for a trip, especially at this time when the world was in chaos. Even if Ke Yiming wanted to travel, the Ability Administration wouldn't agree. Therefore, Ke Yiming's invitation must have a hidden agenda.
Ke Yiming smiled awkwardly and said, "You've seen through me? Actually, there's a mission to do, and I need your help."
As Shen Feng had predicted, Ke Yiming had come to find him to complete a mission.
Shen Feng shrugged and directly refused, "If it were any other time with nothing else going on, I would have agreed. It's just a trip to Australia, but right now, I'm at war. Who has time to go to Australia!"
Ke Yiming quickly said, "Won't you ask what the mission is?"
Shen Feng replied, "I don't even want to go to Australia, so why should I ask about the mission? In short, no matter what the mission is, I won't go. Figure it out yourself, unless you can help me end the current battle, otherwise, we have nothing to discuss!"
Ke Yiming looked troubled and said, "How could I possibly have that ability? The war here is something you'll have to figure out yourself."
"Then I'll see you out. Every time you come, you only ask for my help without offering any benefits. Do you really think I'm a fool to be fooled? I'm not a great benefactor who would put aside important matters to accompany you to Australia. Are you out of your mind?" Shen Feng was tired of talking to Ke Yiming and prepared to have him escorted out.
"Everything can be discussed. It's not like I can't help with anything. As long as you come to Australia with us, everything will be fine," Ke Yiming quickly changed his tune.
It seemed Ke Yiming knew what he was implying. You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it. Therefore, to get Shen Feng to help, he had to offer sufficient benefits first, otherwise, Shen Feng wouldn't help.
Shen Feng thought for a moment and said, "Then you figure out a way to send ten thousand fighter jets to drop bombs and help me bomb more than half of the mutated beasts within the encirclement. Then I can end the battle within a week, and I can go to Australia with you."
"No, can you say something realistic?" Ke Yiming was disgusted by Shen Feng's request. "Ten thousand fighter jets? If I had that capability to mobilize so many warplanes, would I be asking for your help?"
"If you can't do it, then forget it. Find someone else for this matter!" Shen Feng directly issued the order to leave.
Ke Yiming, pushed to a corner, quickly said, "Shen Feng, you need to think carefully. If you don't take on this mission, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. To tell you the truth, this mission is to salvage a meteorite from the South Pacific. Do you know that mastering this extraterrestrial meteorite is equivalent to mastering the means of creating ability users!"
Hearing this mission, Shen Feng was stunned. He never expected that the mission Ke Yiming wanted him to help with was to salvage a meteorite. After conducting experiments, Li Keyi had determined that the abilities of ability users originated from extraterrestrial elements, which came from meteorites. This meant that as long as the meteorite was obtained, they could create as many ability users as they wanted!
However, Shen Feng was still puzzled and asked, "Didn't they say there was a magnetic field around the meteorite, and humans who entered it disappeared? Can salvaging the meteorite now be successful?"
Ke Yiming revealed the truth, "Actually, no one could salvage the meteorite before. Not to mention the many monsters in the sea, even the magnetic field around the meteorite, no one could enter it. However, a few days ago, news came from Australia that someone had emerged from the meteorite's magnetic field and brought back important information: ability users can enter the divine realm!"
The extraterrestrial meteorite had fallen into the sea, forming a huge magnetic field. Ordinary people could not approach it at all, as if it were repelling all humans who entered it. Therefore, someone named this magnetic field area the divine realm, meaning a place that mortals could not tread.
As a result, a wealthy Australian bought a ferry to travel to North America. Along the way, they encountered a storm, damaging the propeller, and the ship deviated from its course, eventually being blown into the divine realm by the storm.
Everyone thought the people on the ferry were doomed because no one had ever emerged from the divine realm. However, there was an ability user on the ferry who rowed a small boat out of the divine realm. According to him, ordinary people and evolved individuals who entered the divine realm had all died. As for him, being an ability user, he was unaffected and successfully rowed away from the divine realm.
From the moment they entered the divine realm, almost everyone fell into a deep sleep, and no amount of calling could wake them. In the end, the ability user had to come out alone, while everyone else died in the divine realm.
Ke Yiming continued, "Shen Feng, the headquarters has promised that if you participate in this mission and successfully salvage the meteorite, they will give you a piece of meteorite. Then, you will have hundreds of ability users under your command. Is that not enough reward?"
Since their appearance, ability users had been objects of admiration for countless people. Ability users were all one-in-a-million individuals. Shen Feng's side had about ten ability users, which was already considered a significant force. The headquarters also had about seventy to eighty ability users. There were no organizations with over a hundred ability users globally. Now, the offer from the headquarters to Shen Feng was very generous.