Buzzz...buzzz...
Zhang Chen was about to press onward when he suddenly heard a loud noise, like that of a flying aircraft, emanating from the forest. It wasn't just one, but several, with the sounds growing louder and more dense.
Soon, a hornet, over a meter long and covered in layers of yellow and black armor plates, burst out of the dense woods. Zhang Chen observed it for a moment, and a line of prompts immediately appeared next to the hornet:
[Venomous Armored Hornet. Prefers to feed on nectar and fruit juices, occasionally siphoning energy from other creatures.]
Name: Venomous Armored Hornet
Level: Mutated V-type Insect
Skills:
[Venomous Attack]: Its stinger carries lethal venom. The amount of venom survivors and monsters of different constitutions can withstand varies. When the venom exceeds a creature's tolerance limit, it will instantly kill the target.
[Hive Mind]: Venomous Armored Hornets within the same hive share vision and tactics.
[Energy Armor]: The armor on the surface of Venomous Armored Hornets can withstand a considerable degree of physical attacks. When subjected to energy attacks, it can convert some of the energy into its own vitality.
"Hiss... These things aren't high-level, but they are truly troublesome!" Zhang Chen couldn't help but frown upon reading the description. The ability to kill any enemy with sufficient venom was very powerful! This meant that if a large enough swarm attacked together, any strong individual or monster would surely die! Their outer shells could also absorb energy. This point was somewhat similar to Zhang Chen's [Energy Armor], perhaps his own armor had some connection with these armored hornets.
"Damn it... What should we do?" Zuo Nan, seeing the menacing Venomous Armored Hornets one by one, adopted a defensive stance but hesitated to act. Having experienced one apocalypse, he knew well that when facing unknown monsters, it was best to evade if possible, and if not, to remain as quiet as possible. Sometimes monsters were merely observing and had no hostile intent. Once you attacked first, the consequences could be unimaginable. Moreover, he didn't have Zhang Chen's ability and couldn't discern the monsters' skills, so how could he dare to act rashly?!
Zhang Chen wiped the corners of Xiaobai and Mo Ran's mouths. In a blink of an eye, he saw that a clump of fur on Er Pang's back had stuck together. He immediately understood. These Venomous Armored Hornets were attracted by the scent of the apple they had just eaten. They were currently unsure of the source of the scent or if Zhang Chen and his companions were food, so they remained in an observational state.
"No need to worry about them for now, let's continue moving!" Zhang Chen said calmly.
"Roar~" Er Pang let out a low growl and quickly leaped forward a few steps. The [Giant Armored Troop Transport] behind it followed closely. Indeed, although more and more Venomous Armored Hornets gathered in the air, they merely buzzed and hovered in mid-air, tightly surrounding Zhang Chen and his group. They neither retreated nor showed any intention of attacking. Shirley drew her longbow, nocked three arrows, ready to fire at any moment. Mo Ran and Xiaobai also looked excited. If they were ordinary monsters, Zhang Chen would have let these guys go and let them have a good fight. But the opponents were numerous and possessed deadly venom, so discreet development was paramount. Once their poison resistance strengthened, he would return to burn their hive. Revenge is a dish best served cold, even after ten years!
Er Pang moved rapidly for more than ten minutes. In the initially pitch-black forest, a patch of light suddenly appeared. In front of them, the air was filled with a faint pink dust. These particles seemed alive, floating slowly in the air and reluctant to fall to the ground. At the same time, large mushrooms about two meters tall nearby were continuously spewing out pink smoke and dust...
"Roar..." Er Pang braked abruptly, stopping about ten meters in front of the pink dust.
"What... what is this now..." Zuo Nan was on the verge of tears seeing this scene. Even if he didn't recognize these things, he knew they were definitely dangerous. Otherwise, Er Pang wouldn't have stopped so suddenly. Animals' instincts are the most sensitive! Seeing poisonous fruits, terrifying giant hornets, and eerie pink poisonous mist all around... Zuo Nan truly regretted coming up the mountain. He had anticipated this trip would be very dangerous, but he hadn't expected it to be this dangerous! In just an hour since coming up the mountain, he had encountered so many monsters, feeling that any one of them could end his life.
"It's the Pink Lady!" Shirley exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
"Huh? What's a Pink Lady?" Zuo Nan asked.
"The Pink Lady is an extremely potent hallucinogenic fungus. Inhaling just a tiny amount can induce intense pleasure, making one feel as if they are experiencing the most beautiful things in the world... As for how beautiful... you men know!" Shirley finished, glancing at Zhang Chen. His expression was one of innocence, as if to say, "What does this have to do with me..."
"Then... if the concentration is like this, what happens if you inhale one puff?" Zuo Nan asked again.
"The tiny amount I mentioned is about a few hundred dust particles. I once saw the Soul Organization interrogating a prisoner and accidentally used too much Pink Lady, about three or four times the overdose. The person's body exploded directly. With the concentration like what we see before us, inhaling one puff would mean inhaling at least tens of thousands of dust particles. The result is self-explanatory! However, I can collect some to enrich my poison-quenching potion stock!" Shirley explained calmly.
"Then... let's take a detour..." Zuo Nan said with a trembling voice.
Even without Zuo Nan saying it, Zhang Chen was already observing the terrain. Through the perspective of his Absolute Vision, Zhang Chen discovered that this mushroom forest was tens of kilometers long, and trying to bypass it would waste too much time. Moreover, this would greatly deviate from the planned route, making it not worth the effort.
"We can't detour, we're going straight through!" Zhang Chen declared. Ignoring Zuo Nan, whose jaw was about to drop in astonishment, he drew the Thousand Bone Saber and raised it high with both hands. Then, a powerful pure white energy rapidly condensed on the blade, and the saber's body began to glow brighter and brighter, illuminating the surrounding woods as if it were daylight.
[Mountain Splitting Slash]!
A moment later, a colossal slashing force erupted from the Thousand Bone Saber. The invisible force instantly tore through the pink mist, the cut widening as it went. The sharp and powerful shockwave cleaved everything it touched in two! It had the power to cleave mountains and shatter peaks!
Boom! Not only a large area of mushroom clusters in front of them, but even the towering giant trees around them crashed down with a roar. Countless strange birds and insects flew about in panic. The Venomous Armored Hornets surrounding Zhang Chen were startled and immediately formed ranks, preparing to attack. Even worse, the turbulence caused by the shockwave and the falling giant trees stirred up the pink dust, sweeping it away from its original location and engulfing Zhang Chen and his group from all sides.
Zuo Nan: Well, that's it, the story can end now...
Zhang Chen: The real show has just begun!