"What are your thoughts on our next move, Chen Wen?"
asked.
It was a rare encounter, and he intended to have a proper conversation with Chen Wen.
Holding the restless yellow-throated marten, Chen Wen said, "I still hold my previous view, but with the rain coming down so heavily, if you can’t endure it, you can rge into one team. After all, there are only eleven of us left now."
Earlier, two team mbers escorted Zhou Zhijian out. They will later set up a camp where they found Zhou Zhijian to provide support.
"Alright, we’ll rge teams later then."
agreed with the suggestion.
Chen Wen continued, "Since we’re rging teams, you can move a bit faster, and I’ll also pick up the pace."
"Additionally, there might be swamps and open water ahead. You need to pay attention to two things: mosquitoes and water."
Based on experience, Chen Wen said, "After heavy rain, it’s often a ti for mosquito breeding. While we’ve been collecting rainwater at night, we need to continue doing so and avoid drinking raw water from the ground. We lack the ans to boil water, and drinking raw water can lead to diarrhea."
Hearing this, 01 imdiately noted down these points.
"Do you really not need mosquito protection clothing?"
asked.
Chen Wen shook his head.
His feathers offered him protection from mosquitoes, and besides, he had the [Insect Repellent] trait, preventing mosquito bites.
nodded, "Alright, how’s your mood? We experienced a low in spirits this morning, so if you feel similar, rember to let us know."
"I’m feeling okay."
Chen Wen didn’t dare say he was in a good mood.
After all, Yan Bian and the others were right in front of him, and he had gained two assists and traits.
Saying ’okay’ was to consider the team’s emotions.
That’s good.
didn’t say more and signaled Chen Wen to continue.
Chen Wen bid farewell to the team and continued onward with the animals.
...
Entering the lake area.
The lake area, the na Chen Wen gave to this region.
The inspiration for this na ca from the abundance of mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes breed when they find water, thriving as the waters rise.
Now it’s August, Ailao Mountain is warm in climate, and continuous rain collects between the mountains.
Turning the whole Ailao Mountain region into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
A massive cycle of mosquito breeding, growing, mating, and reproducing occurs.
Causing a massive congregation of mosquitoes in this region.
The three animals with their dense and thick fur weren’t bothered by mosquito bites.
Chen Wen, equipped with the feather trait and the crested honey buzzard’s [Feather Armour], and the Mandjet tree’s [Insect Repellent].
He could also resist female mosquito bites.
Thus, the only impact on him was psychological.
But as the team entered the lake area, they were attacked on all fronts by mosquitoes.
Even with insect repellent and protective clothing,
the swarming mosquitoes affected their vision, and the noise caused constant irritation.
The stifling mosquito-proof clothing also kept everyone’s body temperature rising.
Now, everyone in the team was drenched in sweat.
After walking the whole afternoon, by evening, the team camped in an open area.
Everyone took off their mosquito-proof clothing, letting out intense body odor.
Their faces were flushed, looking exhausted.
"Drink so water, don’t be stingy. Dehydration will be troubleso."
Upon hearing 01’s words, everyone lifted their water bottles, sipping saltwater.
04, with pale lips, drank quickly and soon finished his water.
Seeing this, 06 silently handed over his bottle.
hesitated briefly, took half of 06’s water, then returned the bottle.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding everything without words.
anwhile, 01, sipping water, pulled out a bunch of gathered plants.
He bruised the plants with a blunt tool and scattered them around everyone.
This local knowledge claid these plants emitted a scent mosquitoes disliked, repelling them.
At the sa ti, 02 sprayed everyone with insect repellent solution.
Cooling them down while aiding in mosquito prevention.
Even with such precautions, many team mbers got bitten by mosquitoes.
Red spots dotted their exposed skin.
But the team, forged through rigorous training, bore the itching.
"Rest now, rember to collect rainwater. You’ll sweat a lot in the coming days, so stay hydrated."
After saying this, 01 planned to contact Chen Wen and check on him.
But what he didn’t expect was that Chen Wen was unreachable.
called several tis, but got no response from the communication device.
This made 01 uneasy.
What happened to Chen Wen?
...
Side of the lake area.
By markers, Chen Wen found Yan Bian and the others seed to have stayed here for a long ti.
He even found their campsite.
"Seems they couldn’t withstand the mosquitoes and moved to the side?"
Chen Wen analyzed the situation, planning to report this back.
But as he took out the communication device, it flashed abnormal red lights.
"Broken?"
Chen Wen pressed the reboot button, but there was no response from the device.
Geomagnetic anomaly!
Chen Wen recalled Xu Yong ntioning the strange underground magnetism of Ailao Mountain.
Many areas were where electronic devices were entirely unusable.
Clearly, Chen Wen was now in a zone of geomagnetic anomaly.
He pulled out the satellite phone.
Luckily, the satellite phone looked normal.
But as Chen Wen tried contacting outside, all that ca through was static noise.
"Broken! I’m out of contact too!"
Chen Wen exclaid.
He glanced back over the path he ca from.
The swamp was eerie and dark, the plants twisted and nacing.
The path behind was like a ghoul ready to devour its prey.
Witnessing this, even Chen Wen felt a touch of fear.
But soon, Chen Wen overca his fear.
Because the crested honey buzzard, yellow-throated marten, and bobcat returned.
After discovering Yan Bian’s group’s deviation, Chen Wen sent the three animals to explore ahead.
While he stayed put, ready to relay the ssage.
"What’s ahead?"
Chen Wen asked.
The yellow-throated marten shook its head, "Found nothing."
"Desert and I found sothing useful, though."
The crested honey buzzard said, dropping sothing from its claws.
"Bread packaging?"
Chen Wen picked it up, examining closely.
It was fresh, with grease inside the packaging.
Chen Wen turned to the crested honey buzzard, "Where did you find this?"
"Over there, inside a cave, there were plenty more things like this."
Plenty?!
Chen Wen’s spirits lifted imdiately.
"Let’s go check it out!"
Chen Wen said, imdiately motioning the crested honey buzzard to lead the way.
He planned to deal with the communication issue after checking the cave.
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