Chapter 144 - 143: Mutation in the Night

When Xu Xin gazed out from the treehouse window, Keke didn’t see the hill engulfed by the Red Mist.

This Red Mist must have started to spread after nightfall.

Wherever the eye could see, the outer hills were surrounded by a faint layer of Red Mist.

The entire Hilly Resource Zone seemed to be enclosed by thick walls of Red Mist, completely obscuring the interior.

And the area where the red was most concentrated was right at the entrance of the mine in front of them.

Because the surrounding Red Mist wall was formed by this mine, this "gigantic mouth" spewing outward.

Xu Xin noticed that in the "eye sockets" of the "giant," there was a flickering white glow, as if a pair of open eyes were watching Xu Xin standing before it.

"White glowing light?"

Xu Xin remembered that deep inside the mine, the giant cave emitted this glowing white light. And they had discussed it in [Explorers], the light in the depths of others’ caves was also white.

Could there be high-level resources there?

Xu Xin used his identifying ability to look, but saw no light of any color.

It’s not a resource, so why does it glow?

Could it really be the eyes of this giant?

As he stared at the glowing spots, Xu Xin felt a tingle at the back of his neck and shifted his gaze to the resource zone inside the hill.

The resource zone was shrouded in red mist; to enter it, one would first have to enter this mist.

Xu Xin hesitated. The danger within the mist was unknown. Plus, he had to consider if inhaling the mist would affect him.

He knew inhaling the mist made him dizzy, but under the influence of Orange (Blue)’s Spiritual Power, the effect was minimal.

However, inhaling too much could still cause irreversible harm, like... mutating his body.

After all, this red mist had a substantial connection to the underground world, likely emanating from there.

"Hmph!" Keke exclaimed, pushing Xu Xin.

Keke sensed danger; it clearly didn’t want him to enter.

... better to retreat, since it’s not something that absolutely must be done—it doesn’t warrant risking danger for it.

As for the Chang Yin Family’s matters, we can plan it later. There’s no need to risk life exploring.

... speaking of which, isn’t this situation caused by their sacrifices at the altar!

Xu Xin swiped open his watch; both the regional channel and [Explorers] were silent.

Xu Xin asked in the group chat: "Are there any abnormal occurrences in your cave?"

Someone quickly responded.

Zhao Xiaochuan: "I’m at the cave now, feeling it’s quite eerie so I wanted to check again. There’s nothing unusual, just the scent emanating from the cave makes me giddy. No, I need to leave!"

Li Wenxi: "My cave is far from the treehouse, so I don’t know if anything’s happening, what’s wrong, is there a problem on your side?"

Xu Xin frowned, suddenly realizing the Hilly Resource Zone was outside a three-kilometer range.

Xu Xin: "Nothing, just a bit concerned."

He then called Ji Chaoyang; after a few seconds, the call connected: "What’s up Xu Xin?"

"Is there anything happening at your altar?"

"Altar?" Ji Chaoyang’s voice was puzzled, "I’m not sure, I’m inside the treehouse right now."

"Do you want to go check it out? I’ve encountered trouble here, the kind of red mist is spewing from the cave, surrounding the altar."

"..." Footsteps were heard, then Ji Chaoyang spoke, "From the window where I am, nothing seems unusual. I’ll go take a look at the altar; we’ll keep in touch."

"Alright."

Ending the call, Xu Xin stared at the mist-covered resource zone, deep in thought.

Ji Chaoyang also had a mount and could quickly reach the altar.

If nothing unusual was happening on his side, the situation here was likely caused by the Chang Yin Family’s sacrifice.

Perhaps they were within this Red Mist right now, at the altar!

As Xu Xin contemplated, Mimi suddenly took two steps forward. Before Xu Xin could react, it leapt forward and dashed into the Red Mist.

The bat, which had been resting on its back, flew down and flapped its wings twice, landing on Xu Xin’s shoulder.

Keke, lying on Silver King, glanced sideways at the bat but didn’t start fussing with this poor little creature.

"Ah..." Xu Xin attempted to stop Mimi but fell silent.

What shocked him unfolded.

As Mimi entered the mist-covered area, the ground it tread on cracked open, and numerous vines burst forth from the earth, launching a fierce attack on Mimi!

Even if Mimi didn’t unleash its swiftest speed, it was beyond the reach of these vines.

It circled around the entrance of the salt mine and easily darted through the vines, returning to Xu Xin’s side, stretching lazily on the ground.

Judging from its casual demeanor, it seemed to have anticipated this happening.

The scene inside the Red Mist had completely altered.

On the branches of these vines, some bore blood-red patterns, while others sprouted blood-red thorns, swaying in the mist to form a forest of mutated vines!

Under Xu Xin’s watchful gaze, the vines swung for quite a while before slowly retracting underground.

Xu Xin’s expression changed.

They haven’t died.

The area covered by the Red Mist, does it no longer belong to the treehouse protection zone?

Silver King and Keke don’t seem surprised either. Keke didn’t even shout, just a calm little look, curiously peering over there.

Xu Xin picked up Keke and looked it in the eye, "Keke, do you know what’s going on?"

"Whine?" Keke tilted its head.

Xu Xin: "..."

It might just be able to sense the danger of mutant creatures in advance.

Mimi and Silver King themselves are mutant beasts, so they should be able to sense the presence of their kind early, which is why Mimi ran in to lure these things out, reminding him not to enter.

No matter what, he dared not enter this Red Mist.

How could someone enter here; entering is no different from stepping out of the protection zone.

But he didn’t want to just go back like this.

If the Red Mist continues to spread, the worst possibility is that the range of activity for underground mutant creatures will keep expanding, even affecting his treehouse!

The spread of this Red Mist must be stopped!

Fortunately, the Red Mist currently only spreads around the hills. Even though Xu Xin is now only a hundred meters from the hills, the surrounding air isn’t dyed red, just has a slight fragrance.

But after glancing at the salt mine cave still continuously emitting Red Mist, Xu Xin felt a bit helpless.

At least he needed to see what was going on inside, right?

He suddenly thought, since these monsters emerge from the ground, maybe flying creatures wouldn’t trigger a response if they flew in?

"Little bat, fly in and take a look. Fly a bit higher, and come back immediately if there’s a problem." Xu Xin said to the bat on his shoulder.

The bat let out a thin screech in response, fluttering its wings as it flew into the area filled with Red Mist.

As Xu Xin had guessed, the little bat didn’t gain any attention from the underground creatures. It flew around in the air for a while, and no vines emerged to attack it.

At this moment, a small bird with no attack power chirped twice, probably attracted by the bat’s flight, and followed it into the Red Mist.

Suddenly, a long thin Blood Patterned Vine burst from the cracked ground, piercing the little bird directly and pulling it back underground.

Underground monsters will attack airborne creatures.

Perhaps because the blood-patterned bat is also a type of mutant creature, and given its weakness compared to Mimi Silver King, it doesn’t trigger their desire to attack.

"Little bat, go into the cave and see what’s there!"

The bat fluttered its wings and flew into the salt mine cave.

The cave entrance was filled with Red Mist, and Xu Xin couldn’t see anything. He could only wait anxiously.

He currently had only this bat as a flying contracted beast, and during the rainy season, he discovered that the bat had developed its own consciousness. He shouldn’t treat it as a mere tool bat anymore. He sincerely hoped the bat wouldn’t get into trouble.

After ten seconds, the bat fluttered out of the Red Mist, letting him breathe a sigh of relief.

The bat safely passed through the Red Mist and landed on Xu Xin’s shoulder.

"Keke, communicate a bit."

"Whine!"

The thin sound of the bat and Keke’s whines echoed continuously, and Xu Xin quickly understood the situation inside the cave.

The underground cave had expanded again; in the morning, its diameter was only about two meters, but now it basically occupied the entire floor of the cave’s depths!

In the cave, red mist constantly spread outwards, making it impossible for the bat to see what was deep within the cave.

That’s about the situation.

Let’s scout the surroundings first. There might be areas unaffected by the Red Mist; maybe he could venture into the resource zone.

Riding on Silver King, Xu Xin stayed about a hundred meters from the hills, exploring around the hilly area, seeking a point to breakthrough.

As his distance from the salt mine cave entrance increased, the red mist gradually thinned out.

This made Xu Xin breathe a sigh of relief, fearing that the ring of hills had more than one cave spewing Red Mist.

For now, it seemed like only the salt mine cave, resembling a giant mouth, was producing Red Mist.

Finally, between two hills, Xu Xin found an entrance where the Red Mist was very thin. He said to Mimi, who had been following him, "Mimi, go in and take a look again."

Although Mimi didn’t let him touch it, it was obedient. This time it didn’t rush in quickly but walked leisurely inside.

Nothing happened.

Xu Xin’s eyes lit up: "We can go deeper here!"

Perhaps only areas with a very dense Red Mist can protect those underground creatures, allowing them to appear in the treehouse protection zone.

Tonight’s weather is also key; there’s basically no wind, allowing the mist to gather at the cave entrance. If the wind were stronger, the mist would be blown away.

Without further ado, Xu Xin rode Silver King into the faint Red Mist.

At this moment, his watch vibrated; it was Ji Chaoyang calling with a voice message.

"How’s it going, is there anything happening on your side?" Xu Xin asked even before the other party spoke.

"The situation is quite strange." Ji Chaoyang’s voice was also gloomy, "The appearance of the altar has completely changed."

Hmm?

What’s happening now?