Youyou Valley, named for its shape resembling a crescent moon when viewed from above.
After parting ways with Mingyue and Ba Jiu, Ji Shiyou and his team drove their transforming vehicles, following the Rose Squad. Two hours later, they arrived at the entrance of Youyou Valley.
"This Youyou Valley was famous for its abundant plant species even before the apocalypse. After the end of the world, changes in the environment and climate have caused mutations in the plants here. There's a highway next to Youyou Valley, which is currently the only passage connecting to the Azure Dragon Base. The mutated plants in the valley are constantly expanding, affecting the normal use of that highway. That's why the base didn't hesitate to upgrade the mission level from Xuan to Di, hoping to clear out the mutated plants here as soon as possible and restore traffic. Oh, where are Sister Mingyue and the young man? Why aren't they getting out of the car?"
Rose, coolly removing her helmet, began explaining the situation of Youyou Valley to the members of the Mingyue Squad, only realizing then that Mingyue and Ba Jiu were nowhere to be seen.
"They had something to attend to and went elsewhere. They'll meet us here later. Even if they return, our squad will still count points as if we had six members. It's getting late, shall we start? The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back."
Seeing Rose inquire about Mingyue and Ba Jiu, Ji Shiyou gave a perfunctory answer and suggested they begin. Rose didn't mind; after all, with fewer people, they could earn more points. Besides, Mingyue hadn't told her where she went, so it was her secret, and there wasn't much to ask.
The group, organized into their respective squads, formed ranks and began clearing the mutated plants from the valley entrance. Initially, it was smooth sailing. Although the mutated plants were numerous, their levels were not high, and they were easily dealt with. As they ventured deeper, they encountered increasingly higher-level mutated plants, some reaching level five. Ji Shiyou's team, having been trained by Mingyue, could still hold their own. In contrast, the Rose Squad began to falter. The sheer number of mutated plants led to a rapid depletion of their abilities, bringing them close to exhaustion.
To support them, Ji Shiyou had the five women temporarily follow behind them to recover their strength. However, after they jointly eliminated a patch of level six Butterfly Orchids, the members of the Mingyue Squad also started to struggle, forcing them to stop and rest.
"This mission is a huge loss. The mission card said the mutated plants here were at most level six. We thought we'd stumbled upon a great deal. But it didn't mention the quantity! That patch of Butterfly Orchids just now, there must have been hundreds of them, all level six. If this continues, we'll either die of exhaustion or be killed by these mutated plants. How about we retreat while we still have the strength?"
Seeing Ji Shiyou and his team utterly exhausted, and having only reached the halfway point of Youyou Valley, Rose began to waver. The first rule of the post-apocalyptic world was survival; without life, even the most points were useless. The other members of the Rose Squad nodded in agreement.
"How about this, you guys go back first. Mingyue arranged to meet us here. If she arrives and doesn't see us, she'll worry."
As he wasn't very familiar with Rose, Ji Shiyou didn't press the issue when the Rose Squad decided to abandon the mission. Their mission this time was merely a pretext, and they didn't care about the points. Since they wanted to leave, he naturally wouldn't stop them. The only reason he wanted to stay was the concern that Mingyue might worry if she couldn't find them. Ji Shiyou wasn't unaware of the dangers in Youyou Valley, but he wasn't overly worried. With the Rose Squad present, they hadn't used the magical artifacts or the potions made from the Water of Life that Mingyue had given them. As soon as the Rose Squad left, they could instantly recover their abilities and defend themselves even in danger. At worst, their transforming vehicle was still there, capable of flight, allowing them to retreat safely even if outmatched. Therefore, Ji Shiyou subtly indicated their desire to stay, implying that Rose and her team were free to leave at any time.
"Alright, we'll withdraw first. Here's the mission card, take it. Our squad is withdrawing from this mission. Even if it's completed, we don't want the points. These crystal cores can support us for a while. But, Brother Ji, I can only say one thing: be careful and prioritize your safety."
Rose pointed to the backpack containing the crystal cores harvested from the mutated plants they had just killed, then took out the mission card and handed it to Ji Shiyou. She had misunderstood. She believed Ji Shiyou was staying for the points and intended to complete the mission. However, since they weren't close, she couldn't say much more, only urging Ji Shiyou to be cautious. Then, leading Mo Lan and the other three, she mounted their off-road motorcycles and sped away, returning to Cloud City Base.
"There are no outsiders now. Everyone take your potions to recover your strength, then we'll retreat to the valley entrance and wait for Mingyue and Ba Jiu."
Knowing Rose had misunderstood him, Ji Shiyou didn't explain. He casually put the mission card in his pocket and addressed the team. They all understood his intention, took out their potions, and sat down, waiting for the effects to take hold and their abilities to recover before leaving the valley.
"It smells so good! What delicious thing are you eating? Can you give me a little?"
Just as they were about to get up, a sweet, delicate female voice echoed in their ears. The six of them immediately stood up, on high alert. They were all ability users, and Shi Henian, a mental ability user, hadn't detected anyone approaching. This person must be very powerful. If they had launched a surprise attack silently, they wouldn't have had time to defend themselves and would have been killed instantly. Moreover, the potions they had consumed were a secret that couldn't be revealed to outsiders.
"Who's there? Come out! What kind of skill is hiding your head and tail?"
"What are you looking for? I'm right here."
They looked around, seeing no one. Ji Shiyou shouted, trying to lure out the hidden person. The voice spoke again, and as they followed the sound, they were all astonished. Facing them on the grass was a red flower, about the size of a fist, and the voice was coming from it. The flower was a deep crimson, with five petals covered in fine hairs. Where the stamen should have been, there was an indentation filled with a viscous liquid, and it was opening and closing like a mouth, emitting the sound. Most strangely, this flower had no roots, no leaves, and no stem. It was just a flower, as if it had just been plucked.
This talking flower piqued their curiosity, and they all moved closer, wanting a better look.
"Man-eating plant! Everyone back away, it's dangerous. That's impossible! Why would there be a man-eating plant here, and mutated? And why is it so small?"
Shi Henian, a scholar, was knowledgeable. After a careful observation, he suddenly cried out, warning everyone to retreat. He was puzzled. Based on its characteristics, he was certain that this talking flower was a mutated man-eating plant. However, as far as he knew, man-eating plants grew in tropical rainforests, and this was already a northern region, completely unsuitable for their growth. Furthermore, man-eating plants were typically enormous; otherwise, they couldn't eat people. The one before them was incredibly miniature.
"If I grow bigger, will you give me some of what you just ate?"
Hearing Shi Henian's muttering, the flower spoke again in its sweet voice. Then, without any warning, it transformed into a giant flower more than ten meters in diameter.