When Jin Zijue had electrocuted all the crows mixed in the wind and snow, it meant the hunting mission had ended. These crows numbered over two thousand. While not the main force of the "world-ending black dragon," their numbers were still significant. With two thousand crows as prey, they were confident the prey would take the bait.
Jin Zijue hadn't electrocuted all the crows. When he unleashed "Thunderous Might," the current was controlled to minimize fatalities. However, it was possible to lose control, and smaller crows couldn't withstand the strong electric shock, leading to their immediate death.
It was evident that Siberia's ecosystem was out of balance. Even in heavy snow, crows had to brave the wind and snow to forage. If these crows migrated or stored food, they wouldn't have to endure such hardship in the snow.
With such a large number of birds, the few assisting ability users were overwhelmed. They had originally planned to tie up the prey with ropes, but now they were running out of them.
Upon learning that the prey was sufficient, Xiao Sheng became elated. He said to Jin Zijue, "If we can capture the本体 of the mutated plant, you will be the greatest contributor to this operation."
However, after receiving such praise, Jin Zijue wasn't particularly happy. He said indifferently, "I think even if we bring back the mutated plant, the Ability Management Bureau won't be taken seriously. We are the organization with the least foundation. So, even if we bring it back, it'll likely be snatched away, and we might be given a nominal title and sent to do even more dangerous tasks."
Jin Zijue believed he saw the world clearly. This world wasn't fair. Without a foundation, one could only be exploited. Everything else was false. Even if a delicious feast was laid out before you, it wasn't yours. Only when it was in your mouth and swallowed could it be considered yours.
Hearing Jin Zijue's words, Xiao Sheng quickly advised, "Brother, your thinking is too extreme. As long as we make enough contributions, headquarters won't turn a blind eye. Besides, doing nothing renders you worthless. How can others respect you then?"
After hearing Xiao Sheng's words, Jin Zijue shook his head and said nothing more.
Time quickly passed, and it was evening. Xu Xing and Qi Yunfang returned, pulled by a white fox on a sled. Both were soaked by the wind and snow, indicating they had had a lot of fun. Xu Xing also felt she had made a true friend.
Xiao Sheng and his group then began their operation. The new entrance of the treant was about six hundred meters from the Great Rift. Fortunately, there was a ravine here, naturally formed, seemingly a former ancient riverbed. The sides of the ravine had been transformed into ice slopes with a seventy-degree gradient by Zhang Zi's abilities. With such a steep slope, the treants couldn't escape from either side.
Xiao Sheng sighed, grateful he had brought Zhang Zi. Without her, many plans would have been impossible to implement.
Before leaving the camp, Xiao Sheng quietly told Qi Yunfang, "You don't need to participate in tonight's operation. Just stay with Xu Xing. You seem to be good friends, and it's only right to take care of a friend with poor eyesight. However, I need you to do something else: pay close attention to whether Shen Feng and his group make any unusual moves."
It was clear that Jin Zijue's words during the day had made Xiao Sheng wary. Although Shen Feng and Xiao Sheng had a decent relationship, as the saying goes, "One should not harbor ill intentions, but one should be prepared," so Xiao Sheng couldn't completely disregard Jin Zijue's reminder and had to consider it carefully.
Although Qi Yunfang didn't understand, she kept the matter in mind and prepared to secretly observe Shen Feng and the other two's actions that night.
Unbeknownst to them, Shen Feng was also instructing Xu Xing at this time: "Tonight, the three of us have to go out on business. You need to keep a close eye on Qi Yunfang and make sure she doesn't become suspicious. Also, I have bear gall powder here. After dinner, mix it with hot water and take it, so you can recover your eyesight as soon as possible."
Xu Xing had only recently become friends with Qi Yunfang. Xu Xing didn't want to betray her friend, but she couldn't avoid it. Xu Xing hadn't forgotten how she had acted on her own initiative before and was betrayed, which had led to Shen Feng having to rescue her. Now that the city lord had given her a new task, she couldn't disappoint him.
Xiao Sheng quickly led his group to depart. Not long after they left, Shen Feng also began his actions with the other two. Xiao Sheng's objective was to kill the treants, while Shen Feng's objective was to move the crude oil from the drilling site to the edge of the underground cave.
Xiao Sheng was full of confidence. He threw the prey directly into the ravine. Since the mutated birds could fly, their wings were all broken, making flight impossible. Broken wings were difficult to heal, so they could only hop forward.
"Heh, the arrogant world-ending black dragon has become a ground chicken. This can be considered revenge for Qiu Ming's deceased friends," Xiao Sheng said with a hint of emotion and regret. Xiao Sheng knew that Qiu Ming's destruction was related to the mutated crows. Now, even killing the mutated crows was avenging Qiu Ming's fallen comrades.
Zhang Zi created an ice house. Knowing that the treants' method of detecting prey was through thermal sensing, Zhang Zi had figured out how to avoid detection. Especially in the snowy environment, by staying in the ice house, it would be very difficult for the treants to detect heat.
The group waited for a short time. Sensing that it had become dark, the treants began to move. One by one, they emerged from underground, searching for prey as usual.
The reason treants came out at night was that in Siberia, it was very cold at night, and animals needed to generate heat to stay warm. Without enough heat, they would freeze to death. Therefore, in the surrounding cold, the heat emitted by animals in the dark was like a guiding beacon.
"Thump, thump..." The treants emerged from their burrows, stepping on the accumulated snow without any hindrance to their movement. For treants that were often over ten meters tall, a meter of snow was nothing; it didn't even submerge their calves.
After emerging from the burrows, the fruits on the treants' heads began to glow. Suddenly, they detected a strong thermal reaction and immediately moved towards the source of the heat. At this moment, the mutated beasts and mutated crows were tied up, almost unable to move. In this situation, they could only watch as the monstrous treants approached.
Just then, Xiao Sheng said to Zhang Zi, "You can make your move."
Zhang Zi then unleashed her abilities, and countless ice blades erupted from the ground, cutting the ropes on the legs of the mutated beasts and crows. There were over fifty mutated beasts, including wild boars, wolves, and even deer. Under normal circumstances, these animals would have started fighting. However, now, upon being freed and seeing giant monsters appearing in the darkness, they immediately scattered.
However, the sides were high, steep ice walls with a very large slope, and the ice surface was extremely smooth. Running to the sides was impossible. Therefore, in this situation, the mutated beasts could only gallop towards the Great Rift in the distance.
At this moment, the mutated beasts could only fend for themselves; getting away from the treants was the most important thing.
The mutated crows were even more miserable. In the sky, they moved in large flocks, inspiring fear in anyone who saw them, but that was only when they were in the air. Those who were invincible in the sky were now on the ground with broken wings, making flight impossible. The crows could only hop forward.
Walking on the ground was not the crows' forte. The fastest birds on the ground would be ostriches. Even some professional athletes couldn't run faster than ostriches. As for crows, their skills belonged to the sky. On the ground, they couldn't perform at their best and were quickly caught up by the treants.
The treants also moved silently. Ordinary treants wouldn't speak, and it was unknown if they possessed thoughts and emotions. They simply mechanically executed the orders of the mutated plants, whether it was to go through mountains of knives or seas of fire, they would do so without hesitation.
Vines grew from all over the treants' bodies and coiled around the hopping mutated crows on the ground. In an instant, hundreds of mutated crows were captured.
The remaining mutated crows could only flee, but they couldn't see clearly in the darkness, suffering heavy casualties.
Fortunately, the mutated beasts were galloping wildly, and many ropes were not cut. The mutated beasts and mutated crows were tied together. The galloping of the mutated beasts dragged a large string of mutated birds along. The treants, not understanding traps, directly pursued the areas with thermal reactions.
"They've taken the bait! I'm amazing for coming up with such a plan," Xiao Sheng exclaimed excitedly upon seeing this scene.
Next, the group was about to move towards the edge of the cliff. Jin Zijue unhurriedly took out a light bulb from his person. After unleashing his abilities, current flowed through the light bulb, producing light. Under the illumination of the light bulb, they quickly approached the edge of the cliff.
The Great Rift on the surface was over a hundred meters wide. Such a large span was beyond the reach of ordinary animals and humans. Even the Yangtze River Dragon King, whom Shen Feng had pursued earlier, was only eighty meters long. Even the Yangtze River Dragon King couldn't cross this Great Rift. Only sea beasts could barely fill the rift, and it would take dozens of them.
At the edge of the cliff, huge ice extended outwards, and below was a bottomless abyss. Nothing could be seen below; it was certainly hundreds of meters deep. Falling from such a height would result in being smashed to pieces.
Xiao Sheng watched as the treants walked step by step into his trap, overjoyed. He thought, "They are just unintelligent tools, falling for such an obvious trap."
At this moment, the mutated beasts running ahead sensed that something was wrong. Ahead was a bottomless Great Rift, and the mutated beasts stopped. Ahead was the Great Rift, and behind them were terrifying treants pursuing them.
When Xiao Sheng and his group arrived, they witnessed an astonishing scene. Among the captured mutated beasts were a dozen wild deer. They were standing together, looking at the opposite cliff. The ice surface extended to the middle of the Great Rift, with more than fifty meters remaining to reach the other side. However, judging by the actions of these wild deer, they intended to jump across.
"These wild deer must be crazy. This is completely impossible. A fifty-meter span, even with a running start, is impossible," Lu Yizhen stated definitively upon seeing the scene.
However, Jin Zijue looked at the wild deer at the edge of the cliff with a solemn expression and slowly said, "Have you heard of the chamois leap?"