Shrimp and crabs also have blood. Most people have never seen it and think they are animals without blood, but in reality, their blood is colorless. So, when people see it, they just think it's water inside the shrimp and crabs. If this water is exposed to the outside air and oxidized, it will quickly turn blue, which is the blood of shrimp and crabs.
Shen Feng then asked, "By the way, are there any other dangers in the cave? Tell us so we can be careful."
Zhang Zi capped the bottle and replied, "After passing this Ice and Fire Two Element Spring, there are no more special dangers. The only thing you need to be careful of is a cliff, which is about ten meters wide from one side to the other. We usually use ropes to cross it. Since you're new here, you might not be familiar with it."
Seeing the soldiers' dejected mood, Shen Feng thought, "These people probably don't know the situation outside. It's best not to tell them, to avoid making them sad."
Qiu Ming had already fallen, and only a little over two hundred people survived. This number was too small. It was even more unclear whether the families of these soldiers were still alive. Telling them would only make them sad, so it was better not to say anything.
Back then, over five thousand people, including soldiers and miners, had rushed into the underground caves in search of treasure. In the end, they didn't find any treasure, and only a handful of people were left. It wasn't easy to get out, and they also had to stay to rescue people. Under such circumstances, it was understandable that they were dejected.
Jin Zijue suddenly inquired, "How is Yue Hengyi?"
Back then, there were only six geniuses in the Ability Administration, who were considered heroes who would save the country in the future. However, now, the country had not yet been saved, and Yue Hengyi, a genius, had met with misfortune. Jin Zijue also felt very emotional.
Shen Feng said indifferently, "Last month, he was executed. It was at the time when Yan Jing was attacked. A dense swarm of mutated birds attacked the city. I heard the entire city was in chaos. In such a situation, Yue Hengyi's body was lost. It was probably stolen by someone with ulterior motives. After all, the ability to control gravity is too powerful. There must be many people eyeing Yue Hengyi's body."
Jin Zijue couldn't help but sigh and say, "How could it have become like this? I heard it was out of love turning into hate. This matter is really too strange."
"My subordinates reported that the newly established Heavenly Dragon Bureau in Yan Jing and the Thirteen Protectors of Lvliang Mountain colluded to frame Yue Hengyi. When Yue and I were at sea, we were attacked by these thirteen protectors. We barely escaped alive, and we only killed one person, who controlled the element of calcium. I didn't expect that even after returning to the country, they wouldn't let us go," Shen Feng said with emotion.
"I heard that Qin Kewe testified against Yue Hengyi in court. Why is that?" When it came to Yue Hengyi's affairs, Jin Zijue still found many doubts and began to inquire.
However, Shen Feng was even more unclear about this matter and could only shake his head and reply, "I don't know. Qin Kewe was probably brainwashed. Otherwise, in my impression, these two were quite affectionate. Also, whether the ability-enhancing potions you entrusted to Qin Kewe are still there is uncertain."
While the few of them were chatting, Xiao Sheng, who had gone out hunting, also returned, holding prey in his hands. The only prey that could be caught underground were marmots. It was said that marmots carried many pathogens that could infect humans. They were once sold in large quantities in wet markets in southern China. However, after this was exposed, marmots were no longer sold. But now, they were all trapped underground, and it was good enough to find food, so there was nothing to complain about.
"Yo, little brother-in-law, why are you here? Did you bring any gifts?" Xiao Sheng couldn't help but tease Shen Feng as soon as he saw him, clearly not expecting Shen Feng to show up in this situation.
Shen Feng was displeased and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Who is your little brother-in-law? You and my sister are not married yet, and you might break up before you get married."
Shen Feng hated it when Xiao Sheng called him that because the matter was too sudden. His sister's relationship with Xiao Sheng began unexpectedly, and Shen Feng didn't even know about it. Therefore, Shen Feng didn't want to accept this brother-in-law.
Seeing Shen Feng's attitude, Xiao Sheng smiled and paid no mind. He then asked, "Did your sister send you to find me?"
Xiao Sheng was not a fool. When he saw that the person who appeared in the cave was Shen Feng, he guessed the truth. The headquarters must have been indifferent to the situation of the Ability Administration. Therefore, in his worry, Shen Yu had no other choice but to find Shen Feng in Yuzhou and ask for her younger brother's help. Shen Feng was also very cooperative and personally led people to the rescue.
Shen Feng said indifferently, "It's exactly as you guessed. If my sister hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have bothered with you. But it's good, consider it repaying your favor. After we rescue everyone and get out, hurry back to Rongcheng to thank my sister."
Xiao Sheng didn't know what to say upon receiving Shen Feng's answer. He had only saved Shen Yu casually because it was on his way, and now he was receiving support because of Shen Yu. Thinking of this, he felt a surge of emotion.
"Shen Yu is so good to me, I will definitely not let her down. I will marry her as soon as we return to the country," Xiao Sheng said seriously.
Shen Feng shrugged and said indifferently, "Don't tell me these things. It's useless to tell me. You should tell these things to my sister. For now, let's think about how to rescue people. One of my subordinates has also been captured."
Xiao Sheng slapped his forehead, clearly remembering the current mission, and quickly said, "Yes, yes, let's discuss the rescue. Now that you're here, we have the ability to deal with the treants. The reason we failed before was that we underestimated the treants' strength. They are impervious to blades and guns, and bullets cannot penetrate them. Tanks and the like cannot enter the depths of the cave, so we can't attack them with artillery. It's much simpler with you here."
Saying that, Xiao Sheng immediately took Shen Feng to see the last hurdle in the cave: "Look here, there's a large crack twenty meters wide. On the opposite rock face, there's a cave, which is the final hiding place of the mutated plants. Do you see those glowing fruits over there? Don't eat them; they are only used for lighting."
Shen Feng and Lu Xian quickly looked at the opposite side of the crack. It was evident that this was originally a connected cave, but suddenly a crack appeared, dividing the intact cave into a chasm. Twenty meters wide, such a wide沟壑 (gōuhè - ravine/chasm) was an insurmountable obstacle for ordinary people.
Shen Feng leaned over the edge of the cliff and looked down. The bottom was unfathomably deep, and he could faintly hear the sound of water. Water was indeed flowing out of the cave on the opposite side, so the waterfall in the depths of the cave must be draining from the exit.
"This might be an underground river, but it's hard to say where it leads," Shen Feng said seriously.
Previously, when Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan were in a desperate situation, they had encountered an underground river. Shen Feng had leaped into it, but was unexpectedly washed into the Yongding River, a narrow escape by chance. Now Shen Feng encountered an underground river again. This time, Shen Feng dared not gamble. If he was carried to the outside world by the underground river, it would be fine, but if not, wouldn't he die miserably down there?
"City Lord, look up. There are also cracks, and it seems like you can see light," Lu Xian said seriously, pointing to the light above.
Shen Feng also looked up and indeed saw a long line of light. It seemed that it was possible to reach the top from the location of the crack.
"Yi Xian Tian!" Shen Feng murmured. There was a famous scenic spot called Yi Xian Tian in China, which was said to be a very narrow canyon. Looking up from below, one could only see a line, hence the name Yi Xian Tian.
"Don't think about it. You can't get out from above. Zhang Zi has tried it. Above is just a gap of a few dozen centimeters. One person can squeeze through, but more people cannot. If you want to get out, you have to find another way," Xiao Sheng said seriously.
After hearing this, Shen Feng gave up the idea of entering or exiting through the crack. If it were feasible, using a rope ladder to go up and down would be very simple.
Next, Shen Feng focused on the cave opposite the沟壑. He could vaguely see light emanating from the cave, likely illuminated by fluorescent fruits. The most troublesome were the treants. Shen Feng was not confident in defeating the treants yet because they were impervious to blades and guns and felt no pain. Dealing with such creatures was extremely difficult.
Suddenly, Shen Feng remembered Xiao Sheng's ability and quickly asked, "Isn't your fire ability just the counter to these treants? Why couldn't you win?"
Xiao Sheng gave a bitter smile and said, "You underestimate the treants too much. My fire is indeed effective against most mutated plants, but these treants often hide in their lairs and soak in water. Trees absorb water naturally, and after absorbing water, their resistance to fire has also increased. My ability is no longer suitable for fighting treants."
"Is that so? Then the mutated plants in here are really troublesome. They actually predicted that they might encounter fire attacks and deliberately hid here. They are indeed formidable opponents," Shen Feng said with a deep voice.
Jin Zijue continued, "Moreover, the mutated plants in here are also very cunning. During the day, the treants never appear outside, and they specifically let the treants go out to hunt at night. Even if you want to expose them to sunlight, you won't get such an opportunity."
"If the fire ability can be temporarily resisted by the treants, why not use petroleum?" Shen Feng suddenly asked. Petroleum, after burning, cannot be easily extinguished by water. It can burn along the water. Such inextinguishable flames would be a very good choice for dealing with treants.
It was not easy for ordinary people to leave the cave, but it was very simple for Xiao Sheng to leave. Therefore, Shen Feng thought that using petroleum to burn the treants was a good option.
Xiao Sheng immediately said, "No, if we burn them, we won't be able to get the mutated plants from the innermost part. We still need to bring back the plant heart."
Obviously, Xiao Sheng could also think of fighting methods using petroleum, but he was unwilling to use such methods because the original purpose was to find the mutated plants and bring them back to China for the evolution base. If they were burned, wouldn't it be a waste of effort?
Shen Feng nodded and said seriously, "Yes, yes, you're right. We should bring back the plant heart. Let's figure out a way."
Although he agreed with the other party's statement, Shen Feng's mind began to ponder, "We must find a way to burn the plant heart, but the most important thing right now is to rescue Xu Xing and the others. What should we do?"
Jin Zijue directly said, "Isn't this simple? We'll make our move tonight. While the treants are out, we'll rush in to rescue them. With Shen Feng's speed, rescuing them will be a simple matter! We'll also need someone to hold back the treants that go out."
"This is worth a try. Our speed was not enough before, and it was difficult to break through the treants' defensive power. With your speed, Shen Feng, you can definitely succeed in rescuing them," Xiao Sheng also agreed.