Outside the mushroom forest, a large crowd had already gathered. Tens of thousands of people appearing in one place was easily detectable by satellites. Yunnan Province had reported its current actions to headquarters. Headquarters knew that a mushroom forest had appeared in Yunnan Province, and it was located on an oil and gas pipeline. This was a matter that Yunnan Province had to resolve on its own, and headquarters did not interfere.
After arriving in Yunnan Province, Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan treated it like a vacation. Completing their tasks on time each day was enough. If there was fog in the nearby forests, they would use their abilities to blow it away, and then everything would be fine.
After waiting for three days, Qian Bufei finally received what he needed. Hundreds of trucks arrived, loaded with countless metal barrels filled with wastewater. This was wastewater rich in heavy metals left over from metal smelting. If directly discharged into water, it would cause water pollution. If discharged into the soil now, the soil would also be polluted.
At this moment, Qian Bufei finally gave the order, "Soldiers, enter the forest and lead the way. Advance in a fan shape, and be careful of the dangers in the forest. Workers, cut the mushrooms and spread the wastewater. However, be careful not to get the wastewater on yourselves. Do not send the mushrooms here to the farms. Mushrooms containing heavy metals, if eaten by insects, will eventually enter the human body."
Generally, after toxic substances undergo transformation, their toxicity disappears or even weakens. Therefore, before this, Qian Bufei had used mushrooms from the mushroom forest to feed insects, thereby reducing their toxicity. However, energy could be transferred to animals through this route, eventually becoming human food.
But heavy metals are different. In the food chain, heavy metals tend to bioaccumulate because once combined with protein, they are difficult to remove. Therefore, if mushrooms contaminated with heavy metals are fed to insects, they will eventually enter the human body.
At Qian Bufei's command, everyone immediately began to act. Shen Feng first used his abilities to blow away all the spores in the mushroom forest. Then, the soldiers rushed into the forest. The moment they entered, they began to organize their formation, a defensive formation advancing in a semi-circle, searching for dangers along the road.
Around the mushroom forest, they did not find many mutated beasts. However, given that this area was filled with mountains, the absence of mutated beasts was quite strange. This situation could only be explained by one thing: the mutated beasts from the surrounding areas had all entered the mushroom forest.
Mushrooms do not move, but there might be mutated beasts in the mushroom forest. Therefore, at this time, the soldiers remained cautious of possible attacks.
Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan also entered the mushroom forest. Light filtered through the canopies, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Generally, fungi prefer to grow in dark and damp places, which are most suitable for mushroom growth. However, now, the giant mushrooms had directly blocked the sunlight from the trees, causing the plants to wither due to lack of sunlight. Only some herbaceous plants could survive in the mushroom forest.
Moving within the mushroom forest is easy to get lost because the mushrooms are almost identical all around, and it is quite dark. In such a situation, it is difficult to discern directions. It is best to carry a compass when entering here, as a compass makes it easier to determine direction.
Qian Bufei said seriously to Shen Feng, "Mr. Shen Feng, the soldiers on the front line are now entrusted to you. Please protect them. They are all fine young men of Yunnan Province."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng frowned and said, "We agreed before that I was only responsible for blowing away the spores. Why are you still giving me tasks now?"
Qian Bufei smiled wryly and said, "There's no other way. Yunnan Province has very few ability users, and for various reasons, they cannot come at this time. If there are any dangers, there is really no one to resolve them. The front line can only be taken care of by Lord Fengshen."
Shen Feng shrugged, too lazy to reply to Qian Bufei. He felt that coming to Yunnan Province was a big disadvantage. Not only did he not know their true intentions, but Qian Bufei had been hiding things and still refused to tell the truth. Moreover, he was still responsible for combat at critical moments, which was a heavy responsibility.
As the army advanced, Shen Feng continuously moved above the forest. Only by understanding the surrounding environment could he respond quickly to any unexpected situations.
The workers were also advancing rapidly at this time, with clear divisions of labor. Some were responsible for cutting mushrooms, others for dismantling them, and others for transportation. Finally, some were pouring the heavy metal-containing wastewater, and even specialized researchers were collecting mycelia for analysis.
Ultimately, the researchers discovered that the mycelia soaked in wastewater were dying, indicating that even mushroom forests could not grow in contaminated soil.
Upon receiving this result, everyone rejoiced. It seemed the plan was feasible. Wastewater could be used to clear a path in the mushroom forest. Even a vast mushroom forest, even the largest organism in the world, had to yield to soil pollution.
"Quickly have all the smelting plants in Yunnan Province concentrate their wastewater. I have important uses for it. The more wastewater, the better," Qian Bufei quickly notified the leaders of Yunnan Province at this time.
Now, wastewater could be used to clear paths, making it important. The smelting plants naturally had no objections because there was no regulation in the post-apocalyptic era. Previously, they had discharged wastewater into bodies of water such as Dianchi Lake, Erhai Lake, Yangzonghai Lake, and the Red River. Now, using it to clear paths was naturally acceptable.
At this moment, Shen Feng, standing on a mushroom canopy, suddenly saw a behemoth approaching. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a yak. This was a wild yak, with very long fur that almost reached the ground. What shocked Shen Feng the most was that this wild yak was over ten meters tall. As the yak ran, the mushroom forest could barely conceal it. Such a giant yak appearing before Shen Feng made him realize something was wrong. With such a massive yak, if it attacked the army, the army would be scattered.
So, Shen Feng immediately used "As the Wind Follows" to return to the soldiers' side and said loudly, "Mutated beasts are approaching this area. I suggest you retreat immediately. You cannot deal with this mutated beast. At this time, it is best for you to mobilize your howitzers to attack. You are just infantry; there is no reason to confront it head-on."
Giant mutated beasts are actually resistant to bullets, just like bears and elephants. When such behemoths charge, it is best to dodge. Now that Shen Feng had discovered a giant mutated beast advancing towards them, the best choice was naturally to retreat.
Wild yaks are massive, but even if they can withstand many bullets, they will inevitably be unable to withstand artillery shells. In the face of modern weaponry, physical strength is no longer important, because flesh and blood cannot withstand huge artillery shells.
However, at this moment, the frontline commander directly rejected Shen Feng's suggestion. He said seriously to Shen Feng, "Lord Fengshen, the people of Yunnan Province are not cowards. This is a chaotic world, and if there are mutated beasts, so be it. No matter what kind of mutated beast it is, we will kill it."
Hearing this answer, Shen Feng immediately showed a helpless expression and then said, "Good advice is hard to persuade a stubborn fool. Since I have warned you, and you do not listen, I cannot force you."
Afterward, Shen Feng went to Chu Chaoyan's side and crouched down, saying, "Chaoyan, get on. Stop dawdling."
When Shen Feng said this, Chu Chaoyan immediately lay on Shen Feng's back and asked, "Will carrying me affect your actions?"
"How could it? How much do you weigh? If I can't even carry you, can I still be called an ability user?" Shen Feng replied casually.
Shen Feng had been entrusted by Qian Bufei to take care of the soldiers on the front line. However, Shen Feng had already warned them, and they did not want to retreat at this time. Shen Feng could do nothing about it. He clearly judged that retreating was the best option at this time, but the other party did not listen. In this case, there was nothing he could do.
At this moment, the giant wild yak came charging, uprooting trees and toppling them. As the yak ran, the ground trembled, and a "thump, thump, thump" sound was heard. Such a loud noise reached the soldiers' ears, and they knew a behemoth had appeared, so they quickly sought cover.
The commander shouted, "Machine gunners, aim your guns in the direction the mutated beast is coming from and prepare to intercept the enemy. Everyone, prepare to meet the enemy."
At this time, Shen Feng directly carried Chu Chaoyan and moved away. He only stopped when he reached a mushroom canopy over twenty meters high.
Standing on the giant mushroom, Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan could see the giant mushrooms not far away continuously falling. On the top of the forest, the dark backs of the wild yak could still be vaguely seen. At this time, the wild yak had begun to charge, and as it charged, the mushrooms in its path were knocked down.
"Da da da," large-caliber machine guns began to pour ammunition. Hot bullets were fired, constantly shooting at the wild yak. As soon as large-caliber bullets hit the yak, they immediately created a blood hole the size of a bowl. In an instant, the yak was riddled with holes.
For ordinary wild yaks, regular rifles would suffice. However, at this time, the soldiers were facing a mutated individual. The giant yak was now running at full speed, and its kinetic energy was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Thus, even with hundreds of blood holes on its body, the charging yak eventually broke through the crowd. Under the trampling of its hooves, the soldiers suffered heavy losses. If one was accidentally stepped on by such a giant yak, they would be crushed into a pulp. Even the giant mushrooms could not withstand the yak's charge, let alone ordinary people.
At this time, the wild yak that appeared before everyone looked very strange because there was a large mushroom on its head, as if there was a bulge on its head. From a distance, it looked like it was wearing a hat, and the hat was colorful.
The soldiers were also worried about being charged by the wild yak, so they all dispersed, seeking cover while still firing. It was unknown how many bullets hit the yak, but the yak did not fall at all; instead, it kept charging.
Shen Feng, standing on the mushroom, also noticed something was wrong and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This is really strange. A smarter yak would have already fled, but now, the wild yak is still charging. Is this wild yak planning to die here?"
Yaks are also animals, and the most basic instinct of animals is to seek advantage and avoid harm. When they discover danger, they will move away. However, the wild yak is not acting like this. Its wounds are constantly bleeding, and continuing to fight would certainly lead to death from excessive blood loss. But even so, the wild yak did not flee, which was truly unusual.
After thinking, Chu Chaoyan also found it very abnormal. Mushrooms were growing on the yak's head. How could mushrooms grow in this location? It was truly strange.
"Could it be that this wild yak has been controlled, and that's why it's fighting with all its might?" Chu Chaoyan quickly said.