Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Long Yuehong had all heard Bai Chen mention the mutated mosquitoes, and knew how dangerous they were to unprepared humans:
They are always active in large numbers, and their flying speed is not slow;
They can withstand high and low temperatures to a certain extent;
They are relatively small, making it difficult to hit them with bullets. Even if they encounter sharpshooters, or their population is too dense, they are not afraid of losses due to their large numbers – a team cannot carry enough bullets and ordinary bombs to compete with such a swarm of mosquitoes;
They normally live on plant sap, but crave fresh blood. They have strong survival abilities and are extremely aggressive;
They have no brains and are not afraid. Even if more than half of their population is lost, they will continue to come for blood;
Their bites carry toxins that can paralyze humans and animals, and slow down their thinking;
Their mouthparts are longer, harder, and sharper than those of non-mutated mosquitoes, and can penetrate clothing fibers and insert into the target's skin...
For many relic hunters and wilderness wanderers, this is a hellish tide that can devour life. Once encountered, it is difficult to escape, even with a large group of people.
Of course, as one of the most vicious creatures on the Grey Earth, humans are not without ways to fight these mutated mosquitoes, but all methods rely on relatively special equipment, such as flame throwers, special mosquito repellent spray guns, "Pangu Biology's" "weed removal bombs," a complete set of biochemical suits that can prevent even poisonous gases, enough incendiary bombs, power armor that is still in development, and extremely rare and terrifying bombs from the Old World that can create large areas of high temperature in the explosion's core...
Unfortunately, the "Old Task Force" had none of these things.
However, fortunately, their jeep was well sealed, and it was impossible for the mutated mosquitoes to force their way in. Moreover, the car was electric, so they didn't have to worry about the mosquitoes blocking the exhaust pipes, and the mouthparts of the mutated mosquitoes were not strong enough to puncture the rubber tires.
This was indeed good news for Jiang Baimian and the others, but there were also downsides:
The ventilation system had to be turned off or wait for the mutated mosquitoes to block it.
As a result, the air quality inside the car would rapidly decrease until it became unbearable. Shang Jianyao and the others had to get the jeep out of the mutated mosquitoes' "encirclement" before that happened.
Bai Chen had experience dealing with this kind of terrible creature. As soon as Qiao Chu gave the order, she closed the windows and stopped the ventilation system.
While continuing to press down on the accelerator, she habitually comforted everyone in the car:
"Don't worry, these mutated mosquitoes won't go far from places with a lot of plants. As long as we pass through this vine area, they should give up."
"Left..." Qiao Chu nodded while directing the direction of travel.
Jiang Baimian muttered thoughtfully:
"Even mutated creatures have the instinct to continue their species. That's why these mosquitoes won't leave places with a lot of plants... This is what satisfies their survival needs. Human and animal blood is just a very attractive delicacy...
"That's right. The Old World has been destroyed for so many years. Mutated creatures without the instinct to continue their species should have died out long ago..."
Qiao Chu ignored Jiang Baimian's mutterings and focused more intently than before on identifying the road surface obscured by the dark green vines.
A few seconds later, the moving jeep encountered the swarming mosquitoes.
Pa pa pa!
Each of the dark red-headed, finger-sized mosquitoes was like a miniature bomber, using itself as a bomb to crash into the windshield one after another.
In Shang Jianyao's eyes, it was like the first heavy rain he had ever seen in Shuiwei Town, with countless raindrops hitting the glass desperately.
But unlike raindrops, these "raindrops" did not slide down and could stay on the glass.
Pa pa pa!
In the rapid sound that was almost merging into one, the windshield and the side windows were covered with huge black mosquitoes. The dark red heads and ferocious mouthparts were densely packed, making one's teeth ache.
Bai Chen and Qiao Chu could not see the road ahead. The jeep was like a wild horse running off a cliff, not knowing where it was going.
Long Yuehong's face quickly turned white. He wanted to try to save himself, but he didn't know what he could do or how to help.
Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao tensed up. Their expressions showed worry and a bit of confusion. The life-saving instinct and hormone secretion under the life-or-death rush seemed to make them once again aware of the abnormality of the current situation.
At this time, Qiao Chu stopped looking ahead and looked down at the mechanical watch on his wrist.
The dial had a compass with markings on it.
"Three twelve direction." Qiao Chu seemed to have built a flat map in his mind deep in the swamp, and then relied on the instrument to "manually navigate."
Bai Chen was no stranger to the method of expressing directions with time marks, but the ones she had encountered before had never been so specific. Therefore, she was slightly stunned and immediately reacted, and began to turn the steering wheel.
However, with the mutated mosquitoes in front of her, she couldn't drive precisely according to the "navigation" instructions. There would inevitably be an error.
Qiao Chu didn't care, because he also knew that humans without auxiliary chips or corresponding gene modifications couldn't do such a thing when the car was moving at a high speed. He said it so precisely in order to keep the error within an acceptable range.
Just then, Shang Jianyao suddenly said:
"You can wear the exoskeleton device to drive."
Qiao Chu had previously seen the military exoskeleton device in the trunk, and nodded after a moment's thought:
"As soon as possible."
Normal exoskeleton devices have limited positioning capabilities, which are often integrated into the "Integrated Early Warning System" to provide convenience to the wearer through auxiliary chips.
"I'll do it." Jiang Baimian volunteered.
Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had no objections, and immediately turned around and dragged the military exoskeleton device out of the trunk.
With their help, Jiang Baimian quickly adjusted the length of the metal skeleton and put on the equipment.
"Okay." After the system self-check was completed, she quickly said.
"Stop the car." Qiao Chu immediately turned his gaze away from the watch.
Bai Chen stepped on the brakes without hesitation.
With a screeching sound, the jeep stopped suddenly. Shang Jianyao and the others all had the urge to lunge forward, but luckily they were protected by their seat belts. Many of the mutated mosquitoes that densely covered the windshield and side windows were thrown off.
As for Jiang Baimian, who didn't have a seat belt to fasten, it was easy to offset this degree of inertia because she was wearing a military exoskeleton device.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, Bai Chen immediately unbuckled her seat belt, adjusted the gear, and picked up the handbrake.
Then, she climbed from the armrest box to the back row.
Jiang Baimian stretched out her arms covered with black metal skeleton, picked her up, and put her directly next to Long Yuehong.
Then, she quickly climbed to the driver's seat, following the "road" that Bai Chen had come from.
Pa pa pa! The dark red-headed mutated mosquitoes once again crashed into the windows one after another, densely covering them.
Jiang Baimian, who had an energy backpack on her back, couldn't lean back, so she leaned forward and restarted the jeep.
She fastened her seat belt while operating the steering wheel with one hand.
Qiao Chu once again lowered his head, identified the changes in the compass on the watch, and constantly reported the time direction they needed to go.
With the auxiliary chip, Jiang Baimian operated precisely, and in the harsh environment with black mosquitoes in front of her, she allowed the jeep to travel dangerously between the swamp and the vines.
In a state of high concentration, the passage of time seemed to become blurred. Not knowing how long had passed, when Shang Jianyao and the others began to feel flustered and short of breath, the huge mosquitoes on the front and rear windshields and side windows flew away one after another.
Soon, these mutated creatures all left the jeep, flying "reluctantly" towards the rear.
Only then did Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen see that the front was pure, boundless black silt. There were no plants growing on its surface, but bubbles occasionally emerged.
"Two twenty-four." Qiao Chu raised his head and stopped paying attention to the changes in the compass on the watch.
After Jiang Baimian turned the steering wheel, everyone in the car saw a road going down.
It sloped deep into the swamp, with a deep black hole at the end.
"Drive in." Qiao Chu gave the order.
Jiang Baimian, who was wearing an exoskeleton device, did not hesitate and drove the jeep onto that road.
The black mud on the road was soft and rotten, and the wheels sank a lot, but deeper down, there seemed to be harder things supporting it, which stabilized the heavy jeep.
The vehicle quickly drove into the opening. At the same time, Jiang Baimian turned on the ventilation system and the front headlights.
Shang Jianyao and the others immediately took deep breaths and, through the glass windows, looked at the surrounding scene:
The inside of the cave was dark, and only the sound of dripping water could be heard intermittently. The walls and the road surface illuminated by the headlights were quite flat and covered with some silt.
"It doesn't look like it was formed naturally," Jiang Baimian commented while driving.
"An Old World underpass tunnel," Qiao Chu replied simply.
Jiang Baimian nodded lightly, thought for a few seconds, and said:
"There are no moss plants, it's a bit strange...
"Was the previous environment unsuitable for life?"
Qiao Chu ignored her and said plainly:
"Keep driving forward."
There was no sound in the tunnel at first, but the vehicle would occasionally hit cracks or protrusions on the ground. As a result, there were intermittent clanging sounds, which spread to the depths of the tunnel and never returned.
In this deep, strange silence, none of Shang Jianyao spoke, as if they were heading to the end of the world.
Several minutes passed, and there was gradually light ahead, which quickly formed an arched exit.
Jiang Baimian, who had goggles on her helmet, was not affected by the changes in light and dark, and drove the vehicle out of the tunnel.
The sun outside was setting in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the earth, as if plating it with a layer of gold.
In the distance, buildings hundreds of meters high stood side by side, with no movement coming from them and no end in sight.
They were bathed in the reddish sunlight, like a silent forest forged of steel and concrete.
ps: Asking for votes~