The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 196

The fifth frog, which had two kinds of mushrooms implanted at the same time, had an abnormal purplish-black body with large areas of ulceration on its skin, and looked like it had died.

"Purple and green both seem to be positive enhancements, but we don't know if they will affect the Magic Eye Frog's own intelligence. We need to continue to observe."

Considering that he was about to go to the Fishman Ruins, Han Ning handed over the task of observing the changes in the Magic Eye Frog to Professor Ye.

...

It was still dark on the third day.

Han Ning, Vice President Zhao, and Yu Na were already standing at the exit of the gathering area.

They wore thick, windproof dark coats over their outer garments, and underneath they wore modified diving suits that the study group had been rushing to make in the past few days.

The diving suit is made of tanned black snakeskin mixed with other animal hides. Thin metal plates are inlaid in key areas for protection. The surface is coated with a thick layer of semi-transparent glue. The collar, wrists and ankles are sealed with inward rolls. It looks a little bulky, but it does not greatly affect movement.

Each person carried a bulging backpack containing spare weapons, some high-energy food, first-aid medicine, lighting tools, and some special materials that might be needed.

Vice President Zhao's giant axe was wrapped in a special oilcloth and slung across his back.

Yu Na was unarmed, and her pretty face and relatively petite figure made her stand out slightly between the two burly men.

"Let's go."

Without further ado, Han Ning was the first to flip over and straddle Xuebing's broad back, followed closely by Vice President Zhao and Yu Na.

Snowcake let out a low growl, its strong limbs propelling it into the air. Its wings spread, kicking up large shards of ice, and it raced westward toward the rendezvous point near the outer waters.

Although it has wings, the size of these wings is clearly insufficient to provide lift for flight, nor does it possess any special ability to fly; they can only serve as special structures to balance the body and assist in running.

Chapter 226 Mirror Lake

The agreed meeting point was a relatively high peninsula-shaped ridge that extended into the churning waters outside.

When the enormous shape of the snow cake appeared on the ridge, there were already two groups of people waiting there.

One group was naturally Feilong and his Iron Tiger members. Besides Feilong himself and the burly Chen Hu, there was also a tall, thin man who looked taciturn and had two short blades hanging from his waist. He was the third member that Feilong had found.

Feilong had introduced his companion's identity beforehand. This tall, thin man was the third strongest Awakened in Iron Tiger's ranks, named Li Qingshui. He was also a Great Black Stone level cultivator and an expert in underwater combat.

He was the one who discovered the remains of the merfolk.

The other group stood out.

There were three of them, and they all exuded an aura of mastery.

The leader was none other than Deputy Leader Qian, with whom he had previously dealt; he was dressed in a clean black jacket.

Standing to his left was a middle-aged woman with a cold face, also wearing a short jacket. She was tall, with sharp eyes, giving off the vibe of a headmaster, and carried a homemade spear on her back.

On the right was a relatively young-looking man who, upon seeing Han Ning and the others, wore a faint smile and fiddled with a few metal darts in his hand.

These three individuals are the representatives of the Highland Outpost.

According to the information previously provided by Feilong, the Highland Outpost has one chief, two deputy chiefs, and several core experts.

These three people in front of me are probably the three leaders of the highland outpost.

Feilong stepped forward, first nodding to Han Ning, then looking at Deputy Leader Qian with a puzzled expression:

"Deputy Chief Qian, this exploration is of great importance. Isn't Chief Gu coming in person this time?"

"The leader has some urgent business to attend to and has been invited by a friend of 'Sword of Judgment' to discuss some matters concerning the joint extermination of the ghouls. This exploration of the ruins will be fully managed by the three of us. Leader Flying Dragon, rest assured, the promises made by the Highland Outpost will not be compromised," Vice Leader Qian explained.

"The leader of the high ground outpost didn't come?" Han Ning, who was listening in, learned of this information but did not show any unusual expression.

"Let's introduce ourselves. I know the three members of Tiehu, and I also know Chief Han. And these two are?"

After Vice Leader Qian finished explaining, he turned his gaze to Vice President Zhao and Yu Na, who were standing next to Han Ning.

"His name is Zhao Kai, and this is Yu Na. They are both my deputies," Han Ning introduced them briefly.

"Liang Shu." "Wang Jianshe."

At the same time, the two men at the high ground outpost nodded slightly, as if to give a brief greeting.

After everyone got to know each other, they didn't linger. With Feilong leading the way, the group quickly headed towards the depths of the ruins of Bailu City, which had been submerged by the flood.

Han Ning, Zhao Kai, and Yu Na rode in a snow cake.

The snow cakes now resemble powerful landing craft, easily cutting through the waves with a single stroke of their limbs, and their speed is by no means slow.

On the other side, the three men from the Iron Tiger gathering area demonstrated their skills.

An invisible force field emanated from Feilong's body. His feet touched the water as if they were on flat ground. With each step, the water surface would slightly dent and then recover, propelling him forward at high speed.

Chen Hu and the tall, thin man jumped directly into the water and used their strong physiques to paddle.

The three men, including Deputy Chief Qian, from the high ground outpost appeared much more unassuming.

Deputy Chief Qian tossed an object from a backpack he was carrying. The object rapidly expanded and stretched upon contact with water, transforming in the blink of an eye into a dark-colored kayak that could accommodate three to four people. The hull shimmered with a faint metallic luster, suggesting that it was not as ordinary as it appeared.

Han Ning could see clearly that, firstly, the backpack that Deputy Leader Qian took out could not possibly hold the kayak.

Secondly, the kayak is clearly not made of rubber and is lightweight.

"Could it be that they possess some kind of advanced technology we don't know about? Or are they some kind of special ability of awakened individuals?" Han Ning wondered.

Deputy Leader Qian was the first to leap onto the bow of the boat, followed closely by Liang Shu and Wang Jianshe. Liang Shu would occasionally lightly tap the water's surface or underwater obstacles with her spear, precisely adjusting the direction. The boat seemed to have its own power, and it would sail at an extremely fast speed without them having to row much.

Wang Jianshe stood at the stern of the boat, scanning his surroundings warily.

The group moved through the desolate ruins of the city.

The once bustling city of Bailu has been completely transformed. The floodwaters have submerged the low-rise buildings, leaving only the skyscrapers with more than thirty stories standing like tombstones, with parts of their staircases protruding above the water.

Dark water stains covered the mottled exterior walls.

"Turn left, avoid that department store, there's something gathering on the side." Wang Jianshe's cold voice suddenly rang out. He closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, and pointed in another direction.

The dragon in charge of leading the way immediately turned around as instructed.

With someone leading the way, Han Ning was happy to have some free time and ordered Xuebing to quietly follow behind them.

Soon, a sickening screeching sound came from the waters beside the department store, which they had originally planned to pass through, and a large number of dark shadows could be vaguely seen stirring underwater.

Next, they walked along a flooded main road, with shop signs on both sides half-submerged in the water, the words blurred and difficult to decipher.

Some structurally weak buildings have long since collapsed, with only twisted steel bars occasionally appearing on the water's surface.

Compared to the scene they left behind, it was hard to recognize any city here anymore; it was now just a vast expanse of turbulent water.

Wang Jianshe's perception was exceptional, and he gave multiple early warnings, allowing the team to avoid several areas that might contain large numbers of ghouls without incident.

On one occasion, he even signaled the team to stop and hide ten seconds in advance. A large group of gray-skinned, twisted ghouls swam silently across the water at the crossroads not far ahead, like a migrating school of fish. Their sheer number was enough to make one's scalp crawl.

After traveling for about an hour, they were already more than fifty kilometers away from the mountain base.

The surrounding buildings gradually became sparse, while the water surface became unusually wide.

Just then, Wang Jianshe raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

“Jingpo Lake is just ahead,” he whispered.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked forward.

Ahead lay a vast expanse of water, completely different from the murky, turbulent waters they had traveled through.

It presented an eerie calm, like a huge, smooth piece of azure glass, almost without a ripple.

The water appeared extremely pure, and the outlines of silent buildings deep underwater could even be vaguely seen, forming a clear boundary with the surrounding murky water.

It was eerily quiet, without a sound. Even the wind seemed to have stopped flowing here, creating an indescribable atmosphere of unease.

"arrive."

Feilong's voice broke the silence; he pointed to the mirror-like water.

"The entrance to the ruins is located beneath this body of water."

Chapter 227 Blocking the Road

Deputy Chief Qian's gaze swept over the strangely calm waters before him, and he warned:

"The formation of Mirror Lake is unknown. The water below is turbulent and extremely cold. Ordinary awakened beings cannot survive for long. The most troublesome thing is that there are many water ghosts gathered here. Please be prepared."

"Qingshui, lead the way." Feilong gestured for Li Qingshui to enter the water.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingshui nodded slightly without speaking. He first adjusted his breathing, and a faint aquamarine halo appeared on his body. Like a swimming fish, he silently glided into the Jingpo waters.

His movements were fluid, barely causing a ripple.

Han Ning, Zhao Kai, and Yu Na followed closely behind in a snow cake.

As the snow cake entered the water, a dark red glow emanated from the gaps in its scales, forming a thin film of air that enveloped the three people on its back, protecting them from the icy lake water.

The three men at the high ground outpost piloted the peculiar kayak. A faint light flashed on the hull, and a thin film of water appeared on its surface. It silently sank into the water, like a nimble shuttle, quickly diving downwards.

"This thing is definitely not as simple as it seems..."

Han Ning became even more curious when he saw that the kayak could actually dive.

He unleashed a dense network of water vines to help Snowcake conceal the ripples in the water as it moved.

The light in the underwater world quickly dimmed.

The water of Jingpo appears exceptionally clear from above, but strangely, visibility is low once you get inside, and there's always an invisible pressure looming over everyone.

This was already the exterior of the ruins of Egret City, with no building remains and darkness all around.

Occasionally, you can see some strange, glowing aquatic plants or swimming aquatic monsters.

Li Qingshui seemed quite familiar with this body of water, leading the team to navigate nimbly and dive deeper and deeper.

Gradually, as the depth exceeded 100 meters, the surrounding water pressure became increasingly high.

At this depth, only the awakened can survive without any diving equipment.

Ordinary people would probably have been crushed long ago.

Even the Awakened Ones were forced to use their spiritual energy to resist.

Fortunately, Han Ning and his group had homemade diving suits and snow cake shields. Han Ning's water vines made the water pressure feel relatively weak.

Yu Na frowned slightly, her mental energy spreading outwards like invisible tendrils, sensing the surrounding movements.