Chapter 34: Exploring the Forest

In the forest in the morning, the mist had not yet dissipated. The sunlight diffused through the mist and fell on the red, yellow and green leaves, giving a feeling of fairyland. Because it was early autumn, there would be a creaking sound when stepping on the dead branches and leaves. Sometimes it would scare the flying birds, adding a few crisp and bright cries to the somewhat quiet forest.

Ye Zi walked in the forest wearing a fiery red jacket. She held a red tasseled spear in her hand and leaned it against her shoulder. The spear was half a body taller than her, very impressive, but it could not withstand a closer look. It turned out that the spearhead was made of a dagger tied to a wooden pole, and the red tassel was just a T-shirt sleeve cut into strips. However, she sometimes used it to beat the grass and sometimes used it as a crutch, which was very convenient.

She excitedly led the way for the team and climbed a small slope first. Looking back at where she came from. The school at the foot of the mountain had become a somewhat blurred shadow because of the fog. She looked at the trail behind her again, and the other seven people were slowly trudging up.

"Hey, Teacher Zhang, we can hardly see the school from here, how far have we walked?" Ye Zi put his hand to his mouth and asked loudly to the person behind him.

Zhang Sicheng is a tall man over 30 years old. He has been away from home for many years, which makes his skin a little dark, but his eyebrows and eyes still have the literary style of a scholar. He wore a blue jacket with a vest on the outside. I don't know what was in the pockets up and down. There was a dog-leg knife hanging on his waist, a pair of heavy hiking shoes on his feet, and a big bag higher than his head on his body. The most noticeable thing was that he also carried a modern American hunting bow. He was a teacher of geology and the leader of this field exploration team.

Zhang Sicheng looked at some schools in the distance, and then took out a few small stones from his pocket, fiddled with them and pointed: "From the straight-line distance, it's about four or five kilometers, but we walked about nine and a half kilometers."

"Why count the stones?" Ye Zi asked curiously.

Zhang Sicheng said, "I usually walk 800 steps for one kilometer. Every kilometer, I put a small stone from one pocket to another, so I won't forget it."

"We feel much more at ease following an expert like Teacher Zhang." Xiao Chen also came up from behind. He wore a jacket and carried a bag, and walked briskly.

"Now there is no electricity, no satellite, pedometers and mobile phones can't be used, so we can only think of other ways." Zhang Sicheng smiled, "Xiao Xiao, Xiao Ye, you are in good spirits and have good physical fitness. I am impressed."

"I am a martial artist, and a small hike is not difficult for me. But I didn't expect Senior Xiao to be so thin, but he has good endurance. He walked such a long mountain road without panting. Senior, how far does the guide say we have to go?" Ye Zi stood on a stone with a gun and asked Xiao Chen.

"Awad said there is less than half of the way to go." Awad was the local guide walking beside Xiao Chen. He was a thin middle-aged man who made a living by hunting in the forest.

A few days ago, the school took out the mineral specimens collected by the Geology Department and collected similar stones from the surrounding villagers. Awad brought a lot of stones picked up from the mountains. One of the red stones was identified as hematite by the teachers and students of the Geology Department, and hematite is one of the iron ores with the highest mining value. According to Awad, he found a lot of such stones by the river in a valley behind the mountain. The committee attached great importance to it. A shallow vein near the school is of self-evident value to industrial development. So there was this expedition by Xiao Chen and his team.

While Xiao Chen and his team were talking, the people behind them also caught up. One of them was Professor Lin Youping of the Biology Department who studied plants. He brought his student Zhao Rui and followed them into the mountains to collect plant specimens. Following at the end were two soldiers, Shi Hao and Li Tianrui, who were both wearing combat uniforms and equipped with guns.

Shi Hao walked up to the leaders and said seriously, "You are walking too fast. Let me lead the way. Otherwise, what if we encounter danger?"

Ye Zi raised the gun in his hand carelessly and said, "Your gun may not be as good as mine. It's not like we haven't fought before. You won't forget it so quickly, right?"

Shi Hao's old face turned red and said, "From a public perspective, I am a soldier and you are a civilian. The commander repeatedly told me to take care of your safety, so naturally I should go in front. From a private perspective, I am a man and you are a woman, so men should lead the way anyway."

"Oh, you have a lot of big principles, but principles don't work in the deep mountains and old forests. Fists are the most effective. Do you want to try again?" Ye Zi shook his little fist and said proudly.

"You..." Shi Hao was so frustrated that he didn't know what to say.

"Okay. Everyone, stop arguing. If you still recognize me as the captain, just listen to me. Lao Shi goes in front, and Ye Zi follows me. Everyone, please be safe." Zhang Sicheng spoke decisively to stop Ye Zi's noise.

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At noon, Zhang Sicheng asked the guide to take them to an open space with sparse trees to eat and rest.

The logistics team gave them some biscuits, ham and mineral water as a priority. These were things that many people were too lazy to eat before, but now everyone eats them very happily.

Ye Zi took a few bites of the ham, and when he looked up, he saw Awad, the guide, carefully putting the ham and biscuits given to him into his backpack, and then took out a black cake and a piece of bacon that was also black and hard from his arms, and squatted in the corner to eat.

She approached Xiao Chen and asked softly: "Senior, why doesn't he eat? Did he leave it for his family?" Xiao Chen was also a little curious, so he walked over to ask a few questions, then came back and shook his head to Ye Zi and said: "Our food looks good, so he left it to offer to the gods."

Ye Zi frowned and said, "He eats such disgusting things himself, but leaves the good things for the illusory gods. This is too stupid."

Xiao Chen shook his head and said: "For him, the gods are not illusory. I just heard him pray before the meal. The god he worships is 'the source of all things, the protector of nature, the master of the sky, the earth and the sea, and the observer of the stars'"

"What a tacky name, are there several gods?"

"It seems to be one. It seems that this god likes to give himself nicknames."

Ye Zi laughed and suddenly patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder: "By the way, speaking of weird things, I just have something to ask you. You have to tell me everything."

"What happened?"

"What happened in the library that day? I was patrolling from a distance and saw the library on fire. When we went to get water, the fire was out. The whole library looked like it had been soaked by a flood. Later, for two consecutive days, they organized us to sort and dry books. That's when I heard that you and Teacher Luo came out after the flood. You must know something, right?"

Xiao Chen saw that her face was full of curiosity, thought for a while and said: "Since you are at the scene, you must know that Principal Guo has issued a gag order?"

"Hey, who are we? You and Li Jia are buddies, and Li Jia and I are very familiar with each other, so we are naturally our own people." Ye Zi used the trick to deal with Li Jia, pulling Xiao Chen's sleeve and pulling, "Senior, tell me. We can't figure it out."

Xiao Chen stood up with a smile and said: "I am a good comrade who obeys orders and commands. I have to listen to Principal Guo."

"Don't be so hypocritical." Ye Zi spat.

"In this world, there are many things that may not be good to know. Just like you watched a horror movie, you might regret it when you go to bed at night."

"I'm not afraid of horror movies!" Ye Zi retorted, but his tone was not very strong.

"Stop it, let me rest for a while." Xiao Chen ignored Ye Zi, but walked to a stone, leaned down like a nap, and closed his eyes. Slowly, the sound of waves and storms rang in his ears, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw huge waves in the sea...

Xiao Chen once again faced the scouring of the storm on the ship. The book spirit that first appeared as the captain had long disappeared, leaving him alone to face the violent and lonely world. However, since Xiao Chen burst out in the library to control the scroll with all his strength, he found an obvious change, and his will seemed to be more able to influence the world. This ability is still very weak now, and can only slightly change the direction of the rain on his cheeks, so that they avoid flowing into the eyes, but he knows that he is on the right path.

Before leaving, Shu Ling said to him: "If you want to be strong, learn to control this world." He didn't understand what the so-called control was at the time, but when a drop of water changed its sliding direction because of his thoughts, he understood the method of cultivation. What he saw and felt here are actually things in his mind. In this case, control is to change them with consciousness.

He can feel that this control power is improving day by day, insignificant, but never stopping. Does this mean that one day he can calm the storm and the turbulent sea, and he can completely control his mental power?

Xiao Chen didn't know how long he stayed in the meditation space until a scream woke him up. He opened his eyes and saw Ye Zi shouting loudly, forcing a humanoid creature about one meter long with her gun, trapping it in a corner. Others also looked at it nervously and shocked. Zhang Sicheng picked up the dog-leg knife, and Shi Hao and the others held up their rifles. The little man seemed to be confused, trembling as he looked at so many people surrounding it.

Xiao Chen looked closely and found that his skin was a strange yellow-green color. His head was a little larger than his body, with a pair of copper bell-like eyes and thin and long ears. His mouth was also very big, baring his fangs and roaring at Ye Zi. The only clothing on his body was a tattered grass skirt. In one hand he held a short spear made of a sharpened wooden stick, and in the other hand he held Ye Zi's backpack.

Thief?

"This is a goblin! How can there be a goblin here?!" The guide Awad shouted, and Xiao Chen saw confusion and worry in his eyes.