Day by day in the infinite game

Chapter 309 309. Tropical Rainforest Exploration Mission (28)

Laojiu was obsessed with collecting various insect carcasses, and found several hollow skin sacs with obvious abnormalities.

There were two insects that had been hollowed out from their backs for unknown reasons. It looked like only the outer layer of skin was left, but they still had the ability to move, although their movements were stiff and slow.

This piqued his curiosity.

Is this the rumored "zombie insect"?
The so-called "zombie insects" refer to insects that are infected by certain parasitic fungi and behave abnormally.

In 1859, scientists discovered a large number of ants with strange shapes on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. They seemed to be sealed on plants, and a whisker grew out of their heads.

This is the first time in human history that "zombie insects" have been discovered.

The precious Chinese medicinal materials such as Cordyceps sinensis that we often hear about in our lives are the result of insect larvae being infected by the parasitic Cordyceps fungus.

There are more than 600 species of Cordyceps distributed in the world, most of which are found in tropical rainforests.In addition, thousands of species of zombie fungi live here.

They infect selected "hosts" by releasing spores, and suck their nutrients to raise their "offspring".

"Zombie fungi" are highly parasitic on relatively weak animals such as ants.

Therefore, in the Amazon rainforest, if you observe carefully, you can often see ants that have left the team, twitching, and shaking unconsciously. They are "zombie ants" infected by fungi.

After becoming "zombie ants", they have the ability to continue to spread spores and continue to infect other ants.

After some searching, Laojiu discovered more types of "zombie insects".

He brought the precious specimens to report to Song Yuanze, his eyes filled with surprise and excitement as if he had discovered a new world.

"Boss, boss! Look what I found!"

This time, the one who arrived before anyone else arrived was not Lao Tian who was making a loud noise, but Lao Jiu, who had always been calm and composed.

Song Yuanze raised his eyebrows curiously and looked at the tray in Laojiu's hand.

He knew that his brother had recently become a "collector" and liked to collect all kinds of animal and plant specimens.

But this was the first time it was shown to him.

However, something doesn’t seem right about these “specimens”?

Song Yuanze walked over and looked carefully.

"These are zombie insects, right? You still collect these?"

"I didn't collect it specially, I just happened to come across it and I was very interested."

Laojiu held the tray carefully, treating these "puppetes" controlled by parasitic fungi as treasures.

What really interested him was not these bodies that had lost their beauty and display function, but this mysterious parasitic fungus.

Of course, because they did not pose a threat to humans, he dared to get close to them.

Other players saw that Lao Jiu was holding the tray with great care, and they also came over to take a look.

Soon, Laojiu gained several "like-minded" brothers.

Under their "enthusiastic" urging, Laojiu had to collect his "trophies" and then take them to find more "puppets" whose souls had left their bodies.

People who saw it thought it was an eye-opener and saw the excitement, but no one took it to heart. They just groaned a few times while watching and lamented the cruelty of nature.

Except for the few Laojiu people who went to "not do their job", the remaining players are still diligently carrying out the great cause of "nurturing trees into forests".

Rotten tree stumps turned into soil, and new seedlings thrived on the foundation they laid.

Song Yuanze walked up to Tang Qinqin and gathered up her broken hair.

Tang Qinqin looked up at him with a smile.

"Hey, Aze, why does your face look a little gray?"

Thinking it was a problem with the angle, she took a closer look, but Song Yuanze's originally healthy complexion was indeed much darker.

She is now at the second level of hearing and visual acuity, and at the stage of mental clarity and luminous eyesight, she can see directly through the surface of the skin when using her abilities.

However, the gloominess on Song Yuanze's face did not come from the inside out, but only superficially surfaced.

She stretched out her fingers and touched his face lightly.

As expected, her fingers were also stained with a dusty, granular substance.

"What is this? Dust?"

Song Yuanze expressed doubts.

How could there be dirt on my face?
Did you accidentally throw dirt on your face just now?
Tang Qinqin shook his head.

The moment she took her hand back, she felt a slight vibration from her psychic ability.

That was telling her that the thing on her fingers was not dust, but a living substance.

"Xiao Qi, scan it for me."

Tang Qinqin stretched out his fingers and used his other hand to lift the broken cat out by the back of its neck.

Xiao Qi shook her body and stretched herself deeply.

"Meow!" Now this cat meow has been learned very well.

Tang Qinqin touched its head very humiliatingly.

"Qin Qin, its data does not exist in the existing species database, but after comparison, it is very similar to a known fungal spore."

After a period of scanning and processing, Xiao Qi finally gave the answer.

"Spores?" Tang and Song both looked surprised.

When people think of spores, the first thing that comes to mind is the mushrooms on the table. They reproduce by spraying spores.

However, how "lucky" must we be to have the spores "powdered" on our face?
Tang Qinqin was about to laugh when he heard Xiao Qi's voice continue: "Qinqin, what I didn't have time to say is that the fungus that is very similar to it is a parasitic fungus..."

Tang and Song Dynasties:? !

Not mentioning the parasitic fungus, Song Yuanze still had no impression of it. As soon as Xiao Qi mentioned it, he suddenly felt something in his heart.

parasitic?

Could it be those "puppet" insects that Laojiu just brought?
Whether it is true or not, it is useless for him to guess here, he can tell by calling all the big guys who have just watched "lively" over.

If they all have the same "black face" as him, they basically won't run away.

The players were gathered together in a hurry.

Tang Qinqin took a closer look, hey, good guy, except for a few little sisters who had just stayed with her and hadn't gone anywhere, the rest of them looked up at the same gray face as Song Yuanze.

Laojiu's "puppet" was basically causing trouble, and Song Yuanze quickly called Laojiu and the others back.

Not surprisingly, these guys also have spore powder on their faces.

Even because they went to the "spore transmission center" area again, the spore powder on their faces was thicker, their faces were darker, and their "complexion" visible to the naked eye was not good.

After learning from Song Yuanze that the reason why he hurriedly called them back was because everyone's faces were covered with parasitic fungal spores, Laojiu breathed a sigh of relief: "What do I mean, boss, brothers, everyone Don’t be afraid, it’s not a big deal, I know this parasitic fungus, it won’t do any harm to us humans, it mainly parasitizes small insects such as ants.”

As he spoke, he moved his wrist, preparing to take out his treasure tray from his backpack and show it to everyone again.

"Old wine! Wait! Listen to me first!"

Seeing this, Song Yuanze quickly stood up to stop him.

(End of this chapter)