The end of the world: mountain and sea disasters

Chapter 51 Source of infection

There were no blizzards to obscure the view.

Climbing trees is not difficult for Yu Ke.

First, rely on the short knife to rise to a height high enough to reach the branches. With the density of trees deep in the Jinghu Forest, there are many places where you can use your strength.

The patrol team members nearby were still using professional tools to climb the tree. Yu Ke had already easily climbed to a high place. Also moving quickly was the leader of the hunting team, Anseli. She chose the same climbing method as Yu Ke, with the help of Hengsheng. of branches.

It was at this time that Yu Ke noticed that Anseli should also be a transcendent person.

Unlike himself who relied on high perception and strong physical fitness, Anseli's long legs seemed to have built-in springs.

A simple bend of the knee can make her fly into the air, easily jumping to a height of three to five meters. You must know that this is taking off from a tree branch, or more than fifty meters in the air. It is already amazing for a normal person to not have weak legs.

"If you want to be the captain of the hunting team, you have to have some skills."

Noticing Yu Ke's gaze, Anseli stood still among the branches, turned around and said.

The two of them ascended alternately, and soon came to the outside of the human-faced owl's nest, where they saw the suspended nest that was still covered with snow.

"These criss-crossing vines are where human-faced owls store their prey. Look at those hanging vines, with shoes and rags hanging from the ends. The samples I collected earlier were cut from them."

The hugeness of the trees made the branches strong enough. Yu Ke walked on them, pointing out the hanging nest first, then turning to the tree hole next to it, and added,
"The human-faced owl was hiding in the tree hole over there. The tree hole is at a certain height and it's very dark inside. You have to be careful when climbing in."

Yu Ke came here to lead the way, and he had no intention of drilling another hole.

You must know that the tree hole is full of food residues left by various human-faced owls, and the smell is really not good.

After pointing out the direction to the hunting team, Yu Ke walked to the side and leaned against the tree trunk to give the hunting team room to move.

I took out the thermos bottle with tea from my backpack. I felt a little thirsty after walking in the forest for so long.

Blow away the foam, take a sip, and look up at the sky.

Standing at a height of 100 meters, there are not many branches to interfere with the view, and the sky seems to be much broader.

Most of the clouds left by the cold wave have dispersed unconsciously, and the gray sky is gradually turning into dark blue, with occasional birds passing by.

It's a pity that the sun is still hiding behind the clouds, as if it has been painted with a layer of gray paint. Maybe there will be a sunset in the evening?
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yu Ke observed how this elite team of the Forestry Defense Bureau performed its tasks.

The hunting patrol troops under the Forestry Protection Bureau have always been the best paid, and they also perform the most dangerous tasks.

Apart from anything else, at least his reputation in Danhang City is very good. It is the dream of many young soldiers to join this team and become a hero who protects Danhang City.

Facts have proved that the personal qualities of the hunting team members are indeed excellent.

Climb trees that are 100 meters high without any unnecessary complaints.

He is proficient in the use of professional tools, and his series of actions after arriving near the suspended nest are also quite methodical.

Move the position of the safety rope to test the strength of the suspended nest, and then divide into two groups to split.

A group of people were responsible for collecting vine samples on the hanging nest, taking photos, and recording every detail, especially those abnormal dark purple vines. There was also a dedicated person who took the raw meat prepared in advance for testing.

The other group followed Anseli to the tree cave. As the captain, Anseli personally entered the tree cave to check the situation inside.

Although combat ability is an important condition for joining the hunting team, personal ability obviously reflects more than just combat ability. It was quite interesting for Yu Ke, who was idle, to watch the work of the hunting team members. The action time given by Zhang Renqi was limited, so the patrol team could only speed up its action. After a while, Ansaili came out of the tree hole, handed several bags of collected samples to the team members, and went straight to Yu Ke's side. He came, took off his helmet after getting close, and looked solemn.

"Any unexpected discovery?"

After taking a sip of the hot tea in the thermos cup, Yu Ke closed the lid and asked.

"I think I know how the human-faced owl is infected with Pandora."

Anseli took off his rubber gloves, turned his eyes to the short knife inserted into the tree trunk by Yu Ke's side, or to be precise, the box of chocolate sandwich biscuits on the knife, and pursed his lips.

Is this guy here for an outing?
"Want a piece?"

"No, I can't eat anything after seeing what's in the tree hole."

"What is the route of infection you just mentioned?"

Changing the topic back on track, Yu Ke asked in a deep voice.

"Through the prey residues in the tree hole and the samples you collected last time, we can know that the food the human-faced owl ate has actually been infected. Because it ate such things, it itself was also invaded by Pandora. .”

Recalling what he had just seen, Anseli already had a guess in his mind and said,
"However, a considerable part of the prey here are farm workers. It is impossible for them to come into contact with Pandora. I think the problem lies in the hanging nest. First, the vines that arrange the nest have been infected by Pandora, and they are in contact with humans. Contact with the owl's prey contaminates the meat, ultimately causing the human-faced owl to become infected."

"Where did these vines get infected with Pandora?"

Yu Ke asked, and then both he and Anseli seemed to have thought of something. They looked at the main stems of vines connecting the left and right sides of the suspended nest, and then looked along them towards the jungle floor.

You must know that this is a hundred meters high in the air. The vines that appear here usually climb up around the tree trunks, with their roots still underground.

"Researchers at the Little Garden Workstation discovered Pandora in a nearby stream."

Alanceri suddenly mentioned the location where Pandora was found.

Yu Ke was stunned for half a second, then without saying a word he put away his dagger and biscuit box and jumped down, quickly returning to the jungle floor.

The figure jumped between the gaps in the branches. On the way down, Yu Ke kept observing the direction of the main stem of the vines wrapped around the tree trunk, recalling Anseli's discovery in his mind.

If the vines in the hanging nest are the main reason why the human-faced owl is infected with Pandora.

Then there are ways for vines that won't move to become infected.

There is no such thing as a plant that can move its nest, so there is only one possibility left: there is already a problem with the water and soil in this forest area!
It's easy to test this guess.

After falling back to the ground, Yu Ke drew out his short knife again and cut off the main stems of two ferns at a nearby location, locking his sight on the cross section.

When he saw the dark purple stem core inside the dark green skin, even Yu Ke couldn't help but fall silent.

The answer is already in front of us.

Pandora infected all the plants in this forest area by contaminating the water source.

It's just that it hasn't been that long, so their mutations don't have obvious features. Instead, the carnivorous human-faced owl mutated first because it was needed by Pandora.

(End of this chapter)