mtl008 Chapter 273 Collection 1
Chapter 273 Collection 1
A soft light shone through the car window, illuminating the interior. Jiang Li's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, still feeling a bit sleepy.
After a few seconds of contemplation, she remembered where she was.
Jiang Li grabbed the coat that had slipped off her body, knowing that Ye Jingmo must have put it on her while she was asleep. She subconsciously looked for Ye Jingmo, but the seat next to her was empty.
Looking in the rearview mirror, Ye Jingmo saw Jiang Li's fair face, still showing the bewilderment of someone just waking up, like a lost fawn. A smile played on his lips, and his deep, magnetic voice said, "Awake?!"
Jiang Li subconsciously looked up and saw Ye Jingmo driving the car. She leaned her fluffy head closer and asked, "Brother Mo, where are we now?"
Ye Jingmo squinted. Although he had only driven for about two hours, he had been paying close attention to the road ahead, and his eyes were still a little dry and uncomfortable.
"We should be able to reach Guangyan Mountain in about half an hour."
Jiang Li glanced at her watch. Although she couldn't communicate outside the base, the most basic function of telling time was still working.
Hearing Jiang Li and Ye Jingmo talking, the people in the car gradually woke up.
Wang Hao and Ye Jingmo checked the route they had taken and quickly determined their location. Just as Ye Jingmo had predicted, they would arrive at Guangyan Mountain in about half an hour.
Everyone simply wiped their faces with wet wipes, treating it as a morning wash. The cool sensation on their faces immediately invigorated them, making them feel like wild beasts that had just woken up, full of energy.
Knowing that they would reach Guangyan Mountain in half an hour, everyone felt a surge of excitement; they had finally arrived at their destination.
Nowadays, people don't have the habit of eating breakfast anymore. After all, most people can't even get enough to eat, so how could they possibly eat three meals a day? Being able to eat two meals a day is already considered a good thing.
Jiang Li listened to her stomach growling and secretly touched it, as if she could feel that her stomach was already empty. She planned to secretly eat something after entering Guangyan Mountain.
"Everyone, please keep your backpacks on and remember to bring your gathering tools. Be extra vigilant in the mountains, as danger can strike in an instant."
Wang Hao straightened his back and meticulously explained the precautions for entering the mountains.
Ye Jingmo had just noticed Jiang Li's little actions. He knew that Jiang Li was hungry. If a large group of people went into the mountains, there would be no time to be alone, let alone steal food.
He frowned and said, "The car needs someone to watch the hand. Mingkai's hand needs another day to recover. I don't know if he will be able to drive in an emergency."
If possible, I think we should leave him here to guard the car, and the rest of us can go into the mountains.
When we go into the mountains, we don't need everyone to explore in one direction. Instead, we should explore in pairs within a 100-meter radius. This will greatly increase our chances of finding herbs.
Fu Qian hesitated for a moment and said, "Wouldn't it be too dangerous to split up?"
Wang Hao rested his chin on his hand, his face deep in thought. He was pondering Ye Jingmo's words, "Everyone is within 100 meters. If anything unexpected happens, we can react immediately and provide reinforcements."
Just as Jingmo said, if everyone explores together, it will take too long. They might not even have covered half the mountain by the end of the allotted time.
He then looked at Zhao Mingkai with concern in his eyes, "Mingkai, can your hands drive a car? Do you need me to send someone to stay with you?"
Zhao Mingkai immediately refused, as there was nothing wrong with his right hand and he could drive with one hand.
He already felt guilty for being unable to participate in the mission due to his injured hand, and he didn't know what to say if he had to ask someone else to stay in the car with him.
"Okay, you stay in the car. If anything happens, drive away. Don't fight it out. Wait until the danger has passed before driving back."
After Wang Hao finished speaking, everyone began to organize their backpacks to avoid leaving anything behind.
As the road gradually became steeper, the cement road turned into a dirt road, and the car kept bumping and jolting through the uneven mud. Everyone knew that they were getting closer and closer to Guangyan Mountain.
Finally, the car slowly came to a stop. Ye Jingmo looked at the road ahead and said, "The road ahead is impassable for cars. We'll have to get off here."
The mountain forest was shrouded in mist, like a thin veil, obscuring visibility. The bright headlights struggled to pierce the thick fog ahead, barely allowing everyone to see the road shrouded in wild grass.
The road was narrow and winding, like an S-shaped snake, meandering and twisting. The sprawling branches, shrouded in thick fog, looked like devils beckoning, adding to the sense of terror and desolation.
Everyone shouldered backpacks, donned camouflage uniforms to cover their entire bodies, and half-covered their faces with handkerchiefs. This was to prevent their skin from being cut by wild grass or bitten by unknown insects while trekking through the mountains and forests.
Jiang Li squatted down and put special little shoes on Pudding to prevent its claws from scratching itself while walking on the mountain path.
Pudding was already used to wearing shoes. It obediently lifted its leg and let Jiang Li put the shoes on its paws. Its eyes were full of excitement. It knew it could go out to play soon.
Everyone gradually got out of the car, with Ye Jingmo and Jiang Li being the last to get off.
Wang Hao took out sickles from the trunk and gave one to everyone. Considering the complex conditions of the mountain forest, the base definitely needed to have sickles.
If you encounter weeds or branches blocking your way, you can easily cut them down with a sickle.
"The mountain road here is difficult to walk, so everyone be careful not to fall behind."
Wang Hao, carrying a sickle, walked at the front of the group, clearing a path for everyone to go up the mountain.
After several months, the once barren trees sprouted new buds, and the untouched forests were transformed into a paradise for plants and animals, which grew wildly, creating a vibrant and lively scene.
Wang Tang frowned slightly, pulling his feet out of the wet mud for what seemed like the umpteenth time. He complained, "Why is the soil on this mountain path wet? Walking like this is too tiring!"
Zhang Tianmeng swatted a mosquito that landed on his face and said helplessly, "It must have rained here in the last couple of days. Because of the fog, the water in the soil doesn't evaporate easily, leaving behind small puddles."
"This damn weather."
Wang Tang couldn't help but curse out loud.
"Say less and save your energy."
Liu Yu walked over to Wang Tang, patted him on the shoulder, and handed him a wooden stick.
Looking at the straight, arrow-like wooden stick, Wang Tang's eyes flashed with delight. "Where did you find this 'Dream Branch'? It's so cool!"
Wang Tang couldn't help but swing his wooden stick, striking the branches beside him. Several whooshing sounds were heard as broken leaves fell to the ground.
Liu Yu watched Wang Tang twirling the wooden stick with great enjoyment, his face speechless. "This is for you to use to scout the way, so you don't keep stepping into mud pits. It's not for you to play with."
Your behavior makes me seriously doubt whether you're even five years old.
Wang Tang touched the rough bark of the stick with interest, "How can a stick be made to undertake such a difficult task? What if it gets dirty? I think I can just step into the pit myself."
Jiang Li, leaning on the branch Ye Jingmo had picked for her, walked slowly along the mountain path. Hearing the conversation between Wang Tang and the other two ahead, she was filled with question marks.
No, are all men this childish?
Jiang Li turned her head to look at Ye Jingmo, who was holding her hand beside her. His face was as sharp as if carved by a knife, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and he exuded an unapproachable pressure, radiating the charm of a mature man.
Jiang Li thought to herself, "As expected, Brother Mo is the most reliable."
Noticing Jiang Li's gaze, Ye Jingmo raised an eyebrow slightly and leaned closer to Jiang Li's ear to ask, "What's wrong?"
Warm air sprayed against her sensitive ears, and a deep, magnetic voice rang out, sending a tingling sensation through Jiang Li's entire body.
"Nothing, I just think you're very handsome, Brother Mo."
Okay, watch your step and don't lead me into a ditch.
Jiang Li was still somewhat lost in thought when she heard the commotion coming from ahead.
Everyone stopped in their tracks. Wang Tang and his two companions also ceased their playful antics, placing their sickles in front of their chests and looking ahead warily.
A sound suddenly came from the quiet mountain forest, and something seemed very wrong.
Wang Hao lowered his body and nimbly leaned forward, returning shortly afterward.
"There are two groups of monkeys fighting ahead, seemingly vying for territory. Let's take the other side of the road to avoid running into them."
Everyone knew that the fighting power of wild monkeys should not be underestimated, so they tiptoed into the nearby bushes.
Two people took turns leading the way, and the group finally entered the forest.
"Using this big tree as the starting point, everyone should search at intervals of 100 meters. If anything goes wrong, shout for help and wait for reinforcements to arrive."
The eight people dispersed, and Jiang Li and Ye Jingmo headed north.
After walking for a while, the two looked back and saw no one else. Jiang Li immediately took out a shumai from her backpack as if it were a treasure.
"Brother Mo, are you hungry? Have some shumai to fill your stomach. You won't want to work if you're hungry."
Jiang Li pulled Ye Jingmo to a clean-looking rock to sit down.
She eagerly picked up a piece of shumai and stuffed it into Ye Jingmo's mouth, then picked up a piece and put it into her own mouth as well.
The thin outer skin of the shumai is filled with savory glutinous rice and lean meat, and inside is a golden, oily salted egg yolk, giving it a sandy texture when you bite into it.
While chewing, Jiang Li didn't forget to pick up a piece and throw it to Pudding. Pudding jumped up and caught the shumai in mid-air.
The shumai tastes so delicious that you can't stop eating it.
Soon, the box of shumai was completely devoured by the two people and their dog.
Jiang Li licked her lips, still wanting more, put the empty box into her spatial storage, and then stood up. "Alright, now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time for us to get to work."
Ye Jingmo looked at Jiang Li's energetic appearance and a smile appeared on his lips.
“Brother Mo, let’s look in darker, damper places. I saw in the base’s report that there are usually mushrooms and dead wood near vanilla flowers, which means it probably likes dark and damp environments.”
Jiang Li and Ye Jingmo were discussing the key points she had found in the documents.
"Okay, let's search under those rotting trees or in other hidden places."
Ye Jingmo and Jiang Li searched the nearby dead trees or places hidden by stones, trying to find traces of the vanilla flowers.
As for Pudding, it can just play around nearby for now.
Since there was no sample of vanilla flowers, Pudding had no idea what to look for.
Asking a dog to imagine things out of thin air is indeed asking too much of it.
Although we already know the habits of vanilla flowers, finding them is still very difficult, since vanilla flowers don't grow in every dark place.
Jiang Li and Ye Jingmo specifically searched those dark and damp places, but they found nothing after searching several places.
Jiang Li's gloves were covered in damp, rotten mud. She looked frustrated. She was indeed searching in such an environment, but she just couldn't find a single herb.
She even began to doubt whether her assumptions were wrong.
Well, there's nothing we can do now. Let's move on to the next place and see.
Jiang Li walked listlessly to a dead tree. The tree should not have been dead for long, as there were no obvious signs of insect damage.
Jiang Li, without much hope, rummaged through the pile of rotting leaves beneath it.
Suddenly, she saw a plant with small white flowers.
Jiang Li subconsciously reduced her strength, afraid of knocking down the seemingly delicate little flower. She would be heartbroken if it lost even a single leaf.
Jiang Li turned her head excitedly and called out to Ye Jingmo, who was searching behind the tree, "Brother Mo, come here quickly."
Hearing Jiang Li's call, Ye Jingmo strode over.
Jiang Li leaned closer to the little flower and smelled it; a unique fragrance reached her nose.
Jiang Li didn't know how to describe the scent. She felt it was a faint sandalwood scent mixed with floral fragrance, but not quite. However, the aroma made her feel relaxed and comfortable.
She carefully dug out the vanilla flowers with a shovel, without touching any roots or stems, and handed them to Ye Jingmo.
“This must be vanilla flowers.” Ye Jingmo also smelled the special fragrance and nodded in confirmation.
He called out to Pudding, who was playing nearby, "Pudding, come here."
Upon hearing Ye Jingmo's call, Pudding immediately abandoned its new toy and ran over on all fours.
It tilted its head, seemingly wondering why Ye Jingmo had called it.
Jiang Li held the vanilla flower to its nose and urged, "Pudding, quickly smell this flower and take us to find the same flower."
Pudding sniffed the scent of vanilla flowers. The strong fragrance made it sneeze. It had never smelled such a peculiar scent before, and couldn't help but sniff it again.
Woof~ I feel a bit tipsy.
Jiang Li put the herb she had finally found into a special storage bag, then looked at Pudding with anticipation.