Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot
Chapter 1581 - 664: Fusion of Mutated Plants

Chapter 1581: Chapter 664: Fusion of Mutated Plants

The 800,000 people from the Red Maple Base successfully evacuated, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe yet.

Next, they still have at least three days of travel ahead to reach the new base, and there will undoubtedly be plenty of dangers along the way. That’s why Wang Tao and others are escorting them.

Xiao Jin quickly caught up with the main unit.

Looking at the dense, seemingly zombie tide-like crowd below, the people on the Golden Eagle’s back couldn’t help but be startled. Clearly, it was their first time witnessing such a large-scale population migration.

Wang Tao had initially worried that having too many people might lead to confusion, thereby slowing the march. But after carefully observing, he finally felt relieved.

Although the crowd below was large, they were segmented into small square formations by those mutated plants. Each formation was guarded by soldiers to ensure nothing went wrong. As long as these small formations stayed intact, the entire large formation would remain in order.

This sounded simple, but it was extremely difficult in execution. Not to mention the various details, Wang Tao couldn’t figure out how these small formations received and executed orders from above.

All electronic devices had long failed. The Hope Research Institute had been working on new communication devices, and while they had developed items like Crystal Energy Watches, these devices only worked within the Changhe Base—outside the barrier, they were useless.

Thus, Wang Tao was quite curious about how the people from Red Maple Base managed to effectively follow orders.

Could it be that Red Maple Base had developed equipment capable of communications outside? Or perhaps they had revealed something like Perception Rings or biological weapons?

Qu Shilin also found this aspect intriguing and urged Wang Tao to go ask about it.

"Alright, let’s head over."

Wang Tao directed the Golden Eagle to fly to the front of the convoy, where the leaders of Red Maple Base were situated.

Soon, Wang Tao spotted Xiang Bo and others. They were seated on topless "Leaf Cars," looking quite conspicuous.

Upon spotting the Golden Eagle approaching, Xiang Bo and the others wore relieved smiles on their faces.

Wang Tao’s group was tasked with guarding the rear, so if Wang Tao didn’t report any problems, it meant that their retreat this time had been extremely successful.

"On behalf of the 800,000 residents of Red Maple Base, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Wang!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wang..."

After Wang Tao landed on the Leaf Car, Xiang Bo immediately led the group of leaders in bowing deeply to Wang Tao.

If Wang Tao hadn’t brought so many experts, it would have been impossible to evacuate Red Maple Base quickly. Every additional minute spent would have meant increased danger, and at that point, even if they managed to evacuate, it was unlikely more than ten percent would have survived.

"No need for thanks."

Wang Tao accepted their bow with a smile, but then asked somewhat curiously:

"Why haven’t I seen Han Youlin? Didn’t he come out earlier? Has something unexpected happened?"

At Red Maple Base, Xiang Bo, as the Mayor, was simply an executor; the real decision-makers were the military. Commander Han Youlin had actual control over Red Maple Base.

Therefore, Wang Tao found it strange that Han Youlin wasn’t there. Given his status, it seemed unlikely something had happened to him.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang. Commander Han is currently in the command center."

Xiang Bo promptly explained.

"Command center?"

"It’s in a Red Mushroom at the center of the convoy..."

Xiang Bo pointed to the middle of the crowd.

During this evacuation, not only did the people move out, but even the movable mutated plant-based structures were relocated. Some of these mutated plants were still alive and relatively easy to transport, and Han Youlin was inside one of these living mutated plant structures.

"Wow... You’ve made significant progress in controlling mutated plants, even allowing them to leave the base!"

Wang Tao remarked in amazement.

These mutated plants were actually controlled by humans, but to do so required transmitting brainwave signals to the plants. Underneath Red Maple Base was a special type of mutated plant capable of serving as a medium to relay brainwave signals, enabling seamless control within the base. However, these unique mutated plants only existed beneath Red Maple Base, and attempts to transplant them elsewhere always resulted in their death.

Wang Tao guessed that they might have succeeded in finding a way to transplant them? The instantaneous communication between the small formations might also have something to do with this.

"Honestly, we didn’t expect it either. All of this is thanks to Commander Han’s research..."

Xiang Bo showed a trace of relief on his face. If not for these mutated plants serving as transport vehicles and helping carry many supplies, the speed of their relocation would certainly have been much slower.

However, Wang Tao keenly noticed that when Xiang Bo mentioned this, the faces of Tu Li, the Liehuo Gang Leader, and others standing nearby looked somewhat uneasy.

"What’s wrong with all of you?"

Wang Tao asked curiously before directly addressing the issue.

Tu Li hesitated for a moment before seemingly resolving herself and rolling up her sleeve.

Wang Tao’s pupils contracted in an instant.

The last time Wang Tao had interacted with Tu Li, her arms were smooth and flawless, comparable to those of a young woman. But now, her forearm had turned dark brown, rough and textured—like tree bark! Yet her upper arm above the elbow remained as smooth as before...

"Your arm..."

Wang Tao grabbed her arm directly, feeling the texture, which indeed resembled tree bark.

Qu Shilin and the others widened their eyes in shock, equally baffled by the situation.

"The price of gaining power..."

Tu Li’s face showed a trace of pain, but she didn’t conceal the truth and explained the situation to Wang Tao and the others.

The mutated plants within Red Maple Base had always been under military control, and after such an extended period of experimentation and manipulation, it was inevitable that they had made certain breakthroughs.