This Text Adventure Game is definitely poisonous
Chapter 1547 - 666: The Wonderful Ecology of Jie Lin (Part 1)_2

Chapter 1547: Chapter 666: The Wonderful Ecology of Jie Lin (Part 1)_2

[You look up and see the tree hole extending upward for over a thousand meters, with no tree crown at the top, exposing it directly to the air like a chimney. The reason no strong winds are pouring in from above is that the Forbidden Wood is tall enough, with the treetop exceeding the range of the Knife Wind.]

"Looks like it won’t end anytime soon..."

According to the text earlier, the Knife Wind will last more than five hours, during which it is impossible to go out.

Mu You was about to go AFK to take a break, but unexpectedly, a prompt from Ava popped up again.

["Warning, a similar pulse signal is being sensed, continuously transmitting from three kilometers ahead to the right."]

"Oh?" Mu You was delighted, thinking his luck was not bad. He had just found a shelter, and now he had also located the Mechanic’s signal. It was a double blessing.

But he didn’t expect Ava’s next words to wipe the smile off his face.

["The signal is currently moving and is about to leave the sensing range. Would you like to track it immediately?"]

"???"

Mu You was bewildered. What does it mean by moving? Isn’t this signal supposed to be inscribed on the Moon Stone in the Moon Well?

Could it be that the Mechanic is still alive?

Or did someone else obtain the Moon Stone?

Mu You couldn’t determine for sure. Normally, he wouldn’t plan to venture out at a time like this. At least he would wait for the Knife Wind to stop before making a move.

However, the object was in motion, and if he didn’t seek it now, it might just pass by him...

The red text kept flashing. There was no time to hesitate.

Mu You thought for a moment and decided decisively: go for it!

The Jie Lin is simply too vast. Missing it once could mean missing it forever.

[You push aside the rocks outside the tree hole and crawl out, once again facing the Knife Wind...]

Mu You then braced against the Knife Wind, beginning his search for the signal under Ava’s guidance.

Along the way, the corpses of various small animals could be seen everywhere, mostly unable to avoid being pierced through by Crystal Thorns and killed instantly.

The Knife Wind permeated throughout the entire Jie Lin, covering all angles. Except for those with thick hides and strong bodies, most creatures exposed to the air could not withstand such damage.

At this time, most small animals either possessed the ability to dig and concealed themselves in underground burrows or had the ability to fly beyond the treetop of the Forbidden Wood, evading the Knife Wind’s range.

But there were still many medium and small-sized creatures, like humans, who had neither the ability to burrow nor to fly, and Mu You was quite curious about how these creatures usually survived the Knife Wind.

[The Knife Wind seemed even sharper than before, with sharp Crystal Stone fragments continuously cutting into your skin. Blood flowed as your life decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye...]

Mu You glanced at the panel. In such a harsh environment, being exposed to the air for more than ten minutes would kill him.

Fortunately, the signal position wasn’t too far. After stepping out, Mu You braved the wind, dashed forward, and quickly covered the three-kilometer distance.

[You see in the forest ahead a giant snail, tens of meters long. Its body is translucent like a blob of jelly, slowly crawling amid the Knife Wind. Its hard shell protected it from all the Crystal Thorns attacking from above.]

[A large number of small animals gathered from all directions, congregating before the giant snail, trying to hide inside it for refuge.]

[The snail welcomed all comers, opening its mouth to form a soft passage straight to its stomach. The small animals lined up orderly, climbing into the snail’s mouth and entering its abdominal space for shelter...]

[According to Ava’s guidance, the pulse signal is indeed being emitted from inside this snail. Would you like to search for it?]

"..." Mu You’s expression was odd. The signal was inside the snail’s belly, and from what it seemed, this snail had become a refuge from the Knife Wind for these small animals... Mu You vaguely understood what was going on.

"Yes."

[You approached the giant snail quickly, following the small animals around you and stepping into the snail’s mouth.]

All these native small animals dared to crawl directly into the snail’s belly, indicating that this snail was likely a harmless creature.

[After passing through the soft, moist, and slippery esophagus, you finally reached the snail’s belly.]

[It was a spacious and warm biological cavity, at present filled with a large number of small-sized creatures. They temporarily set aside their external food chain conflicts and predatory behaviors, cuddling together for warmth and rest.]

Mu You didn’t expect that there was indeed such a ’saint-like’ animal in Jie Lin that selflessly used its body as a refuge during natural disasters, sheltering small animals from the wind and rain.

On Earth, generally, behaviors like attracting other animals into one’s body amidst environmental changes are aimed at eating them. Once external organisms enter, they would be rapidly digested by strong stomach acid.

But this snail was different. Its belly secreted no harmful substances, merely providing a safe space.

Because the incoming animals varied in shape, many had sharp fangs and claws; walking on the delicate flesh unconsciously caused numerous hard-to-heal wounds on the snail’s internal organs.

So Mu You was curious about what the snail’s purpose was in tolerating injuries to protect these small animals. In normal biological evolution, such completely ’altruistic’ behavior should theoretically not exist.

Leaving this aside for now, after entering the snail’s interior, Mu You immediately followed Ava’s guidance and found the source of the signal—a white duck with a big mouth.