Jin Zhuyuan shook past it, and the scene was close in front of him, and his face turned white.

"Concentrate and prepare to land!" Zhou Yu's shouts brought him back to his senses.

The three of them landed at a high level, and they became farther and farther away from the lake where the aquatic dragons lived, and they were gradually nowhere to be seen.

They landed on the tree, Zhou Yu lowered his head to observe the ground situation and landed, Wu Yun also followed, the two of them back to back, pulled out their guns.

Jin Zhuyuan, the only newcomer in their team, also landed, and he immediately came to Zhou Yu and Wu Yun's side, forming a triangular formation.

Wu Yun glanced at the locator on his wrist. All researchers will have a positioning device on their ankles, and the signal sent will be picked up by the locator to determine the location of the researcher who is out.

The locator showed that the two researchers were not far away.

Wu Yun made a gesture, and the newcomer followed Wu Yun with a gun, and Zhou Yu maintained his posture with his back to them, guarding behind them.

Ahead was an ancient tree, its roots growing out of the ground and tangled in their roots.

Wu Yun stopped, and the newcomer next to him was about to step forward, but was stopped by Wu Yun.

"Be careful, it's no ordinary tree."

All plants that do not have animal nerves are classified as E-class organisms, i.e., the safest organisms.

Jin Zhuyuan turned his face sideways and saw that among the twisted roots of the tree in front of him, a researcher's body had been penetrated and contained in it. He has become the nourishment of that tree.

"My God......" Kim Joo Won showed a surprised expression.

It was not the first time Zhou Yu had seen such a situation, the last time he and Mo Ye had seen a vine in the primeval forest that attracted the prey with the fragrance of the fruit, and then wound the prey to absorb nutrients.

His body didn't tremble in the slightest.

"We ...... How do you get him out? ”

Wu Yun shook his head: "It's impossible...... I can't save it anymore......"

The researcher seemed to hear their conversation, and opened his eyes slightly, his eyes longing in his gaze, his lips opening and closing.

"What is he talking about?" Kim Ju-won asked.

"He's saying, 'Kill me.'" Wu Yun replied.

He was in pain, every minute and every second was torture.

Wu Yun raised his gun, and no one stopped him. But it wasn't the researcher he hit, it was the tree.

"Bang-" The bullet sank into the trunk of the tree, and the neurotoxin began to spread. The tree withered quickly, split in the middle and fell with a bang.

Zhou Yu took a step to the side, and the tree fell beside him.

Wu Yun came to the broken roots, and the researcher's pained expression gradually became calm due to the infiltration of neurotoxins.

Wu Yun saw that he still had the sampler in his hand, so he took it out, sealed it, and put it in his backpack, and then took off his research recorder from his wrist.

"Is he finished?" Zhou Yu asked.

The end means whether the researcher is dead or not. In this world, death is sometimes a relief.

"Hmm." Wu Yun nodded.

He walked towards Zhou Yu, looked at the locator on his wrist as he walked, and said, "I guess the other researcher won't be much better." ”

At this time, Zhou Yu suddenly pulled the trigger, and the bullet grazed Wu Yun's shoulder, Wu Yun quickly evaded, and the newcomers kept shooting, which was particularly loud in the dead primeval forest.

Wu Yun turned his head and saw that the dead researcher was actually shaking to his feet, his eyes were unfocused, his eyeballs suddenly turned white, and the limbs destroyed by the roots of the tree were hanging there, and he was about to step towards Wu Yun step by step.

"What's going on? Our bullets can't kill him! ”

Jin Zhuyuan stepped back step by step, and he had already emptied the magazine.

The researcher approached him, opened his mouth to bite him, and the rhizome of some kind of plant seemed to be visible from his mouth.

At this time, Zhou Yu took out the dagger from his waist and flew out, just inserting it in his head.

Jin Zhuyuan had never seen such a scene: "This ...... Is this a zombie? ”

Wu Yun dragged him back: "It's not a zombie...... It was he who was parasitized before he was captured by the roots of the ancient tree. ”

They looked down and saw something under the researcher's feet reaching into the soil.

"We hit him, but we didn't hit the parasite in his body."

Wu Yun aimed at his feet, and before he could shoot, something suddenly grew out of the muzzle of his head, bursting his skull and rushing into the sky.

"It's mistletoe!"

The words fell, and the mistletoe fell to the side because there was no tree to cling to.

Zhou Yu didn't hesitate to hit with one shot. Mistletoe quickly withers and decays.

The newcomer exhaled.

Wu Yun raised his chin: "Are you leaving?" ”

"Let's go."

"There is also a researcher who wants to see people in life and corpses in death." Zhou Yu held the gun and continued to move forward.

Along the way, they saw many ancient trees. These ancient trees seemed to be quiet, but Zhou Yu seemed to hear the sound of their breathing.

At the root of an ancient tree, Zhou Yu saw fragments of camouflage uniforms, which must have been left by the guards who had protected the two researchers before. These ancient trees have attack power, but now they are so silent, they are waiting.

Once Zhou Yu and them go deep into it, they will attack, so that Zhou Yu and them have no chance to escape.

They seem to be the watchmen of the land, firmly protecting something.

Zhou Yu looked at Wu Yun, and Wu Yun nodded. The three of them took out the breathing filter and put it on their mouths and noses, and Wu Yun took out something like a grenade and threw it into the air.

The grenade whined, and the yellowish gas quickly erupted in all directions, spreading through the air.

The trees were about to move, their roots slowly pulling up from the soil, as if they were dying and trying to attack them.

Zhou Yu and Wu Yun were very calm, but Jin Zhuyuan was a little nervous. Now that he doesn't have the pride he had at the beginning, Wu Yun has experience, Zhou Yu has instantaneous judgment, and he has to keep up with them in order to survive.

The effect of the nerve anesthetic was most powerful within ten minutes, and the reaction of those trees gradually stopped. This is also specially prepared for them by the scientific researchers before Wu Yun went out of the mission.

It seems that the people who came here before did not expect such a situation.

In the Nibelungen, everyone is alive by stepping on the experiences of others. And these experiences often come at the cost of lives.

Wu Yun made a "forward" gesture.

According to the locator's pointing, they came to a cave.

"Hah...... Do you say he was dragged in by dangerous creatures, or did he hide in it out of fear? Wu Yun raised his eyebrows.

Zhou Yu turned on the strong flashlight and shone it in.

The hole is very deep, and the light of the flashlight hits more than ten meters without a bottom.

"Are we really going down?" Jin Zhuyuan looked at Zhou Yu and Wu Yun.

In just a few minutes, from the helicopter being attacked by an aquatic dragon, to facing the ancient tree that takes ** creatures as prey, and the mistletoe that grows from the human body, he has not had time to catch his breath, is he about to risk his life again?

"Did Song Zhi say why he sent a researcher here?" Zhou Yu asked. Having reached this point, Zhou Yu had to figure out what they were up against.

"Because there's an A-class creature growing here, Elpis. It has biological nerves and is even able to think and react to the outside world. According to the predictions of the research department, there is an Elpis plant here that is about to ripen. They have come to take the fruit. Wu Yun replied.

"How many guards are there besides the two researchers?" Zhou Yu asked.

He didn't like this kind of ambiguous task the most.

"A convoy of twelve." Wu Yun's brows furrowed, "There are quite a few of them, but no one has any contact with the base." They must have all been attacked by the ancient trees. The ancient tree we saw just now is the Guardian of Elpis. There are two kinds of fruit in Elpis. A seed is brought to the vicinity by special animals that inhabit the Elpis area, and when it falls into the soil, it grows into the ancient trees we see, and once it grows, it will launch a deadly attack on all creatures that try to invade the realm of Elpis. And another seed, a seed that only bears once in a thousand years, will produce Elpis offspring. When the young tree grows up, it sucks all the nutrients from the old tree, and the old tree dies. ”

"So they're here to pick that special fruit?" Zhou Yu asked.

"Yes." Wu Yun looked at the newcomer, "Hey, you just stay outside the cave, just in case." ”

"Wait, what if those guardians come to attack me?"

"You just shoot." Wu Yun said very simply, "Or will you go down with us?" ”

Looking at the cave that had no light at all, Jin Zhuyuan hesitated for a few seconds and then nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll stay outside." ”

Zhou Yu and Wu Yun nodded, and the two turned on the strong flashlight and went inside.

"Are you scared?" Wu Yun asked.

"What do you think is in the cave?"

They are still barely within the reach of the sun.

"Elpis is in there." Wu Yun said, "But have you ever heard of trees growing in caves? ”

"This is the Nibelungen, anything is possible."

When the darkness completely overwhelmed them, Zhou Yu couldn't even see Wu Yun, who was closest to him.

The road under your feet is bumpy, and if you step on something like a plant rhizome, you can fall if you are not careful.

In the darkness, Zhou Yu spoke: "While we are not yet close to the core of this cave, can you tell me why you must complete this task?" ”

Wu Yun's footsteps stopped.

"Isn't that what we're supposed to accomplish? Entrusted by others to be loyal to others. Juli Group pays money, and we work hard. Whatever they want, we will look for. Wu Yun's voice had a bit of a cold taste in this darkness.

"Really? Is there any task that can be higher than life? We are now on the verge of entering a very dangerous situation. Actually, you could have just gone back and told you that all the researchers and guards of the Juli Group had been killed by Elpis's guardians, and even we couldn't get close to Elpis. There are only three of us, and the twelve escort team can't do anything, even if we don't do it, Song Zhi can't blame us for anything. Unless Song Zhi gave you a death order, and for some reason, you must carry out this death order. Zhou Yu calmly analyzed.

“…… I do have a reason why I have to get the job done. Today in the helicopter I said that I was foolish, because I am not used to telling others what belongs to me. ”

"What you carry will not become what I carry just because you sue me."

Wu Yun chuckled: "Zhou Yu, this is the reason why I like you. You are direct, decent, and occasionally tell some hurtful truths. My wife has never messed around with anyone, on the contrary, we have a good relationship. She was in a car accident when she was eight months pregnant, and she died, and the doctor saved the baby by emergency cesarean section...... It's a daughter. Just as you spared no effort to protect Zhou Qing, my daughter is also a qiē of mine. But when she was eight years old, she was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus and ......"

"Then Juli Group found you." Zhou Yu continued to walk forward.

"Zhou Yu, if you encounter danger, you don't have to worry about me, I will withdraw immediately." Wu Yun said.

"I'm not going to do things that don't make sense. If I try you will die too, and I certainly won't waste my life. ”

“…… You're so hurtful. Wu Yun's voice sounded aggrieved but with a smile.

"You just said it, like my straightforward and hurtful truth."

They walked all the way forward, and Wu Yun's locator showed that the missing researcher was still more than a hundred meters ahead.

"This cave is too deep, isn't it?" Wu Yun muttered.

"It's not so much a cave as a tunnel leading to somewhere."

Wu Yun was about to continue to move forward, but was dragged by Zhou Yuyi: "Be careful!" ”

As soon as the flashlight shone, Wu Yun found that there was a vertical downward pit in front of him.

The rubble fell, making a crackling echo.

If you fall down at this height, if you don't die, you're not human.

"Do you want to go down?" Wu Yun asked for Zhou Yu's opinion. After all, Zhou Yu can quit just like that.

This task is too dangerous. From a rational point of view, Zhou Yu knew that he should withdraw and should also stop Wu Yun.

But a kind of ** inexplicably surged in the depths of his mind.

The darker and darker the place, the more secrets are worth discovering.

And that secret was like scratching Zhou Yu's heart.

"Let's go down and have a look." Zhou Yu took out the rope.

Because they were gliding down in flying squirrel suits, they didn't carry much gear.

"If the length of the rope is not long enough to reach the bottom, we abandon the mission and go back." Wu Yun knew very well why Zhou Yu chose to continue the mission.

Once the rope was secured, they slowly descended.

Zhou Yu pinned the flashlight to his shoulder and adjusted the light.

As they went down, they could see the marks on the cave.

Zhou Yu's palm was covered with it, although he didn't understand geology, he had a feeling that this cave was not formed naturally, as if it had been excavated by something.

When they came to the bottom of the rope, Zhou Yu shone the flashlight downwards and found that they had come to the bottom.

"That's just the right height?" Wu Yun was a little puzzled.

They subconsciously looked up and found that there was a lot of light in the place where they had come down.

Wu Yun became nervous, there was obviously nothing when they came down!

"What kind of creature is that?"

"It's the eyes." Zhou Yu replied, "Do you remember what Elpis relied on to spread its seeds? ”

"The people on the research team said it was some kind of small creature."

"I guess it's these creatures."

Their eyes glowed blue in the darkness, with a hint of magic and coldness.

"There's a feeling of being calculated. They seem like they're waiting until we get down here......"

As soon as Wu Yun's words fell, the rope they had fixed above the cave was untied and fell.

"Damn-" Wu Yun really wanted to pull out his gun and ask them to eat the bullets.

"Let's move on." Zhou Yu put the fallen rope around his waist.

"Aren't you afraid? That's a trap. Wu Yun asked curiously.

"Song Zhi said that the Nibelungen is a place with a fairly strict hierarchy. If there are no S-class creatures in this area, then Elpis as an A-class creature rules the ecosystem, am I right? ”

"Theoretically, so. So? ”

"So whether it's the 'guardians' outside the cave or these small creatures that spread the seeds for Elpis, they all bow down to Elpis. Elpis is a creature with mental nerves, and it must have some way of controlling these creatures, right? ”

"I've heard from people in the research team that it seems like this. So we have to be careful, it's likely that Elpis will also use some way to control us. Wu Yun became worried.

They did this task too hastily, and many things were not cleared out. But why don't the people in the scientific department test Elpis as real guinea pigs?

"If Elpis ordered these creatures to kill all the humans who invade its realm, what do you think those small creatures should do?"

“…… When we are halfway down the rope, we untie the rope. Then you and I will have to fall to our deaths. ”

"But they waited until we came down to untie the ropes. Their purpose is not to kill us, but to deny us a chance to go back. Their ruler, Elpis, may be eager to see us. Zhou Yu's footsteps also calmed down a lot.

Wu Yun was stunned for two seconds, sometimes he really had to work hard to keep up with Zhou Yu's thinking.

It seems a bit ridiculous, and it's just a guess, but it often proves him right.

"I think you're very close to the Nibelungen." Wu Yun said.

"What fate?" Zhou Yu's flashlight found another hole at the bottom of the cave, and that hole was just high enough for him and Wu Yun to walk into.

This coincidence made Zhou Yu feel that they were not like invaders to Elpis, but more like guests who were carefully invited.

"You know a lot about the way creatures think here." Wu Yun also discovered the entrance and made a gesture to Zhou Yu to "whether to enter".

Now, if they want to go back the way they came, the creatures guarding the entrance to the cave will definitely not agree, so they can only go on hard.

Wu Yun was about to step forward, but was walked to the front by Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu's right hand held the □□, and his left hand held the flashlight horizontally above the □□, and walked forward.

The road was not long, and he could see that the entrance to the cave glowed with a pale blue light.

Zhou Yu's expression was calm, if there was any danger, he hoped that Wu Yun would still have time to leave.

Wu Yun understood Zhou Yu's plan, and just whispered: "I can die, but you must not die." ”

Zhou Yu's fingers tightened slightly, and he suddenly thought of his vice-captain Chen Chong, the young Zhao Cheng, and the faces that no longer existed.

Along the way, Wu Yun's status in his mind is no longer inferior to Chen Chong.

Last time, he didn't protect it, this time he must defend it.

When he reached the entrance of the cave, his pupils widened instantly.

No one would have thought that there would be such a vast space underground!

In the center of the space was a huge tree that spiraled upwards, its branches covering almost the entire roof of the cave. The trunk and branches were translucent, and he could see the intertwined blood vessels that flowed like blood, as well as some more slender networks like nerves.

Its bottom leaf is very large, and the blue light fireflies that Zhou Yu saw in the video are attached to the leaves! Zhou Yu still remembers how the researcher in the video died tragically under this seemingly beautiful creature.

The tree also bears some huge white flowers, not as seductive or too enchanting as the flowers of dangerous creatures, the flowers of Elpis are simple and elegant, with the leisurely temperament of the hollow valley of the lily of the valley and the grace of magnolia. But in the hearts of those white flowers, there are sword bone butterflies.

And between the branches and leaves, Zhou Yu could still see the devil vine coiled like a giant python.

The Devil's Vine is dangerous to ordinary creatures. Even a thousand-year-old tree entangled in the devil's vine will be quickly sucked dry, but it is clear that this Elpis has no tendency to be depleted at all.

Gasping, Zhou Yu knew that these dangerous creatures were all raised by Elpis.

They absorb Elpis and protect it at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Wu Yun saw that Zhou Yu was motionless, walked to Zhou Yu's side and looked at it, and was also stunned, "My God, is this a whole set of underground ecosystems?" ”

On the side of the Elpis tree, an underground pool of water can be seen, and there is a stream of water flowing quietly along the cave wall, but the pool is not overflowing, indicating that the bottom of the pool leads to another place. And this pool of water may be the source of Elpis's water.

The water in the pool trembled, and he saw a young dragon of an El Niño aquatic dragon jumping out of the water, which startled Wu Yun to retreat subconsciously.

In such a closed place, if they were attacked by an El Niño aquatic dragon, they would surely die.

The space is too big, and so is the tree, and it's impossible to estimate how long it has been there.