Chapter 380: 380
Ever since his first encounter with the âGiant Owlâ and discovered the unique scent of âmutantsâ, Xiang Kun has been extremely sensitive to the smell of âmutantsâ. This scent is more distinctive and lingers longer than that of normal creatures, making it easy for Xiang Kun to pick it out from other smells.
Upon entering Zi Huan Mountain, Xiang Kunâs senses, including hearing, smell, and vision, were all fully operational, gathering information from the surrounding environment on a large scale.
So even though the scent of the âmutantâ was very weak now, Xiang Kun detected it immediately.
Although the main purpose of night exploration in Zi Huan Mountain was to find traces left by the âmutated parasiteâ and to gather information, he did not really expect to find the âmutated parasiteâ within the mountain, nor to find its nest via its scent.
After all, the parasite, unlike other creatures, does not have a long-term habitat, but moves with its host. The host is its âhabitatâ. In normal cases, it wouldnât have left any scent on the mountain, considering the fact that it had been a whole year since it parasitized a âVampire Patientâ.
When it wasnât in parasitic state, it lived in the water when it was in the mountain.
So when he smelled it this time, he was somewhat surprised.
Did it leave the âVampire Patientâ and re-entered the mountain through another host?
Was it attached to this mountain in an unusual way?
Xiang Kun narrowed his eyes, focusing entirely on the faint scent, trying to determine its direction.
A few minutes later, after finding the source of the scent and moving towards it, Xiang Kun made a discovery â he had smelled this scent before!
Although Xiang Kun had seen the true parasitic condition of the âVampire Patientâ through the âDream in A Dreamâ set up by Old Xia, he couldnât smell any scent of the âmutated parasiteâ in the dream because the host of the dream had never smelled it and had no cognition of this smell.
So in the normal case, Xiang Kun would not have smelled the âmutated parasiteâ.
So, whose scent was this?
The peculiar scent of a âmutant,â when mixed with all other scents, is extremely distinctive, but itâs much less identifiable among the scents of âmutantsâ.
However, Xiang Kun had only come into contact with and smelled a few âmutantsâ, and by process of elimination, he quickly determined whose scent he smelled in Zi Huan Mountain.
As he followed the direction of the scent and the source of the scent became more certain, Xiang Kun found a high point, climbed a tree and looked towards the distance.
Under Infrared thermographic vision mode, Xiang Kunâs vision covered a great distance and had strong penetration. He instantly locked onto a vague blue dot in the distant dense forest.
Without a doubt, the blue dot represented the âmutantâ.
From this distance, it was difficult to tell what creature the blue dot represented based on its structure, but Xiang Kun had already judged that it was the âmutated big birdâ he had encountered near Wushu Mountain a year ago, based on the scent.
A year ago, when he and his companions went to Tongshi Town, this âmutated big birdâ caused an accident by attacking tourists while hunting a âmutated antâ living on the main peak of Wushu Mountain. This drew the attention of a survey team led by Fang Pingfang and Mijoe from âDivine Technologyâ.
Xiang Kun even had a brief face-off with this âmutated big birdâ one night, narrowly avoiding a confrontation.
Why was it here?
When Xiang Kun determined that the scent belonged to the âmutated big birdâ, he knew that this bird did not come for him.
Because if it had, he would have detected it long before now. If that big bird wanted to âkeep an eye on himâ, it wouldnât have been possible for it to go unnoticed, even if it was high in the sky.
The position the big bird was in now didnât seem like it was trying to monitor or follow him.
Did the big bird simply decide to rest here, or did it consider this place its new habitat?
Xiang Kun didnât believe in such a coincidence either.
The most likely explanation is that this âmutated big birdâ, like himself, came for the âmutated parasiteâ that had previously appeared in Zi Huan Mountain.
It might have encountered the âmutated parasiteâ in Zi Huan Mountain before, or it might believe that the âmutated parasiteâ would return, so it stayed here waiting for it?
Regardless of why it appeared here, now that Xiang Kun had discovered it, it automatically changed from the âhunterâ to the âpreyâ.
The reason why Xiang Kun went to great lengths to collect information related to the âmutated parasiteâ and determine its whereabouts was because he wanted to capture a âmutantâ to enrich the secret research base he and Old Xia were about to establish in Chongyun Village, so that they could study more âliveâ samples apart from himself, along with Old Xia and Alice.
Of course, the more samples, the better, regardless of whether they were insects or birds. As long as they were âmutantsâ, he would not mind.
Updatđźd from frŃewebnoŃ”Äl.com.
If it had been a few months ago, facing this âmutated big birdâ, Xiang Kun might only have had the ability to defend and retaliate â if it attacked him, and he succeeded in pulling it into a ground battle, he might have been able to defeat it.
But if the big bird was cowardly enough to simply fly away immediately, like it did in the brief encounter near Wushu Mountain, Xiang Kun wouldnât have been able to pursue it.
But now things were different. Xiang Kun was no longer helpless facing creatures that could fly.
Given the current situation â a dark windy night deep into Zi Huan Mountain, with no watchful eyes of âDivine Technologyâ, only him and the âmutated big birdâ, and the fact that he discovered the âmutated big birdâ before it detected his presence â it was indeed the perfect time for hunting.
Of course, Xiang Kun does not relax his vigilance. He remains in the tree, observing the surroundings, ensuring there are no other threats or spies.
After all, this âmutate big birdâ was definitely marked by âDivine Technologyâ.
At the same time, based on the observed topography, his own capabilities, and various other information, he was calculating and speculating, making executable plans in his mind.
When he switched to the low-light night vision mode, Xiang Kun noticed that he couldnât see the âmutated big birdâ.
It wasnât because it was too far or too dark. Under night vision mode, his vision was almost the same as during the day; he could see far-off distances and discern minute details.
But the spot where the âmutated big birdâ was supposed to be was indeed empty. However, when he switched to âInfrared thermographic vision modeâ, he could see the blue dot again.
Xiang Kun immediately understood: the bird had gained the ability to become invisible!
He lamented for a moment for a certain âmutated antâ. There was no doubt that the birdâs ability to become invisible was gained from the ant it had captured.
From the devouring instances of the âmutated spiderâ and this âmutated big birdâ, we can infer that these creatures, unconcerned with their own appearance or group identity, can quickly and drastically obtain characteristics from other âmutantsâ once theyâre ingested.
Compared to them, Xiang Kun, being a âmutantâ with quite a bit of âhuman burdenâ, acquires characteristics and abilities from devouring other âmutantsâ relatively slowly. Additionally, he may not acquire many of the characteristics or abilities, or they may drastically diverge from the original host.
But because of this, he has the potential to derive stronger, more complex, more profound abilities or traits based on the abilities of other âmutantsâ.
While other âmutantsâ just accrue and expand their abilities through blood-sucking and consumption, Xiang Kun, on the other hand, absorbs and integrates these abilities.
Take the âmutated spiderâ and âmutated big birdâ for example. They take as many abilities from other âmutantsâ as possible, using them like plug-in devices, adding as they go.
However, for Xiang Kun, when faced with a new ability, he first needs to âformatâ it, to incorporate it into his own system. Even the most formidable abilities are worthless to him if they are incompatible, much like Guo Tianxiangâs ability to hypnotize directly through eye contact and speech.
This isnât a choice actively made by Xiang Kun, but rather an instinct or nature that comes from his subconscious.
Staring at the blue spots in the infrared thermographic vision mode, Xiang Kun on the tree couldnât help but rub his hands, somewhat excited. This big bird is not only a âmutantâ but also a âmutant that has ingested at least one other mutant and gained its invisibility abilityâ. Its research value has undeniably increased.
He looked up at the night sky. The clouds were thick. He couldnât see the moon or stars. It was an overcast day.
The humidity in the air was not low either.
This wasnât the perfect weather, but it was pretty good. If it were stormy weather, with heavy winds and rain, the âmutated big birdâ might not appear here at all.
Xiang Kun quietly descended from the tree, then slowly creeped towards the position of the big bird. He was cautious, moving slowly, and stepping with the rhythm of the wind, the chirping of insects, and other natural sounds of the mountains to conceal his movements.
When he was about thirty meters away from the âmutated big birdâ, Xiang Kun stopped, raised his hand and looked at the coins that he had been holding to avoid them clinking together in his pocket. He began to prepare for action.
The âsuper-connected objectsâ that he could freely control were the main reason he dared to try and capture this âmutated big birdâ.
Suddenly, a small bird on a adjacent tree let out a flurry of bird calls, instantly shattering the tranquility of the woods.
What the fâŠ
Xiang Kun wanted to swear, no, he wanted to curse the bird!
Although Xiang Kun couldnât understand the specific content of the birdâs chirping, through his long-term interaction and observation with âGolden Flashâ and his bird language communication with âXiao Pingguoâ, he had a natural response and general understanding of what the bird calls were expressing.
Without a doubt, this bird call was a warning.
As to who itâs warning, itâs self-explanatory.
Even under the infrared thermographic vision mode, there was no change or movement in the position or body of the big bird, but Xiang Kun still instinctively knew that it had his attention. It had noticed him!
During his approach, Xiang Kun had noticed the small bird in the tree, but he had not paid it any attention. According to his experience, the small disturbance he made would not startle it.
Obviously, he made a mistake. This was not a ânormal birdâ.
Xiang Kun didnât have time to regret his mistake. His brain was working quickly, calculating the possibilities of various plans of action.
Should he continue to stand still, pretending nothing had happened, hoping that the âmutated big birdâ hadnât noticed him?
No, that would be pointless. Even though he wasnât one hundred percent sure that the bird had noticed him, placing a bet on that slim-to-none chance would be too passive.
Should he launch an attack following his original plan, hoping to capture the big bird?
But his previous scheme was based on the premise that the big bird hadnât noticed him and he would be taking the initiative. The most crucial step was to attract the big birdâs attention with the flight-controlled âsuper-connected objectsâ. But now, since the big bird had already noticed him, that plan could no longer be fully executed.
Based on his brief encounter and observation of the birdâs behavior pattern on Wushu Mountain, Xiang Kun deduced that if he were to launch an attack now, there was a ninety-seven percent chance that the big bird would immediately take off and fly away.
Cutting off his train of thought and calculations, Xiang Kun had a solution in an instant. So, almost immediately after the small bird on the tree started its warning call and the âmutated big birdâ shifted its attention, Xiang Kun shouted out:
âShut the hell up! Youâre so damn noisy!â
As he spoke, he bent over to pick up a stone and threw it towards the tree. However, he didnât hit the small bird, he only startled it and made it fly away from its position.
Then, Xiang Kun no longer hid his whereabouts or noise, grumbling and cursing as he moved around the forest. However, he moved in a direction opposite to where the âmutated big birdâ was located.
If he launched a sudden attack, the big bird would definitely run away. At this distance, his chances of intercepting the bird were very low. Since his whereabouts had already been exposed, he decided to act freely, creating a facade of being unaware of the âmutated big birdââs presence, while openly moving about the mountain.
After all, the âmutated big birdâ had been invisible the whole time, and it might not know that Xiang Kun had detected it.
Of course, if the bird was as cautious and skeptical as Xiang Kun, it would definitely wonder why Xiang Kun only detected it at such a close range. But after all, it wasnât human.
Xiang Kun took a gamble on it not being as skeptical.
Moreover, Xiang Kun is also a âmutantâ.
From its diving attack on Wushu Mountain last time, it could be proven that in the eyes of the big bird, Xiang Kun was also âpreyâ.
If it came to Zi Huan Mountain for the âmutated parasiteâ, then seeing Xiang Kun, this suddenly appeared âmutantâ, it should stir up some interest, shouldnât it?
Xiang Kun took a gamble on it being greedy.
The direction Xiang Kun was heading towards was the top of the mountain. Along the way, he would occasionally stop, close his eyes, raise his head and use his âsixth senseâ to sense the changes in the atmospheric electric field.
He was about to make a bold attempt, truly combining the ability that Little Fatty Girl helped him âdevelopâ and the ability of âElectric Mastery Flightâ. This deep night in the mountains was the perfect experimental field.
And this âmutated big birdâ was the perfect experimental subject.
Of course, the premise was that it really took the bait and flew over.