As the two-meter-long warhammer swung, a spray of mist slowly dispersed from the end of the hammerhead.
This was originally a passive skill of the warhammer, but Zheng Yan Ying pressed a button to actively spray the Holy Spring Water from the backpack box.
The mist drifted onto the heads of the five people behind, forming a layer of fine water droplets on the surface of their sealed battle armor.
Like a protective shield, it effectively isolated the sudden intensifying psychic contamination here.
As the chaotic, shrill noises buzzing in their minds disappeared, everyone gradually regained their composure and relaxed a bit.
Zheng Yan Ying then spoke in a deep voice:
"I didn't expect to find traces of a Tier Three King here."
Lin Feng furrowed his brow slightly. The whispers and murmurs that had suddenly amplified in his mind were still tolerable, not to the extent of being unbearable like it was for others who painfully clutched their Level 3 helmets.
Aside from the slightly warming Tier Two Teaching Emblem on his chest, the system's shielding also helped reduce it effectively.
So Lin Feng's thoughts weren't affected. He quickly realized Zheng Yan Ying's voice was much louder than before, having already returned to normal.
He was the first to ask:
"Is it unsafe near the traces of a Tier Three King?"
Zheng Yan Ying looked at Lin Feng with some surprise; before they set out, she'd received mission data from Lord Bishop, which included background checks on Lin Feng's team members.
As the captain, Lin Feng himself had an extensive thousand-word introduction.
Father Su An described him as intelligent and calm, possessing not just a highly potential firearms superpower, but also a meticulous mind, making him a born warrior and leader.
The only pity was that he didn't use the Power of the Holy Spring to achieve a Tier Jump Evolution, ultimately taking the evolution path of the Rock-Horned Horse, with a future evolution limit of around Tier Two.
But precisely because of this, Lord Bishop hoped Lin Feng could take over the Li Family, this cancerous threat, and control the Yan Jiao Horse Industry in Nongzhuang Village of Oasis Town.
Firstly, his strength could ensure the safety and stability of Oasis Town, and secondly, Lin Feng's genes have already been polluted by the Rock-Horned Horse, making advancement to Tier Three impossible, and even Late Tier Two quite unlikely, posing less than half the threat to Oasis compared to the Li Family.
But unfortunately, he didn't aspire to this.
All he wanted was to go to Holy City to develop.
But it's understandable, being an evolver with gun abilities.
Even with only Early Tier Two strength, he could still enjoy a transcendent status and position, unattainable by this backwater Oasis Town.
Seeing Lin Feng not only had resistance to intensifying psychic contamination but also was the first to notice the current situation's change...
Zheng Yan Ying nodded, replying with a touch of emotion:
"That's right, the traces of a Tier Three King are, in some sense, a source of pollution. Near it, even mutants would be repolluted, turning into a mass of writhing flesh."
"Therefore, where the psychic contamination suddenly intensifies, evolved mutants dare not approach, fearing a higher-level source of contamination."
Lin Feng squinted, quickly responding:
"It's just like the Holy Spring Water you sprayed; the power of the Master of the Holy Spring can resist this contamination."
Zheng Yan Ying acknowledged:
"But it won't last long. At the current contamination intensity, a single spray might sustain us for five minutes at most."
"We now have two choices: either retreat and bypass this hibernation pod-formed contamination source to head in another direction, or continue exploring because a Desert Wolf carcass was found here and more wolf carcasses might exist."
At this point, the other four gradually recovered, with Shen Yue being least affected, and she spoke up:
"Since the Holy Spring Water can isolate psychic contamination, let's continue exploring and consider retreat if things get difficult. At least we don't need to stay on high alert for mutant attacks."
Lin Feng asked about another matter:
"Was the Red Crystal found inside that wolf carcass its Life Source Material?"
Zheng Yan Ying nodded, not hiding it. She took out the reddish, semi-transparent gem from her waist pouch, its dazzling brilliance slightly eerie under the searchlight.
"This is a Source Stone, condensed and transformed from Source Material through years of gradual death of evolutionary cells."
"It can also be called Source Crystal."
"Like salt crystals precipitated in saltwater, Source Material will gradually solidify, but only the surface hardens. The inside remains a jelly-like substance for biological absorption."
Zheng Yan Ying quickly explained:
"Its effect is actually much lower than the evolution agent directly extracted from fresh evolutionary meat. Most energy is contained within evolutionary cells; proper pairing with evolutionary meat after evolution can enhance strength stability."
"A Source Crystal is akin to compressed coal or petroleum, releasing energy just over half of the original material."
"But for this mission, it's sufficient."
"We still need to collect nine Tier One Source Materials and a piece of Tier Two Wasteland Wolf Source Material."
Everyone nodded, realizing that the Source Crystal in front of them was the greatest treasure of this ruins mission.
Understanding the situation, Lin Feng quickly made a decision:
"Then let's stay and continue exploring."
"The closer we are to the contamination source, the more wolf carcasses might be preserved; going elsewhere for safety also requires risks, with a much lower chance of finding wolf carcasses."
Zheng Yan Ying nodded:
"That's right. Although hunter teams and wanderers rarely search beyond the negative-third level ruins space, those who do are usually very strong. Any wolf carcasses found likely have their Source Material already excavated."
"To complete the mission quickly, we must venture deeper into more hazardous forbidden zones."
Saying this, Zheng Yan Ying, like Lin Feng, looked at the other four in the team.
Seeing the two captains in agreement, Shen Yue and others, even with differing opinions, could only nod in approval and follow them deeper in.
Zheng Yan Ying then swung the warhammer again, spraying nearly a liter of mist, drenching the small team, including herself, in Holy Spring Water.
"This should last us ten minutes. Ah Lian and I will form one group, Lin Feng with Ah Ming, Chen Shanshan with Shen Yue; divide into three groups to speed up the search!"
After reinforcing the protective shield, Zheng Yan Ying spoke, making the most reasonable arrangement.
Everyone nodded, relying on the Power of the Holy Spring's protection, to search for wolf carcasses.
As they ventured deeper, the light from the chest searchlights gradually distorted and deformed.
The tens of thousands of lumen light flux emitted by the bulb was twisted by the intense nearby radiation, accompanied by the circuitry sizzling and flickering off and on.
Amidst such eerie atmosphere, everyone felt immense mental pressure, as if an invisible danger was quietly approaching.
The murmurs in their ears deepened gradually, but the outer Holy Water shield prevented it from becoming aggressive.
Despite various anomalies, they weren't without gain, soon discovering a second Desert Wolf carcass, larger at seven or eight meters long.
It should have been a Mid-Tier One Desert Wolf.
The Source Crystal found inside it was slightly larger than the previous one, about thumb-sized.
Just as they were feeling fortunate about their discovery...
From a nearby storeroom, Chen Shanshan and Shen Yue suddenly exclaimed!
"So many corpses..."
"Damn, it's still moving!"
The other four hurried to the scene.
Six searchlights shone, revealing a mass of dark red liquid still wriggling in the direction of the bodies' kneeling.
"Tier Three Blood?!"
Zheng Yan Ying's face showed a change of expression, but she lowly exclaimed.
Lin Feng then noticed that Shen Yue and Chen Shanshan seemed affected, and he quickly stepped forward to pull the two from the storeroom.
After slamming the half-open door shut, he called out to Zheng Yan Ying, "Quick, replenish their water!"
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