Da Mi Tao, stay alert. If anything goes wrong, I'll give you a heads-up immediately!
Zuo Feng's Space Shield appeared in his hand, and he directed Kong Ling to walk ahead, cautiously approaching the bushes.
Even with Zuo Feng's cautious advance, in less than ten minutes, he reached the spot where the little animals had been, only tens of meters from the bushes.
Upon reaching the animals' previous location, as soon as he stopped, a clear, unusual fragrance wafted into his nostrils.
Zuo Feng instinctively covered his mouth and nose, worried the scent might be poisonous.
However, with just one breath, an indescribably refreshing sensation instantly enveloped his entire body, as if every pore was expanding, and long-accumulated fatigue vanished, feeling as invigorating as if his meridians had been fully cleared.
He subconsciously took a step back and uncovered his mouth and nose, and the strange fragrance vanished without a trace.
Zuo Feng's heart stirred, and he took another step forward; the strong fragrance immediately greeted him, but stepping back made it disappear instantly.
It's very peculiar; most scents slowly fade away, but this one vanishes immediately upon leaving its range.
However, it doesn't seem dangerous; on the contrary, it's incredibly refreshing. No wonder those little animals were all still there, unmoving.
It turns out they weren't less alert; they were just too comfortable to move. This is interesting...
"Xiao Mi Tao, from where I'm standing, one step forward, and I can smell a strong, clear fragrance. One breath makes your whole body feel refreshed and instantly eliminates all fatigue.
Take a step back, and the scent immediately vanishes. The little animals earlier probably weren't less alert; it was just that the scent was too comfortable to move. There's nothing else abnormal. Have you heard of anything that gives off this kind of fragrance?"
Zuo Feng stood still and asked over the intercom channel.
"Feng Ge, as far as I know, no matter what it is, scents always dissipate slowly with air movement; no scent ever vanishes suddenly.
As for the feeling you described, no fragrance can do that. It's too strange!
Perhaps, Feng Ge, we should just go back and leave it alone."
Xiao Mi Tao's voice was filled with deep worry, clearly thinking that avoiding it was the safest option.
"I'll take another look."
Zuo Feng was reluctant to give up. He sensed that this fragrance genuinely relieved fatigue; it wasn't a temporary illusion.
He truly felt completely relaxed and in exceptionally good spirits right now.
If there were no side effects, then this fragrance would be a treasure!
But this fragrance seemed to have no effect on Kong Ling.
Zuo Feng didn't feel any instinctive fluctuations from Kong Ling.
After a brief hesitation, Zuo Feng gritted his teeth and stepped into the fragrant area. Those little animals had smelled it for so long without incident; there was no reason he would have trouble.
Slowly approaching the bushes, Zuo Feng carefully observed that the fragrance didn't become stronger the closer he got; rather, its concentration was uniform within the entire range.
It's very peculiar and defies common sense, but the feeling is truly amazing!
He drew the tactical knife from his waist and carefully pushed aside the bushes.
What met his eyes was a vibrant green little pine tree, growing within the bushes. It wasn't a typical green pine tree, but an emerald-green one, like a piece of jade.
Even its trunk was emerald green, and it was only about thirty centimeters tall. The verdant pine tree also bore nearly a hundred small, jade-green pine cones.
At first glance, it looked more like a green jade ornament, and the fragrance emanated from this small pine tree.
Seeing it was just an unusual little pine tree, Zuo Feng's guard lowered considerably. He painstakingly pushed aside the bushes, and there were no other strange objects nearby.
The little pine tree, quietly rooted in the soil, also seemed to pose no danger. After a moment's thought, Zuo Feng carefully extended a finger and poked one of the pine cones. The teardrop-sized pine cone even swayed slightly.
This situation was quite amusing; it truly seemed to be just an ordinary little pine tree.
"It doesn't seem dangerous; it's just a thirty-centimeter-tall little pine tree, vibrant green, and bearing nearly a hundred teardrop-sized pine cones.
The clear fragrance comes from the little pine tree, with a range of about 10 meters.
And the concentration of the clear fragrance is the same within this ten-meter radius.
Everyone else, maintain vigilance in place. Xiao Mi Tao, bring a pot and a shovel. We'll dig out this little pine tree and take a look."
Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu's kongling crystals contained flowerpots. They would first transplant the little pine tree into a pot to observe it.
Xiao Mi Tao was an observer. Zuo Feng felt that since the little pine tree posed no danger, such a peculiar little pine tree should naturally be given to Xiao Mi Tao for study.
In less than ten minutes, Xiao Mi Tao ran over, holding a pot in her left hand and a shovel in her right.
As soon as she stepped into the fragrant area, her body visibly paused; she had clearly smelled the comfortable scent.
Blinking her big, watery eyes, Xiao Mi Tao quickly ran to Zuo Feng's side. After handing him the flowerpot and shovel, she immediately retreated behind him.
Her two small hands tightly clutched Zuo Feng's clothes, only then daring to cautiously peek her little head out towards the bushes. With just one glance, Xiao Mi Tao's big, watery eyes lit up.
The vibrant green little pine tree gave off a feeling of pure vitality, completely devoid of any hint of harm, and it was so small and cute!
"Feng Ge, do we really have to dig it out? I've never seen a little pine tree like this before, it's so cute!"
Xiao Mi Tao still hid behind Zuo Feng, not daring to come out, but at this moment, she was filled with curiosity. How could there be such a little pine tree? She had never even heard of one.
"Yes! You step back out of the fragrance range first. I'll dig it out. If it's still not dangerous after I dig it out, then it's probably not dangerous at all. Pay close attention to your body and see if there are any side effects."
After some thought, Zuo Feng still had Xiao Mi Tao step out of the fragrance's range first.
The soil where the little pine tree was rooted was very loose. Zuo Feng dug very carefully, afraid of damaging the little pine tree's roots. Fortunately, the little pine tree's roots also seemed small.
In less than 10 minutes, a complete, basin-sized clump of soil, with the vibrant green little pine tree rooted in it, was dug out by Zuo Feng. After transplanting the little pine tree into a flowerpot, Zuo Feng breathed a sigh of relief. There was no danger at all throughout the process, indicating that this little pine tree was harmless.
"Xiao Mi Tao, take a few more steps back. I'll carry the little pine tree and move it to see if the fragrance spreads with the little pine tree as its center."
Carrying the flowerpot, Zuo Feng and Xiao Mi Tao, after some testing, found that the fragrance range indeed changed with the little pine tree's movement.
With the little pine tree at its center, a ten-meter radius was the area covered by the clear fragrance.
After some fiddling, the two basically confirmed that the little pine tree was harmless and could even relieve fatigue. Discovering that the little pine tree posed no danger, Xiao Mi Tao instantly became bolder.
She took the flowerpot with the little pine tree planted in it from Zuo Feng's hands and refused to let go.
Her big, watery eyes were full of curiosity, staring unblinkingly at the little pine tree, not even watching where she was going. If Zuo Feng hadn't been holding her, this Xiao Mi Tao would probably have fallen after two steps.
After reuniting with Ying Ying Yan Yan, Zuo Feng was once again isolated. Ying Ying Yan Yan chattered incessantly around the little pine tree. It was small, beautiful, and its fragrant effects were so captivating; it was hard not to love it.
"Alright, it's getting late. We should head back to base."
Looking at Ying Ying Yan Yan gathered in a circle, Zuo Feng smiled bitterly, helpless. Well, they had forgotten their leader after finding the little pine tree...
Back at the base, everyone briefly tallied their gains. They had mostly been playing, so their material gains were minimal.
Of course, this excluded Da Mi Tao. That woman actually hunted a herd of wild boars, a total of 15 wild boars! She was truly incredibly fierce.
Xiao She Jing ultimately failed to catch the rabbit, but the biggest gain was still this little pine tree.
The little pine tree had already been transplanted into a smaller flowerpot. As for the specific effects of the fragrance, they still needed to be slowly discovered.
All of this was entrusted to Xiao Mi Tao. Everyone speculated that this was a mutated plant after the apocalypse. Since people could mutate, plants could naturally also undergo mutation.