Star Hunter.

Chapter 283 That Madman

With the weather clearing, the dreams of animals that had been hiding for days began to surface, and the woods became active again, much more so than when Xilin first arrived. Because of this activity, roars and cries could often be heard through the surveillance cameras set up in the woods. The roles of predator and prey were constantly shifting. Previously, the ferocious beasts could be considered among the rulers of this place, but after the arrival of the white rat bio-beasts, they had become nothing more than prey.

The group of Xilin had cleared out most of the white rats that had been left in the woods during the blizzard, but after the weather cleared, some more white rat bio-beasts came following the sound, since the woods provided them with plenty of food.

Gu Xin, Tu Ba, and Er Ti had just gone to the woods to deal with three white rats, a few bio-soldiers, and dragged back two ferocious beasts as their food for the day. Everyone who went out had to undergo a disinfection process upon returning; Neo's obsessive-compulsive tendencies regarding cleanliness had their reasons. There were too many germs outside, and no one knew how many new germs would emerge after a heavy snowfall. After all, many germs mutated too frequently, so everyone had to be on guard.

Xilin and Neo collaborated in the lab to produce several types of complex antibody serums, and everyone received an injection to prevent infection, especially those with weaker constitutions like Ashou and Heidou, who would have a hard time recovering from a severe infection. Their physical constitution makes them vulnerable in this regard.

The gray cat counts the days with its paws every day, wondering how many more days it will have to stay here.

"How was your day?" Xilin asked the three people who had just returned from outside.

After being disinfected in the newly set-up disinfection room, Gu Xin and the other two entered. The disinfection room recorded the types of germs they carried before disinfection. If there were any new germs, samples would be taken for Xilin and Neo to update the virus database and produce specific antibody serum to prevent subsequent infections.

"It's alright. I'm used to dealing with white rats now, and they're quick to kill. But recently, there have been more black bugs." Gu Xin said while wiping his face.

Since the weather cleared up, many black insects have emerged, their heads flat and round. They have no eyes, only some sensory cells resembling eyes. They don't have individual claws, and they walk like snakes, and very fast.

Although these black insects are only the length of a hand, they possess fine, sharp teeth that resemble the barbs on a feline's tongue. These specialized teeth allow them to scrape meat from other animals for consumption. Most importantly, they are numerous.

If they encounter these creatures, Shilin chooses to use the cryogenic cold beam gun, as they are heat-resistant but cold-sensitive. Of course, if they see a swarm of black bugs, throwing an incendiary bomb is also a good option. Even if they are heat-resistant, they won't be immune to burning.

"These guys usually like to hide underground. I guess the melting snow flooded some low-lying areas, forcing all the insects hiding underground out," Erti said. He had crushed quite a few of these black insects today.

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"In short, just avoid getting bitten by them. Although these guys are small, one bite can leave a bloody crater on your body." Tuba tested the bite force of these black bugs today. They bite wood like a saw, turning the wood into dust with one bite. If they were to bite a person, it would be quite painful.

Xilin's focus wasn't on the insects themselves. Rather, he felt their appearance foreshadowed something. Look at A-Shou. The little girl was happily drinking a glass of freshly squeezed juice, showing no unusual reaction whatsoever. Did that mean there was no natural disaster?

The gray cat, who was lying on the table rolling around boredly, twitched its ears, seemingly unsure. It jumped down, circled around, and looked at Xilin: "An earthquake is coming!"

Ashou, who was drinking juice, choked and coughed. His face was full of confusion: "I didn't feel anything, how could there be an earthquake?"

"It didn't happen naturally. It was caused by humans," the gray cat asserted, having already sensed the movements of the underground machinery.

Xilin summoned Gray Cat and displayed a map of the surrounding area.

"Where would they likely be?" Xilin moved the screen displaying the map in front of Gray Cat.

The others also curiously gathered around. Neo, still with his skeptical spirit, waited for Grey Cat to point it out before making further speculations and analyses to verify whether Grey Cat's statement was true.

The gray cat raised its paw and tapped a few points on the screen. Fortunately, Neo's safe zone was not close to the epicenter of these earthquakes, but was on the edge. Although he could feel the tremors, they were not very strong.

Neo breathed a sigh of relief when his calculations came back. "If the cat is telling the truth, this place will not be damaged. The building materials of the safe zone can withstand the vibrations transmitted here."

"But isn't that part of Mondstadt?" Black Bean said, pointing to a spot near one of the earthquake foci.

"Mond? That lunatic? I don't know him." Neo quickly distanced himself, as if knowing Mond would lower his IQ.

Neo and Mond always referred to each other as "that lunatic".

Xilin and the others glanced at Neo strangely at the same time. If we're talking about mentally ill people, Neo is the most universally acknowledged to date. But they were quite curious about someone who could be called mentally ill by Neo.

"Mond is someone who understands animal language. He can understand animal calls and interpret their facial expressions and body language," Hua Li explained.

"No, that's not it!" Neo corrected Hua Li. "That lunatic doesn't speak animal language at all; it's just a shady method. You know, he used to fail language classes all the time—that's an undeniable fact!"

Hua Li ignored Neo's explanation and simply explained Mond to Xilin and the others. As soon as he finished speaking about Mond, the metal chain on Hei Dou's wrist flashed.

Hei Dou didn't hesitate and pressed the button directly. An image screen popped up, showing a young boy with a broom-shaped hairstyle.

"Darling Black Bean, I need your help... Who's behind you? What's Neo, that lunatic, doing with you?!" Mond said with a look of disgust.

Neo pushed Black Bean's face away, grinning smugly, and wagged his finger, saying, "Two mistakes. First, it's not that I'm with Black Bean, but that Black Bean is with me; second, the word 'crazy' has always been inseparable from you."

Mondl's eyes twitched on the screen as he looked at Black Bean, who was squeezed to the side. "Darling Black Bean, get this lunatic out of the way. I need to talk to you alone. It's urgent!"

Black Bean glanced at the others, apologized, covered the light screen, and ran to his own lab.

"Did Mond discover that his location was near the epicenter?" Hua Li asked, frowning.

"Impossible, how could he know?" Neo would never believe that Mond had that kind of intelligence.

But soon after, Black Bean came out and told the group that Mond knew there would be an earthquake where he was. They had originally planned to take shelter at Black Bean's place, but they didn't expect that Black Bean had already moved over to Neo's side. However, Mond, who lived nearby, only knew Black Bean, and he would never agree to ask Neo for help.

"How did that broom-headed guy know there was an earthquake in his area?" Gu Xin asked.

Xilin pointed to a black insect specimen on Neo's lab shelf, "I guess it's from that. After all, creatures that live underground are more sensitive to changes underground."

"Can that broom-headed creature really understand the language of the black bugs?" Erti stroked his chin. He couldn't figure it out; it was truly bizarre.

"That's just a shady method and a speculation based on statistical analysis of species, nothing more!" Neo insisted on his point of view.

No one paid any attention to Neo's words; Sirin had other ideas.

"If an earthquake occurs, this area is on the edge of the epicenter and will not be damaged by the earthquake, but other creatures, at least those in the surrounding area, will definitely flee here."

"Indeed," Tuba agreed with Xilin. "It'll probably be very busy then."

As Xilin and the others were discussing the problems they would have to deal with, Heidou's bracelet lit up again.

"Um... I'll be right back!" Black Bean said sheepishly as he ran back to the lab.

Not long after, Black Bean came out. The communication on the bracelet was not turned off. Mondstadt stood there on the screen with a constipated look on his face.

Knowing that Mond was embarrassed to say it, Black Bean said somewhat timidly, "Mond and the others want to come over here..."

"I won't allow it!" Neo resolutely refused.

Mondl's forehead veins throbbed. He held back his rage, instead looking at Black Bean. Black Bean couldn't bear it. She looked at Sirin; of all the new acquaintances, she trusted Sirin the most. Moreover, she felt Sirin could solve this problem and was the only one who could reason with Neo about those seemingly incomprehensible things; Neo would definitely listen to him.

Mond clearly noticed Black Bean's gaze, but due to the angle of the light screen, Mond couldn't see anyone else. However, it was obvious that Black Bean wasn't looking at Neo, that lunatic.

"Them?" Xilin seized on this word and asked.

"Yes, there are three more people in Mondstadt, three people about the same age as you," Black Bean explained.

"Don't worry, those three are good people. They even saved me!" Mond quickly said, afraid that Xilin would refuse. After all, no one wanted to accept another stranger in this kind of environment. Although he couldn't see Xilin's face, those who could speak at this time would definitely have some decision-making power.

"Oh no, besides that lunatic, there's also a burden!" Neo exclaimed.

Those standing not far from Mondstadt, upon hearing Neo's words, all three of them twitched in unison. A burden? You're the burden! You're all burdens! Besides, that's not how you use that word!

"That crazy place is big enough to accommodate us all, and we can help you out with some trouble later," Mond said, ignoring Neo's objections.

"That won't work either. Who knows if you'll become invaders?"

Are you questioning my character?

"Character? Do you even have that?"

Seeing Neo and Mond start arguing again, Sirin patted Neo on the shoulder and pointed towards the lab, "Your molecular diagram is now complete."

Upon hearing the mention of molecular diagrams, Neo lost all interest in chatting with Mond and hurried off to the lab.

It's so much quieter here without Neo.

"Continuing our previous topic, there are four of you on your side, including you. I'd like to meet the other three," Xilin said.

Hei Dou had already adjusted the angle of the light screen so that it was facing Xi Lin directly, while Gu Xin and the others were not within the other party's field of vision.

When the other three people appeared, Xilin raised an eyebrow. One of them was the "Ovi" that Huali had met before, the one Gu Xin and Erti had mentioned.

"Wait a minute." Xilin left to discuss with Huali and the others to determine whether Ovi was trustworthy.

"Ovi?" Tuba twirled the knife in his hand. "That kid may not be a good person, but I believe he knows when to advance and when to retreat, and he knows what he should and shouldn't do."

Xilin looked at Gu Xin and Er Ti, both of whom nodded in agreement with Tu Ba's words. Ovi was indeed not a good person, and even had a bad reputation in some circles. But Ovi was not without principles either.

Xilin then asked Huali for her opinion, since if the other party didn't get along well with the others after they arrived, it would be like a time bomb.

Surprisingly, Hua Li didn't object, after all, neither of them was injured at the time. What's past is past.

Upon seeing Mondstadt's expectant face on the screen again, Xilin arranged for both sides to meet. Apart from Xilin, the others seemed to have varying degrees of understanding of each other.

After receiving assurances from the other side, Xilin went to Neo and finally managed to persuade him to let the four people over. Actually, Neo just wanted to see Mond's groveling face when he arrived; that would make him feel satisfied. As for anything else, Neo had no time to think about it; the allure of those people was far less than the experiment he was currently working on.

As for how Mond and the other two would get here, Xilin and the others didn't need to worry about it. They could just send someone out to meet them once the four arrived and the surrounding area was cleared. Right now, Xilin and Heidou were busy checking the security zone setup and reinforcing some of the protective facilities.

Everyone was busy with their own things, and no one noticed the gray cat lying on the table. The cat lay there with its eyes closed, seemingly asleep, its tail not wagging. If this cat were thinking of anything naughty, its tail would definitely twitch a couple of times. The gray cat's ears were twitching at a frequency that was difficult for outsiders to discern. Xilin glanced at it as he passed through the living room but didn't go over to disturb it.

This guy must have found that.

Soon, commotion broke out in the woods. The animals inside seemed to be fighting, and animals from other areas had wandered over, causing a disturbance and constant fighting.

"They're here!"

"Black Bean said, looking at the light spots on the screen."

Needless to say, Gu Xin, Er Ti, and Tu Ba grabbed their guns and headed outside. The three of them were bored out of their minds, unable to help with what Xi Lin and Hei Dou were doing. Neo's side was even less relevant; they hadn't been involved at all. Aside from hunting ferocious beasts and killing rats, they hadn't been of much use. The three felt extremely uncomfortable, as if they had suddenly become superfluous. Was this what Neo meant by feeling like a burden?

Hua Li wisely stayed in the safe zone. She had come to realize the gap between herself and those people; compared to Gu Xin and the others, Hua Li's physique was as fragile as an eggshell.

However, Hua Li wasn't discouraged by the difference in their physical constitutions; everyone had their strengths. What surprised Hua Li was Xi Lin. So far, Xi Lin and Neo had been updating the virus database, producing antibody serums and antidotes for several animal and plant toxins, modifying firearms and ammunition, and collaborating with Black Bean to reinforce the security zone's defenses, even creating concealed surveillance cameras with limited materials. In terms of individual combat ability, Xi Lin was no less than Gu Xin and the others, and his physical constitution was unparalleled; Hua Li had never seen Xi Lin suffer from pathogen interference or poisoning.

What kind of person is Xilin?

Even within Black Viper, such a person is rare, let alone someone who isn't even a member of Black Viper.

I really want to dissect someone like that!

For once, Hua Li's urge to dissect something arose again. Xi Lin, who was setting up defenses on the perimeter of the safe zone, felt a chill run down his spine and shivered.

Gu Xin and his two companions went out to meet and guide the people Mondl had brought to the safe zone. One of them had been injured by a flying beast, and the wound had begun to become infected; it appeared to be more than just a scratch, with a secondary infection. Mondl, aside from being a little pale, was fine. The other two had some minor injuries, nothing serious. Their ability to get here safely proved that these people were indeed quite capable.

"If we had set off later, it probably wouldn't have been so easy," Mond said, panting after gulping down a glass of water.

Indeed, when they set off, the ferocious beasts and other animals weren't this disruptive, but now it's like a pot has been boiled over. Almost all of their injuries occurred in the latter half of the journey, and the one who was clawed was only injured twenty minutes ago when he approached the area.

After entering, everyone underwent disinfection. The disinfection room provided as many as six new pathogens, all of which had been on their bodies. When Mond and Ovi learned of this, they were quite surprised. No wonder their wounds deteriorated so quickly after being attacked.

After Mond recovered, he saw the gray cat lying on the table, and his interest was piqued again. He habitually enjoyed interacting with animals and trying to understand their thoughts.

Annoyed by the sudden poking with a finger, the gray cat slashed out with its paw, leaving three bloody claw marks on the back of Mond's hand, which had been painstakingly made this way without being injured or bleeding.

Seeing the gray cat opening its eyes impatiently, Mond swallowed hard, took the repair spray that Ashou handed him, sprayed it on the claw marks, and obediently stopped bothering the gray cat.

With just one glance, Mond understood the emotions and meaning in the gray cat's eyes. If Mond poked it again, it wouldn't just be fingers on its hand.

boom--

The vibrations began.

Through the images displayed on the screen, everyone could see the situation outside. The ground near the epicenter had cracked. Although it was not a naturally occurring earthquake, no one would have thought of it as man-made unless they knew beforehand.

Many animals have already run this way, especially black insects. I haven't seen many white rats or ferocious beasts yet, so I guess I'll have to wait a while.

Xilin took out a box and distributed some pre-made guns and ammunition to the group, including cryogenic cold beam guns and several levels of thousand-degree incendiary bombs.