CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: GIANT BEAST

Qu Jianlei roughly explained the formation of geothermal energy, but Flower Scorpion was focused on something else.

"I understood... but where did you get this knowledge from?"

Qu Jianlei found this strange as well. He knew there was an information monopoly in the Wasteland, but... does this kind of information need to be kept secret too?

"Knowing these things isn’t that hard, is it?"

"Very hard!" Flower Scorpion said without hesitation. "I’ve never heard anyone mention it before."

Then she thoughtfully nodded, "Finally, I understand why the heating in the Settlement is quite sufficient during winter."

Qu Jianlei was a bit curious, "Does Hongwu Settlement use geothermal for heating?"

"Not just Hongwu," Flower Scorpion answered without hesitation, "Most settlements do... No wonder they were so careful in choosing the location."

Qu Jianlei realized, "If that’s the case, it’s understandable not to leak the information."

Flower Scorpion glanced at him, "Then why do you know?"

Qu Jianlei recalled a certain middle-aged scavenger—he knew about the Genetic Transformation Potion because it was a family secret.

Probably ended up in the hands of the Sai Family too, he sighed lightly, "Who doesn’t have a family legacy?"

Flower Scorpion didn’t say anything else, but thought: How could the knowledge of geothermal energy be something an average family could grasp?

Anyway, this cave was monopolized by a pack of Black-backed Golden Apes precisely because of its profound mysteries.

For Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion, this adventure was really worthwhile.

Geothermal energy could save a lot of energy, not to mention... there’s also the meat from over a dozen Golden Apes to eat.

However, the issue of drinking water still needed to be taken seriously.

Braving the cold, Qu Jianlei went out to search around and found a hibernating striped hedgehog.

The striped hedgehog was not a mutant beast and was picky about drinking water. After drinking the melted water from the ice, it showed no signs of discomfort.

However, Qu Jianlei stated that the meat of the striped hedgehog... tasted awful, not only earthy but also very bitter and astringent.

Then the two began to modify the cave to make it more livable.

Qu Jianlei had experience from last year’s modifications. Although there were no junk piles and materials were not handy, his design was still quite decent.

However, most of the time, he only talked, and Flower Scorpion did the work.

At first, Flower Scorpion was a bit unwilling, feeling she didn’t need someone pointing out what to do.

But after some modifications, she was completely convinced... Is there anything this guy can’t do?

Of course, she was most interested in Black Heaven’s cultivation,

The Eight Pieces of Brocade and Five Animals Qigong were easy; she learned them after watching a few times and asked if she could follow the examples.

Qu Jianlei had gained a new helper who brought her own provisions, so he didn’t mind her learning and even taught some key points.

Flower Scorpion picked it up quickly, even faster than Xiao Jing, proving that talent indeed exists, undeniable.

Moreover, after practicing for a few days, she truly felt the benefits, sweating all over after a few rounds.

However, Tai Chi Boxing and Tai Chi Thirteen Sabers left her a bit puzzled; those were not things you could understand just by looking.

She hoped Black Heaven would teach the key points, but he directly said to talk about it later... even Xiao Jing hadn’t learned it yet.

Flower Scorpion was speechless at this; Xiao Jing was just a little kid who couldn’t even drive, yet you hold him in high regard.

But she wouldn’t compare herself with a dead person, then she asked the last question, "What’s the deal with you sitting cross-legged?"

"Don’t think about that for now," Qu Jianlei answered seriously, without any explanation.

But even if he didn’t say it, Flower Scorpion could see that this was the most energy-consuming practice.

As for him not saying, she truly understood—my value hasn’t been shown yet, it’s normal for people to have reservations.

Days went by peacefully one after another.

The Black-backed Golden Apes were quite large in size, at least a size bigger than humans, and mature Golden Apes could weigh up to four hundred kilograms.

Of course, that’s gross weight, once skinned, boned, and gutted, even less than two hundred kilograms.

But even so, with seventeen big and small Golden Apes, they managed to get around two and a half tons of meat.

During cultivation, Qu Jianlei’s appetite was quite substantial, but twelve to thirteen kilograms of meat a day was enough.

Plus a "small amount" of staple foods, he basically didn’t need to consume any nutrient injections.

The cave also contained winter food stored by the Black-backed Golden Apes, mostly some berries and dried fruits, along with some dried beast meat.

Qu Jianlei was indifferent to the food supplies of the Golden Apes. Aside from hygiene, the Golden Apes were mutant beasts.

The food they could handle, ordinary humans might not be able to consume.

Anyway, Qu Jianlei didn’t feel pressured; he had plenty of prepared food, and still a lot of dried meat.

Flower Scorpion was initially shocked by his appetite, but after watching for a while, she got used to it.

She even increased her food intake significantly after practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade and Five Animals Qigong.

The weather grew colder by the day, but the two of them, sheltering in the cave, didn’t feel the harshness of winter at all.

However, Flower Scorpion went out every couple of days to check the surroundings to avoid being caught off guard by unexpected situations.

This was also her way of showcasing her value; for adventurers, it’s a good habit to stay vigilant at all times.

Every time she went out, she would be so cold that she’d come running back jumping up and down; wearing more clothes didn’t help at all.

Qu Jianlei estimated that the lowest temperature here might be below minus sixty degrees.

That day, after Flower Scorpion returned, she stomped her feet to warm up and shared an important discovery.

She found gigantic footprints in the snow two kilometers away!

Qu Jianlei, startled upon hearing this, went out to take a look and was stunned to find: this creature must weigh over two tons, right?

He couldn’t be entirely sure what kind of animal it was, but the footprint in the snow showed: it probably wasn’t a carnivore.

Carnivores usually have sharp claws, but this animal’s footprint was flat.

Yet its hooves were exceptionally large, comparable to a washbasin.

Flower Scorpion was a bit terrified, "This kind of animal must be at least a B-level mutant beast, right?"

Thinking about such a powerful creature living nearby wasn’t pleasing at all.

"Maybe... it’s here to drink water?" Qu Jianlei thought that a creature that could move around in the dead of winter might not be restricted by the usual boundaries.

Seeing the sky grow cloudy, as if it was about to snow, the two said no more and hurried back to the cave.

On the third day early in the morning, it did start to snow; the heavy snowfall lasted for three days straight.

However, it was precisely because of this snow that the mysterious animal finally revealed itself.

Qu Jianlei came to the cave entrance, looking at the gigantic creature in front of him, over three meters tall and about seven or eight tons in weight.

He couldn’t help blurting out, "A mammoth?"

"What’s that?" Flower Scorpion immediately took out her notebook; such obscure knowledge had to be well recorded.

"It just popped into my head," Qu Jianlei replied offhandedly.

But in his mind, he was thinking, if it’s a mammoth, that could explain why it’s not afraid of the cold.

But then, with a shiver, he thought, "What’s it doing at our cave?"

The entrance to the cave isn’t big, less than three meters high and only about four meters wide.

Black-backed Golden Apes had to bend over slightly to get in and out of the entrance.

Supposedly, this mammoth wouldn’t fit through the entrance, but the creature had its own method.

It bent its two front legs, kneeling to squeeze through the entrance; from its practiced movements, it was clearly not its first time.

However, unfortunately, after Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion arrived, they had modified the cave entrance.

Not only had they raised the ground, but they’d also built stone walls on each side.

The raised ground and stone walls weren’t strong enough to withstand impacts; even a slightly stronger wind could topple them.

But the two weren’t easily discouraged; in such a cold winter, low temperatures were the least of their worries, and they had found a water source.

The reinforced ground and ice walls became over three meters thick, thanks to the extreme cold weather.

With ice walls that thick, even if the mammoth weighed seventeen or eighteen tons, it couldn’t break through.

Even if it had the drive of a Blue Star tank, its hide and flesh would have to endure it.

The mammoth knelt and moved a few times, realizing it couldn’t get through the entrance, and in a fit of rage, it swung its long trunk, striking heavily against the ice wall.

Qu Jianlei had already caught on, "Seems like this creature knows there are Black-backed Golden Apes in the cave!"

It makes sense when you think about it. Although the Black-backed Golden Apes have thick skin and enormous strength, compared to a mammoth, they’re like little brothers.

Frankly speaking, the four to five hundred kilogram Black-backed Golden Ape is barely a tenth of the mammoth’s weight,

so it’s really not surprising that the Black-backed Golden Ape ended up on the mammoth’s menu.

However, one can be certain that, while Black-backed Golden Apes are on its menu, they’re definitely tough to deal with.

If there’s any other choice, it probably wouldn’t choose these apes, as the troop’s fighting capabilities are absolutely more than just the sum of their parts.

There are seventeen Black-backed Golden Apes in the cave.

Having such a large group, not mentioning their combat power, they absolutely aren’t some fodder to be easily picked for a meal.

This mammoth may be large, but it looks rather thin, perhaps it’s just too cold, so it came to the cave hoping for a bite.

Of course, these were all Qu Jianlei’s guesses, so the truth of the situation remained doubtful.

What he could confirm was that, while the mammoth had no claws, it was indeed an omnivore.

Flower Scorpion hesitated for a moment and asked, "Black Heaven... Panda, what level do you reckon this mammoth is?"

"I don’t know either," Qu Jianlei shrugged, feeling innocent, "I don’t even know if this is a mutant beast."

Supposedly, to take down communal mutant beasts, the mammoth should also be a mutant beast, perhaps even more advanced.

But he really wasn’t certain, as the beast data he collected didn’t include any creature like this.

Even the term "mammoth" came from his Blue Star memories.

Upon hearing this, Flower Scorpion felt a bit disappointed too, "I wonder if its meat is edible, should we fight it?"

Qu Jianlei looked at her helplessly, "Is there any other choice but to fight?"

(Updated to here, at the new book stage, asking everyone for support.)