Brother Zhang explained, "At first, we thought the same. We even came here together with members of an ability squad to investigate. There aren't any people living here, but the plants are… very unusual. So unusual that under normal circumstances, they shouldn't even be able to grow. To be honest, I don't think these plants were cultivated at all. I can't explain it clearly, but once you see for yourselves, you'll understand."
Brother Zhang left his words hanging, and although the four of them didn't understand, they didn't press him further.
An hour and a half later, when they finally reached the edge of the dense forest, they understood what Brother Zhang had meant. These plants really weren't the kind that could be artificially grown. In fact, in Lan Jin's eyes, the seeds didn't even seem like something that should exist on Blue Star at all.
As everyone stood dumbfounded, Brother Zhang was forced to explain again. "Now you understand what I meant. From this point on, I need all of you to treat everything seriously. This isn't a game, and it isn't a joke. I'm responsible not just for your lives, but for everyone's lives. Every action must follow my command."
After this stern warning, Brother Zhang began telling them everything he knew about this strange forest.
The plants were so dense that the base simply called this place the Dense Forest. Long ago, this area had been a shallow lake, which only filled during the rainy season. Most of the time, it was nothing but muddy ground, and when water was scarce, people could walk across it directly.
The lake itself wasn't very large. Around it had been built a ring of wooden bridges. Now, inside and outside of those bridges looked like two completely different worlds.
Outside was withered, lifeless branches. Inside was lush greenery, like a paradise orchard.
Well, it was an orchard in a sense, since the contrast was so stark. But the plants in this orchard were magnified to a terrifying scale. Every single one was countless times larger than ordinary plants.
And every single one was dangerous.
Brother Zhang reminded them, "Do not touch any of these plants on your own. Be careful not to get injured by them. If anything happens, shout loudly for help."
…
Because of Brother Zhang's heavy tone, the atmosphere around them became tense, carrying an eerie sense of foreboding.
Lan Jin asked, "Brother Zhang, aren't you going to tell us in advance which plants are safe to touch and which aren't?"
Brother Zhang wanted to, but he knew it was pointless. "If you ask me, then I'll say: none of them can be touched. I think every single plant here is dangerous. Some dangers are fatal, some are not. I can't explain the differences clearly, so the safest way is to just follow my commands."
So in the end, asking him was no different from not asking. The only choice was to stay alert and be cautious. But no matter how prepared they were, the moment they truly stepped inside the Dense Forest, their hearts all leapt in alarm.
Lan Jin stared at a flower bud bigger than her own head and pointed at it. "What kind of flower is this? If it blooms, it'll be as big as three of my heads put together."
She remembered Brother Zhang's warning. Even though she was curious, she didn't touch it, only pointed from a distance.
Brother Zhang replied solemnly, "Not just three heads. If it blooms, it'll be as big as five of your heads."
"Wow." Lan Jin gasped in shock. But to her horror, the flower bud she had just pointed at slowly began to open its petals, as if it were about to bloom. A muffled "gudong, gudong" sound came from inside, like it was preparing for something.
Lan Jin felt her instincts scream danger. She quickly backed away, her eyes locked tightly on the flower. She was afraid it might transform, mutate, and swallow them alive.
But the flower didn't have such a function, mutated or not. Instead, Brother Zhang suddenly grabbed its stem, and before it could release anything, he slammed the petals against the ground. With a wet "gudong—puff," the flower instantly collapsed. Its petals bent and deformed, and a faint powder leaked out from the gaps.
"Quick, the spray! Don't let the pollen touch your skin!" Brother Zhang shouted.
At once, the people behind him rushed forward, pulled out tools from their packs, and sprayed thick foam onto the flower. The powder spilling out was quickly suppressed.
Only after the crisis passed did Lan Jin dare to speak. "What the hell was that? It went 'puff' like it farted. Is this a farting flower?"
Hearing her words made Brother Zhang's head ache. He explained, "That flower is basically an oversized rose. But even roses here are mutated. The flower itself isn't poisonous, and its pollen isn't truly poisonous either. But if it touches skin, the itching is unbearable. Water or fire won't help. You'll itch for three days straight before it stops. Last time, someone got hit. After three days, their skin was completely ruined."
Red swelling, blisters, pus, infection. Worst of all, the itch. For three days and three nights, there was no way to sleep. It was even worse than the poisonous fog from before, more hopeless than the insect swarm disaster.
Fortunately, as long as the itch pollen didn't land on their skin, they were safe. They had entered with full protective gear, wrapped tightly from head to toe. Even if sprayed, they should be fine. But caution was still best.
Hearing this, Lao Gao became excited. "So it's itch powder, huh? Did you collect some? This kind of thing must be valuable for research."
Of course, it had research value, but it was also extremely dangerous. Brother Zhang warned again, "Be careful. In here, even if you don't touch the plants, sometimes they'll attack on their own. Stay alert at all times."
Thankfully, only one flower had released pollen. If the entire patch had erupted, there would have been no chance for calm conversation now.
…
The group carefully passed through the flower field. Soon, they saw giant mimosa plants towering ahead.
Lao Gao picked up a stick and lightly tapped one of the mimosa leaves. Instantly, the leaf folded up tightly.
As if sensing the motion, the surrounding mimosa plants also folded their leaves layer by layer. What had been a dense patch of foliage now shrank back, making the path easier for them to move forward.
Brother Zhang glanced at it but said nothing. He felt drained. Explaining seemed pointless when no one truly understood.