“I’ve done some tests. The radiation level in this area is even lower than other low-radiation zones. There’s a real chance we might find purification fruits here.”
Shen Cheng carried many instruments with him and never hid his intention of searching for purification fruits.
He and Shan Ya and Sang Wan had the same goal. They had already agreed that if purification fruits were found, it would be first come, first served.
Hearing that the radiation level here was even lower than low-radiation zones, Xiang Ge thought about the dense life signals her mental detection had picked up.
The difficulty of this mission had definitely increased by several levels in her mind.
Could things really go so smoothly? She hoped so.
The skewered mutated insects in Xiang Ge’s hands were already cooked. She took out several bottles of barbecue seasoning from her backpack and sprinkled them carefully over the meat.
The otherwise ordinary skewers immediately emitted an irresistible aroma.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward her at once.
Even Ye Zheng, who had been silent the whole time, rarely spoke up: “Can I buy some of that seasoning from you?”
“Oh, this?” Xiang Ge lifted the small bottle.
“It’s free. Use as much as you want.”
Without waiting for a response, she shoved the bottle into Ye Zheng’s hands.
He looked a little embarrassed, but the smell of the skewers was too tempting to resist.
In the end, everyone took turns using it and returned the bottle.
“It’s so good… I’ve never eaten anything this flavorful before,” Sang Wan said happily, crunching as she ate.
Shan Ya looked at her younger sister’s satisfied expression, eyes slightly red, feeling deeply grateful to Xiang Ge.
Mutated insect corpses didn’t last long before spoiling, so everyone only took what they could finish in one meal.
Only Xiang Ge quietly began collecting the insect remains after eating, picking out the ones that tasted good and storing them in a bag, then secretly putting them into her space for later.
These were much better than nutritional fluids.
That night, the five of them took turns keeping watch.
Shen Cheng arranged for the three girls to sleep in the vehicle, while he and Ye Zheng slept on the ground outside.
Xiang Ge felt the car was too cramped, so she moved into the back of the pickup truck instead. She used her backpack as cover and took out her sleeping bag, lying comfortably and satisfied.
The next morning, they all got up at dawn and began working again.
Climb trees, pick fruit, throw fruit down, then scan below—yesterday’s routine was already familiar.
But today, something felt different.
At least, Xiang Ge wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but there were clearly more mutated beasts than yesterday.
Not only were there more of them, but they were also noticeably larger.
In addition to mutated insects, mutated lizards had appeared.
Each mutated lizard was about the length of a human forearm, with sharp teeth and a tail like a hooked blade covered in barbs.
They were extremely difficult to deal with.
On average, there were two to three mutated lizards per tree, making everyone miserable.
Ye Zheng and Shan Ya were very strong, but they had to fight lizards on their own while also paying attention to the ground to protect Shen Cheng and Sang Wan. Their stamina and focus were quickly being drained.
Of course, this did not include Xiang Ge.
After she killed her first mutated lizard and discovered that each one gave 2 purification points, she almost wanted to monopolize all of them.
And in fact, she did exactly that.
“Whoever sees a mutated lizard, shout it out! Leave it to me—I’m getting addicted to killing these things.”
“Huh? Is that okay?” Sang Wan said awkwardly. She was the weakest in combat and always tried to be mindful of everyone else’s feelings.
The others also felt embarrassed. Fighting mutated beasts was dangerous, exhausting, and not rewarding.
“It’s fine. I actually like killing lizards,” Xiang Ge said with a grin.
For others, it was useless. For her, each one meant 2 purification points—an amazing return rate.
“Xiang Ge, you’re really nice,” Sang Wan said touched.
The others didn’t say anything, but their expressions clearly read: Xiang Ge is a good person.
Xiang Ge felt a bit embarrassed—but being a “good person” didn’t feel bad either.
So she gave up harvesting fruit and ran around hunting mutated lizards instead.
Two points per lizard, four for two, six for three…
As she worked, she silently calculated her gains, getting faster and more skilled, more and more energized.
That evening, they gathered as usual to eat by the fire.
This time, there wasn’t just grilled insects—there was also grilled lizard.
Xiang Ge’s seasoning once again worked its magic, satisfying everyone’s appetite.
“Our progress today is average,” Shen Cheng said. “Captain, at this rate, do you think we can reach 80% by tomorrow? And meet the quota?”
Tomorrow was the last day. Xiang Ge estimated they had only completed about 50% of the orchard.
80% completion, 300 jin of mid-radiation fruit, 200 low-radiation fruits—none of it was easy.
No wonder this mission was so unpopular. The requirements were clearly a huge trap.
“It’s fine,” Shen Cheng said with his usual gentle smile.
Xiang Ge couldn’t tell if he was confident or just carefree and glanced at him several times.
Sang Wan leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, Sister Xiang Ge. Our captain is very capable.”
Capable?
Xiang Ge thought of how Shen Cheng had been chased around the orchard by a mutated beetle during the day and felt unconvinced.
Forget it. Worst case, she’d just go hunt on her own.
She was pretty relaxed about it.
That night was peaceful again.
On the third and final day, at 4 a.m. before sunrise, Xiang Ge got up alone to start working early.
After a while, she realized the difficulty had increased again.
In addition to small forearm-sized lizards, there were now giant patterned mutated lizards nearly one meter long.
These giant lizards occupied entire tree trunks. To climb the tree, one had to defeat them first.
Xiang Ge put away her dagger, took out the long blade she had bought in the underground city, and, using agile movement, finished the fight in fifteen minutes.
【Ding~ 5 purification points received.】
She had asked the system to change the notification style—it sounded much more comforting and motivating this way.
But after only killing one giant mutated lizard, she already understood: they probably wouldn’t be able to complete the mission today.
So she simply gave up harvesting fruits and focused entirely on killing lizards.
Compared to credits and food, purification points mattered far more to her.