Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

"There's no need to hurry. Everyone needs time to adapt the first time they come. We only got used to this bizarre environment after a few visits, and even now we occasionally make mistakes," Wei Shouxin said with a smile.

Lin Shen nodded, slowly moving to adapt to the strange surroundings while taking in the environment.

They were now in a valley filled with colorful mushrooms everywhere. The sky was a brilliant azure, and although very bright, the sun was nowhere to be seen.

The end of the valley was met by a large mountain which split the valley in two, causing it to extend in two different directions.

It took Lin Shen a while to adapt before he could walk normally. Though it was also Wei Wufu's first time here, he adapted quite well and was soon moving as he would outside.

"Wei's talent for bodily control is absolutely top-notch," Lin Shen admired internally.

"Let's walk and adapt. It's hard to get completely used to it in a short time," Wei Shoucheng said, seeing that Lin Shen was able to walk normally, and led them slowly through the valley.

Moving forward wasn't an issue, as Lin Shen walked and continuously raised his arms, doing his best to control his limbs.

"Are the mushrooms here poisonous?" Lin Shen asked as he looked at the multicolored mushrooms in the valley.

"They're poisonous. If you accidentally consume any mushrooms or swallow their liquid, you'll experience hallucinations," Wei Shoucheng answered crisply, clearly they had tried it before.

Lin Shen wanted to give it a try in order to increase his body's resistance, but now obviously wasn't the time.

As they reached the fork in the valley without having seen any creatures, it was quite different from what Lin Shen had imagined.

He had thought there would be many Nirvana Creatures here, but he didn't see a single one.

"We explored both paths of the fork before, but due to some reasons, we couldn't continue. Let's take the left one today," Wang Shoucheng suggested, heading down the left fork.

Lin Shen and the two others followed. This part of the valley wasn't as straight as before; it curved to one side like a crescent moon.

The further they went, the more mushrooms there were in the valley. At first, they could avoid them, but later they had to step on the mushrooms to proceed.

Stepping on the mushrooms, they felt a squishy sensation underfoot and could see colorful liquid squeezing out from under their shoes, which strangely felt quite satisfying.

Because the valley curved, they couldn't see far ahead, only noticing that even the valley walls started to overflow with multicolored mushrooms. Later, the entire wall was covered with mushrooms of various colors, like bright, eerie eyes filling the space.

Lin Shen was glad he didn't have a phobia of clusters, for such a place could be truly lethal.

The four of them walked on for a while until a river appeared ahead. It was only about a dozen meters wide, flowing out from a cave in the mountainside, crossing the valley, and then into a cave on the opposite side.

The river water was also multicolored, much like how gasoline looks when spilled on water, reflecting colors in the sunlight.

But the colors in the river were more intense, looking very eerie.

"We were stopped by this river last time, unable to continue our exploration," Wei Shoucheng said, standing by the riverbank and looking at the opposite side.

The opposite bank was still part of the valley, also filled with various colorful mushrooms.

"Can't we jump across?" Lin Shen inquired, knowing there must be a problem, or else they could have leaped across even without the ability to fly.

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"This river is very strange," Wei Shouxin explained. "Even if you try to jump across it, you'll still end up in the water. And it seems the river's been contaminated with mushroom toxins—fall in and you'll start hallucinating, unable to climb out on your own. Last time someone fell in, and had we not had a grappling hook to pull them out, they would've certainly sunk to the bottom."

Having encountered such unnavigable rivers before, Lin Shen was not surprised and simply asked, "Is there a plan to cross the river?"

"We can only try to climb across on the cliff face," Wang Shoucheng suggested as he tied a rope around himself and handed the other end to Wang Shouxin.

The cliff face was covered in mushrooms, which stretched all the way into the cave from where the water flowed. Within visible reach inside the cave, the mushrooms were also ubiquitous.

"Should we clear the mushrooms first?" Lin Shen inquired, surveying the mushrooms on the cliff.

"No need. I have an ability that allows me to climb across without harming the mushrooms. Once I'm across, I'll secure the rope on the other side, and you can all climb over," Wang Shoucheng stated as he began to climb the cliff.

Wang Shoucheng seemed to be sticking to the mushroom-covered cliff face more than climbing it.

His carapace acted like it was suctioned onto the mushrooms, as he crawled slowly over them like a gecko, miraculously not damaging any of the delicate fungi.

"Impressive, what ability is that?" Lin Shen was marveling when suddenly he saw Wang Shoucheng, who was just above the river, fall from the cliff.

Wang Shouxin acted quickly, gripping the rope tightly, but instead of pulling, he let Wang Shoucheng drop into the water.

It was only after Wang Shoucheng had fallen into the water that Wang Shouxin pulled with all his might, quickly hauling Wang Shoucheng out of the water.

Lin Shen surmised that it must have been impossible to pull him back while he was in midair, and only after falling into the river could they rescue him.

If that was the case, Lin Shen was unsure whether his Stairway to Heaven could enable him to fly across the river.

Even if the Stairway to Heaven couldn't do it, he still had the Floating On Water Skill, which should allow him to traverse the river.

Wei Shoucheng, once pulled up, automatically shed his carapace. His entire face turned red as if he were drunk, his eyes mere slits, mumbling something unintelligible.

"It seems this path is impassable; we have to try another route," Wang Shouxin said as he administered a potion to Wei Shoucheng.

Lin Shen had thought it was an antidote to the hallucinations, but it turned out to be an anesthetic, which promptly put Wei Shoucheng to sleep.

"We haven't yet developed a remedy for the hallucinogenic effect, so this is the only option. Fortunately, the hallucinations don't cause significant harm to the body; he'll recover once the effect wears off," Wang Shouxin sighed. "This way is blocked, so once Shoucheng wakes up, we'll have to try the other side. It's equally challenging over there, and I'm not sure if our prepared supplies will be effective."

"Let me give it a try; maybe I can get across," Lin Shen proposed to Wang Shouxin.

"How will you do it?" Wang Shouxin asked, eyeing Lin Shen with some confusion.

"Let's just see, I'm not sure myself," Lin Shen replied, indicating the rope. "Tie it around me."

Wang Shouxin unfastened the harness from Wei Shoucheng, secured it on Lin Shen, and began holding the rope as he did before.

Lin Shen took a deep breath and started walking towards the river.

"What are you doing?" Wang Shouxin, seeing that Lin Shen was actually trying to get into the river, was startled and quickly grabbed him, saying somewhat angrily, "The river's hallucinogenic properties can damage the brain, don't joke with your own health."

Only then did Lin Shen realize that their earlier casual attitude was not truly carefree; instead, they had silently borne the risks.

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