Chapter 282: A Strange Jungle and Poisonous Fog Covering the Mountain!

The four of them struggled through countless hardships before finally making it to the shore. Although, calling it a shore was a bit of a stretch. It was more like a pile of rocks.

Luckily, the rocks here were low enough that they could climb into the Enclosed Mountain forest from there.

Wang Yun pulled out the gas masks he had prepared in advance and handed them to the group. They put them on immediately and started moving forward, not even bothering with their soaked clothes.

“We need to get out of here fast, they’re definitely on their way,” Wang Yun said, leading the way. “We’ve still got a speed advantage for now.”

As they walked, Brother Hu and the others wrung out the river water from their clothes.

The water had a salty, fishy smell, especially under the heat of the sun. Even though their clothes dried quickly, they hardened like cardboard in the heat, and the smell made things even more uncomfortable for all of them.

“This Enclosed Mountain doesn’t look much different from the jungle we just came through, at least there are no snakes,” Brother Hu said, glancing around. 

He was still shaken from their earlier encounter with the snakes.

“Better stay cautious,” Xiao Gang chimed in. “Didn’t you notice? All the trees here are covered in moss. Plus, the ground’s thick with dead leaves. W e have no idea how deep they go. If we need to run, it’ll be hard to get any traction.”

The forest in Enclosed Mountain looked pretty similar to the one they had just left, but there were some subtle differences here and there.

For example, the trees in front of them were incredibly dense.

In the previous jungle, the trees were spaced some distance apart, growing tall and straight, reaching towards the sky. But here, the trees were clustered so closely together that there wasn’t a single straight path.

Everything was crooked and twisted, and the shapes of the trees were strange—almost eerie.

Some of the trees grew almost horizontally, forcing them to crouch as they passed under. Others grew at odd angles, and the creatures clinging to the branches were just as strange.

Take the tree right in front of them, for example. It looked lush, with thick branches and abundant leaves. But in reality, it would be dead within three or four years.

Its insides were already hollowed out, and its branches were covered in thick vines. There were wormholes all over the vines—clear signs that they were insect nests.

On top of that, there were odd, wriggling bugs crawling along the branches, about the size of a pinky finger. Their bodies were coiled, like steel wool, and their shells looked tough. They were covered in countless tiny antennae, all packed tightly beneath their shells.

Wherever these bugs crawled, they left behind scratches on the branches, as if the wood had been scraped by steel wool.

The bark was stripped away, leaving the tree exposed.

No matter how strong the tree was, it was clear that with these bizarre bugs gnawing at it, it wouldn’t survive much longer.

“Hey, what’s this? Why is there a stone sculpture here?”

Wang Yun and his group of four were walking along when they suddenly spotted something that looked like a stone standing by a tree trunk.

The stone was covered in moss, with a few bugs crawling on it.

“No way, could it be a naturally formed stone sculpture? This kind of stuff is worth a lot!”

Brother Hu, excited by Xiao Gang’s shout, rushed forward without hesitation. But as soon as he got close and shone his flashlight on it, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The next second, Brother Hu let out a panicked scream.

“Ah! It’s a person!”

Startled, Old Hu stumbled backward, yelling in terror.

Wang Yun and the others quickly went over to steady him and took a closer look.

It wasn’t a person.

“It’s a monkey. Looks kind of like an orangutan,” Wang Yun frowned as he inspected the stone-like figure in front of him.

“What? Not a person? Damn!”

Brother Hu finally calmed down, took a deep breath, and looked again.

“It really is a monkey. How long has it been dead? The bones are already exposed. Oh man, the skull’s covered in moss. I thought it was some kind of statue!”

Brother Hu sighed, still shaken, as he gazed at the monkey, which had clearly been dead for who knows how long.

“Judging by its posture and size, it looks like an adult. Probably died of old age or illness. It must’ve been picked clean by snakes, bugs, and birds in the jungle, leaving nothing but bones,” Wang Yun added.

The fact that the monkey’s corpse in front of them was covered in moss proved it had been dead for quite a while. Around here, it wasn’t unusual to come across the remains of animals or plants. After all, this place was practically a primeval forest, and humans rarely set foot in it.

“Brother Hu, stop getting spooked by everything. Nothing here is that surprising,” Wang Yun said again to the group. “Keep your masks on and don’t go touching things randomly.”

At this point, they really needed to find a place to rest.

They were exhausted from their time in the river, and everyone was starting to feel drained. But finding a decent spot to stop wasn’t easy here—everything was covered in moss. The ground, layered with fallen leaves, left footprints when stepped on, and their feet sank about two centimeters into it.

Who knew how far down the actual ground was beneath the leaves?

There was also a thin mist lingering in the air, like the haze in the city. It was light, but visible to the naked eye.

Luckily, they’d brought gas masks with them. Without them, there was no way they could move through this toxic fog.

“Boss, this place is dangerous. My arms and hands are itching like crazy,” Xiao Gang said as he scratched his arms while walking.

Wang Yun turned and noticed that Xiao Gang’s arms and neck—any part of his skin exposed to the air—had become red and swollen.

“Whoa, are you about to turn into the Hulk or something?” Brother Hu teased with a laugh.

Xiao Gang was clearly in discomfort and kept scratching furiously.

“This air is toxic. Grab your jacket and put it on,” Wang Yun said, frowning. “Let’s hurry up and find a flat area to rest.”

It seemed like the situation was much worse than he had imagined.

But why was he completely fine?

Wang Yun glanced at his arm, which was also exposed to the air, but there wasn’t a single issue with him.

Just as he was thinking this, the system chimed in.

Host: Wang Yun

Age: 23

Physique: 400 (Note: Human limit is 300. After 300, each additional point costs 100.000 shock points!)

Intelligence: 300 (Note: Human limit is 300. After 300, each additional point costs 100.000 million shock points!)

Skills: 1. God-level Parkour, 2. God-level Buttery Flower Picking Technique, 3. Advanced Retrieve Objects in Mid-Air, 4. Advanced Shadowless Blade, 5. God-level Eagle Eye, 6. God-level Wingsuit Flying, 7. God-level Electrician, 8. God-level Skateboarding, 9. God-level Lock Picking, 10. God-level Ventriloquism, 11. God-level Alertness, 12. God-level Magic, 13. God-level Marksmanship, 14. God-level Disguise, 15. God-level Climbing, 16. God-level Hearing, 17. God-level Martial Arts Skills, 18. Advanced Medical Skills, 19. God-level Cheating Skills, 20. God-level Hacking, 21. God-level Quick Change, 22. God-level Swimming, 23. God-level Breath Control, 24. God-level Tracking and Counter-Tracking, 25. God-level Trap Setting, 26. God-level Prediction, 27. God-level Driving Skills, 28. God-level Knife Throwing, 29. God-level Game Development, 30. God-level Forensic Science, 31. God-level Forensic Skills, 32. God-level Sniping, 33. God-level Balance, 34. God-level Grappling, 35. God-level Tai Chi, 36. God-level Bajiquan, 37. God-level Miao Sword Technique, 38. God-level Acting, 39. God-Level Calligraphy and Painting, 40. God-Level Bomb Disposal Expert, 41. God-Level Endurance, 42. All-Around Name Brand Skills, 43. God-Level Racing Skills

Shock Value: 67 million!

Shop: (Open?)

Note: Host is advised to exchange shock points for the “Immunity to All Poisons” physique. Immunity to All Poisons: Can resist all toxins, costs 50 million shock points!