Chapter 222: Salt Ores
Translator: Insignia Editor: Svjohn
The loud noise had woken everyone up. They quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed up to Luo Yuan. None of them felt calm when they saw the giant green bird, which was still lingering in the sky.
“What happened?” Huang Jiahui asked as she looked at the bird.
“I’m in trouble, I killed its mate,” Luo Yuan told her honestly. Then he added with a very serious expression, "We have to be careful the next few days. I"m worried the bird might attack us."
Every once in a while, the bird blocked the sun with its wings as it flew in a specific pattern. The strong wind made everyone feel stressed and anxious.
“Brother Luo, do you have a solution for this?” Huo Dong asked carefully.
“I could kill it, but I can’t do it as long as it stays in the sky.” Luo Yuan stopped talking for a second before he added, “We could lure it down.”
Perhaps the strange giant bird had been lingering around for too long and had finally lost its patience, because it suddenly lowered its entire body close to the ground and moved its wings vigorously. A very strong gust of wind was produced, and the whole area looked like it was being attacked by a typhoon. Everyone felt uncomfortable opening their eyes as sand and stones flew in the air.
Just as Luo Yuan thought the giant bird was about to attack them, it suddenly flew away, turned to a tiny spot in the sky, and disappeared.
"Finally, it went away!" Cao Lin sighed in relief.
“It can’t be that easy. Like Brother Luo said, most mutants have a strong revenge instinct. Although they escape when they get injured, they come back for revenge when they recover,” Commander Xia said.
“Worst case scenario, we"ll have to fight a big group of mutants. Some high-level mutated beasts live in groups. Please be alert. It"ll be crucial in the next few days," Commander Xia said with a very serious expression.
Although he was not physically strong, he was the most experienced frontline commander among them.
Luo Yuan nodded and said, "You"re absolutely right. Although the possibility is low, we should always a.s.sume the worst. Please avoid going out in the upcoming days. Get enough water and food in advance."
Luo Yuan never underestimated the intelligence of mutated beasts. They could always do something far beyond human expectation. Plus, as long as there was something like the Wisdom Tree in the world, Luo Yuan could not ensure that humans were more intelligent than mutants.
Although the giant bird was about 30 meters wide when it extended both its wings, it only weighed about a couple of tons, which was about the same weight as a giant. That was the weakness of the birds compared to land animals.
The dead bird was carried away after being chopped into numerous pieces by Luo Yuan. Luo Yuan found out it was a light green mutated beast after using identification on it. That was the first time he had collected so many high-quality feathers.
The system seemed to be no longer attracted to that level of creature, because Luo Yuan had not heard a single beep from it. He smiled awkwardly as he realized it would be really difficult for him to upgrade now.
Everyone was exhausted, but they knew it was very important to stay alert in the forest.
After carrying the carca.s.s of the giant bird, they went to the pond nearby to take water, and then poured it into the big pit the giants had dug inside the cave.
They had enough firewood, because the giants had kept a lot stored inside the cave. The firewood was all dried up because of the hot weather, but the supply they had would be enough to sustain them until they died if they only used it for cooking.
They had gathered everything they needed in just two hours" time. Their supplies could last them for half a month. None of them felt uneasy, although everyone had gone through a very difficult time. Someone living in a peaceful world would never understand how much those people had struggled to stay alive during the end of the world. It was a situation that made everyone feel extremely insecure.
Their ultimate goal was to protect themselves whenever there was something strange happening. They had already gotten used to that kind of lifestyle, and those who had not been able to adapt had died.
Luo Yuan was the only one in the mood to look around their new home. The cave was huge. It was obvious that many giants had been living inside it.
It was actually the biggest cave on the cliff. Apparently, the giants who had been staying there must have had a higher status than the rest. The cave was six meters tall, and its surface area was about 1,000 square meters, and was supported by 24 three-meter diameter pillars.
There were many signs of digging and marks made by axes or other kinds of weapons. It was unbelievable that those giants, who had been born less than two years ago, had been able to build such an amazing home.
There was some scribblings on the wall that might have been an ancient language or just a bunch of unfamiliar signs. None of them could understand what it was exactly, and none of them were interested in finding out.
Other than that, Luo Yuan found lots of ancient tools made of wood and stones, as well as a few animal teeth. Most of them were from the light green level beasts, so they did not attract his attention. Unlike modern humans, that primitive civilization did not show any specialty in anything.
“Hey, look! What’s this?” w.a.n.g Xiaguang suddenly said.
Luo Yuan quickly walked over to her. It was a grayish rock with numerous crystals. One of its sides was smooth and s.h.i.+ny. w.a.n.g Xiaguang had already knocked on it with her knife before Luo Yuan could identify it. She picked up the tiny grayish rock and put it into her mouth after licking it.
“Gos.h.!.+ Take it out! Are you crazy?” Luo Yuan was in panic as he quickly pressed on her mouth to push the crystal out.
“Let go, you"re hurting me! It"s salty! It’s just salt!” w.a.n.g Xiaguang was struggling, but she refused to puke the rock out. Luo Yuan had not really used much force on her.
“What? Salt?” Luo Yuan said.
He quickly squatted down and used identification.
"A salt ore, also known as rock salt."
“Ingredients: Sodium Chloride 70%, Magnesium Chloride 15%, Calcium Chloride 11%, Calcium Carbonate 3%.”
“Remarks: This is a big impure rock of salt.”
Some of them had already taken a piece and stuffed it into their mouths. Huang Jiahui was also one of them, even though she was usually very alert. Their actions made Luo Yuan want to try it as well.
They had run out of salt almost a week ago. They used to get salt by drinking mutated beast blood. However, the hot weather had been making them sweat a lot and lose all the sodium in their bodies. Some of them were dehydrated and eager for salt.
It was normal for them to behave like that upon finally finding some. They were like beggars with a loaf of bread after starving for a few days. Luo Yuan was the only one who could still control himself because he hardly sweated.