The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 164

“Take us all with you…” Lin Qianqian raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on her lips. “It’s been a long time since we’ve worked together.”

"You are all exceptionally strong. Let's strive to reach the Great Black Stone level after this experience," Han Ning said, expressing his thoughts.

With Han Ning leading the team, the vice presidents, aside from their initial surprise, were all very excited.

...

After the meeting.

Chairman Wu and others immediately began preparations.

With the high-end combat forces temporarily departing, the defense of the cave must be well-prepared.

To prevent his home from being burgled, Han Ning specially arranged for Xuebing to guard the house and oversee the situation.

The study group worked overtime to individually engrave some runes that were still under research for the vice presidents.

Those runes weren't a set, so their power was relatively weak, but they were still somewhat useful.

For example, the bloodthirsty rune on Lin Qianqian's arrow has the effect of slowing down the blood flow in any creature affected by the rune.

If it's a complete rune array, it can also absorb energy from the blood, becoming truly bloodthirsty.

However, simply carved runes do not have that powerful effect.

Next, they checked their equipment and prepared enough food and water.

Han Ning used the information Xiao Ba gave him to create a simple map, thus determining the best route to the Black Mist Forest.

Time was of the essence, and the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the group stood guard at the cave entrance.

There were a total of 11 people on this trip, namely:

Han Ning, Chairman Wu, Vice Chairman Zhao, A Long, Lin Qianqian, Cheng Rui, Li Kun, Yu Na, Xu Ming, and Jiang Yuan and his sister.

The first four were the original vice presidents, and the ones behind them were awakened individuals who had made rapid progress in strength, possessed remarkable abilities, and were being given special training.

Xu Ming was the only non-awakened individual, and his strength was relatively weak.

However, he was Han Ning's subordinate whom Han Ning had promoted all the way up, so Han Ning naturally wanted to mentor him more.

The mountain morning was cold, and hailstones the size of little fingers were falling from the sky, though smaller than before.

A light mist hung in the air, and a thick layer of ice crystals covered everything around.

The environment was extremely harsh.

"Om~~"

At that moment, several furry figures appeared in the cold mist not far away and quickly approached.

The one in the lead was none other than the chubby Xiao Ba.

Little Eight flapped its wings and hovered in the hail, its round body surrounded by a bright yellow energy field that deflected the falling ice particles.

Behind it followed three enormous bees of different shapes, each radiating a unique energy fluctuation.

The first bee was slender and elongated, about 1.5 meters long, and covered with a translucent light blue carapace, as if sculpted from ice crystals.

Its compound eyes are enormous, taking up half of its head, and shimmer with countless tiny points of light. Its four pairs of wings are as thin as cicada wings, with subtle shimmering edges.

The second bee is sturdy, nearly two meters tall, with a thick, dark brown carapace covered with rock-like grooves.

Its forelimbs are exceptionally thick, with hammer-like protrusions at the ends, and its hindquarters are short and broad. When it flies, it emits a deep and powerful hum.

The third bee was somewhere in between the two, about 1.7 meters tall, with a warm, emerald green carapace that seemed to glow in the dim light.

It has three pairs of wings that flap at an extremely high frequency yet remain unusually quiet. Instead of sharp stingers, its tail has several slender, soft tentacles with swollen tips resembling flower buds.

"Gurgle~" Little Ba gestured with its forelimbs, introducing Han Ning to the information about the three little friends it had brought.

"Hmm... Hello, Blue Crystal, Brown Rock, and Green Stamen." Han Ning gave the three bees temporary names based on their characteristics.

In fact, he communicates with the bees using his mental power; he doesn't need to call them by name, it's just to make it easier for others to identify them.

"Then let's set off. I'll introduce their abilities to you along the way."

Han Ning waved to everyone.

Chapter 185 Black Mist Forest

Shortly after Han Ning and his team set off, news of the entire exploration team's disappearance reached the Rock Gathering Area.

"They've all disappeared?!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Blackie angrily slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair, his eyes flashing with a fierce yet fearful light.

"Sayun, you will personally lead the team. You have three days to investigate those guys. I need to see information about them in three days."

After he finished speaking, the fierce look in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deep solemnity.

"Twelve people have disappeared without a trace. The other party's strength is unfathomable. You should be careful."

"Don't worry, boss, I understand." A short man, whose entire body seemed to be hidden in the shadows, nodded seriously next to Blackie.

“Go ahead,” Dark-skinned man said, his face tense.

...

"Gululu~"

Xiao Ba gestured with its forelimbs, transmitting waves of mental energy to Han Ning.

"The blue bee is called Blue Crystal. Its eyes can see through the flow of energy and some natural disguises."

Han Ning introduced the abilities of the three bees to his companions.

"The largest and strongest one is called Brown Rock. It can manipulate earth elements and has good defensive capabilities."

"The last green bee is called Green Pistil, and its pollen can help wounds heal quickly."

"Blue Crystal is in charge of reconnaissance and early warning, Brown Rock leads the way, Green Stamen acts as a nurse, and Little Eight and their companions lead the way, so we just need to follow."

"Do you understand?" Han Ning's gaze swept over his companions.

"clear."

The team members nodded solemnly and quickly checked their black snakeskin armor and weapons.

It has the heat-locking function of black snakeskin armor, which can block out most of the cold.

Led by Lan Jing, the team silently traversed the increasingly rugged mountain forest.

The hailstones pounded against the branches and rocks overhead, making a crackling sound that actually masked the sound of their movement.

Blue Crystal's enormous compound eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, occasionally pausing briefly to transmit mental information to Xiao Ba and Han Ning.

Brown Rock occasionally swings its forelimbs, easily smashing aside any obstructing branches or small patches of frozen bushes.

As they ventured deeper into the northern part of the mountains, the surrounding vegetation became increasingly distorted.

The tree's branches and leaves were an ominous dark purple, and its gnarled and twisted trunks resembled arms.

A faint smell of decay and water filled the air.

The light also became dimmer, as if shrouded in an invisible gray fog.

The team headed north, silently traversing the mountains for about twenty kilometers.

Along the way, they did not encounter any human settlements; it was a completely untouched territory.

"We've arrived." Han Ning's deep voice rang out as the group stopped in front of a mountain stream with flowing dark green water.

Across the mountain stream lies the area that Xiao Ba calls the "Black Mist Forest".

The gray-black fog, like a giant curtain, shrouded the mountains and forests ahead.

Part of this mountain forest was submerged in floodwaters. In the mist, twisted tree shadows appeared and disappeared, their shapes even more ferocious, and could be clearly felt even across the mountain stream.

The hailstones fell into the black mist and vanished without a trace, as if swallowed up.

"It's warning that there's something ahead."

Han Ning analyzed Xiao Ba's mental fluctuations, his eyes gleaming with a molten golden light.

He could sense that the black tide aura in the forest was very strong, and there must be some ruthless characters inside.

"Let's wade across."

Han Ning issued the order.

Even the forests were submerged by the flood; there was no dry land at all.

We have no choice but to wade through the water.

"Am I going to have to wade in the water again? I hate this feeling." Lin Qianqian frowned and stepped into the water.

Wow wow~

One by one, everyone jumped into the icy floodwaters.

Even at such low temperatures, the rapidly flowing black water did not freeze and continued to gush forth.

"Buzz~~"

As the bees approached the Black Mist Forest, even the chirping of insects became much more rapid.

Blue Crystal kept waving its forelimbs, warning that there was danger ahead.

"Be careful, we might encounter monsters if we go any further," Han Ning warned again.

Through his spiritual perception, he sensed several furtive life forms rapidly approaching.

However, they came here for training, and Han Ning planned to let his team members test the strength of these monsters first.

Before he finished speaking, a low, rumbling sound, like countless roots wriggling in the mud, came from all directions.

Tiny bubbles rose eerily from the water beneath our feet, bringing with them an increasingly strong stench of decay.

"The fog is getting thicker," Chairman Wu warned, waving his hands.

One by one, translucent bubbles shimmering with seven colors flew out, protecting everyone inside.

The next second, a surge of gray-black mist rushed in and cut the team apart.

"Stay close together, don't scatter!" Vice President Zhao roared, steam billowing out as he swept his giant axe across the mist, only to find it was like throwing mud into the sea.