Chapter 51 Source of Infection

There was no blizzard to block the view.

Climbing a tree was not difficult for Yu Ke.

First, she climbed up to a height high enough to reach the branches with the help of her short knife. With the density of trees in the deep forest of Jinghu Lake, there were many places to leverage.

The patrol team members next to her were still using professional props to climb the tree. Yu Ke had already easily climbed to a high place. The captain of the patrol team, An Saili, was also very fast. She chose the same method of climbing as Yu Ke, using the branches that grew horizontally.

It was at this time that Yu Ke noticed that An Saili should also be a transcendent.

Unlike herself, who relied on high perception and strong physical fitness, An Saili's long legs seemed to have springs built in.

A simple knee bend could make her soar into the air, easily jumping to a height of three to five meters. You have to know that this was a jump from a tree branch, and it was more than fifty meters in the air. It would be amazing for a normal person not to have weak legs.

"If you want to be the captain of the patrol team, you must have some skills."

Noticing Yu Ke's gaze, Ansai Li stood still between the branches and turned to say.

The two of them climbed up alternately and soon came to the outside of the human-faced owl's nest, and saw the hanging nest still covered with snow.

"These criss-crossing vines are where the human-faced owl stores its prey. Look at those drooping vines. There are shoes and rags hanging at the end. The samples I collected earlier were cut from above."

The hugeness of the tree made the branches strong enough. Yu Ke walked on it, first pointed out the hanging nest, then turned to the tree hole next to it, and added,

"The human-faced owl was hiding in the tree hole over there. The tree hole has a certain height and it is very dark inside. Be careful when you climb in."

Yu Ke came here to lead the way this time. He didn't plan to drill another hole.

You know, the tree hole is full of food residues left by various human-faced owls, and the smell is really bad.

After pointing out the direction for the patrol team, Yu Ke walked to the side by himself, leaning against the tree trunk to give the patrol team space to move.

He took out the thermos bottle of tea from his backpack. After walking in the forest for so long, he felt thirsty.

He blew away the foam and took a sip, looking up at the sky.

Standing at this height of 100 meters, there were not too many branches to interfere with the view, and the sky seemed to have become much wider.

The dark clouds left by the cold wave had dissipated unconsciously, and the gray sky was gradually turning into dark blue, with occasional birds flying by.

It was a pity that the sun was still hiding behind the clouds, as if it was painted with a layer of gray and white paint. Maybe there would be a sunset in the evening?

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yu Ke observed how this elite team of the Forest Defense Bureau performed its tasks.

The patrol troops under the Forest Defense Bureau have always been the best-treated group of people, and they also perform the most dangerous tasks.

Apart from other things, at least the reputation in Danhang City is very good. Being able to join this team and become a hero to protect Danhang City is the dream of many young soldiers.

Facts have proved that the personal qualities of the patrol team members are indeed excellent.

They climbed the hundred-meter-high trees without any unnecessary complaints.

They were proficient in the use of professional equipment, and the series of actions after arriving near the hanging nest were also quite methodical.

They moved the position of the safety rope, tested the strength of the hanging nest, and then divided into two groups to cut the action.

One group was responsible for collecting vine samples on the hanging nest, taking photos, and recording details everywhere, especially those abnormal vines in dark purple. There were also special people who took the raw meat prepared in advance for testing.

The other group followed Ansai Li to the tree hole. As the captain, Ansai Li personally entered the tree hole to check the situation inside.

Combat ability is certainly an important condition for joining the patrol team, but the manifestation of personal ability is obviously not just combat ability. Yu Ke, who was idle, was also quite interesting to watch the work of the patrol team members.

Zhang Renqi gave a limited time for action, so the patrol team could only speed up the action. Soon, An Saili came out of the tree hole, handed over several bags of samples to the team members, and ran straight to Yu Ke. When he got close, he took off his helmet and looked solemn.

"Any unexpected discoveries?"

Taking a sip of the hot tea in the thermos, Yu Ke closed the lid and asked.

"I think I already know how the human-faced owl was infected by Pandora."

An Saili took off his rubber gloves, turned his eyes to the short knife stuck in the tree trunk beside Yu Ke, or more precisely, the chocolate sandwich biscuit box on the blade, and pursed his lips.

Is this guy here for an outing?

"Want a piece?"

"No, I can't eat anything after seeing the things in the tree hole."

"What is the infection route you just mentioned?"

Turn the topic back on track, Yu Ke asked in a deep voice.

"Through the prey residue in the tree hole and the samples you collected last time, we know that the food eaten by the human-faced owl has actually been infected. It is because of eating this kind of food that it has been invaded by Pandora."

Thinking back to what he had just seen, Ansai Li had a guess in his mind and said,

"However, a considerable number of the prey here are farm workers. It is impossible for them to come into contact with Pandora. I think the problem lies in the hanging nest. First, the vines that arrange the nest have been infected by Pandora. They come into contact with the prey of the human-faced owl and then contaminate the meat, which eventually leads to the infection of the human-faced owl."

"Where did these vines get infected with Pandora?"

Yu Ke asked, and then he and Ansai Li seemed to have thought of something. They looked at the main stems of the vines connected to the left and right sides of the hanging nest, and then followed them all the way to the jungle ground.

You have to know that this is a hundred meters high. The vines that appear here usually climb up around the tree trunks, and the roots are still underground.

"The place where the researchers at the Small Garden Workstation found Pandora is in a nearby stream."

Ansai Li suddenly mentioned the location where Pandora was found.

Yu Ke was stunned for half a second, and then he put away the dagger and biscuit box without saying a word and jumped down, quickly returning to the jungle ground.

As his figure leaped between the gaps between the branches, Yu Ke kept observing the direction of the main stem of the vines wrapped around the tree trunks while falling, thinking about Ansai Li's discovery in his mind.

If the vines in the suspended nest are the main reason for the human-faced owl to be infected with Pandora.

Then the vines that will not move will always be infected.

There is no such thing as this plant moving, so there is only one possibility, that the water and soil in this forest area have problems!

It is easy to verify this guess.

After falling back to the ground, Yu Ke drew out the short knife again, cut off the main stems of two ferns nearby, and locked his sight on the cross section.

When he saw the dark purple stem core inside the dark green epidermis, even Yu Ke could not help but fall into silence.

The answer is already in front of him.

Pandora infected all the plants in this forest area by polluting the water source.

It's just that because the time is not long, their mutations have not shown obvious characteristics. Instead, the carnivorous human-faced owl was needed by Pandora, so it mutated first.