[Absorption complete, new creature entry recorded: Vortex Turtle]

...

Vortex Turtle?

What is that?

Cheng Ye’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure, holding the tongs to firmly grasp the fragment and gently placed it into the containment box.

Jiang Chuan "slammed" the box lid shut, secured the side locks in one swift motion.

Only after the box was completely sealed did they both simultaneously exhale a sigh of relief.

Especially Jiang Chuan, who found his back covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.

A Half-Step Extraordinary and a true Extraordinary differ not just in the strength of ability but in the very essence of life.

Even though he was lucky to retain some special abilities, facing an infection source parasite, he was still as defenseless as an ordinary person.

Cheng Ye’s caution made Jiang Chuan have a moment of unsettling realization.

Perhaps due to being in the Buffer Zone for so long, not having set foot into the Wilderness for years, he had forgotten the dangers outside.

That arrogance momentarily to go into the Water almost caused them both to stumble severely right under the nose of Happiness City!

While Jiang Chuan was still in a daze, reviewing events, Cheng Ye prodded the Fish King’s corpse with the tongs, but unfortunately, no new entry appeared.

It seemed that despite the Fish King’s large size, it still wasn’t enough to warrant its own page in the genealogy.

Returning to the pickup truck with the sealed box, Jiang Chuan still felt uneasy, so he took out the remaining waterproof bags and wrapped the box seven or eight times until it was tightly enclosed.

Only then did he and Cheng Ye exchange a glance and both exhaled another big breath!

Why is the Wilderness dangerous?

It’s not the discernible dangers, rather it’s the lethal threats that emerge unexpectedly when you think you’re reaping rewards.

Human research on infection sources over the years has only barely scratched the surface; much of the Wilderness remains unknown.

Even documented infection sources continue to mutate in secret, and no one can say for certain what they’ll become next.

Cheng Ye thought, suddenly feeling parched; it was his first venture into the Wilderness, and he had already stumbled upon an unknown infection source.

Lucky, or unlucky?

But one thing was certain: encountering the Fish King, no ordinary person, regardless of intent, could lure it like he did.

In this Wasteland, the stronger you are, the higher the probability you’ll encounter an unknown infection source or special mutated creature!

Unzipping his backpack, he fished out four packs of blue Nutrient Paste to bolster their spirits, and handed two bags to Jiang Chuan.

They gulped it down, the cool liquid sliding down their throats, gradually easing the tightness in their chests.

"It’s a good thing you didn’t go into the Water earlier, don’t be so reckless next time."

Cheng Ye sighed, "What’s that saying? Skilled swimmers drown, skilled riders fall, luck can run out. No matter how good your Water ability, one day you might be in trouble."

"Hmm!" Jiang Chuan nodded sullenly, still pondering something, his expression heavy.

After resting for about ten minutes, they finally calmed down.

They didn’t hurry to leave, instead they took an entrenching tool and dug a small hole by the river to bury the remaining fish carcasses.

Better safe than sorry; if any infectious agents remained on the remains, leaving them would be a hidden danger.

By now, it was just past seven in the morning.

Unwittingly, they had been occupied for over two hours.

As for the fish meat they used as bait earlier in the truck, they had no appetite to replenish it now.

"Let’s go, time to head back." Cheng Ye patted the car door and got into the passenger seat.

The pickup truck slowly started, quickly leaving the riverbank and taking to the main road.

Since they didn’t have to trudge the muddy path again, their return journey was much faster.

Turning onto the county road, only then did Cheng Ye feel a slight ease, and the Collector panel opened automatically in his view.

Switching to the compendium, starting with freshwater fish.

Although the Black Striped Fish King didn’t provide an additional entry, a new trait had appeared below.

[Growth Factor* (119%)]

"Indeed, it’s parasitized by an infection source..."

Cheng Ye tensed up internally.

The asterisked hint basically confirmed the Fish King was parasitized by an infection source, resulting in such a formidable size and intelligence.

The 119% progress bar implied that the parasitism might have been very severe.

Fortunately, it was dealt with ahead of time; had it been left unnoticed, allowing ordinary people to encounter it would have posed significant problems!

Exiting the freshwater fish entry, Cheng Ye looked at the newly appeared entry below.

To his surprise, upon staring at it, the Vortex Turtle entry trembled lightly and a pale red halo spread along the edges of the text.

In the blink of an eye, the words Vortex Turtle had completely turned a striking red.

The entire entry appeared to be stained with the hue of sunset, standing out among the four existing entries in the compendium.

"Eh, a perfect red?"

Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised, but without further thought, he clicked directly into it.

The panel was slightly unresponsive.

After two seconds, it finally displayed line by line data.

Starting with the image, unfortunately, it didn’t show what the Vortex Turtle was, only a small piece of its shell.

But upon reading further, his mind buzzed and lost the ability to think.

[Vortex Turtle (Extraordinary Creature)]

...