Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Liu Xingmo embarked on his return journey, this time taking a detour to explore several other mountain peaks.

The scenery was similar: golden oak forests stretching endlessly into the distance. Most likely, squirrels planted these oak trees.

After crossing five mountain peaks, Liu Xingmo saw a familiar forest in the distance.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!" The squirrel's desperate cries had no other meaning than primal and pure fear.

Liu Xingmo crouched down, placing all four paws on the ground to disguise himself.

Ahead, an owl flapped its wings, and between its sharp talons was a tall squirrel that looked remarkably familiar.

Dazhuang! How did you get arrested?

Liu Xingmo kicked the tree trunk hard, his body instantly springing forward. Then, he pawed at it with his four claws and leaped into the air.

The gray-red figure drew a straight line and attacked the large bird in mid-air.

Liu Xingmo bumped headfirst into the owl's belly, and the bird of prey, in pain, loosened its claws.

Dazhuang tumbled through the air and fell into the leaves with a "thump! thump!" After slowing down through several stages, he landed on a tree branch.

Another group of squirrels caught up and came to help their companions.

Liu Xingmo had already changed direction and landed safely on the tree.

Run quickly through the bustling Squirrel Town and head straight for the Peach Blossom Spring Advance Base.

With one hand on each side supporting the rock face, they climbed up the mountain through a crevice. When the crevice became too narrow to climb, a wooden walkway appeared before them.

Looking around to make sure there were no pursuers, he climbed the wooden steps back to the cave.

I took off my stuffy squirrel coat and hung it on a clothes hanger. I scooped up a bowl of water and drank it straight down my throat.

After a short rest, we came to the stone table, turned on the spirit stone lamp, and illuminated the dark space.

Sitting on a stone bench, a notebook and several maps lay open in front of me. I quickly recorded my drawings, enriching my database.

After finishing his work, Liu Xingmo returned to Mushroom Castle on the other side of the world through a teleportation channel that resembled an intestine.

the next day.

Liu Xingmo returned to the forward base. Today, he would try to explore to the east, deep in the Aba Mountains, where he wondered if there were any other small animal settlements.

Liu Xingmo put on the squirrel coat, picked up a comb, combed the tangled fur, and applied squirrel oil to make the camouflage smooth, shiny, and odorless.

Sometimes it's easy to fool a beast, and sometimes it's extremely troublesome.

Under the light, Liu Xingmo looked into a small glass mirror to make sure his disguise was flawless.

He set off again, arriving at the squirrel's home to find his tree hole.

Today, we need to deal with the acorns and appease the tax collectors before venturing out to explore.

He was busy when he heard the sound of claws crawling on tree bark outside.

"Squeak—squeak!" The loud and powerful slogan came not from the tax collectors, but from the soldiers' squad.

Sure enough, a large, fiery squirrel scurried into the tree hole.

It was a first-tier acquired beast. It ignored the acorns on the ground and instead looked up and down at its strange fellow beast.

Liu Xingmo curled up, his hands dangling in front of his chest, looking like a silly little squirrel.

"Squeak, squeak?" the squirrel warrior asked.

Oh no, it's a language I've never learned before. What does that mean?

"Squeak!" That's the right word to refuse.

Instantly, the squirrel warrior's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at his strange-looking kin.

At this moment, several more figures slipped into the tree hole, including Dazhuang.

They are ordinary, strong squirrels, and they keep squeaking.

The small space was crammed full, and noisy sounds kept echoing in my ears.

Liu Xingmo was quite helpless.

My actions have indeed caused trouble. Fortunately, the other party hasn't discovered my disguise.

What should we do next?

The Peach Blossom Spring forward base cannot be relocated at present, and we will likely have to deal with the squirrel colony. Making enemies with them is not a good idea.

Forget it. I'll play spy a little longer; maybe I can find out more information. The only problem is that pretending is really tiring.

"Squeak." Liu Xingmo obediently chirped. This meant he agreed.

"Squeak," the lead squirrel warrior responded softly.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" came cheers from the other squirrels.

The team set off, running through the treetops, heading towards an unknown land.

Squirrels aren't that intelligent; they have a language system, but it only allows for simple communication. If they can't communicate, they just get along in a haphazard way, and no one will blame or criticize them.

Even in this remote and primitive settlement, Liu Xingmo still had some confidence.

Even if the disguise is exposed, they can always escape. Because the strength of the Blood Path lies in their physical abilities.

These squirrels that practice fire magic are, to put it bluntly, fragile mages. Although they are stronger than ordinary squirrels, they are not much stronger.

With a single burst of speed, Liu Xingmo could leave all the squirrels far behind.

After running for half an hour, the lead squirrel warrior and his men arrived at a large oak tree.

This place seems to be a gathering place, with countless strong squirrels standing on five trees, their gray and red figures densely packed on both thick and thin branches.

In the center, on a particularly tall oak tree, a squirrel stands atop the tree, inspecting the troops in the morning light.

Its fur was pure crimson, and it uttered clear commands: "Oak Brigade, patrol Bobo Mountain! Hazelnut Brigade, patrol Cuckoo Mountain!"

As commands were issued, the squirrels around listened attentively and chirped as they accepted the task.

Liu Xingmo realized that the guy who gave the orders had third-tier strength and was definitely a primordial beast.

Given the size of the squirrel colony, it's not unusual for a naturally born mythical beast to be born every few decades.

The entire squirrel colony should have several Tier 3 innate magical beasts as its core leadership. The Tier 2 and Tier 1 acquired magical beasts are the younger generation that have been cultivated.

"Let's go, warriors!" the leader issued the final order.

"Squeak! Squeak!" Cheers echoed throughout the venue.

The mission just mentioned only involved five battalions.

Judging from the appearance, the squirrels on a single tree in the venue constitute a large brigade, with the brigade leader likely being a second-tier leader. Each brigade is composed of several smaller squads, with the squad leaders being first-tier leaders.

Liu Xingmo is currently in a small team.

Let's stay and see.

"Squeak..." "Squeak!" The rats in the venue dispersed.

Liu Xingmo followed his group and set off for the unknown mountains and forests.

After crossing a mountain, these squirrels set up camp to rest and recuperate. Their stamina is actually quite commendable.

The captain climbed to the treetop, his imposing gaze sweeping left and right.

The remaining few started jumping around and playing roughly.

Liu Xingmo was indeed out of place and appeared very strange in this group.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Da Zhuang called to his companions.

Liu Xingmo was too lazy to pay attention.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Da Zhuang kept making noise.

Liu Xingmo turned his head helplessly.

A fallen pine tree, long since withered and decayed. Countless wood ear mushrooms and fungi grew on the cork whose bark had been peeled off.

Among the black and white fungi, there is a striking splash of red.

In the dark forest, the red hue resembled molten steel, cast into curved, semi-circular ears. The ears, layered upon layered, were like the sunset glow, flickering with firelight within the black wood ear mushrooms.

Liu Xingmo's eyes widened.

My goodness! Is that a rare, naturally occurring seedling? It looks like a clump of wood ear mushrooms?