Chapter 167 Picked up trash!
Lu Yuan summoned the Tree of Life, letting its thick roots penetrate the soil to drink up the water.
He then fed it a bit of meat from the Anomaly.
Having consumed so many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, the growth rate of the Tree of Life during this period had been the fastest, even much faster than Lu Yuan himself.
It now stood at 9 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of 30 centimeters; its leaves were lush and dripping with a green so vibrant it seemed sacred, exuding a divine yet solemn luster.
If it weren't for the bizarre appearance of the Cannibal Flower, it could be regarded as a holy relic worthy of worship in religions.
Even more exaggerated, its "Shape Attribute" had reached 33 points and was still climbing!
This power was far greater than Lu Yuan's human body. (Lu Yuan himself only had about 19 points)
Soon, the Tree of Life, thanks to its innate affinity, attracted more small animals to come forage… The Cannibal Flower didn't consume them but instead spat out a withered yellow leaf, a product of its metabolism containing certain Ideal Energy.
The small animals squabbled over it, squeaking noisily.
"See?" Lu Yuan said proudly, "Whoever lacks compassion is a lunatic!"
"That's great! Mr. Turtle doesn't have much, just a sincere heart." The turtle opened his mouth wide, grabbing the cage.
The little mouse squealed in fright.
The next second, full of love, he said, "Little mouse brother, how about I take you for a swim in the lake?"
"Saltwater Lake, you haven't experienced it, right? Remember to hold your breath, and don't drink the water."
He dashed down with the cage, splashing up a spray of water.
Old Cat, holding the cage, was stunned, those round eyes watching the lively gray mouse.
Its innate instincts were awakening, inexplicably wanting to "torment" this creature.
Why does such an annoying creature exist in the world!
"To live is to torment…to torment… If I am without torment, does it mean I am not alive?" the orange cat, tried to restrain its psychopathy.
It began frantically scratching its head.
As for Old Wolf, he didn't understand.
He thought it was something his master gave him to eat.
With a "smack," he caught the mouse trying to escape.
The plump purple tail of the mouse twisted into a ghastly curve in his mouth.
Eventually, with a piteous squeak, the tail drooped and did not move anymore.
"Woof!" he licked his lips, happily barking once.
It tasted good!
Old Cat looked resentfully at the wolf. You're supposed to torment it, what's the point otherwise?!
"Alright, alright, I knew you all were nuts. Old Wolf, out!"
"Awooo?!"
Lu Yuan secretly rejoiced, being the only sane one, wasn't victory in this battle easily within his grasp?
Of course, he still had important tasks to attend to.
He first linked empty gasoline barrels together with a rope, soaking them in the lake to let the smell of gasoline dissipate, after which they could be used as water buckets.
He quite liked the feeling of recycling waste.
Then, he enthusiastically took a bath in the lake water.
"How much oil do you still have left?" Old Cat resisted the urge to torment the mouse.
It always felt that Lu Yuan was targeting it—making a cat look after a mouse, what was this about? Are you trying to trouble me?
"Still over 300 liters, I plan to use this oil for the generator."
"If it's for the helicopter, 300 liters of fuel would only allow it to fly about six hundred kilometers, still not enough to reach the destination."
Old Cat nodded, the generator's power was approximately 3000 watts, consuming 1.12 liters of fuel per hour.
"300 liters would last just under 300 hours."
Of course, after modifications by the Rize people, vegetable oil could also be used to generate electricity.
It just produces a lot of smoke and affects the lifespan of the generator.
It suddenly had a wicked idea. "How about we get some gasoline and burn the rat with it?"
"Alright, alright, is 50 grams enough?" Lu Yuan was greatly shocked.
Old Cat got excited: "That's enough, how about burning your rat? To hear its dreadful screams, that's what it feels like to be alive!"
Lu Yuan looked at it sideways: "Don't insult my intelligence, comrade."
"Yours is yours, and mine is mine."
"But whatever you want, I will definitely give it to you."
He took the gasoline barrel out of the Storage Space, poured a bit of gasoline into a cup, and handed it to Orange Cat.
Bright orange, stored in a plastic bottle, it looked like urine and emanated a pungent smell.
It was hard to imagine that an AI coated in orange fur, with machine cores, would show an expression as profound as constipation on its face.
Old Cat just stared at the gasoline, gaining a deeper understanding of the phrase, "To live is to torment others."
Because Lu Yuan was tormenting it!
"Very happy, very fortunate." The scoundrel wiggled his backside and jumped into the lake.
After bathing, Lu Yuan spent several hours noisily assembling a large tricycle.
The era of the helicopter was over, now it was time for the tricycle.
The tricycle was like a small truck, big and light yet strong, made of titanium aluminum alloy, weighing only 150 kilograms.
The three tires were wide and large, not easily sinking into the sand.
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There was even a convertible top above to shield from the sun.
Even the car's solar panels and batteries could charge, allowing the lights, electric fan, and sound system inside the convertible to function.
One had to admit, the Rize Civilization had put quite some thought into this.
The machine inside could even play songs.
Lu Yuan's face broke into a smile, almost suspecting that he had come for a vacation.
"Brother, why is my mouse dead?!" Mr. Turtle ran over, tears streaming down his face.
We agreed to enjoy the scenic underwater views, so how did it end up dead?
Orange Cat felt a deep pleasure inside upon seeing Mr. Turtle cry, knowing that besides the mindless Old Wolf, there was finally someone else at the bottom.
"Ah, since Brother Mouse is already dead, might as well taste it." Mr. Turtle cried for a while, opened the cage, and devoured the soaking wet mouse in one bite.
The stout purple tail fell to the ground, and Old Wolf, quick as ever, stealthily snatched it away.
Mr. Turtle criticized while eating, "Not so good, it has a wild scent."
"Brother, I discovered a treasure at the bottom of the lake, wanna check it out?"
Lu Yuan's expression shifted.
After many years, had Old Lu's luck finally turned, picking up trash?
The man and the turtle rushed into the Saltwater Lake eagerly.
The deepest part of the lake was only about ten meters because of the high salinity, there were hardly any fish, only some skeletons of creatures silently lying at the bottom.
Lu Yuan's eyes flickered with a golden light as he spotted a sky-blue stone.
[Cold Jade Green Stone: Emits a trace of icy power, a fairly good material for sealing and also for making engravings. (Ordinary Level·Natural Oddity)]
What a fine item, although useless now, I'll pick it up anyway.
Following that, he picked up a piece of Black Iron Ore (Inferior Level·Natural Oddity).
And then another piece, of yellow-brown amber!
[Ten Thousand-Year-Old Amber: Formed from the solidification of a certain special resin, due to its unique Idealism Power, it can perfectly preserve the flesh of animals.]
[In the study of engravings, it plays a nurturing role. (Rare Level·Natural Oddity)]
This lake might be the lowest point in the surrounding hundred miles.
The rivers around continuously brought water into it, also depositing some natural minerals into the lake.
Lu Yuan, like an enthusiastic treasure hunter, tirelessly explored the free treasures.
He found that his "Pioneer's Eye" was beginning to show some bias in its descriptions, now introducing some knowledge about engravings.
In the past, when Lu Yuan was unaware of "engravings," the "Pioneer's Eye" would not reveal knowledge about this.
"This means that the results of identification are greatly influenced by my own awareness."
"If I didn't know about it, then no descriptions related to engravings would appear."
…
While Lu Yuan was happily hunting for treasures, Old Cat on the shore, faced with the ongoing provocation of the mouse, was barely holding back its irritation.
It couldn't stand it anymore!
"There are already two nutcases at the bottom, being second isn't so bad."
It solemnly lit a lighter, its whole body shaking, as if its soul had achieved true sublimation.
Subsequently, the cat called Old Wolf over to dispose of the body.
"Go on, eat up, old buddy."
Old Wolf glanced at the cat with its one eye, its crimson tongue licking its lips, seeming hesitant.
Its taste had become more particular; it really didn't want to eat that burnt stuff from the bottom of its heart.
In the end, it just took the still decent mouse tail and swallowed it... speaking of which, how many tails had it eaten today?
...
Lu Yuan returned fully loaded; this underwater trip netted a total of 22 pieces of ore.
A whole 22 pieces, a motley assortment, except for the Ten Thousand-Year-Old Amber which was rare, most were of Inferior Grade; but this pleasant surprise still made his mood incredibly wonderful.
"Could this place truly be a treasure land?"
"Haha, Mr. Turtle's nose is really sharp, it can sniff out anything good in an instant."
He laughed and chatted with the Undying Giant Turtle, swimming back to the shore, when suddenly he smelled a faint burnt odor.
Lu Yuan seemed to think of something, immediately rushed over, wanting to mock Old Cat.
Orange Cat faced the big tree, its claws pressed firmly against the tree, shivering non-stop, as if reflecting on its past actions.
It had now come to its senses, wondering why it had just had such a terrible thought.
"The cat is the most twisted now, needs to correct its thoughts."
"The turtle and the wolf are just fools, but the cat is purely twisted, too terrifying."
Lu Yuan was quite satisfied with the test results.
He looked proudly at his own cage, coming to a final conclusion.
"Only I am normal."
Wait a minute... where's my cage?
The cage... where has it gone?
Lastly, Lu Yuan found the cage underneath the Cannibal Flower, the mouse already gone, and a trace of blood at the corner of the Cannibal Flower's mouth… perhaps, it was someone else's scheming, but failing to control the Cannibal Flower's appetite was his own fault.
All the mice had died within half a day.
This team is too terrifying!