Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded

The crowd's surge of excitement lasted only a moment before weariness washed over them again.

They promptly sat down to rest, eating, drinking, and recovering their strength.

After all, no matter how magnificent the scene, only what was hunted down belonged to them.

Ding Yi entered the ruins of the former city, searching among the crumbling walls and debris for tenacious weeds.

She uprooted them, tasted their sap, and selected varieties with hallucinogenic and paralyzing effects.

These mutated plants, adapted to the harsh environment of the wasteland, had evolved tiny pores on the surface of their leaves and stems.

They used the pressure changes of airflow to condense moisture from the breeze within these pores, then absorbed it to ensure their own growth needs were met.

Because they were fresh, delicious, and full of moisture, they also became the favorite delicacies of herbivorous animals in the wasteland.

To this end, many weeds or fern shrubs evolved defense mechanisms such as alkaloids, phytoprotein toxins, or thorny roots and serrated leaves.

The latter were not very useful, as most herbivores had keratinized lips and mouths several centimeters thick, completely unafraid of external damage.

They chewed them to pieces and swallowed them, then used gravel to assist in grinding, able to pulverize even bones.

The former, magical toxin damage, was much more effective. Although trace amounts of toxin were not enough to cause serious harm to large herbivores, the plants could also use the terrain to their advantage, hiding in rock crevices or corners to survive the early stages of development.

This way, large herbivores couldn't eat them, and small animals couldn't withstand the toxin attack, allowing them to survive, endure the growing season, and finally flower and bear fruit.

Once they grew tall enough, the tiny seeds could be eaten by herbivores, carried with their migration to the next gathering place, and thus reproduce.

This was the plants' survival and reproduction strategy, now being re-utilized by humans as a hunting weapon.

While picking poisonous weeds, Ding Yi discovered that insects and ants often hid beneath the overturned stones.

In the city ruins, weeds and shrubs, aided by the terrain, formed a simple but unique food chain with these tiny insects and ants.

Ding Yi not only found more than a dozen new types of grass but also many mutated insects she had never seen before, several times denser than in the wasteland.

She carefully collected them in empty bottles.

Arthropods could survive the long scorching of the Blazing Sun Forbidden Zone by digging deep pits, entering semi-hibernation, and due to their small size, waiting for rebirth two years later.

And in this oasis of ruins before them, they gradually evolved into something similar to gardener ants, forming a stable symbiotic relationship with poisonous plants.

But as higher-level consumers, the bodies of insects and ants also accumulated many toxins over time.

Full of harvest, Ding Yi quickly discovered while making paralyzing toxins on the stone slab that it was better to directly remove the glands from the tails of these ants and beetles than to extract trace amounts of nerve and muscle paralyzing toxins from the plants.

They contained highly concentrated venom.

It came from the poisonous grass they ate, filtered out as their own defense mechanism; this was very common in nature.

"These bugs are very poisonous and inedible. The toxin in just one of them can poison an eighty-kilogram adult human. Converted to a Rockhorn Horse, a five-hundred-kilogram level nine Rockhorn Horse would only need six of them."

Seeing Lin Feng approach, Ding Yi, who was carefully dissecting the bugs with a utility knife blade, explained:

"A Tier-1 Rockhorn Horse is two meters tall and five meters long, with a weight estimated to exceed one ton, requiring at least ten or more to paralyze their nerves and muscles."

"However, these toxins can be broken down by boiling, so even if they eventually die, there is no need to worry about contaminating the horse meat."

Lin Feng nodded:

"You've only caught twenty or so. I'll get others to help."

Saying that, he called Liu Qian and A'Lian and several others to enter the city ruins to collect poisonous insects.

Soon, three bottles filled with thumb-sized poisonous insects appeared in front of Ding Yi.

Only Chen Shanshan in the team was suitable for equipping it.

Although Lin Feng's lv9 precision pistol was powerful, the venom smeared on the barbed bullet would fly off during flight.

After collecting the materials, both sides had rested almost enough. Lin Feng handed the binoculars to A'Ming, then took Liu Qian and walked towards Duncan's team not far away.

They, a group of six, sat together, discussing the hunting plan ahead.

Seeing Lin Feng and the others approach, Lisa made way, asking curiously:

"Were you just collecting food? Didn't you bring enough supplies for this trip?"

She thought that Lin Feng and the others were searching around like other low-level wastelanders, collecting grass roots and insects to fill their stomachs.

Lin Feng smiled and explained:

"Everyone is just curious. The food here is quite abundant, like an oasis in the wasteland."

These words seemed to be covering up embarrassment. Lisa nodded, not exposing them, and instead followed up with an introduction:

"If it weren't for the Blazing Sun Forbidden Zone's expulsion, this place could truly serve as an excellent habitat."

Saying that, she pointed to the Laoshan Mountains beside her and the basin formed by the dried-up bay beneath her feet:

"The circular basin structure here, plus a circle of high mountains blocking it, allows humid air currents in the high altitude to settle, condense, and gather at the bottom of the rift valley, connecting to the groundwater."

"Eventually, a pool of water forms in the cave."

"However, it is seasonal. The high temperature of the Blazing Sun Forbidden Zone will evaporate the water source completely, and it will not re-condense until two or three years later."

"This place is also a transfer rest stop for Wasteland Beast herds. Countless Wasteland Beasts stop here to replenish water and breed…"

"Their leaders and chieftains will remember these punctuation points connecting the routes, leading the groups in cycles until the next successor appears."

"And this punctuation point with a natural water source is called the Wild Great Rift Valley…"

"It is also the only transfer point within a thousand miles, so the Wasteland Beast herds nearby will eventually gather here, replenish their state, and then set off towards the next punctuation point."

After the introduction, Lisa pointed to the Wasteland Beast herd crawling out on the slope behind the rift valley several kilometers away.

In Lin Feng's eyes, they were reduced to small wriggling black dots. If they weren't standing on the original land six or seven hundred meters high, they wouldn't be able to see the figures of the beast herd leaving at all.

"Where there are people, there is a world, there is struggle."

"This is no exception for the Wasteland Beast herds."

"There are still six or seven days before the Blazing Sun Forbidden Zone descends. This is the last chance for the Wasteland Beasts to draw water and replenish their state. There is not much time left for them…"

"So in the next few days, the competition for habitat will become extremely fierce, and the Wasteland Beast herds that fall behind will also make the rift valley extremely crowded."

"Competition, fighting, collision, trampling…"

"Chaos is our opportunity to strike."

"Those who fail in the competition, driven out of the water source under the cave after exhaustion, as long as we catch one, they can become evolutionaries."

Through Lisa's description, Lin Feng roughly understood the hunting strategy of Duncan's team.

Targeting those losers who were already exhausted was much easier than dealing with Rockhorn Horses in their prime.

At this moment, Liu Qian, behind Lin Feng, also added:

"Rockhorn Horse herds are generally led by a male Rank 1 Rockhorn Horse. During the mating season, they will drive away those newly matured male Rockhorn Horses, even their own offspring."

"Whenever they reach a water source like the Great Rift Valley, the male Rockhorn Horses' hormones will surge under the stimulation of hormones, entering a fierce and combative state."

"They will attack any adult male Rockhorn Horse that approaches their herd."

"Just like the African savanna of Old Earth, the wandering male Rockhorn Horses, after evolving into Rank 1 Wild Beasts, will also come here to compete with the older generation of Rockhorn Horses for the right to own the herd."

"Many male Rockhorn Horses even die directly in this struggle for mating rights."

Because breeding Rockhorn Horses is an important industry in Oasis Town, relevant records are emphasized and described in detail in the Hunter's Notes.

For generations of hunters, even being able to capture a single ordinary Rank 1 Rockhorn Horse is a precious opportunity to ascend to the heavens, so they will naturally focus on research.

Lisa glanced at Liu Qian with some surprise, feeling that this woman should be the strategist in Lin Feng's team, responsible for providing ideas.

After nodding, she added a few more sentences:

"The male leaders in the Rockhorn Horse herd are divided into old Rank 1 Rockhorn Horses, with strength in the mid-Rank 1 stage, and those leader-level horses that have just roared and declared their existence, with strength in the late Rank 1 stage..."

"As for the strongest Chieftain-level, as the ruling existence in the Rockhorn Horse herd, it not only has a long lifespan and possesses intelligence no less than that of humans, but its strength is also far above Rank 1."

"None of the above three can be challenged by us."

"Even if they are seriously injured, they can launch a charge, easily knocking away and crushing our tram."

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"And our target is those male Rockhorn Horses who have just advanced to the early stage of Rank 1 and failed in their challenge."

"There are quite a few of these. Just now, while resting, I saw several Rank 1 Rockhorn Horses on the edge of the rift, wrestling with each other and eager to try."

After Lisa finished her supplementary introduction, old Duncan, holding a tree branch, pointed to the Rift Valley diagram drawn on the ground and said to everyone:

"The current plan is to prepare for both possibilities. We will divide into two groups. One group will go around to the exit of the Rift Valley to capture or kill those juvenile and young Rockhorn Horses."

"If there is an opportunity, we will also capture adult Rockhorn Horses."

"The Rockhorn Horses at the exit have a large amount of water stored in their abdominal cavities and cannot run fast. Moreover, the team has already dispersed, so even if there is disturbance and panic, it will not cause chaos within the Rift Valley."

"This group will act now. Lin Feng, you can also participate. Whoever catches one will get it."

"The other group that stays will take binoculars and continue to search for suitable targets on the hillside."

"Those defeated and injured Rockhorn Horses will not leave the Great Rift Valley. Instead, they will wait until the victors take the herd and leave after eating and drinking their fill before daring to go in to drink water, recover, and then catch up with the migrating main force."

"We have to wait until it is at its weakest before we strike."

"Does everyone have any questions?"

Everyone nodded, without any objection.

Old Duncan then looked at Lin Feng:

"The first batch of people to take the initiative to attack will be me and Lisa, as well as two other team members. What about you?"

Lin Feng looked at the diagram on the ground, his brow furrowed slightly. The other party sent four people and left two, obviously focusing on the guaranteed young Rockhorn Horses.

As for capturing Rank 1 male Rockhorn Horses, it was a side mission, a gamble to see if there would be any unexpected surprises.

Lin Feng naturally agreed with such a stable plan arrangement. After all, only by earning the guaranteed money first and then considering making big money can one be more confident.

It's just the choice of personnel...

Since old Duncan was participating, he had to go too, and since Chen Shanshan had to stay, someone had to cooperate with her.

Therefore, Ding Yi had to stay. The team also needed her to continue collecting biological toxins.

Ah Ming's legs and feet were inconvenient, so he was not suitable for long-distance pursuit.

Thinking of this, Lin Feng glanced at Liu Qian behind him. The latter blinked, indicating that there was no problem.

So Lin Feng replied:

"We also have four people. Besides me, there are also two Rank 9 enhanced team members, and this teammate behind me."

Seeing that Lin Feng wanted to bring this woman who was only Rank 8 enhanced, old Duncan nodded and said nothing.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist:

"Depart in half an hour, be prepared."

Lin Feng hummed and took Liu Qian away from the other party's camp, bringing the news back to his own team.

Lisa watched the backs of the two people walking away:

"He wants to bring the strategist in the team. Why not bring one more person? This way, there are only three Rank 9 combat personnel, and their strength is not as good as ours."

Old Duncan got up, opened the carriage door, and took out equipment such as ropes and black cloth strips.

A teammate shrugged beside him:

"Probably worried about his precious tram? After all, this is their most valuable equipment."

Half an hour later...

Lin Feng and his party rode two empty tricycles, left the tram camp, and came to Duncan's team.

The other party's configuration was two modified off-road bicycles with an extra battery installed. The speed could briefly reach more than 20 kilometers per hour, which was obviously a special preparation for this hunting operation.

However, in order to reduce the weight distribution, the rear seat and brake device were removed.

Pursuing the ultimate speed under limited conditions.

So the other two people could only carry a flatbed trailer with empty supplies and keep up on foot.

Fortunately, the one thing everyone didn't lack was time.

They could look for favorable ambush terrain while walking.

As the joint hunting team of eight people left the camp at the top of the hillside, the hunt officially began.

Lin Feng and his four took turns riding the tricycle.

Liu Qian and A Lian were fine. Their tricycle was not modified and was very light. For later-stage enhanced people, as long as the terrain was flat, they could easily ride at speeds of more than 20 kilometers per hour.

However, Lin Feng and Liu Mingfei's car had 300 kilograms of iron plates added, which could not only provide sun protection but also took some effort to pedal.

Fortunately, after riding for two or three hours, everyone used the broken roads of the urban ruins to come to the exit on the right side of the rift valley and saw a team after team of Rockhorn Horse herds swaying their big bellies and struggling to climb up.

In order to reach the next natural water source and meet the consumption of this hundreds of kilometers of trekking, they drank more than 20% of their own weight in pool water in one breath, plus the moisture filling their flesh and blood tissues...

The body load is extremely high.

Now these Rockhorn Horses are like bloated balls, panting after struggling to climb a slope several kilometers long.

Unable to accelerate and escape as easily as before.

This is precisely the best time for Lin Feng and his party to hunt.

The experienced old Duncan quickly locked onto a group of Rockhorn Horses that had entered the city ruins and were searching for food.

In the herd of more than 30 beasts, there were ten young Rockhorn Horses that had just been born.

They needed to replenish more nutrients to be able to persist to the next transit rest stop.

So they can't waste any opportunity to search for food.

"Go!"

Old Duncan pulled out the pistol from his waist and said in a deep voice.