The holiday villa nestled against the mountains, connected to a whole dense forest.
After some time away, Tang Yu discovered that the vegetation had grown to a new level.
The trunks of the giant trees required seven or eight people to wrap their arms around them, shrouded in dense branches everywhere, making it nearly impossible to find a single spot to set foot on.
Yet, strangely, despite the rampant growth, the forest didn't extend outward... although the weeds along the roadsides grew rapidly, they still fell short compared to those in the forest.
It was as if this area had formed a unique geographical environment.
With a sweep of a long spear, a mess of vines and sprawling plants were cleared with one strike, instantly opening up the area in front of them, leaving only some unremoved grass and the muddy ground.
At the forefront of the team, clearing the path, was Puppet Guard No. 2.
Such a forest was undoubtedly dangerous, not only due to the threat of Demonized Beasts, but merely walking in this complex environment was extremely troublesome.
The tangled, dense vegetation greatly reduced visibility, and any slight misstep could lead to an attack by a Demonized Beast, not to mention, many plants bore sharp thorns that could easily cause cuts.
If these plants mutated and developed some kind of toxin, a simple cut could effectively reserve one's own grave.
Fortunately, the team was strong.
Wherever they passed, they forcefully cleared a path through the dense forest.
More fierce than a bulldozer.
This was probably what it meant to clear the wild, turning the dense forest into wasteland.
Tang Yu naturally walked in the middle of the team, closely followed by No. 1.
Behind, a part of the Patrol Team acted as laborers, carrying weapon boxes. Although Tang Yu had a Space Backpack filled with numerous items, it was now time for the Patrol Team members to show their worth.
Another part of the Patrol Team was clearing the paths and keeping watch on the peripheral.
The entire team proceeded much more smoothly than the last time when Tang Yu had come with just No. 1 and No. 2.
Along the way, they occasionally saw some bizarre plants, most of which were unheard of before the apocalypse.
Of course, Tang Yu hadn't studied botany before the apocalypse, and there was no expert in that in the team, but it didn't matter. If they couldn't distinguish them, they simply removed them; once brought to the research institute, they could naturally analyze whether these plants had special effects.
As for the unprofessional picking process, Tang Yu didn't care. After all, leaving it be, they likely wouldn't find it again the next time they came here. Despite clearing a path this time, if they left it alone, it would return to normal in no more than two days.
So, removing them was the right choice.
Waste was not an option.
Perhaps this was just the periphery of the forest, where the density of Demonized Beasts was very low. On the way here, the difficulties were mostly in breaking open the path; they hadn't even seen a Demonized Beast yet.
Lu Xiaopeng and Peng Bo, each wielding a large cleaver, were clearing the path at the forward sides.
With each slash, the vines were cut through.
"These vines are tough. Even using weapons from the Sanctuary, it takes a lot of effort to cut through. If it were ordinary weapons, we'd be stuck," Lu Xiaopeng, who had recently advanced to the Second-tier of Awakening and was already considered a high-ranking expert in other small Sanctuaries, still found it tough to clear the path, "This forest indeed isn't for ordinary teams."
"That's stating the obvious!" Peng Bo snorted and glanced around, unable to find a single fruit-bearing tree.
He just heaved a sigh.
He felt pity, then added, "These are just the vines blocking our path, don't forget, the biggest threat in the wild is still from the Demonized Beasts."
"It is," Tang Yu agreed. "But, the forest is close to our Sanctuary, and we are currently on the outskirts. We shouldn't come across any Demonized Beasts, after all, if there were any, they would have been attracted to our Sanctuary by now."
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a green figure. "Watch out!"
By now, he was no longer the mere newbie who couldn't even fight a Demonized Wolf.
The Combat Saber he was using to slash at the vines pivoted and slashed upward.
It collided with an unknown creature.
Lu Xiaopeng felt his wrist go numb, and upon looking again, he saw the creature had landed, a gash from the saber on its head, yet it still looked aggressive. Its mouth opened, and its long tongue shot out like an arrow towards him.
Peng Bo, standing nearby, growled and summoned a chunk of rock, hurling it in the path of the shooting tongue, only for it to be pierced straight through.
Taking advantage of that moment, Lu Xiaopeng narrowly dodged the Demonized Beast's tongue attack.
This was the first round of the Demonized Beast's surprise attack.
Quickly, several Patrol Team members acted, working together to kill the Demonized Beast.
It was a large green lizard, about a meter long, covered in scales, with its long tongue stretching out, sharp barbs visible on it.
However, by this point, the lizard had several holes stabbed into it, its eyes wide open, as if refusing to shut even in death.
"This is a Long-tongued Lizard, a type of Demonized Beast," Lu Xiaopeng said as he approached to observe. "Its strength should be at the Second-tier High Rank, adept at ambushing."
A team member behind him took out a notebook, flipping quickly to a certain page.
It read, "Atlas Number 0073, Long-tongued Lizard, Demonized Beast."
After examining the content, this member said, "There have been two records of this type of Long-tongued Lizard. The recorded strength is at the First Layer. Its claws are as sharp as knives, and the deadliest attack method is its tongue, which is very fast and has strong piercing power, covered with a paralyzing toxin. Furthermore, the length of a Long-tongued Lizard's tongue can reach up to five times the length of its body."
He spoke, adding a new record at the back, Second Layer, good at stealth and ambush.
And swiftly, another team member took out a camera to capture the gruesome state, or rather the form, of the Long-tongued Lizard clearly from multiple angles.
To be used for future research.
Meanwhile, some valuable parts were collected from the Long-tongued Lizard's body to serve as materials or future research samples.
For instance, its tongue was stretched out, then cut off.
The veteran members of the Patrol Team did this very proficiently.
Once done, the team continued moving forward.
With this attack, all the members became even more vigilant.
Gradually, the team encountered more and more Demonized Beasts, and Luo Zhe among other followers also took action, slaying quite a number of them.
This enriched the data on the Demonized Beast Atlas considerably.
Finally, as number two long spears fluttered through to clear the thorny vines blocking the path, the view ahead suddenly opened up. The sunlight, which had been blocked by dense tree leaves and had not had a chance to show its presence, finally cast its rays down.
Members of the Patrol Team stepped forward one by one, standing at the edge of a pit, looking ahead.
Their mouths gradually opened.