The smell of this strange fruit was so special that Gray was confident that he could not have smelled it wrong.
The heavens did not disappoint those with good intentions. Gray’s single-minded search finally yielded results.
He did not expect this grayish-purple rat to be able to bring news of the strange fruit.
Gray lifted the rat up, and the system prompt immediately popped up:
[Lightning Rat]
[Strength level: Tier 2]
[Classification: Beast]
[Ability: None]
[Description: Its speed is the fastest among beasts, and its high combat intelligence corresponds to its agility. It likes to hide itself in battle and quickly deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.]
Gray used his hand to search the lightning rat up and down, but strangely, he could not find any fruit.
Could it be that he was a step too late and the strange fruit had already been eaten by the rat?
Gray could not help but wonder with some disappointment.
However, the taste of the strange fruit was still so strong. Even if it ate it, it would have eaten it not long ago.
Gray immediately used the system to break down the rat, wanting to see if there were any traces of the strange fruit that had not been digested.
This wasn’t Gray wanting to pick up the fruits left over by the lightning rat to eat. Although Gray was drooling over the fruit, he wasn’t that desperate.
The main reason was that Gray had been too excited the last time he ate the fruit, so he didn’t have the time to appraise it.
Gray summarized the lesson he had learned the last time. He thought that even if it was just scraps, he could still obtain some information about the fruit this time. If he could learn about the characteristics of the fruit or the environment where it grew, then he wouldn’t have to look for a needle in a haystack the next time he went to look for the strange fruit.
Gray’s thoughts were pretty good. However, as the lightning rat was broken down, there were still no traces of the strange fruit even though there were drops and a mana crystal in the inventory.
Gray didn’t give up. If the strange fruit wasn’t in the body of the lightning rat, would it be in its nest?
There was a very high possibility!
Gray recalled the video he had seen in his previous life of rats storing food in their nests. He was in the mood to give it a try as he approached the cave that the rat had come out of.
The power of the rat was indeed astonishing. The rock that Gray had been sitting on had already been smashed. A huge hole had appeared in the middle of the rock, piercing through the rock and splitting it apart.
Perhaps it was because it wanted to break through the mountain rock that the speed of the lightning rat’s first strike had decreased compared to its later full-force strike, giving the dragon egg and Gray a chance to react.
However, even so, the lightning rat’s attack power was still astonishing. If not for the dragon egg’s reminder, with its strength and speed, Gray wouldn’t have been able to deal with it by himself.
Gray moved a few pieces of rock away, exposing the hole in the soil. The dark hole was not a straight line. It could be seen that the lightning rat was digging a tunnel on an upward slope.
Fortunately, the hole was not too deep. Gray could see the bottom with some faint light.
Gray looked at the soil around the hole. The crack in the soil was still wet. It was a very new crack. Obviously, this upward passage was newly dug, and on the other side of the bottom of the hole, there seemed to be another exit.
He understood that the dragon egg must have directly sensed the lightning rat hiding in its cave, and then he went directly to the top of the lightning rat’s cave to look for its tracks, that was why the lightning rat had chosen to dig a new passage to attack.
Although this cave was not far from the surface, it was still a straight line from the surface. Its true exit was probably somewhere else.
Gray crouched down at the entrance of the cave, and an alluring fragrance surged up along with the stench of wild beasts.
Got It! There’s a strange fruit down there!
Gray was delighted. As expected, he didn’t smell wrong. The lightning rat had indeed hidden a strange fruit.
However, even if there was a strange fruit down there, he couldn’t just rashly take it.
Down there was the lightning rat’s nest. Gray didn’t know whether this beast lived alone or in groups.
He first cautiously extended his machete into the cave. In order to avoid accidentally damaging the strange fruit, his movements were very gentle. However, this was enough. If there really were other lightning rats in the cave, the sudden appearance of the machete would be enough to make them react.
The machete disturbed the cave for a while. Although there were a few times when it seemed to hook onto the soft roots of plants, there were no other sounds. It was basically enough to ensure the safety of the cave.
“Thump!”
Suddenly, Gray’s machete seemed to have collided with some metal creation, emitting a sharp collision sound.
Gray paused and tentatively waved his hand in that direction. The machete in his hand made a sound of collision again.
There was something in the nest of the lightning rat!
Based on the feeling of the machete, Gray could sense that the collision should have hit a dead object.
What made him curious was, what could be in the lightning rat’s nest?
Gray pulled out his machete and put it aside. Then he lowered his body and reached his hand into the cave.
The cave was warm and humid. Gray tilted his body completely. One side of his fingertip could barely reach the bottom.
He began to feel around.
The cave of the lightning rat wasn’t big. Soon, he felt that his fingertip seemed to touch a round object.
It was about half the size of a fist. It was wet and smooth. This familiar feeling made Gray realize what he had touched.
It was the strange fruit!
Gray suppressed the joy in his heart. Calmly, he pinched the strange fruit and began to take it out.
This process was not smooth. Gray felt a sudden resistance as if it was being taken back. The strange fruit seemed to be pulled by something.
Gray was surprised. He looked inside with his finger and found that one section of the strange fruit was still connected to a vine.
Gray was stunned. Did he directly find the strange fruit’s plant?
This was an unexpected surprise.
Gray did not stand on ceremony. He increased the pulling force and carefully controlled the vine so that it didn’t snap.
He wanted to pull out the entire strange fruit plant!
This was not the time to think about sustainable development. If he missed this in the deep mountains and forests, it would be extremely difficult to find this place again the next time. The dragon egg was able to sense the mana crystals, not the strange fruit plant.
Strange fruits were extremely precious resources for Gray. If he could take them away, he would have to take them all.
Moreover, the violent ape was so far away from here, yet it could still obtain a strange fruit. There was no doubt that although strange fruits were rare, they weren’t that rare. Even if Gray directly picked one, it wouldn’t be so rare that it would disappear without a trace.
Gray pulled with great effort. The vines of the strange fruit were unexpectedly heavy. It was unknown whether it was because its roots were too complex, or because its body was very large, but Gray was unable to do anything to it.
With no other choice, Gray had to increase his strength. Gray’s physique and strength had improved by leaps and bounds after reaching tier 2, and this force finally caused the strange fruit plant to loosen up.
The strange fruit plant was also astonishingly tough. Although it was just a thin vine, it showed no signs of breaking under Gray’s full strength.
Gray increased his strength again. His center of gravity suddenly sank, and the expression on his face gradually distorted. As the soil loosened, Gray felt the strength in his hand loosen, and he finally pulled out a winding vine from the hole.
He finally succeeded.
Gray let out a sigh of relief. The veins on his arm had already bulged due to the excessive force.
Gray stood up and completely pulled out the strange fruit plant. This time there was no obstruction, and the process was very smooth.
However, just as Gray was pulling out the last section of the vine, a strange object appeared.
The object was rusted, and its originally smooth surface should have been covered with exquisite patterns. However, at this moment, it was covered with the tempering of time. Only a small section at the tip still flickered with a soul-stirring glow, as if it was telling the story of its former glory.
How did this thing appear here?
Gray looked at the object wrapped in vines, and a wave of doubt rose in his heart.