BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1247: Rescue trip (3)

Erik stopped at the edge of the land he cleared from the presence of thaids, looking at where the unknown wilderness of Mur started.

It took him three days to reach that place.

<Damn…> I cleared more land than I expected.>

Erik had lost track of his exact location during his hunts, since most encounters turned into chases that led him far from his intended path. Aside from that, he also experimented with the Luminara Serpentis, hoping to not only kill all the surrounding thaids but also to prevent others from reaching it.

Erik planted clusters of the Luminara Serpentis at key locations about fifty meters apart. He wanted to know if the plant worked like most of the creatures on Mannard or if they would enrage them like it happened to the wyverns.

He set up temporary observation posts near the bulk of the cluster, using his shapeshifting ability to take the form of local thaids and his invisibility power to hide his presence.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

The results were mixed, or better, it was like on Mannard, but much worse. Most of the thaids fled from the Luminara Serpentis, but unfortunately, not only wyverns, which luckily didn't appear, ran from the plant.

A creature had torn through an entire patch and destroyed the area in a fit of rage. The plant's presence provoked the predator and many others when Erik regrew the plant and ended up drawing them out of their territories to destroy it.

What kept him safe on Mannard was actually dangerous here on Mur.

The plant's scent and biochemical signals stimulated the thaids' aggressive instincts far more than expected.

If Erik hadn't used his invisibility power and shapeshifting abilities, the enraged thaids would have torn him apart. These creatures, with their massive claws and enhanced strength, were too powerful for him to engage in combat.

[That complicates things,] the biological computer said as Erik watched another powerful thaid demolish a test patch. [We can't use the Luminara to create safe passages. It would be like laying out a welcome mat for every thaid in the area.]

The Luminara Serpentis plants lay destroyed, their luminescent sap seeping into the soil.

[We need another strategy,] the system said. [The Luminara attracts the kind of attention we're trying to avoid.]

Erik nodded, abandoning his plan to create a network of safe corridors for himself and the others. On Mur, it seemed, there could be no truly safe paths—only carefully chosen routes and constant vigilance.

<What do you suggest?>

[Well, it's not like we have choices. We can only hope something like the Luminara Serpentis exists here on Mur. A plant that evolved in the same way. After all, Mur's vegetation had to adapt to survive these predators exactly as plants did on Mannard.]

<Yes, but remember how we found the Luminara Serpentis?> Erik asked. <It was one single patch surviving in that abandoned cottage. If I hadn't cultivated and spread it across Mannard, it might have died out entirely. Finding another plant with similar properties is very unlikely, if it exists to begin with.>

Erik sighed, feeling disappointed by his own words. He just made a damn good point—they had been lucky to find the plant in the first place.

It had been nearly extinct before Erik started growing it everywhere, or so it looked like since he never found it in the wild again. Finding another plant that had similar effects seemed unlikely.

<I suppose there's no straightforward solution here,> Erik said, watching as the last traces of luminescent sap disappeared into the soil.

[We might just keep it simple,] the system said. [Being careful, staying hidden, and choosing safe paths. It may not be fancy, like using plants as protection, but these basic methods work too.]

<And that's exactly the problem. It is too complicated, while using the Luminara Serpentis made things easy.>

Erik moved deeper into the wilderness. The forest grew denser here, and the trees taller. It was absurd, given how tall the trees already were. Erik wondered about the reason, but aside from the technical hypothesis made by the system, he had no clear answer.

[Let's find higher ground,] the biological computer said. [We need a better view to plan a safe path through the terrain ahead.]

Erik climbed up a tree, feeling the bark under his hands. Looking down from above, he could see everything.

There was a wide, white, sandy beach in the distance, stretching as far as the eye could see and marking the continent's edge where it met the deep blue ocean. Behind the beach, a dense forest of towering trees extended inland, broken up by occasional rocky outcrops and small clearings where fallen trees had created natural gaps in the canopy.

It would have been impossible for Erik to see that far, but he changed his eyes through shapeshifting into suitable ones, making this kind of scouting possible.

"The beach keeps stretching southwest."

[Before that, you should climb down the tree. You are not very high, but are still much more exposed to flying thaids than on the ground.]

<I know that,> Erik said.

[Then why are you wasting time talking to me instead of climbing down?]

Erik rolled his eyes but knew the system was right. Being exposed in the treetops was a risk he didn't need to take, especially when flying thaids could spot him from a considerable distance.

Yet Erik felt annoyed and jumped down.

<I landed on the eastern shores,> Erik said. <The others likely did the same given the direction we were heading to, but they are likely to have landed much farther from my position.>

[Indeed,] the system paused. [Keep in mind that the others wouldn't have gone too far from the shore—it's their best reference point for navigation, and the closer the forest is to the beach, the weaker the thaids there are.]

In truth, it should have been the opposite. The stronger thaids should have been more fearless and approached the shores more frequently, but the truth was that the sea thaids, or the flying ones, were much stronger than land thaids, and the only ones deciding to stay near the shores were those who either were too small to be noticed or those who had powerful camouflaging brain crystal powers.

Most creatures avoided the coastal regions. Even the largest and most powerful land thaids, which could easily overpower other predators, stayed away from them.

This behavior wasn't due to fear but rather a sign of intelligence, at least compared to the thaids on Mannard. Fighting the powerful sea and flying thaids that dominated the coastline would waste energy and risk injury with no meaningful benefit.

Erik scanned the landscape, looking for any signs of human activity—clearings that seemed too regular, areas where the vegetation patterns changed abruptly, prints on the sand that resembled those of wyverns or humans, anything that might show his lover's presence.

"No smoke rising from anywhere," Erik scanned the area. "No temporary shelters, no disturbed vegetation patterns that would show recent camping, and no obvious signs that anyone has passed through here recently."

[Maybe we are too far from their landing point.] Yet Erik knew those were just words the system said to cheer him up. The others might have been dead.

Despite knowing this, the biological supercomputer's words made sense. Assuming they were still alive, it might have been that they landed much farther than here.

Besides, Mira and the Chimaeric Demons were experienced fighters and knew how to survive in the wilderness. No one would ever make basic mistakes, like starting fires or camping on exposed beaches.

They knew open flames would draw the attention of thaids, both from the air and land. Even the smallest fire could attract some thaids from kilometers away if they had a keen sense of smell.

If they survived the landing, they would be using natural shelters in the forest or caves in the rocky outcrops. At worst, they would keep moving and rely on their abilities to remain undetected.

Then Erik spotted movement in the forest. A large creature came out from behind the plants. Its body was scaly, but Erik couldn't see it well. It looked like a Shadowclaw, but this one was bigger.

[Stay still. We don't want to attract it with noise.]

So he did. The creature came close to his position, but to mask his scent, Erik hid behind some flowers. He grew some more to increase their numbers and make it so the creature wouldn't notice him. It worked, since the thaid went past his hiding place without looking back.

[We should get closer to the coast,] the system said, mentally sighing. Erik nodded. They weren't far from it, and they had to check for potential landing sites.

<The problem is that in this area there are a lot of creatures I can't fight without at least three days of planning and preparation to hunt it.>

[Yeah, you are unlucky.]

The biological computer then remained silent, but Erik knew it was watching for danger around them.

He listened for the sound of ocean waves to figure out which way to go. He stayed under the trees where it was safer. He hoped his friends were somewhere ahead, staying alive until he could find them.