Super Zoo

Suming and Su Meng each rode a large wild boar, followed by a dozen smaller ones, setting off majestically toward the deep forest.

While others play the leading role as dragon knights or phoenix riders, Suming was quite unconventional. Originally aspiring to be a mythical beast rider, he found the alpaca too timid to mount, so he had to settle for being a wild boar rider.

A large group of wild boars and two men marched valiantly into the deep mountains, trudging through mountains and wading through water, until they finally arrived at the place where the wild boars used to live by midnight.

The wild boars stopped their steps tens of meters away, gathering together, looking ahead with great vigilance.

Suming's spiritual power surged forth, covering the dense forest ahead, and he was taken aback!

With Suming's current level of spiritual power, seeing animals like tigers, lions, elephants, or even whales wouldn't normally cause him much surprise. However, what he discovered in the 'home of the wild boars' made him gasp!

The so-called 'home of the wild boars,' the place where the wild boars had lived, was actually a forest predominantly composed of wetlands. It was too dark to see clearly, but under the cover of spiritual power, it was evident that a large number of elongated creatures were in this not-so-large area.

Clearly, these were snakes. There were thousands of snakes of various sizes and types—definitely not just a few!

The second senior brother had not lied after all; snakes had indeed taken over their home.

What truly astonished Suming was not the number of snakes but the fact that so many were slithering around. The forest was practically a 'snake garden,' with snakes hanging from the treetops and branches and more moving through the wetland grasses.

Bear in mind, this was winter, the time for snakes to hibernate. The occasional one or two snakes waking from hibernation due to extreme hunger or some special reason to seek food could be understandable, but thousands of snakes simultaneously defying nature by not hibernating and instead gathering together was highly abnormal!

Moreover, many types of snakes have the habit of cannibalism, especially when food is scarce in winter. They would not hesitate to eat their own species, let alone their eggs.

Yet, the thousands of snakes at the home of the wild boars seemed to coexist peacefully.

What force could possibly make these snakes abandon hibernation and assemble without interfering with each other?

On the edge of the wetland, a few dozen square meters of the area seemed somewhat empty, hosting only one snake.

A reticulated python about five or six meters long!

Reticulated pythons, also known as the king of pythons, are the longest pythons in the world. There are two 'mosts' among pythons: the green anaconda holds the record for weight, and the reticulated python for length! Adult reticulated pythons average 8 to 9 meters, and the longest ones can reportedly exceed 12 meters.

Lengthy but not hefty—what does this suggest? It suggests that reticulated pythons are slender and attractive. From a hundred meters away, the python looked thin and long, with quite an elegant curve. But don't be deceived by its appearance. Despite being slender, the reticulated python has astounding constricting power, not at all inferior to the much heavier green anaconda.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This five or six-meter reticulated python was obviously not yet fully grown, just a juvenile. Of course, even in its younger years, such a tremendous creature could inflict fatal damage on a common wild boar. This python could at least contend with the second pig, if not overcome the second senior brother.

Seeing this reticulated python, Suming was even more perplexed.

This species of python, known for its relatively docile nature, was on the brink of extinction and had never been spotted in the Qinling Mountains; why then was it here now?

Seeing so many snakes gathered together, including a reticulated python, Suming couldn't help but be cautious!

The darkness was too deep, and even with the aid of spiritual power, recklessly entering the wild boar's den was an extremely dangerous affair. There were simply too many venomous snakes around; a single inattentive moment resulting in a bite would spell utter doom.

Haidong Qing perched on the treetop, feeling somewhat eager to move. Although there were many poisonous snakes, for a creature capable of flight like itself, that was hardly an issue; the snakes were nothing more than moving feasts. Given enough time, like a month, perhaps it could deal with all the snakes on its own. Of course, that python with the distinctive net-like pattern was an exception.

"Let's wait for daylight," Suming said, then patted his trouser pocket.

In the pocket was a packet of realgar powder. Snakes were common in the mountains, and before venturing in, the people of Sun Town would habitually bring a small packet of realgar powder; if they had to spend the night in the mountains, it could be used to repel snakes.

Suming had also developed this habit from a young age; however, that little bit of realgar powder was like a drop in the ocean against thousands of snakes.

"Damn it, if I'd known it would be like this, I'd have brought in a ton of realgar powder!"

Time passed quickly, and daylight gradually broke. The first rays of morning sunlight pierced into the woods, but it was eerily quiet all around, not even a bird's chirp could be heard. With so many snakes gathered, all the birds in the vicinity had been devoured completely.

After sunrise, Suming discovered something new.

Indeed, the home of the wild boars was a wonderful place; the foliage in the surrounding woods was lush, and various types of fungi grew on the bodies of the old trees. Wild mushrooms were everywhere, and there were even large patches of Lingzhi!

Lingzhi may not be very valuable, and Suming wasn't well-versed in the quality of Lingzhi, so he merely glanced at them.

His attention, however, was attracted to the center of the wetland.

The so-called "wetland" was filled with aquatic plants, which is why it didn't freeze even in the dead of winter. At the center of the wetland, a patch of ground about twenty or thirty square meters emerged from the water, like a small island within.

Snakes were everywhere in the wetland and the surrounding woods, but not a single one in that central area!

Not only were there no snakes, there weren't any aquatic plants either; instead, a type of fungus that resembled mushrooms thrived.

They looked like mushrooms, but weren't mushrooms. First, they were much smaller than mushrooms, and the 'little umbrellas' atop them were half-oval rather than flat circles. Their surface was light yellow and uneven, covered with a net-like pattern of wrinkles, resembling a small honeycomb-shaped rugby ball.

"Huh? Could that be Morchella?" Suming's mind flashed with the thought.

Suming might not know the exact value of Lingzhi, but he had some understanding of Morchella.

This rare type of fungus, akin to the renowned 'diamond of the fungi' black truffle, if black truffle was the 'king of fungi,' then Morchella would be the 'queen.' Not only was it delicious, but it also had a meaty taste despite being a plant, and it was highly nutritious, known for its health benefits such as kidney enhancement, virility boosting, brain nourishment, and energizing effects.

On the market, the international price for wild Morchella could reach three to four thousand euros per kilogram. Even those cultivated artificially could cost up to a thousand or two thousand yuan. It goes without saying that it had an incredibly high economic value.

Wild Morchella was quite rare and typically grew in high-altitude areas. It was almost impossible to find them in mountains like Sun Town, which had an elevation of less than one thousand meters. Therefore, the appearance of such a large patch of Morchella in front of him was quite a surprise for Suming.

"Could it be that these snakes, including that large python with the net pattern, were attracted by this patch of Morchella, fighting to claim them?" Suming speculated to himself.