With a surge of strength!
A dark red, withered bone was dragged out of the red sand, struggling in Zhang Wei’s hand!
"White Bone Demon?"
"This is the true form?"
"If it were human bones, it might be a bit more terrifying. Otherwise, it just feels like kitchen scraps to me!"
Seeing the red sand attempting to reattach itself to the withered bone, electricity flashed in Zhang Wei's palm.
Instantly, the red sand that had been adhering lost its binding agent, crumbling and falling away. The true form of the red sand puppet also stopped struggling.
[Storage Complete: Red Sand Puppet]
[Replication Time: 45 Days]
It fainted just like that?
"No resistance to lightning at all."
"But that's understandable. A place like this takes decades for just one rain, and lightning is something they've likely never even seen. How could they evolve lightning resistance…"
If that's the case, the rest should be easy!
Zhang Wei leaped into the air, blue electricity crackling around him, activating Thousand Birds Flow in wide-area coverage mode.
A lightning-like brilliance swept across the entire area. With Zhang Wei’s current stamina, the lightning zone could cover hundreds of thousands of square meters, subjecting all living beings to his all-encompassing assault.
The red sand collapsed, revealing white skeletons emerging from it.
Sheng Taro and Cang Ma, smoking and with their hair standing on end, weakly suggested to Zhang Wei, "Next time you unleash a wide-area attack, can you give us a heads-up? So we brothers can be a little prepared…"
Zhang Wei: …
Who knew you two would be so careless?
However, Zhang Wei now faced another challenge: finding the Gourmet Pyramid.
In the original story, Komatsu, with his astonishing food luck, fell directly into a quicksand vortex and was transported into the pyramid.
The main characters, with Zebra’s help, used the echo method to pierce through the mirages and safely found their destination from the illusion.
The terrain here was entirely illusory, with all of it potentially being traps set by mirages on the quicksand.
"Let's try using electromagnetic induction."
Zhang Wei closed his eyes, and the world instantly plunged into darkness.
In this silent world, all the monsters lurking in the sand dunes were clearly visible, like fireflies in the night.
But…
He couldn't see the path at all.
The electromagnetic induction technique was primarily for detecting the bio-currents of living organisms; its sensing of inanimate objects was very weak.
"Damn it, I can't get lost in this red sand labyrinth!"
"What about using the Art of Wind Riding to ascend? No, with the mirages obstructing it, visual observation is definitely not a good method."
"Red sand…"
Due to the shifting sands, the terrain here changed every second. In the time it took Zhang Wei to think, the external scenery had already transformed anew. This rate of change would shame mediocre online novel authors and game developers.
He had to find a solution quickly.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to discern the direction.
Red sand…
Wait a minute!
This is red sand, containing a large amount of iron. Electromagnetic induction should be able to detect it!
This red sand is an excellent conductor!
"Hey, you two, be careful!"
Thousand Birds Flow - Voltage Map!
This technique was frequently used in Cloud Country and the Gourmet World; he was quite proficient with it.
Now, when used, the detected range was even further!
With no altitude, the electricity was nearly invisible, and consequently, Zhang Wei conserved more energy.
And in the darkness, the terrain of the crimson desert became clearly visible.
The rapidly flowing areas were impassable, while the stable bright spots were footholds.
"Stick close to me!"
Zhang Wei gave a shout and leaped high. Sheng Taro's rope directly pulled the two along…
Quite abruptly.
Alright, Zhang Wei had forgotten about that thing.
But it didn't matter much; Sheng Taro's rope was very sturdy, easily pulling the two, weighing over 400 pounds. While moving, he didn't forget to deal with the red sand puppets.
[Capturable Ingredient Found: Desert Flower Fish]
[Capture Level: 25]
[Food Level: 20]
[Description: A fish that inhabits scorching sand seas. Its blood is an important resource for replenishing water in the desert.]
This was a species that had appeared in the original work. Just when Toriko and Zebra were about to collapse, these guys coincidentally appeared, providing precious water to the exhausted protagonists.
Although Zhang Wei had consumed a considerable amount of stamina and water, he didn't need this at all.
"Triple Source Water!"
Zhang Wei summoned three bottles of water, each with a volume of 2L. Converted to ordinary water, it was equivalent to 200 liters, enough for the three of them to cross the desert area luxuriously.
However, he wouldn't let the Desert Flower Fish go. With a casual burst of electricity, he captured a large number of them.
Ordinary animals naturally could not store so much water. Excessive water in their bodies would cause red blood cells to rupture, leading to severe anemia, even threatening their lives.
But the gourmet cells of the three had reached a very strong level. This amount of Triple Source Water was nothing; they could even drink quadruple source water and easily assimilate it into their bodies.
Turning back to Cang Ma and Sheng Taro, their expressions and conditions were much better than when they first entered. It seemed their cells had adapted to the temperature here.
"Very good!"
"Gentlemen, we have arrived."
After crossing the last sand dune, the mirage had mostly dissipated, and the violent sandstorm had ceased.
In the basin below the sand dunes, a very tall pyramid stood.
Sheng Taro exclaimed with surprise, "It's indeed enormous! This pyramid is at least 500 meters…"
"Legend says the Gourmet Pyramid was built thousands of years ago, or perhaps even longer, housing ancient emperors or something similar."
"But at that time, humans didn't have such powerful industrial capabilities. Some even suspect it was built by gods."
Stroking the stone blocks, Sheng Taro continued, "I'm starting to believe Netero, whom Zhang Wei mentioned. A structure of this scale couldn't have been built by ancient people, and these stones don't look like they're from the human world."
Turning a corner, they faced a more expansive interior, giving a feeling of sudden enlightenment.
"So… so grand!"
"And incredibly complex, like a three-dimensional labyrinth built indoors. It's impossible to find the right path!"
If they explored every path one by one, it would take an unknown amount of time.
[Capturable Ingredient Found: Horned Cerberus]
[Capture Level: 63]
[Food Level: 110]
[Description: A three-headed hellhound with rotating horns on its head, possessing formidable close-combat abilities! It is an improved breed by the ancient Netero, forming a link in the unique food chain of the Gourmet Pyramid.]
[Description: A special culinary ingredient. If prepared correctly, it has a food level of 110, but if consumed crudely, its food level is only 35.]
[Specific Cooking Method: …]
As expected!
These creatures were all Netero's masterpieces!
The cooking methods were horrifying to read, yet surprisingly precise. Even after only a few glances, Zhang Wei felt immensely benefited!
Electrocuted into unconsciousness!
After returning the Horned Cerberus to its place, Sheng Taro suggested, "These stone walls don't look very sturdy. Smashing through walls would be much more convenient and avoid a lot of wasted effort."
Zhang Wei immediately refused, "Absolutely not!"
"Oh, why?"
"Do you think Netero built this place like a labyrinth just for fun?"
Sheng Taro pondered, "Perhaps for defense? To make those who wander in get lost and perish in the jaws of endless beasts?"
Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Anyone who can reach this point, who doesn't have the ability to break through walls? Then what's the point of this labyrinth?"
"Hiss~ That seems plausible. Then tell me why?"
"This labyrinth wasn't built for intruders, but for the beasts within."
"Why do you say that?"
Zhang Wei said, "Firstly, the labyrinth has no defensive capabilities and would reduce passage efficiency. Netero was an intelligent being and wouldn't do something so thankless. So, building it like this must have a reason."
"Based on my estimation, this special terrain is designed to hinder the beasts, dividing their territories so they don't interfere with each other, allowing each species to have its fixed habitat. This prevents higher-level units in the food chain from causing the extinction of lower-level units!"
"In this way, this artificially constructed ecosystem can be maintained for a longer time. The probability of error and collapse would be lower."
Makes sense!
So that's how it is!
Although he felt a sense of enlightenment, Sheng Taro still refused to admit that such intelligent and powerful beings could exist.
If such creatures truly existed, what place would humans have?
While Sheng Taro was contemplating, Zhang Wei had already removed more than a dozen massive stone blocks, revealing the other side of the wall.
Sheng Taro's eyes widened, "Didn't you say not to destroy it? So, what you just said was all nonsense?"
"Foolish!"
Zhang Wei scornfully said, "Can't you put them back after taking them down?"
"Huh? You can play it like that?"