After feeling immense pressure, Shen Feng found himself with no good way to counter the giant treant's attacks. If he used wind blade attacks, the damage they could inflict was uncertain, and if the people tied to the tree were accidentally injured by the wind blades, it would be even worse.
Therefore, having considered this, Shen Feng was hesitant to attack, like a man afraid of breaking a jar while trying to catch a rat. Although he possessed an incomparably sharp Meteorite Iron long sword, compared to a sixty-meter-tall giant treant, it was like a toothpick stirring a barrel – utterly insufficient. Back and forth, Shen Feng could only dodge the giant treant's attacks without daring to attack rashly.
The giant treant, however, paid no mind to these concerns. To the treant, Shen Feng was an unwelcome guest who had invaded its territory, and such an unwelcome guest naturally had to be killed to appease its anger. Thus, the treant focused solely on attacking Shen Feng, regardless of whether any damage was caused; that was not its concern.
Shen Feng guessed that the mutated plant's core was hidden within this tree, but he was no match for the giant treant and had no way to kill the hidden plant heart.
"Hold on, everyone. We'll be back in three days," Shen Feng shouted to the various ability users on the tree and the ground, then quickly retreated. For Shen Feng, the request to leave here had been made by others, so he might as well take the opportunity to slip away.
The feet of the giant treant were different from those of ordinary treants. Ordinary treants had soles like human feet and walked one step after another, but the giant treant was different. When it walked, over thirty roots moved beneath its trunk, a method of movement akin to an octopus.
Once Shen Feng had distanced himself from the lake island, the giant treant stopped its pursuit, lowered itself again, and its roots burrowed into the ground. Its two massive branches were raised again, resuming the appearance of the large tree it was before. The ground was a mess, strewn with leaves and glowing fruits, all of which had fallen from the tree during the recent battle.
"The wind is strong, let's scram," Shen Feng shouted loudly to Xiao Sheng and Jin Zijue.
This was underworld slang that most people wouldn't understand, but in this situation, Shen Feng's meaning was clear: we can't win, let's retreat quickly!
With that, Shen Feng directly ducked into the exit. Xiao Sheng and Jin Zijue dared not delay. In such a situation, whoever ran slower would be the rear guard, and once you became the rear guard, you could easily become extinct. Thus, the three of them fled the underground space as if their lives depended on it, lest they be pursued by the treant.
"Damn it, your information wasn't complete either. You only told me to rescue people, but you left me with the most troublesome enemy. You're really not being fair," Shen Feng couldn't help but say.
"You can't blame us for this. We didn't know that tree was actually a treant ourselves. None of us could break through the treant's blockade. You're the first person to reach the lake island," Xiao Sheng quickly defended them, as they were also unaware of the giant treant's existence.
As they spoke, the three of them fled the fissure and quickly returned to the cave via the iron chains, collapsing breathlessly. Only now did they feel safe.
When they set out, the group was full of confidence, but upon their return, they were like stray dogs. This contrast was unbearable. The soldiers, seeing the ability users in such a sorry state, felt an even deeper despair.
"It seems difficult to rescue the people through normal means now. We can't defeat it in battle. Unless we go to Yanjing and call Gong Changfa, whose destructive power is unmatched, perhaps he can directly destroy the treant's core. In any case, let's think of other ways," Shen Feng said helplessly.
Now that Shen Feng and his companions had fled into the cave to hide, none of them had expected the cave to contain a sixty-meter-tall giant treant. Such powerful combat ability was beyond the reach of ordinary ability users. Other than fleeing, there was no other option. Perhaps, if this continued, they would only be able to set fire to the treant.
At this moment, Jin Zijue couldn't help but ask, "Can't we still use ultraviolet light to attack the treant?"
"Don't even think about it. Qiu Ming has already been wiped out. Where can we find a UV lamp?" Shen Feng shook his head helplessly. The treant's weakness was obvious: it feared fire and sunlight. However, treants mostly hid underground, surrounded by waterfalls and water flows, so sunlight couldn't penetrate, and any flame lit would be immediately extinguished. As for ultraviolet attacks, without the corresponding equipment, such attacks were impossible.
However, at this very moment, Shen Feng suddenly remembered something else and quickly said, "When I was leaving the lake island, a woman told me to rescue the people three days later. What do you think she meant by that?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Zijue and Xiao Sheng immediately began to ponder. There were very few female ability users in the Ability Administration Bureau. Besides Zhang Zi, there was only one other person: "Could it be Qi Yunfang? But her ability is hormone secretion. Her combat power doesn't seem very strong."
Xiao Sheng then explained that Qi Yunfang's ability was merely hormone secretion. During battles, she would often secrete adrenaline into her own body, making her forget pain and enhancing her speed and strength. However, she couldn't play a significant role in actual combat. What she said about acting in three days wasn't particularly reliable.
Hearing this explanation, Shen Feng couldn't help but frown. If her ability was that simple, it truly couldn't play a significant role in combat. Then what did she mean by coordinating from the inside and outside in three days?
"Does this woman have some backup plan? Something that can only be used after three days? But the captured people are already exhausted. It's unlikely she herself is unharmed?" Shen Feng squatted on the ground, lost in thought, unable to figure out Qi Yunfang's plan.
However, Xiao Sheng immediately remembered something else important and said, "This is not the time to be dejected. Zhang Zi and Qi Lingshan are still outside blocking the treant. Let's go support them quickly."
Shen Feng also immediately thought of the other group. Zhang Zi and Qi Lingshan were still fighting outside, and he didn't know how they were doing. He really should go support them now; if he couldn't support them immediately, they might not be able to hold on.
The three of them immediately got up, ready to set off. But at this moment, Lu Xian, who had gone to observe the treant, returned. As soon as he came back, he brought important news: "City Lord, I've discovered the treant's weakness. I know how the treant hunts."
This statement immediately piqued Shen Feng's interest: "You're saying you've discovered the treant's weakness? Then tell me, what exactly is the treant's weakness?"
The current Shen Feng and the other two had already suffered a defeat, their morale severely low, and they were agonizing over how to deal with the treant, especially lacking means to deal with the giant treant. Unexpectedly, Lu Xian brought good news at this moment, naturally attracting their attention.
It turned out that as Lu Xian tracked the treant out of the cave, he saw the treant wading through the cold spring and hot spring. Both of these springs contained terrifying creatures, yet the treant could resist them with its massive size and tough body. In this way, the fire salamanders and transparent shrimp had indeed become the treant's guard dogs.
Therefore, after discovering this, Lu Xian used his flashlight to shine on the glowing fruits on the treant's head, thinking he could at least interfere with it. To his surprise, the treant completely ignored Lu Xian.
After hearing this, Shen Feng immediately frowned: "The treant has no eyes, isn't it normal that it can't see the flashlight's beam?"
Shen Feng didn't think this was a big deal. After all, the treant didn't have eyes, so such a small matter was not worth making a fuss about.
Seeing that his idea had been misunderstood by Shen Feng, Lu Xian quickly explained, "City Lord, please let me explain. If the treant were an animal without vision, then how do you think it finds its prey?"
Jin Zijue directly replied, "Is there any need to ask? Of course, it relies on hearing. I already knew this three years ago. Don't you know it yet?"
Jin Zijue was somewhat angry at this point because he felt that his time had been wasted by Lu Xian.
"If it acts purely based on hearing, then what are the glowing fruits on the treant's head for?" Lu Xian continued to inquire.
Upon hearing this question, Shen Feng was too lazy to waste any more words. They still had to go support the two people outside the cave, and he didn't have time to research this issue with Lu Xian. He immediately said, "What exactly have you discovered? Just tell me directly, don't beat around the bush."
Lu Xian gave an awkward smile and then stated his deduction: "In my opinion, these treants use 'thermal sensing' to determine their prey. The fruits on their heads are their sensors for perceiving external heat fluctuations."
Upon receiving this answer, Shen Feng immediately began to ponder: "You mean? These treants can sense external temperature changes to determine their prey? They don't hunt purely by hearing?"
"That's right, that's what I mean. I discovered this after I performed the action. These treants have lived underground for a long time, and their perception of light has deteriorated. However, in order to survive underground, treants have developed the ability to distinguish prey through thermal sensing. Most animals that can survive in Siberia are warm-blooded, so their bodies are constantly emitting heat. When treants hunt, they locate their prey by sensing heat fluctuations," Lu Xian explained everything he had discovered in one breath.
"Oh, I see. But what's the use of that?" Xiao Sheng asked.
Xiao Sheng didn't think discovering this fact was a big deal. It was just knowing how the treant moved, which didn't seem to have much effect on dealing with the treant.
Lu Xian quickly explained, "How could this be useless? By utilizing the heat fluctuation, we can lure the treant. The treant hunts by heat. If you use an object with high heat to lure the treant, it will be fooled. Forget about ability users; even a basin of hot water can attract a treant. Isn't this information important?"
When everyone heard this, they immediately understood. Knowing the treant's operational logic, they could find ways to lure it. Whether it was for trapping or surrounding it, these were all things that could be attempted.
"Since we're going to support Zhang Zi and the others, let's try this trick," Xiao Sheng said quickly.
Then the four of them chose to leave the cave. When passing by the hot spring, Jin Zijue took action. High-voltage arcs appeared in Jin Zijue's hand, and when they struck the water surface, all the fire salamanders living in the hot spring surfaced, belly up, but they were all stunned.
After electrocuting the fire salamanders, the hot spring became much safer. At the very least, they wouldn't be attacked when passing through it. The four of them safely crossed the hot spring via the rock spikes to the opposite side. On the ground, there were many footprints, indicating that the treant had passed through the hot spring intact.
Once the four entered the forest, they had to turn on their flashlights. The forest was pitch black, filled with white mist. Neither moonlight nor starlight could penetrate the forest, so without turning on the flashlights, it was impossible to see their surroundings clearly. And in the white mist, no sounds could be heard.
After Lu Xian used his ability, he confirmed that there were no treants within a one-kilometer radius. Most likely, they had gone further away under the cover of night.
"Where are Zhang Zi and Qi Lingshan? Where are the two of them?" Shen Feng continued to ask.