DPM Chapter 51-Foul Forest Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
That night, Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun prepared for passing through the forest.
Because of the leeches, with their strong blood-sucking abilities, and the heavy moisture, an entire set of waterproof clothes would be ideal.
Yet no matter how they rummaged in their packs, they had no luck.
Left with no choice, they tied their trouser legs and cuffs.
Wu Xingyun cut the blanket into pieces, making six gloves and hats, then wrapping all three of their heads, leaving only their eyes and noses exposed.
In view of Luo Guo’s injury, they tied a rope around his waist, tying the other end to Ye Fan’s waist. That way, in case of the unexpected, they could follow the vine to the melon.
After they were all ready, a dressed Luo Guo was gasping, leaning against a tree. His wound had gravely worsened, the festering unchecked, sensation lost in half the leg.
Squatting down, Ye Fan told Luo Guo: “Uncle Luo, don’t worry. We’ll get through this forest, we’ll get to the city, and we’ll get you to a hospital to treat you.”
Luo Guo went “hmm,” saying sincerely after a little while: “Thank you, Ye Fan.”
The three set off. Luo Guo and Wu Xingyun held torches, quickly reaching the interior of the dense forest.
Wu Xingyun threw his torch into the trees, illuminating the vines, branches, and leaves, along with the muddy ground.
""
The torch burned for the less than three seconds before it extinguished. Oxygen was thin, the gas very strong. What stretched before them might as well have been painted black, for they couldn’t see anything, giving them a profound understanding why there weren’t any other creatures in this area.
No matter what the creature, if they entered, they’d either be poisoned by the air or a leech would suck their blood till they died.
The three men hesitated on the edge of the trees for a long time, not daring to enter that dreadful place.
Feeling timid, Wu Xingyun heard unknown popping sounds coming from the forest, bringing a sour taste to his mouth.
“Should we……Go the other way?” Whispered Lou Guo.
Ye Fan resolutely rejected the idea.
When he’d explored the day before, he’d already sensed the terrible presence on the other road. Its life force had been a hundredfold greater than any other powerful species they’d yet encountered.
There lived a monster. Go that way and die. Ye Fan had no doubt.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Fan softly said: “Let’s go!”
They covered their noses with wet cloth and strode into the forest.
All the way, they felt things incessantly catapulting towards them, hitting their bodies and bouncing off with a plopping sound. The leeches were trying to draw blood, but the three men’s bodies were sealed up. Wu Xingyun was unable to see anything in the darkness. Then Ye Fan reached out and held Wu Xingyun’s hand.
Walking along, they had one foot in shallow mud, the other on more solid ground.
His head woozy, Wu Xingyun realized his mouth covering wasn’t filtering the air well enough. Just as he was having a dizzy spell, he suddenly heard Ye Fan’s low voice: “No good. Something’s coming!”
At the same time, all three of them felt the subtle vibration of the ground.
Instinctively turning his head, Wu Xingyun couldn’t discern anything, but he could hear the peculiar, weird sounds.
Boom-boom, boom-boom. The earth trembled, Wu Xingyun feeling the mud move strangely, and something coming out of it. He didn’t know what it was until a shrill little scream came from below—a vole.
Ye Fan had also stopped, letting go of Wu Xingyun’s hand. Supporting Luo Guo’s weight with both hands, Ye Fan forcefully took a deep breath of the fetid air and yelled: “Run! That great thing is coming!”
As soon as the words left Ye Fan’s mouth, he broke into a sprint. Listening to Ye Fan’s footsteps, Wu Xingyun closely followed.
Pop. Wu Xingyun heard Ye Fan fall.
Wu Xingyun rushed to help Ye Fan up, finding the young man’s body covered with greasy insects, nevermind that Ye Fan still had Luo Guo on his back.
Luo Guo’s throat made an odd ‘hehe’ sound, and no one knew what he meant to say.
Pulling at Ye Fan, Wu Xingyun started running again. However, Ye Fan was carrying another person. He fell several times, getting up several times. It was when he fell for the last time that he found that Wu Xingyun was no longer there.
In the pitch darkness, the booming behind Ye Fan only grew and grew. He tried to shout, but something was trying to drill into his mouth, and he had to keep his lips closed tightly. Carrying Luo Guo, Ye Fan advanced forward into the blackness.
Only to find himself sinking into mud. Left with no choice, Ye Fan let go of Luo Guo, the older man slipping off his back.
Unexperienced, Luo Guo desperately thrashed in the mud. Ye Fan couldn’t help Luo Guo though. Spreading his limbs, Ye Fan moved little by little, crawling out of the mud. He gripped the rope on his waist, attempting to pull Luo Guo out of the marsh too.
The vibrations just kept getting louder. Innumerable bugs and insects rose out of the ground, trying to flee this gaseous place, and the popping of the leeches intensified.
Luo Guo was sinking deeper and deeper. He issued a cry, not knowing when the rope between Ye Fan and himself had been cut.
In the midst of the swamp, another ‘hehe’ came from Luo Guo’s mouth, while Ye Fan sensed the monster getting closer to himself.
Two hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters……
Vole
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a shorter, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller ears and eyes; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of low-crowned with rounded cusps). They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America and Australia.
Vole species form the subfamily Arvicolinae with the lemmings and the muskrats. There are approximately 155 different vole species.
Voles are small rodents that grow to 3–9 in (7.6–22.9 cm), depending on the species. Females can have five to ten litters per year. Gestation lasts for three weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this biological exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a short time. A mating pair can birth a hundred more voles in a year.
Voles outwardly resemble several other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies.
Voles thrive on small plants yet, like shrews, they will eat dead animals and, like mice or rats, they can live on almost any nut or fruit. In addition, voles target plants more than most other small animals, making their presence evident. Voles readily girdle small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill young plants and is not healthy for trees or other shrubs.
Voles often eat succulent root systems and burrow under plants or ground cover and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs in the ground are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling skills give them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. The presence of large numbers of voles is often only identifiable after they have destroyed a number of plants. However, like other burrowing rodents, they also play beneficial roles, including dispersing nutrients throughout the upper soil layers.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole
DPM Chapter 51-Foul Forest Part 2
Translated by Snowfall77
That night, Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun prepared for passing through the forest.
Because of the leeches, with their strong blood-sucking abilities, and the heavy moisture, an entire set of waterproof clothes would be ideal.
Yet no matter how they rummaged in their packs, they had no luck.
Left with no choice, they tied their trouser legs and cuffs.
Wu Xingyun cut the blanket into pieces, making six gloves and hats, then wrapping all three of their heads, leaving only their eyes and noses exposed.
In view of Luo Guo’s injury, they tied a rope around his waist, tying the other end to Ye Fan’s waist. That way, in case of the unexpected, they could follow the vine to the melon.
After they were all ready, a dressed Luo Guo was gasping, leaning against a tree. His wound had gravely worsened, the festering unchecked, sensation lost in half the leg.
Squatting down, Ye Fan told Luo Guo: “Uncle Luo, don’t worry. We’ll get through this forest, we’ll get to the city, and we’ll get you to a hospital to treat you.”
Luo Guo went “hmm,” saying sincerely after a little while: “Thank you, Ye Fan.”
The three set off. Luo Guo and Wu Xingyun held torches, quickly reaching the interior of the dense forest.
Wu Xingyun threw his torch into the trees, illuminating the vines, branches, and leaves, along with the muddy ground.
""
The torch burned for the less than three seconds before it extinguished. Oxygen was thin, the gas very strong. What stretched before them might as well have been painted black, for they couldn’t see anything, giving them a profound understanding why there weren’t any other creatures in this area.
No matter what the creature, if they entered, they’d either be poisoned by the air or a leech would suck their blood till they died.
The three men hesitated on the edge of the trees for a long time, not daring to enter that dreadful place.
Feeling timid, Wu Xingyun heard unknown popping sounds coming from the forest, bringing a sour taste to his mouth.
“Should we……Go the other way?” Whispered Lou Guo.
Ye Fan resolutely rejected the idea.
When he’d explored the day before, he’d already sensed the terrible presence on the other road. Its life force had been a hundredfold greater than any other powerful species they’d yet encountered.
There lived a monster. Go that way and die. Ye Fan had no doubt.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Fan softly said: “Let’s go!”
They covered their noses with wet cloth and strode into the forest.
All the way, they felt things incessantly catapulting towards them, hitting their bodies and bouncing off with a plopping sound. The leeches were trying to draw blood, but the three men’s bodies were sealed up. Wu Xingyun was unable to see anything in the darkness. Then Ye Fan reached out and held Wu Xingyun’s hand.
Walking along, they had one foot in shallow mud, the other on more solid ground.
His head woozy, Wu Xingyun realized his mouth covering wasn’t filtering the air well enough. Just as he was having a dizzy spell, he suddenly heard Ye Fan’s low voice: “No good. Something’s coming!”
At the same time, all three of them felt the subtle vibration of the ground.
Instinctively turning his head, Wu Xingyun couldn’t discern anything, but he could hear the peculiar, weird sounds.
Boom-boom, boom-boom. The earth trembled, Wu Xingyun feeling the mud move strangely, and something coming out of it. He didn’t know what it was until a shrill little scream came from below—a vole.
Ye Fan had also stopped, letting go of Wu Xingyun’s hand. Supporting Luo Guo’s weight with both hands, Ye Fan forcefully took a deep breath of the fetid air and yelled: “Run! That great thing is coming!”
As soon as the words left Ye Fan’s mouth, he broke into a sprint. Listening to Ye Fan’s footsteps, Wu Xingyun closely followed.
Pop. Wu Xingyun heard Ye Fan fall.
Wu Xingyun rushed to help Ye Fan up, finding the young man’s body covered with greasy insects, nevermind that Ye Fan still had Luo Guo on his back.
Luo Guo’s throat made an odd ‘hehe’ sound, and no one knew what he meant to say.
Pulling at Ye Fan, Wu Xingyun started running again. However, Ye Fan was carrying another person. He fell several times, getting up several times. It was when he fell for the last time that he found that Wu Xingyun was no longer there.
In the pitch darkness, the booming behind Ye Fan only grew and grew. He tried to shout, but something was trying to drill into his mouth, and he had to keep his lips closed tightly. Carrying Luo Guo, Ye Fan advanced forward into the blackness.
Only to find himself sinking into mud. Left with no choice, Ye Fan let go of Luo Guo, the older man slipping off his back.
Unexperienced, Luo Guo desperately thrashed in the mud. Ye Fan couldn’t help Luo Guo though. Spreading his limbs, Ye Fan moved little by little, crawling out of the mud. He gripped the rope on his waist, attempting to pull Luo Guo out of the marsh too.
The vibrations just kept getting louder. Innumerable bugs and insects rose out of the ground, trying to flee this gaseous place, and the popping of the leeches intensified.
Luo Guo was sinking deeper and deeper. He issued a cry, not knowing when the rope between Ye Fan and himself had been cut.
In the midst of the swamp, another ‘hehe’ came from Luo Guo’s mouth, while Ye Fan sensed the monster getting closer to himself.
Two hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters……
Vole
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a shorter, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller ears and eyes; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of low-crowned with rounded cusps). They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America and Australia.
Vole species form the subfamily Arvicolinae with the lemmings and the muskrats. There are approximately 155 different vole species.
Voles are small rodents that grow to 3–9 in (7.6–22.9 cm), depending on the species. Females can have five to ten litters per year. Gestation lasts for three weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this biological exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a short time. A mating pair can birth a hundred more voles in a year.
Voles outwardly resemble several other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies.
Voles thrive on small plants yet, like shrews, they will eat dead animals and, like mice or rats, they can live on almost any nut or fruit. In addition, voles target plants more than most other small animals, making their presence evident. Voles readily girdle small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill young plants and is not healthy for trees or other shrubs.
Voles often eat succulent root systems and burrow under plants or ground cover and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs in the ground are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling skills give them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. The presence of large numbers of voles is often only identifiable after they have destroyed a number of plants. However, like other burrowing rodents, they also play beneficial roles, including dispersing nutrients throughout the upper soil layers.[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole
