Out of instinct, Tao Ju wanted to shake off the residue on his hand, but he was so nervous that after clenching his fingers tightly, they clasped them there, his joints were stiff, and he was completely unable to obey his orders. He did not dare to make it more obvious.
With his movements, he stood frozen in place against the hard and shaky "fence" of aerial roots behind him, but the cold and numb feeling still existed and was spreading upward from his wrists.
Tao Ju also suspected that this was some kind of illusion, but whether it was true or not, it was difficult for him to pay too much attention to this matter, because at this moment, the armed helicopter had arrived above the big-leaf banyan tree, setting off strong winds and air currents.
The branches and leaves were ringing, and the leaves were falling; the wind chime, which had been hanging for unknown years, was also shaking violently, and the sound was so rapid, it seemed as if the rope that bound it was about to break and fall down in the next moment.
Amidst such noise, Tao Ju's heartbeat was already beating against his forehead.
At this stage, he was unable to make any effective response. He could only lean on it stiffly and let all the changes in his body continue to evolve in a bad direction that was beyond his control.
Time is slowing down, or worse - the armed helicopter is not passing by, it has changed its speed and operating mode, and started circling at low altitude. Something has indeed been discovered over there!
Uh, his coat!
When I bowed to the big-leaf banyan tree before, I took off my coat and threw it on the ground under the banyan tree.
And it was ridiculous. At this time, the military uniform jacket was bathed in the rays of the sun shining obliquely. The metal epaulettes and buttons on it still reflected the light and pierced his eyes.
Tao Ju suddenly closed and opened his eyes, and gritted his teeth hard to prevent his teeth from chattering and making any noise.
I hope, I hope the angle of light reflection is not so coincidental... but it is not bad at all.
Tao Ju was unable to make a more effective judgment. Under high mental stress, his perception of the outside world, including everything visible, audible, and sensible, was shrinking sharply. Everything around him became darker, including the previously dazzling metal.
The reflection, the branches and leaves above the head, and the ringing of wind chimes all turned into a messy background sound that was completely indistinguishable.
But at this moment, at the front of the field of vision that had been narrowed to the limit, it was vaguely on top of the military uniform jacket casually thrown on the ground, and a touch of silvery white that was completely out of the natural mountain and field color suddenly appeared.
Then, Tao Ju saw the high-speed rotating flying wings and the extremely suspicious bloated casing.
Drone, self-destructing drone... or some other type, but no matter what, he was discovered!
At this distance, Tao Ju had no chance at all.
He was stunned for about half a second, maybe longer, and then he instinctively wanted to use his strength to hide behind the big-leaf banyan tree behind him. If possible, he would roll over again and roll all the way down the sloped ground.
Go down.
However, at this moment, his legs were limp and unable to exert any strength at all.
It was really soft, even the lignified aerial roots currently supporting his back that had penetrated into the ground were so soft that after a failed effort, his whole body sank.
Tao Ju vaguely felt that he was going backwards. But this feeling was vague, because at this moment, all his feelings were blurred, and he could only have a field of vision as big as the tip of a needle, which could barely lock the bloated unmanned aircraft.
I watched this thing hanging in the air and spinning in circles, but it somehow didn't accelerate or get closer... Even when it got close, it quickly circled away, spinning aimlessly around the banyan tree.
Why?
Hasn't it been discovered?
His military uniform, no, such a big man, is under the banyan tree. The drone that has penetrated the canopy and flew down is really blind?
Tao Ju stared blankly at the drone flying back and forth for more than a dozen times, and finally completed the initial emotional buffering. His body was still limp and unable to exert strength, but his thinking began to return, and his perception expanded to its proper range.
Then he saw that there was a thick "curtain" or "fence" hanging between him and the drone. It was woven from lignified aerial roots that were pierced into the ground, protecting him.
back.
Yes, Tao Ju didn't know when, but he had "retreated" behind the dense aerial roots. His location was exactly the trunk area of the big-leaf banyan tree where he had just paid homage. The years had eroded a large area that could accommodate five or six people.
There is no problem in accommodating Tao Ju in a personal tree hole.
This does not mean that Tao Ju is safe.
In fact, Tao Ju's heartbeat is still in the most intense range, and there is also uncontrollable trembling in body temperature, breathing, and limbs, not to mention the intelligent mechanical structure that has been deeply implanted in his system, emitting signals to the outside at all times...
Each one of them was a fatal factor that could throw him into the abyss, but he couldn't control any of them.
So Tao Ju is still waiting for his fate to be pronounced.
In the next few seconds, neither the drone, which was no more than five meters away from Tao Ju, nor the armed helicopter overhead, which was constantly pumping out strong winds, made any next move, as if they really ignored his existence.
Well, it's not that I ignore it, it's that I really don't know.
Tao Ju had no idea what was going on, but his body became even softer after the stress, to the point where he could no longer maintain a standing position or even half-recline and half-sit. He continued to slide down, and finally lay down completely in a damp tree hole.
.
The depth of the tree hole was really impressive. He lay down completely and still had room to go.
After all, this most relaxing posture for human beings allowed him to adjust his physical and mental state. He began to try to control his breathing, indirectly slow down his heartbeat, and slowly move his hands and feet.
But at this time, Tao Ju was shocked to find that after he crushed the bark moss, the cold and numb feeling was not enough to cover his left hand. It was still going up, and now it had spread over his shoulders and towards his chest.
It spreads on the back and even the whole body, and the speed is getting faster and faster.
So, the feeling of softness throughout the body is not a stress response, but the result of the spread of "toxins"?
By the time Tao Ju understood this, coldness and numbness had already covered his limbs. It was also at this time that the various intelligent components that had been deeply modified and implanted in his body began to report errors one after another, forming a desperate and sharp sound in his ears.
ring.
What's going on here?
Tao Ju didn't understand it at all. In fact, his mind began to become blurry, as if the "toxin" had finally spread to his brain, making his thinking sluggish and slow.
Until now, armed helicopters and drones have still found no trace of him. It is uncertain whether anyone will come down to investigate in the future. But these are no longer the most serious problems;
in his body!
That "bark" that was crushed...is this what "sincerity leads to spirituality"?
A huge sense of absurdity swelled in Tao Ju's heart, exploded, and then rushed to the top of his head.
He wasn't sure he still had his eyes open. His eyes were dim, and soon all light and sound became blurred. Only the faint pulsation of his body still existed.
Is that his heartbeat...?
Tao Ju was not sure, because at this moment, the damp and uneven ground beneath him, which should be a combination of the roots of the big-leaf banyan tree and earth, stone and bricks, seemed to be undulating.
The fluctuations inside and outside were somewhat different at first, but they quickly became confused. He fell into a trance and could no longer feel his heartbeat. He also ignored the discomfort caused by the uneven and wet ground, because these were all blurred. His
The distinction between the body and the earth is also blurred.
He seems to be continuously dissolving and integrating into the dense root soil beneath him, but this is only the beginning.
The ups and downs of pulses pulled his mind and perception, and began to expand. Taking this huge banyan tree as the starting point, it penetrated into the earth, stretched into the sky, and touched the flying drones and low-altitude armed helicopters, as well as helicopters flying from the sky.
The combatants who flew up continued to extend, covering the huge gently undulating mountain until they touched the edge of the cold city.
Then, he reached his limit, his consciousness was empty and chaotic, and he naturally fell asleep.
Tao Ju did indeed fall asleep. After an unknown amount of time, he slowly woke up again.
For a moment, Tao Ju thought it was just an ordinary lunch break.
But soon, the wonderful feeling of sensory expansion before falling asleep began to stir in his memory, and it seemed to be undergoing wonderful updates. He still couldn't tell the boundaries of his body clearly, and his eyes couldn't see clearly, but he knew that time had passed.
The hot afternoon turned into a slightly cooler evening.
The surroundings were quiet and peaceful, with no armed helicopters hovering in the sky or self-destructing drones that could pounce at any time, no combatants flying down that he felt before falling asleep, and no other threats that could kill him at any time.
What happened? After falling asleep, did he fall into such a dream that seemed both real and illusory?
Tao Ju slowly propped up his body. This was the instinctive drive of a man who has been a man for more than 20 years.
It was also at this time that the boundaries of one's own flesh and blood gradually became clearer, and at the same time, the traditional clumsy perceptions of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind began to appear one after another.
Affected by this clumsy original perception, the greatly expanded supernatural perception, which was the same as the wonderful pulsation, became a little "muddy", but it still existed.
It may take some time to get used to.
Hmm, supernatural?
Tao Ju then roughly understood the nature of his previous experience, and just as he was turning his brain, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. In the already somewhat turbid "supernatural induction", there was a prominent "point" that made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
", and very close to him.
As if just outside the dense "curtain" of aerial roots.
Then, Tao Ju heard the sound of subtle footsteps, not approaching or moving away, but walking in circles within a certain range, looking bored.
Tao Ju's heart suddenly tightened, and he held his breath subconsciously, but did not dare to move his body.
But at this time, a vaguely familiar voice came from outside: "Have you had enough sleep, little one? Get up when you have enough sleep. You really want me to help you stand guard at night?"