Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 337: Golden Trait, Extreme Flame State!

The intelligence gathering ended, and the world returned to normal.The familiar mine tunnel reentered his vision. A continuous downpour, mingled with a faint mist, painted the world in a hazy gray, filling the air with a damp chill.

Cheng Ye sat cross-legged. He didn't rush to check the Illustrated Handbook. Instead, he closed his eyes and completely reviewed everything he had seen in the intelligence space within his mind.

From the detailed route leading to the subterranean chamber from Mine Tunnel 2, to the corpses suspended from the vines on the ceiling, their faces frozen in extreme terror, and finally to the Transcendent Sunflower in the center of the cavity exuding a terrifying sense of oppression—every detail surfaced clearly, without a single omission.

A regular sunflower's seeds developed from the stamen and pistil. After pollination was complete, the outer layer formed a hard shell, while the inside gradually grew into a seed.

But this Transcendent Sunflower completely subverted all cognition.

The core had transformed into Energy-Gathering Redstones of varying sizes. Where the seeds should have been, Sunlight Slates were arranged neatly in rows.

'Could it be that planting the slate would cultivate another Transcendent Sunflower?'

Cheng Ye took out the Small Stone Slab that had dropped from the Small Stone Sunflower Humanoid. He placed it in front of him and studied it quietly, momentarily gripped by the urge to dismantle the slate and examine its internal structure.

However, before he could do so, the System Panel popped up, automatically jumping to the Illustrated Handbook interface.

There were now three plant-type entries. At the very top was the Purple Spirit Bamboo Shoot he had initially collected. Below that, the original three question marks had been unveiled, replaced by the name he had given it: "Stone Sunflower Person."

Further down, a new crimson entry had been added.

The depth of this crimson color far exceeded that of the Heart-Protecting Fire and the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse, which were also at the Transcendent tier. It was like a morning sun about to burst through the horizon, radiating an almost blinding brilliance.

But what shocked Cheng Ye even more were the five words within the crimson entry box.

[Fiery Sunflower]

The word "Fiery" had unexpectedly transformed into a pale gold, leaving only the word "Sunflower" in the same crimson as the entry box.

What did this mean?

If the crimson entry box indicated that its tier had surpassed the Heart-Protecting Fire and reached the standard Transcendent level, then what did the golden transformation of the word "Fiery" signify?

Was it a sign that it was on the verge of a breakthrough, about to step into the Transcendent Inverse State?

Or had it already touched the threshold of the Transcendent Control State, beginning to peer into the origin of the world's rules?

'Good thing I didn't rashly go down the tunnel.'

'The Traits I extracted earlier only came from the Stone Sunflower Person. As for this Fiery Sunflower, I still know absolutely nothing about it.'

Cheng Ye secretly rejoiced.

However, the harvest from this intelligence extraction had far exceeded his previous research on the Sunlight Absorption Trait.

Not only had he figured out the complete route leading to the cavity where the Fiery Sunflower resided, but he had also witnessed its complete form with his own eyes.

Combined with the annihilation properties of the deconstruction rays, this route should be absolutely safe.

Otherwise, wherever the red light swept past, even if the sunflower's root system and vines could luckily survive, those suspended corpses would inevitably be completely annihilated. It would be impossible for them to remain intact until now.

Suppressing his many speculations, Cheng Ye used his intent to lightly tap the entry. He first looked at the changes to the Stone Sunflower Person entry, hoping to find more related information concerning the Fiery Sunflower.

[Stone Sunflower Person]

[Description]: A humanoid plant variant formed after being parasitized and infected by the Transcendent plant, the "Fiery Sunflower." The original creature's life signs have been completely devoured, transforming it into a pure Symbiotic Derivative. Its sole purpose of existence is to endlessly capture sunlight and hoard energy for its main body, the "Fiery Sunflower." Every inch of its body has been reduced to a mobile energy storage container. [Current Parasitic Probability]:

Direct contact with a Stone Sunflower Person (Reduction in Life Level; duration under 30 seconds: no risk; duration over 30 seconds, or contact with open wounds on the Stone Sunflower Person's skin, Parasitic Probability: 100%).

Consuming any product of a Stone Sunflower Person (Parasitic Probability: 100%).

[Currently Recorded Traits]: .

The intelligence capture was complete, and the Stone Sunflower Person's entry updated accordingly.

The Trait entries hadn't changed, but a complete description and parasitic probability assessment had been added.

Based on the description, it was clear that the Stone Sunflower Person was indeed no longer human, but merely a plant variant retaining a humanoid shape.

The Fiery Sunflower must have modified the corpses through some special method, converting them into Symbiotic Derivatives.

Even if the main body, the Fiery Sunflower, was killed, these Stone Sunflower People would not break free from control. Instead, they would forever follow their established behavioral logic, working at sunrise and resting at sunset for all eternity.

The entire meaning of their lives was to absorb and convert energy for the Fiery Sunflower.

The parasitic methods listed below weren't much different from other Infected Bodies and Infection Sources.

'No wonder killing a Stone Sunflower Person immediately drew a counterattack from the Fiery Sunflower.'

Cheng Ye's eyes flashed with sudden realization. 'This is its Symbiotic Derivative. It's ultimately somewhat different from a regular Infected Body.'

Animal-type Infected Bodies never had the concept of Symbiotic Derivatives; only plant-type Infection Sources possessed this Trait.

Due to the fundamental difference in life forms, every dispersed derivative was considered a part of the main body. Within a specific range, the two could even share partial perception.

In other words, the underground Fiery Sunflower might possess the ability to remotely control the Stone Sunflower People to launch attacks.

However, most plant-type Infection Sources had simple minds, retaining only the most basic survival instincts.

Before reaching a certain tier, just like now, even a Transcendent Infection Source would still only counterattack based on instinct.

Exiting the Stone Sunflower Person entry, Cheng Ye tapped lightly with his fingertip, switching over to the Fiery Sunflower's interface to examine it.

After the page jumped, two pictures appeared at the top: one was the panoramic view he had first seen at the entrance of the cavity, and the other was a close-up detail shot.

Scrolling down, lines of information slowly popped up:

[Fiery Sunflower (Transcendent)]

[Description]: A special plant-type Transcendent Infection Source. It is massive in size and possesses a unique Photon Energy Conversion Ability. Its aggressiveness is relatively weak. Collector, please continue to gather relevant information, or obtain more content through Trait parsing. [Current Parasitic Probability]:

Entering within a direct line of sight of 100 meters (Parasitic Probability: 100%).

Entering within a direct line of sight of 200 meters (Reduction in Life Level; Parasitic Probability: 80%).

Entering within a direct line of sight of 300 meters (Reduction in Life Level; Parasitic Probability: 50%).

Note: These ranges assume unobstructed conditions. If there is physical obstruction, the probability may be lowered. [Currently Recorded Traits]:

Sun-Glory Stone Seed ★ (0%)

Light Marrow Crystal ★ (0%)

Flame Energy Resonance ★ (0%)

Flame Core Deconstruction Ray ★ (0%)

Solar Wheel ★ (0%)

Scorched Earth ★ (0%)

Dawn Rune ★ (0%)

Extreme Flame State ★★ (0%)

Cheng Ye inhaled sharply.

Just like when he first saw the Demonic Eye Sponge's Illustrated Handbook entry, a dense array of Trait entries instantly unfolded.

What was rare was that this was the first time he had received such an intuitive Trait display without making direct contact with the Infection Source.

In particular, the Fiery Sunflower's full eight Traits were almost dazzling.

Cheng Ye couldn't help but gasp, his gaze involuntarily locking onto the very bottom Trait.

Extreme Flame State?

What was this?

The text of the other Traits was all red, but this specific one was written in pale gold.

Moreover, the symbol appended to the end of it wasn't just a single star, but two—representing the ability to condense a Transcendent seed.

Could it be possible to directly extract an uncontaminated Transcendent plant seed from the Fiery Sunflower's Traits?

Or perhaps a standalone Parasitic Transcendent Talent could be stripped from it, to be equipped or fused with the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse?

Cheng Ye's expression shifted slightly. The appearance of a double-star golden Trait actually made things feel increasingly thorny.

The stronger the Traits the Fiery Sunflower possessed, the more it proved that its strength was terrifying beyond imagination.

Looking back at the other Traits, every single one exuded a profound sense of oppression.

The Sun-Glory Stone Seed and Light Marrow Crystal presumably corresponded to the Sunlight Slate and the Energy-Gathering Redstone. Just looking at the names, he knew they were of a higher tier than the Stone Sunflower Person's related Traits. Whatever was manifested from them would inevitably be much more tyrannical.

Further down, Flame Energy Resonance was highly likely a skill that linked with the Stone Sunflower People; as for the Flame Core Deconstruction Ray, just hearing the name made it clear that it was an enhanced version of the ordinary biological deconstruction ray.

As for the Solar Wheel and Scorched Earth Traits, he had yet to witness their specific effects.

And the words "Dawn Rune" made Cheng Ye involuntarily think of the Demonic Eye Sponge. Could this be an ability of the same nature as the Chamber Patterns? Or did it refer to some special Rune possessed by the Fiery Sunflower itself?

By now, just guessing from the names alone was basically enough to roughly judge the power level of an Infection Source.

And this Fiery Sunflower was impressively the strongest of all the Infection Sources he had recorded so far, with the sole exception of the Immortal Object, the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch.

Moreover, in contrast to that, what was even more dreadful was its terrifying, radiation-style infection method.

As long as one entered a specific range, they would be forcibly infected. This was even more "unreasonable" than the Seamless Shadow Puppet's infection methods.

For someone who didn't know the truth, rashly trespassing into the mine tunnel would only result in them inexplicably turning into an Infected Body...

No, it would be turning into an entirely unconscious Symbiotic Derivative, where even their sense of self would cease to exist.

This was simply too terrifying!

Cheng Ye couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth, still unable to suppress the anxiety in his heart.

If he hadn't noticed the abnormal traces at the cave entrance the day before yesterday, and hadn't tracked them all the way to the scene of the Stone Sunflower People shattering the redstones and triggering a mass mobilization to release the deconstruction rays, he would have recklessly charged into the mine tunnel.

With his current life level, he would have had a 50% Parasitic Probability even within a three-hundred-meter range.

Since Liu Bi had no Transcendent power to protect him, he most likely wouldn't have made it far before being instantly infected.

'In this world, being a Transcendent is merely a ticket to explore Forbidden Lands and contend against Infection Sources...'

'Without this ticket, one doesn't even have the qualifications to step foot into these places!'

Cheng Ye took a deep breath, feeling increasingly fortunate that he had come into contact with the Transcendent world before undertaking his Field Duty.

For ordinary people traversing the Wilderness, such dangerous places were definitely to be avoided at all costs. Even if encountered, they would retreat immediately. It was absolutely impossible for them to stay behind and "court death" by probing it as he had.

But with the Civilization Collector in hand, if he wanted to grow stronger, he had to take the initiative to probe and extract Traits, even if the road ahead was fraught with thorns and immense danger.

If he hadn't secured that "ticket" before his Field Duty, he would have had no choice but to retreat helplessly right now, without even a chance to test the waters.

Closing the Illustrated Handbook panel, Cheng Ye accessed the intelligence once again, carefully re-analyzing every scene from the intelligence space.

Sure enough, he made a new discovery.

The closer the corpses suspended from the vines were to the main body of the Fiery Sunflower, the more distorted their development was.

It was as if they hadn't truly died, but were instead undergoing continuous mutation. Their human heads gradually melted away, turning into the appearance of Stone Sunflower People; their skin also transformed from the texture of normal flesh and blood into a hard material resembling Sunlight Slates.

At the same time, suppressing his nausea, he zoomed in his perspective and clearly saw the details on the inner sides of the vines.

Surprisingly, a Sunlight Slate was attached to every single vine. Its dimensions corresponded to the third area on the flower disk, which was the specification in the lower-left corner, even smaller than the Small Stone Slab.

'Is it using the Sunlight Slates to transform them into Stone Sunflower People capable of Sunlight Absorption?'

Cheng Ye's gaze turned solemn as he continued to advance through the intelligence.

This time, his attention was firmly locked onto that giant primordial Redstone ore beneath the Fiery Sunflower.

There was absolutely no way this thing was left behind by the Red River Gathering Place back in the day. After all, its location was too conspicuous, right in the exact center of the entire cavity.

And as the Stone Sunflower People activated their Flame Energy Conversion, the answer gradually became clear.

'These damn things are actually utilizing Tan Ming's power too?'

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. He watched, dumbfounded, as the giant Redstone ore was actually "growing" bit by bit under the spur of the Flame Energy.

Even though the growth rate was extremely slow, almost negligible, after the entire Flame Energy Conversion process ended, the Redstone ore had expanded by at least two centimeters.

Tan Ming's ability was originally meant to suppress Plant Vitality. Once that Vitality reached a threshold, it would be forcibly extracted and converted into minerals.

Perhaps even he wouldn't have imagined that a plant relying on minerals to survive would counter-utilize this mechanism, providing energy to stimulate the growth of the exact minerals it needed.

'No wonder it suddenly flew into a rage and attacked when I used the Life Force Rune to spy on it...'

'Did it think I was here to steal its territory?'

While he was lost in thought, the intelligence space shattered and dissipated once again.

Cheng Ye's heart jolted. His train of thought becoming increasingly clear, he immediately took out a pen and notebook from the Shadow Box and began to write.

He had obtained enough intelligence. The next thing to do was to deduce the Fiery Sunflower's abilities and operational mechanics.

He first sketched out the form of the giant underground sunflower. Then, he tore out the sketch paper and stored it separately, before adding the newly analyzed information one by one.

A moment later, a complete analysis of the Fiery Sunflower leapt vividly onto the paper.

[Codename: Fiery Sunflower (Transcendent Infection Source)]

[Category: Wilderness Genus, Forbidden Land Type, Plant Type]

[Threat Level: A+]

[Derivative Transcendent Creatures: Unknown]

[Core Abilities:]

Flame Energy Absorption: It is speculated that the Fiery Sunflower cannot directly convert energy from the bodies of the Stone Sunflower People. It requires Redstone as a medium to transport the energy stored by the derivatives to the main body;

The volume of the giant Redstone ore beneath it showed a minute increase when the Stone Sunflower People activated Flame Energy Conversion. It is highly suspected that the unique terrain of Shi Province can absorb Flame Energy. This type of Flame Energy has similar attributes to Plant Vitality, yet it can catalyze the formation of primordial Redstone ore;

Energy-Gathering Redstone: The stamen of the Fiery Sunflower can produce a substance similar to Redstone. Its nature is unrelated to primordial Redstone ore; it is closer to an "energy storage battery," capable of storing and releasing Flame Energy. If the rate of energy conversion per unit of time is too high, there is a risk of the Energy-Gathering Redstone shattering;

Embedding Energy-Gathering Redstones into Sunlight Slates can strengthen the slate's optical path structure, thereby increasing the efficiency of energy gathering;

Sunlight Slate: Speculated to be the fruit peel of the Fiery Sunflower. It can complete its growth and development by absorbing Flame Energy. It is also the core vessel for transforming organisms into Stone Sunflower People and granting them the Sunlight Absorption ability;

Four variations have currently been observed: Grade 1) Standard Slate; Grade 0) Basic Slate; Grade -1) Nascent Slate; Grade -2) Source Embryo Slate]

[Core Mechanism 1: The Fiery Sunflower is highly dependent on Stone Sunflower People to complete energy capture. 1. It is currently unconfirmed whether the Fiery Sunflower possesses the ability to directly absorb sunlight. However, given its trait of hibernating deep underground without light for long periods, it is speculated that it cannot absorb sunlight directly, or that direct absorption would trigger an unknown threat;

2. The Fiery Sunflower can transform living organisms by producing Sunlight Slates of varying grades: Nascent Slates can maintain the morphological mutation of organisms, Basic Slates can grant the Stone Sunflower People the Sunlight Absorption ability, and Standard Slates can further enhance the performance of the Stone Sunflower People;

3. Eliminating Stone Sunflower People with the Sunlight Absorption ability may delay the developmental progress of the Fiery Sunflower and weaken its ability to multiply derivatives.]

[Core Mechanism 2: The Fiery Sunflower possesses a biological pollution field...]

[Core Mechanism 3: Hostility Trigger Conditions: ...]