"What a strange creature." Kevin was immediately captivated, holding the report as he began reading intently.
Begel watched Kevin's focused expression but didn't interrupt. He whispered a few words to Moagu and quietly walked away.
Kevin didn't close the file until he had read every page thoroughly.
"Pretty interesting, isn't it? That kind of creature," said a voice beside him.
Kevin nodded. "Definitely fascinating. I didn't expect there to be such a unique form of existence."
"This is a sample of the Shadow Parasite," Moagu said, handing over a long, thin crystal strip.
Kevin took it with great curiosity. Inside the transparent sheet was a specimen of a shadow parasite, specially preserved. It looked like a long strip of black shadow.
A faint sense of longing surged up in him—so faint, in fact, it was the most subtle desire Kevin had ever felt.
"Is this an endangered species?"
"More or less. Most endemic species in the Smellow Wetlands are endangered. But comparatively, this one is relatively stable."
Kevin could understand why.
The logic was simple. Unless you were a Nen user, it was difficult for ordinary people to detect such a creature. And it posed little danger to humans, especially now that the Smellow Wetlands were designated as a restricted zone.
At present, these insects mainly used their shadows to lure small animals and insects to prey on. Due to their unique way of living, they were hard to capture and had almost no natural predators.
Though their food sources were limited, their population remained relatively stable thanks to the safe environment.
"Our boss has gone off to handle something else. I'll show you around, and take you to your resting quarters."
Kevin nodded and got up to follow Moagu.
After a tour of the base, Kevin encountered many strange species and got to know some of the staff briefly.
Later, he returned to his assigned quarters.
Since the base didn't have many personnel, Kevin was given a spacious private room, connected to a small laboratory.
The space was perfect for him, especially since he was only staying here for a couple of months.
——
Because one region had already been explored and plenty of species samples and data had been collected, no new expeditions were planned for the upcoming week.
Apart from studying the base's various knowledge and archives, Kevin's only other activity was training.
Just after finishing a set of warm-up exercises, there was a knock at the door.
Kevin looked out and saw a man in his 30s or 40s with black-rimmed glasses, smiling and waving at him.
Kevin recognized him—they'd met a few times over the past week.
"Dr. Beirut, what brings you here?"
Dr. Beirut smiled warmly. "Well, Mr. Carpenberg, the food supply for the specimens I collected last time has run out. I was hoping to gather some more… If it's not too much trouble…"
Kevin waved it off and laughed cheerfully. "Of course, Doctor. When do we head out?"
Beirut beamed. "If possible, right now."
"Give me a moment."
Soon, Kevin was dressed and heading out with Beirut and two assistants in an off-road vehicle.
They drove to the end of a narrow path, where a danger sign stood.
"From here on, we'll enter the wetlands. It's best to go on foot—driving in might alarm the creatures and put us in danger."
Though it was near noon, the wetlands were thick with fog.
Each of them attached a specialized device to their waist. The gadget functioned as a signal transmitter, emergency beacon, and scanner. If anyone got separated, it would show everyone's relative positions.
Dr. Beirut took the lead, Kevin walked beside him, and the two assistants followed behind.
The four kept close enough that Kevin could assist any of them quickly.
Kevin was manipulating his En, sometimes expanding it, sometimes retracting it.
It was both a precaution and a form of training. He was trying to disperse his En in an irregular, non-patterned way.
Though there hadn't been obvious results yet, after listening to Jin Freecss's analysis, Kevin believed the attempt was worthwhile. He could feel he was getting close to success.
"This creepy place feels off, whether it's day or night," one assistant, Toby, grumbled.
"Scenery's probably prettier at night. Also more dangerous," replied the other assistant, Haka.
Kevin asked curiously, "You've been here at night?"
Dr. Beirut nodded. "Yes, once. The nocturnal species differ a lot. I even proposed doing another night exploration."
No one wanted to go in at night, of course—wetlands after dark were especially perilous, particularly in the wild.
Not long after, Kevin noticed a trail of footprints in the soft mud ahead. The prints stretched into the fog before vanishing.
Beirut eagerly walked over, crouched down, and began taking pictures with his camera.
Kevin stood nearby, observing with interest.
"Someone's been here?" Toby asked.
Haka gave him a look like he was an idiot.
Beirut turned and scolded, "You fool! Don't you remember the plant we encountered last time? I told you to take notes!"
"Huh?" Toby looked lost—he had no memory of that.
Haka added, "Professor, he was already paralyzed at that point. You forgot?"
Beirut seemed to remember, turned away, and muttered, "Review your field notes when we get back."
He then explained, "Those footprints are fake—created by a plant. Judging by their shape, they mimic someone from our research center. The tread pattern matches our issued boots.
It's likely the plant learned to copy them after noticing frequent traffic along this path."
He straightened up after finishing his photos.
"Dr. Koozer named it Mimic Fern. It's a type of mimicry plant. What looks like footprints are actually its leaves.
The back of each leaf can subtly shift shape to resemble different imprints, tricking trackers into following the wrong path and leading them into danger. Some say it can mimic other marks too, to lure larger animals.
However, we still don't understand the environmental conditions it needs to grow, so we haven't collected any samples yet."
As he spoke, the group continued moving forward.
Suddenly, a voice called out from the fog:
"Help! Is anyone there? I'm trapped!"
Toby rolled his eyes. "Same line as last time, huh? Can't these mimic birds come up with new material?"
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