As if in response to the volcanic harbinger in Hawaii, volcanoes across the globe erupted almost simultaneously, spewing forth massive quantities of Spirit Qi. With all underwater and terrestrial volcanoes activating at once, the entire planet became enveloped in an almost colorless ocean of Spirit Qi, transforming everywhere into a fairyland on earth in an instant.
Various opinions exploded across the internet. No one paid attention to the situation in Hawaii anymore; after all, a volcanic eruption thousands of kilometers away and one dozens of kilometers away, spewing out a spirit tide that reduced visibility, were completely different concepts. Panicked citizens began a rush of panic buying, and the flames of chaos were ignited.
The entire world trembled. In Africa, countless tribal peoples who practiced primitive religions began performing great ritual dances, imploring their gods for answers; in Europe, everyone with faith started praying to their Lord, and after finishing their prayers, rushed to major supermarkets to hoard supplies.
Meanwhile, in Huaxia, countless grassroots government workers, organized by their superiors, launched systematic stability maintenance efforts to ensure social order. However, they couldn't suppress the various rumors, and the scramble for supplies still occurred frequently.
This wave of global volcanic eruptions seemed to deliver a harsh slap to the face of America's previous attempts to keep the secret by blockading Hawaii. The US could only lift the blockade, which had long been a formality, restore transport to Hawaii, and focus its efforts on stabilizing domestic security.
After the spirit tide erupted, the rate at which Spirit Qi spewed from volcanoes worldwide began to slow. Once the tsunami-like spirit tides ceased, the Spirit Qi, now flowing like a great river from the craters, began to attract numerous spectators. Many photography enthusiasts even used various specialized equipment to capture images of the nearly colorless Spirit Qi flows, uploading them to the internet.
Bai Mo, these past few days, had been constantly scouring the internet, frantically browsing news reports from around the world, hoping to summarize and deduce some useful information.
From the photos online, he discovered that not only the Hawaiian volcano, but also the Spirit Qi flows from other craters worldwide were slowing down day by day.
Upon seeing this situation, he began to guess that the Spirit Qi flows would soon disappear. Thus, he prepared to return to the previous volcano, intending to leverage his informational advantage for one last grasp before the flows vanished.
This time, preparations were much simpler. Bai Mo merely carried a military backpack filled with food bought from the supermarket. The supermarkets, now lifted from restrictions, had restocked and had ample supplies.
After stuffing all the food into his bag, he drove the rented jeep back to the volcano.
Along the way, he noticed that the previous massacres in the forest had vanished without a trace, and the bloody stench that once permeated the entire forest was nowhere to be found. The animals that had survived the spirit tide seemed to be quietly digesting the spoils of their victory in the struggle for survival.
Within his divine sense, the forest animals were mostly hidden in corners, some deep in slumber, others nursing their wounds.
Unlike his last trip to the volcano, when the path was empty, this time Bai Mo encountered many fellow travelers along the way. Upon asking, he learned that they were all heading to the volcano to witness the spectacle, mostly adventure enthusiasts. They drove in twos and threes, eager to gather by the "flowing" Spirit River.
After driving all the way to the foot of the volcano, he discovered that twenty to thirty cars were already parked nearby. A considerable number of people stood by the "Spirit River" originating from the crater, some of whom appeared to be professional teams, seemingly planning to ascend the mountain to the crater to discover what lay within after surveying the surrounding environment.
After tossing his bag into the car, he too stood by the Spirit River, joining the ranks of spectators.
He had initially intended to jump directly into the Spirit Qi river, but after a moment's consideration, he realized he couldn't explain his reasons for willingly jumping in, which might expose some of his secrets.
"Consider yourself fortunate,"
Bai Mo subtly pushed the person next to him, pretending the individual had accidentally fallen into the Spirit Qi river. Then, feigning an attempt to rescue them, he likewise jumped into the river.
The first person to fall into the river, having lost their footing, was quickly carried downstream by the Spirit Qi river. However, they were clearly unharmed, merely a few scrapes on the skin. After all, Spirit Qi couldn't drown anyone, and the flow rate was far slower than when Bai Mo had first encountered it.
He exerted all his strength in the Spirit River to anchor himself, beginning to intensely imagine himself as a reef in the riverbed, a tenacious reef.
At the same time, he fully activated his energy-absorbing skin, striving to absorb as much Spirit Qi as possible during his sustained effort to support his body's further evolution.
Seeing that both of them had fallen into the Spirit River unharmed, and even seemed to be gaining something, the people on the bank immediately felt their spirit of adventure stir.
Those who were able to come and spectate by the Spirit River at this time were mostly adventure enthusiasts, many of whom were dissatisfied with the monotony of daily life and enjoyed seeking thrills.
Moreover, in the days the Spirit Qi had permeated the air, they had discovered that this gas seemed to greatly benefit the body.
Many of these adventure enthusiasts, highly attentive to their physical condition, had found that their overall physical quality had slightly improved in the days following the appearance of Spirit Qi, and they harbored faint suspicions in their hearts.
It was only their reverence for the unknown and common sense that prevented them from immediately jumping into the Spirit River—after all, no matter how adventurous a person was, they wouldn't jump into a river flowing with an unknown substance.
But now it was different. Two rash individuals had acted as vanguards, at least in their eyes; no one could have guessed that one of them had jumped in intentionally.
And it seemed to them that these vanguards hadn't come to harm; the flowing unknown substance hadn't dissolved them like sulfuric acid, and one person was even managing to hold their ground in the middle of the river.
Once there's a first, many will follow. With the first person having fallen into the river unharmed, the adventurous streak inherent in the remaining people emerged from their reverence for the unknown, becoming restless. They began leaping into the river like dumplings dropping into a pot.
Some of them seemed to simply enjoy the non-fatal thrill of jumping into the Spirit River itself. After plunging in, they didn't attempt to hold their ground but rather drifted with the current, allowing the Spirit River to carry them back to the bank, much like riding a water slide in a swimming pool's entertainment area, only more exhilarating.
However, some cleverer individuals thought further. They saw Bai Mo's arduous struggle to hold his position in the Spirit Qi river and deduced that he couldn't possibly be unaware that by simply letting go, he would be carried out by the current, and the flowing Spirit Qi didn't seem to impede breathing. There had to be more to this than met the eye...