So far, Wu Liang can basically determine several details of this "evil" incident:

First, judging from the current discovery, this strange tree should be a genuine plant, and no evidence has yet been found to prove that there is an evil spirit called "Yun Yang" hidden in it;

Second, the consciousness of Yang Wanli and the soldier was indeed suppressed and controlled.

It is true that they were unable to recognize Wu Liang and others, but they were not completely unconscious inside their bodies. These two people must have never been to this underground secret tunnel before, but they were able to accurately find this strange tree, and when the strange tree was injured,

Sometimes, you will receive some kind of undetectable signal, wake up from your deep sleep, and desperately drive away the foreign enemies.

This is caused by the consciousness existing in their bodies...

Judging from this, all the changes and actions of the two people are closely related to this strange tree. Even if it is said that the initiator of the current impact on Yang Wanli and the soldier's consciousness should be this strange tree.

Wu Liang and others did not find the wrong place;

Third, from the human corpses that have been integrated with the roots of the strange tree, as well as the actions of Yang Wanli and the soldier, it can be inferred that the final result of their death here is probably to become "fertilizer" for the strange tree.

This issue is very worth considering...

This seems to be a way to continue life, and even in later generations, there are still many plants that need to prey on living animals to obtain nutrients.

For example: Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, Rafflesia...etc.

After studying these plants, botanists are very sure that they are a kind of plant and are essentially different from animals.

But it is undeniable that in order to obtain the nutrients they need, as plants, they can make many "predatory actions" that only animals can do. For example, the Venus flytrap can catch insects when they enter its "shell"

When the insect enters its "trap", the pitcher plant can quickly close the lid of the trap when the insect enters its "trap"...

These are their "special survival skills" that distinguish them from other plants.

In other words, it is simply a survival instinct.

Although the special plants discovered later only target insects and no similar plants have been found that can prey on humans, it is still creepy.

Many movies and TV shows have even used this as a basis to create many terrifying man-eating plants.

However, scientists speculate that the astronomical age of the earth may be as high as 4.55 billion years. Countless animals and plants have bred, grown, evolved, and become extinct on the earth... Who can say that plants with such "special survival skills" have never become the earth?

Where is the master?

It's just natural selection.

Some species have long since become extinct like the dinosaurs.

Some species have survived the continuous evolution and passed down certain "special survival skills" to survive in the world in a way more suitable for them...

And through a series of things that happened to Yang Wanli and this soldier.

Especially when the word "zombie" came to mind just now, Wu Liang also suddenly thought of a species that still exists in the 21st century, "zombie fungus"!

This "zombie fungus" creates an even creepier phenomenon - zombie ants!

According to research by scientists, after entering the body of ants, this fungus will change or control the behavior of ants by releasing chemical substances.

The "zombie ants" controlled by the fungus no longer have their own behavior and life, and the last stage of their lives is also the most painful and terrifying. In the last few hours of their lives, the "zombie ants" will crawl to where they are.

At the bottom of the leaf, it bites the central vein of the leaf with its mandibles, thereby fixing itself on the leaf. At the same time, the parasitic fungus is also locked on the leaf.

After the zombie ant dies, the fungus will take root and sprout inside the ant's body. Eventually, it will emerge from its head. And it will continue to grow spores and continue to infect other ants passing by...

What is the same as the situation of Yang Wanli and the soldier? After entering the ant's body, the fungal spores usually do not immediately affect the ant's behavior.

But it takes a period of gestation before the alkaloid chemicals that can control the ants' consciousness are released.

But what is different from Yang Wanli and that soldier is...

The ultimate purpose of the fungus that creates "zombie ants" is to reproduce and spread? The strange tree that controls Yang Wanli and the soldier should be to obtain the "fertilizer" needed for growth.

Therefore, the strange tree needs to recall the "infected" humans to itself and sleep in its own roots, but the fungus does not need...

By comparing the two, Wu Liang had his own guess.

He did not attribute the situation of Yang Wanli and the soldier to fungal interference? The strange tree obviously did not belong to the category of fungi, and if it was really infected by fungal spores, these two people would definitely be hopeless.

Because spores are the seeds of fungi.

The spores will eventually develop and grow into fungi in Yang Wanli and the soldier's bodies. Whether they will emerge from their heads or chests depends on the preferences of the fungus.

Wu Liang doesn't have the ability to intervene, let alone prevent this from happening.

According to his observation of the human corpses next to the strange tree, there should be no similar desperate situation? The strange tree seems to just need people to die honestly among its roots...

…

Is this a good phenomenon for Wu Liang? It is also a bad phenomenon.

The good sign is that what controlled Yang Wanli and the soldier should not be fungal spores? In other words, there should be no growing seeds in the body? They might still have a chance of survival.

And what's the bad phenomenon? Wu Liang still knows nothing about the way the strange tree controls Yang Wanli and the soldier. Maybe it's some kind of unknown alkaloid, or some other weird thing that can only be controlled by "evil energy"

something to explain.

There may still be traces of spores.

As for unknown alkaloids, or things that can only be explained by "evil energy", there is really no trace to be found, and the infection is indiscriminate.

After all, there are not only "zombie fungi" in nature, but also "zombie viruses", "zombie plants", "zombie parasites"... and other weird and terrifying species.

Although these terrifying species spread in different ways and target different species, the final results are similar. They control the host, change the host, and finally kill the host to achieve their goals.

Purpose.

Even with the understanding of such terrifying species, people's perceptions and speculations about many things have changed.

Just a few years before Wu Liang's time travel, many zombie movies had gone out of fashion and regarded virus transmission as the only way to create a zombie apocalypse. Spore infections, parasitic infections, etc. had already appeared one after another...

Wu Liang had reason to be suspicious.

At this moment, they are so close to this strange tree. If the strange tree can really release such inexplicable, invisible and intangible things, the four of them should have been infected.

After all, Yang Wanli and the soldier were obviously just passing by, and they became "zombies" unknowingly.

Judging from the process of these two people becoming "zombies", maybe in a few hours, or even in a shorter period of time, they will gradually become the same "zombies" as Yang Wanli and the soldier.

, and eventually become the "fertilizer" for the strange tree.

"Bang! Bang!"

Dian Wei once again forced Yang Wanli and the soldier back.

Yu Ji came over with a wrinkled old face and asked with a frightened look: "Master, what should we do now? We can't just waste it like this, can we?"

"Of course not."

Wu Liang nodded, still thinking rapidly.

He was trying to recall what happened during this "poisoned" incident, stringing together all the details and combining them with the guesses he had just made...

Now, Wu Liang began to believe that this strange tree was "Yun Yang".

According to Yu Ji, hundreds of human corpses are gathered under every "Yun Yang" tree that has ever been discovered. This may be the "Special Survival Skills" of "Yun Yang".

Putting aside the idea of ​​"evil spirits", "Yun Yang" is most likely just a plant left over from ancient times.

After all, Germany once discovered fossil evidence that was more than 48 million years old when Wu Liang traveled through the world, and traces of "zombie ants" appeared in that fossil evidence.

In other words, this "fungi vs. zombies" story may have been going on on the earth for nearly 50 million years.

And it was still happening when Wu Liang traveled through time.

Then "Yun Yang" may also be a special plant left over from that time, or even earlier, and it can be regarded as an ancient plant.

However, it has been completely extinct in later generations. Even if archaeologists of later generations find something, it is not easy to restore what "Yun Yang" did based on those human remains. They will only think that it is a human remains left during the war.

The corpse pit...

Let’s put aside these speculations for now.

Wu Liang continued to connect all the details and think carefully...

"Ding!"

Suddenly a light flashed in my mind.

Wu Liang thought of the most critical point, that is "Yunyang" itself!

Whether Yang Wanli and the soldier lost consciousness, came here to sleep, or turned into "zombies", these are all inseparable from "Yunyang".

Everything is directly connected to "Yunyang"!

That being the case.

"Yes!"

Wu Liang slapped his forehead. This might be the only way.

"What's up?"

Yu Ji quickly asked confused and anxiously.

Bai Jingjing and Dian Wei also looked over, waiting for Wu Liang to explain clearly. Under this situation, Dian Wei could still do two things and easily block Yang Wanli and the soldier.

"I'm reminded of an old saying."
To be continued...