Something happened in Area 1
Xu Xin was slightly stunned.
"What happened?" he asked with some confusion.
"Xu Xin, do you still remember what happened in District 187 before the cold winter came?" Ji Chaoyang did not answer directly, but asked him back.
What happened in District 187
What happened then
ah… !
He raised his eyebrows slightly and blurted out, "The number of people has inexplicably decreased, but the tree house has not been dug up?"
"Yes." Ji Chaoyang's voice seemed a little heavy at this time, "This kind of thing also happened in District 1."
Did this happen in District 1
"... How do you know? Where did you get the information?" Xu Xin asked in confusion, "From the world channel, it seems that nothing has happened in the outer areas in recent days, except that the snow is getting thicker and thicker. If it's just that the number of people in Area 1 has decreased..."
That doesn't seem to be anything noteworthy.
After all, the current situation in Area 1 is basically the same as that in Area 188. The cold winter is almost over, and the location of the strong men has been exposed because of the teleportation formation.
In this case, it wouldn't be a big problem if some survivors cut down their own tree houses in order to follow the strong, right
Of course, Xu Xin would not believe it if he was told that there was no problem in Area 1. After all, for Shi Wanyun, a lone wolf in Area 1, to be so shameless as to directly post on the world trading platform, something must have happened there that they were not aware of.
"If the number of people in Area 1 decreases, it may be that they voluntarily surrendered. Is that what you want to say?" Ji Chaoyang guessed Xu Xin's thoughts and said.
"… really."
"Things are not that simple. Before we went to the underground world, I had asked a few people here to keep a close eye on the world channel and tell me all the big and small things when I came back. Through their fragmentary accounts, I have deduced some things."
He began to explain what he had discovered.
Yesterday, not long after the two teleportation arrays in Area 1 were connected, there was a very obvious reduction in the number of personnel in Area 1.
There were more than 2,000 people in total, but nearly 200 were killed in just a few hours.
However, this incident did not attract widespread attention worldwide.
Because they all had a misunderstanding of the previous experience of District 188, they subconsciously believed that the reduction in the number of people in District 1 was because the survivors in District 1 cut down a large number of tree houses and went to join the District 1 boss.
Even the strong men in Area 1 think so.
Because they have been saying for a long time that they welcome everyone to join them, whether they are from this district or from other districts.
At that time, more than ten districts had unlocked the teleportation formation, with purple-black light pillars reaching the sky, and these areas and neighboring areas had experienced this situation to varying degrees.
Therefore, not many people paid attention to this matter at the time. Even the strong people in Area 1 increased their publicity efforts, saying that anyone who could come would be given very good treatment.
The treatment they offered was naturally not as good as that of explorers, but explorers were too far away from other areas, and distant water could not quench nearby fire. Many people who could no longer bear to survive alone naturally chose Area 1 based on the principle of proximity.
Of course, since Area 1 did not have too many blue-level axes, it was naturally unable to obtain the tree house cores of these people. However, they still gave some resources more or less.
But what happened next was a little strange.
"So far, there have been less than ten people around the two teleportation formations in Area 1, and most of these people have been active in the World Channel. Their original tree houses were also those that were closer to the teleportation formations. The farthest one was only fifty kilometers away."
"... Are the others really dead?" Xu Xin asked.
"From the information I got, it is indeed the case." Ji Chaoyang said in a low voice, "At this point in time, it has been more than 24 hours since the large number of survivors in Area 1 disappeared!"
Xu Xin pondered for a moment and said, "... In other words, even if these people did not die at that time, but cut down their own tree houses to join the strong, then now, the time limit has passed?"
After the 24-hour limit, you will "leave this beautiful world forever."
Therefore, these people, no matter from which perspective, are indeed completely finished.
"That's right." Ji Chaoyang said, "I also received news that a large number of casualties have occurred in areas such as District 2, which is connected to District 1. At that time, people in District 2 thought that these might be people who defected to District 1, but now, it is also..."
Xu Xin frowned slightly.
"Could it be that we encountered something along the way?" he guessed, "Like... the situation we encountered at the beginning? Those furry monsters, those predators, seemed to want to teleport the survivors to another place."
The scene of being surrounded by wolves is still vivid in my mind.
They were controlled by the hairy monsters and forced the survivors into an encirclement. Under the encirclement was a large and somewhat inexplicable teleportation array.
Under the circumstances at that time, it would have been almost impossible for an ordinary survivor to escape.
If Xu Xin hadn't discovered the abnormality at the beginning, I'm afraid not many people would have arrived on their side.
Most people will be taken away directly!
"Maybe this is part of the reason, so I didn't pay too much attention to it before." Ji Chaoyang said.
"But, I just received news that people in District 1 and its neighboring districts have found many dying or withered tree houses. The owners of the tree houses are dead, but the tree houses have not been cut down. Is it similar to what happened in District 187 at that time?"
"Moreover, this kind of thing is not limited to Area 1. Most of the areas where the teleportation array is activated have this kind of situation. Because in the ice and snow, the withered tree house can easily be discovered by the people around it. This is also the case. That's why I suspect that this matter is actually not simple."
It does seem a bit weird.
You know, there is no activity now, and there are not many mutant creatures in the ice and snow that will actively attack survivors.
You have to know that those who have survived to this day are already familiar with the rules of this world, and the possibility of them doing something suicidal is very small, let alone so many people doing it together.
Therefore, it is indeed very strange that people suddenly started dying on a large scale when there was no activity.
"You mean, this situation occurred in all areas where the teleportation array was activated, but not in areas where the teleportation array was not activated?" Xu Xin asked.
"That's right." Ji Chaoyang replied, "Even us are the same."
Same with us?!
Xu Xin immediately clicked on the regional channel to check the number of people in District 188.
"… There are indeed more than a dozen people missing." Xu Xin's face looked a little ugly.
"Xu Xin, I feel that this matter is most likely related to the fact that we have delayed the cold winter for too long." Ji Chaoyang speculated.
"What do you mean?" Xu Xin's heart moved.
Could it be that...
"For the areas where the teleportation array is not activated, their punishment is to be buried by snow that becomes more and more violent day by day. They lose the ability to obtain resources and eventually freeze to death in the tree houses," Ji Chaoyang explained.
"From what I've heard, the snow in other areas was heavier than usual last night, and the snow was even thicker. Also, their tree houses seemed to have been affected. According to the survivors whose tree houses were half buried, the warmth of the tree house fireplaces has dropped a lot today. The temperature in their tree houses is now only around ten degrees."
Unexpectedly, the accumulated snow would also affect the temperature inside the tree house.
"... And for those of us in the region where the blizzard has ended, there are other punishments." Xu Xin said, "That's what you just said. Is that what you mean?"
"That's right." Ji Chaoyang admitted immediately, "Our areas that are no longer affected by the blizzard are not as safe as we thought. We have experienced this before."
really.
Furry monsters, wolves, strange teleportation arrays...
And Coco has been alert to the strange behaviors around her.
It does show that they are not at peace now.
"That mysterious voice said that we must end this cold winter as soon as possible, otherwise terrible things will happen." Xu Xin recalled the words of the mysterious voice, and his eyes trembled slightly. "It seems that this sentence is said to everyone."
Both of them were silent for two seconds.
Ji Chaoyang spoke up: "So, there are two urgent matters now."
"The first thing is to establish contact with District 1 immediately, and then contact Shi Wanyun. She must know something, which is why she frantically wanted to ask us for help yesterday."
But unfortunately, they were trapped in the underground world at that time.
Xu Xin slid his watch again and looked at the world trading platform. There had been no information about Shi Wanyun on it for a long time.
... Could it be that something has happened to her
This is such a danger that even the top experts in Area 1 can’t withstand it
Xu Xin's heart was slightly lifted.
"The second point is..."
"Don't delay any longer, and end this cold winter quickly." Xu Xin continued, "Also, tell others not to go out. Hiding in the tree house should be the safest place."
Their District 188 has actually lost more than a dozen people.
"That's right. I have already warned everyone in our area not to go out until the cold winter is over. Just stay on guard in the tree house."
“This is indeed the safest way.”
The survivors in area 188 were all equipped with tree house heavy crossbows and also had some explosive crossbows. Perhaps because of this, the situation in their area was still okay, with only a dozen people reduced, and it didn't even attract any attention.
After all, in this world, only a dozen people dying a day is actually considered a good situation.
"You go contact Wang Lei and the others. I'll ask Qin Fu and the others about the situation in District 187 at the time." Xu Xin said.
"good."
After hanging up the call with Ji Chaoyang, Xu Xin called Qin Fu directly.
Qin Fu did not answer the call but hung up directly.
"… What's going on?" Xu Xin was slightly startled.
Then a map appeared in my mind.
Qin Fu's position is still in the hilly resource area, but it is slightly different from his previous position, about a few hundred meters away.
What is he doing
Could it be that he really discovered something, was doing something, and now he couldn't speak
You know, if it weren't for special circumstances, it would be impossible for someone like him who had signed a contract with Xu Xin to refuse his request for a call.
Xu Xin frowned slightly.
It's really possible.
After all, his ability is to perceive the situation on the ground and underground around him, and he may really discover something abnormal around him.
… Maybe it’s related to what he and Ji Chaoyang just talked about
It was really possible. After all, a similar thing had happened in District 187. With Qin Fu's ability, he might have been able to find some clues at that time.
Then let's wait until he can get in touch.
As for Zeng Tao...
Forget it, there's basically no way she knows anything.
She has never left her area, and even her tree house is a low tree house...
Xu Xin came directly to Lou Feier's tree house.
He didn't go up directly, but asked under the tree house: "Lou Feier, are you awake?"
"Ah...! Wake up!" Lou Feier poked her head out of the window of the tree house. "I just finished cooking and was about to call you."
Seeing that she was not sleeping, Xu Xin was no longer polite and went straight into her tree house.
There was a lot of food on the dining table, and Jin Yue was standing beside the table.
“You’re here too.”
Xu Xin was not surprised.
"Brother Xin." Jin Yue lowered her head slightly and lowered her eyelids.
Her voice and attitude seemed a little cold, but Xu Xin could still see the gratitude hidden deep in her eyes.
But after what happened, she is no longer willing to communicate with others.
She was even quieter than the last time Xu Xin saw her, so she only said two words and stood there motionless.
"Why are you so reserved!" Lou Fei'er couldn't stand this atmosphere and said, "Okay, okay, let's eat. What do you want to do with me, Brother Xin?"
Lou Feier emphasized the words "Brother Xin", as if she was teasing Jin Yue's way of addressing Xu Xin.
After all, Jin Yue is older than Xu Xin.
Moreover, Lou Feier herself is actually one year older than Xu Xin.
This guy…
It seems that she still hasn't come up with a unified way to address herself.
He is the master, the boss, and Brother Xin's.
"Let's talk while we eat."
He came to see Lou Feier for only one thing.
He wanted Lou Feier to climb the snow-capped peak surrounding Qin Fu and Zeng Tao's original tree house.
This cold winter is about to end quickly.
Just now, the twenty-sixth purple-black beam of light shot up into the sky, and there were only four spots left among the thirty teleportation arrays.
It is undeniable that Lou Feier was definitely the fastest at the time, and was the least affected.
Even Xu Xin, who had his arm strength enhanced at the time, was slower than her. Of course, that was because he was attacked by the vulture.
However, even he was able to get through the cloud stage by relying on his perseverance and Qi Xuefei's medicine.
But for Lou Feier, this was just a small matter. The extreme change in temperature was not a problem at all for her mutated body.
Therefore, she is the most suitable person among all people to climb the snow-capped mountains.
"Let me climb that snowy peak?" Lou Feier was a little reluctant, but still nodded in agreement. After all, she couldn't refuse Xu Xin's request. "Okay, then I'll set off after dinner. But..."
She looked at Xu Xin and said with a smile, "If I activate another snow peak, will there be no reward?"
"Then what reward do you want?" Xu Xin asked after swallowing the steak in his mouth.
"Hmm..." Lou Feier tapped her lips which were slightly greasy from eating, "I don't know... I don't seem to be missing anything."
Xu Xin shook his head: "After dinner, you will go with us to the teleportation array. Your vote of approval is needed to establish contact with Area 1."
"Oh, okay." Lou Feier nodded, then complained, "I have so many things to do! I just woke up..."
At this moment, Jin Yue, who had been concentrating on eating nearby, suddenly spoke.
She looked up at Xu Xin: "Brother Xin, I... should be able to do it too."
"You...?" Xu Xin was a little surprised, then shook his head, "I remember that your mutation direction is strength, right? This doesn't seem to have much advantage in climbing, so let Lou Feier do it."
"Yes, Jin Yue, let me do it." Lou Feier also said.
Although she found it a bit troublesome, she didn't want Jin Yue to take any risks. After all, she still had some sympathy for this poor woman.
Jin Yue shook her head: "My mutation should be... not just strength."
"...Huh?" Lou Fei'er was stunned, "Not just... ? You have multiple enhanced abilities?"
Xu Xin also opened his eyes slightly and looked at her.
"Yes." Jin Yue stood up, "I can prove it."
Xu Xin and Lou Feier looked at each other, stood up, and followed Jin Yue to the bottom of the tree house.
Jin Yue was tall, much taller than Li Wenxi, and stood with her long legs straight.
"So, what kind of mutation have you undergone?" Xu Xin asked.
"Strength was just what I felt most easily at the time, so I felt like my strength was increasing, but..."
She bent her long legs slightly in place and then jumped lightly.
Under the surprised gazes of Xu Xin and Lou Feier, she jumped directly to the window of the tree house and sat easily on the windowsill.
"this… !"
Very similar to his jumping ability increase!
Jin Yue jumped down from the window again and landed easily.
Then, she suddenly jumped up from the spot and leaped several dozen meters away in two steps!
"So fast!" Lou Feier was also a little stunned!
Then she swung her legs and kicked the bare poplar tree next to her.
"Card!"
The poplar tree seemed to be made of cardboard and was easily kicked in half.
Then, Jin Yue leaped back in two steps again, in the astonished gaze of the two people.
"... You, enhanced... the ability of your legs?" Xu Xin looked at her legs.
A pair of long and straight legs, wrapped in leather armor, fully reveals the charm.
These legs were once broken into a horrible state.
"That's right." Jin Yue nodded, "The various abilities of my legs have been greatly enhanced. My strength and speed have also increased slightly. Although my speed is not as fast as Sister Fei'er, it's not slow either."
"… There is such a mutation!" Lou Feier's eyes widened, "Why didn't you tell me!"
"I was planning to tell you during the meal, but Brother Xin had something to say, so I didn't mention it." Jin Yue said with her head down.
This unique variation…
Xu Xin's heart moved slightly.
wrong.
This variation is not unique.
Isn't this how normal mutant creatures mutate
A certain part of the body that can be used as a weapon of attack is greatly enhanced, and physical abilities are also improved.
Like rabbit ears, boar tusks, cat claws...
To be honest, Lou Feier and the others are more special!
However, why are there different situations since they are all mutated using the same mutant pills
"Maybe, I was too obsessed with my two broken legs back then." Jin Yue looked up and said, "So, this mutation occurred."
It's really possible.
"So, Brother Xin, let me go climb on behalf of Sister Fei'er." Jin Yue looked directly at Xu Xin and asked, "I want to do something. I know that the climber can control the entire formation. If you are worried, you can contract me."
If Jin Yue wants to climb up and activate the formation, he will definitely have to find two people to take a shortcut.
Those who take shortcuts do not have permission. In that case, Jin Yue is the only activator and controller of this formation.
He asked Lou Feier to activate it because Lou Feier was his. If Lou Feier controlled the formation, it would be equivalent to him controlling the formation.
But if Jin Yue goes there, there will indeed be the problem that the formation is not completely under their control.
But never mind.
"Forget about the contract. Just go ahead." Xu Xin said, "Lou Feier, go explain to her what to pay attention to when climbing, and let her go."
He also wanted to see what the capabilities of this mutation were.
As for the contract, that’s not the case.
His desire for control was not so strong that he had to control the formation in his own hands.
Lou Feier nodded and told Jin Yue about the precautions for climbing: "If your legs are strong, climbing should be no problem... Your goal is to climb to the top, don't worry about anything else... Temperature changes are a piece of cake for us, you will know if you experience it yourself..."
Jin Yue also stood aside and listened quietly.
Xu Xin was just about to contact the other explorers when a purple-black vortex began to condense.
Ji Chaoyang jumped out of the portal exit.
Afterwards, Wen Guixin, Wang Lei and Zhao Xiaochuan all jumped out.
"Let's go, let's go to the teleportation formation and establish contact with Area 1."