Cave Refuge

As Ye Liuyun hesitated whether to continue contributing those high-end ingredients to the camp, Dong Tianyu just happened to walk out of that eerie forest. Not only did he inform Ye Liuyun of the dangers within the forest, but he also provided a crucial piece of information: that they could obtain a large number of survival resources within the forest.

The intelligence Dong Tianyu brought was tantamount to letting all survivors know that although they had lost a great deal of supplies in the successive disasters, there was always hope; a new source of food had naturally appeared.

Just as Ye Liuyun was about to speak up and purchase meat from Dong Tianyu, he suddenly felt someone tugging at him. Turning around, he saw it was his follower standing behind him. Before Ye Liuyun could ask why, he saw the follower first glance around with a meaningful look and then stealthily gesture with a hand signal.

Once Ye Liuyun understood the hand signal his follower made, he instantly grasped his follower's thoughts and instantly held back the words he was about to say.

Seeing Ye Liuyun's actions, Dong Tianyu roughly understood what was on Ye Liuyun's mind, so he did not linger and took his leave to go home.

After Dong Tianyu departed on Sword Flight, Ye Liuyun turned and asked, "Why did you stop me? Don't tell me you don't know what I was about to bring up."

"I know you were about to buy meat from Mr. Thompson," his companion said, then carefully pointed towards the location of the Guard Squad members.

He continued, "Now that we already know the possible encounters in the forest and what gains we might make, I believe that even if we could trade for meat fairly, it would be better for us to directly arrange a small team to hunt in the forest."

Hearing the words of his follower and strategist, Ye Liuyun understood his thinking. Then he glanced at the members of the Patrol Team standing perfectly straight.

He had not lowered his voice deliberately during his conversation with Dong Tianyu, so everything they talked about naturally reached the ears of those Guard Squad members around them, since everyone who could stand on the city walls at this time was a keen Martial Artist.

Given the close distance and the lack of intentional concealment or whispering during their talk, other people around had clearly heard every word they had said.

Although those Patrol Team members on the city walls had witnessed Dong Tianyu performing Sword Control to fly back from the forest, even if they admitted that Dong Tianyu was stronger than all of them, they didn't think he was that much stronger without having seen him fight.

So, when they learned that Dong Tianyu had obtained a lot of meat from the forest, a burning eagerness rose in the eyes of all Patrol Team members.

They were well aware that none of the members Ye Liuyun had sent to scout the forest had returned, but with Dong Tianyu as an example, and after hearing his shared experience,

they thought that the forest might not be dangerous at all. The investigators who had been dispatched and had disappeared might not have died but rather were likely trapped in a special space within the forest.

Considering how strong Dong Tianyu was, and that it took him several days to come out, the members who had gone to scout and then vanished in the forest might return after some time.

Actually, at this time, the safest method was simply to wait, to calmly stay in the camp for a while.

If any of those sent to investigate the forest did indeed return successfully, they would then have a clearer understanding of the forest, and regardless of whether they ignored the forest and rested peacefully in the camp or no one returned from the forest,

regardless of what happened, they could still maintain their position as Yutai, making calm and rational choices that were the most beneficial for the camp.

Madeline considered waiting, but the members of the Patrol Team who heard the news were not willing to wait, especially after listening to the complete "detailed strategy guide" shared by Zachary. Many Guard Squad members wanted to experience it for themselves.

After all, when Zachary had shared his experience earlier, although he did not explicitly say so, one could tell from his tone that even though it was his first time entering the forest, even though he was entirely clueless about what was inside, he did not encounter any life-threatening danger there.

What's more important is that because they were patrolling the city walls today, there was still a considerable distance between the forest and the camp.

However, after Zachary first emerged from the forest, he repeatedly attempted to enter the forest from different locations, all of which were clearly observed by the members of the Patrol Team.

Although they did not understand Zachary's actions at the beginning, after his shared experience, they realized that the reason he did so must be that he regretted leaving too early and wanted to find a new way to re-enter.

Everyone was no fool; from Zachary's behavior near the forest, they could first confirm that even if the forest contained dangers, they were not too significant for Zachary. Otherwise, his first reaction after coming out would have been to flee in terror instead of looking for a way to re-enter nearby.

Moreover, the fact that Zachary was still looking for a way to re-enter after coming out indicated that he had gained much from that special space in the forest; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to find a way back in.

Everyone was no fool; from Zachary's various actions, they could roughly deduce that entering that special space in the forest might indeed involve some dangers, but compared with the slight risk, the enormous gains would irresistibly draw them to return.

Realizing this, compared to directly buying supplies from Zachary, the Guard Squad members, even if aware that Madeline had the means to purchase from Zachary, preferred to rely on their strength to acquire food rather than just enjoy the fruits of others' labor.

Anyone with a bit of sense knew that, in the absence of choice, they could comfortably accept the survival supplies Madeline provided.

But Madeline was, after all, just one person, with limited abilities and strength. It was okay for her to contribute unconditionally in the short term, but over a longer period, regardless of whether Madeline might change her mind, even if she stayed true to her initial intention, once her stockpile of supplies ran out, she would face a dire outcome.

To prevent the worst-case scenario, they volunteered to go to the forest's potentially dangerous special space to hunt for supplies.

The above were the noble reasons they gave publicly, but the more practical situation was that they learned from Zachary's narrative that even just by passing the first part of the forest, one could find various fruits and vegetables that were ripe.

Although as members of the Patrol Team, Madeline occasionally treated them to a special meal every now and then, the limited supplies meant that they could only get a taste, not eat to their fill.

Thus, their current eagerness to head there was not only for the noble cause mentioned but also driven by the desire to satisfy their own appetites.

Even though danger was certain, at this moment, even staying honestly within the camp might also pose risks, so they would prefer to die on a full stomach if death were inevitable.

Moreover, if they kept moving forward, they could hunt various animals in the forest. Compared to the small portion they would receive from buying food from Zachary, they would much rather enter that space themselves and hunt to eat their fill on the spot.