Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Xu Xin opened the [Explorer] channel and informed them of this information.

Zhao Xiaochuan: "Huh? I'll go down and take a look! I've just planted a lot of trees below, and they haven't grown yet!"

Wang Lei: "This... does this mean we can only plant inside the treehouse? Epic enhancement of planting rooms?"

Li Wenxi: "It doesn't seem to be a big loss for me..."

Ji Chaoyang: "No, it's not that exaggerated yet, Xu Xin, you're not close to the treehouse right now, are you? Go next to the treehouse and try planting."

Nearby the treehouse?

Xu Xin immediately went to the vicinity of the main treehouse and casually sprinkled a poplar seed on a patch of green-grade soil.

The seedling sprouted. This time, it didn't wilt.

[Poplar Seedling: It only takes ten days to grow into a poplar tree. Protected by the treehouse, remaining growth time: 10 days]

Trees planted near the treehouse can grow!

Xu Xin immediately said on [Explorer]: "Plants can grow near the treehouse, no problem!"

Ji Chaoyang: "Hmm, my treehouse is an initial purple-grade tall treehouse. Through my attempts, I've found that the sheltering range of a tall treehouse is around fifty meters in radius."

Fifty meters in radius...

He had just been planting in the barren jungle outside the protection zone, indeed not within the fifty-meter range.

Xu Xin confirmed that all plants over fifty meters away had indeed stopped growing.

His plant heart protection range is within a hundred meters, encompassing this entire area.

Zhao Xiaochuan: "Mine is a blue-grade treehouse, only a thirty-meter radius can be planted!"

What about the green-grade treehouse?

Xu Xin thought of the parasitic treehouse. He immediately went to the parasitic treehouse to try planting.

He found that although the parasitic treehouse had no protection zone range, it still had a sheltering range, and within ten meters, planting was still normal as before.

"It seems that the problem shouldn't be too big, this range is enough," Xu Xin thought, stroking his chin.

Suddenly, that familiar mysterious voice came to his ears.

[Congratulations to all current survivors, you have witnessed the change of seasons firsthand, the second stage is officially on track!]

[There are no fixed events in this stage, nor will any survivor be eliminated because of it.]

[But remember, no events do not mean no danger. You are warriors who have passed the first stage and need to take responsibility for your lives.]

[Finally, remember, never abandon your treehouse, it is your only support! Survivors without a treehouse cannot survive in this world.]

[Now, enjoy the arrival of the second stage! In this liberated second stage, unleash your inner desires!]

Xu Xin raised his hand and looked at his watch, it was exactly nine o'clock.

This voice is really punctual.

However, the information it conveyed was more or less the same as Xu Xin had speculated before.

The second stage has no events. But no events do not mean no danger.

Just like today's sudden advent of autumn and its ensuing effects, such as the cooling weather and the inability to plant away from the treehouse, will catch some people off guard.

And who knows, perhaps one day there will be a resurgence of beast tides, and mutant creatures will also run rampant. This time, without a day's advance notice, the danger will be even more unpredictable.

But fortunately, in the second stage, survivors can already meet and can actually collaborate.

Of course, they can also kill each other.

[Treehouse decoration level detected to be over 100, receiving today's random boost: Strength Enhancement, effect lasts one day.]

It's his random boost!

His random boost was finally here, and it was a strength boost!

Instantly, a warm current spread throughout his body, an unparalleled sense of power flowing within him.

Good boost! Today's boost is great!

Xu Xin couldn't wait to try out his current strength. He looked at a bare poplar nearby, suddenly having an urge to uproot the willow entirely.

He hugged the poplar and gave it a fierce pull.

"Creak—crack." The sound of the root breaking echoed, and the entire tree was pulled up a few centimeters by him.

He then gave it a mighty kick, and the whole poplar, root and all, was uprooted and crashed to the ground, its bare branches shattering everywhere.

"Awesome!" Xu Xin couldn't help but exclaim, this was really fantastic!

To knock down a tree several dozen centimeters in diameter with bare hands!

If he had a long halberd, it would be incredible!

That's right, today's expedition is a sure thing.

At this moment, Ji Chaoyang sent a voice message.

"Xu Xin, shall we head out and meet up with Li Wenxi and Qi Xuefei? We're the closest, let's touch base first."

"Okay, how about we meet at that three-story treehouse by the stream then?"

"Are you sure the treehouse owner won't attack us? A three-story treehouse definitely belongs to someone powerful in area 187."

"Oh, that treehouse is mine now."

"...Hmm? You didn't transplant the treehouse or kill its owner, did you capture him? How did you manage that, do you have some kind of slave contract?"

This guy is really clever; he only mentioned that the treehouse was his, and Ji Chaoyang had already figured out most of the details.

"Pretty much, I'll explain in detail when we meet."

"Alright, let's head out now."

After hanging up, Xu Xin returned to the treehouse, planning to take only Silver King with him this time.

Mimi knew she wasn't being taken along, so she gloomily lay on the ground, turning her head away.

"Alright, we'll be traveling a lot this time, it might be too much for you. Keep an eye on this woman at home for me, and next time I'll take you somewhere further." Xu Xin patted Mimi's head and said.

"Squeak." Keke also patted Mimi's paw.

"Meow..." Mimi let out a soft cry, got up, and walked to the sofa where Lou Fei'Er was sitting, then lay down beside it.

Since Xu Xin left the treehouse, Lou Fei'Er had been sitting on the couch, as Silver King and Mimi had been watching her.

The two were quite friendly and interacted with her. Silver King even lay beside her, letting her pet him, but whenever she tried to get up from the sofa, Silver King bared his wolf teeth, and Mimi would slowly rise, scaring her into staying still.

"Wait, what about me when you leave! Should I just sit here all day? They're not going to stop me from going to the bathroom, are they?" Lou Fei'Er pointed at Mimi lying beside her.

"Not exactly... Mimi, she can only move around the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. She can't go to any other rooms or go upstairs or downstairs."

Mimi nodded slightly while lying on the ground, indicating she understood.

Xu Xin tossed her treehouse watch over to her: "Today, try to connect with others in your area, don't let anything slip, gather some intel about area 187, and see if you can figure out the top ten positions in your area. Don't even think about asking others for help; I'll check the records when I get back."

Lou Fei'Er took the watch, her face initially showing excitement, but Xu Xin's words made her feel like she'd swallowed a fly, her expression soured: "You, you! Checking a girl's communication records, so shameless!"

"How about entering the bracelet instead? It's definitely safer."

"I'll complete the task, guaranteed!"

Looking out from the treehouse window, amidst the desolate landscape, patches of green dotted the horizon. To the east, not far from him, there was greenery, likely where Li Wenxi's treehouse was located.

Leading Silver King and Keke to the base of the treehouse, Xu Xin mounted the wolf and pointed towards the direction of the stream: "Silver King, let's head over there first, to the previous treehouse." He needed to meet up with Ji Chaoyang first.

"Awooooo—" Silver King let out a long howl and began running along the stream.

Keke snuggled in Xu Xin's arms, curiously observing the drastically changing jungle landscape.

All the trees in the jungle had turned into bare branches. Without the dense, green canopies blocking the view, for the first time, Xu Xin felt his vision was so open, as if they were no longer in a jungle but on a wide Gobi desert.

Even from a great distance, he could see a patch of green ahead.

It's still ten kilometers away, yet Xu Xin could easily spot the distant green treehouse.

Even though Lou Fei'Er's three-story treehouse was much taller than the usual ones, typical treehouses would be just as conspicuous, considering these bare branches couldn't obscure the green canopies at all.

As Silver King ran closer to Lou Fei'Er's treehouse, he saw someone below, examining the treehouse, holding... a horse?

It's Ji Chaoyang! He's already here!

By the way, is it really that lucky that he has a horse over there?

Horses are simply the best animals to use as mounts, with their large size, endurance, and they don't need to eat meat. Even dry grass all over the place can still feed them.

However, generally, horses are quite heavy. Even if he, like Xu Xin, acquired an intermediate riding contract, which allows one to contract beasts weighing up to 300 kilograms, a 300-kilogram horse would be too small.

Even from afar, Xu Xin could feel that this horse must weigh at least seven or eight hundred kilograms.

Ji Chaoyang also heard the sound, looked in Xu Xin's direction, and waved: "Over here."

"You're fast." Xu Xin rode Silver King to stop in front of Ji Chaoyang, dismounted.

During their video conference, Xu Xin thought this person looked rather cultured and meticulous, with clothes impeccably tidy.

Ji Chaoyang's demeanor would easily make others think he's a strong and reassuring big brother, but upon actually meeting him, the first impression is that he's a clean-cut, gentle young man, likely easy to get along with.

"You're the one who's slow; I left right after contacting you." Ji Chaoyang chuckled, extended his hand, "You look even more handsome in person."

"Handsome? Haven't groomed in over ten days, but you really know how to keep up appearances." Xu Xin also laughed and shook his hand.

The guy is not just cultured, he's practically compulsive.

Instead of Xu Xin's purple-grade scale armor, Ji Chaoyang wore a convenient blue-grade leather armor, his stubble shaved clean, hairstyle neat and tidy, looking nothing like someone who rode a wind-blown journey on horseback.

Even his horse's fur was brushed smooth, with the tail free of tangles.