Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

"Every time we meet, I have to explain my age, it's already a habit." Ji Chaoyang spread his hands helplessly and corrected Li Wenxi's words, "I don't have much workplace experience."

Qi Xuefei looked at Ji Chaoyang's face a bit longer.

Is this the legendary baby face that doesn't show age?

A little envious...

"It looks like you dealt with those people over there..." Ji Chaoyang made a slicing gesture across his neck and asked Xu Xin.

"Yeah, that person was no good, his behavior was too disgusting, we explorers are not just accepting anyone," Xu Xin nodded.

"Exactly! Just an ordinary survivor relying on others' abilities, and he even tried to do that to Sister Xuefei. We absolutely can't let someone like that join us!" Li Wenxi strongly agreed with Xu Xin.

"This matter involves another person, we'll talk about it later." Xu Xin stopped, after all, there was another person nearby.

He pointed to the woman on the ground who hadn't spoken, "This one is..."

The woman sitting by the tree roots looked up at them.

She was wearing a green-grade leather armor set, obviously an ordinary survivor. During their conversation, she hadn't joined in but had kept looking at Keke, even trying to reach out to touch her. Keke turned away, evading her, and continued staring eye-to-eye with Keke.

"She's a survivor from the treehouse to the east, just a regular survivor. Her treehouse had neither a crossbow nor armor. I used a few explosive bolts, and she surrendered," Ji Chaoyang glanced at the woman sitting on the ground, "I talked to her, and she said she is willing to abide by Qi Xuefei."

As he spoke, he took a treehouse seed and core from his backpack and handed them to Qi Xuefei, "These are yours, and so is this person."

Seeing them start to discuss her, the woman stood up and looked at Qi Xuefei and Li Wenxi, finally locking her gaze on Qi Xuefei, who was holding her treehouse seed and core, looking very nervous.

"Um... I..." She gently rubbed the hem of her clothes with her hand, "Hello, I..."

Seeing the woman so restrained, Qi Xuefei stepped forward and gently hugged her, "Alright, since you're here, you're a companion now. I'll first plant your treehouse."

Qi Xuefei's actions made Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang both frown slightly.

Her treehouse had already been uprooted, and now she could only depend on others to survive, but wasn't she being too defenseless?

What if this woman stole her seed and core?

However, Qi Xuefei's actions eased the woman's expression, making her less tense. She nodded and said, "Okay, from now on, I will follow you."

"Sister, what's your name?" Li Wenxi also approached, making Xu Xin's eyelids twitch.

These two, seeing a peer of the same gender, are they letting their guard down?

This woman was at least a person from Area 187, someone whose life was saved by their Area 187 leader Zhang Daoguang. What if something happens? How can they so readily consider her one of their own?

Xu Xin's attitude toward people from external areas had always been to force them to work and distribute resources based on labor. No work, no resources, at least in the beginning it should be like this. One should always observe for a period first, right?

However, seeing the three of them chatting happily, he didn't say anything more.

...Oh well, let them be. As long as the treehouse is planted, those people's lives are in the hands of the main treehouse owner, so there's no waves that can be stirred up.

This first captured person is quite fortunate. You could say she's a founding-level prisoner. When there are more captives in the future, naturally, they won't have such good treatment.

"Well, I'll go plant these two treehouse seeds first, do you two want to go up first?" Qi Xuefei turned to Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang.

"No need, parasitic treehouses grow very quickly. You go ahead, we will wait here."

"Alright." Qi Xuefei left with the woman.

"I'm going too!" Li Wenxi quickly followed them.

The two took the woman to plant the treehouses. Qi Xuefei's protected area was divided into two by a northwest-to-southeast flowing river. They didn't cross the river but searched for a suitable location on this side.

Xu Xin even heard Qi Xuefei asking the woman's opinion, asking where she wanted to plant it.

Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang glanced at each other, both shaking their heads helplessly.

"Will there be any danger?" Xu Xin asked, a bit worried that woman might be trouble.

"No, all her weapons and tools are with me," Ji Chaoyang gestured to his backpack, "also, I've checked inside her treehouse. She's indeed an ordinary survivor. Even if there's a problem, those two can handle it themselves, no need to worry."

Xu Xin looked towards where the three women had gone, seeing them discussing while pointing at a piece of land.

"Planting it so close?" Xu Xin mused.

"Having the parasitic treehouse closer to the main one is good for management," Ji Chaoyang also looked in that direction.

Parasitic treehouses can indeed be far from the main one, as long as they are within the protected area.

Like now, Xu Xin's protected area is within nine kilometers radius, so planting all parasitic treehouses within nine kilometers will make them parasitic on his main treehouse.

However...

"Protected areas can overlap. What do you think happens if we plant parasitic treehouses in the overlapping area?" Xu Xin suddenly thought of this issue.

The overlap can be seen as the area where the roots of two treehouses entwine, so on whose roots would the parasitic house attach, it's really uncertain.

"This..." Ji Chaoyang frowned in thought, "It's really unclear. I've thought about this before, maybe whichever treehouse is stronger, the parasitic one attaches to that? But it's rare for anyone to plant parasitic treehouses so far away, right?"

The overlap happens roughly five or six kilometers away from the main treehouse now, which is quite a distance for current survivors.

As for later when the protected area expands, that's a problem for the future.

Xu Xin shook his head, putting aside the thought for now.

While they're still not back, he recounted to Ji Chaoyang what he and Li Wenxi encountered.

Regarding Ma Hongyu's incident, his brows furrowed slightly at first, then he gradually showed a surprised expression.

Speaking of Ma Hongwei, his eyes seemed to light up, and he grabbed Xu Xin's arm, "Are you saying, that Ma Hongwei, has the ability to control all the external weapons of a treehouse?"