Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

The four of them cycled to the base of Li Yajun's treehouse, where Li Wenxi waved and greeted, "Hello! Ah, no need to come down, we're just passing by, we have things to do, we'll come back tonight to take you away!"

Seeing Li Yajun about to come down, Li Wenxi hurriedly spoke.

"Oh... well, hello everyone." Li Yajun listened and didn't come down; it's still very cold outside for someone like her without a blue-grade suit.

"This is Ji Chaoyang, this is Qi Xuefei, you should know them too." Xu Xin introduced the two people on the white horse to her.

"Hello." Ji Chaoyang and Qi Xuefei nodded at Li Yajun while riding the white horse.

"Hello, hello!" Li Yajun responded immediately.

"Has there been anything unusual around here lately?" Xu Xin asked Li Yajun.

"No, I've been observing the surroundings, and I haven't noticed anything unusual." Li Yajun shook her head, "With the current climate, there are even fewer flying insects and birds, it's very quiet around, the only change is that the treehouse to the north is gone, which should be your doing, right?"

"Uh-huh, it was indeed us. Since there isn't, then never mind, let's go for now, we'll come to pick you up later in the evening."

"Alright, you all go ahead and get busy!"

The group discussed briefly and finally decided to head east for a look.

To the southeast of their current location was where they previously encountered that robust and powerful mutated vine.

This area might indeed have some issues, heading over there might lead to some special discovery.

The protection zone of Li Yajun's treehouse was only six kilometers, quickly reached, in less than ten minutes, they were at the edge of the protection zone.

"Ying... ying!"

Just as they were about to reach the edge, Keke suddenly woke up from its sleep, gave a bleary yawn.

It slowly opened its eyes and upon seeing the scene before it, immediately used its tiny paw to push Xu Xin's stomach, anxiously chirping.

"Stop, the protection zones ahead are not connected."

Xu Xin patted Keke's little head, understanding what it meant, it was clearly indicating that there was danger ahead.

Silver King and the white horse immediately stopped at the edge of the protection zone.

Silver King once again displayed a somewhat hostile demeanor, but probably having gained some experience last time, this time it only bared its teeth towards the outside of the protection zone, without showing signs of losing its mind.

The white horse beside it showed no unusual reactions.

"Let's try and see if there's anything unusual about the vines here." Xu Xin dismounted from Silver King.

"Sure." Ji Chaoyang also dismounted.

"Huh? Xu Xin, Silver King's blood streaks are glowing again!" Just as Xu Xin was about to move forward, Li Wenxi's startled voice came from behind.

"It's happening again?"

He immediately turned to look at Silver King, only to see that the blood streaks on its body were gradually lighting up again, and they were getting brighter, even brighter than the last time at Li Yajun's treehouse!

Silver King, who had looked slightly fatigued and was about to lie down to rest, stood up energetically the moment the blood streaks lit up, seemingly having regained all its energy.

"Ying!" Keke curiously pawed at the glowing blood streaks on Silver King's back with its little claws clinging onto the bright red fur.

Looking at the blood streaks on Silver King's body, which were even more vibrant than before, Xu Xin stroked his chin.

He had an uncertain suspicion.

The blood streaks on Silver King were brighter than before, likely because this location, compared to Li Yajun's treehouse, was closer to the unknown object he suspected could affect mutated creatures.

As to why they only flared up at their current location, it might be because this thing does not continuously affect mutated creatures but instead impacts them intermittently over time.

The evidence is that previously, when Silver King was running, the blood streaks flared up and then dimmed again, and after they entered Li Yajun's treehouse, the blood streaks lit up once after a while.

Then as they headed north and moved away, the blood streaks gradually faded again.

"Could it be..." Xu Xin turned his gaze towards the dangerous area behind, "Could the special object be in this inaccessible dangerous area?"

"What's up?" Ji Chaoyang and the others walked over, displaying surprised expressions at the sight of Silver King's blood streaks, bright to the point of being glaring.

The scene of the blood streaks lighting up was witnessed by all the surviving survivors. During the defense battle, the blood streaks on those vines flickered with each heartbeat of the mutated plant.

Ji Chaoyang was the first to react, glancing around: "Is there something around here like the heart of a mutated plant that can enhance mutated creatures' abilities?"

"That's my speculation as well." Xu Xin replied.

He gazed at the dangerous area ahead, taking a deep breath, and proceeded forward slowly.

After an unknown number of steps, a familiar sense of crisis abruptly surged from the depths of his heart.

Stepping out of the protection zone!

He immediately pulled his foot back swiftly.

"Ka!"

The ground he had stepped on instantly cracked, and the long-absent red dots on the map quickly lit up again.

A thick blood-streaked vine emerged rapidly from the ground fissure, shooting straight up to ten meters into the air!

Against the backdrop of the bleak scenery around, this heavy vine, with interwoven green and blood red, appeared exceedingly striking and terrifying!

The blood streaks on the vine, surprisingly just like Silver King's, were exceptionally vivid red! Even more vivid than the blood-streaked vine last time!

Xu Xin's pupils contracted sharply.

He recalled those several powerful mutated vines from last time.

Those vines had momentarily entered the protection zone to attack them, and while inside the protection zone, the blood streaks on the vine lit up instantly, allowing the vine to remain unaffected by the protection zone!

Vines with lit blood streaks can temporarily remain inside the protection zone!

So this vine...!

"Back, dodge!"

Xu Xin shouted, yanking Li Wenxi and diving backward.

"Ying!" Keke's cry sounded simultaneously from behind.

Ji Chaoyang and Qi Xuefei, both seasoned in numerous perilous situations, instantly reacted at Xu Xin's move, instinctively diving back with him!

"Whoosh—"

The sound of wind tearing rang above them, a thick vine full of blood streaks swooped past their original chest height with a fierce gust!

"Ka!" The vine, at tremendous speed and force, smacked heavily into a poplar tree, instantly snapping it in two, emitting the sound of its trunk breaking.

Indeed, a vine with lit blood streaks can attack survivors within the protection zone!

Had Xu Xin not reacted quickly, pulling them down, the vine could have truly swung directly at them!

"What's happening?!" Qi Xuefei, who hadn't gone through those events with them, exclaimed in shock after hitting the ground, turning to look at the vine, "This thick vine can actually attack inside the protection zone!"

After sweeping into the protection zone once, the vine didn't stop attacking but continued to launch a rapid attack at the instigator who brought it out—Xu Xin!

The vine, lashing fiercely, had bright blood streaks as if stained with numerous lives' blood, just looking at it was terrifying!

But Xu Xin wasn't afraid!

He was momentarily caught off guard, fearing the vine would harm those around him, so he dodged by hitting the ground. If in a face-to-face confrontation, how could he fear a vine not yet at the mid-level mutation creature level with blood streaks?

As the vine whipped toward him, he swiftly retrieved his purple-grade steel halberd from his backpack, using the power amplification, swinging his arm with immense force, and made a diagonal chop at the incoming vine!

"Ka!"

As he expected, the side blade of the halberd sliced through the vine effortlessly, like slicing through soft tofu, severing the blood-streaked vine into two pieces.

A surge of vitality flowed from the halberd handle throughout his body, invigorating his spirit.

The severed piece continued hurling toward Xu Xin with inertia.

Unfazed, he slightly sidestepped, dodging with ease.

"Bang!"

A half-meter thick piece of the vine smashed behind Xu Xin, producing a loud sound.

At the same time, Silver King lunged forward from behind, and Li Wenxi and Ji Chaoyang pulled out their crossbows, aiming at the base of the blood streak fading and retracting half vine, and simultaneously pulled the triggers.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two overlapping explosions sounded, smoke filled the air, the half vine tilted and fell outward from the smoke, crashing heavily on the ground.

Its vivid blood streaks rapidly dimmed, twitching twice on the ground, before completely ceasing movement.