An axe...

Xu Xin breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It didn't sound like a particularly powerful weapon.

"The mutant humans I saw in the underground city bear a strong resemblance to the appearance you just described."

He had previously told Ji Chaoyang about his experiences in the underground city, and Ji Chaoyang was aware that he had seen mutant humans there.

Ji Chaoyang remained silent for quite a while, contemplating something.

Xu Xin did not speak either, as he was also pondering how to survive the impending disaster.

After dozens of seconds, Ji Chaoyang spoke.

"Xu Xin, I'm afraid we're going to have to engage in a defensive battle," Ji Chaoyang's voice became somewhat lower, "In the icy cold, with outside temperatures at least tens of degrees below zero, most survivors wouldn't have the ability to go out. If these mutant creatures attack the treehouses, the survivors will have to defend themselves inside."

"Yes, I think so too. Although we have the plant heart and don't need to worry too much, the others..."

Among the explorers, only four had plant hearts to guard the treehouses.

Xu Xin, Ji Chaoyang, Wen Guixin, and Wang Lei.

If a beast horde were to attack the treehouses, the remaining five would need to defend their treehouses themselves, let alone other survivors.

"From the visions in your prophecy, do you think there's a high likelihood of those beasts attacking the treehouses?" Xu Xin asked.

"Very high," Ji Chaoyang said resolutely, "As I mentioned, it's as if those beasts were ambushed there early on, with nothing there one second, and the next second they all popped out from behind the trees, as if being commanded by someone."

"...Those mutant humans?"

"It's very possible."

"If they can hide behind trees, the individuals shouldn't be large, right?"

"Hmm, the largest I saw was a snow wolf weighing less than a hundred kilograms. But we mustn't be careless, as I only got a glimpse for a few seconds, and there may be larger ones behind them."

Phew...

Xu Xin exhaled deeply and pressed his lips together.

A beast horde manipulated and commanded?

This reminded Xu Xin of the ant horde in the Treehouse Defense battle.

This crisis won't be easy to overcome.

However, fortunately, the expert in treehouse defense had just been won over by him.

Although they couldn't provide advanced weapons yet, the new green-grade heavy crossbows could be mass-produced.

The green-grade fine wood and beast tendons in their possession were innumerable.

Xu Xin immediately informed Ji Chaoyang about Ma Hongwei and the new crossbow arrows.

"A treehouse repeating crossbow?" Ji Chaoyang immediately thought of the same thing as Xu Xin, his voice rising, "Can this repeating crossbow be loaded with explosive arrows?"

"I haven't tried it yet, but it should be possible," Xu Xin replied.

"Try it quickly, and if it works, it would be ideal," Ji Chaoyang's steady tone revealed a hint of excitement, "The power of explosive arrows isn't greatly related to the speed and penetration of the arrows themselves. They explode upon impact. If this repeating crossbow is equipped with explosive arrows, it can have a significant effect with just a green-grade. Oh, can the control panels be mass-produced?"

"Not yet, each control panel requires blue-grade round wood," Xu Xin sighed. He also found this somewhat regrettable, "You have to grow it yourself, and I suspect not many have done so."

"Blue-grade round wood?" Ji Chaoyang immediately said, "I still have three pieces. I will trade them to you now. Prioritize installing control panels for those without plant hearts; we can do without them for now."

As he spoke, Xu Xin immediately received a trade notification.

The four of them had plant hearts and, unless there were thousands of mutant creatures attacking like the last time with the ants, no overly strong mutants posed a threat to the treehouses.

"I also have plenty. Ma Hongwei himself planted many blue-grade round wood, and I also planted one myself, so it's enough to give each explorer one."

"That's good. By the way, there's something I want to ask," Ji Chaoyang inquired, "Can you see the number of people in Section 187 on your side? Has their total population been decreasing recently?"

Has the population in Section 187 been decreasing?

It seems... that's indeed the case.

Lou Fei'Er had told him that the population in Section 187 was declining rapidly, causing everyone to panic. Their leader, Zhang Daoguang, had to inform everyone of the facts and warned them against internal conflict.

"It does seem that way. Have you discovered something?"

"The survivors in the treehouse to the east of Li Wenxi died last night. It's unknown how they died. When I went there today, there was only one dying treehouse left."

Died?

"Were they killed by our own people?" Xu Xin was a bit puzzled. The only ones capable of killing those in Section 187 would presumably belong to Section 188.

"No, I don't think so," Ji Chaoyang dismissed the notion, "If they were killed, why wasn't the treehouse dug up?"

"...Are you worried that something in the shadows is hunting the survivors?" Xu Xin shook his head, "If that's the case, why is it that our zone is unaffected, while only those from Section 187 are dying? Could it be that he ventured beyond the protected zone and was killed by underground creatures?"

"That could be possible, but..." Ji Chaoyang's voice carried a hint of doubt, "A person with just a single-level small treehouse suggests that they found the underground city entrance but didn't dare to enter. Could such a person really venture six kilometers outside the protection zone in this cold weather?"

"This..." Xu Xin touched his chin, "Frozen to death by the cold? It's possible, right? No one was providing them with fireplaces, whereas we advised them to make fireplaces and collect as much firewood as possible in advance."

A furnace required 100 pieces of green-grade stone, which many found hard to gather quickly.

"That is possible," Ji Chaoyang contemplated briefly.

Then he said, "Besides us explorers, I've also been in touch with some high-ranking individuals. Several of them told me that people in nearby zones have died mysteriously the past couple of days, yet their treehouses remain undisturbed when they arrive, only in a dying state.

Though unaware of the reason it's yet to affect our Section 188, it's best to stay cautious. I don't have contacts outside the zone, so you'll have to inquire."

"Alright, I understand."

After ending the call, Xu Xin immediately contacted Ma Hongwei.

Lou Fei'Er was still over there, and Xu Xin ordered her to assist, as she wouldn't dare to slack off and just leave.

He immediately asked Lou Fei'Er to confirm the population in Section 187.

To his surprise, Section 187 already had only 701 people left!

More than a hundred people had died!

This...

Xu Xin then looked at the district channel for Section 188.

The population was very stable, with no recent deaths, as he had just assigned Ma Hongwei to be the holder of the parasitic treehouse, which increased the count by one.

"Do you know how people over there died? Was it because they didn't manage to make fireplaces and froze to death?" Xu Xin asked.

"How could it be? The remaining 800 or so people in Section 187 were picked from a group of 10,000 elite by Zhang Daoguang. How could they not gather 100 pieces of green-grade stone?" Lou Fei'Er immediately denied it, "Section 187 may be weaker than us, but not to that extent. As for how they died... Zhang Daoguang also asked us to pay attention, but so far, there have been no results."

Indeed, the day they asked all the people in Section 188 to build fireplaces, only less than a hundred couldn't gather the materials and needed help by nightfall. The 800 or so elites from Section 187 couldn't also have had over a hundred struggle to gather materials and freeze to death, right?

But if they were killed, why would the treehouses remain intact and not be dug up?

How strange...

Is there really something peculiar, as Ji Chaoyang said, taking the lives of survivors?

But why is Section 188 unaffected?

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