[Welcome to Bat Island…]Yun Luohe’s gaze quickly fell on Lin Zhu, and the man standing beside him had to be Zhao Xuan.Zhao Xuan looked remarkably sturdy, his eyes sharp as blades, skin tanned to a wheat color, exuding a powerful presence.On his back, he carried a full set of bow and arrows, completely black, unlike Yun Luohe’s own. That bow set looked quite decent, though likely inferior to hers in quality.For a new player to acquire such good {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} equipment, Lin Zhu must have helped him.Zhao Xuan’s eyes lingered for a few seconds on the bow slung across Yun Luohe’s back.Since Zhao Xuan could also use a bow, Yun Luohe felt even more confident. That meant they would not lack long-range attacks. Yun Luohe herself excelled more in close combat—her reactions were fast, her evasion strong, her burst damage high. She could take down prey with a single strike. Coordinating with Zhao Xuan’s bow would make things much smoother.If she had to juggle both ranged and melee alone, it would still be troublesome.It seemed Lin Zhu only used long blades for close combat as well.Lin Zhu spoke, “Everyone’s here. Let’s get moving.”They had already discussed the division of tasks the night before.But with limited knowledge of Bat Island, there would inevitably be adjustments on the fly.“Hold on. Let’s collect some black sand first.”Yun Luohe pulled out a container and a shovel, filling an entire box with black sand and storing it in her backpack.[Black Sand: A resource rich in various minerals, can be smelted into refined ore and extracted for metals.]Although she was not entirely sure what it would be used for, it was definitely valuable.Better to take a box in advance.Seeing Yun Luohe collect a box of black sand, Lin Zhu and Zhao Xuan, having nothing better to do, also started digging some up.From Yun Luohe’s observation, Zhao Xuan did not seem simple. She could not tell what skills he had that convinced Lin Zhu to bring him along—and even plan to stay overnight. If they were truly friends, Lin Zhu would not want to endanger him, which meant he had strong faith in Zhao Xuan.The landing point was at the head of the bat-shaped island. In the center was a sunken abyss resembling the bat’s head—a massive crevice stretching hundreds of meters forward. Tall mountains flanked both sides, faintly covered with trees, but the area around the crevice was nothing but barren plains.From a distance, it looked like there was nothing at all—only a few large, black birds circling ominously in the sky, eyeing them with hostility as intruders.Just as they were about to move forward, they noticed three paths ahead.Which raised the immediate question—Which path should they take?Splitting up was absolutely out of the question. Staying together was the only way to ensure safety. If they separated and encountered danger, there would be no time for rescue.Yun Luohe tilted her head, listening to the distinct sounds and atmospheric differences from the three directions.Then, she looked at Lin Zhu. Which way do you want to go?Sometimes, letting someone with good luck make the choice was far better than all her careful analysis. Luck was, undeniably, part of survival here. Some people randomly picked a route, and it just happened to be the best option. Her detailed analysis? Not always reliable.Lin Zhu thought for a moment, “Let’s go right.”No particular reason.A random choice.Yun Luohe nodded. Her instincts also leaned toward the right.Though her luck was abysmal, her intuition was sharp. Since both of them aligned on the same direction, it felt safer.Zhao Xuan said, “Let’s go.”He took the lead.With him clearing the way, Yun Luohe had no need to force herself to the front. Everything indicated that Zhao Xuan was far from weak. She probably did not need to worry too much.She still remembered their last expedition—Lin Zhu had forcefully led the team. This time, he stayed at the rear.As the only woman, Yun Luohe was positioned in the middle between the two men. They seemed to be watching out for her, even though Yun Luohe personally felt she did not need such protection.But if they wanted to act gentlemanly, she was not going to deny them the chance.The right-side mountain range was quite a distance away. The entire path was covered in black fragments of stone. Yun Luohe picked one up to inspect—completely useless rocks.The island was cold and damp. Despite the clear skies today, there was no warmth in the air.Chilly winds blew from all directions, making the skin crawl.After walking for over ten minutes, they had not seen a single tree, only sparse shrubs with no gathering value.Lin Zhu and Zhao Xuan started to question whether this route had been the right choice.Time passed slowly.Eventually, they reached the base of the mountain.The mountain was not tall—roughly estimated at three to four hundred meters. A few large trees stood on the slopes, but besides that, no signs of life.This island was barren—disappointingly so.Suddenly, a few bats flew out, and all three instantly became alert—yet also excited.These bats matched what they had seen in previous intel. Small, but swift. Striking them with a dagger was impossible.Yun Luohe raised her bow, aiming at one of them.She had improved significantly.Three arrows fired—clean hit.A resource dropped.[Bat Wings ×1]Perfect—those could be used for crafting.She quickly drew her bow again, intending to finish off the remaining two.But before she could loose another arrow, both bats were struck down simultaneously by a single shot.It was Zhao Xuan.One arrow, two bats. His archery was clearly superior to hers.Yun Luohe commented, “There’s probably a bat cave nearby. Let’s look for it.”Lin Zhu nodded, “Good idea.”He glanced at Zhao Xuan, “You search.”Lin Zhu explained to Yun Luohe, “His Trait is Animal Hunter. Makes it easier to track animals.”Yun Luohe nodded.Lin Zhu asked, “By the way, what’s your Trait? Mind sharing?”She thought about it. There was nothing particularly sensitive to hide. “Perception.”Lin Zhu pondered, “Perception… sounds pretty good.”Through their research, they had discovered that the simpler the Trait’s name, the stronger its potential. Those overly elaborate-sounding Traits often looked impressive but turned out to be useless in practice.“You know, based on our research, Traits before and after activation are night and day. Has yours been triggered yet?”Yun Luohe replied, “Probably not.”If it had triggered, she would have received system prompts like Mu Zitang did—rewards, notifications.She had not seen anything like that yet.“What about yours? Triggered?” she asked.Lin Zhu answered, “Yeah, last time on Spider Island, it activated.”Yun Luohe pressed, “What triggered it?”As they talked, they continued walking forward, with Zhao Xuan scouting ahead.“When I encountered danger… almost died. That triggered it.”Lin Zhu spoke casually, but the situation at the time must have been extremely dangerous.Yun Luohe had brushed past danger a few times herself or relied on sheer combat strength to get through. So far, she had not experienced a true life-or-death moment.Her Trait, after all, was designed to help her avoid danger, to preemptively sense threats. For it to trigger, it would likely require a situation where there was no escape.“What is your Trait, exactly?” Yun Luohe asked, curious.“Lucky Emperor’s Contract,” Lin Zhu replied.The name alone made it obvious—it was no ordinary Trait.His Luck stat definitely exceeded 90, and with that Trait, it was safe to assume he could succeed at almost anything.“Found it.”Zhao Xuan’s voice cut through Yun Luohe’s thoughts.She and Lin Zhu both turned to look. They saw Zhao Xuan pull out a sickle, slicing through a dense wall of vines and yanking them down.Hidden beneath the vines was a completely concealed natural cave.The vines were so tightly woven, not a single breeze passed through. No one would have noticed such a massive cave hidden underneath.Standing at the entrance, the interior was pitch-black, eerie and unsettling, making it hard to approach.Even when light shone into the opening, it was useless. Looking inside from the outside, they could see nothing.“This is the bat cave,” Zhao Xuan said seriously. “I can sense a lot of creatures inside.”Lin Zhu responded without hesitation, “Of course we’re going in.”There was no way they would pass up a cave—odds were, it was a treasure trove.Lin Zhu used his long blade to cut down the remaining vines. From within the cave came the rustling of movement. He pulled a resin torch from his backpack.“These torches are hard to extinguish. I’ll give each of you five—keep extras ready.”“Who’s leading?” Zhao Xuan asked.As a ranged archer, he was not suited to lead the way. Otherwise, he would have gone first himself. Only Lin Zhu or Yun Luohe could open the path.“I’ll go,” Lin Zhu volunteered.“Then I’ll take the rear,” Yun Luohe added. “Zhao Xuan, you stay in the middle.”Just as the three of them prepared to enter, dozens of black bats burst out from the cave mouth.These bats looked different from the ones they encountered along the way. These were noticeably larger—about the size of a soccer ball—covered in charcoal-gray, scaly fur, with bulbous growths on their foreheads and grotesque, terrifying faces that made one’s skin crawl.Yun Luohe reacted swiftly, raising her torch and aiming it at the bats.Bats feared fire. The flames scorched them, and they shrieked in agony—their cries sharp and piercing, making Yun Luohe’s ears ring instantly.“These bats… they have sonic attacks,” Yun Luohe warned grimly.The other two felt it too. If not for their higher-than-average endurance, they would have been clutching their heads, collapsing to the ground.Fortunately, the three of them quickly burned the bats to death, ending the sonic assault.“What now? We can’t just charge in blindly,” Lin Zhu remarked.They examined the scorched bat corpses. Despite being burned, they could still make out the structure of the creatures’ bodies.“I bet this thing is how they’re using sonic attacks,” Zhao Xuan pointed to the growths on the bats’ heads.“Let’s buy some earplugs. I think I saw them at the trading center before.”Yun Luohe suggested.“Yeah, we should plug our ears and try. Otherwise, there’s no other option,” Lin Zhu agreed.The three of them opened the trading center and purchased earplugs.Each bought over a dozen pairs. The things were cheap, made from sponge, with decent soundproofing—but they were disposable. Once removed, they needed to be replaced with new ones.For the price, that drawback was negligible.With earplugs in, the trio entered the cave.Inside was pitch black. Even with torches, it was still dark. Countless pairs of unseen eyes stared at them. The cave reeked of an unbearable stench—bat droppings littered the floor.Unexpectedly, the droppings were also collectible resources.Bat excrement covered the walls, having accumulated over the years, corroding the rock and forming a new type of material.Despite her distaste, Yun Luohe could not resist. She always wanted to bring things back, no matter how gross.The other two were surprised. They did not expect Yun Luohe—a woman—to be so unfazed by dirt and stench.

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