Chapter 231: The Gu King |
Only when the blue little boat anchor vanished did Qin Ziwen’s taut nerves relax a little.
That was close, he almost got solo-killed through the network line.
They had just finished the second map, and the other side immediately came looking for trouble.
Thinking of the rewind ability he had just activated, Qin Ziwen roughly guessed the method they used to find him.
The other side’s Anchor Link had been terminated, so their permission level probably didn’t exceed level four.
When the blue little boat anchor disappeared, the Home little glowing ball continued to float up text.
[This stage type: Competition]
[Time Limit: 45 days]
[Competition objective: Both residential complexes complete Hunting Ladder tasks. After the deadline, points will be compared; the winner may proceed to the next map. The loser will remain on this map.]
Qin Ziwen read it over and over, his heart sinking.
This task leaves almost no room for maneuver.
If you fail, you will be stranded on this island forever.
Unless one side willingly chooses to stay and survive here.
[This stage is a competition stage, no residential complex merging]
[Residential complex population comparison: 2019 people VS 3511 people]
[Based on point comparisons from the previous map, the geographic positions of both residential complexes have been adjusted]
[Congratulations to the honored level-four permission Home Master. Based on your permission, you have received additional information for this map]
Immediately after, the little glowing ball projected three images.
The first was an aerial view of the sky. From directly overhead, countless islands could be seen below.
From afar they looked like pieces on a chessboard set on the sea.
The second image showed a forty-eight-story office building located in a forest, and north of the office building there was a patch of low-lying urban village.
Many of the office building’s outer walls had shattered glass and broken windows. The first-floor lobby entrance bore four large characters: Red Cauldron Tower.
In the chaotic urban village, utility poles stood up, those wires and billboards had basically been stripped bare, and the walls were plastered with tacky small advertisements everywhere.
The third image was a deep underwater beach, surrounded by a dense forest of pink coral, and there were many raised mounds of earth; from the front of those mounds black holes could be seen.
At the intersections of those holes, some wood was built into makeshift shelters, forming an underwater ecological scene.
In the distance of the image, some blurry dark shapes poked half their heads out of the holes, their eyes glowing green, especially creepy in the deep sea.
After the three images lingered for a moment, they dissipated.
Qin Ziwen went up to Building 8’s rooftop, looked around at the islands, and finally locked onto an island located to the east of the residential complex.
Counting the surrounding islands, that island had the largest area. It even had small hills, covered in dense forest. Judging from the surroundings in the second image, that island was the only one that matched.
On the rooftop, many people greeted Qin Ziwen.
Their faces wore amused smiles.
After replying to everyone, Qin Ziwen thought about the scene in the second image, which very likely showed their competitors this time.
An office building plus an urban village.
The latter was fine, but the former was a pressure cooker.
Especially since the office building turned out to be the famous Red Cauldron Tower of Jiang City.
As a Jiang City native, Qin Ziwen had heard of this well-known local building.
Rumor had it the tower contained all kinds of entertainment and services: dining, retail, fitness, cinema, escape rooms and tabletop games, guesthouses, internet cafes, SPA, small business studios, and single-person shops.
He once had a friend who opened a small studio in the Red Cauldron Tower.
The day he went at three in the afternoon, the line for the elevator extended from inside all the way to the outside plaza.
The crowd volume was terrifying.
An urban village also implies high residential density, and the two building clusters together now only had a little over three thousand people left.
Are they raising Gu?
He suspected that what was being cultivated in those two buildings were a bunch of Gu Kings.
Zou Jianghe sat at the main seat, flanked on both sides by a number of Alliance high-ranking members.
But compared to the Alliance leadership gathering during the second transmigration, this time felt somewhat sparse.
There seemed to be a few fewer people than last time.
“I know what you’re thinking. Lately many of you have lost some confidence in our Alliance, thinking Qin Alliance is better than us. They can hunt Tarbosaurus, they can hunt Giant Rock Dragon, and our Alliance is inferior to them!”
Those below fell silent.
Jianghe rubbed his brow, then continued, “Yes, they currently lead us in some areas, but we have our own advantages. Their lead is built on cards, but we have cards too. With effort, we can catch up.
If we ourselves lose faith in the Alliance, then why bother trying? Just give up, everyone join Qin Alliance.”
Zou Jianghe clapped his hands and leaned back in his chair.
Hearing his words, no one present left.
Zou Jianghe seemed quite pleased, as if he had expected this.
He clapped his hands again, “We are not without our own trump cards. Yes, their Qin Alliance is powerful, but I have my own ace up my sleeve.”
As he finished speaking, the bedroom door opened.
A group of long-haired people led a bunch of Mononykus into the living room being used as the meeting room.
The once-quiet bedroom instantly transformed into a chattering breeding ground.
Some Mononykus jumped onto the sofa, some lowered their heads and sniffed around, and others pressed into corners to defecate.
He Biao forced a smile onto his face, “Guild Leader, is this your ace?”
“That’s right, Mononykus. They are agile in movement, ferociously perceptive, even stronger than hunting dogs. More importantly, they don’t eat much, easy to raise,” Jianghe said.
“Of course, I know you may lack confidence in Mononykus, thinking they’re weak, not strong enough in combat, but what if—”
At that moment one window suddenly darkened, a fast black shadow streaked past outside.
Many people tensed and quickly looked toward the window.
Then heavy footsteps sounded from inside the house.
A Desert Raptor swaggered into the meeting room, swinging its tail.
One nearby high-ranking member turned his head and saw a huge mouth looming at his face, nearly knocking him to the ground in fright.
“Hahaha.” Seeing this, Zou Jianghe couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s trained, it won’t bite now.”
Sitting below, Zhang Bo’s eyes flashed with a hint of smug disdain.
Desert Raptor?
Things Qin Alliance casually slaughtered. They’d killed more than a dozen of those.
Only Zou Jianghe treated it as a treasure.
He just hadn’t eaten well before.
The tamed Desert Raptor walked to Zou Jianghe’s side, lowered its head and closed its eyes, letting Zou Jianghe stroke its head.
“Qin Alliance can get stronger through cards, and so can we cross the river by feeling the stones.”
“Besides, our Alliance currently has the most people. Our numbers are our advantage. I know at this stage we have some shortcomings, but because we know where we are lacking, we can improve. This Alliance is not just mine, it belongs to everyone. I hope we can all work together and redouble our efforts.”