Chapter 66: Tropical Rainforest
Beside the waterfall, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on a round stone, meditating with his eyes closed. Amu was catching fish in the pool below the waterfall, while Bubu Wang was in charge of roasting them.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, meaning: "The fish is ready, time to eat."
Su Xiao stood up and stretched his limbs. The wounds on his body still ached faintly, but they no longer affected combat.
A moment later, in front of the campfire.
Crunch, crunch...
Su Xiao chewed the roasted fish in his mouth. The skin was crispy, the meat was crispy—overall, it was burnt.
Bubu Wang wore a bitter expression, puzzled as to why the fish tasted bitter. Just then, it suddenly stopped chewing.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang let out a loud bark, and Su Xiao instinctively tilted his head.
Whoosh~
A sharp needle flew past Su Xiao's ear, embedding itself directly into the campfire in front of him.
Dodging this needle, about 20 centimeters long and coated with lethal poison, Su Xiao didn't even sit up. Instead, he calmly continued eating his fish.
Several similar metal needles had already flown in, averaging one every half hour or so. Their speed wasn't too fast, but the poison on them was deadly.
This was a greeting from the Sanctuary Paradise faction. They had already locked onto Su Xiao's location. Along the way, Su Xiao had killed several members of the Sanctuary Paradise faction. Including his previous kills, he had obtained 7 Scarlet Chests.
Chewing the fish in his mouth, Su Xiao contacted Qing Yan through the war channel.
Inside the war channel:
Bai Ye (Leader of the Dawn Adventure Group): "Qing Yan, how's the battle at Lubei City?"
Qing Yan (Leader of the Huangchuan Adventure Group): "We've repelled them. Given the style of the Apocalypse Paradise contractors, they're unlikely to continue fighting, but our side has also suffered heavy casualties."
Solomon (Rogue Cultivator): "At most three hours."
...
Seeing the messages from Qing Yan and Solomon, Su Xiao knew the timing was right. Qing Yan had already pushed back the Apocalypse Paradise, and Solomon only needed three hours to set up the large-scale magic array.
"Bubu, how long will it take for the Icefield Wolf Pack to gather near the Tropical Rainforest Forest?"
"Woof."
Bubu Wang meant about two days.
"Good. Amu, head to the icefield now to avoid any unexpected incidents along the way."
Su Xiao tossed aside the half-eaten fish, stood up, and walked southward. Bubu Wang followed closely behind. That was the direction of the Tropical Rainforest Forest.
Amu, on the other hand, sprinted northward. He was going to gather the Icefield Wolf Pack.
Ever since learning that Bubu Wang commanded the Icefield Wolf Pack, Su Xiao had been harboring a plan. If that plan succeeded, securing victory in the World War would be no problem. Not only that, but he could also reap a substantial reward.
Of course, before that, he had to ensure he could defeat the Sanctuary Paradise faction; otherwise, everything else was just talk.
Su Xiao quickly traversed a grassland. Along the way, he wasn't "lonely," as poison needles frequently flew in to keep him company, not to mention Bubu Wang, who often acted foolishly.
...
Within the medium-sized country of Sispany, a massive creature was moving across the Gobi Desert. It was a giant metal spider, at least ten meters tall, with dozens of metal limbs moving swiftly.
This metal spider looked fierce and imposing, but in reality, it was only used for travel. A contractor skilled in explosives could destroy it in a short time.
Inside the metal spider's abdominal cabin, it resembled an aircraft cabin, with luxurious seats and even air conditioning and humidifiers installed.
Shen Nai, the top figure of the Sanctuary Paradise faction, sat inside the travel cabin. She wore a golden robe and fiddled with a set of divination cards. Behind her, at least a hundred contractors sat in their seats.
"Still no news of Holy Flame?"
Shen Nai's tone was lazy, exuding an air of calmness in her words and actions.
"Not yet. His coordinates are in the sea, with a strong biological reaction nearby. He was probably swallowed by a large marine creature."
An old man dressed like a butler spoke, holding a bottle of red wine as he stood beside Shen Nai.
"Thrown into the sea to feed the fish after defeat? He has many strengths, but his only flaw is being too arrogant."
Shen Nai picked up the glass in front of her and took a light sip.
"How's the contact with the Apocalypse Paradise faction?"
"Well..."
The old butler looked troubled.
"Speak freely."
"Based on the feedback from the other side, they're not planning to head to the Tropical Rainforest Forest for now."
"Oh?"
Shen Nai paused mid-motion as she set down her glass.
"Are they that scared? The Reincarnation Paradise people have already given us a surprise before the battle even started."
Shen Nai sighed, then smiled.
"I never expected them to contribute anyway. There can only be one victor; this is better."
"Quan is dead."
"Oh."
"Bai Hun... is also dead."
"..."
Shen Nai turned her head to look at the old butler, meaning: Who else has died? Spit it all out at once; don't give me one "surprise" at a time.
"Hui Ya and Zhan Mu Bu are both dead. Only Du Ci is still alive."
"How did they die?"
"Two were beheaded, one was sniped from at least 3,000 meters away. Du Ci is still alive because he always kept a five-kilometer distance from the target."
"Dead is dead. I never had high expectations for them anyway. With so many dead, how long did they delay that guy?"
"No more than... 10 minutes."
Crack!
A crack appeared on the glass in Shen Nai's hand. The travel cabin fell into dead silence. The contractors in the back seats pretended to nap.
"Leader, let me go. Give me a day, and I'll definitely bring back the World Core..."
"Shut up. Sit down. Sleep."
"Alright."
The burly man quickly sat back down. The woman beside him, covered with a blanket, barely suppressed her laughter.
"Bai Gui, really as ghostly and elusive as a specter."
Shen Nai spread out the four Tarot cards in her hand: Death, Tree, War, Snow Wolf.
"Death? Snow Wolf?"
Shen Nai frowned. The meanings of these two divination cards puzzled her.
...
17 hours later, the central region of Blue Sea Star, the Polar Region: Tropical Rainforest Forest.
The Tropical Rainforest Forest was a vast tropical rainforest, covering 8% of Blue Sea Star's total area. This rainforest was smaller than the territory of the Geya Alliance but larger than the Sun Kingdom's land area. One could imagine how massive it was.
For the various countries on Blue Sea Star, the Polar Region: Tropical Rainforest Forest was a six-star danger zone. Countless rainforest survival experts had died there.
Blue Sea Star had several danger zones, all referred to as polar regions. The citizens of the Geya Alliance were highly enthusiastic about exploring these polar regions due to their abundant resources. Various countries also supported their people in exploring these areas. Over time, the polar regions were assigned danger ratings.
Polar Region: Sulfur Mountain: Three-star polar region, human survival rate upon entry: 8.71%.
Polar Region: Linsnate Ruins: Four-star polar region, human survival rate upon entry: 6.28%.
Polar Region: Starving Wolf Icefield: Five-star polar region, human survival rate upon entry: 2.19%.
Polar Region: Turbulent Sea Area: Five-star polar region, human survival rate upon entry: 1.96%.
Polar Region: Tropical Rainforest Forest: The only six-star polar region, human survival rate upon entry: 1.105%.
...
These polar regions all represented danger, death, opportunity, and resources. Unless a major nation sent an army to push through, it was impossible to penetrate these places.
Indeed, a major nation had once done so. Their army advanced into the Tropical Rainforest Forest, but after developing less than 10% of its area, the nation couldn't hold out and had to withdraw its forces. Not long after, that nation disintegrated, and that nation was the predecessor of the Geya Alliance.
It could be said that without that nation's expedition into the Tropical Rainforest Forest, the Geya Alliance would never have become as prosperous as it is now.
For this reason, the Polar Region: Tropical Rainforest Forest was a place that every nation both loved and hated.