Zhang Chen shifted his gaze to other locations. When he looked at the distant snow-capped mountains again, the prompt he had seen earlier reappeared:
[Iceclad Mountains, a mountain range encircling the Arctic Circle, blocking strong winds and maintaining a relatively tranquil climate in the region.]
This time, the sentence ended with a period!
Zhang Chen was certain he wasn't mistaken; it had been a comma just moments before.
However, he couldn't quite explain what was happening.
The blizzard soon passed, followed by a clear sky stretching for miles. The ground was a vast expanse of white, so bright it was almost dazzling.
Zhang Chen quickly adapted to the brightness and urged Er Pang to speed up their journey.
Xiao Bai had been happy riding Er Pang at first, but as the scenery became a monotonous white, her spirits flagged.
Before long, she fell asleep leaning against Zhang Chen.
Fearing Xiao Bai might fall, Zhang Chen had to hold onto Er Pang's fur with one hand while his other arm circled Xiao Bai's waist.
He had to admit, the young girl's waist was indeed very slender; with a little effort, he could easily wrap his arm around her completely.
Beside them, Zhang Wenwen lacked such patience.
Sitting behind Xu Linna, she had been contemplating whether to send her a Level 2 Misfortune Card.
After much hesitation, she decided against rashly using the card.
The main reason was that both she and Zhang Chen were near Xu Linna. If something truly unlucky were to happen, it could easily affect everyone.
As Zhang Wenwen was pondering, Ao Xue's foot slipped, and she stumbled slightly before quickly regaining her balance.
Zhang Wenwen looked down to the side and realized they had unknowingly arrived on a frozen lake.
The ice on the lake appeared very thick due to prolonged freezing, covered with countless fine cracks.
Zhang Wenwen had lived in the north before and often played on the ice in winter, so she was accustomed to such cracks.
Although she didn't know the underlying principle, these cracks wouldn't cause the ice to suddenly break, especially at this temperature.
Er Pang and Ao Xue continued for a while longer before Ao Xue suddenly stopped.
Er Pang sprinted forward a couple of steps and also stopped abruptly, then slowly retreated to Ao Xue's side, lowering its head and growling softly.
It seemed danger was imminent!
"Mmm, delicious!"
Xiao Bai, jolted awake by Er Pang's movement, still remembered the food from her dream and reached up to wipe the drool from her mouth.
"Hmm? Have we arrived? Why is there nothing here?"
Xiao Bai asked, looking bewildered.
"We haven't reached our destination, but it seems we've run into an enemy ambush!"
Zhang Chen said, activating Absolute Vision.
Instantly, the world before him transformed.
The vast white expanse turned into a dense network of dark red energy, continuously draining the energy from the survivors.
Slight distortions appeared within these grids.
As the distortions grew larger, two figures gradually materialized into view.
This also seemed to be a form of stealth ability, far more advanced than basic invisibility.
If not for the fact that while invisibility could hide presence, it couldn't hide scent, and Ao Xue and Er Pang had detected them, their sneak attack would likely have succeeded—after all, Zhang Chen couldn't maintain Absolute Vision at all times.
*Whoosh!*
Before Zhang Chen could get a clear look at the two figures, one of them flickered and charged directly at Er Pang.
Flash Step!
Zhang Chen instantly appeared behind the enemy, grabbed their shoulders, and pulled back hard.
*Splish!*
The spots where his hands pressed were gooey. With a forceful tug, two blobs of viscous fluid were flung off.
The opponent's momentum was momentarily halted, and they then accelerated again, colliding with Xiao Bai, who had just woken up.
*Bang!*
The immense impact sent a shockwave rippling outwards, kicking up the snow from the ground and sending it swirling in the wind.
At this moment, Zhang Chen finally got a clear view of the attackers.
The one attacking Xiao Bai was a humanoid monster, its entire body covered in thick mucus. While its human shape was discernible, nothing else was clear.
It was far less cute than a slime.
The other figure, not yet engaged, was a woman with long claws and pale skin, somewhat resembling a banshee.
"Dad, these two look like they'll be fun!"
Xiao Bai, facing off against the slime creature, was completely awake and smiling broadly.
Zhang Chen examined the two figures closely, and soon, sets of prompts slowly appeared beside them:
Name: Bio-Mechanical Puppet
Level: Undetermined
Skills: Ominous
Failed products of bio-mechanical puppet experiments. These creatures were not mercifully destroyed but were reactivated and deployed as weapons in combat.
Hmm...
Looking at this description, Zhang Chen felt somewhat speechless.
Previous prompts had meticulously detailed levels, names, and skills.
Even Xiao Bai's abilities were reflected, but when it came to these bio-mechanical puppets, the word "Ominous" had appeared.
This was the first time Zhang Chen had encountered such a situation since interacting with the prompts.
"Be careful. These creatures are the result of the Progressive faction's efforts to create bio-mechanical puppets suitable for survival in the apocalypse, merging successful experiences from previous bio-humans with the genes of powerful monsters from the post-apocalyptic world."
"Their strength is likely beyond what you've seen in humans wearing AI combat suits."
"After all, these creatures don't need any weapons, because they *are* weapons themselves!"
"They're probably after Xiao Bai this time!"
Xu Linna warned from the side.
"These two, have they failed so badly that they can't even speak?"
Zhang Chen ignored the slime creature and turned his gaze towards the clawed woman.
The slime creature was covered in thick mucus; even if it could open its mouth, it would likely swallow at least two pounds of the goo, making speech impossible.
The clawed woman glanced at Zhang Chen, then turned her white, unblinking eyes to focus on Xiao Bai.
"No more wasting time. Let's see how strong these failed experiments truly are!"
Zhang Chen said calmly.
[Divine Soul Burn] Level 1!
*Boom!*
A ball of golden energy instantly enveloped Zhang Chen. The snow on the ice was drawn to the energy, swirling around him like dancing.
The clawed woman tilted her head, watching Zhang Chen. Suddenly, a mass of dark red energy ignited around her.
"Dad, I'll take care of this gooey guy!"
Xiao Bai's body surged, and with a powerful punch, she sent the slime creature flying far away, leaving a long trail of slime on the ground.
"Alright, you can hit it, but remember to wash your hands afterwards!"
Zhang Chen instructed.
"Understood, Dad!"
Xiao Bai wiped the slime from her hands on her clothes and charged forward again, engaging in combat with the slime creature.
Watching Xiao Bai's retreating figure, Zhang Chen thought to himself: After this fight, these clothes will be ruined. I'll need to give her a proper bath...