Hong Ying, noticing a hint of wavering on Xu An's face, seized the opportunity to speak.
"We have no ill intentions, nor do we plan to lay claim to your camp. Could you allow us to sleep on the outskirts? If any large, formidable monsters were to appear here, our two teams joining forces would undoubtedly alleviate the pressure on you far more than if you were to face them alone."
After speaking, Hong Ying looked directly at Xu An, confident that he would agree.
"You will withdraw five hundred meters from us. Without our permission or in the event of an emergency, you are not allowed to approach us. As for food, you will have to fend for yourselves. Our food is barely enough for the five of us. However, we can provide you with some firewood. This is the greatest concession we can offer."
"If you can accept these terms, you may stay. If not, I urge you to leave as soon as possible. Do not think that simply being an ability user gives you the right to act with impunity."
As Xu An finished speaking, Liu Chang's expression shifted repeatedly, but Hong Ying restrained him.
"Be patient. We are currently dependent on others, and these people are not to be trifled with. It's best not to make enemies," Hong Ying whispered a warning in Liu Chang's ear, cautioning him against impulsive actions.
"Agreed, we accept."
The moment Hong Ying spoke, the stifling atmosphere in the surrounding air seemed to vanish instantly.
The killing intent that had been lurking in the shadows appeared to have truly dissipated.
"The firewood is over there. Send someone to fetch it yourselves. You will only receive half, and the rest, with so many people, you'll have to find a way to manage."
Xu An pointed out the location of the firewood and then told Hong Ying where the edible snake meat they had initially encountered could be found. It was a gesture of goodwill. After all, no one understood better than Xu An what desperate people were capable of. Rather than having them constantly eyeing his territory, it was better to ensure they had enough to eat.
Just as the two parties were at a stalemate, Hong Ying's suggestion dissolved the immediate conflict between them. However, this did not signify the eradication of the underlying tensions.
Zhou Haimei, watching them carry away the firewood, turned to Xu An.
"Do you believe what they said?"
"No."
"Then why did you let them stay here?"
"While their words are indeed unreliable, the actions of those rats are not. You saw that man's ability. Compared to you, he's far inferior. I don't believe that man alone could cause tens of thousands of rats to flee."
Xu An's words seemed to suddenly enlighten Zhou Haimei.
"Are you suggesting that the woman's analysis might be correct, that some unknown large-scale monster is heading this way?"
"It's not an impossibility. Don't you find it a bit too quiet here?"
...
Xu An's words served as a reminder.
For the next few days, despite minor conflicts arising between the two groups, they managed to coexist peacefully. It was as if a strange balance was being maintained, with neither interfering with the other.
However, such days were bound to be short-lived, as if some force was destined to shatter the peculiar tranquility between these two factions.
It was in the early hours of this particular day that Hong Ying, feeling uneasy since the afternoon, sensed that something was about to happen. Hong Ying's intuition had always been remarkably strong.
As she was about to go to the tent to find Liu Chang, she discovered that Liu Chang, due to the overuse of his abilities, was on the verge of his vital fire burning his heart and lungs. Before he could even reach the tent, he collapsed, unconscious.
Witnessing their leader, Liu Chang, fall unconscious, the people around him instantly lost their morale and scattered like startled birds. Only a small handful, guided by their conscience, managed to carry Liu Chang into the tent.
Hong Ying saw Liu Chang's body burning hot, his entire face flushed with fever.
"What did you do? How did he end up like this?" Hong Ying urgently inquired, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of pressure.
"Sister Hong, when we went to catch snakes, we encountered other beasts. Captain Liu said he wanted to lead the brothers to improve our meals and headed towards a rocky tidal flat. The brothers tried to dissuade him, but Captain Liu insisted there was no problem and told us to follow. The brothers trusted Captain Liu's abilities and followed him."
However, Liu Chang was precisely suffering the consequences of his own arrogance. As they were searching the rocky tidal flats, a strange sound echoed. It was a sound like a woman's mournful cry, and then like an infant's wail. The sound was incredibly realistic. Even though Liu Chang was acutely aware that children's cries would not appear in such a place, the sound soon shifted into the lament of a weeping woman. Immediately, someone in the team exclaimed, "Did you hear a woman crying? Did someone wander in here and get trapped? Should we go and check?"
Some in the team agreed, while others refused, believing that in such a dangerous place, there was no need to invite further trouble and that they should focus on securing their points. It had to be said that the snake's nest location provided by Xu An was indeed an excellent spot for accumulating points. However, many discovered that once they reached five points at this location, no matter how many more snakes they killed, their score would not increase.
But even five points, while not much to Xu An, were significant for Liu Chang's team. Even with Liu Chang and Hong Ying possessing abilities, they only had a mere thirteen points. This score, however, far surpassed that of others by leagues. Many who followed Liu Chang had not even managed to score a single point. These individuals were not as fortunate as the Li Cheng siblings. Xu An would proactively divide the points equally among the other four people. Calculated this way, everyone in their team had roughly the same number of points.
However, these people were already fortunate to have survived and returned alive. It was unreasonable to expect Liu Chang to distribute points to everyone. Therefore, once they learned that these snakes could be used to gain points, these individuals spent their days in the snake's nest.
It was unclear if it was due to the sheer number of snakes being killed, but the evaluation mechanism seemed to have escalated in difficulty. This would explain why the organizers had deliberately deducted Xu An's points for killing the giant shark. At that time, Xu An had been an almost monstrous presence. Xu An alone had nearly shattered the balance of this game.
...
At this moment, the viewers with an omniscient perspective watched the live broadcast, covering their eyes in helplessness, seemingly unable to bear watching further.