Yi Mao’s curiosity waned significantly.
Afterward, the party passed through the swamp area without incident, killing a significant number of mutated crocodiles and encountering other cleanup teams along the way. However, both groups were sizable and maintained their distance without interfering with each other.
As for Jin Dong, it was inconvenient for him to look under his glasses as he only saw thermal images, so Xu Huo gave him a protective suit he had obtained from the ship, which belonged to a player of the Black Bracelet whom he had killed. The quality was much better than what Jin Dong had purchased himself.
Many players had died inside the Seventeenth Hospital instance, and naturally, there were many dropped items. However, Xu Huo didn’t have the time to pick each one up. A portion of the items in the luggage compartment had been contaminated by Yuguo’s germ-covered hands, with most of the spoiled items being the food and water he’d prepared, while the protective suits and such were still in good condition.
Jin Dong, dressed in the protective suit, looked like a normal person again. Though his face was still invisible, it was better than a yellow-red image flickering in one’s field of vision. Observing the details of the protective suit, it was clear that it was far superior to the ones Yi Mao had specifically purchased, prompting the others to take a second look.
Jin Dong was very grateful to Xu Huo, repeatedly thanking him, and he took the initiative to share information about areas with higher concentrations of aliens, where water sources were, and other experiences he had in the jungle area.
What Xu Huo wanted to know was information related to clearing the instance, but Jin Dong was unaware, as not many players participated in the cleanup missions.
After memorizing the information Jin Dong provided, Xu Huo decided to first complete the previous two tasks.
Soon they found an alien in a dense forest, wearing ragged protective clothing and covered with red-black spots, much like Jin Dong.
"Don’t kill it yet..." Xu Huo halted Yi Mao and the others, but before he could finish speaking, a large flock of mutated birds was startled into flight nearby, accompanied by the sudden burst of gunfire as more than a dozen aliens rushed over.
"Shoot now!" Yue Weiping yelled, and everyone opened fire simultaneously.
With heavy firepower suppressing them from behind and a blockade in front, the attacked aliens were immediately shot dead, leaving four down. The rest, intimidated by the guns, rolled and darted through the grass and dirt, forcibly changing direction to run to the side.
Xu Huo observed these aliens. Some of them had red-and-black spots similar to Jin Dong, but many more had developed animalistic features, with bulging eyes, cracked mouth corners, and elongated fangs, clearly more aggressive than those with just spots.
"Block that way!" The warriors catching up from behind cooperated with Yi Mao and the others to trap the fleeing aliens, mowing them down with submachine guns. In just a few minutes, all the trapped aliens were slain.
Blood was everywhere. The leader of the group wiped his feet on the grass, approached, and said to Yi Mao and his companions, "Brothers, how about joining forces? It’s safer with more people in the jungle."
Yi Mao consulted with Liang Song before responding. Liang Song shook his head: "Our cleanup zone is in a different direction."
The man gave them a look but did not insist. Ignoring the bodies on the ground, he led his group away.
"Why not agree to join them?" Wan Xiao asked, "If we had encountered that many aliens just now, we would have certainly suffered losses. Isn’t hunting aliens more convenient with more people?"
"Didn’t you notice the limited ammunition left on them?" Liang Song said, "With the way they fight, they’ll burn through ammo fast. There are so many of them, and they don’t have much spare ammo. Moreover, each person can only kill a limited number of aliens. Joining would mean providing supplies for the other group. Once there’s a shortage of ammo or food, it will surely be bad for the others accompanying them."
"In their eyes, we’re just like supply packs."
"Listen to Brother Liang," Yue Weiping also spoke up, "Sometimes more people doesn’t mean more safety. We can’t handle more than ten aliens, and with more than ten people, the situation wouldn’t be much better."
Wan Xiao had no choice but to concede.
"Let’s take a different route," Xu Huo said.
Liang Song’s remark about the cleanup zone being in another direction was just an excuse. The truth was, the direction the other group took was also where they needed to go. However, they couldn’t follow right behind them now; they’d have to take a detour.
"I know a more dangerous path," Jin Dong typed, "I was chased there by the mutated species. It’s a bit far from here, but the likelihood of encountering aliens is lower."
After some discussion, they decided to take the route suggested by Jin Dong.
"You’re not going to pull any tricks, are you?" Yue Weiping was still not entirely at ease and warned in advance, "If you’re thinking of dragging others down as a scapegoat and leading us into a trap, I’ll kill you first."
"Come or don’t—it’s your choice." Jin Dong owed his life to Xu Huo and not to him.
Xu Huo had nothing to say and naturally chose the path Jin Dong pointed out.
Seeing that he seemed to have no doubts about the man, even Yi Mao started to wonder, "Isn’t he afraid of being duped?"
"Duped by what?" Liang Song said, "At most, Jin Dong could lead him to an area with more Aliens, which would be perfect, wouldn’t it? The mission has to be completed anyway."
"That’s true," Wan Xiao said, "With his strength, dealing with a few Aliens shouldn’t be a problem."
After finishing their discussion, they didn’t delay any longer and hurriedly followed.
They hadn’t gone far when a tail started to follow them.
After discovering this, Liang Song discreetly informed the others.
"Kill it," Yue Weiping made a cutting motion across his throat.
Liang Song nodded, and after they passed through a dense forest, the two of them scattered to opposite sides.
Walking in front, Yi Mao said with a complex expression, "Could it be that some of the warriors didn’t actually die at the hands of the Aliens?"
The leading Jin Dong turned around, "It’s not time yet."
"What do you mean?" Yi Mao was stunned.
"There are no small animals around here to hunt for food," Xu Huo interjected, "The mutated animals are obviously all highly toxic. There are some fruits and mushrooms growing, but it’s uncertain if they are poisonous or not."
Anyone with their wits about them wouldn’t eat them.
"Once there’s no food, people can become food," Jin Dong typed out the sentence calmly.
"You mean..." Yi Mao couldn’t help gagging before continuing, "Impossible, unless someone ate poisoned food and lost their senses, otherwise how could they..."
Wan Xiao, from a medical standpoint, understood quite easily how people, when starved, are no different from wild beasts—ethics, morality, and human decency can all be thrown away. A living being’s instinct drives them to find ways to survive.
"Do the other warriors know that the water and food here are contaminated with bacteria?" he asked.
"Most people definitely don’t know, but for safety’s sake, they probably won’t eat anything from the clean-up zone unless absolutely necessary," Xu Huo said.
"At least we brought enough supplies," Wan Xiao patted Yi Mao’s shoulder.
At that moment, Liang Song and his companion returned, now carrying two more guns, some food, and a kettle.
"From now on, we must collect these things as much as possible," Liang Song said. "I must leave at least half the reserve food and water in my luggage compartment."
"We also have his supplies, right? There’s no need to be so conservative," Yue Weiping pointed at Xu Huo.