The Xia Wang people looked up at the blue area in the sky and saw several patterns displayed above it. These patterns depicted stones and trees that could be found nearby.
Shu Bao gained a deeper understanding of the system’s thoughtfulness. This was the scan mentioned by the system in the morning. When players explore the surroundings to a certain extent, the system records and analyzes the terrain, resources, and environment to create a resource list for building the mission hall.
Although Shu Bao did not personally explore the area after landing, since he accepted the Xia Wang tribe’s invitation, their territory became his base. The daily activity range of the Xia Wang people was considered the exploration range. After a night’s analysis, the infrastructure system was activated.
“Deity, is there a size requirement for the trees and stones?” a tribe member asked with bright eyes, clearly excited by witnessing the miracle.
“No requirements. Whether it’s small pebbles or branches, they all work.” Shu Bao stood there obediently with his paws folded. Seeing the eager crowd, he quickly added, “This is not urgent. Everyone doesn’t need to focus solely on this.”
In this era, food mainly came from hunting and gathering. If everyone went to collect materials, they would starve within three days.
“Don’t worry, Deity, I will handle everything.” The high priest, knowing Shu Bao’s concerns, took the initiative to assign tasks to everyone. Only then did Shu Bao feel relieved. The people quickly dispersed; some went hunting and others collected materials. Soon, except for the children, there was no one idle in the tribe.
Shu Bao continued to inquire with the high priest about the treasure discovered to the north last night. The mouse planned to explore it personally and hopefully bring back some useful resources.
After hearing Shu Bao’s account, the high priest’s expression became much more serious. “Deity, that place is very dangerous. You should avoid it.”
Hearing this, Shu Bao’s little ears perked up in alertness, “Are there cats, snakes, or owls there?”
The high priest was speechless for a moment, then said with a touch of emotion, “It used to be a small valley rich in wild fruits. However, at some point, monsters began to appear there. Anyone who entered, whether human or animal, either died or went mad. It has since become a forbidden area for all tribes.”
Shu Bao scratched his chin with his little paw and thought for a moment before finally deciding to go and explore. It was the nearest treasure he could detect. He couldn’t miss it.
“If you must go, please allow me to accompany you,” the high priest said, seeing that he couldn’t persuade the deity. After all, this was the deity of their tribe. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
Shu Bao patted his furry little chest, “Don’t worry. You can wait for me at home. I’m very strong; I once chased away a group of stray cats!”
The high priest recalled the scene of the deity being hit by fruit yesterday and felt that the deity’s words were not very convincing. However, he didn’t want to go against the deity’s wishes. While he was unsure of what to do, the furry ball moved quickly and disappeared into the grass in the blink of an eye.
After losing track of the mouse, the high priest could only try to take care of the house. Anxious and restless, he joined the others in transporting stones and branches.
At this time, in the live broadcast room, the audience was complaining about the mouse’s reckless behavior. They felt that without any backing, it was unwise to venture out like a strong player in the early stages. The audience also didn’t understand why Shu Bao suddenly wanted to go so far away. Soon, the topic in the live broadcast room became a bet on how many minutes it would take for Shu Bao to get himself killed.
In the tribe, as everyone slowly transported the materials back, a progress bar appeared above the blueprint. However, the progress bar grew slowly, indicating that the resources needed for the task hall were enormous. At this rate, it would take at least a month or two to complete.
Leaving the Xia Wang tribe, Shu Bao headed north. Along the way, the mouse didn’t forget to check the situation. After running for more than ten minutes, he left the territory of the Xia Wang tribe and encountered a strange tribe hunting a wild buffalo.
Shu Bao didn’t stay long and didn’t attract the attention of those people. He continued to move forward. With his natural speed advantage, the treasure-seeking mouse moved like the wind across the land. Using the cover of grass and trees, he ran for another ten minutes and finally reached the forbidden area.
As the high priest said, it was a small valley with many fruit trees growing in it. Shu Bao stood at the edge of the valley and looked down. The fluctuation of the treasure was more obvious. The thing he detected last night was inside.
At the edge of the valley, Shu Bao took small steps back and forth for a moment before finally taking a deep breath, puffing out his furry little chest, and stepping into the valley.
Quickly descending the gentle slope, Shu Bao reached the bottom of the valley. The vegetation at the bottom was even more lush, and the mouse carefully weaved through it. The surroundings were very quiet, and this kind of silence was even more unsettling.
Shu Bao’s little ears kept twitching, catching the sounds around him. But after walking a long distance, he didn’t encounter any danger, which left Shu Bao, who had been worried about encountering cats or snakes, very puzzled.
Suddenly, the mouse stopped abruptly because he had just heard an out-of-sync breathing sound! And that sound came from behind him!
Shu Bao instinctively reached for his anti-cat spray, only to remember that he couldn’t use his storage space, and the sense of pressure from behind him grew stronger. Finally, the mouse accelerated instantly, did a somersault in mid-air, and turned 180 degrees. At that moment, the well-traveled treasure-seeking mouse was stunned by what he saw.
“Meow!” A menacing cat’s meow came from behind him. The cat was staring intently at the mouse in front of it, but below the cat’s neck was the body of a snake.
Perhaps too shocked, Shu Bao even forgot to be afraid for a moment. The mouse examined the strange creature in front of him, wondering if it was a unique species of this planet, a cat-headed snake?
After being discovered, the cat-headed snake also assumed an attack posture. It lowered its head slightly and then lunged forward to bite, but perhaps because the cat’s head was heavier than the snake’s, its speed was not fast in Shu Bao’s eyes. The mouse easily dodged it.
After the first attack failed, the cat-headed snake immediately launched another wave of attacks. Shu Bao evaded each one with his speed. After a few attempts, Shu Bao realized that this cat-headed snake was neither impressive nor useful. It lacked the swiftness of a snake and the sharp claws of a cat. The combination of these two fearsome creatures actually resulted in a significant reduction in attack power.
In the end, the mouse used his speed to shake off the cat-headed snake. After getting far away, Shu Bao was still pondering how the cat-headed snake managed to grow so big without starving to death given its poor hunting skills.
Grateful that the cat-headed snake had evolved the least useful parts, Shu Bao continued towards his goal. But soon, the mouse heard another sound, this time from ahead. It was the light sound of cat paws landing, but Shu Bao’s little ears still caught it.
The mouse immediately assumed a fighting stance, ready for battle. Soon, four familiar cat legs appeared in front of Shu Bao, their sharp claws indicating their terrifying attack power. But when he looked up, Shu Bao saw a snake’s head above the cat’s neck!
Shu Bao: ???
Shu Bao suspected that his earlier complaints had brought retribution because the strange creature in front of him combined the most threatening parts of the two species. Before he could think further, the snake-headed cat had already pounced swiftly.
While dodging the cat’s swift attacks, Shu Bao also had to guard against the snake’s agility. Fortunately, as an experienced treasure-seeking mouse, he didn’t panic even in such a terrifying situation. He quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for terrain advantageous to a mouse, and used the dense vegetation for cover.
Thus, a thrilling chase ensued in the valley, with the violently shaking bushes marking the path of the battle. Shu Bao tried attacking with stones a few times but to no avail. When the chase reached an area with relatively sparse vegetation, Shu Bao suddenly slowed down, then jumped, and dropped sharply just as the snake head was about to bite down.
When the furry ball touched the ground, it suddenly burrowed, and its figure disappeared, leaving a hole in the ground.
Without thinking, the snake-headed cat plunged in, only to be met by the sharp wooden spikes Shu Bao had prepared. Due to its speed, the snake head was pierced on the spot. After a brief struggle accompanied by hissing screams, the snake-headed cat died instantly.
Shu Bao patted his paws and easily jumped out of the ground. Clearly, besides speed, the treasure-seeking mouse was also adept at burrowing.
This series of actions was smooth and seamless. It seemed like a narrow escape, yet it also appeared as if everything was planned. This could be seen from the steady breathing of the furry little ball.
The audience in the live broadcast room was also stunned by this brief battle.
“???”
“Is this really a mouse? How is it so impressive?”
“I can’t help but want to type ‘666’!”
“This mouse is so smart!”
“The creatures on this planet are so bizarre!”
“???”
…
The popularity of Shu Bao’s live broadcast room had always been high, especially since many people thought this mouse was finally going to get himself killed. The live broadcast room’s popularity instantly surged, and now, the screen was filled with question marks.
