IMC Chapter 26

The digitization of information itself does not have a substantial impact on the construction of the base, but the number of named things will affect the personal popularity of the contestants, as well as the naming habits of the future planet. This is also an important criterion for measuring a contestant’s strength.

This not only represents the situation of a base expanding its exploration externally but also reflects the contestants’ level of understanding of this world. Therefore, the information digitization leaderboard can be considered a competitive place for contestants. However, at this moment, there is only one name on the leaderboard, and that is Shu Bao. Clearly, the Mission halls of other contestants have not been established yet.

Of course, behind Shu Bao’s name is also the name of Lan Qing because they are a team, so the default team leader is listed first.

After unlocking the new gameplay of the deconstruction gun, Shu Bao wandered around the tribe scanning new species, and Lan Qing followed closely, using the deconstruction gun to scan the surrounding animals and plants.

The tribe members were busy setting up tents, only occasionally paying attention to their feet when the deity passed by, so as not to step on them or their friend.

In one day, Shu Bao and Lan Qing scanned all the plants around the tribe and gave them names. During this afternoon, unique names were born, such as “World’s First Flower”, “World’s First Tree”, and “World’s First Bird”.

Lan Qing no longer had any hope for naming when it came to his furry teammate. He was relieved that other contestants couldn’t see who named these plants. Otherwise, they might come looking for him with swords later. Fortunately, Lan Qing and the high priest also contributed some normal names, balancing out Shu Bao’s increasingly strange naming choices.

On this day, although the Xia Wang tribe experienced the crisis of the dragon deity’s attack, the night was still lively. Everyone in the tribe now lived in comfortable tents. Only when you were inside could you truly feel the huge difference.

The people of the Sishe tribe were also happy. The newly rebuilt tents showed no signs of their origin, making them feel less uncomfortable than living in snake-skin tents. At the same time, they finally understood why the Xia Wang tribe considered a mouse as their tribal deity. This is because that mouse could indeed perform miracles.

Looking at the neatly arranged tent area, Shu Bao and Lan Qing were very pleased, especially with the three tents that had enchantments for temperature control. These tents maintained a comfortable temperature year-round, making them essential for home and travel.

The appearance of these enchanted tents also confirmed Shu Bao’s belief that future constructions might have a chance of being enchanted, likely due to the black stone integrated into the construction of the Mission Hall.

As the lively dinner ended, the sky gradually darkened. Most people returned to their tents to sleep. One can imagine that those who slept in the new tents today would take a while to calm down from their excitement before entering their dreams.

Shu Bao and Lan Qing were no different. After moving to their new dormitory, they tumbled around for a while before each curling up in a corner to sleep.

They had expected to dream peacefully until dawn. However, at midnight, Shu Bao heard a piercing cat cry in a daze.

Instantly, Shu Bao puffed up into a ball and stood up, his little ears perked up, carefully listening for any movement around him.

The bedroom was so bare that it didn’t even have a bed. It was clear that there was no cat inside. Shu Bao listened intently, but the outside was also quiet. For a moment, he wondered if he was having a nightmare. Just as he was about to curl up and go back to sleep, he heard the cat cry again!

Shu Bao immediately leaped up and rushed to the window. He confirmed it—the sound was coming from outside. Through the open wooden window, Shu Bao peered outside. However, there was no sign of the cat. Still, he remained vigilant.

Suddenly, he saw a pair of cat eyes outside the tribe. Even in the darkness of night, those cat eyes stood out—partly because they emitted a faint glow, but mostly because they were enormous! They resembled two lanterns, and judging by the height of those cat eyes, the cat must have been at least as tall as a one-story building!

Shu Bao: “!!!”

Stunned for a moment, Shu Bao pricked his sharp claws into himself to confirm that he wasn’t dreaming—the oversized cat was indeed outside!

Now, Shu Bao couldn’t remain calm. He couldn’t tolerate a cat’s presence near his resting place. He paced back and forth on the windowsill, finally deciding to investigate.

With a quick leap from the windowsill, Shu Bao headed straight for the door. Just as he reached the entrance, a soft knocking sound interrupted him. Shu Bao froze, alertly staring at the door.

“Shu Bao, are you awake?” Lan Qing’s voice came from outside.

Relieved, Shu Bao opened the door. Lan Qing had also noticed the unusual situation in the tribe. Both of them hurried downstairs, only to encounter the high priest and the patrol team as they stepped out of the Mission Hall. Clearly, the piercing cat cries had woken up anyone who wasn’t in a deep slumber.

However, caution prevailed. Observing the massive cat, they realized that any sudden movement might provoke it. After a brief discussion, they decided to seek guidance from the deity.

“Don’t panic. Alert everyone to be on guard. Lan Qing and I will investigate,” Shu Bao reassured the anxious crowd. Together, they headed toward the tribe’s exit.

Approaching the fence at the edge of the tribe, they got even closer to the colossal cat, intensifying the feeling of pressure. Shu Bao could even hear his own heartbeat—thump, thump, thump. He pressed his tiny paw against his chest, took a deep breath, and slipped out through the entrance.

Lan Qing moved more agilely, following suit. Finding the giant cat wasn’t difficult; after all, those two cat eyes were impossible to miss. Shu Bao, relying on his keen cat senses, didn’t get too close.

But this was enough for the mouse to see the appearance of that cat. Surprisingly, it was a large white cat that seemed to glow in the faint moonlight. The cat appeared very curious about the tribe, circling around it without a clear purpose.

Shu Bao and Lan Qing hid in the trees, making no sound.

When the white cat moved farther away, they relaxed slightly. However, their hearts tightened again as they witnessed an inexplicable scene.

The tribe remained the same, and the landscape around it hadn’t changed. Yet, many unfamiliar animals and plants had appeared. They had thoroughly scanned the area during the day, so the differences were evident.

Especially the trees were much denser now, with unique varieties they hadn’t seen during daylight.

Lan Qing expressed confusion with a tail-shaped question mark, and Shu Bao shrugged, indicating they were equally puzzled.

What made them even more nervous was the presence of numerous unknown creatures, most of which appeared to be predators.

Shu Bao soon noticed that there wasn’t just one cat; others were smaller and had different colors. These cats were fierce, hunting other creatures aggressively.

Apart from the cats, Shu Bao also spotted a three-headed snake. The heads couldn’t agree on a direction, resulting in a prolonged standoff under the tree. Eventually, two heads formed a united front, dragging the third head away.

Giant frogs with knees as high as their bodies, swift-moving lizards, luminescent butterflies dancing in the night, dragonflies the size of a person, and even some shapeless, dark mist-like entities—all surrounded the tribe. Strangest of all, Shu Bao saw a few walking corpses!

Perhaps sensing the presence of living beings, these corpses staggered and howled their way toward the tribe.

Lan Qing noticed too, gesturing with his tail toward the tribe, signaling that they should return.

Watching the suddenly bizarre and surreal world outside, Shu Bao agreed with Lan Qing’s suggestion. Fortunately, both of them were familiar with the surrounding terrain, so they returned to the tribe without causing any disturbance.

By now, the people in the tribe had also noticed the inexplicable creatures outside. Most of these creatures had peculiar shapes, creating an eerie sense of discord. However, the most terrifying were the unmistakably non-human figures—like corpses crawling out of graves.

“What’s going on?” Even the composed high priest felt overwhelmed. The makeshift fence around the tribe couldn’t stop anything. If those strange beings outside launched an attack, the tribe would be in danger.

But as fate would have it, the animals were still cautious, while the mindless corpses mindlessly rammed into the fence, attempting to enter the tribe.

Shu Bao wielded a staff and hurled a fireball, its intense heat and precise control reducing the zombies to ashes. The high priest refrained from rash attempts; he knew that if the fireball didn’t incinerate the bodies quickly, it might ignite the fence as well.

Yet, solving one problem led to another. The Xia Wang tribe had become a living target in the dark, with the scent of living humans drawing the corpses toward them.

As for that big white cat, it somehow sensed something and left on its own.

However, the smaller cats didn’t leave just yet. Many animals lurked in the darkness, blocked by the simple fence. They were all observing and assessing the threat level of this tribe, deciding whether they should take a share of the spoils.

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