Seeking Assistance from a Mysterious Faction

An ice-spike ice magic array layered with an instantaneous acceleration magic—is this an Ice Arrow?

Ice Arrow magic, research complete!

Looking at the beautiful magic array and the exquisite ice arrow, Su Miao felt a surge of pleasant satisfaction.

The Ice Arrow was a compact, thirty-six-centimeter-long projectile, vastly superior in speed and explosive power compared to a basic ice spike.

Although there was still plenty of room for optimization, she had pulled it off, successfully recreating the magical ice arrow she used to play with in video games.

"Ah, it's already this late?"

Su Miao dismissed her mana, allowing the ice arrow and the magic array condensed in the air to completely dissipate.

She hadn't expected to become so absorbed in researching ice magic that she completely lost track of time.

It was already eleven o'clock at night.

Su Miao glanced at the fireplace; the fire inside was burning brightly, likely tended to by the mynah bird earlier.

"Time for dinner."

Pulling out an induction cooker, a pot, and some beef, along with a few freshly snipped baby greens, pea shoots, and mushrooms, Su Miao used a Water Ball spell to wash them clean and arranged them on the table.

Seeing this familiar scene, the mynah bird felt so moved it almost wanted to cry.

Her Excellency Su Miao finally remembered to eat.

Beef and mushroom hotpot—
Truly delicious!

……

On the third day of the cannibals' offensive against the Four Seas Base.

Hampered by the blizzard conditions, the cannibals had reduced the frequency of their assault waves against the Four Seas Base, but the battle between the two sides remained brutal, with no end in sight.

The mynah bird returned after making its routine observation trip.

After all, with the heavy blizzard raging, it didn't like flying outside for too long.

Seeing that the mynah bird wasn't lingering, the golden-winged giant eagle and the eight grey eagles simply hunted some mutated animals nearby before returning.

These mutated creatures had been trying to scavenge corpses near the battlefield, which ultimately made them easy prey for the raptors.

Upon returning, the mynah bird reported the news to Su Miao.

Su Miao's eyes lit up upon hearing the update.

A fierce battle, a wonderful battle—she hoped the cannibals would keep it up and die off as quickly as possible.

In such a bitter blizzard, anyone sustaining even the slightest wound would quickly suffer from frostbite, tissue freezing, and massive necrosis.

Simply put, practically anyone among the cannibals who got injured stood zero chance of survival.

Based on the mynah bird's reports, the cannibals had already suffered nearly forty thousand casualties outside the Four Seas Base, while the base itself had lost close to twenty thousand people, severely depleting the strength of both factions.

Especially regarding firearms and ammunition, while the cannibal elites still possessed some guns and artillery, their supply of bullets and shells was critically low.

The exact same dilemma plagued the Four Seas Base.

The conflict between the cannibals and the Four Seas Base had essentially regressed into cold-weapon warfare, with the slight difference that supernatural beings now dominated the battlefield.

Thinking of ability users brought a brand-new question to Su Miao's mind.

Many people awakened as ability users haphazardly, but what happened if the awakening failed?

Would they die, or transform into something else?

She hadn't found any relevant information in that prophecy book; perhaps it was hidden in the sections she had skipped.

Su Miao glanced at the mynah bird before her. Perhaps she would find out about this in the future.

She would figure it out once she reached Shelter No. 1.

Right now, her primary goal was to survive resiliently.

Su Miao walked over to the vegetable room to check on the crops.

None of these vegetables had been treated with growth potions, so they grew quite slowly.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of baby greens and pea shoots for her hotpot cravings.

The mushrooms in the fungus room were growing exceptionally well.

Su Miao harvested the excess mature mushrooms first and stored them away in her magical space.

Additionally, the pretty mushrooms had grown considerably, so she gathered all of them as well.

Through her recent experience with mushroom cultivation, she had learned a valuable lesson: if she didn't harvest the pretty mushrooms in time, they would release more spores and sprout even more of their kind, which would interfere with her regular, non-toxic food supply.

Su Miao stepped outside, harvested some greens from the garden, and fed them to the field mice and little white rabbits.

Currently, the health status of these rabbits and mice was excellent.

Her anticipation grew stronger by the day.

According to her experimental schedule, if these rabbits and mice fed on vegetables accelerated by growth potions still showed no adverse effects by tomorrow, she could finally feast on fresh tomatoes and soybean pods.

Soon, she would have a continuous, endless supply of fresh vegetables.

Hooray!

Taking advantage of the cannibals' absence, she went back to studying magic.

……

The Four Seas Base.

The war dragged on, and the cannibals seemed determined to fight the Four Seas Base to the bitter end.

Due to the shortage of firearms and ammunition at the Four Seas Base, the cannibals resorted to a snow-mounding siege tactic.

The method was remarkably simple: rolling giant snowballs, stacking them layer upon layer, and shaving off excess snow to form makeshift staircases leading straight up to the ramparts of the Four Seas Base.

In an instant, the formidable walls of the Four Seas Base were rendered virtually useless decorations by the advancing cannibals.

Witnessing this, base commander Yu Yuangui wore a bitter expression.

In theory, cannibals were no different from vagrants—a disorganized rabble that should scatter at the first charge.

Yet, this pack of cannibals not only possessed a fanatical, high-morale fighting spirit but also tactical acumen, cornering the Four Seas Base despite their initial disadvantage.

Moreover, ever since his battle with the King of Great Xi, Lan Shaokong hadn't shown his face once.

The people of the Four Seas Base only knew that all command authority currently rested in Yu Yuangui's hands.

"Commander Yu, if this keeps up, the Four Seas Base is finished."

When they were alone, Mili complained.

Yu Yuangui gave a light cough. "Don't say such things in the future. Whatever you say here, young Master Lan can hear."

Mili was left speechless, casting a puzzled look at Yu Yuangui.

Just how untrustworthy and scheming was this Commander Yu?

Yu Yuangui smiled. "Don't worry, young Master Lan is well aware of this himself."

Mili was even more speechless. Wasn't that just a roundabout way of saying that the fall of the Four Seas Base was only a matter of time?

"Commander Yu, state your plan."

"If we don't make some changes soon, the Four Seas Base won't hold out much longer," Mili urged.

Yu Yuangui replied, "I'm thinking about it..."

After pondering for a long time while looking at Mili, he said, "I currently have two options. First, lead a team to break through the encirclement and head toward the Vulcan Base, seeking assistance from the mysterious faction that destroyed it."

"Second, lure the cannibals toward the territory controlled by that mysterious faction, let them fight, and we'll reap the benefits as the third party."

"The only concern is whether the second option might backfire, because up to now, we have no idea what kind of faction they truly are. It's extremely dangerous."

Mili asked, "Commander Yu, actually, you've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

Yu Yuangui nodded. "Yes, my arrangements are already in place."

Mili asked again, "Commander Yu, after the battle last time, what's young Master Lan's condition?"

Yu Yuangui raised his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

Mili understood and dropped the subject.

……

Over on the cannibals' side, while the King of Great Xi could still be seen, he no longer left his icehouse, nor did he allow anyone else to stay inside for long, which seemed rather peculiar.

Some suspected that the King of Great Xi was injured, and heavily at that.

However, these rumors didn't circulate for long before they abruptly ended when the rumor-monger ended up as meat in the King of Great Xi's cooking pot.

"King of Great Xi."

He Chao walked into the icehouse. "We just received the latest intelligence. A team of ability users from the Four Seas Base has broken through the encirclement and headed in the direction of the Vulcan Base."

The King of Great Xi was eating meat and didn't even raise his head. "Hmph, how are our plans proceeding?"

He Chao reported, "Two hundred people have successfully awakened, but six hundred failed. Over five hundred and seventy died, and the remaining ones turned into..."

The King of Great Xi asked, "Put in the cages?"

He Chao answered, "Yes."

The King of Great Xi commanded, "Keep feeding meat to the successful ones. Send the failed products to the Four Seas Base under the cover of night."

He Chao said, "I'll go make the arrangements right away."

The King of Great Xi fell into deep thought for a moment. "As for the Vulcan Base, we'll go take a look once the weather clears up."

"Understood, King of Great Xi," He Chao replied.

Watching He Chao leave, the King of Great Xi's expression darkened.

These people had only seen him look slightly weak and were already starting to probe him. They truly had no fear of death.

Ordinary cannibals might remain clueless, but the high-ranking members all knew of a shortcut to rapid power: devouring the flesh and blood of powerful ability users. The stronger the consumed ability user, the stronger the devourer would become.

……

Amidst the howling wind and snow, a twelve-member squad arrived near the vicinity of the Vulcan Base.

They hailed from the Four Seas Base, carrying out Yu Yuangui's orders to locate the mysterious faction operating nearby and to approach them with utmost politeness and caution.

If possible, they hoped to secure reinforcements from this mysterious faction to jointly drive back the cannibals.

The cannibals were everyone's enemy, so surely this mysterious faction would agree.

Such was the rationale Yu Yuangui had provided.

Whether it could be trusted, they had no idea.

However, their families were all trapped within the Four Seas Base. Faced with the cannibal siege, the base was on the brink of collapse, and without reinforcements, they were truly doomed.

"According to the map, it should be right around here."

Squad leader Lu Ge unfolded the map, glanced at it, and confirmed their coordinates.

Yet Yu Yuangui had only marked the general location of the Vulcan Base on the map without specifying the exact whereabouts of the mysterious faction that had wiped it out, forcing them to search blindly.

Little did they know, their mere appearance had already been spotted by a grey giant eagle soaring through the skies.

The grey giant eagle quickly relayed the message to the golden-winged giant eagle.

Before long, the mynah bird out for a stroll learned of it as well.

"What are people from the Four Seas Base doing here?"

The mynah bird perched on a tree branch over a dozen meters high, watching the Four Seas Base squad below with intense curiosity.

Considering that the Four Seas Base was currently at war with the cannibals, it decided not to kill them just yet.

As it happened, Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng, who had gone out, crossed paths with this group.

After much deliberation regarding firewood reserves, they had decided to resume logging.

"Hello there!"

Lu Ge shouted out to them, "We're from the Four Seas Base and would like to ask you for some information."

Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng felt a jolt of surprise.

They immediately raised their assault rifles, ready to open fire at a moment's notice.

"What is it?"

Sun Rong asked from a secure position.

Lu Ge replied, "My name is Lu Ge. I'd like to ask if you know anything about the faction that wiped out the Vulcan Base? Please rest assured, the Four Seas Base bears no malice or hostility; we came here purely seeking rescue."

Sun Rong and his companions exchanged bewildered glances.

The faction that wiped out the Vulcan Base?

That question sounded rather bizarre.

Because the only entity that had destroyed the Vulcan Base was Her Excellency the Witch.

However, spill secrets about Her Excellency the Witch?

That was absolute suicide.

Unless they had a death wish.

Sun Rong said, "Sorry, we don't know."

Lu Ge looked closely at Sun Rong. The subtle shift in Sun Rong's expression and the eyes of his companions practically shouted the answer.

These people knew about the mysterious faction that destroyed the Vulcan Base, so why lie?

Besides, was it not massive overkill to have four formidable ability users out here chopping wood?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lu Ge.

He understood.

These four ability users belonged to the very mysterious faction that had annihilated the Vulcan Base; otherwise, how could they possibly be cutting wood here so leisurely?

Lu Ge spoke up, "The Four Seas Base is currently under siege by cannibals—two hundred thousand of them. They are launching suicidal assaults, inflicting heavy casualties upon us."

"The Four Seas Base won't last much longer. Please, I beg you to inform your superiors and ask them to send reinforcements."

"Otherwise, once the Four Seas Base falls, everyone living inside will become food for the cannibals."

"And once the cannibals devour the Four Seas Base, given their unhinged nature, they will undoubtedly come after you next."

Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng felt a cold chill run down their spines.

Two hundred thousand cannibals?

They suddenly recalled the three thousand cannibals who had wandered into their vicinity a while back—that small force had nearly killed them all, yet those had apparently been a mere drop in the bucket compared to this horde.

Their expressions turned grim.

They needed to report this intelligence to Her Excellency the Witch immediately.

As for how to deal with these interlopers, Sun Rong and his team had no idea.

Sun Rong stated, "Sorry, we really don't know anything about the faction that destroyed the Vulcan Base. Feel free to keep looking if you want, but we're heading back."

Lu Ge raised a hand, signaling his squad to step aside and clear the path.

Without lingering, Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng packed their cut firewood onto snowmobiles and sped back.

"They were clearly lying!" one of the squad members hissed. "What kind of ability users are relegated to chopping firewood? I bet they're scouts tasked with watching out for any survivors from the Vulcan Base to silence them."

This particular squad member was a hardened killer who had clawed his way out of a chaotic city, intimately familiar with the ruthless modus operandi of major factions in the apocalypse.

"Captain, should we track them?"

Another squad member asked, pointing at the snowmobile tracks left in the snow.

"If they really are scouts for that mysterious faction, we must exercise extreme caution while tracking them, or we'll pay a heavy price," warned one of Yu Yuangui's former subordinates. He used to belong to the Vulcan Base, and hearing the first teammate's analysis had broken him out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he was currently wearing a Four Seas Base ability-user parka; if he had worn his old Vulcan Base gear, he might have been executed on the spot.

"No, let's wait a bit," Lu Ge said after a moment of silence. "Now, we can track them."

Fifteen minutes later, following the snowmobile tracks, they arrived at the mutated forest belt. Staring at the lush trees standing vibrant amidst the pristine snowfields, they seriously wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them.