Chapter 667: A Perilous Rainforest

Chapter 667: A Rainforest Rife with Peril

At the very moment the Southern Archipelago Federation patrol departed, Irene and the exploration team led by Elf King Wealth also left camp and delved into the jungle.

This hastily assembled squad numbered only ten; besides the two leaders, the other four were players just past LV10, equipped with basic miner exoskeletons and light or heavy armor plugins.

The flames from the incendiary bombs had already died out, and the rustling of insects once again filled the air around them, as if nothing had ever happened.

No one dared to let their guard down.

The locals preferred to live on the islands rather than on the mainland—not because they were enamored with coastal scenery.

Though most players set foot on this unfamiliar land with enthusiasm for a new map, none were eager to become excrement for the aberrations.

Especially not on the first day, before they’d even earned back their airfare.

“This is the coastal port district of Shilong City; about a kilometer northwest lies the coastal residential area, with rows of villas and a scenic seaside park…”

Consulting the tourist brochure in her hand, Irene glanced at the lush tropical vegetation around her, a subtle expression of irony creeping onto her face.

It couldn’t be said to match the brochure’s illustrations at all—only that they were utterly unrelated.

Though Qingquan City also had large urban areas overrun by vegetation, the situation here was entirely different.

Here, there were still remnants of reinforced concrete, but mostly ruins of drainage systems and road infrastructure.

Most were shattered beyond recognition, their original forms lost.

As for the skyscrapers and coastal villa complexes, they had vanished completely, leaving not a trace of their existence.

After studying the map in the booklet for a while, Elf King Wealth took out a pencil, drew a circle north of the port, and tapped the spot with its tip.

“The underground parking lot in the residential area north of the harbor might have formed waterlogged pits… just like in Qingquan City.”

Irene gave him a wry look.

“Turning into a nest for aberrations, like Qingquan City?”

Elf King Wealth stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Quite possible!”

Irene chuckled.

“Good—we can tackle two tasks at once.”

“To be safe, let’s split into groups first.”

Elf King Wealth ordered the team divided into three groups, advancing in a triangular formation. That way, even if an emergency arose, they wouldn’t be wiped out in one blow.

If one group encountered danger, the other two could quickly flank and provide support.

This was a tactic the veteran players had learned on the battlefield, and they took this chance to teach the newcomers.

Yet, despite the meticulous planning, their advance was far from smooth.

In less than three kilometers of cross-country travel, they faced at least ten aberrant attacks.

The two most perilous encounters involved a mutant python as thick as a barrel and a swarm of bat-like mutant dog-faced bats resembling pterosaurs.

If not for Wealth’s quick reflexes—firing a explosive arrow into the still-swarming bats—this makeshift convoy might have capsized!

Beyond the bizarre aberrations, the dense rainforest vegetation itself posed a massive obstacle.

Vines buried in the underbrush could trip anyone careless, while net-like creepers formed natural low walls.

“Damn… this vegetation is way too thick,” muttered a strength-type player in heavy armor, hacking through a vine with a machete.

“Why don’t we just burn through it?”

A dexterity-type player trailing with a rifle complained softly, warily scanning the jungle and the rustling shadows.

A constitution-type player bringing up the rear chuckled.

“Incendiary bombs? You kidding, bro? This is a tropical rainforest…”

Historical data showed a napalm bomb could cover 2,500 square meters but on average only burned about 50 square meters of rainforest.

Trees in a humid environment were nothing like dehydrated construction timber; removing the entire forest would require astronomical fuel.

The cost would likely exceed clearing the Nago mycelium around Jinhe City.

“…Wait, was this place really a city before?”

Wiping sweat from his brow, the strength-type brute at the front stared at the chipped machete and couldn’t help complaining.

“According to pre-war maps, yes. We should be near a road now,” said the constitution-type player at the rear, pulling out the booklet from his exoskeleton, glancing at it, then tucking it away.

“A road? Here?”

The dexterity-type player turned back in surprise.

The latter nodded and continued succinctly.

“After all, it’s been two centuries—typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, and rampant vegetation… Without maintenance, it’s no wonder traces of civilization have been erased.”

The three players went by the nicknames Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise—the constitution-type buddy.

From their names, it was clear they were real-life friends, possibly even roommates.

Such cases weren’t rare in *Wasteland OL*, since the game’s closed beta invitations were never truly random but had certain tendencies.

According to an A-test veteran on the forum, *Wasteland OL* was ostensibly a game but actually aimed to build a virtual community where AI and humans coexisted amicably. Thus, theoretically, if two players both met the operator’s screening criteria and happened to know each other well, the probability of both receiving beta invites was not small.

Of course, this was just one factor influencing the selection weight.

After a few idle remarks, the trio fell silent, focusing on their surroundings as they cautiously pressed forward.

Pushing aside a thick bush, a collapsed concrete structure soon caught the eye of the lead player, [Squirtle].

Emerald vines coiled around the cracked concrete wall; on one side lay weed-choked earth, on the other a pit over ten meters wide and seemingly bottomless.

“I’ll check it out… Cover me.” Squirtle swallowed, hung his machete on his exoskeleton, swapped for an assault rifle, and crept closer.

No aberrant sounds.

After carefully inspecting the vine-wrapped wall and confirming no danger, he pulled out a flashlight, approached the pit, and shone the beam down.

A bright light reached the deepest part, where shimmering reflections caught his eye.

Hearing the drip of water into water, [Squirtle]’s face lit up with delight. He turned to call to his teammates.

“There’s water here—”

Before he could finish, he saw terror etched on his two companions’ faces.

“Behind you!”

“Get back!”

Almost simultaneously with their shouts, [Squirtle] felt a tremendous force slam into his side.

It was a vine as thick as an arm!

Like a tape measure, the moment it struck, it swiftly wrapped twice around his exoskeleton chest plate and yanked him backward.

“Ugh!!”

The air was crushed from his lungs; nearly suffocating, [Squirtle]’s eyes bulged as if they might pop from their sockets.

He felt like a flying insect that had fallen into a pitcher plant.

Driven by the instinct to survive, he reached out and grabbed the edge of the pit.

Yet the force pressing against his chest grew stronger, even the polymer lining inserted into the exoskeleton was bending inward under the pressure.

"Brother Jie! Hang in there!"

【Blastoise】swiftly opened the safety on the grenade launcher hanging beneath the gun barrel and fired a high-explosive round at the half-collapsed concrete wall.

A burst of fire exploded against the wall, but the flying shrapnel only scraped off a layer of dust and a few fragments of green debris, still unable to stop the thick, powerful vines from tightening and pulling downward.

"My... VM..."

Using the last of his strength, the already white-eyed Squirtle gritted his teeth, tore the VM from his arm, and tossed it toward his teammate.

Almost at the same moment, his eyes rolled back, and he could hold on no longer, yanked into the bottomless abyss by the vine with a whoosh.

"Jinny!"

"Brother Jie!!"

Watching their teammate being devoured by an unknown plant, the two comrades let out a mournful roar.

But the roar was soon swallowed by the emerald rainforest, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the faint chirping of insects.

Picking up the mud-stained VM from the ground, 【Blastoise】pressed his hand to his helmet with a grim expression, took a deep breath, and said.

"This is Team B. We've found a concrete structure with abundant freshwater resources below, but it seems a monster is living inside..."

A reply soon came through the communication channel.

Elf King Fugui: "A monster?!"

"To be precise... it should be a plant," Blastoise said, glancing fearfully at the deep pit, swallowing his saliva before continuing, "Brother Jie was taken out instantly; we didn't even have time to call for backup."

There was a moment of silence on the communication channel.

Amid the crackling static, Elf King Fugui continued.

"...Roger that. Wait for us there; we're on our way."

Blastoise quickly nodded.

"Got it!"

After the call ended, he stowed Squirtle's VM in his backpack, then cast a wary glance at the now-silent concrete structure.

From the outside, it was impossible to tell it was a trap.

"Poor Brother Jie, gone in an instant."

Hanbagui sighed, his gaze drifting toward the rainforest, where he happened to spot a tree as thick as a barrel, with a dense cluster of green berries growing at its roots.

Those things looked awfully familiar.

He let out a soft exclamation, bent down, plucked one from the root, and examined it in his palm.

Noticing his action, Blastoise, standing nearby, asked curiously.

"What are you doing?"

Rising from the ground, Hanbagui tossed the green berry he held to him.

"Does it look familiar?"

Blastoise caught it, took one look, and his eyes went wide.

"A bit... wait, holy crap! That's the thing!"

"What thing?"

Drawn by his startled expression, Hanbagui shot him a curious look.

Without pausing for breath, Blastoise stared at him in shock and said.

"Na Fruit!! This is Na Fruit!"

Hearing his answer, Hanbagui quickly snapped back to reality.

"Holy crap?!"

...

The sun had fallen from mid-sky to the west, half a day had passed since the Alliance's cargo airship arrived at the Baiyue Strait.

In that short half-day, ten deaths had already occurred on the new map.

Five happened in the forest around the camp, the other five along the beach—evenly distributed.

Additionally, twelve players had suffered grievous, incurable injuries during exploration missions.

To avoid wasting precious game time, these players, after saving via the hibernation pod, decisively chose to give up on treatment.

The Niu Ma Group's airship would carry the data, VMs, and recovered active substances of those brave souls back to Alliance territory.

And this service was provided free of charge.

For a camp of over three hundred people, a loss of more than twenty was already a serious blow.

At this moment, Fang Chang finally understood the meaning behind the NPC's cryptic parting words.

It turned out the other party never believed they could stay here for long.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

If this land were truly so easy to cultivate, they wouldn't have abandoned the resource-rich mainland to hole up on an island.

Still, although this high attrition rate was unacceptable for NPCs, for players, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Opening a new map.

A few deaths here and there were perfectly acceptable.

"...The rate of clearing rainforest plots is still too slow; we should have hired the Jungle Corps." Gazing at the camp shrouded in dusk, Fang Chang pondered.

Just then, a communication request icon appeared on the VM screen.

Seeing Old Na's ID on the screen, Fang Chang took out his earphones, put them on, and pressed the answer button with his index finger.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Yileina."

"What's up?"

"We found freshwater here, but the situation isn't optimistic. It seems a large carnivorous plant has taken over the area; it might take some time to clear it out. Also, we discovered some Na Fruits nearby—seems to be wild."

Hearing this intel, Fang Chang was stunned.

"Wild Na Fruits?!"

Yileina: "Emmm... how should I put it? They're a bit different from the artificially cultivated ones we saw in Jinchuan Province. These things don't reproduce quickly; they grow like fungus on specific trees, just a shallow layer along the roots. If you're not careful, you'd easily mistake them for berries in the bushes."

Fang Chang frowned and immediately asked.

"What about the soil nearby? Is it contaminated?"

Yileina: "No contaminated soil in sight... Whether it shows under a microscope, I can't say—I only have a magnifying glass here. I'm wondering if there's a possibility that these naturally grown Na Fruits are the original form, while what we encountered in Jinchuan Province was a modified variety implanted with mutant slime mold DNA."

The official artbook seems to describe it that way as well.

Originally, Nago fruit was introduced to the Sea Cliff Province from the southern seas. Before the Torch Church spliced the genes of a mutant slime mold into it and spread it as the cornerstone for building their paradise, it was merely a peculiar tropical fungus.

Just like wood ear mushrooms.

Fang Chang pondered for a moment, then said at once.

“Help me collect some samples.”

Irena chuckled.

“No problem! By the way, we sacrificed a teammate to retrieve the samples. That guy’s gear must be worth a pretty penny. So, about that…”

Fang Chang rolled his eyes.

“Is ten thousand silver coins enough?”

A satisfied smile spread across her face as Irena said cheerfully.

“Deal!”

…

On the other side, at the port of Ring Island.

A man dressed in luxurious attire, accompanied by the coast patrol commander Muda and two federal soldiers, stepped onto the deck of the Meat Meat cargo ship.

Spotting the group boarding from afar, Sesame Paste led Misa and a bunch of children who had come out for some fresh air quietly back into the cabin.

Pushing open the captain’s cabin door and descending the gangway, Si Si glanced at the leading man, then looked at Muda, the only one she recognized, and asked amiably.

“And this is?”

Muda turned to the man beside him and introduced him with a respectful tone.

“This is the Governor of Ring Island, Mr. Channing. This port and the settlement behind it are all under his jurisdiction.”

Governor?

After hearing Muda’s introduction, a flicker of barely perceptible surprise crossed Si Si’s face. Then, smiling, she looked at the Governor and said politely.

“Greetings, Your Excellency the Governor. May I ask what brings you to our ship?”

Channing replied expressionlessly.

“You’ve been here for three days. If you intended to buy supplies, you should have finished long ago.”

Si Si said apologetically.

“I’m terribly sorry. Our ship has developed a minor malfunction and may need to stay in your port for a few days. Of course, we’ll pay the berthing fees… I asked the port authorities, and it’s 1,000 dinars per day, isn’t it?”

Channing stared at her for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“You’re from the Alliance.”

Si Si was slightly taken aback and raised an eyebrow.

“How did you figure that out?”

“We did a little investigating in Silver Moon Bay. The White Bear Knights, right?” As he spoke, Channing glanced at the flag hanging above the cabin.

Seeing that he had already confirmed their identity, Si Si knew that denying it would be pointless and would only make them seem insincere. So she simply admitted it generously.

“That’s right, I am indeed a citizen of the Alliance. But this ship isn’t a warship of the Alliance—it’s just a cargo vessel we bought in Silver Moon Bay—”

Channing raised a hand to cut her off.

“I don’t have time to waste on beating around the bush. Let’s get straight to the point: what are you really up to? You, and those people, and that airship parked to the west!”

Si Si was about to say she didn’t know those people, as they had agreed beforehand on the forum to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But just then, she caught a flicker of barely concealed wariness in the Governor’s eyes.

She was sure she hadn’t misread it—that wariness had appeared only after he confirmed their identity and origin.

Then Si Si recalled the clue she had obtained from the administrator’s investigation mission—that the South Islands Federation was founded under the leadership of Torch Church supporters, and before that, these settlements were under the jurisdiction of Vault 70.

If there were Torch Church supporters, or even Torch Church apostles, within the South Islands Federation, it wasn’t hard to understand why they were so sensitive to the Alliance’s movements.

But—

After discovering they were from the Alliance, they hadn’t immediately shown hostility; instead, they chose to probe first.

Clearly, these people weren’t staunch allies of the Torch Church; they had only reached a consensus on their stance toward Vault 70.

In other words, they could potentially be won over.

Her mind racing, Si Si quickly changed her plan, acting as if she knew all about the airship.

As if the Meat Meat cargo ship were also part of some scheme.

“Please don’t be so tense. As you can see, we’ve just set up a few tents over there. That’s over a hundred nautical miles from you—surely it doesn’t bother you.”

“Do you think I’d believe that?” Channing stared at her, sneering. “You traveled thousands of kilometers to come here, just to pitch a few tents?”

Si Si shrugged, putting on an expression of being caught out.

“Fine, I’ll be honest… We plan to build a settlement there to take in survivors fleeing from the Xilan Empire—those Moonfolk.”

Channing still looked unconvinced.

“Why do you care about them? What do their lives have to do with you?”

Meeting his probing gaze, Si Si smiled faintly.

“Nothing, but not entirely nothing. They’re all survivors of the wasteland, and ending the wasteland is our duty. Any potential threat to civilized society, we’ll step in to handle. If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t need to worry about us. Unless we really can’t stand it, we rarely interfere in the affairs of other survivor settlements.”

As she spoke the latter half, her tone carried a hint of implication.

Clearly catching the veiled insinuation, Governor Channing’s face stiffened, and he stared at her intently.

“What do you mean?”

Smiling at him, Si Si said bluntly.

“We’ve heard a rumor. Someone plans to cooperate with the madmen in Sea Cliff Province to introduce Nago fungus mycelium from land into the ocean.”

Channing narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint shining through the slits.

“…What business is that of yours?”

Unfazed by the threat in his gaze, Si Si nodded firmly and said matter-of-factly.

“Of course it is, and quite a lot. The plague on land is already giving us headaches. If those madmen intend to spread it into the sea and mess up this planet, all our efforts will be for nothing.”

“This planet?” Channing chuckled dryly, looking at her as he continued.

“We don’t see as far as you do. But how do you know that introducing that thing into the sea would mess up the planet? Maybe it would make things more normal?”

Si Si raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Oh? You think that would be more normal?”

“Do you think things are normal now?” Channing retorted with a cold laugh. “Before those madmen you mentioned transferred the mind-interference technology to us, our fishermen and merchants had to risk their necks every time they went to sea—all because of the mutants in the ocean!”

“And now, the experiments of those so-called madmen in Sea Cliff Province have yielded enough results. Both the mutants and the slime molds have become as docile as sunfish! If we could introduce that thing into the southern seas, we wouldn’t just gain a vast and safe fishing ground—we could also completely eradicate the mother nest parasitic on the wreckage of the Heavenly Court space station!”

"That thing is the source of all evil, the wellspring of every mutant species... For two hundred years, its DNA has been contaminating the entire ocean! Do you call that 'normal'? Now that we have a chance to settle this trouble once and for all, tell me, what reason do we have not to do it!"

Sisi looked at him and asked.

"Does Vault 70 see it that way too?"

Channing curled his lip in disdain.

"Those fellows have grown stagnant from staying inside the vault for too long. They believe the whole world should revolve around their rules, and that only by following their arrangements can things be done quickly, efficiently, and correctly. It is as if, as long as we obediently listen to them, the world can revert to what it was two hundred years ago, and they can bring back that utopia drawn on toilet paper... Even to this day, they cannot explain how that utopia vanished in the first place."

Sisi fell into deep thought.

Initially, she had assumed these people were just like the survivors of Singularity City, blindly led by the nose by the church's fanatics. She had not expected that their choice was made after deliberate and thorough consideration.

"Have you ever considered that the thing Torch gave you... that Naguo, might not be as wonderful as you imagine?"

Channing spoke with stark honesty.

"True, that thing is indeed far from perfect, much like the mental interference device. But at the very least, those people have produced actual results. We only need to utilize it properly and reduce its negative impacts to a minimum. The situation will always be much better than it is now. Or do you happen to have a better way?"

"Yes," Sisi said, looking at him with earnest gravity. "We have already dealt with the broodmother in Qingquan City... You should know of it, right? Previously, researchers from Vault 70 would periodically travel there to collect samples."

Upon hearing these words, a flicker of surprise flashed across Channing's face. Evidently, he was completely unaware of the recent events in Qingquan City.

Yet soon enough, his eyes narrowed slightly once more.

This was the second time.

A dangerous light gleamed in the governor's eyes.

"I was wondering just now how you managed to know so much about us... Have you been in contact with the people from Vault 70 recently?"

It was not just his expression that gradually turned hostile.

The two soldiers standing behind him also began to project a similarly menacing aura from their eyes.

"To be precise, our manager has interacted with their manager. However, we did not blindly accept their one-sided story just because we are both vault dwellers. Just like right now, we are seeking your perspective."

Paying no heed to his implicit threat, Sisi stared directly into his eyes, her expression unchanged as she continued deliberately, emphasizing every word.

"I ask for your opinion once more. If we possess a better method to resolve the broodmother nesting on the Heaven Station, would the survivors of the Ring Islands be willing to grant us a chance to prove ourselves?"

Channing let out a dry chuckle.

"Those people are far more generous than you. What they promised isn't merely to resolve the broodmother on Heaven Station, but also the mutant species across the entire sea..."

As he spoke to this point, he suddenly halted.

Perhaps sensing that her diplomatic phrasing was not merely seeking his opinion, but was also the final opportunity granted to him and the very island beneath his feet, the governor ultimately swallowed the polite refusal that had risen to his lips.

"...If you wish to try, then go ahead and try. The survivors of the Ring Islands have no reason to refuse you. However, the federal authorities might be a different story; some among them are already disciples of Torch."

Hearing this response, Sisi felt a wave of relief in her heart, and a pleasant smile graced her face.

Her judgment had been correct.

Just as she had initially surmised, this newly established federation had only achieved a consensus regarding the issue of Vault 70. The Church of Torch had not completely drawn them onto their war chariot.

The local survivors could still be reasoned with and won over!

"I will keep that in mind. Furthermore, I wish to speak with Vault 70. If you could initiate a ceasefire first, our work would proceed much more smoothly."

Channing chuckled softly and replied.

"Then I cannot help you with that. War is a federal affair; you must go to the North Island to discuss it with the federal president. Besides, I advise you not to waste your time. The conflict between us and those fellows isn't just about whether to let Torch's people handle the Heaven Station broodmother. They must pay the price for their perpetual arrogance."

Sisi pressed further.

"Could you tell me the reason for your conflict? There must have been a trigger."

Channing replied with evident impatience.

"Fresh water."

Sisi was taken aback.

"Fresh water?"

Channing nodded.

"The artificial islands in the southern sea possess no freshwater lakes. Nearly a million survivors reside here, and we cannot rely solely on rainwater. The fresh water for each island is primarily supplied by desalination plants."

Sisi asked, "Did they occupy them?"

Channing waved his hand dismissively.

"It was far more outrageous than that. To make us obedient, they first shut down the facilities. Then, right after we seized the facilities, they blew them up. And that wasn't all... they also destroyed a total of twelve of our ocean current generators and offshore mining wells. It is a stroke of luck that we still have solar and wind power to scrape by on, but life remains incredibly tight."

Sisi pondered for a moment before speaking.

"I understand... By the way, regarding the fresh water, we might be able to assist before you fully restore your power supply."

Channing was stunned, looking at her with a peculiar expression.

"You? This is a settlement of a hundred thousand people. How do you intend to help? By shipping it to us all the way from Silver Moon Bay?"

This boast was simply too grand to be believed.

Especially since just three days ago, this group had paid a high price to purchase a dozen cubic meters of fresh water from their port. If they truly had a way to solve the freshwater crisis, would they have wasted that money?

Disregarding his skeptical gaze, Sisi continued.

"Didn't I mention it just now? We intend to establish a new settlement right next to the Baiyue Strait. While resolving the broodmother of the southern sea, we will also take in the fleeing Moon People. That place is on the mainland, possessing abundant freshwater resources. Let alone a hundred thousand people, it would be enough even for ten million, and the cost is bound to be much cheaper than desalinating seawater."

"Come off it," Channing waved his hand, laughing dryly as he said, "A settlement? If you can hold out there for two months, I will admit I judged you entirely wrong."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, a trace of a smile played upon the corners of Sisi's lips.

"Then let us put it to the test."