Chapter 327 Really Can Take a Break

This small town isn’t exactly small; it’s the largest among the surrounding towns and isn’t too far from the city center—just half an hour’s drive.

The Tiger Hall decided on this location as their stronghold precisely because of its size. After clearing out the houses and eliminating threats, it became a natural gathering place for humans. Let’s not even talk about expanding; it would take quite some time just to fill this place with people.

This is completely different from Ling Mo and their approach; the Chicks chose a small village. The building density there is extremely low, making it easier to remove threats, but once the Chicks settled in, they quickly found themselves needing to expand the stronghold, or else they wouldn’t have enough room for everyone.

While this town can accommodate a good number of people, the initial threat-clearing work was quite troublesome and lengthy. Before any rule events occurred, they had only cleared a section of the southern area of the town, and the main stronghold location was also in the south. The paths leading to other directions were simply blocked with barriers to prevent incursions from the undead in other areas, establishing a stronghold from which they could gradually eliminate threats throughout the entire town.

However, before they could get to that stage, they were hit in the face by the sudden rule event.

The effects of the Source of Invasion not only weakened the players within but also seemed to enhance the strength of the undead… or should I say, the zombies. According to Tiger Ba Tian, when they broke out, zombies were also appearing in that temporary base in the south.

Otherwise, they could have just held out in the south while waiting for rescue.

Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan weren’t too clear on whether the zombies here would keep appearing, but regardless, with their current strength, trying to go in guns blazing would be quite challenging. The wisest approach would be to proceed steadily, which, unfortunately, means it’s going to take a lot longer for this rescue operation.

The first step is to determine the distribution of danger levels in the town. This is something all teams would report in real-time—only with a preliminary grasp of the information network can they better decide what to do next.

Currently, Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan are responsible for surveying danger levels in the area where they’re located, which is the main road leading from the town to the city center. Both sides of the street are lined with shops, making it probably the more bustling part of the town. This means there are also quite a few zombies around.

Xia Xinyan’s plan was to go up to the roof. The buildings in the town are quite close together, so even if they’re not directly adjacent, they can easily leap across. Also, since the buildings aren’t too high, there are more route options available compared to the ground, plus it’s safer.

After dark, the zombies seemed to have heightened sensory and movement abilities, and gunfire easily attracted them. Thus, after two of them delved deeper, Xia Xinyan took the lead, quietly clearing a path with her tail as a quieter and more efficient method.

They smoothly infiltrated a nearby store and reached the top floor.

Ling Mo was the first to cautiously step out while holding his gun, taking a look around before putting it down. “No zombies… confirmed safe.”

After that, Xia Xinyan stretched and glanced toward the town center.

No abnormalities.

From this angle, aside from the occasional cries of zombies, this town looked no different from an ordinary town.

Moreover, perhaps because this world is free from industrial pollution, the night sky was considerably brighter than in reality. If one didn’t think about their current situation, the scenery was actually quite soothing and peaceful.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a beautiful night sky,” Ling Mo gazed up at the sky, somewhat nostalgic. “I remember back in my hometown, the night sky looked just as lovely every evening.”

Xia Xinyan slightly pursed her lips and nodded. “Yeah, very beautiful.”

She had her own memories of Ling Mo’s childhood.

Although most of it had faded, those fragmented joys would sometimes bubble up in her heart.

She missed that time.

“Xinyan,” Ling Mo wasn’t in a hurry to get back to business; he just came over to stand beside Xia Xinyan, looking up at the sky with her. “I’ve been thinking, once we’ve eliminated all the monsters in this world… will it become another Earth?”

Although The Realm of Divine Presence is technically a game, once they entered this Dark Zone world, it actually felt quite similar to reality on some levels.

In gaming terms, what they’re using right now is even their real bodies from reality—if they wanted to, they could settle down in this world without any adverse effects.

Upon hearing this, Xia Xinyan couldn’t help but zone out a bit. “Maybe…”

The Dark Zone world is a death world where humanity has been annihilated, but when humans counterattack this world, they’ll also leave behind some places worth remembering—like their “home” in this world.

Aside from the demons and monsters in this world, it’s actually quite wonderful.

So, if this world could really transform into another reality, she would certainly be keen.

“Maybe we can ask Monica if it’s feasible? Isn’t she an expert in that area?” Ling Mo leaned in closer to Xia Xinyan, casually wrapping his arm around her waist and chuckling, “But honestly, I don’t think that person is very reliable… haven’t seen that girl around much lately.”

Perhaps it was because she was already accustomed to it, or maybe she was just lost in thought; this time, Xia Xinyan didn’t even notice Ling Mo’s affectionate action, instinctively nodding. “She probably has things to do, right?”

Speaking of which, they really hadn’t seen Monica much lately. That girl seemed to have locked herself up at home, not knowing what she was up to. When they moved, they arranged a place for Monica at the Chicks stronghold. She only showed up once during the move and then went back to her confinement.

But given her special status, the others found it hard to pry.

Xia Xinyan still had questions she wanted to ask her.

About Tianji.

Ling Mo didn’t dwell on Monica any longer and finally steered the conversation back to business. “So, do we continue with our mission now? Or take a break? Is Xinyan tired?”

Xia Xinyan hesitated before answering. “Let’s keep going. The sooner we wrap things up here, the sooner we can ensure their safety.”

“I think there’s really no need to rush,” Ling Mo’s tone turned a bit strange. “A few hours’ difference won’t really impact the final result much. Everyone who has made it this far in the game should know how to handle themselves when danger arises, so let’s just proceed at the most comfortable pace. Don’t push yourself.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “For example, we could take a break.”

Xia Xinyan: “…No thanks.”

“You really can take a break.”

“…No, thanks.”

“Alright then.” A bit disappointing.