I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Chapter 136 The Heritage of Deer Village (4.4K)

Although the fake superhuman was eliminated, there was no winner in this battle.

From the very beginning, the lost souls at the elk camp had already suffered heavy casualties.

"How many people will survive?"

Shi An asked.

Fa Gui said, "Currently, there are only twenty-one villagers left in the Deer Village who have not yet become possessed, but some of them are in extremely poor condition and may not survive."

Shi An said, "No matter what, let's focus on saving lives first, and we can deal with the rest later."

At this moment, many villagers from Milu Village were lying on the ground, their faces contorted in pain.

The only people left standing in the entire Deer Village were Village Chief Chen Jianghuai, Team Leaders Luo Susu and Wu Feng, and two or three Refining Stage members.

Even they looked somber at that moment.

First, grief!

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Furthermore, they were also worried: "Will the safe zone camp still accept us?"

At this moment, Chen Jianghuai understood why the fake man was so strangely influencing him, making him want to "go to other camps to avoid disaster".

Because it is easiest to infiltrate a camp from the inside.

From a rational and consequential standpoint, Cold Spring Camp's refusal was indeed the right thing to do.

If the Cold Spring Camp had accepted them, many people within the camp would likely have already been replaced by imposters. The replacements would have been so subtle that even those at the Transcendent Realm wouldn't have noticed.

Conversely, the safe zone accepts them, allowing them to escape disaster. Yet, they inadvertently bring disaster to the safe zone.

If the safe zone hadn't seen through the fake man's disguise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

Even if—

The spoofed monsters have been purified and eliminated. However, these people were ultimately corrupted by the spoofed monsters, so it's hard to say whether there are any hidden dangers within their bodies.

Even if the safe zone drives them away and leaves them to fend for themselves, Chen Jianghuai has no right to complain.

Just like now, many of the Dreamers who had escorted them to the safe zone were keeping their distance from them.

It's like being afraid of a group of people with infectious diseases carrying the virus.

At this moment, Fa Gui put away the membership card and walked over, saying, "The manager ordered that we do everything we can to treat the villagers of Deer Village. Let's carry the wounded inside the lighthouse first."

Inside the lighthouse, although there isn't much furniture, it's at least clean and provides shelter from the wind and rain.

A soft, orange glow shone down from the dome, falling upon the villagers of Elk Village, whose faces were contorted with pain.

They were bathed in light, yet wisps of gray smoke still occasionally rose from them.

This indicates that the erosion has not been completely eliminated.

Soon, Yang Linna, along with Wu Qing, Wu Yue, and the others, brought the crucial medicine for the treatment—purified water!

"This precious medicine can remove all negative effects and impurities. Giving this purified water to the wounded will cleanse the remaining erosion from the false human within their bodies."

Chen Jianghuai's eyes widened.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen treasures similar to purifying water before.

In the Nightmare World, there are many kinds of purifying medicines.

Without exception, these precious medicines were all extremely valuable. How many did the shopkeeper in the safe zone bring out? Dozens of bottles!

What selflessness!

He had been worried that the shopkeeper would drive them away and leave them to fend for themselves. Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper not only didn't care about the previous accident, but even took out a batch of life-saving medicines without hesitation to treat many people in their Elk Village who might not have been able to be saved.

Chen Jianghuai took a deep breath and said, "On behalf of all the villagers of Milu Village, I thank you, Mr. Shop Manager."

He picked up a bottle of purified water, carefully unscrewed the cap, and slowly fed it to a surviving villager who had already fallen into a coma.

A powerful purifying force surged into the body, permeating every part of the body.

Large amounts of gray smoke billowed from the mouths and nostrils of the surviving villager, and his pained face gradually relaxed.

This purified water is effective, incredibly effective!

Together with Fa Gui and other Dreamers from the safe zone, he poured purifying water into the survivors' mouths. At Fa Gui's prompting, Chen Jianghuai also drank a bottle himself.

No gray smoke was coming out of his body.

Clearly, after the pseudo-human transcendent detached itself, there were no traces of pseudo-human factors remaining on his body.

However, Chen Jianghuai still suffered from significant corrosive injuries, a consequence of the false human being residing within his body.

At this moment, the erosion damage was receding rapidly, and he could clearly feel his condition improving.

If he can replenish his depleted life force, his combat power can even return to its peak!

Not only the villagers of Deer Village, but also the members of the safe zone who had just participated in the battle, received half a cup of purified water for free.

Yang Linna said, "The shopkeeper instructed that if any abnormalities occur after you drink the purified water, you can receive more purified water for free until the treatment is completed."

The members present stared wide-eyed.

Some of them were planning to buy a bottle of purifying water later.

But what you buy yourself is different from what the store manager gives you.

The store manager even promised that if there were any abnormalities, customers could receive more purified water for free.

This means they have no worries whatsoever.

Members were eager to complete ten or eight more tasks to demonstrate their loyalty.

They drank the purified water, and unsurprisingly, nothing unexpected happened.

But the main purpose of drinking this half-cup of purified water was to dispel the unease in their hearts.

"I knew it! The pseudo-human anomaly couldn't be that terrifying. It can already replace and impersonate us humans; if it can be so pervasive, then we humans truly wouldn't be able to survive!"

Someone whispered.

"However—" another member said, "we still need to figure out exactly how the pseudo-humans replaced us, and—is there any way to identify them in the wild. Otherwise, I'll still feel uneasy."

They looked at Chen Jianghuai, the village chief.

They had just overheard the discussions among the powerful figures of Deer Village. They figured that the only one who might know anything about the pseudo-humans was this incredibly powerful village chief.

Shi An was equally eager to learn about the situation of the fake people.

Just moments ago, many villagers of Elk Village were still in imminent danger. Now, seeing that the survivors of Elk Village were gradually stabilizing, he instructed Fa Gui to invite Chen Jianghuai to the safe zone.

"Understood. I would also like to inform you, Manager, in person about the information regarding the fake man and some of my speculations."

Chen Jianghuai nodded.

He straightened his clothes and then followed the ghost up the winding stairs inside the lighthouse.

Is the store manager at the top of the lighthouse? Controlling it?

To Chen Jianghuai's surprise, there was indeed a control room on the top floor of the lighthouse, but it was empty.

Instead, there is another large door in the corridor outside the control room, directly opposite the control room door.

A large, arched door in dark brown.

He said cryptically, "Mr. Chen, we've arrived. Enter this gate and we'll reach the real safe zone."

Chen Jianghuai: "???"

If he remembered correctly, the wall behind this door led to the outside of the lighthouse, right?

However, Chen Jianghuai was also a knowledgeable and extraordinary expert.

He wasn't unfamiliar with spatial portals; it was just unexpected that one would appear here.

He pushed the door open.

He composed himself and stepped inside.

Chen Jianghuai had planned many scenarios.

For example, you can walk through a winding, narrow tunnel and then arrive at the base camp of the safe zone.

Many different designs for safe zone campsites have also been pre-designed.

But he never imagined that the moment he stepped through the gate, he would be met with noise and bustle.

In a daze, he felt as if he were in a tavern in the real world before the city's collapse and cataclysm.

A bartender was wiping glasses at the bar.

Not far away were rows of tables where guests were chatting and relaxing. Drinks, tea, and snacks were laid out on the tables.

No, wait, it seems not to be just a thought.

This is the scene opposite the gate, the legendary safe zone camp?

Chen Jianghuai was in a daze for several seconds before gradually coming back to his senses. He took a deep breath, as if he wanted to firmly remember this scene, which was no different from the scene before the disaster.

:

At that moment, he heard a strange voice say, "Welcome to the safe zone, Mr. Chen. Please follow me this way."

The two went up to the second floor, which was an area opened up after the second expansion of the business area.

In the innermost private room, Chen Jianghuai met the legendary manager.

Some of these surprises were also unexpected.

This store manager is exceptionally young!

Moreover, he didn't seem to see any extraordinary life force in this shop manager.

However, the person who could build such a camp must be an extraordinary being, and very likely an extraordinary being of a higher rank than himself.

Chen Jianghuai could only marvel at the store manager's power and unfathomable depth.

#m

Shi An and Chen Jianghuai shook hands.

This was the first and only Transcendent Realm expert he had ever met.

Oh, the only human in the transcendent realm.

Another extraordinary being in the Transcendent Realm had been killed by himself not long ago.

Chen Jianghuai looked like just a middle-aged man with some presence, not particularly strong.

Shi An found it hard to imagine that the other party's body could contain such terrifying energy.

A single punch can cause a prefabricated house to collapse.

Even if a fake superhuman blasts you into the ground, you can get up as if nothing happened.

He became even more eager for himself and Xiao Xue Zhuo Ling to break through to the extraordinary realm.

It wasn't appropriate for Shi An to ask directly about the extraordinary advancement, nor was it convenient to ask at this time. But as long as Chen Jianghuai stayed, he would get the answer sooner or later.

Now, Shi An needs to obtain all information related to the fake man.

Chen Jianghuai said, "I've been thinking about this for a while, and combined with the situation of other people being corrupted, I can roughly conclude that the pseudo-human's true form is a small insect."

"Or, to put it another way, the little insects are the eggs of the fake people. They parasitize us humans, then erode and replace us, and eventually grow into a fake person."

Chen Jianghuai concluded, "Before the pseudo-humans completely replace humans, using purifying elixirs, potions, and abilities might be effective in killing the pseudo-humans within the body. However, if the pseudo-human eggs have already grown into real pseudo-humans, tearing through their disguise—"

He couldn't think of a solution for the time being.

The best solution is a lighthouse in the safe zone.

Shi An fell into deep thought.

The fake man is a formidable enemy, far more dangerous than any other strange entity.

Moreover, these pseudo-humans seem to be a bizarre group, all of whom possess intelligence, making their elimination even more necessary.

However, Shi An is currently unaware of the whereabouts of the other fake people.

He planned to compile the information and inform Fenhuo, Lu Qing, and the others in the Countermeasures Bureau.

The current affairs should be left to the countermeasures bureau to handle.

If conditions allowed, he would prefer to be a layabout, but unfortunately it seems he has to put in the effort now.

You must advance to the extraordinary level as soon as possible.

Only those with extraordinary power can truly have the ability to interfere with and influence the outside world.

Otherwise, he would have no choice but to retreat and guard his small safe zone.

During the conversation, Chen Jianghuai steered the conversation toward the survivors of their deer village.

Shi An said that they could all stay.

"But in exchange, I need you all to work for me, to develop the mines and build the camp."

We don't need that many employees in the safe zone for now.

The dormitory buildings in the safe zone don't have enough empty spaces anymore.

But Shi An planned to develop Camp One into a comprehensive camp. With the safe zone as a backup and the lighthouse to dispel the cold and eeriness, he had much more capital to build the camp than others.

The elk camp looked like a village, very dilapidated, because they had neither the resources nor the energy to consider anything beyond survival.

The camp that Shi An wants to build won't be so cramped.

The living conditions at the campsite are not much worse than those in the safe zone.

He can also select two, three, or four of the lost inhabitants of the camp to reside permanently in the safe zone in the future.

Alternatively, a patrol team could be formed to travel between various camps and garrisons.

These are all things for the future.

Shi An pondered.

Chen Jianghuai readily agreed to the work.

"That's only right. Anyone who dares to slack off will get a beating."

He paused and then said, "I have experience in building camps. Before we moved, I also dismantled all the remaining heritage of Elk Village and brought it with me."

He reached out and touched the ring.

Suddenly, three items appeared on the table.

A model of a well, surrounded by black tadpole-shaped patterns, resembling a sealed well.

A model of a sealed treasure tree.

A model of a sealed farmland.

Shi An knew perfectly well that these were not models, and the spell seals on them were very unstable. He estimated that they would only last for a few days at most.

Nevertheless, he was quite curious about this method.

Chen Jianghuai said, "As long as the well is buried in the ground, we can obtain pure water in the A Dream World. Various crops and even meat can be grown on the farmland, and the growth rate is even faster than in the real world."

According to Chen Jianghuai's description, the former well seems to be a reward from conquering Jiangmeng.

It was leaked.

Shi An remembered that "you do get some physical rewards after conquering the deep nightmares," unlike conquering the shallow ones which only gives you some insights into using cursed items.

Because the shallow layer is not entirely real, while the deep nightmare is a real world.

The "farmland" was a result of the elk camp's exploration process. They simply dug up a patch of arable soil and brought it back to the camp. After a long period of soil preparation and cultivation, it eventually became the mature farmland it is today.

Shi An also realized that farmland and wells had many limitations.

The well's water output was not unlimited as he had imagined, but rather quite limited.

Chen Jianghuai said, "Our Milu Village originally had three plots of farmland and two wells, but unfortunately, everything else has been destroyed. Now that I think about it, it was the work of those swindlers. They sabotaged it from within, so no wonder I couldn't find any clues before."

Because he never considered the possibility of an inside traitor.

Farmland and wells are essential for survival. Did the traitor destroy them so that everyone would die together?

Chen Jianghuai said, "Fortunately, this precious tree was not damaged. This tree can bear a precious medicine called Crimson Blood Fruit. Crimson Blood Fruit can strengthen the body and can also be used as medicine."

These are the essence of Deer Village.

It also possesses a wealth of knowledge, including secret medicines and spells.

Furthermore, some inherent advantages cannot be taken away. For example, the location of Deer Village is an extremely rare, danger-free area. Even ordinary soil there can grow something.

These various strengths are the foundation upon which the Deer Camp survives in the Nightmare World.

They can be completely self-sufficient without relying on the outside world.

To cultivate and become stronger, they still need to explore the Nightmare World and obtain various materials and treasures from it.

These are the ways of life for those who have lost their way.

Their methods of building and maintaining camps were completely different from those of the Countermeasures Bureau.

Today, Chen Jianghuai is handing over all this heritage to the store manager.

Shi An pushed it back.

"Since you are familiar with these things, you will be in charge of the construction of the lighthouse camp."

"From today onwards, you will be the garrison commander of the lighthouse camp."