Starting with building a sandbox town

Ok?

Bai Xiu's heart stirred slightly.

Focus your attention on your mind.

Previously, the Hives in the city were always dark, but now they are lit up. Does this mean they are ready to be used?

What will its abilities be?

Will it summon a beehive? Or something else entirely?

The hive of the human-faced bee has always been shrouded in mystery, with many different theories about its origin. Some say it comes from hell, others say the human world is fake and the real world is inside, and still others have even more outrageous theories.

Bai Xiu took a breath and temporarily suppressed his desire to use it.

Find an opportunity to separate from the group and test things out on your own.

In addition to the Hive skill icon, Bai Xiu also discovered that a small map had appeared in his mind.

There's not much information yet, but it should be Wind Chime's skill 'Map Drawing'.

"Everyone, please take note. The objective for this mission is still the bioluminescent forest 30 kilometers ahead. Because there will be heavy rain in the next few days, it will be inconvenient to collect the bioluminescent flowers, so we need to collect more bioluminescent flowers this time," Nightingale said.

Every night, Gray River City consumes a large number of small light charms to dispel monsters, so the demand for its raw material, Night-Shining Flower, is naturally high.

Bai Xiu and the others nodded and set off with Nightingale.

During this process, Bai Xiu also curiously observed the wild.

It doesn't look much different from the wilderness in my previous life. It seems that the human wilderness isn't as exaggerated as it used to be, retaining the characteristics of the natural wilderness. Unlike the terrifying deep wilderness in the sandbox town, it's more like another dimension.

After walking for twenty minutes, Bai Xiu finally spotted the first human-faced bee.

Its body is yellow, and it has the face of a strange middle-aged man. It looks extremely eerie and is currently flying aimlessly in the wild.

"Go around it," Nightingale commanded.

Everyone nodded and carefully bypassed the monster.

The kind-hearted elder brother Zhao Hongchao whispered to Bai Xiu, "Remember, the first rule when encountering monsters in the wild is to avoid them if possible. Otherwise, you won't have enough lives to spare. Since it's unrelated to the mission objective, you don't need to worry about it."

Bai Xiu nodded, indicating that he understood.

For the rest of the journey, Nightingale led the group around several more human-faced bees, but they were discovered on the last occasion.

The three bees, one with a woman's face and two with men's faces, noticed Bai Xiu and the others' movements. Their eyes widened instantly, and they looked over with longing, as if they were seeing a beautiful meal.

"Meat, it's meat..."

Three human-faced bees flew swiftly toward Nightingale and the others.

"There's no escaping it! Bai Xiu, come back as backup! The rest of you, prepare for battle!"

Nightingale drew the two swords from behind her, and Zhao Hongchao and the others' eyes flashed with sharpness.

Everyone here is skilled.

Zhao Hongchao held the Blood Granny in his hand. He brandished the sharp blade, and blood appeared with it. With a snap, the momentum of the human-faced bee was stopped, and at the same time, the human-faced bee was stained blood red.

That was the Blood Granny's strange blood, containing a terrifying curse, and the human-faced bee emitted a painful buzzing sound.

Li Miao held an axe that radiated a scorching heat, clearly a weapon from another spirit. Though not tall, he possessed great strength, and with a powerful strike, he directly chopped away the human-faced bee covered in alien blood in front of him.

What surprised Bai Xiu most was Tian Weiwei.

Her initial shyness had vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor. The black whip in her hand seemed to come alive, like a terrifying tornado, relentlessly lashing at the human-faced bee, accompanied by the sounds of a cat's meow.

"Meow!"

This is an alien weapon, the Black Soul Cat Whip.

As for Captain Nightingale, her reaction speed was incredibly fast. As soon as she drew her twin swords, the Human-Faced Bee was already cut in half before it could even react.

"Is this the main force of Group Four?" Bai Xiu secretly assessed in his mind. The strength of Sandbox Town was still far inferior to theirs.

However, the presence of rock wine can make up for some of the difference.

And then there's Hotaru's exaggerated attack on Hyoga; if they actually fought, the outcome would be unknown.

Putting aside the main force, Sandbox Town is now at least stronger than a regular Firefly squad. After the Human-Faced Bee resources are exhausted, it may not be much weaker than the main force.

After defeating the human-faced bees and collecting their magic cores, the group continued their journey.

Bai Xiu doesn't get many opportunities to use his Blood Rain ability. It doesn't seem to have much combat capability on the surface. It can only be used for detection when encountering some hidden jungles.

"Attention everyone, four more human-faced bees have appeared ahead. They seem to have spotted us." Nightingale frowned slightly.

They weren't very lucky today, encountering more human-faced bees in the wild than usual. Although their team was strong enough to handle them, it would still take a lot of their energy.

The mission location is the distant glowing flower forest, and we've already encountered many human-faced bees before we even get there.

Even the smallest detail can affect the mission.

Bai Xiu's expression shifted slightly. After a brief moment of thought, he communicated with the Sandbox Town and took out four bottles of rock wine from the tavern into his backpack.

"Everyone, would you like something to drink to replenish your energy? This is some wine I made." Bai Xiu smiled and took out some rock wine from his pocket.

"Hmm?" Nightingale and the others turned to look at Bai Xiu with puzzled expressions.

They didn't understand why they would drink alcohol in such a dangerous situation.

"This can replenish physical strength, and the effect is quite good," Bai Xiu said with a smile.

"Is that so?" Zhao Hongchao and the others took the wine in their hands with some skepticism.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't joke around in this situation."

Seeing the human-faced bees flying in, Zhao Hongchao and the others made a decisive move. The mission was still long, and they did need to replenish their strength. In this situation, they should trust their teammates.

They all opened the bottle caps and took a sip of the wine.

Wow!

A warm, pleasant atmosphere permeated everyone's bodies.

It seems to really replenish energy?

Zhao Hongchao felt that his physical condition seemed to be better, so he rushed forward with the Blood Granny's Blade.

Just then, a bee stung him from the opposite direction.

Whoosh!

The Blood Blade clashed with the bee stinger.

Peng!

The next second, Zhao Hongchao was stunned. He had originally thought it would be an evenly matched contest, but...

Whoosh!

The human-faced bee was flung far away.

Normally, he would feel a strong recoil, but just now... it felt like he had hit a sponge.

"This is..." Zhao Hongchao looked at his hands in surprise and found a blue light shining on his body.

Li Miao, Tian Weiwei, and others also discovered it.

"My axe's defense has been enhanced?"

"My cat whip is the same, sigh..." Tian Weiwei waved the whip and found it to be unusually sturdy, like waving a rock, but without the weight of a rock.

It feels so good to swing it around!!

Nightingale was taken aback by her teammates' reactions. Then she gently touched her arm with the knife and found that the blue light was incredibly hard, and her arm was completely intact without leaving any cuts.

"Such strong defense." A hint of surprise flashed in Nightingale's eyes.

With the help of rock wine, the human-faced bee was quickly killed.

After the battle, everyone turned their attention to Bai Xiu.

Bai Xiu explained with a smile, "This is a rock wine I researched that can temporarily boost defense."

Everyone was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Yes, I already knew Bai Xiu graduated from the Firefly Academy Graduate School, but...

"Can it be mass-produced?" Nightingale immediately asked the crucial question.

Bai Xiu shook his head and said, "It can only be made by me putting in the effort; I can only make a few bottles a day."

The nightingale nodded in agreement, unsurprised.

The study of foreign objects differs from that of ordinary objects, emphasizing a high degree of soul compatibility. Even with the same steps, a different person might not be able to create it.

It's a bit of a shame that it can't be mass-produced.

But both Li Miao and Tian Weiwei were somewhat excited.

"We can produce a few bottles every day... which means that should be enough for our team, right?" Li Miao said excitedly.

That wonderful feeling of defense I just experienced was so incredibly comfortable.

Zhao Hongchao couldn't help but say, "If we had this wine... we would be much safer on every mission. It would be so convenient."

With this magical wine, it's like wearing a powerful suit of armor.

Tian Weiwei couldn't help but recall the feeling of wielding the whip just now; the whip felt like a rock, and she wanted to lash it a few more times.

"You guys, this is Bai Xiu's own stuff." Nightingale glared at Zhao Hongchao and the others.

Bai Xiu said warmly, "It's alright, I can't finish it all by myself, so I'll share it with everyone."

Upon hearing this, Tian Weiwei and the others' eyes lit up.

Nightingale nodded, her gaze softening as she looked at Bai Xiu, and said, "Thank you. I'll leave it to you for future missions."

Zhao Hongchao smiled at Bai Xiu.

Bai Xiu's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this.

It seems she has successfully gained Captain Nightingale's approval and has stayed in the main team.

The rock wine was something he deliberately showed off. Although Bai Xiu liked to hide himself, he could only gain more benefits by appropriately demonstrating his value.

After that, everyone's attitude towards Bai Xiu improved.

"This wine is amazing..." Li Miao exclaimed excitedly.

He was accidentally bumped by a bee again. In the past, he would probably have been injured, but thanks to this layer of blue light, he was completely unharmed.

"Captain, you must keep Bai Xiu in our team!" Tian Weiwei whispered to Nightingale, feeling a sense of surprise every time she swung her whip.

"Don't worry," Nightingale smiled.

Someone who can increase a team's survivability and reduce injuries should definitely be kept on your team.

The exploration team continued onward.

Along the way, Bai Xiu also gained a deeper understanding of Nightingale's strength.

Boom!

"The ground is sinking!"

The nightingale stands on one foot.

Click!

The ground caved in dramatically, extending for tens of meters, creating a truly astonishing effect.

The four human-faced bees within the area immediately became dizzy.

"The captain is getting stronger and stronger. He has a level 2 special skill called Earth Trap. I'm so envious. I wonder when I'll be able to master it," Zhao Hongchao said with emotion.

With the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and a level 2 special skill, one can apply to become the captain of the Firefly Division.

These conditions are not simple.

To absorb a level 2 special skill, both talent, resources, and perseverance are indispensable.

Nightingale exhausted all her resources, spending most of her wealth on exchanging awakening liquid, and it took her two years to finally obtain a level 2 skill and become a captain.

Bai Xiu also looked at the strange skill with curiosity.

A level 2 sinkhole is indeed very strong.

Zhao Hongchao noticed Bai Xiu's curiosity and smiled, "Don't rush. Once you complete more missions and earn contribution points, you can also learn special skills."

Bai Xiu nodded.

……

With Bai Xiu's rock wine, the rest of the journey went much more smoothly, and they soon arrived at the mission location, Nightglow Forest.

It was still daytime, and the forest in front of us wasn't glowing.

The mini-map also appeared in Bai Xiu's mind.

A forest marker appears above, with a glow-in-the-dark flower pattern emerging from it.

"Can we still see resources on the map? That's a convenient feature." Bai Xiu was pleasantly surprised.

Upon reaching the forest entrance, Nightingale reminded them, "Start collecting now, and keep in touch via communicator. Remember, you can only collect from the outer edge of the forest. There's a large canyon of human-faced bees inside, where a queen bee has already hatched. Make sure you don't get too close."

This was mainly to remind Bai Xiu that the official team members were all familiar with the Human Face Canyon.

Zhao Hongchao also looked at Bai Xiu and reminded him, "There are detailed markings on the outer edge of the forest. We can't cross them. That's the territory of the Human-Faced Bee Tribe, but we'll be able to get there soon."

"Hmm?" Bai Xiu asked, puzzled.

Zhao Hongchao said with a smile, "The Firefly Division will launch a full-scale attack on the Human-Faced Bee Tribe in the next few days. The minister is personally taking action, it seems to be for the level 4 alien substance Black Marrow Honey produced by the little queen bee."

So now we can gather them even deep in the forest.

Is it a level 4 foreign object?

Bai Xiu's heart stirred slightly.

Aside from legendary objects, there are seven levels of regular objects, with level 4 objects being considered top-tier.

However, neither the Queen Bee nor the new-generation minister is too far away for Bai Xiu.

"Be careful, this is your first time collecting, don't stray too far from us," Nightingale warned.

Bai Xiu nodded, and then everyone dispersed.

……

"There are quite a few glow-in-the-dark flowers nearby." Bai Xiu smiled. He had a small map in his mind, which marked some of the glow-in-the-dark flowers. Compared to others, Bai Xiu was much more efficient. Before long, he saw one.

Those were blue flowers, emitting a soft glow, and they looked very beautiful.

This is the third one, but each flower only contributes 10 points.

To accumulate 1500 merit points to exchange for a special skill, you still need to work hard.

Bai Xiu was about to continue collecting Night-Shining Flowers, but after looking at the map again, he was stunned. A strange tree appeared on the edge of the map in the distance ahead.

The tree trunk is honey-yellow, appearing to be completely covered in honey.

Bai Xiu became interested.

In the wild, anything unusual could be an opportunity.

Just as Bai Xiu was about to explore, he paused slightly, because three small red dots had appeared behind him at some point.

The Nightingale captain and others were marked in blue, but the mark in front of them was red.

"Does this mean...the enemy?"

Bai Xiu was somewhat surprised as he saw the three small red dots quietly approaching him.

Am I the target?

Bai Xiu suddenly remembered the old man from the Strange Artifacts Pavilion's reminder that some people were hunting strange weapons in the wild.

I never expected to run into one myself.

He curiously checked the red dot information. He couldn't see the names, but he could see the other party's cultivation level. They were three people in the early stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

interesting.

This kind of wanted criminal should be worth a lot of contribution points, right?

Bai Xiu smiled.

He pretended not to have noticed anything and continued collecting, then quietly walked away from Nightingale and the others.

In a patch of grass.

Three men dressed in black lay in ambush once more.

"Heh, this idiot has no sense of vigilance at all. He's a newcomer and he's already far from the team. He hasn't completely completed his marrow cleansing yet, and his strength is not much different from that of the Body Refining Realm. I was originally thinking about how to separate him from his teammates." A man with a scar on his face licked his lips and smiled.

"Don't be careless. Although that kid is weak, only at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm, Nightingale and the others are troublesome. After we move, retreat immediately."

The eagle-eyed man among them had a cold look in his eyes. "His alien weapon is Blood Rain, which is easy to deal with. Try not to make a fuss."

"Great, this idiot is getting further and further away from the team!" The scarred man perked up. The alien weapon was extremely valuable; after completing this job, he could live a carefree life for half a year.

……

Bai Xiu pretended to know nothing, slowly separating himself from the team, while his body trembled slightly and he tried to suppress the involuntary smile that crept onto his lips.

The number one player in the cycle of reincarnation, known as the God of Slaughter, has been taking good care of his health lately... Suddenly, he smelled blood, and an uncontrollable excitement surged through every bone in his body.