Survival of the Nation: My luck was a tiny bit worse.

"Awesome."

Hassan gave him a thumbs up, "Using monkeys as sentries, that's brilliant!"

"And then there's that giant tortoise,"

Chen Hao flipped through his notebook and continued, "Although it doesn't participate in patrols, it lives in a river bend at the foot of the mountain. That river is the most easily overlooked passage to the camp."

"With it here, we don't really need to worry about enemies coming from the water. I've already communicated with it—"

Actually, it was Mr. Ou who communicated with it, instructing it to place several hidden reefs at the entrance of the river bend.

Although Chen Hao didn't think any creature would want to sneak into the river after seeing that big turtle.

"good."

Leng Ruolan nodded in satisfaction. "What about the supplies?"

"Grain reserves are sufficient."

Chen Hao continued his report, "There are still three warehouses of wheat, two warehouses of potatoes, and one warehouse each of dried wild fruit and pickled vegetables."

"The meat in the ice cellar is enough to last us a month. The seasoning kits are automatically replenished weekly, and we still have more than half a kit left."

"Where are the weapons?"

"Nine electrified short swords, one for each person. Six arm shields. Fifteen ordinary iron swords and twelve spears."

Alexander counted on his fingers.

"For ranged weapons, we have three assault rifles and five pistols, with ample ammunition. Special ammunition includes electronic bullets, but our stockpile is limited to thirty rounds. We also have five Abyss Crystal Shards, which can be used to make emergency weapons, but they require a furnace for processing."

"What's the status of the furnace?"

"Working well."

Chen Hao said, "Recently, we have developed three new formulas. One of them is to forge heavy arrows by mixing the tusks of mutated wild boars with iron ore. It has extremely strong penetrating power and is quite effective against mutated beasts with thick skin."

"The other two are still under testing. One is to try quenching with abyssal crystal fragments - it has failed four times so far. On the fifth attempt, it shook a crack in the furnace, so it has been temporarily stopped."

"Is the stove alright?" Ou Yun finally sat up from the hammock.

"It's alright, it's been repaired with ore."

Chen Hao adjusted his glasses. "Next time I try it, I'll adjust the recipe proportions first."

"Then don't try it."

Ou Yun was unusually cautious, saying, "That furnace is our core advantage; if it explodes, we'll really lose everything."

"I know. That's why I didn't dare use Abyss Crystals for the next two tests, and instead used Storm Blackhawk Feathers—the effect was pretty good, and I managed to forge a bow that could generate electricity."

"Bow??? Where is it?"

"The warehouse. I'll get it for you tomorrow if you want to see it."

"Okay then."

Ou Yun lay back down in the hammock, clearly in a good mood.

With complete fortifications, ample supplies, sufficient weapons, and allies all over the world.

There's nothing to be afraid of in the third stage either.

Leng Ruolan picked up a piece of roasted meat and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Big brother, every time you say something like that, something bad happens."

"When did I say something was wrong?"

"Last time you said that everyone in the forest was an acquaintance and there would be no danger, but then you ran into the forest lord."

"The time before last you said the circular valley wasn't a big deal, but you almost got taken down by the scorpion's mental attack from the black mist. The time before that—"

"Alright, alright, those were all accidents."

Ou Yun waved his hand, "An accident is an accident precisely because it doesn't happen every time—"

However, the words had barely left his mouth.

A sharp screech suddenly came from outside the camp.

The sound was thin and long, like metal rubbing against glass, and had a very strong penetrating power.

Holy crap!

"Holy crap! What the hell is that noise?!"

Everyone present instantly donned masks of pain—the sharp, explosive sound lasted for about three seconds before abruptly ceasing.

Instead, a series of heavy, rhythmic footsteps could be heard.

Footsteps came from the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, and the bowls and plates on the table clattered and clanged.

Ou Yun bounced off the hammock.

Nanbei immediately stood up from the campfire, his hair standing on end, and a low growl came from his throat.

Leng Ruolan immediately grabbed two short swords and strode towards the watchtower. "Chen Hao, go up to the watchtower and observe! Hassan Alexander, take some men and guard the east and west entrances. Everyone else, grab your weapons and assemble in the square!"

"yes!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

The sound of hurried footsteps and the clanging of weapons echoed through the camp.

Chen Hao climbed up the watchtower in three quick steps and raised his binoculars to look down at the foot of the mountain.

The night was dark, and the moonlight was mostly obscured by clouds, so only a blurry black shadow could be seen moving slowly at the edge of the dense forest.

That thing was enormous, much larger than the Black Hawk.

Its outline was faintly visible in the darkness, like a moving black cloud.

"I can't see the specific shape!"

Chen Hao shouted down, "But they're huge, and they're not moving fast! They're heading towards the river bend!"

"River bend?"

Leng Ruolan frowned. "The giant tortoise is over there."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dull thud came from the direction of the river bend.

This was followed by a deep, powerful gurgling sound from the giant tortoise, and another completely unfamiliar hiss.

"Glug! Glug glug!"

"Uh...uh...!"

It sounded like a completely incomprehensible roar—and the sound of the river water being churned.

Various sounds swirled wildly in everyone's ears.

The group felt a chill run down their spines, and for a moment they really didn't know whether they should make a move or not.

Ou Yun couldn't help but look at Leng Ruolan, "Um, Captain Leng, are we still going?"

"Wait a little longer!"

Leng Ruolan's tone was very serious.

The crashing continued for about half a minute, then gradually stopped. The screeching sounds faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

"Splash, splash..."

The sound of the giant tortoise slowly crawling back to the pool.

"Gurgle!"

The giant tortoise's voice was full of disdain.

Leng Ruolan lowered her binoculars atop the watchtower, her lips twitching slightly. "It seems... everything's alright now."

Ou Yun stood below the watchtower, looking up. "What's that?"

"I couldn't see clearly, but it should be some kind of newly emerged mutated beast. It's quite large; it fought the giant tortoise but didn't gain the upper hand and ran away."

"this one?"

"That's it."

Leng Ruolan jumped down from the watchtower, dusted off her hands, and said, "The giant tortoise seemed to think it wasn't strong enough. Did you hear its disdainful reply?"

"Oh……"

Ou Yun thought to himself, "What? I didn't even see what that guy looked like before he was beaten up and ran away? That's it?"

Why does it feel like something big is brewing in a forbidden area?

Chen Hao then waved to everyone, "Let's continue preparing for the battle. It was just a false alarm."

Hassan's hand, gripping the dagger, was still trembling slightly. "Captain Leng, that commotion just now—it wasn't an ordinary mutated beast, was it? The ground was shaking."

"It's alright, these days even a monster spawning in the forbidden area can cause the ground to shake."

Ou Yun waved his hand, "Look at the giant tortoise and the electric bird and ice bird, isn't that right? This guy can't beat the giant tortoise. And the giant tortoise is our ally, so rounding up, it's practically inferior to us."

"..."

No problem!