Corpse Country, Danger in the Fog! (6400)

Cao Xing pushed open the castle gate, and a vast expanse of white appeared before his eyes.

It was as if the entire territory was shrouded in thick fog.

He could only vaguely see the black energy tower nearby and other buildings in the territory.

Even the tall Pale Tree was flickering in and out of sight within the mist.

Glancing at the surrounding situation, Cao Xing thought to himself: "Although the fog is heavy during the day, with the help of the lighthouse, I can barely see the terrain to work."

"And since this fog disaster looks like it will last for a while, let's use this time to develop the territory and upgrade those buildings."

Cao Xing prepared to call all the staff over.

But before that, he opened the Dragon Shop and exchanged 400,000 Ice Dragon Marks for a blueprint.

[Exchange successful: You have obtained Expert-level Frost Wall Construction Blueprint * 1, Ice Dragon Mark – 400,000 ———]

Before the system update, this was the highest-level wall blueprint that Survivors could exchange for.

Currently, most territories have primary and intermediate walls; high-level ones are very rare.

Cao Xing, however, had not only upgraded the walls of his entire territory to high-level, but was now starting to upgrade them to expert-level.

One could imagine how far ahead his progress was.

He glanced at the blueprint attributes.

[Expert-level Frost Wall Construction Blueprint]

[Blueprint Effect: Can upgrade the territory's high-level Frost Wall to expert-level, increasing armor and durability]

[Armor: 1500]

[Durability: 100,000]

[Attached Special Effect: Expert-level Frost Aura (Increases armor of all friendly units within 100 meters of the wall by an additional 300 points, and reduces damage taken by the wall by 30%)]

[Area: 10 meters long * 15 meters high * 10 meters wide]

[Required Materials for Upgrade: High-level Frost Wall * 1, Stone * 1500, glacier shard * 800, Iron * 150, dragon rock ore * 30]

[Required Time for Upgrade: 30 hours 34 minutes ———]

"Good heavens, does one wall require this many materials? It's almost three times that of a high-level wall!"

Of course, the durability, armor, and size of the expert-level wall had all been greatly improved.

Cao Xing scanned his resource reserves.

[Wood] * 1.3144 million [Stone] * 1.5489 million [Coal] * 315,400 [Iron] * 174,600 [Copper] * 95,000 [Mithril] * 41,461

[glacier shard] * 17.5488 million [dragon rock ore] * 71,837

"That's fine, the materials are plentiful enough to upgrade all the walls."

Then he pressed the communication device on his ear and said: "All staff, assemble."

Hearing his voice, figures flashed within the mist-covered territory.

One by one, the staff carefully felt their way along the routes they remembered.

From the second-ring residential area to the center of the territory, it was actually only a distance of one or two hundred meters.

But even this short distance took them a great deal of effort to successfully arrive.

One could imagine that if they were outside, this situation would be even more severe.

It took ten minutes for the hundreds of staff members to gather together.

Cao Xing scanned them and said: "From now on, until the thick fog dissipates, everyone will work within the territory."

"Cao Yi, you lead most of the staff, as well as the Goblins, to upgrade all the walls from high-level to expert-level."

"Remember to shift the lighting range of the lighthouses and concentrate the work in the same area."

"If anyone gets lost or goes missing, contact me immediately."

The resident Cao Yi said respectfully: "Yes, My Lord."

After saying this, he took over a hundred people and left.

Cao Xing continued: "Du An, your recent task is to continue upgrading the energy tower and the lord's castle."

"In addition, build the Imperial Knight Training Ground and the War Research Institute."

"Especially the latter building, prioritize its construction."

"After finishing these, arrange for people to upgrade all the lighthouses in the territory to expert-level."

Du An noted down Cao Xing's instructions one by one and then said respectfully: "Understood!"

After saying this, he also took away a group of Arctic People and staff.

Cao Xing glanced around; now only the villagers of Puteng Village and those cooks remained.

So he said: "Alright, all of you go do what I ordered yesterday."

"Yes."

The remaining staff dispersed.

Then, Cao Xing pressed the communication device on his ear again and said in the team channel: "There are no combat missions today."

"All combat personnel, train if you need to train, and rest if you need to rest."

After Cao Xing issued this series of orders, most of the members of the entire territory began to move.

Cao Xing passed through bursts of thick fog and walked to the edge of the territory.

Anyway, this was his own territory, a place he had lived in for several months, and he was quite familiar with the terrain, so he could still move around even with his vision obstructed.

He climbed onto the wall and walked a circle on it.

Just as expected, the fog outside the territory was even thicker; even with his eyesight, he could only see a distance of a dozen meters.

In this situation, even hero-level creatures could not move freely in the thick fog.

Cao Xing sighed inwardly: "This kind of fog disaster is truly strange. I don't know where it came from, to be able to cover an entire continent."

However, there were too many bizarre things in this world, so the appearance of such a natural disaster was normal.

Shaking his head, Cao Xing returned to the territory and went to the Mage Tower to absorb a Magic Crystal.

Then he prepared to take some time to go to the library to read a few books to improve his attributes and, by the way, learn about the background of this world.

"Creak!"

The library door was pushed open, and a smell of mixed wood and paper wafted out.

At first glance, one could see rows of wooden bookshelves, with quite a few books listed on them, about three or four hundred.

These books were naturally looted or collected by Cao Xing.

The books inside ranged from ancient magical secret books to mysterious astrological treatises, as well as magnificent heroic epics and profound philosophical works.

There were also some artisan craft manuals and rigorous historical documents, etc., with a wide variety.

Nowadays, his library could be considered to have taken shape.

Just as Cao Xing was about to flip through a few books he found interesting, he suddenly saw another figure in the corner.

She was wearing a light blue long dress, and her waterfall-like long hair hung softly on her shoulders.

She bowed her head slightly, focusing on the book in her hand, her perfect side profile making one want to look twice.

It was Gwyneth, that bard.

Because she was too focused, she didn't even notice Cao Xing's arrival.

And Cao Xing did not disturb her, flipping through a few books on his own.

After a few hours of reading, his attributes gained a slight increase.

At the same time, he saw an interesting book titled [Kingdom of Corpses].

[Book Content: Click to read]

After finishing this book, Cao Xing was thoughtful.

"A kingdom shrouded in plague? Does this kingdom still exist now?"

After thinking carefully for a while, he didn't find any clues.

Cao Xing closed the book again.

He looked at the time; it was already past two in the afternoon.

"I didn't expect four or five hours to pass just by reading."

So he looked at Gwyneth beside him and said: "I'm going out first, you should also pay attention to resting. If you're tired, go out and walk around for a while."

Hearing Cao Xing's voice, the woman seemed to come back to her senses.

Then she lifted her head slightly and made a gesture to him.

Cao Xing didn't understand, but he knew this should be Gwyneth's response to him.

So, he pushed open the library door, and a vast expanse of white thick fog appeared in front of him again.

Cao Xing continued to walk around the territory.

A moment later, he arrived at the buffer zone of the territory, and the sound of footsteps came to his ears.

With his current hearing, he could clearly hear movements several kilometers away.

However, he couldn't see clearly who was walking in the territory.

But soon, he saw the figure clearly; it was Old Mel, who was in charge of the livestock industry in the territory.

Cao Xing looked at his busy figure and asked: "Mr. Mel, what are you busy with?"

Old Mel was carrying two bags of fodder at the moment. After hearing Cao Xing's voice, he hurriedly stopped his steps and replied: "My Lord, I am preparing for the fog disaster tonight."

"Once this fog disaster arrives at night, no sound can be made, including those cattle, sheep, and chickens; they cannot make a sound."

"Otherwise, it might attract monsters in the fog."

"So, I got some silence-inducing grass and mixed it into the fodder, which can make this group of livestock not cry out for a period of time."

Cao Xing nodded in realization.

Old Mel, as an indigenous person of this world, had grown up here and must have encountered this kind of fog disaster before, so he had experience in dealing with it.

And this also made Cao Xing want to learn more about the fog disaster through him.

"Mr. Mel, do you know how long this kind of fog disaster usually lasts?"

Hearing this question, the old man pondered for a moment and then shook his head.

"I have lived for decades and have encountered this kind of fog disaster several times, but this is the first time I have encountered such a serious situation."

"Before, the short ones lasted about three or four days, and the long ones lasted about a week."

"This time, I don't know how long it will last."

Cao Xing sighed inwardly; this fog disaster was indeed not simple.

According to the number of days mentioned by Old Mel, the duration of this fog disaster would definitely be more than a week.

"Then do you know what the monsters in the fog are?" Cao Xing continued to ask.

Old Mel pondered for a moment and shook his head again, "No one knows what these monsters are, but they are very strange. Once it gets dark, these creatures will become active in the fog."

"Even, they will hit the door, make strange noises, and lure you to open the door."

"If you hear a knock on the door in the middle of the night, you must not open the door, and don't make any sound, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Old Mel's tone carried a deeply hidden fear.

And this also made Cao Xing feel a little puzzled, so he asked: "Are these creatures in the fog, Snow Demon?"

In this world, there were too many strange creatures.

For example, the Snow Demon they encountered before that would knock on the door and enter the room at night did fit the characteristics described by Old Mel.

"Not Snow Demon, we don't know what kind of monster it is either."

"But the creatures in the fog are very strange and powerful."

"As long as people who have seen these creatures, basically all died!"

"My Lord, please be sure to remind other members not to make any sound or go out of the room at night." Old Mel said solemnly.

Cao Xing nodded slightly and said: "Okay, I know."

"Mr. Mel, you go ahead and get busy."

"Yes, My Lord."

After saying this, Old Mel carried the two bags of fodder and walked quickly toward the direction of the cattle shed.

Afterward, Cao Xing didn't have much to do. He strolled around the territory twice before returning to the lord's castle.

Time quickly passed until evening.

Throughout the entire day, the Survivors had mostly stayed put and did not venture out.

There were, however, a few stubborn individuals who thought it was just a heavy fog and that it wouldn't have any impact.

Consequently, they entered the mist, and some even started a livestream post to attract attention.

These few thrill-seekers did indeed attract quite a number of viewers, with the livestream room's count breaking one million at one point.

Even Cao Xing felt a bit curious and clicked into the livestream room.

Cai Ze had been an outdoor adventure blogger back on Blue Star, and he once had hundreds of thousands of followers on a video platform.

After arriving in this dangerous world, Cai Ze had been busy surviving and developing his territory every day, nearly forgetting his old profession.

But now, seeing the mist outside and the apprehension of others, he seemed to have found an opportunity.

Thus, he decisively started a livestream and declared that he would bravely venture into the mist.

Watching the viewer count in the livestream room skyrocket, Cai Ze felt a little smug inside.

He straightened his expression, then looked into the camera and said solemnly: "Family, I am Cai Ze, a streamer dedicated to exploration and challenging the unknown."

"Now, I am about to step into the mist to bring you the secrets hidden within!"

"Keep following me, and I will bring you more exciting content!"

The livestream chat was instantly flooded with comments.

Under the gaze of over a million pairs of eyes, Cai Ze resolutely stepped out of his territory and ventured into the mist.

However, although Cai Ze had entered the mist, he dared not go too far, merely wandering around the vicinity of his territory where he could faintly see the locations of some buildings.

After wandering for a few minutes, Cai Ze found that he hadn't encountered any danger, so he looked at the camera and said: "Family, it seems there is no danger in the mist for now."

For a moment, the chat was scrolling frantically.

"Brother, you're really brave!"

"Stop testing it, come back quickly."

"Brother, if you've got the guts, go deeper into the mist."

Some were advising him to stop this dangerous behavior immediately, while others were constantly egging him on.

The popularity of the livestream room continued to rise.

Looking at the insane increase in the viewer count, Cai Ze was so excited he became carried away!

Back on Blue Star, he had worked hard for years, posting videos and livestreaming every day, but at his peak, his concurrent viewers had never even broken one thousand!

Now, looking at the nearly ten million concurrent viewers, he felt as if he had achieved some kind of goal, and his entire being felt sublimated.

Then, he straightened his expression and said to the camera: "Family, I will now enter deeper into the mist to explore and see what's going on."

"If you like this, family, please follow. Cai Ze will post more adventure videos in the future."

As he spoke, he walked toward the depths of the mist.

His follower count was also skyrocketing at a terrifying speed.

This only made Cai Ze more determined to continue the livestream.

Not long after he had moved forward, a tall, thin, black shadow suddenly appeared in the mist behind him.

That shadow looked like an elongated projection in the fog, flickering in and out of sight.

Many people in the livestream room saw this scene, were instantly alarmed, and frantically sent comments to warn him.

"Streamer, turn around quickly and look, what is that thing?"

"Holy crap! There's something behind you!"

"Streamer, stop!"

Cai Ze noticed the flooding chat and suddenly felt a chill behind him. A sense of dread welled up, like the devil's claw, tightly gripping his heart!

Cai Ze's face turned somewhat pale.

He took a deep breath, then quickly turned around.

As it turned out… he saw nothing.

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "You guys sure know how to joke; you almost scared me!"

"Let me tell you, I'm famous for being fearless back in my hometown; this level of stuff can't scare me."

However, the livestream chat was still scrolling frantically, warning him to watch his back.

After this incident, the number of viewers in the livestream room had officially reached twenty million!

Many Survivors had heard the relevant news and clicked into the livestream room immediately.

Cai Ze, looking at his rapidly rising follower count, became even more excited.

"Thank you for following, family!"

"So, let me continue to uncover the secrets of this mist for everyone."

After saying that, he took two more steps forward.

However, it was these two steps that seemed to make him step into another world.

The surroundings instantly turned into a vast expanse of white, and he couldn't see anything.

Although Cai Ze felt a bit unnerved, the continuously skyrocketing viewer count diluted the fear in his heart.

He continued to speak to the camera: "Family, I am now about three or four kilometers away from the territory, and the situation is good so far."

"It seems that during the day, this fog disaster isn't as serious as the system described!"

Just then, the livestream chat started scrolling frantically again!

"Above your head! Look above your head!"

"Damn it, there's something above your head!"

"Holy crap! What is that thing above the streamer's head?"

Because he had had the same experience.

Seeing the flooding chat, Cai Ze wore a slight smile on his face, still thinking others were joking with him.

Until his private messages were also filled up, and some people he knew were frantically sending him direct messages.

This made Cai Ze feel a bit unnerved.

He looked up at his head again, but it was still just a vast expanse of white.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt another bone-chilling coldness coming from behind him!

He turned around quickly, but it was still just a vast expanse of white; he saw nothing.

At the same time, his presence seemed to have disturbed some kind of creature in the mist.

The mist around him was stirred up, as if something was approaching him rapidly!

Cai Ze felt his scalp tingle, and he already had the intention to retreat.

But facing the camera, Cai Ze still forced a smile and said: "Family, that's it for today's exploration of the mist."

"Next time there's an opportunity, I'll take you to explore the mist again."

After saying that, he began to quickly return to the territory along the path he came from.

However, after walking for more than ten minutes, everything before his eyes was still a vast expanse of white.

This gave Cai Ze a bad premonition.

"Damn it… I haven't gotten lost in the mist, have I?"

The moment he thought of this possibility, a bone-chilling coldness enveloped him again!

It was almost dark now; if he were to get lost in the fog at this time, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Thus, he began to shout for help, seemingly wanting the territory's residents to come out and save him.

However, from the perspective of the Survivors, a very bizarre scene appeared!

They saw Cai Ze looking behind him from time to time with a terrified expression, and running wildly ahead every now and then.

Yet, as he ran, he would turn back toward where he came from, as if running in circles in the same spot, and he kept jumping up and down while making eerie noises!

The livestream chat was going crazy.

"Holy crap! Is this streamer possessed or crazy?"

"Go back, dammit, what are you doing?"

"Why do I feel like this guy is about to have an accident?"

At this moment, after running for over ten minutes without getting out of the mist and not receiving any response from anyone, Cai Ze seemed to realize something.

At the same time, he noticed that the creature in the mist was getting closer and closer to him!

The crisis of death completely enveloped him.

A moment later, Cai Ze lifted his pale face, forced a smile, and said: "Brothers, I might not be able to go back—"

"Whatever you do, do not enter the mist!"

The moment his words fell, the livestream feed cut off.

Then, the person's profile picture also turned black.

This made the tens of millions of Survivors in the livestream room feel a chill creeping up their backs.

No one had seen anything, yet this Survivor had died inexplicably.

It could be said that ever since he entered the mist, it had been filled with various eerie sights.

Even in the end, when Cai Ze suddenly died, no one knew exactly what had happened.

After this incident, the Survivors felt even more fearful of the world within the mist.

Including Cao Xing, who had also watched this livestream.

"A black shadow in the mist? It seems similar to the thing I saw in the air last time."

"What exactly are those things?"

"And what kind of creature attacked him?"

A bunch of questions popped up in his mind.

Shaking his head, Cao Xing didn't dwell on it.

Anyway, he wouldn't be like these guys and actively seek death by entering the mist.

This person named Cai Ze had used his life to warn everyone!

By the time it was late afternoon and nearly dark, Cao Xing had all the staff finish their day's work, go to the canteen to eat, and return to their rooms.

The chat channels of the four major districts also became lively again.

"Everyone, it's almost dark. Remember to turn off all light sources, hide back in your rooms, and remember to light your stoves, otherwise you'll freeze to death in the middle of the night!"

"This is tough, brothers. I sold my extra coal and wood a while ago and didn't prepare much fuel. I don't know how long this remaining bit of resources will last."

"Haha! It's a good thing I prepared a lot of coal when I was mining earlier, so I don't have to worry about the fuel problem."

"Help! The chickens and sheep I'm raising in the territory keep making noise. What should I do? Will they attract monsters?"

"That's guaranteed! I suggest you just slaughter them and let them provide you with nutritional value."

"The rat-men in my territory are the same, damn it, they keep making noise. This is troublesome!"

"To the brother above, the things you're raising are a bit perverted."

Amidst everyone's discussions, night fell completely.

Cao Xing did not return to his room but remained standing in the center of the territory.

He could clearly perceive that with the arrival of night, the thickness of the dense fog had surged significantly, obscuring his vision, to the point where visibility was no longer more than ten meters.

At the same time, it was accompanied by an extremely cold aura.

Although the temperature hadn't dropped much compared to the daytime, this aura felt like it was drilling into people's bodies, making them shiver uncontrollably.

And just at this moment.

Cao Xing heard a 'hissing' crawling sound coming from the snow outside the city walls, a few kilometers away.

At the same time, there were all sorts of strange noises, like a tidal wave, surging madly toward his territory.

This suddenly gave Cao Xing a feeling of palpitations.

This kind of situation hadn't even occurred when he faced Valkyrie Malenina back then!

"Something is strange. I need to leave quickly!"