Chapter 44: The level 4 camp leveled up too quickly, and the game was targeting it...

Doghead is completely grasping at straws in his desperation; he doesn't even know what he's saying.

Surprisingly, the brown bear actually listened. Its gaping maw moved away from his face, and with a loosening of its grip, the dog's head tumbled headfirst into the snow. He struggled to open his eyes and saw the brown bear slowly approaching. A shadow loomed overhead. Remembering news reports about bears eating people alive, a buzzing sound filled his ears. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled backward.

“Brother Bear…”

The brown bear stood up, its 3-meter height creating an immense sense of oppression. A shadow loomed overhead, its shoulder muscles bulging, strong and powerful. It didn't need to do anything to instill a chilling sense of dread.

Dog Head felt the blood rush to his brain, his heart raced, and he stammered, "Brother Bear, I was wrong, I was wrong. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep."

The brown bear opened its mouth and lazily yawned, its hot breath spraying onto the dog's head. The breath was fishy and smelly, and you could even clearly see the bone fragments and pieces of flesh stuck between its teeth.

Doghead's legs went weak, and he instinctively crouched down, clutching his head. He blurted out, "Brother Bear, I'm here to help you, I'm a good person." After a moment of silence, he cautiously opened his eyes a crack, meeting the brown bear's gaze. His mind raced. "Uh... Brother Bear, I discovered someone broke into your tree hole. They not only wanted to steal your things, but they also said they wanted to skin you and wear your bear skin as clothes..."

Upon hearing the words "bear skin," the brown bear turned its head and looked at it with a cold gaze.

Dog head: "They're all... all fzy..."

It's all fzy's fault.

If I hadn't followed him into the forest, how could I have run into a brown bear?

Doghead completely forgot that he was the one who first had the evil intention of killing people and seizing the camp, and blamed everything on fzy, trying to divert Brown Bear's attention.

"fzy doesn't take Xiong Ge seriously at all, I really can't stand it anymore!"

"Brother Xiong, I was trying to help you, that's why I disturbed your sleep. If you had been any slower, your house would have been torn down."

"Brother Xiong..."

The brown bear stared for a while, then its towering shoulders slowly relaxed, its aggressive intent subsided, and it turned and walked towards the tree hole on all fours.

...He survived.

Dog's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the snow, panting heavily. He then realized that he was covered in sweat despite the cold weather. He wiped his brow and prepared to get up and run away, but then he saw the brown bear turn around and nod its chin at him.

It was as if it was urging him to catch up quickly.

Dog head: "..."

Even the dog's head didn't dare to run away.

I tried to run it once before, and the brown bear caught me easily.

Having barely escaped the bear's jaws, he dared not provoke it any further. He could only stand up shakily and walk stiffly to the bear's side.

The brown bear grinned, as if it were smiling.

Dog Head didn't dare to look, keeping his head down as he walked, listening to the sound of fur rubbing against his ears, his heart pounding like a drum, fearing that the brown bear would suddenly pounce and bite off his head.

The journey wasn't long, but it was incredibly arduous.

Halfway there, he caught a glimpse of a scarlet stain on the snow by the roadside. The blood was blinding, and Dog Head remembered the screams of the Upside-Down Guy before his death, and his face turned ashen.

The brown bear paused and glanced back.

Dog Head didn't want to follow in the footsteps of the Upside-Down Guy, so he forced a smile and quickly followed.

Passing through the dense forest, the tree hollow was just a stone's throw away. The snow piled up in front of the tree had been dug away, revealing a series of footprints.

Dog Head was initially very scared, but after walking for a while without seeing any brown bears attack him, his mind gradually became more active.

The brown bear seems to be communicative and trusts him, so could he use the brown bear to kill fzy and then easily take over the level 3 camp? This would divert the bear's attention, giving fzy a chance to escape.

While the brown bear wasn't looking, Dog Head scanned the points shop and locked onto an item.

[Substitute Paper Doll]

Price: 50 points

[Effect: Instantly teleports you 100 meters away and leaves a paper doll behind to attract aggro]

Doghead doesn't have many survival points. In the early stages, in order to alleviate the pressure of survival, he exchanged several basic material packs. If he buys this item, he will have very few points left.

However, now is not the time to dwell on this. Once we take over fzy's level 3 camp, we can easily earn back the lost points.

Dog Head gritted his teeth and bought the [Substitute Paper Doll]. He patted his pocket and found a palm-sized paper doll inside, which he held tightly, giving him a sense of security.

His eyes darted around as he stepped over the fallen leaves buried in the snow.

Squeak—

The mechanism of the treasure chest turned and rubbed against each other, slowly opening the lid and revealing a dazzling light inside.

[Received 1 Advanced Poison Potion, 1 Forest Longbow, 1 Great Elf's Blessing, 1 Fountain of Life, and 1 Camp Skin (Forest)]

A row of glittering props appeared in the backpack, but before I could open the details, a tuft of brown hair suddenly caught my eye.

Brown bear fur

Fang Zhiyi immediately realized that this was a tree hollow where brown bears hibernate. His gaze instinctively swept across the hollow, finding it empty and devoid of any terrifying presence.

Thankfully, the brown bear wasn't home.

Fang Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately decided to leave the tree hole first. What if the brown bear came back? Wouldn't they be trapped inside and unable to get out?

But what you fear most is what happens most often.

I hurried toward the cave entrance and heard rustling footsteps outside, as if they were approaching the tree hollow.

Fang's meaning: ...

He stopped and leaned against the tree wall, not daring to move.

The footsteps grew clearer and closer, each one seeming to strike his heart.

Swallowing hard, he made a quick decision and climbed out of the cave.

The tree hollow is only so big; there's nowhere to hide. If the brown bear really comes back, being trapped inside will only lead to certain death. It's better to go out and take a chance.

Fang Zhiyi grabbed a protrusion on the tree wall and quickly climbed to the entrance.

Snow fell softly from the branches, the sunlight was blinding, and my vision blurred. I raised my hand to shield my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a fawning smile.

"Brother Xiong..."

I rubbed my eyes and saw a player frantically fawning over a brown bear.

Fang's meaning: ...?

What kind of game is this?

He thought there was something wrong with his eyes, so he rubbed them hard again. Looking again, the player's face had changed; he pointed at him indignantly and said, "Brother Xiong, that's him!"

Fang Zhiyi was stunned for a moment.

"He's the one who broke into your tree hole and stole your things!"

Fang Zhiyi took a step back and guiltily covered the contents of her backpack.

How did he know?

The player then added, "He also said he wanted to skin you and use your bear skin as a footpad!"

Fang Zhiyi glanced at the brown bear subconsciously.

Standing at 3 meters tall, he was imposing and his fur stood on end. His paws were as big as palm fans, and one slap could send him flying.

Fang's meaning:

What are you saying in your gibberish?

Can he beat him?

He glanced at the player again.

This player's ID looks familiar; I often see it in the chat. It seems to be the one who likes to make outrageous comments and then add a dog emoji to the end to say he's joking. He's known as "Dog Head."

Dog Head added fuel to the fire: "Brother Xiong, he doesn't even respect you!"

The brown bear took a step forward.

His figure was tall and imposing, and every step he took brought a strong tremor.

Fang Zhiyi suppressed the urge to run away.

Brown bears are the largest land carnivores, capable of reaching speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour at full speed, making it impossible for an animal to outrun a brown bear on two legs.

Besides, he was 100% sure the dog was talking nonsense, and the brown bear seemed to be communicable, so turning around and running away would only provoke the brown bear.

Fang Zhiyi's eyes flickered, and he saw a gloating smile on Dog Head's face.

Dog Head stood behind the brown bear, looking very smug: "Brother Bear, you absolutely mustn't let him get away with this!"

What's the point of upgrading to a level 3 camp? Even if you get first place on the leaderboard and steal the spotlight, you'll still die at the hands of a brown bear. Ideally, you'd be scared and run away, only to have a brown bear grab you and bite your head to pieces.

Thinking of such a bloody scene, Dog Head was not afraid at all, but rather very excited.

Fantasizing about taking over the level 3 camp and beating the game, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

“…Kill him!”

It was brimming with malice.

Fang Zhiyi felt a chill run down her spine as she frantically racked her brains for a way to deal with the predicament before her.

You can't beat them, and you can't escape them.

The brown bear seemed to have believed the dog's nonsense, and any explanation he could give now would be a waste of breath; he could only fight back... and so on.

Just as Fang Zhiyi was about to take out his longbow, he suddenly glanced at a jar of honey in the corner of his backpack. It was a thank-you gift from the white bear Aji.

polar bear.

Brown bear.

“The bear has a relative in the forest, and the bear will tell it that humans are the bear’s friends.”

Fang Zhiyi flashed a bright smile: "Brother Xiong, don't you recognize me?"

The brown bear paused for a moment.

Doghead was also stunned.

However, he quickly realized that this person was imitating him in trying to get closer to the brown bear.

He quickly said, "Brother Xiong, he's lying to you, he doesn't know you at all!"

The brown bear stared at Fang Zhiyi, took a step forward, and stretched out its paw at him.

The bear's paws are as big as palm fans, and its claws are as sharp as knives. If they land on you, you'll be smashed into mincemeat. Anyone would run away in panic.

Fang Zhiyi, however, stood still and went to meet her.

court death!

Doghead almost burst out laughing when he saw his actions.

"Fool, do you really think brown bears are that easy to fool?" He was quite interested, preparing to watch fzy get smashed into mincemeat.

The scene I imagined did not appear.

The bear paw changed direction in mid-air, lightly resting on Fang Zhiyi's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Human, the bear knows you."

Dog Head's eyes widened: "Wait... Brother Bear, don't be fooled by him! He sneaked into your tree hole and stole your things!"

The brown bear's eyes flickered as it looked towards the tree hollow.

Fang Zhiyi snapped out of his daze and said, "Brother Xiong, I've come to visit you! Since you weren't home, I came in for a bit." He took out a jar of honey from his backpack. "Aji told me it has a relative living in the forest, and I thought since the camp is nearby, I should come and visit. This is a gift I brought for you."

The honey immediately caught the brown bear's attention. It opened the jar, and the golden, sweet honey flowed into its mouth, causing it to squint its eyes in satisfaction.

He who eats another's food is bound to do so.

Even bears are no exception.

“Man, Aji mentioned you. You’re very good.” The brown bear patted Fang Zhiyi on the shoulder.

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

I almost got internal injuries from those two slaps.

This was even after the brown bear loosened its grip; even so, its stamina dropped a little.

I was relieved that I was able to make connections; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to beat them even if I fought desperately.

They've managed to establish a kinship on this side, and Dog Head, seeing how well the two brothers get along, suddenly gets anxious.

Why is it different from what we agreed on?

"Brother Bear!"

He remained silent, and Fang Zhiyi hadn't had time to pay him any attention. She turned her head and glanced at him, feigning confusion: "Brother Xiong, what was he mumbling about just now?"

The brown bear licked the honey off its paw, paused for a moment in confusion, then realized what it meant: "Hello, he's talking about you, he's bad." In the brown bear's world, black and white are distinct, and since it's bad, there's no need to pay attention to it. It simply stretched out its paw and grabbed at the person.

The bear paw fell from mid-air, and the dog head immediately used [Substitute Paper Doll].

puff--

A wisp of white smoke flashed by, and the dog's head disappeared from its spot. The bear's paw swiped, but only managed to grab a paper figure.

The brown bear fiddled with it for a moment, then stuffed the paper figure into its mouth, chewed it, and spat it out with a "pui!"

100 meters away.

Dog Head stumbled into the snow. As soon as he stepped on the ground, he ran towards the edge of the forest without stopping for a moment, fearing that the bear would catch up with him.

Seeing that they were about to escape the depths of the forest and the bear hadn't caught up, they unconsciously slowed their pace.

“fzy…” Doghead gritted his teeth, “I’ll kill you one day.”

There's no chance today.

However, there's plenty of time. With such a large target tree in the level 3 camp, he didn't believe other players wouldn't be tempted.

He could first smear fzy in the channel, saying he was hunting players and taking over their camps with the brown bear, making him a target of everyone's hatred. Then, once he had a favorable position, he could join forces with other players to seize his camp...

Doghead thought it was a great idea and got more and more excited, not noticing that a crack had appeared behind him and a bear paw was sticking out from it.

"The level 3 camp is definitely mine..."

The dog muttered to itself, about to open the light screen to spread rumors and slander, when suddenly its pupils dilated, a sharp pain came from the back of its head, its body swayed, and the last thing it saw was the huge, bloated back of a brown bear.

You eliminated 1 player.

[Accept this player's camp?]

Fang Zhiyi chose "yes".

[Camps are being merged]

【00:04:59】

I wonder what will happen after taking over other players' camps.

Fang Zhiyi turned her gaze away.

"Man, the bear has solved the problem." The brown bear patted its large, powerful paws.

Fang Zhiyi: "...Uh. Thank you."

The brown bear asked, "If a human gives a bear a gift, what does the human want?"

Fang Zhiyi actually did want something: "Hardwood. Brother Xiong, do you know where to find some?"

The brown bear thought for a moment, then turned its back to Fang Zhiyi and slapped the towering tree in front of it with its paw.

Thump.

Knock knock.

Each time the camera was struck, the ground shook violently.

With continuous pounding, pieces of dark black wood fell off one after another, soon piling up into a small mountain.

[Obtained 99 Hardwood]

Fang Zhiyi left the depths of the forest carrying a full load of hardwood.

The brown bear stood still and waved at him: "Goodbye, man."

Fang Zhiyi's lips twitched slightly: "Goodbye!"

...It's probably better not to see each other again.

Having harvested enough hardwood, the next step is to find star fragments.

These are the materials required for the exchange's order placement section.

Once you've collected enough star fragments to complete the quest, you can exchange them for the final blueprint for a level 3 building.

Fang Zhiyi circled the woods, searching for the location where the star had fallen, based on his memory, and found a deep pit in the southwest corner of the forest.

At the bottom of the crater, a meteorite glittered faintly.

Fang Zhiyi climbed down and picked up the meteorite.

[Obtain 5 Star Fragments]

The forest was exceptionally quiet.

We didn't encounter any other dangers along the way. But thinking about it, the biggest danger in the forest is probably the brown bear.

With no danger and enough materials gathered, the return journey was exceptionally easy. Along the way, they picked up trash and even unearthed several frozen fossils in the permafrost.

When Fang Zhiyi returned to the camp, he almost thought he had gone to the wrong place.

The campsite expanded, with stone walls rising up to form a sturdy barrier around it.

[fzy's Level 3 Camp+]

These are all changes that occurred after the merger with Doghead Camp.

Fang Zhiyi also discovered that there were many more materials in the storage box, which should all have come from the dog-head backpack.

His feelings were somewhat complicated.

Occupying and merging other camps yields greater benefits than painstakingly upgrading and building on one's own, meaning the game encourages players to kill each other.

It's unclear how many people are aware of this unspoken rule.

Fang Zhiyi's heart sank, and she decided not to make the matter public.

The post-apocalyptic world is already rife with broken rules and dangers; if players then turn on each other and kill one another, the difficulty of survival increases dramatically.

Fang Zhiyi put aside his mixed emotions and began to tidy up the campsite.

With the hardwood in hand, begin constructing a level 3 survival shelter.

The materials vanished, transforming into a ball of white light that enveloped the luxurious tent. After a series of clanging sounds, the shelter appeared before them.

The shelter was a square house with small windows. It was sturdy and solid, able to withstand the cold winds and maintain warmth. A chimney stood on the roof, and looking through the window, a fireplace was embedded in the wall.

Shelter

[Defense 100]

[Recovers 5 stamina per minute]

Fang Zhiyi understood that this was his last line of defense; if the camp was breached by monsters, he could still hide in the shelter.

However, he will not let that "if" happen.

Arriving at the delivery box at the trading post, he placed the star fragment inside.

The last level 3 building design blueprint fell out.

Arrow Tower

[Level 3 Defensive Building]

[Requires 20 wood, 20 stone, 10 hardwood, 1 longbow, and 10 energy crystals]

Fang Zhiyi was taken aback for a moment.

Upgrading to a level 4 camp requires three level 3 residential buildings and two level 3 defensive buildings. Why is the blueprint for the defensive buildings being given to him?

Now that we have more defensive buildings, where can we find one more residential building?

He sensed the game's subtle malice; it was deliberately keeping him stuck at level 3 and unable to level up.

Fang Zhiyi suppressed his restless heart and built the arrow tower first.

A white pagoda stands beside the watchtower.

At the top of the tower is a platform with a crossbow on it. Once it hits the last remaining arrow, it can automatically aim and fire at the enemy. It can fire a maximum of 20 arrows per minute.

It's useful... but what he wants is to upgrade the camp.

Fang Zhiyi searched for other orders on the exchange's bulletin board. All the existing orders listed there had been completed and would not be refreshed for another day.

Could it be that I leveled up too quickly and the game is targeting me?

Fang Zhiyi frowned.

The sky gradually darkened, and there was still an hour until 6 PM.

The second monster wave is coming, but he still hasn't been able to upgrade his camp to level 4.

All the materials are ready; all that's missing are the design drawings.

Fang Zhiyi felt frustrated and annoyed. He was aimlessly looking at the camp building page when his gaze suddenly stopped and landed on one of the buildings.

Isn't it just design drawings?

He has.

[Hot Spring Design Drawings]

[Construct a hot spring using 1 hot spring source and 10 volcanic rocks?]

Fang Zhiyi, with the idea of ​​trying anything as a last resort, chose to build it.

A small, exquisite open-air hot spring appeared in the campsite. It was decorated with artificial rocks, with flowing water and rising steam, and the frost and snow that fell on the water surface melted quickly.

【spa】

Special Living Structures

Can a hot spring be considered a level 3 residential building?

[Level 3 Residential Building (3/3)]

[Level 3 defensive building (3/2)]

You have met the requirements to upgrade your camp.

[fzy's Level 4 Camp]

[Building Value: 23]

[Environmental Value: 26]

[Evaluation: Congratulations! You have exceeded the mission requirements and built enough structures. You may now have a chance to survive the blizzard.]

We've finally reached level 4 camp!