Chapter 91 An Abnormal Autumn: Do Monsters Have Intelligence?

For a full month, the lights in the Dongling City Research Institute were almost never turned off. When Yan Jing brought the final results to Lin Nanxing, his eyes were bloodshot, but his voice was unusually bright: "Lord Lin, I have lived up to your expectations."

"Although limited by the lack of other materials, we can only stabilize the temperature inside the barrier at around fifty degrees Celsius at present, but this is the maximum we can do so far." His tone still carried a hint of regret.

Lin Nanxing looked at the jumbled research reports in his hand, politely placed them on the farthest spot on the table from him, and looked up to comfort him, "Dean Yan, this result is already very good, completely exceeding my expectations."

While fifty degrees Celsius would have been an unimaginable high temperature in the old world, it's considered a comfortable temperature in this high-temperature game.

The research was completed, but field trials were still needed to see the results. After careful consideration, Lin Nanxing finally decided to use Chixia Town as the site for this experiment.

The reason why the stern and impartial lord chose Chixia Town was partly due to his own selfish motives.

Chixia Town is a large town with a population of 30,000. Its layout is similar to that of Yunpei Town. Before the arrival of the acid rain season, the town's residents also lived underground for a long time.

Originally, everyone lived underground and could escape the sun, but continuous acid rain eroded the underground structure, forcing all 30,000 people to come to the surface.

Hu Wei, like Yun Aobai, had applied to join the Star Territory with his entire town, but the territory was already saturated and the entire town could not be relocated, so Lin Nanxing could only apologize and refuse.

Although the temperature drops in autumn compared to summer, the ground temperature is still at least 100 degrees Celsius. Walking outside feels like being on a hot plate, making life unbearable.

If the project is successful, the lives of the people in Chixia Town will be much better. This is also Lin Nanxing's way of compensating and caring for the friendly neighboring town.

Upon hearing this, Hu Wei immediately took his younger brother Hu Ba to personally pick up the person without saying a word.

The two of them rushed over on a train that had resumed operation. They didn't even get off at the train station; they picked up Lin Nanxing and the research institute's group and headed back.

That eagerness was written all over his face.

Without much small talk, Yan Jing and his group immediately began working upon arriving in Chixia Town.

When the conversion equipment, developed over a month, was set up in the central square of Chixia Town, almost everyone in the town who could walk around gathered around.

No one spoke; countless eyes were fixed on the machine in the center that was converting the components of the cold marrow ore.

"It's started!" someone shouted.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the dark blue light patterns, like living, cold vines, rapidly climbed and spread along the previously almost invisible defensive barrier.

In the scorching air, it gradually wove into a translucent, pale blue light net that covered the entire town.

Time passed second by second. For the first few dozen seconds, it seemed that nothing had happened. The sun was still scorching and the air was still burning hot.

Someone couldn't help but wipe away sweat, a hint of disappointment and anxiety in their eyes, muttering under their breath, "Could these researchers be here to cheat us out of money?"

"Probably not. This is something researched by the Star Territory. With the Star Territory's backing, I believe this thing will definitely be useful. Let's wait and see."

The group thought they were speaking quietly, but in the quiet environment, it was very clear to others.

Yan Jing glanced expressionlessly at the gossiping group, but inwardly he was marveling at how popular the Star Territory was; no matter what they did, people believed in them.

Gradually, a subtle commotion arose in the crowd.

"Huh?" An old man leaning against the wall, feeling hot, was the first to raise his head in confusion, squinting as he sensed something.

Then, more people noticed something was wrong.

How can I describe that feeling?

It's like having a huge stove right next to your head, and now the stove has suddenly moved a few steps away. It's still hot, but not hot enough to make you faint.

Hu Wei, who was staring intently at the portable thermometer in his hand, was so nervous that the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Amid the residents' gasps of surprise, the numbers on the dashboard, which hadn't changed in a long time, began to decline.

95℃...80℃...65℃...

The temperature gradually decreased, eventually settling at 50℃.

Hu Wei stared at the number for a full five or six seconds, as if he didn't recognize it.

Then, the man who carried the burden of the entire town's survival suddenly turned around, his back to everyone, his broad shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Hu Ba, who was standing next to him, saw his brother's actions and his eyes instantly reddened. He didn't say anything, but just reached out and patted his brother's back twice.

"It's done...it's really a success." Hu Wei's voice choked with emotion.

Ever since he was forced to lead 30,000 people back to this land where you could fry an egg, Hu Wei's dreams have been filled with images of townspeople collapsing from heatstroke and children crying out in pain. Now, looking at the still-high numbers on the instrument panel, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He took a deep breath, wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve, turned around, and strode over to Lin Nanxing.

His eyes were still red, but he forced a smile and grabbed Lin Nanxing's hand tightly.

"Stop talking, Lin sister, none of you are allowed to leave today! I still have two jars of old wine that I dug out of the cellar ruins, and some savings from the past. Brother, hurry back and get them all out, we're going to have a good meal!"

In a world of food scarcity, food is the most appropriate way to express gratitude.

Lin Nanxing felt a sharp pain from his iron grip, her fingertips turning white. She forced an awkward smile and was about to subtly pull her hand back when a broken male voice suddenly came from the edge of the barrier.

"Mayor! Something terrible has happened!!"

A player, covered in blood and staggering, scrambled into the newly stabilized barrier, his face drained of color, his eyes filled with terror.

Hu Wei frowned and released Lin Nanxing's hand: "What's the panic? What happened to you?"

The player's lips trembled as he pointed outside the barrier, "Outside, there are many groups of monsters, and their attack power is several levels higher."

Hu Wei was taken aback, and the slight joy on his face instantly froze: "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't all monsters mindless? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"It's true!!" The man was so anxious he almost jumped up, his voice trembling with tears. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Seeing this, Lin Nanxing immediately took out a bottle of mineral water and handed it over to comfort him, saying, "Don't rush, catch your breath, drink some water, and slowly explain what happened outside."

The man took the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls. After catching his breath, he spoke rapidly: "This morning, I arranged with Lao Wang to try my luck in that wind-eroded rocky area to the west. Although there are some elite monsters there, if you're careful, you can earn a decent income."

"It started off well, and the harvest was even better than usual. But just as we were cleaning up the dropped supplies and preparing to leave, a level 40 black boar suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

His voice trembled: "Old Wang and I are just ordinary tank players. How could we possibly fight against a level 40 monster? We wanted to run away, but before we could take more than a few steps, a scorpion of the same level suddenly darted out from a crack in the rocks next to us and bit Old Wang's calf when we weren't paying attention. After being attacked like that, Old Wang couldn't run at all!"

"Then, right then a mutated eagle came down from the sky. Its attacks were all aimed at Old Wang's ankles. Old Wang was already poisoned and couldn't run. He didn't even have time to react before he was gone, right before my eyes..."

The man almost broke down in tears by the end.

"Mayor, what I said is true! These monsters seem to have brains. The wild boars charged head-on to subdue people, the scorpions ambushed and poisoned them, and finally the eagles swooped down to finish them off. They were all level 40 boss-level monsters. This is not the behavior of ordinary monsters!"

The relaxed atmosphere that had arisen due to the successful cooling within the barrier vanished instantly. Everyone held their breath as a chill crept up their spines.

Someone murmured in disbelief, "Three high-level monsters suddenly appeared near the territory, and they're even attacking the players together?"

Lin Nanxing's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously brought up the game interface.

It's only been a month since autumn began, and the weather forecast at the top clearly shows that next month will still be autumn.

If the seasons haven't changed, then what's going on with this sudden change?

Almost the instant this question arose, the system's voice sounded: [Host, autumn is a season for all things to rest and recuperate, accumulating strength.]

"You mean this isn't an isolated case?"

Of course, suitable climate is like timely rain; after a period of rest, all things naturally enter a more active and aggressive phase. The frequency of the emergence of population leaders and the tendency to cooperate will significantly increase, which is in line with basic ecological logic.

Lin Nanxing's heart sank.

The system's subtext couldn't be clearer: this wasn't a coincidence, but a seasonal, global increase in difficulty. The monsters had not only become stronger, but they might also have become more intelligent and started banding together.

At this moment, the thought that arose in Lin Nanxing's mind was that, fortunately, her Star Territory had a solid foundation after this period of development.

The territory has a considerable amount of farmland, with large quantities of crops ripening every day, and livestock are also breeding steadily. At least in the short term, there will be no problem with food reserves and basic supplies.

Even if the wilderness becomes extremely dangerous and players are forced to shrink their activity range, at least within her territory, everyone's basic life can be maintained thanks to these resources, and they won't immediately fall into a survival crisis.

She looked at Hu Wei, whose expression was becoming increasingly grave, and reminded him, "Mayor Hu, the situation is probably more troublesome than we expected. The most important thing right now is to immediately strengthen the security inside Chixia Town and bring back all the people who are active outside. Everything should be done with the safety of the town as the top priority."

"Not all players have the ability to deal with high-level monsters, not to mention that monsters are extremely aggressive towards players and now they are banding together. Their next target may not just be a lone player."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

The places where players gather the most are the various safe zones.

"Our Star Territory has some surplus food and storable supplies. If needed, we can prioritize allocating some of them to you for emergency use."

Hu Wei was jolted awake by these gentle yet alarming words, which snapped him out of his heavy thoughts. He gasped, “You’re right, Lin. I didn’t think things through. I was so worried about the aftermath that I didn’t consider this aspect.”

"As for food, our Chixia Town still has its reserves, which are enough to last for a while, so we won't trouble you to make another trip."

Providing food support at this time is a gesture more precious than anything else.

Hu Wei glanced gratefully at Lin Nanxing, then turned to Hu Ba, whose face was also tense, and said, "Immediately issue the order: double the number of patrol teams in the town, increase the frequency of shift changes, and cancel all non-essential missions that involve long distances. Also, find a way to contact the hunting teams that are still outside and have them withdraw to the town as quickly as possible, leaving no one behind. Gather all the scattered residents in the central area so that they can look after each other."

With this unexpected turn of events, Hu Wei naturally lost interest in organizing any more gatherings. Lin Nanxing nodded understandingly. She was also concerned about the Star Territory, so she led the people from the research institute and her magical plant team to bid farewell to the now somber atmosphere of Crimson Glow Town.

On the way back, the group was much quieter than when they arrived, and everyone seemed preoccupied because of the sudden change in the game.

Logically speaking, since groups of high-level monsters have appeared even near Crimson Glow Town, Star Territory, as the most populous city in the vicinity, should encounter this situation even more often. However, instead of the expected tense atmosphere, the territory is filled with... a cheerful atmosphere.

The streets were bustling with people, and many players walked briskly with obvious excitement on their faces.

Some people carried bulging burlap sacks, which exuded a familiar, fresh scent mixed with the aroma of soil and plant roots. Others carried bamboo baskets, from which buds of brightly colored, berry-like branches and leaves peeked out.

Even more outrageous, some people even used makeshift carts to push several small beasts whose hooves were bound by vines and which were making groaning noises; they actually captured the monster alive.

This doesn't look like an attack by monsters; it looks more like a bumper harvest.

Lin Nanxing and Yan Jing exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

The experts from that research institute were all reluctant to communicate with outsiders, but they all looked at Lin Nanxing with curious eyes.

Having no other choice, Lin Nanxing stopped a middle-aged player who was carrying a sack and had a big smile on his face, and asked, "Brother, excuse me, everyone seems so happy. Has something good happened in the territory?"

The player put down the sack, wiped his sweat, and seemed somewhat surprised by her question: "Young lady, you look travel-worn, you must have just come back from outside? Didn't you notice that things are different outside today?"

Lin Nanxing immediately put on a slightly embarrassed, harmless smile, and softened his tone: "Big brother, you've misunderstood. With my small frame, how could I dare to go into the wild? I just felt too bored staying in the territory, so I took a train to visit a friend in Chixia Town. I just got back."

"Oh, I see!" The older brother suddenly realized, his doubts disappearing and replaced by even greater excitement. "No wonder you didn't know! Let me tell you, it's incredible! Just today, out in the fields, it was like magic; suddenly, tons of edible things appeared!"

Speaking of what he had seen and heard today, he became animated and raised his voice: "Today, many bushes that I had never seen before appeared in the wild. When I got close, the system would pop up a prompt saying that they were edible plants that could be collected. Not to mention, there were also some monster cubs that I could capture alive. The system also said that they were edible."

"Everyone who went out for a walk has gained something, more or less. Now that's great, we can fill up the rice bins at home a bit more, and we feel much more at ease!"

Lin Nanxing's heart stirred slightly.

As all things revive and recuperate, the system's words echoed in her mind.

The monsters are becoming stronger, more cunning, and even starting to cooperate.

However, at the same time, common collectable resources have begun to appear in the wild, and it seems that we have entered a harvest period with relatively abundant resources.

After listening to her elder brother's explanation, Lin Nanxing subtly revealed her concern. She frowned slightly and lowered her voice, "But brother, I just heard from a friend in Chixia Town that the demons outside seem to have become stronger and more ferocious. The whole town is on high alert and is preparing to tighten its manpower. Aren't you worried about this while you were busy harvesting outside?"

The uncle waved his hand dismissively: "What's the big deal? Those are just level 40 monsters. Just gather a few more people and go out together. If you're really scared, just stay near the barrier. If there's any danger, just run into the barrier. You don't have to fight the monsters yourself."

Lin Nanxing paused for a moment, almost forgetting that the Star Territory's defense system was terrifyingly strong; no wonder they weren't afraid.