Zhang Tong...
Jin Mo, the oldest member of the team, repeated the name in a low voice and soon found the corresponding face in his mind.
Comparing the face in her memory with the man in front of her, she showed obvious surprise:
"I've heard of you. You were a member of the second to last team of the Exploration Program twenty years ago."
What she didn't say was that all the teams that left the city this time had heard the message that the other side had sent back 20 years ago:
"Fog, such a thick fog!"
Shouldn't this person be dead? Why is he here?
"It seems that not everyone has forgotten me, which is really comforting."
The old man reached out and pushed his glasses down on his nose. The glasses seemed to have experienced many wars. There were obvious signs of repair on both sides of the temples, and they really looked like they had been used for many years.
"Come over here, let's talk."
Zhang Tong completely ignored the implied vigilance in the other person's expression and went to a somewhat dilapidated thatched house on his own.
This somewhat shabby house is not even as good as the places where some residents from the outer city live, but for this place, for the swamp settlement, it is already the best and largest one.
Soon, under Zhang Tong's instructions, some food and water were placed in front of everyone.
But the five people were indifferent, as if they didn't see these things at all.
Zhang Tong sighed silently and said:
"What do you want to know?"
Jin Mo's expression became a little more serious:
"What do you think? As a member of the Hope City Exploration Team, you've been receiving your pension for twenty years, but now I know that you're alive and well here. Don't you think I need to explain?"
After hearing Jin Mo's words, Zhang Tong's expression became a little complicated. He reached out and took off his glasses and put them on the table:
"Then I'll start from twenty years ago..."
He leaned back on the creaking chair, his thoughts going back to twenty years ago:
"Back then, our team's mission was to explore the west of Hope City. We collected samples from dozens of locations, but only a small number of exotic beasts harassed us. There was no sign of a beast tide. The only suspicious thing was that the white fog floating in the sky would slowly descend every night, turning everyone blind.
"That was the day before we were going to return. The suitcases were already full of samples. As long as we could return, the mission would be successfully completed."
Jin Mo listened to the other party's words and nodded slightly, but what he was thinking in his heart was:
Then he comes to say "but".
“However, that evening, we were attacked by a group of mimic insects and had no choice but to keep running away.
“Many teammates volunteered to block the bugs behind them in order to buy time for us superpowers and researchers.
"We knew that Hope City was in the east, so we kept running eastwards. Unfortunately, those strange beasts blocked our way back."
While listening to the other party's story, Jin Mo combined Zhang Tong's words with his own understanding of the exploration process. However, there were indeed not many repetitions. After all, the communication device would be completely ineffective after being out of the city for a period of time. Without anyone to corroborate each other, it was difficult to prove whether the other party was lying, but there was still a way...
The super-powered captain pretended to listen carefully, but he quietly made a gesture with one hand behind his back.
Zhang Tong on the other side seemed unaware and continued to narrate:
"There was no way to go east or west, so we could only move south."
“Why the south?”
"I can't really explain it. At the time, everyone was panicking and had no idea where to go. They were either heading south or north. It didn't really make any difference."
"Okay, I'm just asking, please continue."
"In fact, we are heading southeast, after all, this will bring us closer to home...
"Those bugs have been following us for three whole days! Fortunately, there is a superpower in our team who can eliminate everyone's fatigue to a certain extent, which allowed the remaining dozen people to escape successfully.
"Three days later we came to a swamp. We successfully crossed the area with the help of the superpower who could freeze the water. However, the strange beasts were unable to get through, regardless of whether they were beast-type or insect-type."
"I have a question..."
Jin Mo raised his right hand slightly and politely interrupted Zhang Tong:
"I understand that the beast-shaped beasts can't pass through, but why can't the insect-shaped beasts get through? Aren't they able to fly at low altitudes?"
"This swamp is too wide, and those insect-shaped beasts have grown so much in size compared to their original species that their bodies can only support short-distance flights. Most of the swamp would be completely swallowed up if they landed once."
Jinmo's right hand slid casually across his chin, and he roughly understood what the other party meant.
This sounds reasonable, but further experiments are needed to confirm it.
If this is true, perhaps it is not impossible to let those superpowers who can affect the terrain on a large scale create an artificial swamp outside Hope City...
"Please continue."
"After that, there was nothing much... We fled here, and there were less than ten people left. This area is in the middle of the swamp. Occasionally, due to weather conditions, there are some roads that lead to the outside world. You only need to modify your shoes to cross the swamp...
"We roughly know that this place should be about ten degrees south-east of Hope City, but the exact distance from Hope City cannot be determined. Furthermore, if we cross the swamp to the north, we will be discovered and attacked by strange beasts. We have tried many times and many people have died."
Jin Mo's brows slightly frowned:
"In other words, for twenty years, you have made almost no substantial progress and are just trapped here, living day after day?"
"I'm so sorry, but it's true..."
Zhang Tong's expression was calm, as if he was used to such direct accusations.
"I want humans to survive, whether they are from inside the city or outside the city."
"Let's talk about those humans who are not from Hope City. I always feel that they are a little strange..."
Jinmo ultimately focused on population, which was very important for a settlement.
“Well, there are currently ninety people in the swamp settlement. That’s not a lot, right?
"Among these ninety people, there are only four humans left from the original Hope City. Several of those who escaped with me have died in the past few years due to the harsh environment or the recurrence of old injuries."
"Among the remaining people, a dozen or so are descendants of the native humans of Hope City, and the rest are some outsiders and their descendants."
"Where on earth did the outsiders come from?"
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