Although Su Jian and ERROR were lucky enough to find the hidden camera, it seemed that the camera had been "released" by the research institute, and no one came to retrieve it.
It is almost impossible to find humans by standing next to the camera.
ERROR complained as usual, "As expected, anything related to 'luck' has nothing to do with me."
"Don't say that." Su Jian comforted him, "Although your luck value is very low, it's not zero."
"Oh?" ERROR asked, "How much is my luck worth?"
Su Qiong: "Approximately zero."
ERROR: ...
Well said, don’t say it next time.
"What should we do? We can't find any way to contact humans." Su Jing was very worried because he couldn't trigger the system prompt.
[Into Nature] The dungeon is very large, almost the same size as the Earth.
The animals had no means of transportation and couldn't find the right direction. If they just wandered around aimlessly, they wouldn't even find a trace of humans after ten days.
Just as Su Jing finished expressing his worries, he heard a system prompt the next second.
[System: One-third of the first day's time remains, and night is approaching. Player error detected. NPC Su Jian's species is a fennec fox, a nocturnal animal. Please return to your habitat immediately and complete a survival mission.]
[Tip: Completing the survival mission will give you clues about the human world. The mission will be invalid if it exceeds the limit.]
The prompt ends and a large countdown appears in the air:
04:59
Su Jing blinked, and the number changed to 04:58.
The two people reacted immediately, "Let's go!"
"IF" has a default rule that the time required to cross two areas is fixed at five minutes, no matter how far apart they are.
The player's progress method and speed will have a negligible effect on this time.
If you see the prompt but don't respond immediately, there is a high probability that the mission will be deemed invalid because you don't return to the habitat before the countdown ends.
"call……"
"Caught up."
ERROR held Su Jing's hand all the way and ran back to the desert area where they originally lived.
The countdown just reached zero and the sky darkened at an incredible speed.
A cold wind blew around, raising yellow sand all over the sky and blurring the already poor vision.
"The survival mission is..." Su Jian was halfway through his words when he found himself unable to speak.
More than just speechless?
He found that the things around him suddenly magnified exponentially, and even the grain of sand under his feet was no longer small.
Su Jing looked at ERROR beside him, only to find that it was not the things around him that had grown bigger, but the two of them had shrunk.
Become a real fennec fox covered with fur and having a pair of big ears.
[System: Survival challenge, spend the night as a fennec fox.]
"Ouch—"
As the night deepened, a roaring sound was heard in the distance. I couldn't tell whether it was a desert wolf or something more terrifying.
In the vast desert, many animals come out at night, making the originally barren desert extraordinarily lively.
Su Jing realized that the two foxes might have been surrounded by natural enemies.
No matter how smart and powerful we were as humans, we have now become a link in the food chain in nature and can easily become food for other animals.
"Squeak." Su Jing made a faint sound.
ERROR did not make a sound, but observed his surroundings vigilantly, while using his small body to protect Su Jing behind him.
He dug his front paws into the ground, lowered his body, and assumed a fighting posture ready to attack at any time.
Diagonally ahead, the low bushes trembled a few times, and it was obvious that something was hidden inside.
Su Jian instantly became alert and imitated ERROR's posture, defending himself in an animal way.
However, the anticipated danger did not come.
"Squeak."
In the bushes, the same cry as Su Jian's was heard, responding to him.
Accompanied by rustling sounds, a fennec fox with equally large ears emerged.
It is still a cub, and its ears are bigger than those of an adult, making it look cute.
"Squeak!" the fennec fox called out to him.
"...Squeak?" Su Jing responded tentatively. Although he didn't quite understand what it meant, he could feel that the fennec fox cub was greeting him.
After both sides confirmed that they were of the same species, more and more fennec foxes emerged from the bushes and came to them.
ERROR made a low, rather cute sound, but he felt a bit embarrassed, so he stopped making any sound and scratched two crooked words in the sand with his claws:
social.
The "IF" system is relatively fair and won't take things too far.
Fennec foxes are small but have a social nature. When accepted by a group, their survival becomes much safer.
You know, even ants, when gathered together, are a force that cannot be underestimated.
"Squeak!" The fennec fox cubs like Su Jian very much because he is small in size and looks similar to the cubs.
The fennec fox is one of the smallest canids. The body of an adult fennec fox can generally reach 30 to 40 centimeters, but the Sujian is only 20 centimeters long, and most of its length is supported by its ears.
Even the fennec foxes that gathered around him treated him as a cub that needed protection.
ERROR, who did not enjoy any advantage of living in a group, thought silently: the system seemed to give Su Jing special treatment.
Give him props, give him skills, and even prepare the sacrificial ceremony to become the leader of the circle.
Could it be that the evil son actually likes Su Jing very much?
ERROR sneered.
Rebellion, right?
"Squeak." Su Jing has mastered the fennec fox's way of communication and is not stingy with his cute calls.
After calling out many times, he gradually understood what his other companions meant.
Fennec foxes are nocturnal animals that usually hunt at night. Now, after a day of hunger, the little foxes have to look for food in the vast desert.
Most canines are omnivores, eating whatever they come across, including fruits, vegetables, insects, and meat.
Fennec foxes are small in size and their diet usually consists of fruits, insects, and small animals.
Although they live in groups, they rarely hunt in groups because their reactions are too sensitive and their targets are not large animals, so hunting in groups would affect each other.
Only the mother will take her young cubs with her to look for food.
Su Jian was classified as an "underage cub" and was led by the mother cub who became his friend, walking in the vast desert.
After turning into a fennec fox, Su Jing found that his hearing had become extremely sharp and he could hear the sounds of insects more than ten meters away.
ERROR followed Su Jian not too far away, not in a hurry to find prey, but instead kept a close eye on Su Jian.
Su Jian knew that he must be very hungry.
To give them a realistic experience of animal survival, the system cranked up their hunger levels to the maximum. Su Jian, a piece of code that couldn't feel hunger, even felt dizzy after walking along the desert for a while.
"Squeak." Su Jing made a low sound.
When the fennec fox mother heard this, she stopped licking Su Jian's ears, comforted the poor baby, and said she would find food for it quickly.
There was a crawling sound coming from the desert in the distance. It must be a desert snake digging a hole underneath.
Desert snakes are large prey for fennec foxes. Furthermore, many desert snakes are venomous, and a bite from one can kill instantly, leaving the fox prey.
The fennec fox mother and her two cubs had no intention of challenging the desert snake.
But Su Jing was so hungry that he felt dizzy, and his own cubs also cried for food.
The fennec fox mother made up her mind to try her best for her cubs.
She pricked up her ears and listened, noting the area where the desert snake crawled. Then she aimed at the right moment and swatted it with one claw.
This fennec fox was unlucky; the part of its body that emerged from the sand happened to be the head of a desert snake. Its mouth opened and tongue spitted out, its poison-filled fangs gleaming icy in the night.
The fennec fox mother was almost bitten by the snake and quickly dodged it, making a hoarse cry as if in response to stress.
The desert snake looked at the fennec fox and then saw the two fennec fox cubs squatting next to it. It immediately made a judgment and turned to attack the cubs.
The mother fennec fox's cry immediately became shrill and she quickly rushed towards her cubs.
However, there was a fox that was one step faster than it.
Just as the desert snake was about to rush towards Su Jian, ERROR grabbed it from behind below the neck.
The bite force of the fennec fox is not very strong, and it is difficult to break through the thick armor of the desert snake developed by wind and sun.
ERROR bit the desert snake's neck in half with his teeth.
The fennec fox expressed amazement.
With such fighting power, is it really a canine? Or is it not a large cat that was born by mistake?
ERROR bit the desert snake to death and was about to check on Su Jing's condition.
But Su Jing resisted and hid behind, making a disgusted "squeak", which was more frightening than seeing a desert snake.
"..."ERROR Looking through his eyes, you see a fox with blood all over its face.
Su Jing is most afraid of this kind of sticky fluid, which can easily stain his body. No wonder he is so resistant to it.
ERROR had to give up the idea of getting close to Su Jian, turned around and whispered something to the fennec fox, then quietly left to find water to clean himself.
Many fennec foxes in the desert do not need to drink water in their entire lives, so they do not have the ability to find water sources.
It took some effort for ERROR to find a small puddle, where many large animals were drinking. Seeing this out-of-place fennec fox, smelling of blood, they all looked at him with ferocious eyes.
However, because the other person's aura was too unique, no one approached him.
ERROR washed the blood off his face with a swagger and picked two fruits from the nearby water.
I followed the smell back to Su Jian and found that he was about to cry.
The fennec fox mother was very kind to him. She cut the desert snake into two halves and gave Su Jian the larger part.
But when Su Jing saw the bloody meat, he couldn't bring himself to eat it.
Due to his nature, the feeling of hunger in his stomach became stronger and stronger, making Su Jing even more uncomfortable and almost crying out of grievance.
ERROR immediately ran to him and shared the fruit in his mouth with Su Jian.
Su Jing was a little disgusted by his saliva, hesitated for a moment, but still ate the delicious fruit.
The fennec fox mother was relieved and shared the big snake with her cubs.
The evening was only half over and the four foxes were already full.
However, the survival problem was not solved.
The fennec fox is a nocturnal animal, and most of its natural enemies are also nocturnal animals.
Not all desert animals are so lucky that they can find food as soon as they leave their nests.
Many larger animals are also hungry and will target the fennec foxes if they have no other choice, so they must be cautious and seek shelter from predators before daylight arrives.
Finding a place to hide from predators in the desert is much more difficult than hunting. Looking around, there is an endless expanse of sandy beach.
There are occasional large cacti and caves, but they have long been occupied by other animals.
The fennec fox mother led her cubs and searched carefully for a long time before finally finding a low bush.
The bushes are actually not safe. Experienced natural enemies will look for prey in the bushes, so they must be extremely vigilant.
The mother fennec fox warned her two cubs to hide. She looked outside and saw that the fennec fox, who had been born into the wrong family, had no intention of hiding in the bushes, nor did she show any intention of leaving.
He was like a soldier standing guard, stopping not far from the bushes and exposing himself carelessly.
In nature, only the absolutely strong would dare to challenge such reckless exposure of oneself.
It turned out that I was born into the wrong family.
When the fennec fox mother saw that he had successfully driven away a huge and extremely aggressive prey, this idea became even stronger.
At least it's safe tonight.
The fennec fox mother lowered her head and held the two cubs in her arms, helping them survive the desert night with its extreme temperature difference.
The cub that appeared today actually fell asleep.
What a carefree and cute little guy.
After a peaceful night, the morning sun shone down. When the sleepy fennec fox mother was about to take her child to bed, she found that the little one and the big one who was guarding outside last night had all disappeared.
I don't know where they went.
At the same time, Su Jing, who had a good sleep, opened his eyes, reached out to touch the top of his head, and found that his ears had disappeared.
Instead, there was a pair of... horns.
The antlers of a fawn.
It’s a deer, at least it’s better than a fennec fox.
Moreover, deer are vegetarians and do not need to challenge bloody foods.
[System: Congratulations to NPC Su Jian, player ERROR completed the survival challenge mission and obtained a clue to the human world.]
【Clue: Humans are not in the desert.】
“…”
"What nonsense literature."
The two of them worked hard all night, but in the end all they got was this nonsense, and they couldn't help but get their fists hard.
The system seemed to sense their anger and hurriedly continued to prompt.
[System: Today, you will be randomly assigned an animal identity: a sika deer, living in a grassland or forest area. Transmission will begin now.]
Su Jing came to a new environment, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery and no natural enemies that were too difficult to deal with.
Presumably, today's survival mission is definitely easier than that of the fennec fox.
"ERROR, let's go to the meeting place. Maybe they have more clues than us."
"Okay." ERROR was too lazy to study the clues he had obtained.
The system targets him, and perhaps it will provide good clues to several other people.
When we arrived at the meeting place, the others had already arrived and were sharing the clues they had collected.
They also received new clue cards today. Shi Yuntian, who was so arrogant yesterday, was particularly gloomy today.
Because his new identity turned out to be a sea fish. Although he could leave the ocean when not doing survival challenges, the dryness and sunlight made him very uncomfortable.
Su Jing came in front of them with a pair of horns on his head, and immediately received a lot of praise for being "cute", which made Shi Yuntian even more depressed.
Why does Su Qiong always draw the right animal? Can't he turn into a cute animal?
Su Qiong: "The clue we got is that humans are not in the desert."
"Sure enough, it's just nonsense."
"also?"
"Yeah, except for A, the clues we got are useless."
Su Qiong looked at A, "What clues did you get?"
A raised his eyelids, "We can find humans in the air."
“!!!”
Compared to other people's clues, A's clue is extremely useful.
Come to think of it, because they live in a wild environment, rarely visited by humans. But there are no restrictions on flight routes, so maybe they can encounter human aircraft in the air.
"But no one got the avian identity today."
"Even if you can draw a bird, it's too difficult to encounter a human in the air."
Su Qi sighed, "Sure enough, we can only place our hopes on the Wildlife Research Group."
"What research group? Where can I find it?"
Su Qiong and ERROR talked about their encounter with the camera yesterday, and seriously analyzed, "Since there are humans studying animals, maybe we can encounter them when they are placing or retrieving the camera."
"It's possible, and Su Jing, your identity today is very advantageous."
"Deer?" Su Jing looked at his horns silently.
Do deer have sensors that detect when they encounter humans?
Are they antlers?
"I'm not referring to your antlers," ERROR paused, then amended his tone. "No, antlers might be useful. Sika deer are a Class A protected species, their habitat is easily observable, and their appearance is adorable, so they're very likely to be studied by humans."
"No, no, no," Lu Shufan immediately complained, "The only cute thing is the snack."
They are both sika deer, but ERROR seems to be the leader of the herd, the kind that can knock humans over with its horns at any moment.
ERROR: ...
There's no need for such blatant double standards.
After Su Qiong touched the horn, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Speaking of which, can I tell Xi Huaiji this news?"
A: "I don't care."
Yu Qimiao was puzzled, "Why tell her?"
"Because I made a deal with her yesterday." Su Qiong told them the details of the transaction and added, "She is a person who keeps her word."
"I don't agree with Xi Huaiji's style, but she's trustworthy. This deal isn't a loss. But..." Yu Qimiao reminded worriedly, "You'd better keep your distance from her. Xi Huaiji is someone who will do anything to achieve her goals. You have a special status, and I'm worried she'll scheme against you."
"I've got that." Su Qi nodded. "Shall we continue to work in groups today?"
"No!" Shi Yuntian immediately refused.
He is a fish now and just wants to soak in the water.
Besides, ERROR and Su Qiong didn't need protection at all. He had volunteered to protect them yesterday, but was abandoned halfway.
Well, actually, Shi Yuntian was jealous. He saw that the players in the chaotic zone couldn’t move and were fighting with other players.
"Since you are meaningful, you will act alone today, and everyone else will continue as usual." Yu Qimiao made arrangements and announced the end of the meeting despite Shi Yuntian's protests.
Su Jing took out his magic wand and found Xi Huaiji's location.
He remembered Yu Qimiao's instructions and made sure there was no danger around before he dared to approach Xi Huaiji.
Xi Huaiji turned into a beautiful snake today, which looks very consistent with her character.
Su Jing told her the clue, and Xi Huaiji generously returned two of them.
“You can find humans in the grassland hunting areas, but the danger is very high.”
"Also, humans can be found in the ocean."
"Grassland and ocean." Su Jing immediately looked at ERROR.
Shi Yuntian happened to be in the ocean today, so I hoped he'd find something. However, the humans in the ocean were probably sitting on a cruise ship, making them just as difficult to contact as those in the air.
The remaining clues are...
"Grassland Hunting Area." ERROR made a quick decision, "Let's go back."
There is usually a reason why animals are protected.
The main reason why deer are protected species is because of poaching.
People often say that every part of a deer is a treasure, including antlers, blood, and meat...
Wild deer antlers, in particular, are very expensive on the black market.
Even though deer have become protected animals, there are still people willing to take risks for huge profits.
If humans really encountered each other in the forests and grasslands, then Su Jing would definitely become a sniper target.
He has a cute appearance, doesn't seem to have any scheming intentions, and has beautiful antlers.
Who wouldn’t be moved by seeing such a little sika deer?
"Are you sure you want to go back?" Xi Huaiji heard their decision and gave a rare friendly warning, "The poachers have drugs in their hands. We are no match for them."
"It's okay. My items and skills can be used." Su Qi shook his magic wand and added, "Besides, my companions will protect me."
Xi Huaiji was stunned, and seemed to understand why he stayed in the Orphan Alliance.
If it were another guild, they would most likely use NPCs as bait at this time.
The guild appears to be a whole, but in reality, everyone is only concerned with self-preservation and doesn't care about the lives of their teammates, let alone NPCs.
Such a guild is indeed not worthy of Su Jing's trust.
"Good luck."
"Thank you." Su Jing said goodbye to Xi Huaiji and returned to the grassland habitat with ERROR.
We encountered several chaotic areas along the way, and the fighting was even more intense than yesterday. Players with the upper hand in the food chain were eager to use their brief advantage to eliminate the players who had previously stepped on their heads.
Su Jing felt vaguely worried when he passed the third chaotic area.
"ERROR, is there any way to stop them from killing each other?"
"Yes, but it's difficult." ERROR asked, "Why stop them? The food chain in this instance is designed to make them fight."
"Really?" Su Qiong remained skeptical. "I think the food chain is just an additional setting. Their real enemy should be the animals that took away their identity."
Su Jian speculated that as time went on, the animals that had taken away their identities would become more integrated into the human world, hiding deeper and deeper, and developing their own network of interpersonal relationships.
By that time, it will be even more difficult to take back humanity, and perhaps even the cooperation of the entire natural world will be required.
However, they fail to realize this and instead indulge in killing each other. The outcome is probably disastrous.
ERROR understood Su Jing's meaning, raised his hand and touched his horns.
"That's the purpose of the system. The way to destroy a civilization is often not through external attacks, but from within."
Su Qi asked, "What do you have in mind?"
"You should know that there is only one way to unite them."
Su Jing understood, "Unity against external enemies."
Only by creating a powerful new goal can they let go of old grudges and deal with the disaster at hand first.
And now, it happens to be delivered to your door.
Su Jing and ERROR returned to their grassland habitat and found it very quiet.
Grasslands are different from deserts.
The desert is too hot during the day, with the highest temperature even reaching 50 degrees, which is not suitable for most animals to survive.
But the grassland is a habitable environment, and many animals are active during the day. Therefore, the silence at this moment seems particularly strange.
Just when Su Jing was feeling strange, a gunshot was heard from a distance.
The animals hiding everywhere fled, and the birds were startled and flew up in layers.
"Poacher."
"I'll go over and take a look." ERROR made a decision.
"I'll go with you. I can be the bait."
"You..." ERROR hesitated.
The poacher's weapon sounded very dangerous, and ERROR was unwilling to let Su Jian take the risk rashly.
Su Qi quickly said, "I can use order deduction to determine their location."
"Okay, once you're sure where they are, don't act rashly."
The two deer followed the sound and came within range of the hunters. Su Qiong hid behind a large rock and spread his hands. A loading icon appeared on his palms.
"Order deduction."
The deduction began, and Su Jing fearlessly rushed into the attack range, using his agile body to dodge the □□ shot at him head-on.
He followed the direction of the shooting and rushed towards the poacher's location.
Just as he was about to approach the poacher, suddenly...
Gunshots rang out almost simultaneously from both sides, and at least four bullets flew towards Su Jian.
He barely dodged two of them, but one hit his foot and another hit his neck.
The gunshot wound wasn't fatal, so Su Jian didn't die immediately. But his foot was injured, and he couldn't run any further. He could only lie helplessly on the ground, watching the hunters approach him...
Even though there was no pain in the order deduction, Su Jing could feel his life slipping away bit by bit.
The poachers looked at the little sika deer with greedy eyes.
"What a beautiful little deer, but too rebellious."
"If he had been more obedient, I would have just shot him in the foot. Now, he has become our food."
“…”
Amid their indifferent discussions, Su Jing closed his eyes and ended his deduction.
When he opened his eyes again, he covered his neck in fear, not daring to rush into the hunter's attack range again.
"What's wrong?" ERROR asked.
"There's more than one hunter, there are seven or eight. I can't hide from them at all."
"It seems like this was a team effort." ERROR felt relieved. "Fortunately, I didn't put you in danger directly."
Su Qiong: "They have weapons in their hands. We have no way of getting close to them. Even if we did, we can't attack so many humans at once."
ERROR didn't seem nervous. Instead, he said calmly, "Didn't you just ask how to stop them from killing each other? Now's our chance to unite against the enemy."
Su Jian and ERROR returned to the chaotic area without alerting the poachers.
The players who stayed in the chaotic zone were all the overlords with relatively strong status today. There were all kinds of people who could fly or swim in the water. Su Jing even saw a peacock.
But he looks too perfunctory, not as good-looking as A from yesterday.
After Su Jing explained his purpose, the players who were originally fighting to the death actually retreated a little.
"They have weapons and are hiding in the dark. Wouldn't it be suicide for us to go over there?"
Su Qiong: "...If you stay here, aren't you just going to die?"
The players thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so they asked Su Jing about his plan.
Su Qiong took out his magic wand and told him seriously, "I just saw the appearance of most poachers in the order deduction. We can use pink diamonds to determine their location. When the time comes, you will act in groups and control those people at the same time."
"We need to be divided into groups..." The players were full of resistance and were not willing to cooperate.
ERROR had anticipated this and casually reminded them, "Among those people, there might be animals who have replaced your identities."
If a player is lucky enough to encounter an animal that replaces his identity, he will become the first player to pass the third circle, enjoy the rewards and super high points given by the system, and have an overwhelming advantage in the next game.
Even if they can't find anyone to replace them, they have an advantage over other players because they have come into contact with humans first.
"Okay, isn't it just cooperation?"
"Let's get into groups! I love working with everyone! Cooperation is the best!"
Su Jian: ...
If you could wipe the blood off your face, I would believe this statement even more.
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