Chapter 398: Footprints

The area where the wolf clan beastmen stood was indeed wasteland, but not far away, orderly ridges and neat crops came into view, silently announcing that this land was not ownerless.

The excited wolves, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, drooped their tails and stared blankly at the farmland before them.

Lang San was even more stunned; after recovering, his embarrassed face flushed, his lips stammered for a while before he explained, "The first time I came, it was pitch‑black, I could only see wasteland…" and that shadow.

Shadow?

Lang San looked up and realized that the huge shadow he thought was a monster was merely a towering building.

He need not explain further; the others understood the situation as well.

But…

With such a great hope shattered, no beastman felt at ease.

For a moment the wolves were utterly silent, only the crackle of torches remained, as if silently digesting the desolation.

The little granddaughter who had come with her grandfather was still young, didn't understand what had happened, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Grandfather? Can't we move?"

Her voice was thin, carrying a child's naivety and innocence.

But in this situation, she seemed rather pitiful.

Among the arriving beastmen was a reckless one who, upon hearing this, could not hold back, inhaled sharply, frowned, thought a moment, then shouted, "There's no scent of other beastmen! Either it's the herbivores, or homeless monsters have taken this place! Such a good spot, such a vast area, so many fields…"

The more he spoke, the redder his eyes became, clearly burning with jealousy.

The few wolf clan beastmen standing beside him caught the emotion, their eyes reddening one by one.

Life is hard for the wolf clan.

That is an undisputed fact!

The wolf clan's disadvantage was decided from the moment the lands were allocated.

Barren soil cannot yield enough food, and if even eating is a problem, how can other needs be met?

The greatness of the first wolf king is beyond doubt; he indeed laid a solid foundation for the clan.

But the successive wolf kings each performed worse; poverty tarnished the clan's reputation, and even the black market's illicit trade dealt in wolf cubs.

Until now, a new king has taken the throne.

The new king is not a wolf clan beastman, has never even set foot in their lands, yet is sufficiently fair.

For the long‑oppressed wolf clan beastmen, fairness is the greatest gift.

This is someone else's territory; whichever race it is, once they commit an offense, war is declared.

Times will get better; they must not cause trouble for the new king.

The lead wolf trailing behind Lang San spoke, "Return to our lands; there is a master here."

That means 'do not'.

Even the young wolf cubs have never seen such fertile soil, but the wolf clan's discipline is strict; no wolf dares disobey the lead wolf.

Thus the anger was naturally redirected, and pair after pair of blood‑red eyes turned toward Lang San at the front of the line.

He was already aged, his body hunched, unable to endure any strain.

Moreover, with the facts before all the wolf clan beastmen, Lang San did not act intentionally…

Except for the wolf clan beastman who spoke, the others withdrew their gaze. That youngster, still somewhat unwilling, looked at the lead wolf with reddened eyes, only to be met by the lead wolf's even blood‑red stare.

The young wolf who had just been defiant instantly tucked his tail, hung his head dejectedly, and lost all spirit.

The pack of wolves, reluctantly, cast one last glance at the fertile land, and under the lead wolf's guidance, returned to the wolf clan's territory.

Gold nests and silver nests are no better than one's own doghouse.

That's all they can console themselves with.

Early on Sunday, Cheng Shuili opened her eyes.

Having spent so long in this cursed place, her biological clock had stabilized.

Now even if she stayed up late, she could wake up on time without missing anything.

Cheng Shuili rose, stretched a few times, and as usual opened the regional channel to see if any noteworthy news appeared.

After a moment, she raised a slight brow and closed the regional channel.

There was no noteworthy news, but many were urging Hei Yu An Quan Qu to open its gates.

They were all people who knew the first day was overcrowded, disliked the crowd, and could wait until today to visit.

Cheng Shuili knew that their curiosity about the safety zone was minimal; they mainly wanted to see Black Feather's territory.

After all… this is Long Guo's major region Number One's territory.

That's also why Long Guo's people outnumber those of other regions.

Cheng Shuili stopped scrolling; these people only babbled, wasting time, and she was very busy.

After washing up, Wan Yi's breakfast was delivered on time.

During this period their meals improved considerably; the communal mess hall not only made preparing multiple dishes convenient, but thanks to the complete facilities, ingredients that previously could not be processed due to lack of equipment or conditions could finally be prepared.

Thus Black Feather's group naturally expanded their recipe repertoire.

Today's breakfast was eight‑treasure porridge; despite the many varieties, a mix of several rice and bean types, Cheng Shuili ate it with relish.

Life could be said to be getting better and better; it would be wonderful if the next disaster weren't a plague.

Previously the Sunday system would distribute supplies for the upcoming disaster, but since the team Instance began, there have been no alerts.

Cheng Shuili lifted her bowl, sighed, and scooped another spoonful of thick porridge into her mouth.

The warm porridge was not only tasty but also soothed her heart and lungs.

After finishing the last sips, Cheng Shuili stood and went to the bathroom to wash the bowl.

She recalled that when she first got the bowl, there was no detergent or washing tools, so she barely rinsed it with water.

Now she uses everything.

All sorts of odds and ends and daily items packed the vehicle to the brim, as cramped as the rental she lived in in a past life.

It can finally be called feeling like having a home.

Cheng Shuili shook her head at the supplies packed in the vehicle and thought it was time to move.

The domain is huge and the house is fine; keeping it empty would be odd.

Thinking of that, she stretched lazily, greeted Su Rui, and said that since she was passing through a special area, she would stay in the domain.

The Dragon Soul group had been quite efficient; the tasks assigned last night were turned into a plan early this morning.

Cheng Shuili needed to pick the most suitable plan and handle construction, so she went to the domain to discuss with them.

When the sun was high, the group still hadn't reached a conclusion.

They kept saying this is Black Feather's first safe zone, humanity's first safe zone, the world's hope, and must be handled with utmost caution, presenting several top plans for Lao Da to decide.

Cheng Shuili initially agreed, but after staying here with them for so long and listening to their morning nagging, she was thoroughly annoyed.

When she tried to leave again, Yu Bing suddenly knocked on the door and whispered, "Lao Da!"

Cheng Shuili's eyes lit up; it was perfect timing, as she had no legitimate excuse to leave openly!

She stood up, and the middle‑aged men nearby who were discussing lowered their gazes onto her; seeing them about to spout more nonsense, Cheng Shuili raised her hand to signal them to be quiet.

This time it's serious business; no one may try to keep her here.

Cheng Shuili cheerfully walked up to Yu Bing, pulled the bewildered Yu Bing half a corridor away, and whispered, "What do you need me for?"

Yu Bing was still a bit stunned; only after hearing the question did they respond, "Awo! Lao Da, Zhou Zhuxing asked me to call you, saying they saw footprints near our house and wanted you to check."

"Footprints?" Cheng Shuili was also puzzled, "What's up with the footprints?"

The safe zone is bustling; it would be odd if there were no footprints, right?

She thought that and asked accordingly.

Yu Bing slapped their thigh, excitedly saying, "Right! That's what I said at the time! But Zhou Zhuxing said that area isn't open to players, and she patrols the field every day. No one has been there for many days, so it seemed strange, and asked me to tell Lao Da to take a look."

Since they said so, Cheng Shuili naturally had to go see.

Moreover, for Cheng Shuili, meeting Zhou Zhuxing was more pleasant than listening to those balding middle‑aged men.

Although the domain was large, the two moved quickly enough that only a dozen minutes passed before they saw Zhou Zhuxing.

Zhou Zhuxing was intently examining a plant in the field; hearing footsteps, they looked up, saw the newcomers, stood straight and politely called out "Lao Da," then led the two to the strange footprints they mentioned.

Cheng Shuili initially thought it was nothing; with so many Black Feather members, perhaps one was in a bad mood at night and went for a walk.

But after seeing those footprints, she immediately dismissed that notion.

There were too many footprints, stretching from their domain all the way to the border.

Cheng Shuili was certain this area had previously been impassable, yet the footprints unmistakably vanished here.

"Lao Da... this..."

Cheng Shuili pressed her hand down, tightly gripping Night Hunt, and gave a smile to the two with furrowed brows, "Let's go take a look."

"Go take a look?" Yu Bing asked, surprised.

"Do the two of us also go?" Zhou Zhuxing asked even more pragmatically.

Cheng Shuili nodded; she had her own considerations.

These two were bound by domain servant cards and could not leave the domain.

If they could enter the unknown area ahead, it would mean this is also her domain and likely safe.

If they couldn't, she would need to be extra cautious.

Cheng Shuili tightened her grip on Night Hunt and stepped forward first.

As she crossed the invisible boundary, she felt a faint resistance, like passing through a thin layer of icy water, then it vanished.

She immediately turned back, looking at Yu Bing and Zhou Zhuxing, "You try."

Yu Bing glanced at Zhou Zhuxing, signaled to go first, then stepped forward, inhaled deeply, mimicking Cheng Shuili's stride, but at the boundary was halted by a gentle yet firm force, unable to move an inch.

Zhou Zhuxing experienced the same.

"It seems this side is no longer within the domain's bounds."

Cheng Shuili understood and told the two, "You go ahead; I'll scout ahead."

Zhou Zhuxing, a bit uneasy, said, "Lao Da, should I call Ailin or Su Rui to accompany you?"

Cheng Shuili waved her hand, "No need, I'm more efficient alone. You both go about your business."

The Rocket Launcher is still lying inside the Abyssal Ring; newcomers are less useful than that.

Moreover… Cheng Shuili looked up at the road stretching ahead and felt that this suddenly appearing new area wouldn't pose much danger.

Those footprints, though chaotic, hadn't moved forward a step nor caused any damage; they were likely benign.

She tightened her grip on Night Hunt, inhaled deeply, and stepped into the unknown region.

The ground beneath her was soft and moist, starkly different from the cultivated land within the domain.

The air was tinged with a faint unfamiliar scent, like soil mixed with the complex smell of a dog‑keeping household.

Cheng Shuili moved lightly, carefully following the chaotic footprints.

Turning a corner, the view opened up.

Low, squat houses were scattered, mostly built of mud and rough timber, appearing simple and barren.

A few wolf‑clan orcs were busy in the clearing; they were thin, their fur dull, unlike the robust orcs Cheng Shuili had seen in Shou Ren Xiao Zhen.

The first to notice her was an orc child; the lollipop in their hand fell to the ground as they pointed at Cheng Shuili and shouted, "Human! Human!"

The child's naive cry rang like a stone tossed into a calm lake, instantly shattering the village's tranquility.

All the wolf‑clan orcs froze.

The werewolf repairing a roof dropped their tool, the werewolf drying hides froze in place, and the wolf pups playing in the clearing all huddled behind their elders.

Pairs of wolf eyes of varying colors—amber, eerie green, deep brown—converged on Cheng Shuili, the unexpected guest.

Tension and vigilance filled the air, even a few suppressed low growls could be heard.

Cheng Shuili's mood was extremely complicated.

She already understood what was going on; this place is probably the territory of the wolf beastmen.

She first put away the Night Hunt, then again scanned this crude village.

To be honest, this place is completely different from what she imagined.

She originally thought that even if the wolf tribe were poor, they should have modernized buildings like the beastmen town.

This place is practically a primitive tribe!

Cheng Shuili really had a headache; not to mention the basic facilities, looking at these beastmen, most are thin and weak; facing her this "intruder", their eyes lack much ferocity, more vigilance and unease.

Obviously they don't have much combat power.

The combat power should be in the Guard Team.

Cheng Shuili felt a sigh, just about to draw the Wolf Fang, when an old voice came from the crowd: "Human, you are not welcome here."

Because the distance was too far, or perhaps to show momentum, he was shouting when he said this.

Another somewhat stronger young beastman stepped forward, baring his teeth and threatening: "The Guard Team is already on the way! Human, you'd better leave now!"