This is proving troublesome, as everyone's timelines are different. It's unclear if this is due to an error by World Tree or interference from the Dragon Mother system.
There are currently two issues: first, Bai Cha believes Lucifer is unnecessary, and second, Gu Mingze has a peculiar constitution. Only these two individuals have not had communicators implanted within them.
Bai Cha received word that Gu Mingze and Cang Liu, along with a few others, had rendezvoused. However, there has been no news of Lucifer thus far.
"Why did you come out? Gu Zitan is stronger than you; why isn't he here?" Bai Cha asked, surprised.
This green-skinned individual possesses considerable strength. Currently, everyone can only use basic skills. In terms of physical prowess and combat talent, Gu Zitan is far superior to Mo Ziye.
"Because Xiao Bai said that when there are many people, someone with a broad perspective is needed to oversee things," Mo Ziye replied, scratching his head awkwardly. "Xiao Bai also said that I lack a broad perspective."
That actually makes sense. This fellow has indeed made progress.
"Then, did you understand what I was doing during my fight?" Bai Cha inquired.
"I understood! Xiao Bai is amazing! I will definitely keep working hard from now on!" Mo Ziye exclaimed excitedly, hugging Bai Cha. "I will learn from Xiao Bai more in the future!"
This young fellow, calling her Xiao Bai so familiarly, made Bai Cha feel somewhat helpless. She could only pat Mo Ziye, signaling him to get off her.
Mo Ziye was naturally happy to see Bai Cha and cheerfully led her towards their gathering point.
Before they even reached the gathering point, from a distance, Bai Cha and Mo Ziye saw three green-skinned creatures besieging over a dozen people. It was then that Mo Ziye felt fortunate about his choice. Gu Zitan was already struggling against three green-skinned individuals; if he had stayed, everyone would likely have suffered.
In truth, although these three green-skinned creatures possessed decent combat power, they were still slightly inferior to someone like Gu Zitan, who had experienced world-level conflicts. The fights were relatively manageable.
The problem lay with the perpetually excitable troublemakers in the group who, before even being approached, were shouting loudly, greatly irritating Gu Zitan.
While he was feeling annoyed, two beams of blood-red light flashed. This time, Bai Cha had no intention of demonstrating for Mo Ziye. The blood shot through the eyes of the three green-skinned creatures like sharp swords, piercing their brains.
"Miss Bai." Gu Zitan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Bai Cha. In a dangerous situation, an additional strong individual meant an extra layer of security.
"Hmph, what good can come from her showing up?" a faint voice drifted from the crowd. Though the voice was small, the sharp undertone of jealousy nearly pierced the heavens, causing Gu Zitan to frown deeply.
Such a person could actually become a Dragon Knight? It seemed the current choices of masters by dragons were truly varied.
The sarcasm in those words was too heavy. Mo Ziye was immediately about to explode, but Bai Cha's hand was still on his shoulder. Despite his anger, Mo Ziye could only swallow his fury silently.
"Is there any other activity?" Bai Cha asked Gu Zitan. "Approximately how many green-skinned individuals are around, and is there a settlement?"
Bai Cha asked casually. These were, after all, basic pieces of information. She had heard from Mo Ziye that they had been here for a few days, so it was unlikely they had no information at all.
However, as soon as the question left her lips, another sour voice floated out.
"Is she intentionally mocking us for being useless? We haven't had anything to eat or drink for days, and we're utterly exhausted. Where would we find the time to investigate?"
"Exactly. Easy for you to say when you're not the one doing it."
A flash of blood-red light followed. The man and woman speaking suddenly felt a blur before their eyes, and a burst of blood bloomed from their lower abdomens. They immediately rolled on the ground, groaning in unison. The previous murmuring in the crowd instantly vanished. Those who were displeased were now as quiet as chickens, heads bowed, daring not to utter a sound.
"Continue," Bai Cha said expressionlessly, looking at Gu Zitan.
Gu Zitan glanced at the two individuals on the ground. Though he didn't speak, he felt immensely satisfied. He twitched the flesh on his face and cleared his throat twice. "There should be a settlement. Their attacks are very organized; they seem intelligent. I'm not sure of the exact number, but they don't appear to have their own language. They're a bit like primitives."
Bai Cha nodded and squatted beside a green-skinned creature. The floating blood around them coalesced into small knives, and in front of everyone, she began to dissect it.
"Ugh."
Someone finally couldn't help but vomit.
The scene was truly challenging for their tolerance. They were all students, and they hadn't witnessed much violence. Seeing Bai Cha cut open the green-skinned creature's muscles, extract its internal organs, and then pry open its skull to remove its brain was too much.
The visual impact was immense. Those who watched closely almost hurled up everything they had eaten the day before.
Mo Ziye was relatively better off. He was from a laboratory background and had studied anatomy under Mo Yuntian. Gu Zitan had a decent psychological tolerance but still looked a bit ill. The scene was truly unexpected. The green-skinned creature's internal organs were covered with a layer of sticky, viscous green residue, resembling fermented bean curd or bean dregs, which was very challenging to the eyes.
"Hmm... their intelligence is quite high, and their brains have evolved quite completely," Bai Cha said, pulling out medical wipes from a hidden compartment on her body to wipe her hands. She stood up. "Their vocal cords have evolved quite imperfectly. They lack skin, but their exposed muscles are very tough. There's no blood or heart, but they do have several organs I haven't seen before."
"Uh, then, what do we do now? Should we go find the main camp of these green-skinned people?" Gu Zitan asked, averting his gaze with a hint of disgust. "Our storage bracelets are all broken, and we've been eating forest fungi for days. There don't seem to be any wild beasts here, so everyone's stamina is probably low."
"Indeed, there are no wild beasts. Their stomachs contain no meat, but it appears they eat their own kind," Bai Cha said, pointing to a cut-open organ on the ground that resembled a stomach, containing chewed green muscle. "To chew such muscle, their teeth must be very sharp."
Is this the time to be concerned about teeth?
Gu Zitan was truly impressed. In just a few minutes, Bai Cha had challenged his perceptions several times.
"Do you have any conscience at all? I already said we haven't eaten anything. You can't expect us to eat these strange creatures too," a young girl said, her voice hoarse after vomiting. "If this continues, we'll all starve to death."
Bai Cha let out a soft "tsk" and turned her head with a hint of impatience, finally giving the dozen or so people a direct look. Seeing this group, who were afraid to speak but dared to be angry, she said coldly, "Did I ask you to come in?"
The crowd: "..."
It was they themselves.
"Did I not say to avoid entering unless absolutely necessary? Were you not greedy yourselves?" Bai Cha continued to ask.
The crowd: "..."
It seemed they were indeed.
"When we first entered, I notified you again that the danger was uncontrollable. Why didn't you leave? Did you sign the contract acknowledging that you bear the risks yourself when entering?" Bai Cha pressed on.
The crowd: "..."
They had signed it, but that was because they thought there were treasures! Who knew such a vast forest would have no food and not even normal animals.
"Are there any more questions?" Bai Cha asked again.
The crowd: "..."
No one spoke. Bai Cha was usually cold-faced and taciturn, but that didn't mean she was poor at speaking. On the contrary, Bai Cha's wit was not something ordinary people could match.
Her father died early, and Bai Cha, at the tender age of twelve, had to navigate among adults and even seasoned schemers. If she were truly someone easily bullied, she would have been reduced to bone fragments long ago. It was just that she had seen more and held a higher status, and as a child, she was too lazy to bother with these weaker, junior individuals.
"You should be grateful that Mo Ziye and Gu Zitan are here, allowing me to spare your lives," Bai Cha snorted.
Otherwise, given their mouths that were good at causing trouble and bad at resolving it, she would have already silenced them permanently.
Of course, Bai Cha didn't voice the last sentence. After all, there was no need to completely fall out at this point. The Gu family, as neutrals, actually had a good relationship with the Bai family. Bai Cha still had to show Gu Zitan some respect.
Bai Cha usually didn't talk much, but when she did, her words were always piercing and to the point. This was her style when discussing important matters.
Once she spoke, several restless individuals immediately fell silent. It wasn't that everyone enjoyed having the last word; there were plenty who understood reason. Those sitting on the ground, watching the others being cornered, couldn't help but gloat.
"Then, I'll go scout the surroundings first. Their camp shouldn't be too far, or they wouldn't have sent so many people to attack you," Bai Cha said. "You two stay here and don't move. If they come, it will be easier to respond."
In reality, she was also afraid these two would be a burden. These green-skinned creatures posed no threat to Bai Cha, but if she had to drag along dead weight, it would be too restrictive.
"Who knows if you're going to find treasure? Can't you take us with you?" a man asked, clutching his abdomen. He was the first person Bai Cha had injured and was originally lying on the ground groaning. Hearing Bai Cha was leaving, he raised his head again. "Besides, if you leave, what will happen to us?"
These words seemed to both blame Bai Cha and demand her protection.
"Pfft."
A muffled sound was heard. The man's head exploded like an overripe watermelon hit by a stone, the rind cracking, and the red pulp mixed with red juice splattering everywhere.
"Xiao... Xiao Bai." Mo Ziye's face turned a little pale, but this time he was clearly more adaptable. He looked at Bai Cha with some concern. "Killing people so casually... isn't that a bit much?"
"Have you heard the saying?" Bai Cha raised an eyebrow and rubbed Mo Ziye's head. "I don't offend if others don't offend me; I yield if others offend me thrice; if they offend me again, I eradicate them completely."
"I haven't heard the last part," Mo Ziye said truthfully, rubbing his face. "I'll try to adapt."
Michael, standing nearby, covered his face, unable to bear watching. It seemed love truly changed a person.
Previously, if someone killed so casually, Mo Ziye wouldn't have jumped out to fight them. But now? Try to adapt? Was that even possible?
"Hmm, progress," Bai Cha smiled and, with a few leaps, disappeared from everyone's sight again.
Gu Zitan sighed and could only step forward to handle the corpse Bai Cha had left behind. Although he and Bai Cha had a significant age difference, they were considered peers. Furthermore, Bai Cha's strength and status were higher than his. Even though Bai Cha's decisive and ruthless nature was vastly different from his gentle and upright demeanor, there was nothing he could do about it.
Teaching someone a lesson also depended on strength and status. Clearly, very few in this world could subdue Bai Cha.
In the jungle, Bai Cha maximized her senses, following various clues and clearing out several more green-skinned individuals along the way before finally spotting a settlement-like area.
It was called a settlement, but it was merely a giant tree formed by twisting together several thick vines. A group of green-skinned people were gathered silently, some clinging to the tree, others sitting on the ground. Occasionally, someone would make gestures and emit "wu wu" sounds. All of them were uniformly green.
Was this a protective coloration developed naturally?
Even Bai Cha felt a bit dizzy from the sight of the green figures amidst the green jungle. Just as she was about to change her position to continue observing, a green crystal caught her attention.
It was a bluish-green crystal, embedded in the giant vine, emitting faint, flickering bluish light that seemed to be absorbing energy from the vine.
Upon closer inspection, the green-skinned individuals clinging to the vines were already in a semi-melted state, their eyes vacant.
This crystal was absorbing the energy of all surrounding life.
Bai Cha finally understood. This crystal was likely a crystallization formed from the fundamental energy of these abandoned world bubbles.