Apocalypse: I Can See the HP Bar, Killing Monsters Drops Loot
Chapter 1584 - 665: New Red Maple Base_2

Chapter 1584: Chapter 665: New Red Maple Base_2

Han Youlin forced a grim smile, exposing a chilling expression. His cheeks had already become wooden-like, and though they still retained a human appearance, they were stiff and made speaking incredibly difficult.

Wang Tao felt a bit hesitant to disturb him, but Han Youlin took the initiative to speak:

"Honestly, in this state, very few people are willing to come near me anymore. Mr. Wang, it’s good that you’re willing to chat with me. If there’s anything you want to know, feel free to ask. I will answer everything I know. Don’t worry about whether I can handle it; though I look abnormal, I’m doing just fine. I can feel that I am still far from complete woodification..."

Since Han Youlin himself said so, Wang Tao didn’t hold back. He, along with Qu Shilin and the others, raised various questions with Han Youlin, even Qu Shilin probed Han Youlin’s mind using her spiritual power...

...

The journey to the new base was challenging. Though there weren’t any Seventh Level Destruction-Class monsters appearing, the road was crawling with zombies, and encountering zombie herds was a frequent occurrence. The Sixth Rank Lord Zombies were everywhere, and Sixth Rank Disaster Zombies sometimes showed up too.

Confronting those zombies, Han Youlin micro-managed the entire team, solving most zombie threats. Only Disaster-Class Zombies couldn’t be dealt with. No matter how skillful his operation was, his controlled mutated plants and troops had their limits. If the levels weren’t high enough, facing a Cataclysmic Awakening meant death.

Tu Li Zhen and the others, despite their greatly improved combat abilities, remained overly cautious out of fear of accelerating their woodification, holding themselves back in battle.

That’s when Wang Tao’s team stepped in. No Disaster-Class Zombie could survive more than a minute in front of them. Some were even killed in mere seconds.

This left Tu Li Zhen and the others envious. They had risked so much, transforming into almost inhuman forms, just to gain some strength. Yet even then, they couldn’t compare to Wang Tao’s team. It proved to them the stark disparity between people.

Watching everything unfold, Han Youlin secretly sighed. Although the population of Changhe Base was comparable to Red Maple Base, the difference in strength was simply too vast.

"I hope we can get through this crisis safely. Unfortunately, going to Changhe Base isn’t an option..."

He was willing to go to Changhe Base, even taking all the survivors with him. The other survivors wouldn’t object either—so long as their safety could be guaranteed, they’d jump at the chance to be a "phoenix tail," even under constant grueling "007" work conditions.

But the distance between the two places was too far. If reaching Changhe Base meant sacrificing over ten times the population, it wouldn’t be worth it.

For now, they’ll assess the new base. If it seems viable, he planned to settle there.

Transferring such a large population in one move posed significant challenges beyond the zombie threat—high temperatures were another major issue.

The formidable zombies were dealt with by Wang Tao and his team, but there was no good solution for the heat.

The Red Maple Base’s mutated plants with [Frost Cold Air] Awakening Ability were still alive, but their effect was limited, reducing nearby temperatures to a mere forty degrees Celsius at best.

Living in forty-degree heat within Red Maple Base was tolerable, but enduring it while traveling nonstop was punishing. Many survivors suffered from heatstroke, barely hanging on thanks to the Healing-Type Ability Users. Without rest, they wouldn’t last.

Just as a significant number of survivors were on the verge of collapsing, the destination finally came into view after three days of travel.

"Is this the place...?"

Wang Tao instructed the Golden Eagle to fly over the valley ahead.

This valley was the location Han Youlin had chosen for the new base.

The terrain here resembled that of the previous Red Maple Base—a plain area encircled by several mountains. However, this site lacked vegetation; the bare mountains looked desolate and unfit for establishing a base.

But upon entering the valley, they discovered a deep pool at its center—or rather, it seemed to be... a seawater-filled rift?

Wang Tao and the others were somewhat surprised.

"This appears to be a rift. I can smell seawater... Though this rift isn’t as big as the previous ones and hasn’t fully split open—it just forms an opening within the valley..."

If there was water, even seawater, it would suffice for the entire Red Maple Base’s survivors to live here. Furthermore, the seawater inside the rift wasn’t affected much by the heat and wouldn’t evaporate, so they didn’t need to worry about running out of water.

But there was one issue—sea beasts inhabit seawater. If there were sea beasts here, fetching water would be problematic. However, they were already aware of the possibility of sea beasts in the rifts. Since Han Youlin chose this location as the new base, he must have a solution in mind.

Wang Tao and the others didn’t spend much time investigating. They instructed the Golden Eagle to circle the valley a few times to ensure there were no threats, and by then, the main contingent had arrived.

Due to the rift’s seawater, the valley’s temperature was considerably cooler than outside. Survivors immediately felt relieved as they entered, especially once they spotted the deep pool, sparking tears of joy.

But soldiers and mutated plants blocked them from approaching, stating that the commander had issued orders requiring everyone to follow protocols.

Survivors naturally dared not disobey the commander’s orders. Suppressing their urge to bathe in the water, they complied obediently.

Wang Tao came to the Red Mushroom structure to ask Han Youlin how they planned to handle the rift.

Han Youlin’s rigid face broke into a smile:

"I’ve sent people to test it before—there are no sea beasts in this rift. But since sea beasts move around, ’none now’ doesn’t mean ’none later,’ so we can’t become complacent. Through experiments in another rift, I discovered that sea beasts are interested in humans and mutated animals. However, they have no interest in zombies or mutated plants. That’s why I plan to seal off the rift and use our controllable mutated plants to fetch water..."

"Hmm? Mutated plants can fetch water?"

Wang Tao and Qu Shilin exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming.

They hadn’t thought of using mutated plants this way, mainly because they lacked the ability to control them and hadn’t conducted such experiments.

But if water could indeed be fetched safely, Wang Tao believed that with the research lab’s efforts, even if they couldn’t replicate Han Youlin’s plant control, they could at least develop alternative methods to solve Changhe Base’s water shortage!

Under Han Youlin’s command, eighty thousand survivors entered the valley in an orderly fashion and began setting up camp at their designated sites.

Simultaneously, soldiers carefully sealed the rift using dead mutated plants in a special manner, gradually forming a cover over the entire rift. Only one entrance remained accessible, monitored closely by heavily armed guards, barring any human entry.

"Impressive..."

Seeing the controlled mutated plants starting to draw water without incident, Wang Tao nodded in approval.

Qu Shilin’s eyes sparkled with inspiration, and several ideas began taking shape in her mind—ready to implement upon returning!

That night, the Red Maple Base survivors settled in temporarily, and after ensuring everything was in order, Wang Tao prepared to leave.

"I don’t have much to thank you with. I can only say that if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask—even at the cost of my life." Han Youlin said as he plucked a tendril from his head and handed it to Wang Tao, "Take this. It will die within a few hours after leaving me, but perhaps you’ll uncover something during that time. If you ever need more, let me know—these things on my head will regrow..."

"Alright, we’re heading out then."

Wang Tao accepted the still-wriggling tendril and departed the New Red Maple Base atop the Golden Eagle.